Roasted Pepper Soup

Please don’t think I’m crazy but this year, instead of serving chicken soup for Rosh Hashanah, I’m making this Roasted Red Pepper soup.

First, it’s easy and I can make it a few days in advance. Also, it’s pretty enough for a festive holiday table and the colors match those of autumn, don’t you think?

Most of all, I’ve made this many times and always, always everyone wants seconds. It’s a taste winner.

ROASTED PEPPER SOUP

• 4 large bell peppers (red, orange and/or yellow)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 5-6 scallions, chopped

• 1 large clove garlic, chopped

• 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno, serrano or habanero chili pepper

• 2 carrots or parsnips, chopped

• 1 large all-purpose potato, peeled and chopped

• 4 cups vegetable stock

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Preheat the broiler. Place the peppers under the broiler, about 4-6" away from the heat. Broil for 2-3 minutes, until the skin has blistered. Turn the peppers and repeat this process until the entire surface is blistered and lightly charred. Remove the peppers and wrap them in foil or place them in a paper bag. Let rest at least 10 minutes. Remove the peppers, peel off the skin and discard the stem and the seeds. Cut the peppers into pieces and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the scallion, garlic and chili pepper and cook briefly. Add the carrot and potato and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes. Add the peppers, stock and basil. Season to taste with salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and cook at a simmer for 30 minutes. Puree in a food processor or blender.

Makes 6 servings

Labor Day Potato Salad

Well that went fast!

Summer I mean.

Here it is, Labor Day weekend. I’m starting to get ready for the Jewish holidays, but not before one last “summer” barbecue.

Here’s a good dairy-free, mayonnaise-free potato salad to go along with anything else you might be serving. I have to confess thought that occasionally I will mix in 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise if I am serving people who I know prefer their potato salad creamier.

Labor Day Potato Salad

• 2 pounds new potatoes or small red Bliss potatoes

• 6 tablespoons white wine (or vegetable stock)

• 2 thick scallions, chopped

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, savory, oregano, thyme, rosemary 

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise, optional

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. When they are cool enough to handle but still warm, peel the potatoes and cut them into bite sized pieces. Place the potatoes in a bowl. Pour in the wine, add the scallions and herbs and toss the ingredients together. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, white wine vinegar and mustard (add 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise if desired). Pour over the potatoes and toss the ingredients. Sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper. Let rest at least 15 minutes before serving. Best at room temperature.

Makes 6-8 servings

Ataulfo Mango Carpaccio with Burrata

I had this for lunch again. If you’ve never feasted on slices of the ultimate ataulfo mango with the freshest burrata you are missing out on one of the most special and delicious meals ever. I garnished with a bit of red onion and mint, a squeeze of lime juice and some freshly ground pepper.

Heaven.

Ataulfo Mango Carpaccio with Burrata

• 1 Ataulfo (or similar) mango

• 2-3 ounces burrata cheese

• a few thin slices of red onion

• a few mint leaves

• lime juice

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Slice the mango and arrange the slices on a dish. Add a piece of Burrata cheese. Garnish with some red onion and fresh mint, squeeze some lime juice over the ingredients, then season with the some freshly ground black pepper.

Makes one

Apricot Puff Pastry Galettes

The fresh apricots have been glorious this summer. We’ve eaten them plain. I’ve used them for poached fruit and, best of all, for these EASY EASY to make tarts using packaged, frozen puff pastry.

The tarts in the photo were glazed with ginger preserves but I’ve also used apricot and peach jams. Occasionally I sprinkle some fresh chopped rosemary on top before baking.

Apricot Puff Pastry Galettes

• 4 puff pastry squares (4-inch)

• 4 apricots, sliced

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• freshly grated nutmeg

• 3 tablespoons ginger (or other) preserves, heated

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the pastry squares on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Prick the dough in a few places. Arrange equal amounts of the fruit on top of each square, leaving a border of 1/2-inch. Sprinkle equal amounts of the sugar on top of the fruit. Grate a small amount of nutmeg on top. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the top with preserves. Place back in the oven for 4-5 minutes. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings

Cucumber Salad

My garden isn’t doing too well this year. I have some green tomatoes, the basil is thriving and I have a few almost-ready habanero peppers. But the eggplant plants died and, even though I had lots of zucchini, squash and pumpkin blossoms, I have ZERO fruit.

Also, all of the cucumber plants withered.

So, when I wanted to make cucumber salad for guests recently, I had to get a cuke from the supermarket.

The dish wasn’t as emotionally satisfying as when I make it with a freshly picked cucumber. But it was still delicious. Also — the dill IS from my garden. That plant is barely hanging on. I had enough for this and one other recipe.

Cucumber Salad

• 2 large cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

• 1 small vidalia or red onion, sliced

• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander or dill

• 4 dried red chili peppers, optional (or use a few drops of hot sauce)

Place the cucumber and onion slices in a bowl. Mix the wine vinegar, yogurt, brown sugar and salt together and pour the liquid over the vegetables. Sprinkle with the coriander or dill. If using chili peppers, break them in half, remove the seeds and scatter the pods over the cucumbers. Toss the ingredients and let marinate for at least one hour.  Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. 

Makes 6-8 servings   

Peach Bourbon Ice Cream

Back in the day, come August, you could find peach ice cream in the stores. Breyer’s I think. It was a one-month thing, like so many foods back then that you ate in-season only and knew they were special and you’d better have them while you could.

These days we’ve become used to and maybe even complacent about the availability of ingredients. Strawberries for example, once so special during the summer, are year round now (and IMHO they don’t taste anything like the seasonal stuff from the old days).

Still, there are a few items that, even today, are only around for a short, get-it-while-you-can time. Shad. Persimmons. Fresh figs.

Also peach ice cream. Somehow, although we can now find peaches throughout the year, peach ice cream still seems to be a summertime-only treat. I’ve bought (and enjoyed) several tubsful recently.

But I couldn’t find a store or stand (near me) that sold peach ice cream flavored with bourbon.

So I made my own.

It was quite wonderful.

I experimented a few times to get the proportions right and the fruit texture correct. Also, I used nectarines, which are easier to peel.

Peach Bourbon Ice Cream

• 3 ripe peaches or nectarines

• 1-1/2 tablespoons melted butter

• 2-1/2 cups cream (I use half and half)

• 4 large egg yolks

• 1/2 cup sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 3 tablespoons bourbon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel and slice the peaches. Place the slices on a baking sheet. Pour the melted butter over the fruit and toss the ingredients to coat the fruit with the melted butter. Roast for about 12 minutes or until lightly crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool. When cool, process in a food processor until nearly pureed.

While the peaches are roasting, heat 2 cups of the cream in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the liquid is hot and bubbles have formed around the sides of the pan. Set aside. Beat the egg yolks, sugar and salt together with an electric mixer set at medium speed until the mixture is thick and pale (4-5 minutes). Gradually add the warm cream to the egg mixture, stirring to blend ingredients to a uniform color. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 12 minutes or until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let the mixture come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the remaining cold cream, the bourbon and vanilla extract. Refrigerate the mixture until it is cold. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream is thick and nearly done, add the peaches, stir the ingredients and freeze until firm.

Makes 1-quart+

Grilled Cheese (Egg, Avocado, Pepper. Tomato)

When I was growing up my Mom occasionally made sandwiches for dinner. She was a really good cook and, with rare exceptions, I loved and ate everything she made. The sandwich dinners were invariably after a busy day or when we had leftovers —shnipzels she called them — and she wanted to use them all up.

And so, I learned that a sandwich is just as worthy a dinner as anything else. Especially when I have shnipzels to use. Or when I’ve been busy and don’t want anything fancier. Or when I was able to buy fabulous avocados that weren’t outrageously priced. Or when my garden finally burst with a few ripe tomatoes.

It all came together last night when we had these wonderful sandwiches for dinner. One of us added some hot sauce to the mayo.

Summer sandwich days are really lovely. No meat, just cheese and veggie goodness.

Grilled Cheese, Egg, Roasted Pepper and Avocado Sandwich

• 1/2 sweet bell pepper, deseeded

• 2 teaspoons butter

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise

• A few drops of hot sauce or 1 tablespoon chopped basil (or both), if desired

• 4 slices homestyle multigrain bread

• 3-4 ounces sliced fresh mozzarella cheese

• 4-6 tomato slices

• avocado slices

• 1 tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to broil. Place the half pepper on a piece of foil and broil for 3-4 minutes per side or until crispy and tender. Remove from the oven and wrap the foil around the pepper to enclose it. Let cool, then peel the pepper, cut it in half and set it aside. Melt the 2 teaspoons butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the eggs and cook until set. Dish out, cut in half and set aside. Spread equal amounts of mayonnaise on each of the bread slices (mix the mayonnaise with optional ingredients if desired). Top two of the bread slices with equal amounts of cheese, tomato, avocado, egg and roasted pepper. Cover with second piece of bread. Melt half the remaining tablespoon of butter in the sauté pan over medium heat. Place the sandwiches in the pan. Place another, heavier pan on top. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the underside is crispy. Remove the heavier pan, lift the sandwiches with a spatula and add the remaining butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, place the sandwiches in the pan, uncooked side down. Weight down with the heavier pan and cook for another minute or so or until second side is golden brown. (If you have a panini grill, use it!)

Makes 2 sandwiches

Mushroom Pot Pie

If you’re looking for a fabulously delicious meatless meal, it doesn’t get better than Mushroom Pot Pie.

No more needs be said. Try it and see for yourself.

Mushroom Pot Pie

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1/2 cup chopped shallots

• 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 pound mixed fresh wild mushrooms, chopped

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or dairy sour cream

• 1 cup vegetable stock

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 sheet puff pastry

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil and butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook for 4-6 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender and all the liquid has evaporated. Add the flour and stir it to dissolve it completely. Add the yogurt and stir it into the mushrooms until completely incorporated as a sauce. Pour in the stock and lemon juice and mix the ingredients thoroughly. Add the parsley and thyme. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the sauce has reduced has thickened. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, cook for another 1-2 minutes and remove the pan from the heat. Spoon the mixture into a 6-cup casserole dish. Roll the puff pastry slightly thinner and cut it to the shape of the casserole used. Place the puff pastry over the mushroom mixture. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the dough is puffed and golden brown.

Makes 4 servings

 

Blueberry Scones

More treats from the piles of blueberries I’ve been buying. These scones aren’t too sweet, so they’re nice for breakfast. Sometimes I sprinkle the unbaked scones with turbinado sugar if I’m going to serve them with tea or coffee in the afternoon - they’re sweeter and prettier with the sugar crystals on top.

Blueberry Scones

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel      

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

• 1 cup blueberries

• Turbinado sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon peel in a bowl. Add the butter in chunks and work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix the egg and buttermilk together and add them to the dry ingredients. Mix until a soft dough forms. Add the blueberries and gently mix the dough to incorporate them, taking care not to crush the fruit. Break the dough in half and place on a floured surface. Press each half into a circle about 3/4” thick. Cut each circle into six wedges and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with some turbinado sugar if desired. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the scones are browned and well risen.

Makes 12

Blueberry Torte

I read that blueberries are healthy so I’ve been making all sorts of stuff with them. Here’s one tasty way to eat more blueberries:

Blueberry TORTE

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup unflavored yogurt

• 1-1/2 cups blueberries

• lemon juice (about one tablespoon)

• 1 tablespoon sugar, preferably crystal or turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Mix the flour, lemon peel, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda and whisk the ingredients to blend them completely. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1/2 cup sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until creamy and well blended. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat for a minute or two at medium speed until thoroughly blended. Add the eggs and yogurt and beat at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Spoon the batter into the prepared springform pan. Arrange the berries on top of the cake, pressing them slightly into the batter. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 8 servings