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Tomatillo Salsa

This recipe is very simple and delicious and pairs very well with grilled meats, fish or simply as a dip for tortilla chips!  I’ve experimented with using the tomatillos raw, cooked in chicken stock and fire roasted; we love fire roasted the best.  Roasting the tomatillo highlighted the green, citrusy notes of the fruit.  I should note, this is one recipe you truly shouldn’t substitute canned tomatillos for fresh as it doesn’t work.  You should be able to find the tomatillos in most grocery stores, they are like a small green tomato in a green paper-like husk.  The outer husk should be dry, the tomatillo itself should be bright green, with a fresh, fruity smell.

Yield:  Approximately 2 cups

Ingredients: 

  • 1 lb fresh tomatillos (about 8 depending on size), husked and washed
  • ½ Vidalia onion, coarse chopped
  • 1 medium jalapeno chili, seeds and ribs removed (you can add the seeds for more heat)
  • 2 small-medium cloves of garlic (to taste)
  • Olive oil for roasting the above ingredients
  • ½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • Juice of one lime
  • ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

Directions:

  1. If you’re going to roast your ingredients on a grill, we recommend using a non-stick grill grid so the garlic and smaller ingredients don’t fall through the grate.  If you don’t have a grill or it’s not convenient, simply use your broiler with the oven rack about 5 inches from the broiling element.  Preheat.

  2. Toss the tomatillos, onion, jalapeno and garlic with the olive oil and place on foil-lined baking sheet or grill grid.  Broil/Grill until well charred, turning to periodically to char all sides, approximately 10 minutes.

  3. Once fully charred, remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle.  Add charred ingredients along with remaining ingredients to food processor and process until coarsely chopped, approximately 7 to 10 pulses.  For additional heat, add reserved jalapeno seeds (minced).

Note:  Best served at room temperature.  This salsa can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.  If the salsa loses its bright notes after being refrigerated, simply season with a pinch of salt and additional lime juice; this will make it pop!

Tomatillo-Salsa2019Download
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Red Onion Jam and Gorgonzola Tartlets

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Now this is very worth making, as there are multiple uses for red onion jam.  It is great with beef or chicken or just as an appetizer.

INGREDIENTS:

  •  1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 2 chopped Red Onions, about 2 cups
  • 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • ½ Cup of Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme
  • ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • ¼ Cup Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar
  • 2 Packages Mini Phyllo Shells, we use Athens brand
  • 5 Tablespoons Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Sauté Onions in olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 20 minutes
  2. Add garlic and allow to bloom for about a minute
  3. Stir in the next 6 ingredients, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes (or until most of the liquid has evaporated)
  4. Allow to cool
  5. Preheat oven to 350°
  6. Place phyllo shells on a cookie sheet, spoon ½ teaspoon of Gorgonzola into each and top with 1 teaspoon of jam
  7. Bake 10 minutes
Red-Onion-Jam-and-Gorgonzola-TartletsDownload

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Eggplant & Feta with pine nuts and basil appetizer!

Here is a fun appetizer or an amazing amuse-bouche. We served this to our dinner guests recently as a lovely amuse-bouche and we’ve also served trays of them at a cocktail party. This is a true crowd pleaser!  très chic!!!

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Give this a try and let us know what you think!

For a quick demonstration of how easy this is to prepare, check out our video of Harris preparing this crowd pleaser.

Eggplant & Feta with Pine Nuts & Basil

Appetizer or Amuse-Bouche

Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients:

  • 1 Italian or 2 Japanese Eggplant(s), cut lengthwise ¼ inch thick slices
  • ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
  • ¼ pound feta cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 dozen tender basil leaves
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt & pepper

Directions:

  1. Brush slices of eggplant with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.
  2. On high heat, sauté eggplant until golden brown on both sides.
  3. Remove eggplant from pan and set on plate to cool.
  4. On work surface, lay out the eggplant and place cube of feta cheese about 2 inches from the end. Sprinkle with 4 or 5 toasted pine nuts and place one basil leaf on top of the feta cheese.
  5. Roll the eggplant around the cheese, keeping the pine nuts and basil inside the roll-up and skewer with a large decorative tooth pick.
  6. Plate & serve!
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Roasted Peppers: A Colorful & Healthy Appetizer!

Here is a quick tip from The Dads on Roasted Peppers!

Recently we were buying sweet peppers for a couple of our recipes. We noticed the store had on sale the Trio bag of peppers in different colors. We decided that even though we didn’t need all of those peppers, it was still cheaper than buying the two individually.

What to do with the extras you ask?? We sprinkled some extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper… and roasted them in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Next, we placed them on a platter and served them at room temperature.

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Roasted Peppers can be great make for a great side dish, but we served them as an hors d’oeuvre with the cocktails!

Our guests loved them! Who would have thought something so simple and healthy could be such a big hit?!

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Impress Your Guests with This Homemade Gourmet Pizza!

We mentioned recently that we had made a pizza from scratch for Harris’ mother’s Italian birthday, so we wanted to share our recipe with you! 

Gourmet pizza is always a great crowd pleaser and with Super Bowl Sunday coming up, this might be one of the best entrees to serve up!

Here is our recipe that worked great for us. But the beauty of pizza is that you can dress it anyway you like, so feel free to experiment with your own variations! What’s your favorite way to decorate your pizza? Have you made it at home before? What tips worked great for you that you would like to share? Leave a comment and we will let you know if we try any of your suggestions!

Arugula with Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes, Basil & Four Cheeses Pizza

The Dads: Pizza

For the Pizza Crust:

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
¾ cups of warm water, not over 110 degrees
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

(Note: If you do not have a standup mixer, then mix it by hand using a wooden spoon. An electric mixer would be too difficult to use in this instance.)

Pour yeast into the warm water and allow to sit for five minutes.

Using a standup mixer first combine the flour and salt. Next, set your mixer to run at low speed and drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Pour in yeast and water until just combined. The dough will be sticky. Coat a mixing bowl with olive oil and form the dough into a ball. Toss the dough ball in the bowl with olive oil to coat the ball. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for one to two hours. It is best to place bowl in the refrigerator 24 hours ahead for the best flavor.

Punch the dough down and roll out to fit your greased pan (we used a standard baking sheet). Try to avoid stretching the dough.

For your Toppings:

1 unbaked pizza crust (as above)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch Kosher salt
Pinch black pepper
Red pepper flakes
1/3 cup basil pesto
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups red cherry tomatoes – sliced in half
1 ½ cups yellow or orange cherry tomatoes – sliced in half
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
¼ cup basil leaves, rolled and sliced thin
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
4 ounces asiago cheese, grated
½ cup parmesan reggiano cheese, grated
½ cup ricotta cheese
4 ounce fresh arugula

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Place cut tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste in a medium size bowl.  In small skillet, heat olive oil, add garlic and stir for one minute and remove from heat.  Pour over tomatoes mixture, tossing to coat evenly. Set aside.

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Roll out dough very thin, dusting with flour and transfer to oiled baking sheet.  Drizzle a little olive oil over dough and spread evenly.  Spread pesto over dough.  Sprinkle mozzarella, asiago, and parmesan reggiano evenly over pizza.  With a spoon place a small amount of ricotta over the entire pizza and sprinkle with red pepper flakes to taste.

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Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to rest for five minutes. Then cover top with arugula, then spoon over tomatoes mixture.  Cut into squares and serve.

Bon appétit! 

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Sweet & Savory: Spiced Nuts!

We posted this recipe before, but in the video below, Dave demonstrates how to make his famous sweet & savory Spiced Nuts!

These nuts make for a great gift for friends or coworkers, as well as a fantastic snack for entertaining!

Spiced Nuts

Ingredients

½ t ground cumin
½ t cayenne pepper
½ t ground cinnamon
4 C unsalted mixed nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds
4 T unsalted butter (substitute Earth Balance buttery spread for Vegan version)
6 T brown sugar
1 t kosher salt
1 T water

Directions

Heat the nuts in a dry large skillet over medium to medium high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to toast, about 4 minutes.

Add the butter and cook, stirring, until the nuts begin to darken, about 1 minute.

Add the spices, stirring to incorporate and coat the nuts.

Add the sugar, again stirring to coat and combine with the spices.

Add the kosher salt and water and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the nuts are glazed, about 5 minutes.

Remove the nuts from the heat and transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, separating them with a fork.

Let the nuts stand until cooled and the sugar has hardened, about 10 minutes. If there is still butter on the foil under the nuts when cooling, use a paper towel to absorb.

Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.