Brandade is something that I ate for the first time at Craigie on Main in Cambridge, MA – served in a small ball that had been lightly fried and served on top of squid ink aioli.  Ok, so that was my introduction to the stuff – and obviously I didn’t set out to replicate that dish.  Instead I wanted to learn a more rustic style of brandade, so I turned to a recipe from a great restaurant up in Portland Maine called Caiola’s in the West End.

Caiola’s brandade was easy to make and delicious.  I really liked the idea of keeping some of the ingredients more course and less of a puree.  The salt cod is actually really delicious, adding a subtle but present fishiness that’s not overpowering, but instead comforting and delicious.  I added a bit of both lemon and orange zest, which added a really nice freshness.  This stuff is pretty rich and delicious, a good go to for any appetizer, but especially in the winter.  Here’s what to do:

• 1 medium fillet of Salt Cod (around 3/4 lb.) – soaked in cold water for 24 hours at least, changing the water multiple times.  Once soaked, drain and dry and reserve.
• 2 lb potatoes – Yukon golds or fingerlings work here – peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/4 extra virgin olive oil + 1-2 Tbsp.
• 1/2 white onion – large dice
• 1 tsp. orange zest (more to your taste)
• 1 tsp. lemon zest (more to your taste)
• 1 clove fresh garlic – finely minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cured black (pitted) olives to finish
• Bread for crostini – sourdough baguette or even focaccia work well

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Start with the salt cod.  Once it’s drained, add it to a pan of water and bring the water to a boil.  Cook the cod in the water for 15 minutes or so, or until it nicely flakes apart.  Remove the cod from the water with a slotted spoon, dry, then add the cod to a food processor and gently pulse until the cod is mostly broken apart.  I decided to leave some larger pieces in the cod and it was really good!!  But it’s totally up to you.

Once the cod is done, add some salt to the water, then add the potatoes to the pan and cook those until they’re cooked through – 10-15 minutes.  Remove the potatoes from the water and rice or mash them in a separate bowl.  Add the riced potatoes to the cod mixture and mix together gently.

In a separate pan, add the 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil and then the onion and gently saute until soft but not browned.  Remove the onion and add it to the potatoes and cod.  Then add the 1/4 cup of olive oil to the hot pan and warm it until it’s fairly hot, then add it to the cod and mix.  Finally, add the cream to the heated pan (make sure the pan is over low heat) and heat it gently before adding it to the code mixture.

Finish by mixing in the garlic and zests, then taste the mixture and adjust seasoning as necessary.  Once you’re happy with it, place the brandade in an oven proof dish and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the top begins to brown and the middle is hot and bubbly.  Toast the bread and arrange on the plate.  Finish the brandade with the olives and a little more zest and serve with the toasts!

This was my favorite mezze from Oleana in Cambridge, MA the first time I visited, and to say the least I’ve been back a few times.  Reason being?  This is perhaps the perfect accompaniment for some delicious and soft foccacia or other warm bread.  There are lots of feta dip recipes out there, but this one is truly unique.  The reason for that is the abundance of 3 types of chili peppers which blend together to give this appetizer a rich, spicy and smoke flavor.

Two of these chilis are somewhat exotic, but if you’re attempting to make this dish, don’t substitute!  Trust me, I tried this and it didn’t come out nearly as good.  The 2 keys to this dish are Aleppo and Urfa chilis, both of Turkish origin and both delicious.  The Aleppo is sort of like the ancho chili – it’s got a certain sweetness to is also, with some smoky undertones.  The Urfa is a bit spicier – akin to red chili flakes but with a totally different consistency.  I also use Paquillo peppers in this dish instead of the roasted red peppers that the recipe calls for. Use what ever you like, but these Paquillos have been a common staple in the fridge at casa Mott lately.

This is also a good party appetizer and has such unique flavors to it that you’re likely to have some takers.  Enjoy and please try out Oleana or Sofra if you’re in the Boston area!!  Here’s the recipe:

• Around 2 cups of Sheep’s milk feta cheese (or other feta, but the sheep’s milk variety is preferred) – crumbled
• 5 Paquillo peppers (find them at most grocery stores). You can also use roasted red peppers here.
• Medium handful of Aleppo chilis (around 2 tsp.) – Buy them here
• 1.5 tsp. Urfa chilis – Buy them here

• 1 tsp. smoked paprika (or more if you like your dip smokier)
• Lemon juice to taste – start with 1-2 Tbsp. though
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Some good bread of your choice – good sourdough or focaccia is recommended!

The preparation here is extremely easy, but will definitely help with the addition of a food processor.  If you don’t have one, you should try to get one, it’s one of the most indispensable kitchen items in our house and gets used almost everyday.  And yes, I still use the Cuisinart from my Mom that she purchased in like 1985 and it still works great.

Add the crumbled feta and the peppers (Aleppo, Urfa and Paprika) to a large mixing bowl and gently mix them together.  Add the mixture to the food processor along with the lemon juice.  Whip the mixture together and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the mixture is spinning.

Once it’s well combined, transfer the feta to a bowl and let it chill in the fridge to harden and rest together for a while before serving.  Enjoy!

Italy in summer is hot for sure, but that heat that beats down also produces some of the best vegetables known to man, most importantly the epic tomatoes, which proprietors of small restaurants around the south of the country grow in small pots outside of their kitchens.  I can’t tell you how unique an experience it is to literally see the chef walk out of his kitchen to the back patio, pick some cherry tomatoes off of his cherry tomato bush and bring them back in to make our bruschetta in the heart of Positano on the Amalfi Coast.

Of course, what many don’t realize is that like any great sandwich being all about the bread, bruschetta is no different.  Great, fresh bread has such a great flavor, and paired along with the olive oil, herbs and tomatoes creates one of my favorite appetizers ever.  The Italiens have (not surprisingly) perfected this, and a big part of it is this simplicity.  It’s literally 5 ingredients, plus a sixth (herbs of your choice), but those are optional.  I’ll keep this post short and simple, the way this recipe should be and keep dreaming about those evenings walking around town looking for the fresh tomatoes and other crostinis – we couldn’t stay away from this dish and sampled it almost everyday.  Here’s how we re-create it at home:

• 2-4 Tomatoes depending on how much bruschetta you’re making.  Remember that this dish is aggressively seasonal.  I wouldn’t dream of making it in the winter time, or any other time besides peak tomato season, which in New England runs from around July to mid-September.  You can use cherry, heirloom or any good looking tomatoes for this dish.  NEVER REFRIGERATE YOUR TOMATOES!!!
• 1/2 – 3/4 loaf fresh crusty bread
• Extra virgin olive oil – the fresher the better
• A few pinches of salt
• 1-2 cloves garlic – peeled and left whole
• Fresh herbs of your choice – I use a combo of oregano and basil, but thyme works well too (optional!)

Somewhat simple construction of this dish.  Simply dice the tomatoes into rough chunks.  Delicately place the tomatoes into a large bowl and add a pinch of salt and a generous splash of olive oil.  Remember to use the best olive oil you got for this dish, it really makes a difference!  Mix in the herbs you’re using with the tomatoes and set aside to rest.

Next, cut the bread to the desired width – I really like mine a little on the thicker side, but not too thick.  Toast the bread in the toaster until golden brown but still soft in the middle.  You’re looking for a good crunch, but still a chewy middle.  Don’t overlook this step!  Remember to toast the bread well and you’ll be happy.

Once the bread is done, take your clove of garlic and rub it generously on each piece while it’s still hot from the toaster.  You then want to drizzle a little olive oil right onto the bread, over the garlic.

Top with the tomato mixture and serve immediately!  Enjoy -

Lately, in our efforts to consume locally and organically sourced food, Adrian and I have been getting our produce delivered from Boston Organics.  Though it is not exclusively local produce we get, it is organic and the folks at BO do their best to provide as many locally sourced veggies as possible.  As you might predict, this means there are some weeks that we get repeat visitors in our produce box.  This week was the third or fourth week in a row we have gotten green chard.  As much I love chard sauteed with garlic and red pepper served with a squeeze of lemon, I was looking for something new to do with our chard.  I absolutely love dolmas and thought, why wouldn’t I be able to make these with chard?

Upon doing some research, I learned I was far from the first person to venture outside of the realm of grape leaves as a vehicle to make dolmas.  Any vegetable stuffed with rice or a rice and meat mixture, including tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants, are known as dolmas in the Turkish culture.  I deviated from most Turkish recipes, however, because I used ground pork instead of ground beef.

The Swiss chard made a beautiful wrapper for the flavorful rice and meat combination, and the yogurt sauce was the perfect accompaniment.  In America, we don’t often see dolmas taking center stage as the main dish, but these are much larger than the vegetarian version made with grape leaves.  The make a wonderful and healthy dinner all on their own.

Ingredients for dolmas:

• 10-12 large green chard leaves, washed thoroughly
• 1/2 lb. fresh ground pork (or turkey, beef, or lamb)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cups uncooked rice pilaf
• 1 package of seasoning (in rice pilaf box)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbs. butter
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• Red pepper flakes to taste

Begin by trimming the stems off the chard.  Do this by cutting diagonally up the spine about a half inch from the base of the leaf on either side to form and upside down V cut.  Removing this thick lower part of the stem will make rolling the dolmas easier.

Next, blanch the chard leaves in boiling salted water for three to four minutes, or until they are just tender.  You want them to hold their color and shape, so submerge them in an ice bath immediately after you remove them from the boiling water. Once they have cooled, layer them in between paper towels and set aside.

To make the filling, begin by browning the meat in the olive oil over medium heat.  Remove the meat when it is just a bit shy of being done.  If there is excess grease, remove it from the pan.  Add the butter and saute the onions until they are soft, about five minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Add the uncooked rice, the chicken stock, raisins, red chili flakes, and the seasoning packets.  Reduce the heat to low and cook until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the rice is almost cooked. Add the feta cheese and the cooked meat.

To roll, place about 1/3 cup of the rice mixture at the base of the chard leaf.  Lift the sides of the leaf over the mixture and roll towards the tip of the leaf.  Keep the sides tucked in.  When you finish rolling the dolma, place it with its flap side down in a steamer basket.  Repeat this process until all dolmas are rolled and placed in a single layer into the steamer basket.

Steam the dolmas over a couple of inches of water on low heat for about 40-45 minutes.

Ingredients for Garlic Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
• 2 tbsp. lemon (more to taste)
• 1 tbsp. of fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

Mix all of the above ingredients except the olive oil well.  Whisk in the olive oil in a slow stream.  Let sit for at least an hour in the refrigerator before serving.

A good olive tapenade recipe is great ammunition to have in your culinary cannon, especially during the holidays.  Not only is tapenade a crowd-pleaser, it looks great and is super easy to make, especially if you have a food processor.  It is also easy to make ahead of time as it will keep in the fridge for up to a week, but it will impress your friends when you tell them it is homemade.   It also makes a great sauce for chicken, pork, or fish!  One of my favorite sandwiches pairs tapenade with tuna salad on a crusty baguette.  Perfecto!

This recipe is easy and only has a handful of ingredients, but the flavor was awesome!  It is so much better when you make it yourself, I promise.  Olives and capers are pretty standard ingredients, but the remaining ingredients all play a critical role.  The fresh garlic gives it a nice zing (make sure your prospective make out buddy has some too!), and the anchovies add a nice nuttiness without tasting fishy.  The lemon and fresh herbs add freshness and acidity to cut the saltiness.  Just right!

This year, I put together a few extra batches and jarred them up as gifts.  The leftovers are going with me to my sister-in-law’s house as a contribution to our Christmas Eve meal.  And there is a huge financial incentive to making this yourself:  the last time I checked at the grocery store, a small container of tapenade was $5.99.  Yikes!  I need to get into that business!  For that amount  you could make three full jars on your own!  The recipe below makes about two cups.

Ingredients

• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1 cup pitted green olives
• 1/4 cup of capers
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
• 1/4 cup of roughly chopped parley

• 1 teaspoon of chopped thyme
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
• 3-4 anchovy fillets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• Crushed red pepper to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon)

Double check to make sure the olives are pitted; they could seriously damage your blade.  Put all of the ingredients above in a food processor (I guess you could use a blender, too!).   Pulse the ingredients until they are still chunky but well incorporated.  Serve with sliced fresh baguette or crackers. You’re all done!

After Aimee and I had an awesome dinner experience at Rendezvous in Central Square a couple weeks ago, I wanted to come home and try my hand at re-creating a great dish that we sampled.  For me, that night was really good all around, but the one dish that stuck out in my mind was the Bluefish Cakes appetizer.  Bluefish are found in New England waters my mid-summer usually, as the migrate north with the warmer weather.  When it starts to get cold in the Northeast as summer wanes, the Blues head back south.  We used to go down to the beach in Biddeford Pool, Maine on certain occasions when the Blues were really running, and bait fish would literally jump out of the water onto the beach to avoid being chomped by the Bluefish – an example of the Blues’ aggressiveness.

The fish itself is rather gamey tasting for a fish – meaning that it’s flavor is, well, rather fishy.  Many folks get turned off at this fact, as the Bluefish flavor isn’t very delicate.  I love it though, as the texture of the fish is a little more meaty – resembling Cod or Stripped Bass.  This bluefish was caught locally off the coast of Gloucester, MA.  Making these ‘cakes’ out of the fish turned out to be a perfect way to present the fish, as it gives you a chance to combine some more flavors with the strong taste of the Bluefish.  At Rendezvous, they serve these tasty cakes with a cool little salad of pickled onion (or shallot), mint, cucumber and cilantro.  I chose to mix up a little spicy remoulade – something I might serve with crab cakes.  So the next time you see Bluefish in your fish monger’s case in the summertime, give these guys a shot, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.  Here’s what to do:

Makes 10-12 large cakes – adjust the recipe as needed!

• 1 larger filet of fresh Bluefish (around 1.5 – 2 lb.)
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (or any breadcrumbs)
• 1 medium onion – diced
• 2 small or 1 large jalapeno pepper – seeded and diced
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup good mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. paprika (smoked if you have it)
• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. mustard powder
• A good sprinkling of salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• Olive oil and unsalted butter for cooking

Start by cooking the bluefish filets.  Salt and pepper the fish on both sides and heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a medium saute pan over medium heat.  Once the pan heats up, place the fish filets skin side down in the pan and cook them until the sides begin to turn opaque.  Once the skin will lift off of the pan, flip the Bluefish over and cook for just around another minute, then move the filets to a plate to let them rest.  Once the fish has rested and cooled a little, remove the skin and flake in a large mixing bowl.  Be gentle with the meat though, and try to leave some larger pieces in the mix.

Next, cook the onion and jalapeno pepper in the pan the fish was cooked in (add in a little extra oil as needs be) until the vegetables are translucent.  Add them to the fish, along with the breadcrumbs, mayo, Worcestershire, cayenne, paprika, mustard pepper and salt and pepper.  GENTLY fold the ingredients together until fairly uniformly combined.  Lastly add in the egg and lemon juice and again – GENTLY fold together until combined.  You really want to be gentle with this!

Once ready to cook the cakes, lightly form them into uniform rounds (as large of small as you want – mini cakes are delicious too!).  Cook them in a little butter and olive oil.  Cook them on each side until a nice even crust develops.  Enjoy them with some remoulade or other sauce of your liking.  Here’s a spicy remoulade sauce I enjoy making:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon (or any other) mustard
• 2 Tbsp. Gherkins (little dill pickles) – finely chopped
• 1 tsp. caper juice (from the jar)
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt (Lawrie’s preferred)
• Black Pepper

Mix all ingredients well in a mixing bowl and serve along-side the cakes with lemon!

I’ve always lived in a do-it-yourself household and prefer to cook most meals for the convenience factor (and, as my husband would point out, because I’m picky about where my food comes from, I try to deny this because I don’t want to seem like a snob but have to admit that the more I study our food system, the pickier I get).

With sustainability always on our minds in the workplace, we naturally stop to think, criticize and evaluate purchases and lifestyle choices that we make at home on a regular basis too. In the food arena, we are making efforts to reduce our carbon footprints by buying locally grown produce, beer and wine; buying bulk and fresh, unprocessed foods to reduce our landfill contribution; bringing our own bags to reduce plastic bag use at the store/ farmers market; and riding our bikes instead of driving. We are also pretty serious about supporting sustainably produced or harvested foods such as fish, meat and dairy- we know that these may or may not have added health benefits over conventionally grown foods, but they are generally more responsible in terms of resource use, pollution, chemical use, animal husbandry and overall respect for the community. As conscious consumers, these are values we like to support.

As eaters, we try to appreciate our food. Michael Pollan stated in his op-ed Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch in NYT Magazine that cooking is a defining human activity and we couldn’t agree more. We grow some of our own food and cook as much as we can. We sit down when we eat, we plan ahead so as not to waste food, and we enjoy sharing meals with good company whenever we have the chance. We are not perfect though. We could always do more- grow more, share more, eat more sustainable fish, eat less packaged breakfast cereal, etc. etc. The facts that 1) obesity rates are inversely correlated with the amount of time spent on food preparation; and b) the average American spends a mere 27 minutes a day on food preparation means that probably a lot of people could be doing a little more.

We also happen to like adventure in my household, so we have decided to spend one afternoon/ evening a week making a dish completely from scratch. The first meal was homemade falafel sandwiches, which in 4 main steps turned out quite laborious, but delicious nonetheless.

This chewy, tangy, spicy, starchy, heart-warming falafel sandwich was perfect for the misty fresh Sunday evening air here in Monterey. We hope you enjoy it.  You can cut down on time by buying tahini and hummus at the store (or making it ahead of time).

Step 1: Tahini

• 2 cups sesame seeds
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup olive oil
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the sesame seeds evenly out on a baking sheet or a thin baking pan.

Place in the oven and open the oven and stir the seeds around every few minutes until they are golden brown, being careful not to let them burn.

Take the pan out of the oven and let the sesame seeds cool for a little while. Next, use a high powered blender or food processor to grind up the sesame seeds. Put all the seeds in the blender/ food processor with 1 tbsp oil and blend on high, adding the remaining oil slowly until the sesame seeds are blended on a thick, smooth paste. Do not add too much oil or it will be too runny.

Tahini can be kept in a jar or even frozen in small amounts for a few weeks.

Step 2: Hummus

I have to admit, the Joy of Cooking’s hummus recipe that we tried was fun to make and definitely edible but did not turn out anywhere close to the best hummus ever, Sabra with the red lid.  We are inspired to try another recipe. Maybe from The Hummus Blog. Adrian also did a roasted garlic hummus recipe on this blog that you can check out here.

Step 3: Falafels

• 2 cups dried chickpeas
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

• 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoons ground red pepper – we used mortar and pestle
• 1/4 – 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cucumber
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 4-6 pitas or tortillas

Rinse and soak the chickpeas for at 12 hours (they can be soaked in a bowl of water in the refrigerator). Put them in a food processor with the garlic, onion, lemon juice, parsley and spices. Blend to a rough moist texture. Add a little water if needed.

Let the mixture rest for about an hour. Chop the tomatoes and cucumber into bite size pieces and place in a bowl. Set out paper towels or pieces of paper bags on a surface. Place the pitas into a toaster or oven at about 200 degrees to warm.

Pour enough oil into the pan so that it is 1/4 inch deep. Heat it to medium-high.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir the baking soda into the mixture. Form uniformly shaped and sized balls and fry them when the oil is hot until they turn brownish, then flip. Transfer the falafels when they are golden brown on both sides onto the paper.

Step 4: Put it all together

Spread hummus into the warm pitas. Add generous amounts of tomatoes, cucumbers and falafel to your liking.

Falafels can be frozen and defrosted for quick dinners or a salad topping in the future. Enjoy!

Summer has always been my favorite season, for many of the obvious reasons.  But as a lover of food, what I appreciate the most about this time of year is how frequently the opportunity arises to share meals with friends and family.  It seems as though someone is always extending an invitation for a barbecue or a potluck, and I am always trying to come up with recipes that I can contribute that feed a whole crowd and are easy and affordable to prepare.

I love this orzo dish for many reasons.  One thing I like is that it is not a dish that is sensitive to being left out in the heat for several hours, so it makes a great addition to a picnic.  The dish takes about twenty minutes to prepare and will cost you at most fifteen dollars and feed 12-15 people as a side dish easily.  The Mediterranean flavors accompany just about anything you could possibly throw on the grill, it’s low in fat and high in nutrition, and I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t like it.

The list of ingredients below uses mostly Greek flavors, and can be modified to accommodate any other vegetables you particularly like or happen to have on hand, such as asparagus or artichoke hearts.  In this pasta I have substituted the traditional use of spinach for heartier kale.  I love to use kale with pasta because it can be chopped and sauteed briefly and will hold its shape and texture much better than spinach, which tends to soften dramatically and release a lot of water.

Next time someone asks you to bring a salad to a summer dinner, try this one out.  It also works great on its own as a main course lunch serving.  Here is the way I have prepared it…

Ingredients

• 1 box of dried orzo pasta
• 1 bunch of kale, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, mined
• 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup of good quality feta cheese
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
• Salt and black or red pepper to taste

Follow the instructions on the orzo box to prepare the pasta al dente.  While the water is coming to a boil, heat a medium-sized skillet with one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the sliced onion and cook until it begins to caramelize, about six minutes.  Add the kale and two of the three minced cloves of garlic.  Saute until the kale softens and the onions are fully caramelized, about four or five more minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they are just heated through, another minute or so.

When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain the water and put the orzo in a large bowl.  Add the sauteed kale and onions, the chopped scallions, the pine nuts, parsley, and feta cheese.  Stir well to incorporate all of the ingredients.  Dress the pasta salad with the rest of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Toss well and serve warm or cold.

Some of my other favorite pea interpretations are the wasabi pea and when they’re in my fried rice.  Both of those are Asian interpretations, so I’ve set out to try a western European approach.  This recipe was adapted from Jamie Oliver, who’s cooking I really enjoy. For me, one of the best and most welcoming signs of the growing season is when the peas come to the farmer’s market. It’s then that I know the tomatoes aren’t far away and summer is just about upon us in New England.

This recipe is simple to make and will impress any guest as an appetizer or a side to a main event – probably because it’s fairly elegant once it’s topped with the mozzarella and balsamic.  It’s a classic British/Italian fusion dish that are oh so common.  Here’s how it went:

• Around 1 lb of peas (weighed in their shells) – this should be about 50 pods give or take…
• 1 small handful of fresh basil – finely chopped
• 5-6 medium leaves of fresh oregano – finely chopped
• Around 12 mint leaves – finely chopped
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• Zest from 1/4-1/3 a lemon
• Around 1/3 cup of Parmesan – Finely grated (use a Microplane if you have one)
• 1-2 medium balls of fresh mozzarella
• 1 medium sourdough baguette
• 2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar – Aged (the good stuff) if you have it (get it here)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Start by shelling the peas into a medium bowl.  Once you have them all removed from their pods, start mashing them up either in a mortar and pestle or in a food processor (I did a combination of the two).  Once you have all of the peas good and mashed up, add in the herbs (or combine them in the food processor (**Side note: if you’re using a food processor to do this, make sure you try to minimize the amount of cycles you give it!  The coarser the pea mixture, the better).

Add in the olive oil next and mix it together.  Your mixture should be somewhere around the consistency of a coarse paste.  If it needs some more moisture, add in a bit more oil.  Next add in the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese – this will really tie the mixture together.  Stir it all together and you’re ready to go.

To make a dish out of it, I sliced up my sour baguette on the diagonal and toasted it in my toaster – giving it a little color but still leaving it soft in the center.  Once the toasts are ready, take a clove of raw garlic and rub it a few times over the surface of the toasted bread.  I then took the pea mixture and spread it over the bread (the side that I rubbed with the garlic).  Then take a thin piece of Mozzarella and place it over the top, add a little salt and drizzle some of the balsamic vinegar over all of them at the end to really tie things up nice.  Serve as an app and any dinner or party and you’ll make quick friends!  Enjoy -