Summer Bruschetta Two Ways

We made these two different versions of bruschetta for a cookout with friends. Both have sweet and savory combinations that play off each other really well.

Cracked Olive and Grape Tomato with Parmesan

I think I saw Jamie Oliver make some version of this recipe years ago. I’ve been making it ever since as my go to bruschetta. Cut a good loaf of Italian bread into quarter inch slices and put them on the grill. While the bread is still warm, cut a garlic clove in half and rub it on each slice. Set the bread aside and in a colander, crush grape tomatoes, and a mixture of good olives (kalamata, greek, green, I usually get the “olive medley” from the olive bar at the grocery store) together and shake to drain. Place half a handful of the tomato-olive mixture on each piece of grilled bread. I finish by shaving a few pieces of parmesan on each piece and drizzling with olive oil. The combination of sweet grape tomatoes with the olives makes this dish work really well.

Goat Cheese and Strawberries with Black Pepper and Aged Balsamic

A couple years ago Kara and I were at a restaurant called Pinot Brasserie in Las Vegas. The meal was fantastic but I was skeptical when Kara picked the dessert which consisted of fresh strawberries, goat cheese, black pepper and a balsamic reduction. It turned to be delicious so we used the same combination for a bruschetta. Start with the same grilled bread (don’t rub with garlic this time) and pile on sliced strawberries, soft goat cheese and generous amount of black pepper. Finally, drizzle with balsamic vinegar. A couple of months ago we bought a bottle of 25 year old balsamic vinegar at an olive oil and vinegar tasting room called The Olive Mill. It was perfect to finish the dish.

Pizzettes

It's always been a tradition to do appetizers on New Year's Day with my family. So when I saw this recipe by Giada Di Laurentis, I knew it would be perfect for this holiday tradition. Pizzettes are basically mini pizzas. You could put any toppings you like on top of the pizza crust. I used store bought dough and used a glass to cut out the rounds as we do not have a round cookie cutter for some reason. What is interesting about this recipe is the way you cook the onions. I have carmalized onions many times, but never for as long as this recipe called for. I kept them on low heat for about one hour and forty-five minutes. They were cooked in 3tbs. of butter, 1tbs. sugar, and some chopped fresh thyme and oregano. They turned out perfect. I then topped the dough with the onions and crumbled goat cheese. They baked in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Then topped with prosciutto. Delicious.

Manchego Cheese with Brown Butter Sauce

We had some leftover manchego cheese and we were looking for a simple way to use it up. I found this recipe from Tyler Florence as part of a series of Spanish tapas. It was delicious. I really like the sweet and salty trend that seems to be more and more popular.

For this dish you just cook butter in a sauce pan until it is golden brown, and then add honey. Pour the sauce over the cheese and sprinkle with sea salt.

Thanksgiving Sausage Bread

My favorite family holiday recipe is Christmas sausage bread. I’ll post that recipe in a few weeks for any readers outside of the Dowd clan. This is a Thanksgiving twist on the sausage bread. It’s the same principles and technique with distinctly autumn flavors like walnuts, apples, and cheddar cheese.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients

• Pizza dough (store-bought or homemade) rolled out in to 3 elongated ovals, each about 5-6 inches wide and 14-16 inches long.

• 2 pounds of bulk breakfast sausage, cooked and drained

• 3 Granny Smith apples peeled and cubed

• 2 cups of chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

• 1 bag of dried cranberries (Craisins)

• Grated cheddar cheese

Combine the apples, walnuts and cranberries and spread evenly on the bread dough. Add a layer of the cooked crumbled sausage on each dough section and then finish with a layer of cheddar cheese. Fold one side of the dough up over the toppings and then bring up the other side and pinch together to join. Fold the ends up to close off the loaves.

Turn each loaf over onto a greased cookie sheet (or even better, a pizza stone covered with cornmeal)

Brush some egg wash on the top of each loaf and crosscut some slits with a sharp knife.

Put the bread in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Slice and serve as soon as these breads have slightly cooled or wrap in aluminum foil and reheat later.

Chicken Tacos with Blistered Jalapenos and Queso Fresco

If you ever want an upgrade from the run of the mill American taco consisting of ground beef and taco seasoning (not that I don't enjoy those), these worked out really well.

I dry rubbed chicken breasts first with cumin and then with a generous amount of paprika. Paprika makes for a really good crust. Pan sear those in a little oil over medium high heat and then slice thinly.

I opened up some jalapenos and took out all the seeds and veins. Then I cut them in to thin strips and sauteed until almost charred. This left them crunchy and tasty with just enough heat left to still be interesting.

Add sliced avocado, tomatoes and crumbled queso fresco. We used warm corn tortillas which seemed to taste authentic with this combination of ingredients

Charcoal Grilled Pizza with Goat Cheese and Shallots

We have fun experimenting with different pizza combinations at home.  We’ve done the pizza stone in the oven which produces really good results, but the closest to authentic east coast, brick oven style, in my opinion, is pizza from the grill. This works really well and is pretty easy.

Your best bet is to work on a large charcoal grill. Move all the coals to one side so you’re flaming hot for direct grilling and you’re also set up for indirect baking on the other side. See Steve Rachlan’s “How To Grill” for more detailed instructions. Our copy has a broken spine and pages falling out we’ve used it so often.

You can make your own dough if so inclined or frozen pizza dough works just fine. Roll it out thin and at the last minute brush some olive oil over your grates. Lay the pizza dough on the grates and stay put. This won’t take long and its easy to burn (a little char is good for the New Haven pizza quality). Watch for bubbles and then flip.

Once your crust is grilled on both sides add your toppings and bake on the other side of the grill. If you’re grill is not large enough, we’ve done this step under the broiler. You’re really just trying to melt cheese and warm toppings.

We’ve had a lot of fun with seasonal toppings and we’ve had success with everything from cheddar cheese to apples to grilled corn.

We topped this pizza with a little mozzarella, goat cheese, sautéed shallots and garlic and then fresh thyme at the end. The standout ingredient among all these bold flavors was the thyme. This was delicious and definitely a keeper.

Meatballs with Fresh Pasta and Grilled Herb Garlic Bread

I never really appreciated the meatball as a culinary delicacy until a few years ago when Kara saw Regis on TV talking about Rao’s. It wasn’t long before we had the Rao’s Cookbook in our kitchen and we were experimenting with some of their classic recipes. The meatballs are a fantastic.

This recipe is our own combination of the Rao’s classic and one from Maroni’s, which is another New York City restaurant, featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay. We also worked in some techniques from the Italian American Cookbook by John and Galina Mariani.

A couple notes from a lot of experimentation:

· The bread crumbs make a big difference. Rao’s insists that you must make your own from good Italian bread and I would agree with them.

· You have to use romano cheese. I far prefer a good parmesan to romano in most instances but for meatballs the romano provides the right amount of saltiness. They don’t taste right using parmesan.

· The Rao’s marina sauce is the best I’ve ever had and really easy to make at home. Look for imported san marzano tomatoes. You’ll never buy jarred sauce again. We have a hard time finding san marzano around here but we have a case of Rao’s sauce on hand courtesy of Tom and Donna.

I’m certain we’ll never get a chance to eat at Rao’s in New York unless Regis invites us. A couple years ago in Las Vegas we did take the opportunity to eat at the second location at Caesar’s Palace. It’s an exact replica of the Harlem location down to every picture on the wall. Kara ordered the meatballs which were the cheapest item on the menu at $13.00. I was quite please about that until the charming waiter from Italy tricked her into ordering a $19.00 side of pasta!

Anyway they were delicious. Here is our version that we served with fresh homemade pasta and herb garlic bread from the grill

1 pound ground lean beef
½ pound ground veal
½ pound ground pork
3 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 ½ tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

1 ½ tablespoons of chopped basil
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 or 5 slices of Italian bread soaked in milk
Salt (preferably Kosher or Sea Salt) and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups of homemade breadcrumbs
1 cup olive oil

1. Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add 3 eggs, cheese, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, blend ingredients together. Blend soaked bread into meat mixture. Shape meat mixture into balls (2 ½- to 3-inch balls).
2. Dip meatballs into egg wash and then coat in breadcrumbs
3. Heat oil in a large sauté pan. When oil is very hot but not smoking, fry meatballs in batches. When bottom half of meatball is very brown and slightly crisp turn and cook top half. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
4. Finish the meatballs in simmering marinara sauce