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Eggplant Bruschetta with Pita Chips



Total Time:

25 min

Prep

10 min

Cook

15 min



Ingredients

For Pita:

4 Mediterranean flatbreads, no pockets

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup feta cheese, finely crumbled

Bruschetta:

1 medium eggplant, peeled, cut lengthwise into slices

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for eggplant, plus 4 tablespoons, for bruschetta mix

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 avocado, diced

3 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

2 tablespoons freshly chopped oregano leaves

2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves

1 lemon, juiced

For the pita:

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.



Cut flatbreads into 8 wedges. Place wedges into a large bowl and drizzle with 4 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with black pepper and toss to coat. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and lightly top with feta cheese. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.



For the bruschetta:

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.



Brush eggplant with 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.



Place on grill and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until tender. Remove from grill and dice. Add the eggplant to a bowl, stir in remaining ingredients, including 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and toss to combine. Serve with toasted pita chips.

Royal Jack



Ingredients

Ice

2 ounces applejack (recommended: Laird's Bonded)

1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon homemade grenadine, recipe follows

3 ounces brut Champagne

Sliced or diced apple or red apple peel

Directions

Fill a cocktail shaker or small pitcher with ice. Add the apple jack, lemon juice, and grenadine. Cover and shake vigorously until thoroughly mixed and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, the drink is ready by the time the shaker mists up.) Strain into 2 Champagne flutes. Top each drink off with 1 1/2 ounces Champagne. Garnish with the apple. Drink.



Homemade Grenadine:

2 cups unsweetened pomegranate juice

3/4 cup granulated or turbinado sugar

Put pomegranate juice in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and continue to cook until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the sugar to dissolve thoroughly, and simmer to thicken slightly. Cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

COMMENTS

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captainglobehead
19:36 Sep 29 2011

Sounds tasty and refreshing.

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POST COMMENT

Pumpkin roll cake





Ingredients



3/4 cup cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

6 large eggs, separated

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup golden brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup canned pumpkin, packed

1/8 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar

Filling:

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 cup whipping cream, chilled

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

6 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup English toffee pieces for garnish

Additional powdered sugar, for garnish

1 1/2 cups purchased caramel sauce, warmed, for garnish

Directions

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.



Line a 15 by 10 by 1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.



Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice into a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until very thick. Add the pumpkin to the egg mixture and combine at a low speed until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and beat at a low speed until mixed. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry. Fold into the cake batter, stirring with a spatula, until most of the white streaks are gone.



Spread the batter onto a baking sheet and smooth out. Transfer baking sheet to the oven and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes. While the cake is hot, dust generously with powdered sugar. Loosen the edges and turn the cake out onto a kitchen towel. Fold the towel over the edge of the cake and roll up. Cool completely, edge down, for 1 hour in the refrigerator.



For the filling: Soften the gelatin in the rum. Stir over low heat until the gelatin dissolves. Cool. Beat the chilled whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl until peaks form. Fold in the gelatin and 6 tablespoons English toffee pieces.



To assemble, unroll the cake and sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of English toffee pieces. Spread the filling over the toffee. Start at 1 long side of the cake roll and, using the towel as an aid, roll up the cake to encase the filling. Place the cake, seam side down, on a platter.



Trim the ends of the cake at a slight diagonal. Dust the cake with powdered sugar. Spoon some warm caramel sauce and the remaining toffee chips over the top of the cake. To serve, use a serrated knife to cut the cake crosswise into 1-inch thick slices. Drizzle more sauce on each slice and serve.











Blissini



Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Prosecco, chilled

1 1/2 cups orange juice, chilled

1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice, chilled

Mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

Combine the Prosecco, orange juice, and pomegranate juice and pour into 4 Champagne glasses. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.

Cherry Chipotle Chili





2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound lean ground turkey

3/4 teaspoon salt (preferably kosher)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 medium carrots, diced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

2 cups pitted black cherries (fresh or frozen)

2 canned chipotle chiles, diced, plus sauce

2 bay leaves

1 can (15 ounces) white beans (such as cannellini or navy), rinsed and drained

1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (optional)

Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)



In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook turkey with salt and pepper, stirring, until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Add carrots, onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder. Add tomatoes, cherries, chipotles, bay leaves and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cook, stirring once or twice, until chili thickens, 10 to 15 minutes. Add beans; cook 2 minutes. Flavor with chipotle sauce to taste. Remove bay leaves. Divide chili among 4 bowls. Top each with 1 tablespoon yogurt and garnish with cilantro, if desired, before serving.

Caesar Spaghetti



Ingredients

Salt

1 pound spaghetti

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling

6 anchovy fillets, drained

4 large cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball the amount

2 medium heads escarole, washed

1 lemon, halved

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste

2 large egg yolks

1 cup grated Pecorino Romano

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, salt the water. Add the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente, according to package directions.



Heads up: you need to reserve about 1 cup of the starchy cooking water just before draining.



While the pasta is cooking, put a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the anchovies and cook until they've melted into the oil, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, stir 1 minute then add in Worcestershire. Shred the escarole and add several handfuls at a time, wilting the greens in the garlic oil. Dress the greens with lots of pepper and a little nutmeg, then squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the pan. Add the reserved starchy cooking water to the eggs in a small bowl and beat together to temper them. Turn off the heat and add the drained pasta and the egg mixture. Stir to combine. Add half of the cheese and toss vigorously for 1 minute. Dress the pasta with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and transfer to a serving dish. Pass the remaining cheese at the table.

Real Meatballs and Spaghetti



Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1/2 pound ground veal

1/2 pound ground pork

1 pound ground beef

1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)

1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 extra-large egg, beaten

Vegetable oil

Olive oil

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon good olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.



Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.



For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.



Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh mixed meslcun greens

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Assorted large and small heirloom tomatoes, sliced or quartered

Creamy Chive Dressing, recipe follows

Point Reyes blue cheese, crumbled

Whole chives, for garnish

Directions

Place greens in a bowl and toss with the vinegar and oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter. Arrange tomatoes over greens, sprinkle with salt, and drizzle with chive dressing. Sprinkle blue cheese over top and garnish with a few fresh chives.



Creamy Chive Dressing:

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 heaping tablespoon prepared mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup canola oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Green Bean Salad



ngredients

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

2 teaspoons walnut oil or olive oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of water with a steamer basket to a boil, add green beans and steam for about 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.



Toast the walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant, about 2 minutes, and then transfer them to a small bowl to cool. Add the parsley and onion to the walnuts and stir to combine.



In another small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and mustard. Toss the dressing with the green beans, top with the walnut mixture and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.