Sun-Dried Tomato Jam Crostini

 

 

I can sit down with a glass of wine and some appetizers and be the happiest woman on the planet.  I view it as sort of an extended happy hour at home.  If you are going to make a light meal out of it, as I love to do, you need to have a few appetizers that are on the substantial side.  One of the more substantial appetizers I always make now is this sun-dried tomato jam crostini.  I absolutely love it.  It’s earthy, tangy and sweet all at the same time.  Perfection.

I adapted this recipe from Giada, making but a few small changes.  The first being I cut back on the vinegar, some people mentioned the original version was a bit too ‘vinegary’.  Also, since I cut back on the vinegar, I also cut back on the sugar.  The last change I made is the addition of the smear of goat cheese on the crostini, I think the extra bit of creamyness really adds to it.  And I love goat cheese!

Aside from this appetizer being absolutely delicious the other aspect I really love is that it can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for up to one week.  It’s a huge time saver if you are having a party but also it’s wonderful to keep leftovers so you can treat yourself to a snack during the week. 

Here’s what you will need….

 

1 (8-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped, oil reserved

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon sugar

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup water

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 baguette, cut into 3/4-inch slices

5 ounces goat cheese, room temperature

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

 

 

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of the reserved sun-dried tomato oil, olive oil, onion, and garlic. Stir and cook until the onions are soft and beginning to brown at the edges, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar, water, chicken broth, thyme, salt, and pepper.

The mixture will look like this….

 

 

Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue simmering until most of the liquid is reduced and the mixture is the consistency of jam, about 30-40 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.  (In Giada’s recipe she instructs to allow the jam to reduce for only 10-15 minutes more, which was not enough time at all.  If you keep the heat the same it will take more like 30 minutes to reduce.  You can turn up the heat, however, you will then need to stand around watching the mixture, stirring often.)

Amazingly enough, that liquid mixture turns into this…

 

 

And that is the exact consistency you are looking for.  Jam-like.

As the jam is cooling, mix the chopped thyme into the room temperature goat cheese.  Toast up some crostini and once slightly cooled spread a thin layer of goat cheese on the crostini,  then top with some jam mixture.  Top that with a small dollop of goat cheese.  Enjoy!

Giada’s original recipe can be found here…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/crostini-with-sun-dried-tomato-jam-recipe/index.html

Pecan Sables

 

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow!  As far as I’m concerned it’s an excellent reason/excuse to eat tons of chocolate…I’m a big fan of chocolate.  I will be making my chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, however, I also wanted to make a little something else, a non-chocolate cookie (shocking!) in the shape of a heart, especially for the occasion.

I knew I wanted to make a shortbread cookie, preferably with pecans.  After scouring Dorie Greenspan’s recipes I chose this one.  Dorie is pure genious, so I had a good feeling these would come out great.  I was quite happy with the result.  These cookies are crumbly and delicious, perfect with a glass of cold milk or a hot latte. 

So go ahead…whip up a batch of these heart shaped goodies and share the love. 

Here’s what you will need to make approximately 40 cookies…

 

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup finely ground pecans

Decorating sugar

egg wash

 

In a stand mixer beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and very creamy.  Add sugars and salt and beat until well blended.  The mixture should be smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy.  Add the pecans.  Reduce speed to low and beat in the egg yolks until incorporated.

Pour in the flour and pulse the mixer at low speed 5-7 times for a second or two each time.  (You can put a towel over the mixer to protect yourself from getting flour all over you).  Continue mixing at low speed for 20 seconds more, just until flour disappears into the dough.  The dough should be soft, moist and clumpy.

Scrape the dough onto a smooth work surface sprinkled with flour, gather into a ball and divide in half.  Flatten each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or up to 3 days.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350.  Line baking sheet with parchment.  Remove dough from refrigerater, remove from plastic, sprinkle with some flour and roll out to approximately 1/4 inch to 1/3 inch thick.  Use heart shape cutouts to form each cookie. 

Whisk egg for egg wash.  Brush the top of each cookie with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with decorator’s sugar.  Place on baking sheet, one inch apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheet at the midway point, until the edges are lightly golden and the tops of the cookies are slightly less golden.  Remove from oven, allow to sit for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

 

I have been making these stuffed shells for the past few years, they are a permanant fixture in my recipe book.  I make them every year for my Mother’s Day dinner that I host for my family and everyone raves about them.  They aren’t your run-of-the-mill stuffed shells at all, they are stuffed with turkey and artichokes, which makes them not only delicious, but more hearty.  You have meat, vegetables and pasta all in one dish! 

These shells are made extra special because they are served in an Arrabiata Sauce, providing a subtle kick to the dish.  The sauce is easy enough to make and if you have any leftovers you can serve it over some other pasta on a night you don’t really feel like cooking.

Another great aspect of these shells…you can prepare them a day ahead and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to bake them.  Also, you can freeze them.  Oh, and if that isn’t good enough, they get even better as leftovers.  I’ve had leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and they are even more delicious than the first day!

I got this recipe from Giada’s show years ago and only made a few slight changes.  My version is below.

Here’s what you will need to serve 6-8 people…

 

1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon

1 teaspoon peperoncino (red pepper flakes)

1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped

1 – 2 (15-ounce) container(s) ricotta cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup (heaping) chopped fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

 1 1/2 cups shredded or grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and peperoncino and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.  

 

 

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with one 15 oz container ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.  

 

 

Note:  If you want to make some extra shells you can add extra ricotta cheese to this mixture to bulk it up.  I usually make a box and a half of shells, so I add in about half of another container of ricotta.

Now here comes the fun part…stuffing the shells!  Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce (recipe below). Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey and cheese mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full. Drizzle Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the mozzarella.  As you will see I don’t glob on the mozzerella cheese, but that’s just me.  If you want to glob it on, go right ahead. 

 

 

If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown and the sauce is bubbling away, about 20 minutes (60 minutes if shells are frozen.)

Arrabiata Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces sliced pancetta (sliced thick), coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups fresh marinara sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic  and red pepper flakes and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use. 

Giada’s original recipe can be found here…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/turkey-and-artichoke-stuffed-shells-with-arrabbiata-sauce-recipe/index.html

Broccoli, Mushroom and Cheese Breakfast Strata

 

I have to be honest, for a long time I wasn’t exactly sure what a ’strata’ was.  I’ve heard about it, read recipes for it, but just never delved in to find out what it was or actually try to make it, for that matter.  What a mistake that was!  Simply put, it’s a breakfast pie.

This vegetable strata was delicious.  But the best part is….you make make the entire dish ahead of time, like the day before, then just pop it into the oven in the morning.  How easy is that?!   I must admit I was quite proud of myself as I pulled this baby out of the oven, it looks gorgeous!  You will look like a superstar serving it.

It’s substantial and satisfying, hearty and savory.  It’s somewhat healthy, filled with veggies.  I decided to try a recipe from Ellie Krieger as my first foray into strata-land.   I didn’t want to clog every artery I have and push  my cholesterol level off the charts. I felt this version was a nice balance.  This would also be delicious with an addition of bacon or sausage, I might try that version next.

Here’s what you will need to serve 4 people….

 

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2  cups sliced mushrooms

Cooking spray

1/2 whole wheat baguette, crusts removed, cubed (about 2 cups)

4 eggs plus 4 additional egg whites

1 cup lowfat milk

1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 medium head of broccoli, steamed, cooled and chopped

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese

7.5 oz jar sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained, thinly sliced

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

 

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 1 minute. Transfer the onion mixture to a medium bowl and allow to cool. Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in the skillet and saute the mushrooms until they release all of their water, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Spray an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer in the bottom of the dish. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, egg whites, milk and mustard until incorporated. Add mushrooms, onion-garlic mixture, broccoli, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, and salt and pepper and stir to incorporate. Pour mixture over bread, making sure liquid saturates bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Remove the plastic wrap from strata and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the top forms a light brown crust.

Original recipe can be found here…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/broccoli-mushroom-and-cheese-breakfast-strata-recipe/index.html