Ingredients — serves eight
6-7 large red potatoes
5-6 garlic cloves peeled and minced
1 tsp. of a mix of any or all of these dried seasonings – basil, rosemary (crushed), thyme, and oregano
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter (cubed)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Preparation
Brush both sides of a cast iron skillet with olive oil. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, you can use a glass dish. Use a sharp knife to slice the potatoes into desired thickness. Arrange vertically and loosely in the skillet or glass dish. Sprinkle with garlic, and salt and pepper. Dot with butter and cover the skillet or dish with foil. Bake in a 375° oven for about one hour or until tender. Remove foil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Put back in the oven uncovered, and bake until crispy (about 20 minutes).
Bow Tie Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes & Arugula Pesto
Ingredients — serves eight
1 lb. Bow Tie pasta (Farfalle)
8 oz. fresh mozzarella (cherry tomato size, water packed, and drained)
8 oz. grapes tomatoes, roasted in a 375° oven with olive oil and salt, until they burst) If you do not want to roast your tomatoes, just cut them in half and add to pasta
Bunch of arugula
Zest of one lemon
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 – 3/4 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, or a mixture of both
1/2 cup pignoli nuts (pine nuts)
Olive oil
Preparation
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until the desired tenderness. Save one cup of the pasta water to use if the pesto is hard to incorporate with the pasta. In a food processor combine arugula, zest of lemon, 3 cloves of garlic and the pine nuts. Process and drizzle the olive oil in slowly. Add Parmesan/Romano and pulse again until the desired fineness and the pesto is smooth. Combine pasta and pesto (use pasta water a little at a time if needed to work the pesto through all the pasta). Toss with tomatoes and serve. You can also serve room temperature, or chilled.
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Ingredients — serves six
4 cups either fresh corn off the cob or frozen, thawed and drained
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
salt to taste
1/3 cup chopped red or green onion
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbs. mayonnaise
Fresh lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder or more to taste
3-6 oz. Mexican cheese (Cotija) or feta finely crumbled
1 1/2 medium avocados peeled, cored and chopped small
Preparation
Heat oil in a large skillet until hot. Add corn and season with salt to taste. Cook until charred all over. Only toss every 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly. Toss corn in a medium bowl along with onions, jalapeno, garlic, mayo, lime juice, some of the chili powder, and 3/4 of the cheese. Squeeze some lime juice on the diced avocado and add to the mixture. Top with the rest of the cilantro, cheese, and more chili powder if desired. Serve room temperature, or chilled.
Wine Pairing
Dark Horse Sauvignon Blanc – Modesto, Calif. — This wine is a pale green straw color with flavors of bright citrus, and tropical fruit. It has a crisp juicy finish.
Ann Linda Ciotoli is a contributing writer.
