Back when Aimee and I lived in the Bay Area (Alameda more specifically), we had a huge lemon tree in the back yard that used to produce huge Eureka lemons all the time.  I always felt a little bad because I couldn’t ever use them all – but when I could, I always used to make this lemonade, especially on the hot days in the summer.  The infusion of Mango is just one idea, but I also used to puree strawberries and add those.  You can really add just about any other fruit you like to this drink and it would still turn out delicious.

Keep it simple when you’re making lemonade.  Start with just a little bit of sugar, then you can always add more as you wish depending on your sweetness level tolerance.  Another idea here is to try making ‘ade’ with another citrus fruit.  Everyone’s likely heard of and tried Limeade, but my new thing is to make grapefruit-ade.  It’s really pretty good and a different combo that you might like.

Here’s my take on the simple, super refreshing drink:

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 2-3 mangoes – pulp pureed in a food processor (see more about preparing mangoes below)
• Ice
• 4 cups water to dilute

Putting lemonade together is totally easy.  Start by prepping the mangoes: I find the best way to prep mangoes is to cut them in half like you would an avocado.  Make sure you don’t cut into the large seed in the middle of the mango, rather cut on either side – almost like a filet.  I then take my paring knife and cut cubes out of the mango’s flesh, then invert the mango and turn the half inside out and remove the cubes that protrude.  This video does a good job documenting this:

Take the mango cubes and puree them in your food processor or juicer until you have a good puree on your hands.  Try to get it as smooth as possible, add some water as needs be – chunks in your lemonade aren’t really as ideal as you can imagine.

In a large pitcher of bowl, I mix the ice, sugar and lemon juice with a large wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the mango puree and mix in, then add the water to dilute.  Make sure you don’t add too much to start, so add a little, then adjust from there.  Serve with more lemon slices or mango.  This drink also goes really well as a cocktail with some vodka or gin.

When you have just suffered a day of unbearable heat, and your house is still stagnant with the day’s humid air, sometimes the last thing you feel like doing is increasing the temperature in your house by flaring up the stove.  Often during these nights you can’t even tell whether or not you are truly hungry, even though your grumpy mood insists that you are.  Well such was the case when I concocted this delightful sandwich.

I decided one pot, one burner was my max, so I picked up a piece of beautiful of fresh sockeye salmon from The New Deal fish market here in Cambridge.  I kept thinking about what to serve with the salmon when a thought occurred – why not just make a delicious sandwich to encase the entire dinner and call it a night?  Sounded simple enough.

If you are just going to have one thing for dinner, you want it to satisfy, so good quality ingredients are key.  Lucky for me it was Monday, the day of the farmer’s market that is less than a block from our house (I know, we are lucky, lucky, lucky and very grateful!).  I picked up a nice crusty sourdough loaf, some fresh tomatoes, and a nice bunch of fresh basil that I thought I would use to whip up a basil mayonnaise.  I was ready for dinner!

This sandwich turned out to be simple but so unbelievably satisfying.  If you are having guests, perhaps just a simple salad might compliment this sandwich nicely.  We were cooking for two, and loved the idea of eating the whole darn meal with our ten fingers, and I must say, that wasn’t a bad way to do it.  Total prep time was around 20 minutes and one pot made the dish load very manageable.  A successful cure for the sticky hot, summertime Monday blues!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 lb. of fresh salmon per person
• Good quality crusty sourdough bread
• 1/4 cup of mayonnaise per two people
• 1 lemon
• 1 large ripe tomato
• 2 tablespoons of fresh basil,chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Pat your salmon very dry, especially if you like to eat the crispy skin, and season it with salt and pepper.  In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter and add the oil.  Place the salmon skin-side down in the skillet, and leave it alone until you can see that the salmon is cooked about halfway through and the fish moves freely from the pan, about 4 minutes, depending on thickness.  If it sticks, do not fight it, just give it another minute or so.  Then, flip it and cook another three or four minutes until it is just shy of done.  It will finish cooking as it rests.  It may take a bit longer if it is a thick piece of salmon.  Remove from the skillet and set aside to rest.  Squeeze half of the lemon over the salmon to keep it moist and to add acidity.

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, basil, and about a teaspoon of lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside for assembly.

To assemble the  sandwiches, cut the bread to about 1/2 inch thick slices.  If you insist on toasting it, be my guest, but down blame me when the sandwiches innards end up all on your lap.  Add a generous layer of the basil mayonnaise, the salmon (skin removed if you prefer), and nice, thick tomato slices.  Cut in half to make them easier to eat, and enjoy!

There are not many places in the world that I’ve seen like Toscana (Tuscany to us North Americans).  Especially in the summertime, when man, that Tuscan sun is intense – the movie didn’t lie about that one.

So after an amazing few days down on the Amalfi Coast, Aimee and I made our way via rental car (a little go-cart-esque Fiat) from Sorrento up the A1 highway to the hills of Tuscany.  Along the way, we stopped in Montepulciano quickly, took some pics and (not surprisingly) bought a bottle of Brunello wine – really great stuff.

Tuscany is the home of wine in Italy for the most part – the place where Chianti comes from, the pinnacle of the ancient Sangiovese grape, which is responsible for the makeup of the region’s most popular wine, Chianti Classico.  Chianti, as we learned at the Castello Fonterutolli outside of Castellina, MUST contain no less than 80% of Sangiovese grape – other than that it’s up to the vintner, many use Cabernet Sauvignon to complement.

We spent out time between the town of Siena – an awesomely ancient city (like going back to the middle ages in terms of the architecture, art and just the feel of the city).  In terms of food, we really enjoyed Siena as well, tasting probably what was the second best meal of our time in Italy, on Aimee’s birthday at the Antica Osteria da Divo, a fantastic little restaurant that we literally stumbled upon after a rather embarrassing incident driving through the mainly pedestrian streets of the Siena town center.  The restaurant was perfectly suited for Siena, with terra cotta floors and high, wood beamed ceilings.  The only light came from candles on the tables and around the room.

It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get some pictures of this food, as it really was delicious.  We started with Crispy Herb Scented Anchovies with Eggplant Cake and Basil Sauce, then sampled some of the regional specialties.  In Tuscany, they’re famous for their use of wild boar, which we sampled in the Pici with Wild Boar Ragu.  Pici is a hand rolled, or “pinched”, pasta that is shorter and much thicker than spaghetti.  We also ordered a risotto dish with zucchini and zucchini flowers served in a hollow wheel of pecorino cheese.  When they scooped the risotto out of the cheese, the dish was delightfully rich and creamy – a nice touch!   Since we had just been in Montepulciano, and we were planning to head to Chianti in the next couple of days, we decided to order a Brunello to sip throughout the meal.  Delicious all around for sure.

In Tuscany, Aimee and I also fell head over heels in love with perhaps our favorite ingredient in all of Italy this time of year – the tomato.  Bruschetta you see was in full bloom there, and we took full advantage in Tuscany.  Perhaps the second best Bruschetta we sampled in Italy was at a cafe right on the Siena’s main square the Piazza di Campo.  So simple and delicious – something that we’ve already re-created here at home for dinner.  Just toast up some crusty bread, rub the surface with a garlic clove, and top it with tomatoes tossed in a little olive oil, salt, and dried oregano.  That’s it.  But believe me, that is enough.  In the heat of July, bruschetta is a perfect snack.

Other highlights of Tuscany besides the wine and the food was the coffee – especially at the famous Siena roaster Nannini, which roasts their own coffee and offers homemade gelato and around 1,000 different types of pastries and biscotti.  It offers very few tables, but there is a long espresso bar at which you can stand and sip your cappuccino or espresso and nibble on your pastry.

We also sampled some of the traditional dishes of Italy in Tuscany, such as Pesto Genovese, Fagiuoli all‘Uccelletto – the traditional Tuscan white beans in a simple tomato sauce.  Panzanella, a salad made with bread, cucumbers, and tomatoes, is also a regional specialty during the summertime, but the authentic version unfortunately falls a little short of the american adaptation.

Rather than making the dish with fresh baked crusty croutons, as we often see Giada prepare it on the Food Network, the serve it with mushed up day old bread, sparingly incorporate peeled and chopped cucumbers and tomatoes, and dress it with little more than olive oil.  It is served chilled and lacks much acidity.  This is one dish we tried that we definitely prefer to eat at home.

All in all, Toscana’s stunning scenery and rich history make for a memorable experience.  We’ll certainly be back.  For now, off to Bologna, Modena and Emilia-Romagna!!

Grapefruit is the last citrus fruit that I usually think of – it sort of gets lot in the fuzz among the stars: lemons, oranges and limes.  This is unfortunate though, as I absolutely love the flavor of grapefruit, especially when the bitter flavor is mixed with sugar and sweet ingredients.  This cake was a rather odd recipe that really stuck out in the Ad Hoc cookbook from Thomas Keller’s restaurant in Napa Valley.

Part of the draw of this cake for me was the way that you were supposed to bake the cake first, then poke holes all over it and brush it with a grapefruit syrup (a good amount too).  Doing this reminded me of a Tres Leches cake – trust me, every cake should be infused somehow with liquid – you just can’t deny the moisture it adds. I thought when I was adding the liquid that it was going to turn the cake into mush, but trust me, keep going and add all of the syrup the recipe calls for, you’ll like the results.

I topped the cake with some simple powdered frosting, packed it with grapefruit zest and served it up and it was a hit.  If grapefruit isn’t your think, try using another citrus fruit like lemon or lime.  The other benefit of this cake? It’s totally simple to create.  Here’s what to do:

Wet Ingredients:

• Zest of 1 whole grapefruit – around 2 Tbsp. diced up
• 1 cup of grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed – you’ll need around 2-3 grapefruits total here)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup + 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract or vanilla paste if you can find it

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 and 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt

Grapefruit Frosting Ingredients

• 3/4 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
• 2 Tbsp. fresh grapefruit juice

Method

Again, the cake is fairly easy to produce.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Start by bringing together all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl – sift them together.

In a separate bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the 2/3 cup of sugar and eggs and mix together with the whisk attachment (or your whisk) for a few minutes until well combined.  Whisk in the milk, then the oil and finally the vanilla and grapefruit zest.  Whisk all together until well combined, then lower the speed of your mixer and add the dry ingredients in three parts, one at a time, until well incorporated.  The cake batter will be fairly wet, this is to be expected.

Lightly oil a loaf pan or other cake pan (7 cup capacity) and pour in the batter.  Cut a small length-wise slit down the cake with a paring knife before placing in the oven – this will create a nice crack in the cake once it’s done.  Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Then turn the cake 180 so it browns evenly, then bake for another 30 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.

While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup and the frosting.  For the syrup, simply add the cup of granulated sugar and grapefruit juice to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Let simmer until the sugar dissolves, then kill the heat and set aside for the cake to finish.  For the frosting, simply whisk or stir together the powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp. grapefruit juice.  Add some more sugar if you aren’t happy with the consistency.

Once the cake is finished, remove it from the oven and poke holes all over the cake with a small skewer (every 1/2″ or so).  Then proceed to brush all of the syrup into the cake, you may need to let it soak in for a minute before proceeding, but make sure you put all of the syrup into the cake.  Finally, remove it from the baking dish and top with the frosting before serving.  Enjoy!

This one takes barely anytime at all.  In fact, that’s really why I’m posting it here.  We’ve both been feeling somewhat beat after getting home from work, so cooking is often the last thing we want to do.  Then we watched Food, Inc. and that attitude got flipped around.  It prompted us to start getting a Boston Organics box from the seemingly great organization here in town.  We’ve been very impressed overall with the quality of the fruit and vegetables, but we end up with almost more that we can use.  This week was our second week getting the green box and in it were some beautiful baby potatoes from Maine which I wanted to use before the weekend.  So potato salad – yeah that happened.  Totally simple, and really good.

The potato salad that I make is rather French – it’s somewhat creamy, but light at the same time.  I use a little bit of mayo, but more creme fraiche, dijon, lemon and vinegar.  The secret though?  Cut your warm potatoes up into pieces and let them soak up some wine, stock and lemon juice before you add the rest of the dressing.  Here’s the method I used, which I think you’ll find easy and simple tasting:

• 15 small red new or fingerling potatoes (around 1.5 lb.) – washed and left whole
• 1 medium red onion – very finely diced

• 2 Tbsp. homemade or Hellman’s mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. creme fraiche
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbsp. decent dry white wine
• 3 Tbsp. chicken stock
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon (meyer’s if available)
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• Good grind of black pepper
• Decent amount of salt
• 3 Scallions – sliced VERY thin along a bias

Ok, so the obvious part of this recipe is to cook the potatoes.  Start with a large pot of boiling water and add and good amount salt. Add the potatoes, and of you’re using larger sized potatoes, half or quarter them – especially if they’re really big. Boil them for around 15-20 minutes, or until you can stick them with a fork, pull them out of the water and the fall off the fork after a second or two.

At this point, gently drain the potatoes in a strainer or sieve and add them to another bowl to let cool.  As soon as they’re cool enough to touch, quarter the potatoes or try to cut them into similar sizes as consistently as possible.  Immediately add them to a bowl and add the wine and chicken stock and mix to incorporate.  Add the onions and let stand and let the potatoes soak up the liquids while you make the dressing.

For the dressing, start with the mustard, mayonnaise and creme fraiche and mix together in a small bowl.  Add in the Worcesteshire sauce, vinegar and Tabasco and stir together to combine.  Season with a little salt and black pepper.  Next, while whisking or stirring with a fork, add in the oil to emulsify the rest of the dressing.  Finish with the lemon juice, taste and adjust your seasonings as you like them.

Once you’ve let the potatoes sit and soak for at least 20 minutes, mix in the dressing and stir to combine.  Finish with the scallions and serve immediately or store in your fridge for up to 5 days.

I have taken on two challenges with the invention of this recipe:  the first is making a pasta-less lasagna that is hands-down delicious (you’re welcome, gluten-phobes and carb-free dieters!); the second is creating a dish that even the most critical loather of eggplant simply could not resist.  Eggplant is a touchy vegetable for some people.  How many times have I heard the claim that eggplant is “bitter”?  My response – slander!  How could such a succulent, beautiful gift from the Earth be given such a bad reputation?  The answer is the same as with most vegetables we grow to dislike.  It’s like a bad dog:  the problem is not the offender, it is the handler.  The bitter eggplant was poorly cooked.  But don’t worry, I am here to show you how to be the pack leader of eggplant.

When cooked properly and patiently, eggplant metamorphosizes, becoming tender and sweet.  In this recipe, it makes a great substitute for pasta because it is easy to cut thin and it holds its shape, but the sweet flavor it adds brings the dish to a new place.  It already created one convert when I made this dish for my good friend’s mother, unaware that she didn’t like eggplant.  She enjoyed the dish so much, she called me right after dinner to rave about how pleased she was to finally like eggplant.  Her daughter later verified that she had to ask her to stop saying, “Yum, this is so delicious,” after every bite.  Quite a compliment!

This lasagna has three different components, and then a nice cheesy top.  I find it easiest to prepare the three components separately, and then assemble and cook the lasagna.  I chose to make a tomato sauce that was loaded with veggies like fennel and kale for additional flavor and nutritional merit.  It would also be tasty with a more simple tomato sauce.  It is a little involved, so plan ahead and complete all of the steps except for baking it.  It can wait to be baked for a couple of days in your fridge.  Remember – it is a labor of love.  It is not supposed to be easy.  The messier your kitchen is when you are done and the more love you put into giving each layer just the right amount of sauce, the more delicious it will taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplants
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 bulb of fennel, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup of chopped kale
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• A handful of fresh basil, chopped
• 1 28 0z can of whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 cup of dry white wine

• 1 large container of ricotta cheese, whole milk or part skim
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of grated Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• Salt and red pepper to taste

To prepare the eggplant:

Peel the eggplant.  Using a mandolin, slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4 inch pieces.  Lay them out on paper towels and season them liberally with salt.  Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat in a large, nonstick skillet and put a layer of eggplant in the skillet at a time.  Cover the skillet with a lid, as this will help the eggplant steam and become soft and sweet without having to use too much oil.  Cook for about three minutes and then flip.  Cook the second side for another three minutes and remove. Place cooked eggplant on the paper towels and reserve for assembly.  Repeat this process until all the eggplant is cooked, adding more olive oil to the pan as necessary.

To prepare the sauce:

You may use the same skillet you used to cook the eggplant if it is plenty big.  Heat another two tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onions, fennel, red bell pepper, and garlic.  Season with salt and crushed red pepper to taste.  Let the vegetables soften until they become translucent, about six or seven minutes.  Add the kale and toss or stir until it is coated with the olive oil. Add the wine and let the alcohol cook off for about 4 or 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste.  Allow the sauce to simmer over low heat while you prepare the ricotta mixture so that all of the flavors may blend.

To prepare the ricotta mixture:

Combine the ricotta, eggs, scallions, and basil in a large bowl.  Mix well. Set aside for assembly.

To assemble:

Assemble the lasagna in a large Pyrex cassarole dish.  I love using glass because you can see the beautiful layers of the lasagna.

Start with a layer of half of the eggplant on the bottom of your dish.  I alternate the pieces, fat side up, fat side down, for a more even layer.

Next, evenly spread a layer of half of the ricotta mixture over the eggplant.  Make sure you reach all the way to the edge so you can see each layer.

Next, ladle half of the tomato sauce over the ricotta layer and spread it out evenly, all the way to the edge.

Make one more layer each of the eggplant, ricotta mixture and sauce.  Top the dish with the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. If you are preparing the dish ahead of time, stop here and put it in the fridge.  Otherwise, it is ready to bake.

Baking the dish:

Bake the dish at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Turn the oven to broil and bake for another 5 minutes, until the top is golden brown.  Let the lasagna cool for about 15 minutes, and serve!  Serves 6-8 people.

Someone asked me the other day if I’ve had a favorite cookbook lately.  After some thinking, I happened on a book that I’ve unexpectedly liked over the course of the past year – Jamie Oliver’s Jamie at Home.  This recipe comes from the winter section of this book (I like books that are sectioned off and organized by seasonal ingredients…though the irony is that peppers are best in summer, so something’s not right here…) under the canning and bottling section and make a great holiday gift.

The best part of this recipe in my opinion is the way you can use your own peppers at your discretion, meaning you can make the chutney as spicy or mild as your wish based on your taste.  I used a few jalapenos, some serranos and even a habanero for that extra kick.  The end product is cooled down somewhat by cooking the peppers in the rest of the sauce for an hour to create that excellent, gooey, sticky chutney consistency.

It’s a great recipe to serve on the side of a cheese plate, or on top of some fish, pork or even steak.  Canning the chutney will increase its shelf life for some time – something I highly recommend learning (it’s pretty darn easy to do simply).  For more canning tips and instruction, check out the site linked to here.  Whatever you decide to do, this recipe will produce around 1.5 – 2 cups of the stuff, so if you’re just using it one time and don’t want leftovers, halve or quarter this recipe.  Here’s how to make it happen:

• Around 8-10 red bell peppers
• An assortment of other hot chili peppers – I recommend jalapenos, Anaheim chilies, red chilies, Hungarian peppers, whatever you can find or want to use, but keep them fresh!
• 1/2 cup of fairly good quality balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 cup water
• 2 red onions – rough dice
• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary – leaves removed and chopped
• 1 medium cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 a bulb of fennel – finely diced
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Ok, so now that you got all the stuff, you’re going to need to plan on how to make the pepper roasting happen.  As you can see from the image above, I used my stovetop to make this happen (ass seen on Iron Chef America).  You can do the same thing, but be wary of the heat that the gas elements will produce – it’s pretty intense.  I’d recommend using a grill if you have one handy, or a broiler.  Wither way, get as much of the pepper skins blackened and then place the peppers into a paper bag or cover them in a bowl with plastic wrap.  This will steam the peppers and make the skins easier to peel

Now the fun part – peeling the pepper skins.  If you can get some help with this, use it, it’s really no fun at all.  It’s like peeling shrimp except the peppers are spicy and will hurt if you touch your eyes or really any other body part.  Wear gloves if available or just be careful.  Once the peppers are peeled, finely chop them all and reserve while you bring the rest of the ingredients together.

In a large heavy bottomed saucepan or dutch oven over low/medium heat, add the olive oil, onions, rosemary, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, fennel and season with a little salt and pepper.  Cook for a good while – 30 minutes or so – until the onions get nicely caramelized, then add in the peppers and mix to combine.  Add in the sugar, vinegar and the little bit of water and turn the heat up to high in order to being the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer

Cook the liquid down until the whole mix becomes gooey and sticky – should take around an hour depending on the sort of pot you’re using.  Once the consistency it to your liking, turn off the heat and season to taste.  Add the chutney to sterilized jars, or keep in the fridge.  Enjoy!

I do call this recipe ‘hot sauce’, but I am not talking about the packets of orange liquid they serve along with your order at Taco Bell.  This sauce is chunky and bursting with fresh pepper flavor and acidity, and can be as mild or as insanely hot as you or the crowd you are serving can handle.

October is a wonderful month for peppers of all kinds.  The fruit has had plenty of time to grow and ripen without damage from frost.   The peppers that you choose for this recipe are really up to you.  If you cringe at the idea of spicy food, this same recipe can be made with all sweet bell peppers and will make a deliciously tangy sauce with barely any spice.  If you really love the burn, you may choose to include one or two habaneros or scotch bonnets.  If you are not sure about a pepper’s heat, check out the Scoville scale to get an idea of how much heat a certain kind of  pepper has.  Either way you want to use peppers that are as fresh as can be so that your sauce has good flavor.

The best part of this recipe is that it is easy as can be, especially if you own a food processor or blender, and it has great Mediterranean flavors that make a wonderful accompaniment to fish or meat, and an awesome condiment for burgers or omelets.  I particularly love using it on fish tacos.

Ingredients:

• About two pounds of assorted fresh peppers (I used a mix of sweet, banana, jalapeno, Anaheim, cayenne, and habanero peppers)

• 1 head of garlic
• Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
• 1 cup of basil
• 1/2 cup of parsley
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of good balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Place all of your fresh peppers on the baking sheet.  Cut off the very top of your head of garlic.  Pour about 1/2 teaspoon of the olive oil over the exposed to of the garlic and place it on the baking sheet as well.  Place the peppers and garlic in the oven for 40 minutes or until they are soft and turning brown.  Remove the peppers and place them in a bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so the peppers steam, which will make it much easier to remove their skin.

Once the peppers have steamed for about ten minutes, you should be able to peel the skin easily.  I do this with a pairing knife.  Remove the seeds (unless you want your sauce extra hot – the seeds contain most of the heat of a pepper) and stems.  Squeeze out the roasted cloves of garlic.  Put the peppers and garlic in the food processor with the basil, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt.  Pulse the ingredients until the are will  combined but still chunky, as I think this is what makes this sauce taste so fresh and delicious.  Taste the sauce cautiously, and if it is hotter than you would like, add lemon juice and salt to tone down the heat a bit.  Serve as a condiment for anything you would normally use hot sauce for.   You may want to let guests apply their own!

Summer has come and gone and as usual, I’m wishing for more of the nice weather and great fresh, simple ingredients and recipes.  Fall season is here though, and with it brings the awesome earthy, organic flavors of squash, apples and mushrooms.  I gotta say, it might be my favorite season of the food calendar.  The nights get shorter, the beer gets darker and so does the food.  Bring it on!

Our local farmer’s market is still hanging on to some of the last fruits of the summer though, as there was still an abundance of summer squash, as well as some late season tomatoes, which I’m happy for as I try to wrap my head around doing some canning for the winter.  This recipe really was thrown together at the last minute and the final product was good, so I’ve decided to post it – if for nothing else then as another good idea on using summer squash – an ingredient that I find sort of difficult to innovate dishes around.  When in doubt – make a pasta, it is really hard to screw up.

The dish is sort of similar to one of Aimee’s classic pasta recipes like Linguine with Little Neck Clams and Chorizo Sausage or Pork, Spinach and Feta Ragu with Vodka Sauce. The one thing that differentiates this dish from the rest is some of the ingredients, the fact that it doesn’t include any meat (hence the ‘Primavera’ aspect of it) and the combination of summer and fall flavors.

I also added some Marscarpone cheese to the dish to finish it, as it added a layer of creaminess to the dish, something I like with veggie pastas.  The other tip I want to share is a method of finishing a pasta, something I will always do now (especially after reading Bill Buford’s book ‘Heat’).  This method entails actually under-cooking your pasta somewhat in the pot, then removing it and finishing it in another pan with a tablespoon or two of your pasta water.  This really creates an awesome binder between the flavors that are in play and will make any pasta better, I promise.  The pasta itself will finish cooking and your final result will be perfect!  Here’s how it went:

For the tomato sauce first:

• 1/2 a large white onion (1/2 for the sauce, 1/2 for the veggie portion)
• 1 medium carrot – shredded on large holes of a box grater
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup good (at least decent) red wine
• 1 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 – 1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes (optional and add based on your own heat preferences)
• 1 tsp. fresh oregano (optional)
• Salt and fresh pepper
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil

Start the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion and carrot and season with salt.  Sweat the onion and carrot and let them cook for 5-10 minutes.  Add the garlic, oregano, a little more salt and red pepper flakes and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so.  Add in the wine and let it reduce by half to 3/4.  At this point, you should start the rest of your dish!!!  Add in the tomatoes and the bay leaf with a little more salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low, add a little water and keep the sauce at a slow simmer while you cook the rest of the dish:

• 2 medium summer squash or 4-5 small round summer squash – shredded on a box grater
• 1 bunch red kale (or green) – chopped
• 1 small head fennel – sliced lengthwise
• 1/2 a large onion (large dice)
• Small bunch of basil, 1/3 to 1/2 a cup – roughly chopped
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup almonds – whole and chopped, then toasted in a small pan over low heat until golden brown
• 1/2 cup good dry white wine
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese, ricotta, feta…)
• 1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Start a large pot of boiling water.  In another large skillet (aside from the sauce) over medium/low heat, add the butter and olive oil.  When they’ve come up to temperature, add the onions and fennel and cook them for around 10 minutes, until they begin to caramelize.  Add in the kale and combine it with the other veggies – it should wilt a little as it cooks down.  Before adding the squash, turn up the heat on the pan a bit and make some room for it on one side of the pan.  Add it in and let it brown a little bit before mixing it together with the rest of the veg.  Finally, add the basil and cook to combine.

In a small separate pan over medium/low heat, add in the almonds and brown them until golden, then take them off the heat.  When the water comes up to a boil, add a few pinches of salt and the pasta, stir and cook until it’s JUST al dente and kill the heat but don’t drain it!

Meanwhile, when the veggies are cooked to a desired doneness, add in the wine and cook off until there’s very little left.  At this point, add in the tomato sauce that you made in the separate pan to the veggies and cook together for a few minutes.  Remove the bay leaf and adjust the seasonings to your liking.  Add in the marscarpone and mix together.

So now you should be ready to combine the sauce and the pasta.  The way I do this is in a separate pan (the one I used for the sauce).  Simply ladle around a cup of the sauce into the pan once it’s gotten hot, and grab a bunch of pasta with tongs and add it to the pan and combine it with the sauce.  Next, add in around 1-2 tablespoons of the water you cooked the pasta in to the pan and mix together.  Serve the pasta on a dish of your choice and top with grated Parmesan.  Buon appetito!

This one is for Aimee, as since our relationship began, beef hasn’t really been on the menu much in our house.  For ecological reasons, Aimee doesn’t eat cow – a stance that I respect and admire, though one that does have me missing a good steak every now and then.  In any case, we use turkey for a lot of our ground meat needs (as well as lamb and pork), especially for the great American meal: the burger.  Turkey burgers rule in our house, and I like to think we’ve gotten pretty good at making them.  Hopefully, some of our tricks and tips will help you appreciate the turkey burger the way we do.

A lot of people almost immediately complain that Turkey burgers are not good because they are made of a leaner meat, which is true, but we make up for it by adding some ground pork into our mix.  This will add in a nice balance of fat back to the burger – and we all know that fat = flavor.  I also like to add some other big flavors to my burger mixture (turkey or beef).  These include Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and fresh garlic (not to mention lots of diced, raw sweet onion).

I also like to get a little creative with my burger sides – tonight I decided to do a non-traditional sort of potato chip – using butternut squash which has just started to come into season.  These are wicked good – topped with some Manchego cheese and salt – delicious!  FYI, you should prep the chips FIRST, scroll down for the explanation.  Here’s what to do – first for the burgers:

• 1 lb of fresh ground turkey
• 1/2 – 3/4 lb ground pork
• 1/4 of a large sweet white onion – small dice
• 1 large clove of garlic – minced
• A few splashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. plain or panko breadcrumbs

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and let the mixture rest for a while while prepping the other ingredients.  For the toppings for your burger, here are some ideas for you:

• Apricot mayonnaise: Simply buy some apricot preserves from the market and mix and equal amount with some good mayo, then add a little lemon juice and a pinch of salt – perfect for a turkey burger.

• Avocado slices – it wouldn’t be a turkey burger without the avocado.
• Smoked ketchup – mix smoked paprika with ketchup to kick it up a notch
• My personal favorite – thin sliced onion rings:  Slice 1/2 of a large sweet onion (part of the onion that you use to put into the burger mix) on a thin setting of a mandolin or really carefully with a sharp knife.  Then take 2 plates and lightly cover them with flour (whole wheat preferred!).  Also take a bowl and fill it with a bit of buttermilk.  Take the onions and coat them in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip them in the buttermilk and back into the other pile of flour.  You then want to fill a heavy bottomed pot with about 2-3 cups of oil (peanut, olive or vegetable preferred – or a mixture).  When the oil reaches 350 F drop in the onions and let them cook for a few minutes until they’re golden brown.

• Smoked cheese (I use smoked mozzarella, but you can use what you like)
• Bacon – if you really want to do it up right.

Once your condiments are prepared, you can cook your burgers.  I recommend doing this on the grill, but in a pinch or in the winter time, you can make delicious burgers on the stove.  Take a heavy bottomed skillet (don’t use non-stick here) and over medium heat, add in 2 Tbsp. of olive oil.  Shape your burgers into the size and shape of your choice and place them into the hot pan.  Let them cook for a few minutes until they easily lift off of the man without ripping or scrapping!

Meanwhile, you can make the butternut squash chips.  Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 medium butternut squash – top part only, reserve globe bottom for something else
• 5-6 sprigs of thyme (lemon thyme preferred) – leaves take off the stems but left whole
• 2-3 sage leaves – chopped
• Small block of Manchego cheese
• Salt
• Oil for frying (use the same oil as you used for the onions)

Peel the squash and slice on a very thin setting on your mandolin.  Place the slices into a bowl of ice water and let them rest for 15-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, fry the herbs in the hot oil, removing them when they become dark green and crispy.  Remove the squash from the water and dry the slices off with paper towels – then place them in the hot oil and fry them for around 7-8 minutes per side.  You’re looking for the squash to turn a darker color of orange so that they are partially crispy.  Experiment and you’ll get the hang of it.

Once the chips are cooked, remove them to some paper towels, top them with some salt, the fried herbs and grate some Manchego cheese on top (with a microplane).

Flip the burgers and finish cooking them by topping with cheese, moving them to some fresh buns and topping with your favorite toppings.  Plate with the chips and enjoy!