Fig, Prosciutto, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

I think this easy salad is a taste sensation. The combination of flavors and textures really makes it a delight to eat. The figs are sweet, the lettuce leaves are crunchy, the prosciutto is salty, the salad dressing is a bit tart, and the mozzarella is soft, mild, and seems to balance the salad.



Fig, Prosciutto, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients
4 ripe figs
1 bag of ready to use salad, or any mix of leaves you like in an appropriate portion for two
4 slices of prosciutto or other dry cured ham, cut into large pieces
Fresh mozzarella, cut into bite size pieces
3-4 tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder or one garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt

Prepare the balsamic vinegar dressing. Combine the mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, and vinegar. With a whisk in one hand, and olive oil in the other, slowly emulsify the olive oil into the other ingredients by pouring it in slowly and whisking vigorously.

Assemble the salad. Cut a crisscross into the figs, without cutting all the way through. Squeeze the bottom of the fig a bit to expose the pink flesh inside. Place lettuce on the bottom of the bowl, and distribute the other ingredients on top. Just before serving, lightly dress the salad with the dressing. Alternatively, you can leave the dressing on the side so that people can choose the amount of dressing, if any, they'd like on their salad.

Balsamic Portobello Turkey Sliders

After eating these, you’ll be asking, “Where’s the Beef?” The Worcestershire sauce in the ground turkey meat really makes them taste like ground beef, but so much healthier. We love the concept of “sliders” or mini burgers, they’re just too cute! I’m sure you’ll be seeing different variations of these bite sized beauties… as they’re fun to make and even more fun to eat.

Balsamic Portobello Turkey Sliders

(Based on a recipe by Rachel Ray, with lots of modifications).

INGREDIENTS
1/2 onion, chopped
1 pounds ground turkey
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Emeril’s Essence (make your own here)
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 dinner rolls (we used Challah rolls from Trader Joe’s), split and toasted
2 portobello mushrooms, diced
More salt and pepper
about 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Coarse black pepper
4 slices Provolone or Swiss cheese (optional)
Baby greens
Tomato, sliced

DIRECTIONS
Saute onions in a small pan over moderate heat for 3 to 5 minutes until tender.

Brush a cookie sheet with olive oil. Combine meat with Worcestershire sauce, onion, salt, pepper, and essence and mix well. Form 8 small patties slightly larger than the size of your dinner rolls (they will shrink when cooked) and place on cookie sheet. Broil patties for 3 minutes, flip, and broil 3 minutes more.

Heat some olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and 2-3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and saute until just tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine mayonnaise, 2-3 additional tablespoons Balsamic vinegar, and more essence (optional). Spread onto both sides of toasted rolls. Add patty, cheese, mushrooms, tomato, and greens. Enjoy!

Bistecca with Balsamic-Roasted Onion Crostini

We’re back! And what a great time we had! I better watch out or Taylor will want to move to New York. And can I say how amazing the food is there? From the roasted almonds off the street to frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity3 to tapas at Pipa (honestly one of the best dinners we’ve had in our lives), New York City is one big culinary adventure. Next time we visit, forget the sights, we’re eating our way through the city. :)

While it was nice not to have to cook for a week, we’re glad to be back in our own tiny kitchen. We both loved this recipe, it worked great for us as a main course but would also be fantastic as an appetizer. Is it just me or have we been using tons of red onions lately?

Bistecca with Balsamic-Roasted Onion Crostini

Recipe from Michael Chiarello. Makes 6-8 servings.
We used a tenderloin steak, and it was delicious. Just whatever cut you use, be sure it’s nice and tender. It’s a bit tough to bite through the crusty bread and steak all at once, next time we’ll slice the bread a bit thinner and not toast it quite so much. This one’s a keeper for sure!

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large porterhouse steak, about 1 1/2 pounds and 2-inches thick, at room temperature
Salt, preferably gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 large red onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 loaf crusty bread, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat until very hot. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Turn on the exhaust fan and put the steak in the pan; stand back to prevent being splattered. Cook until the steak is brown on the first side, about 2 minutes; brown on the other side. Remove the steak to a rack or baking pan until you are ready to finish cooking it. When ready, put the steak into the oven and cook until done to your liking, about 10 minutes for rare. Remove the steak to a carving board and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Peel and cut the onions into thirds or quarters, depending on their size. Leave as much root on as possible to keep the wedges from falling apart. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in the same skillet used to cook the meat over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Season them with salt and pepper. Place the pan of onions in the oven and roast until tender and very browned (the onions tend to char around the edges), 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the onions from the oven, add the garlic, and cook briefly until light brown. Add the thyme and stir. Add the vinegar (stand back so as to not get splattered) and toss well with the onions. Stir and scrape up all the browned bits clinging to the bottom of the pan.

Reduce oven to 400 degrees F. Place the bread in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until the bread is golden brown and crisp, about 8 to 9 minutes.

To serve, cut the meat off the bone, then carve it into thin slices. Put 1 slice of meat on each crostini and top with the roasted onions. Pour any juices from the carving board over the crostini. Serve immediately.

Note: In order to cook the meat in the shortest amount of time and thus extract the most flavor, the meat must be at room temperature. Afterward, the meat must rest before carving. If this procedure is followed, the carving knife glides right through the steak.

Balsamic Braised Mushrooms and Couscous

What do you get when you have a meal planned of portobello black bean burgers with corn salsa, but Lindsay neglects to buy black beans at the store? Well, you spread the ingredients you do have over the counter, and figure out what you can make with it in the least amount of time possible.

This is by far the best way to cook mushrooms. Any kind of mushrooms. We served them with couscous this time around, but they’d go well with just about anything or as a side dish to any meal.

Balsamic Braised Mushrooms and Couscous

Recipe from our twisted minds. Adjust spices as necessary, it’s purely made to taste. So easy it barely needs a recipe.

INGREDIENTS
Fresh Mushrooms
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Oregano
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
Couscous, cooked according to package directions

DIRECTIONS
Trim and cut mushrooms into bite sized pieces.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in skillet. Add mushrooms and sauté 3-4 minutes.

Add a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and stir until absorbed. Add spices, salt, and pepper to taste. Spoon on top of couscous and serve.

Lamb Chops with Cherry Balsamic Glaze

We splurge every now and then. We eat pretty economically for the most part, and usually get one ’special’ thing every week, usually that means shrimp or scallops, but this week, lamb. This is maybe the 3rd time I’ve ever had it, and I have to say it was pretty good. Not something we’ll eat all the time, that’s for sure. But if you want to try lamb, this is a good way to eat it. The sauce was very good, and might work with something else too, chicken maybe? Or even ice cream. Hehe.

We couldn’t find sour cherries… and ended up with a bag of frozen sweet cherries. So our sauce may have been sweeter than it should have been. The fresh mint is a must though… it really adds a lot and shouldn’t be skipped.

Lamb Chops with Cherry Balsamic Glaze

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) pitted sour cherries (1/2 lb)
1 tablespoon sugar
8 (3/4-inch-thick) rib lamb chops (2 lb total), trimmed of excess fat
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced shallot (4 oz)
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

DIRECTIONS
Stir fresh cherries together with sugar and macerate while browning chops. If using frozen cherries, stir with any juices and sugar and thaw, about 1 1/2 hours.

Pat lamb dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté 4 chops, turning over once, about 6 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil. Cook and transfer remaining 4 chops in same manner.

Pour off fat from skillet and add remaining tablespoon oil. Heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shallot, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add cherries with juices, broth, and vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits, then reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add butter and 2 tablespoons mint, stirring just until butter is melted.

Spoon sauce over chops and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons mint.

Lentil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Take two on our lentil adventure. This one had a very good flavor, but not enough of it. Try tripling the recipe for the dressing with the same amount of lentils, maybe? We tripled the garlic anyway, but that’s not unusual for us. :) We lessened the parsley, added some fresh basil, and served it on a bed of baby spinach instead of the radicchio leaves (who can find those, anyway?)

Lentil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
1 1-inch-thick slice red onion plus 1 cup chopped red onion
3 fresh parsley sprigs plus 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dried brown lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
8 radicchio leaves or 1 bunch baby spinach

DIRECTIONS
Bring medium saucepan of water to boil. Add onion slice, 3 parsley sprigs and 1 minced garlic clove and bring to boil. Stir in lentils. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until lentils are just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Discard onion and parsley.

Stir oil, vinegar, mustard and remaining garlic in small saucepan over low heat until just warm (do not boil).

Place warm lentils in bowl. Add chopped onion, chopped parsley and warm vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon salad into radicchio leaves; place 2 leaves on each of 4 plates. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Penne with Pistachio Arugula Pesto and Balsamic Glazed Veggies

Found this recipe while perusing the wonderfully fantastic food blog,VeganYumYum. I’m usually not a huge fan of Arugula, too bitter for my tastes, but paired with the pistachio and miso is just perfect.

Penne with Pistachio Arugula Pesto and Balsamic Glazed Veggies

Makes 2 servings. Recipe from VeganYumYum.

INGREDIENTS
8 stalks broccolini (try to find it if you can… it really is so much better than regular broccoli!)
2 yellow squash
2 cups dry penne
2 Tbs olive oil
pepper
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 pinch salt

For Pesto:
1/2 cup roasted, unsalted pistachios
2 tbs sweet white miso (which we couldn’t find… we used a miso salad dressing)
1 pinch salt
2 cups arugula
4-5 Tbs olive oil
pepper

DIRECTIONS
Start heating pasta water. Place pistachios in the bowl of a food processor with salt and miso and pulse 4 times for 1 second per pulse. Roughly chop arugula and add it to the top. Drizzle in olive oil. Do not finish processing until pasta is completed.

Cook your pasta. A few minutes before pasta is finished, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan until over medium until fairly hot but not smoking. Trim any dry ends off the broccolini but leave a long stalk. Add it to the hot pan with a pinch of salt. Let cook on one side for 1-2 minutes, or until browned, then turn with tongs to cook another side. When broccolini is bright green and tender crisp, turn off heat and add vinegar, tossing vigorously to coat.

Cut squash in half. Heat another few tablespoons of olive oil, and add squash, face down, to pan. Let cook, without moving, for a few minutes, or until brown and caramelized. Turn and let cook on other side for a few minutes, or until tender. Finish with a dash of balsamic vinegar.

Blend the pesto until well combined, but you should still be able to see chunks of pistachios and arugula.

Drain and toss pasta with pesto (you’ll have some left over). Plate and layer broccolini and squash on top. Serve immediately.

Polenta-Crusted Chicken with Balsamic Caper Pan Sauce

Interesting dish, this one. I think the one thing we’ll definitely take away from it was the polenta crust (though why use polenta instead of cornmeal, I’m not sure – cornmeal it seems would produce a similar result). The pan sauce was interesting as well. Will we make it again? Probably. Will we modify it some? Probably too.

Sometimes I don’t have a lot to say about a dish, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worthy of sharing with you. This one included. In other words, less chat, more food. Read on!

Polenta-Crusted Chicken with Balsamic Caper Pan Sauce

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
2 large eggs
1/2 cup polenta (preferably quick-cooking)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thick between sheets of plastic wrap
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound escarole or other greens, torn into bite-size pieces

DIRECTIONS
Lightly beat eggs with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Whisk together polenta, flour, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in another shallow bowl.

Dip chicken in egg, letting excess drip off, then dredge in polenta mixture.

Heat vegetable oil and 1/3 cup olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until oil shimmers. Cook chicken in batches, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered.

Pour off oil and wipe skillet, then heat remaining 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, water, capers, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and briskly simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and swirl in butter.

Toss escarole with about half of sauce and pile on top of chicken. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Sea Asparagus, Heirloom Tomatoes, Balsamic Glazed Figs

My perfect day-off in Vancouver consists of an early jog around the Stanley Park seawall, followed by shopping for ingredients in Granville Island, and finished with a night in the kitchen with a loved one and a bottle of wine.

My mind shoots off in a million directions as I cruise through the bountiful public market and simultaneously contemplate menu options. On Thursday, two charming boys were selling heirloom tomatoes from the Okanagan. Naturally, I was suckered into buying a Green Pineapple, some Black Zebras, and some Boxcar Willies.

As I continued on, I considered the numerous possibilities to accompany these ripe beauties. Wild Morel mushrooms? Garlic scapes? To my surprise, I found their perfect partner in crime from the fish monger: sea asparagus.
I also picked up some mini Bocconcini for good measure.

Tanginess from the vine-ripen tomatoes, check. Saltiness from the sea asparagus, check. Milkiness from the Bocconcini, check. I needed something sweet. Oh look, Figs!

Sea asparagus is a plant that grows in salt marshes and smells just like the ocean. It is naturally briny so use salt sparingly in this salad. Its crispy texture is comparable to young haricot verts’ and improves with a quick blanching.

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Ingredients

• 2 Heirloom Tomatoes
• 2 handfuls of vine-ripen Cherry Tomatoes
• 2 large handfuls of fresh Sea Asparagus
• 1/2 lb. ripe Figs, quartered
• 2 large Bocconcini or a dozen mini ones
• 1 bunch of fresh Basil
• 1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

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Preparation

Slice the tomatoes thinly and fan them out on chilled plates. Chill them further in the fridge. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and chill in a separate bowl in the fridge.

Blanch the sea asparagus in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and shock the sea asparagus in an ice bath. When it is thoroughly chilled, drain on a paper towel.

Meanwhile, reduce the Balsamic vinegar to 1/3 cup, remove from the heat, toss in the fig segments, and set aside.

Cut or tear the Bococinni into bite-size pieces. Chiffonade the basil leaves.

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Assembly

Season the tomato slices with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss the basil and sea asparagus with some olive oil, divide, and make small piles atop the tomato slices.

Place the Bocconcini, cherry tomatoes, and glazed figs on and around the sea asparagus. Drizzle with some Balsamic reduction, crack on more fresh black pepper and serve.

Tossed some crispy Japanese cucumber in with the left-overs for lunch the next day.