White Bean Dip

381.  On a hot summer's day it is enjoyable to share light meals and eat as much or as little as you so choose.  This was one of those days with a Mediterranean flavor.  It started with a delicious and so very simple White Bean Dip that I discovered from Giada on Food Network.  It called for great northern beans, which I soaked and cooked till tender.  You could also use cannellini or chick peas.  Once I made the dip I decided to grill chicken on skewers and a pan roasted sauté of mixed vegetables and toasted crostini since I didn't have pita on hand.

For my roasted veggies I chose to use a large pan on top of the stove or you could roast them on a flat tray in the oven till tender.  I included onion, garlic, cauliflower, broccoli, pea pods, small colored peppers halved, fresh parsley and mint on high with a lemon olive oil and salt and pepper.  

The White Bean Dip was lovely, smooth and paired so well on bread or with the chicken.

How refreshing and satisfying!  Great summer vibes.

"Food brings people together on many different levels.  It's nourishment of the soul and body;

 it's truly love.  ~ Giada De Laurentiis

Lasagna Rolls

212. Dinner tonight was Lasagna Rolls ala Giada.

My honey has been wanting to make the recipe from Giada's Family Dinners Cookbook for Lasagna Rolls. You can find the recipe here on Food Network.

The recipe uses wonderful Italian thinly sliced prosciutto.

My honey and I worked together. While he mixed the filling of riccotta cheese, I made the white sauce.

We boiled the pasta,

finished the filling,

then started the process.

Three tablespoons of filling spread down the center of each lasagna noodle.

Then roll to create a small package. After you spread the white cream sauce on the bottom of your baking dish, line the lasagna rolls side by side, 12 rolls to be exact.

Then spoon 1 cup of sauce over the rolls,

and finish with a sprinkling of 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese.

Bake in a 450 degree oven, covered for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue to bake for 15 more minutes.

Let the Lasagna Rolls sit for 10 minutes...then serve.

Delicious!

What a wonderful spin on the traditional Lasagna and so easy to serve. This is a keeper recipe.

"A beautiful evening can be as simple as watching a favorite movie, 

while enjoying an excellent meal (at home)."

~ Giada De Laurentiis

Fresh Figs, part 2

107. Fresh figs are a new find for me! They came to me as a gift from a dear sweet little Italian friend.

While searching Epicurious and the Food Network, I came across an awesome recipe for an Almond Fig Tart from Giada De Laurentiis' recipes. Later in the day, when talking with my sister, she found the same recipe! I knew this was the one to make!

Fig and Almond Tart

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis, 2008

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

1 hr 10 min

Cook Time:

40 min

Level:

--

Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• 3 1/2 ounces almond paste, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 6 large or 12 small fresh figs, sliced, stems removed or 20 dried figs, reconstitute dried figs, simmer in water for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool completely. Strain before using.
• 1/4 cup apricot jam

Directions

Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, gradually add the water until moist clumps form. Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and form into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for 1 hour.

In a clean food processor bowl, combine remaining sugar, almond paste, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, and honey. Blend until smooth.

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll out the dough into an 11-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a large, heavy baking sheet. Spread the almond filling over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border.

Arrange the figs on top of the almond filling. Spoon the jam over the figs. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the crust loosely and pinching to seal any cracks in the dough.

Bake the tart until the crust is golden, about 40 minutes.

Place the baking sheet on a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then slide a metal spatula under the crust to free the tart from the parchment. Transfer the tart to a platter and serve.

This recipe was so very delicious...a must to try and so very easy. The only note I would make to self is to roll the dough out to a 12" round and to condense the mound of filling and fruit to the very center. It did seep slightly, as any fruit pie would do, but the finished product was delicious and beautiful! (Can you see my beautiful Polish table cloth in the background?)

"Seize the moment.

Remember all those women on the Titanic

who waved off the dessert cart."

~Erma Bombeck

Stuffed Pork Chops

41.  I love Giada De Laurentiis, a chef on the Food Network.  She is lovely and her recipes are awesome!  Every once in a while I catch her show on tv.  She made a fantastic recipe, that I have been dying to try, back in December.  It was Pork Chops stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach.  Sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese are always in my fridge, and my honey found pork chops on sale yesterday at the store.  I was happy to find this recipe on-line.  It was a "MMMMMMMMM" meal! 

My family just kept saying "MMMMM" with every bite!  

So here it is, "Pork Chops Stuffed With Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach".  I also served

boiled potatoes with saute' onions and parsley on the side.   

"Food is so primal, so essential a part of our lives,

often the mere sharing of recipes with strangers 

turns them into good friends..."

 ~ Jasmine Heiler