Tag: Basil

Cioppino (Seafood Stew)

Note: I was sent a ZOS wine saver for review. All opinions are mine alone.

Using wine in recipes both adds and enhances flavor. I love cooking with both red and white wine, but I really only drink red wine. Which means I keep a re-corked bottled of white wine in my fridge, which over time, begins to oxidize and change taste (and not for the better!)

 

So when I was contacted to try ZOS wine saver, I was intrigued. The ZOS wine saver is a solution that eliminates 100% of the oxygen from an opened bottle of wine, which can preserve the bottle for weeks or months. The ZOS wine stopper has an oxygen-absorbing cartridge that allows you to use a small amount of wine and still maintain its flavor for future use.

Source: zos.wine

The ZOS wine saver is made of an oxygen barrier stopper attached to a replaceable cartridge. You just insert the ZOS stopper into an open bottle of wine and the cartridge absorbs all of the oxygen in the bottle. Each cartridge lasts 5 to 15 bottles and is easily replaceable. The ZOS wine saver (paid link) can be purchased on Amazon.

With the weather warming up, I wanted to make a yummy seafood recipe that’s hearty but light. Cioppino is a fish stew originally from San Francisco, utilizing whatever was caught that day at sea. This recipe for Cioppino (Seafood Stew) includes making a broth and then making the actual soup. The broth can be made a couple of days ahead of time. Both parts of the recipe use white wine, so this recipe is the perfect test for the ZOS wine saver.

Ingredients:

Broth:

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 2 8-oz. bottles clam juice
  • 4 sprigs parsley
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Soup:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 lbs mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  • 1 lb clams, scrubbed
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 1 lb sea bass, skin removed and cut into 1” pieces
  • 1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
  • ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes (or margarine for dairy free)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
  • day old bread, for serving (omit for gluten free)

Continue reading Cioppino (Seafood Stew)

Eggplant Meatballs

The end of April can mean only one thing, Flavors on the Avenue is almost here! Held the last Sunday of every April, Flavors on the Avenue is one of my favorite annual events. The food festival is held on E Passyunk Ave from Broad St to Dickinson St this Sunday, April 28 from 11am to 5pm.

Over two dozen of the region’s best restaurants will fire up street food, small plates, and signature dishes along the Avenue, ranging on average from $3.00 to $6.00 and will be pay-as-you-go. Craft beef, wine, and seasonal sips will also be available, sold by select restaurants, plus a Founders Brewing Co. Tasting Tent. Restaurants participating include:

  • Barcelona Wine Bar
  • Bing Bing Dim Sum
  • Brigantessa
  • Cantina Los Caballitos
  • Chhaya Cafe
  • El Sarape Restaurant
  • Essen Bakery
  • Fond
  • Fuel
  • ITV Philly
  • Izumi
  • Le Virtù
  • Mamma Maria Ristorante
  • Manatawny Still Works
  • Noir Philadelphia
  • Paradiso Restaurant
  • Pistola’s Del Sur
  • Plenty Café
  • P’unk Burger
  • Redcrest Fried Chicken
  • Saté Kampar
  • Stogie Joe’s Tavern
  • The Bottle Shop
  • Teas n’ Mi
  • Tre Scalini
  • Vanilya Bakery

In addition to all of the yummy food options, look for live music and entertainment throughout the festival, plus bring the kids for free family fun activities in kid zones up and down the avenue.

Source: EPABID

Retail, family, and fashion shops along the avenue will also be participating; look for shopping, sidewalk sales, special events, workshops, and much more!

Source: EPABID

This is an event that I’ve been attending since it first began as Flavors of the Avenue, under a tent. In 2017, the event moved along the avenue itself and has become the largest event on E Passyunk.

Source: EPABID

To read some of my past posts highlighting this event, check out:

This year, I wanted to highlight one of the many vegetarian options that will be offered on Sunday: Eggplant Meatballs from Brigantessa! I attended a media event for Flavors this year and was struck with how many delicious meatless options will be offered this year.

Every Sunday is pasta night in my house, so we went for a meatless Sunday, substituting in these yummy Eggplant Meatballs for our usual Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced (or use a garlic press)
  • 2 (28 oz) cans tomato puree
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 tablespoons chopped basil, divided, plus more for serving
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2.5 cups bread crumbs (I used Italian bread crumbs)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • crusty bread or pasta, for serving

Continue reading Eggplant Meatballs

Grilled Caprese Polenta Rounds

Have you ever purchased an ingredient at the supermarket that you have no clue how you’re going to end up using it? Months ago, I purchased a tube of prepared polenta and honestly just forgot I even had it. During a recent cleaning of my “pantry” (also known as a cabinet that holds dry goods), I came across it again and decided it was time to find a use for it! So now, I present you Grilled Caprese Polenta Rounds!

Prepared, or tubed, polenta is firm and can be sliced into rounds which makes it perfect for grilling. I figured it would make a great summery appetizer, topped with melted mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and a balsamic reduction!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 (16 oz) tube prepared polenta, sliced into 16 rounds
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 (8 oz) container cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade (directions below)
  • 1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced into 16 rounds
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Continue reading Grilled Caprese Polenta Rounds

Grilled Clams in Lemon Butter Sauce

Now that grilling season is in full swing, I am grilling anything and everything I can, and yes, that includes Grilled Clams in Lemon Butter Sauce!

This recipe for grilled clams is SO easy, and can be made completely on your grill (just make sure you have a cast iron or other grill-safe pot for the sauce, if not, you can make it on your stovetop).

It’s an awesome appetizer to share with friends, just don’t forget the crusty bready for dipping!

Ingredients:

  • 3 dozen clams
  • 2 sticks salted butter (1 cup)
  • the juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
  • 1 scallion
  • 1 sprig fresh oregano
  • 2 sprigs fresh parsley
  • 1 sprig fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • ground pepper, to taste

Continue reading Grilled Clams in Lemon Butter Sauce

Freezable Ratatouille

This Freezable Ratatouille is another recipe my friend and I made last weekend during our cooking marathon. This time of year is perfect for making a huge batch of ratatouille and freezing it!

Ratatouille is a produce-heavy dish, using eggplants, zucchini, onions, and peppers. My friend doesn’t really love eggplant, so I used fairy tale eggplants which are smaller, with thinner skins and are a bit sweeter than regular eggplants.

This Freezable Ratatouille also allows you to do a lot of the prep work ahead of time. The vegetables are cooked separately, so prep work does go into a bunch of bags, but it makes the cooking process much easier. We used a recipe from The Kitchn as our base.

Ingredients (makes 8 to 10 servings):

  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 3 medium green bell peppers, chopped
  • 6 to 8 medium zucchini, cut into bit sized pieces
  • 4 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 fairy tale eggplants
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/4 cup basil, sliced into ribbons, plus more for garnish
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Continue reading Freezable Ratatouille

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

My mom makes a mean pasta salad. Her mayo-less version is a mostly traditional Italian pasta salad which marinates in an Italian salad dressing for a few hours before enjoying.

This Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad version is based on hers, but I decided to make it all the more summery but adding grill-friendly vegetables.

This is mostly a make ahead recipe. Right before serving (or while grilling up the main dish), you just add the veggies to the grill, then toss into the pasta.

I made this Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad for friends with my recipe for Grilled T-Bone Steak with Gremolata.

Ingredients:

  • 2 boxes tri-colored pasta
  • 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 bell peppers, any color, chopped
  • 1 (8 oz package) sliced baby bella mushrooms
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 yellow squash, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

Marinade

  • 2 tablespoons garlic salt
  • 2 tablespoons onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1 cup white wine vinegar
  • 2 cups olive oil

Continue reading Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

 Note: This post is sponsored by Moyer Beef. All opinions are mine alone.

Sunday night in my house is pasta night, which almost always means pasta with a meaty tomato sauce. I tend to make Meatballs in Tomato Sauce in batches about once a month and freeze it for future Sundays.

It’s funny, I make this recipe all the time and yet

  1. I had no clue what measurements I was putting into my sauce, and
  2. never posted the recipe to my blog!

Continuing my partnership with Moyer Beef, I decided it was about darn time I actually figured out what exactly I make every month and to share it on here.

These meatballs are half ground beef and half hot Italian sausage. It adds a touch of heat to the overall sauce without being actually spicy.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

  • 1 lb 80% lean ground beef (I used Moyer Beef’s 81% lean ground beef chuck)
  • 1 lb hot Italian sausage removed from its casing
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Tomato Sauce:

  • 1 lb beef short ribs (1-2 pieces)
  • 1 lb 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
  • 2 (28 oz) cans strained tomatoes (can substitute tomato puree)
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Continue reading Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Peach and Tomato Salad

We were recently heading to a friends house for dinner and were asked to bring a salad.

I didn’t necessarily want to bring a traditional lettuce-based salad, so I went in search of something that made the most of what’s in season at the moment, like this Peach and Tomato Salad.

I came across this yummy sounding Summer Peach and Tomato Salad, and made a few adjustments.

I used frozen sliced peaches, mainly because I’m a bit lazy, but also because I didn’t want overly ripe peaches in the salad.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
  • 1 pound frozen sliced peaches, thawed
  • 1/2 pound Campari tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/2 pound heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons agave
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

Continue reading Peach and Tomato Salad

Prosciutto Pizza

Note: I was sent a non-stick pro pizza pan, complete grate & slice set, and a 4″ pizza wheel from OXO to make this post. All opinions are my own.

My husband grew up on Long Island, so it’s probably no surprise that one of his favorite foods is pizza. I’ve made a few different types of pizza on my blog, including this yummy pan pizza. This time, with the help of OXO, I decided to make a thin crust pizza.

OXO has a bunch of tools to make pizza making super simple. Their Non-Stick Pro Pizza Pan features a micro-textured pattern to improve airflow for even baking and rigidity for strength and durability. The Complete Grate & Slice Set includes coarse and medium grating and straight and julienne slicing surfaces. Each can be used over bowls or plates or placed on top of the lid, which doubles as a container for collecting and measuring. The set helps prep all your toppings for your pizza including slicing veggies and grating both hard and soft cheeses. I actually used the julienne slicing surface for this salad I made last week. The OXO 4″ Pizza Wheel‘s clear plastic wheel won’t damage non-stick pans, and the slick surface prevents cheese from sticking.

Pizza is a great weeknight meal, and can be made in under 30 minutes!

We decided to keep it relatively simple, but you can add whatever you’d like on top. This pizza is topped with a homemade pizza sauce, mozzarella and fontina cheese, and prosciutto slices. After cooking, I garnished it with some freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, and thinly sliced fresh basil.

Ingredients:

  • store-bought pizza dough
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 oz shredded fontina cheese
  • 1 oz prosciutto
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil, thinly sliced

Continue reading Prosciutto Pizza

Baked Ziti

This blog post has been compensated by Borden® Cheese. All opinions are mine alone. #BordenCheeseLove #CollectiveBias #Ad

 

As I’ve mentioned in the past, pasta night is a very important night in my house. Both my husband and I come from (partially) Italian backgrounds, so pasta once a week is basically a necessity.

There is something about pasta dishes that is so comforting. It’s the meal that my grandmother would make for me every time my sister and I visited, and it’s the meal we most look forward to when visiting my husband’s parents. Pasta dishes always feel like they are cooked with love, don’t they?

I also have quite a love of cheese, so baked ziti ranks pretty high on my list of favorite pasta dishes. Pasta + love + cheese = the perfect comfort food!

Food, especially cheesy food is one of the best ways to show love for those who are special to you. This weekend, I made a super cheesy, meaty, baked ziti for my husband and me, with the help of Borden® Cheese. This casserole-style dish is the perfect way to know you’ll have leftovers for later in the week, or to feed a large (or hungry) family!

This baked ziti is tossed in a ricotta-tomato mixture with ground meat. It is then topped with Borden® Cheese Mozzarella Shreds, which results in a wonderfully gooey, cheesy dish.

I found my Borden® Cheese at my local Acme, but check out this store locator to find Borden® Cheese near you. Borden® Cheese has a bunch of tasty cheese options, including Borden® Cheese Finely Shredded Four Cheese Mexican Shreds that I also picked up to use for tacos later in the week.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (16 oz) box ziti
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup finely chopped onions
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb hot Italian sausage, removed from its casing
  • 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1 tbsp dried parsley
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 16 oz ricotta
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups Borden® Cheese Mozzarella Shreds
  • Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Continue reading Baked Ziti

Pasta Alla Norma

Created with De Cecco

Pasta night at my house is a very important night. Every Sunday, we have a pasta dish, but like to switch up what exactly the dish is. It’s always fun to experiment with new ingredients, with pasta always being the constant.

So it is pretty important for me to use premium pasta, like De Cecco Authentic Italian Dry Pasta. Since 1886, De Cecco has made its pasta in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The 130-year-old company still uses its original family recipe and high-quality ingredients to create a variety of pasta types.

De Cecco pasta is made with only the best coarse durum semolina, whereas flour is used in most other ordinary pasta brands. This translates into De Cecco being a firmer pasta that doesn’t get mushy or fall apart, even if you overcook it by a minute or two.

This week, I had a hankering for eggplant, so I decided to make Pasta Alla Norma. Pasta Alla Norma is a pasta dish with fried eggplant slices tossed in a chunky tomato sauce. The dish is topped with grated ricotta salata and basil.

Note: Ricotta Salata in America doesn’t pack as much punch as its Italian counterpart. If you can find it, go for an Aged Ricotta Salata. If not, use a bit of grated pecorino Romano along with your Ricotta Salata.

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium sized eggplants (look for ones that feel heavy for their size)
  • ½ cup olive oil, plus more if needed
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 (28 oz) can of San Marzano whole tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1 (16 oz) box De Cecco spaghetti
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced basil
  • ¼ cup grated ricotta salata
  • ¼ cup grated pecorino Romano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Continue reading Pasta Alla Norma

Tapenade

Last weekend, friends of mine invited us to an awesome Scotch tasting. They had recently visited Islay and brought back some for us to try as well! Each Scotch was paired with a bite of food to bring out some of the flavors, including oysters, lamb kofta, pheasant sausage and so much more.

I naturally didn’t want to come empty handed so I brought this simple olive tapenade along with me.

Tapenade is a pureed mixture of olives, anchovies, capers and olive oil. Salty foods always pair nicely with spirits, so this recipe was an easy choice to bring to the party.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (9 oz) jar pitted kalamata olives, drained
  • 1 (9 oz) jar pitted green olives, drained
  • 3 anchovy fillets, patted dry
  • 2  garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons capers
  • 3 fresh basil leaves
  • the juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • crusty bread or raw vegetables

Continue reading Tapenade

Chicken Sausage and Peppers

Note: I was sent a variety of First Fresh Foods Chicken Sausages. Opinions are my own.

It may be relatively apparent on my blog that I really don’t eat much pork; I tend to gravitate towards other proteins. So, I also rarely eat sausage, and if I’m being perfectly honest, I’m not the biggest fan of them anyways.

So when First Fresh Foods contacted me about trying their chicken sausages, I figured why not! I decided to keep it pretty traditional and try their mild Italian sausages in Sausage and Peppers to make this recipe for Chicken Sausage and Peppers.

The Italian sausages resemble traditional sausages but are made from ground white breast meat, which delivers similar taste with 78% less fat. They are gluten-free, with no MSG and no hormones.

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 package First Fresh Foods mild Italian chicken sausage
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato puree
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 5 hot dog rolls (omit to make gluten free, or use gluten free rolls)
  • fresh basil, for garnish

Continue reading Chicken Sausage and Peppers

Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DareToPair #CollectiveBias

Hooray for spring! The weather may be warming up, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up my beloved pasta! However, I can at least lighten up my weekly pasta a bit. My favorite way to add a little spring to my pasta? Pesto, like in this recipe for Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta!

Pairing fresh ingredients with pasta can really lighten up a comfort food favorite like pasta. I added in some slow roasted cherry tomatoes to add a bit of tomatoey goodness to the dish.

Barilla has a few Better for You Pasta’s to make lightening up you pasta dish even easier. I picked up a box of Barilla ProteinPLUS Rotini Pasta from Walmart; other options available at Walmart include Whole Grain Pasta, Veggie Pasta and Gluten Free Pasta.

Note: there is a great Ibotta offer right now for Buy any 3 select varieties of Barilla Products and earn $1.00 at Walmart! Details can be found at the link above.

Barilla ProteinPLUS has 17g of protein from all-natural vegetarian ingredients, so it’s a great way to add more protein to your pasta meals without adding meat or seafood.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • ground pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
  • 1 box of Barilla ProteinPLUS Rotini (or Spaghetti)
  • shaved Parmesan, for garnish

Continue reading Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

Hemp Seed Basil Pesto

During Choctoberfest, I was sent a pretty sweet package of goodies from Just Hemp Foods, including Hemp Protein Powder (which I used in these muffins), Hemp Seeds, and Hemp Oil.

 

This weekend, I finally cracked into the Hemp Seed Oil. I had a bunch of basil that I knew I couldn’t use up before it wilted, so I made pesto, or more specifically, Hemp Seed Basil Pesto!

 

Hemp Seed Oil delivers a subtle nutty taste, so it’s perfect in a pesto. The oil contains the ideal 3:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratio which supports heart health. Hemp Seed Oil degrades with light and heat, so it’s best to refrigerate it and use it cold. The oil has a green color to it, so it really makes the basil pop!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup hemp seed oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Continue reading Hemp Seed Basil Pesto

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