Almond and Rosemary Wheat Bread

1 1/3 cup very warm water
1 package yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds
2 3/4 cup bread flour

1. In a large bowl stir together water, yeast sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add oil, rosemary, salt. Add wheat flour, nuts, bread flour.
2. Knead 6-8 mins. Place dough in oiled bowl, turn to grease surface, cover.
3. To bake now, rise for 1 hour. To bake later, chill 2-24 hours. Let stand at room temp for 30 mins before baking.
4. Place dough on floured surface, cover, rest for 10 minutes. Place in 8"x4" roll on greased baking sheet, sprinkle with flour, cover and let rest 30-45 mins.
5. Slice cuts into top of loaf. Brush top with cold water or 1 tbsp water and an egg. Bake 30 mins at 375.

Spicy Apricot and Sausage Bread

Spicy Apricot and Sausage Bread

4 oz andouille sausage, finely chopped

1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped

1 tsp red pepper flake

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp honey

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 package yeast

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup very warm water

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup olive oil

brush on top of bread

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp water

1. Saute sausage until brown, add in apricots and red pepper - cook for one minute. Add in fresh herbs and honey. Take off heat. 

2. In mixer add 1 cup flour, yeast, salt and water. Let sit 5 mins. Add eggs, oil and beat for medium to combine stopping as necessary to scrape sides. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Remove from mixer, stir in sausage mixture and remaining flour.

3. Knead dough on floured surface 3 to 5 mins. Place dough in lightly greased bowl, turn to coat. Cover let rise in warm place 1 hour. 

4. Divide dough into thirds, cover to rest 10 mins. Roll each into 16" rope. Braid. (To serve today, let rise 40 mins. Omit step 5, go to step 6)

5. Chill 2-24 hrs. Let stand at room temp for 30 mins before baking. 

6. Combine egg and water and brush on braid. Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins.

Apple Banana Pineapple Bread

Banana Bread is one of my very favorite things. Recently, I bought and juiced a fresh Maui Pineapple and decided it might add a nice touch to banana bread. In addition to the pineapple, the other gift Hawaii provides to this recipe is the apple banana. It is a slightly sweeter version of the bananas available everywhere else and it adds an amazing additional level of flavor. I actually found some in LA on my last visit. They were grown in Columbia, and they were not labeled apple bananas, but they were similar in size and tasted about as good. They are really small, only about 4-6" long. If you can find them, use them! This bread is amazing.

2 C Flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 C Banana
1 1/4 C Sugar
3/4 C (minus 2 tbsp) Shortening
2 tbsp Butter
1/4 C Pineapple Juice - fresh squeezed if possible
3 eggs

1/3 C 60% Cacao, Bittersweet chocolate - I buy a bar of Ghiradelli and chop to little chunks.
1/3 C chopped nuts - I used Macademia

1. Combine dry ingredients
2. Blend wet ingredients
3. Add dry to wet
4. Pour nuts and chocolate on top. Mix in a bit if you wish - i did.
5. Pour into buttered 8.5x4 baking dish, to about 3/4 full. This recipe makes more than one loaf so I made 24 tiny muffins or you could make about 6 full size. Cook at 350 for 40 mins, then 325 for 20 minutes more (the muffins will be done sooner, mini-15 to 20 and full size-25 to 30.

Pesto pasta salad

BBQ 2!! Happy 4th of July! Our friend Christine hosted today's festivities at a local hillside park with a view of the ocean and the fireworks. We decided to use our leftover basil and bring pesto pasta salad. OMG, we had to taste test, obviously, and it is delicious. Again, pretty light flavor - good for eating outside. I like this recipe because it is not too much garlic and not too much basil. Well balanced.

The leftover sauce is delicious on bread. We are considering using it on a pizza tomorrow. Yum.

Pesto
2 cloves garlic
1/3 c pine nuts, or walnuts or the two mixed
2 c basil leaves, packed
3/4 c olive oil
1/2 c parmesan, grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Pasta
1 lb pasta, I used elbow macaroni and a little bit of rotini spiral
2 tbsp olive oil

Pesto, from above
1 bag spinach - saute and cool
1 tbsp lemon juice

10 oz package sliced grape tomatoes- probably 1 1/2 c
1/3 c pine nuts and walnuts mixed
1/2 c parmesan
1/4 tsp pepper

Make pesto:
Put garlic, pine nuts in food processor, puree. Add basil, salt, and pepper to processor. With processor running, add olive oil in through feed tube. Process until thoroughly pureed. Add parm and puree for an additional minute. Leave in processor.

Boil pasta, drain, add olive oil so it won't stick together. Cool.

Sauté spinach in olive oil. Cool.

Add spinach, lemon juice to pesto and puree. Add mixture to cooled pasta with parmesan, nuts, pepper, and tomatoes.

3rd of July salad

BBQ season began on July 3rd this year with a gracious invite from our friends Mark and Anita. I was asked to bring a salad. I put this together with a mixture of the leftovers I had in my fridge - squash from the vege lasagna and olives and feta from the Greek salad.  It was a HUGE hit. The lemony-parmesan dressing was perfect for eating outdoors. The lemon juice also keeps the cut veges from going brown so you can prepare it early and it will still look appetizing later.

1 zucchini - slice then cut into strips
1 yellow squash - cut like zuccini
10 baby carrots - slice thin in the long direction so they are about the same size as the squash pieces
1/2 avo ( I would have used more but my tree just is not ready) salt and pepper and 2-3 tbsp lemon juice, let it soak in while you chop
1/2 cup nuts - I used sliced almonds and macadamia nuts - saute to brown and bring out oils
12 kalmata olives - sliced in half
4 leaves basil, chopped

1/2 c lemon juice
1/4 c vinegarette
1/2 c parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp feta cheese, chopped very fine

1 bag chopped romaine lettuce

Mix all ingredients except the lettuce together and allow to marinate in refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Pour over lettuce right before serving.

Viuscitine

These cookies were my Italian Grandma's specialty. There was never a single moment that I was in her company that Viuscitine's (we pronounced them wisk-a-tina's - stupido Americanas) were not around.

They are made without any added fat, other than eggs, and were used within my grandmother's Sicilian family to sooth teething babies. They also make adults very, very happy.

Beat in mixer for 30 mins (remember, my ancestors did this by hand so it must be very very important)
3 eggs
1 1/8 c sugar

Add:
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour

Let batter sit for 10-15 minutes.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 mins on lightly greased baking sheet.

Greek Salad - sort of

Wow, I just made the most amazing simple Greek-ish Salad. I did not take a pic, so I am highlighting the main ingredient - the kalamata olive.


Ingredients:
Salad greens - all I had was basic-traditional-available-everywhere head of green lettuce, it was perfect because it had so much moisture in it, good for a hot day.
1/2 diced avocado, salt and pepper and coat in lemon juice
Sliced in half Kalamata Olives
Feta cheese
Chunky diced cucumber
One thinly sliced, the long way, baby carrot
Lightly toasted sliced almonds - I toasted them right before putting them on the salad and eating so they were a little bit of warm added to the salad.

I added a little bit of Raspberry Walnut vinaigrette dressing from Paul Newman. The flavors were all just wonderful together. I am sure a tomato would have made it even better.