Tuna Melt Toast with Olive Salsa

Ingredients

1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 scallions (spring onions), light green and white parts only, finely chopped
1/4 cup pitted green olives (preferably Lucques), roughly chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher (coarse) salt (optional)
8 ounces oil-packed canned tuna, drained and flaked
4 marinated artichoke hearts, drained and thinly sliced
heaping 1/4 cup shredded fresh mozzarella cheese (preferably buffalo mozzarella)
scant 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese (not fresh mozzarella)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (3/4-inch thick) slices sourdough bread
pinch of red pepper flakes

Method

1. To make the olive salsa and tuna, in a small bowl, mix together the parsley, scallions, olives, olive oil, and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt if needed.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together the tuna, artichokes, both mozzarellas, and black pepper until everything is evenly mixed.
3. Preheat the broiler (grill) to high.
4. Arrange the bread on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Toast the bread lightly on both sides, 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown.
5. Top each toast with the tuna mixture and sprinkle with some red pepper flakes.
6. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling on top, 2-3 minutes. Serve hot, topped with the salsa.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Chef Bill Granger

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Moroccan-style Grilled Harissa Rack of Lamb with Summer Succotash

Ingredients

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons harissa paste
2 frenched small 8-rib racks of lamb (about 1-1/4 pounds each), trimmed of all but a thin layer of fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ears corn, husked
2 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise
4 ounces green beans, trimmed

Method

1. Prepare an outdoor grill for medium-high cooking over direct heat.
2. In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the harissa paste together.
3. Season the lamb racks with salt and pepper. Spread the harissa mixture all over the lamb.
4. Grill the lamb for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into the center of the lamb registers 125°F for medium-rare. Transfer the lamb to a carving board and let stand for about l0 minutes.
5. Coat the corn, zucchini, and green beans with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
6. Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally and removing them from the grill when they are lightly charred, about 2 minutes for the green beans, about 5 minutes for the zucchini, and about l0 minutes for the corn.
7. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs and transfer the kernels to a large bowl.
8. Cut the zucchini into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl. Add the green beans and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the succotash and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Mound the succotash on four dinner plates or a large platter. Cut the lamb racks into individual chops and place over the succotash. Drizzle with the carving juices and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: What’s for Dinner?

Salmon with Green Asparagus Sauce

Ingredients

4 salmon slices (about 7 oz each)
18 oz green asparagus salt
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons creme fraiche
scant 1/2 cup dry white wine
freshly ground white pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup vegetable stock (broth)

Method

1. Wash the asparagus and remove the woody ends. Cook the asparagus in salted water for 15-20 minutes until done. Remove from the water and drain.
2. Heat the cream, add the creme fraiche and wine and stir until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper, add the asparagus.
3. Sprinkle lemon juice on the salmon slices and cook in the hot vegetable stock (broth) for 6-8 minutes.
4. Remove from the vegetable stock (broth) and garnish with asparagus sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Cooking with Asparagus

Strawberry Crush

Ingredients

4 cups strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup whole unblanched almonds
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons almond-flavored liqueur, such as Amaretto
2 teaspoons slivered unblanched almonds, for garnish

Method

1. Place strawberries in an airtight container or plastic bag and leave in the freezer for 1-1/2 hours.
2. Remove strawberries from freezer. Place half of the frozen strawberries in the jar of a blender. Add ice, whole almonds, sugar, milk, and liqueur and as many more strawberries as will fit. Blend until there is enough room to add more strawberries.
3. Add remaining strawberries and blend until smooth and spoonable. Divide among 4 serving dishes. Garnish with slivered almonds and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Martha Stewart Living

Tortellini with Bone Marrow Broth

Ingredients

Broth

2 pounds meaty bone marrow or beef bones, cut into pieces (see Notes)
1 yellow or white onion, halved and charred (see Notes)
2- to 3-inch knob fresh ginger, sliced into 5 or 6 quarter-size pieces
2 cloves garlic
2 star anise
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley stems (use the leaves for the tortellini filling)
Pinch of kosher salt
2-1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

Pasta

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons bone marrow, melted, or olive oil (optional)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
leaves from 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
onion flowers, for garnish (optional)

Method

1. To make the broth, preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Spread the marrow bones on a baking sheet and roast until the bones brown and the marrow softens, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Remove the marrow bones from the oven and scoop out 2 tablespoons marrow if using it for the pasta dough.
4. Transfer the roasted marrow bones to a stockpot and add the onion, ginger, garlic, and star anise. Pour 1 gallon water over these ingredients and then add the parsley stems and salt. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat, but do not boil.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour.
6. Strain the stock through a colander and return the broth to the pot. Discard the solids.
7. Add the fish sauce to the broth and bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat. Let the broth simmer briskly until reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt, if necessary.
8. To make the pasta, pour the flour onto a clean work surface and make a well in the center.
9. In a small bowl, mix the eggs, 2 tablespoons water, the marrow fat, if using, and salt. Pour the mixture into the flour well. Using two fingers, slowly incorporate the flour into the wet mixture until all of the liquid is absorbed and a supple dough is formed.
10. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.
11. Alternatively, put the flour in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. With the motor running, pour the wet ingredients through the food tube. The dough is ready when it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
12. To make the filling, in a mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, parsley leaves, one of the eggs, the lemon juice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
13. Take the pasta dough from the refrigerator and roll it into sheets using a pasta machine.
14. Alternatively, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 6 to 8 minutes and then roll into sheets with a rolling pin until they are about 1/8 inch thick (a little thicker won’t matter).
15. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining egg and 1 teaspoon water.
16. Cut the pasta into 4-inch rounds with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass. You will have about 25 rounds.
17. Lay them on a floured work surface and scoop a small amount of filling in the center of each round. Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash and fold in half to seal. Put a finger in the center of the seal and fold the dough back around your finger. Fold the edges down to form a tortellini shape.
18. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop the tortellini into the water and cook until they bob to the surface, 3 to 4 minutes.
19. Put 4 to 6 tortellini in each shallow serving bowl and pour the hot broth over them. Serve right away. Garnish with onion flowers, if desired.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Notes:

• Bone marrow is found inside the long bones of animals. It’s soft, yellowish, and mostly fat and is appreciated by meat eaters the world over for the richness and full flavor it brings to any number of dishes. Beef marrow is the most common in the United States. Ask the butcher to cut the bone marrow bones into 2- to 3-inch lengths.
• To char the onion halves, put them cut side up in a small roasting pan and slide them under a preheated broiler. Let them cook until they darken and char around the edges, about 5 minutes. You could also char them by holding them with long-handled tongs over an open gas flame.

Source: So Good