Heirloom Tomato Panzanella

Panzanella is the perfect summer salad to serve with anything - a piece of grilled fish, chicken, steak, shrimp... burgers, kebabs, sandwiches, anything.  The homemade croutons just slightly soak in the vinaigrette.  So good.

When produce season is in full swing, it is great to have a recipe that utilizes the vegetables that look great at the farmers markets - this was our loot from last weekend.

When I saw all of the beautiful heirloom tomatoes at the market, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them....

It uses the best summer vegetables & herbs (peppers, tomatoes & basil - you can add cucumbers, too).  The best part is all you have to do is chop vegetables, stir together a dressing and make croutons - which, by the way, is much easier than you'd think!

Heirloom Tomato
Panzanella

Croutons :

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small loaf of good bread (6 cups)

1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Sea Salt & Pepper

Vegetables :
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound of tomatoes (I used heirloom tomatoes)
1 yellow bell pepper
1/4 red onion 

4 large basil leaves

3 cups of arugula

Dressing :
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon
3 tablespoons White Wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For Croutons :

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet.  Drizzle the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 7-10, tossing after ever couple of minutes until slightly browned.

For the Vegetables :
Cut the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers into 1/2-inch cubes.  Cut onion into thin slices.  Add all of the vegetables to a bowl along with chopped fresh basil.

For the Dressing :
Whisk together dressing ingredients with a fork.  Pour over vegetables.  Add croutons just before serving. 

Lemon Basil Grilled Shrimp Skewers | Grilled Summer Appetizer

These Lemon Basil Grilled Shrimp Skewers were a Summer staple for me as a caterer- always one of the first things to go.  After I had served these a couple of times I had to raise the price of these on my menus because I was having to prepare so many of them to keep up with the demand of the guests... I never wanted to run out of anything.  

As I've mentioned before, I'm a stickler for making sure that everything on my menus goes well with each other... I find that these are much better to serve at a party than traditional shrimp cocktail because the flavors of the herbs and lemon go much better with a drink and other menu items than a strongly flavored ketchup based cocktail sauce.  They are perfect party food- flavorful, elegant, easy to prepare in advance and easy to eat.

This recipe was inspired by a Barefoot Contessa recipe - she served them as a main course with pesto pasta... also one of my favorite ways to enjoy them. 

You can find the skewers, here, that make these look great and perfect for a party.

Lemon Basil 
Grilled Shrimp Skewers
4 appetizer portions
1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 teaspoons of sea salt
1 teaspoon of cracked pepper
bamboo skewers

In a bowl, combine garlic, basil, parsley, dijon, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Combine well with a fork.  Add shrimp and toss.  If time allows, let the shrimp marinate for 1 hour or over night.



Soak wooden skewers in water for 1 hour.  Skewer shrimp onto the sticks.  Grill for 1 minute on each side until pink.  Serve warm, at room temperature, or refrigerate and serve cold.  If the weather isn't cooperating for the grill, they can also be prepared in the oven- just roast them at 450 degrees for 5-7 minutes. 

For the complete menu and all of the recipes from my Ladies Night Patio Party, click here!

Stop by Everyday Occasions, The Store for more of my favorite entertaining essentials that make entertaining easy.  

Tomato, Watermelon & Feta Salad with a Citrus Vinaigrette

This salad is my new obsession - I've made it almost 5 times in the last week.  It is sweet, but sharp and completely delicious.  It goes perfectly with a burger, kebabs or grilled shrimp... all of which we've had this week with this very salad!

Tomato, Watermelon & Feta Salad
with Citrus Dressing


1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 seedless watermelon, cut in 1-inch cubes
2 cups of tomatoes, 1-inch dice
4 ounces  feta cheese, 1/2-inch diced

Whisk together the lemon juice, shallots, sugar, salt, and pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly, to form an emulsion.

Place the tomatoes, watermelon and feta in a large bowl. Drizzle with enough vinaigrette to coat the lightly and toss well.

Summer Grilling Menu : Tomato, Goat Cheese & Corn, Grilled Romaine Salad, and Grilled Pesto Shrimp

Today, I had a little fun and prepared the freshest, most flavorful, non-traditional grilled menu.  We just set up our grill last week and after making one round of burgers, I was ready to dive into new ideas for the grilling.

I started with this appetizer that is a slice of tomato topped with goat cheese and grilled.  During the grilling process, it is drizzled with a lemon garlic olive oil.  After the grill, it is topped with fresh basil and fresh sweet corn kernels.  I LOVED this... would've been great with some crusty bread.  On the grill, of course.

I recently tried a grilled salad at one of our favorite restaurants and had to try to recreate it.  I brushed mine with an olive oil, lemon, garlic and rosemary mixture, then topped it with tons of Parmesan cheese.

And finally, my favorite grilled dinner - herb shrimp with pasta tossed in a fresh pesto sauce.

I'll post all of the recipes later this week!

Grilled Steaks with Pineapple, Zucchini, Mushroom Kebabs

The Chimichuri Sauce atop our Grilled Flank Steaks was a big hit at our house, which was surprising as I am one of those that do not like cilantro (supposedly) and Mike has a pronounced distaste for parsley (and cilantro, for that matter).  When my Mom was in town last week I used the leftover sauce as a marinade for our vegetable & pineapple kebabs that accompanied grilled ribeye steaks & classic baked potatoes.  The combination of the spicy, herb & lime juice sauce was amazing combined with the sweet pineapple on the grill- really special.

Grilled Pineapple & Vegetable Kebabs
marinated in Chimichurri Sauce


1 large zucchini, halved and sliced
1 pint of mushrooms
1 red onion, quartered
1/2 pineapple, 1-inch cubes
 Chimichurri Sauce
8 bamboo skewers

Soak the bambook skewers in water for 10 minutes or more to keep them from burning on the grill.

Place all of the vegetables and pineapple pieces in a large bowl.  Add chimichurri sauce and toss, coating each piece.  Thread the vegetables and pineapple onto a bamboo skewers, alternating them as you go.

Grill them for about 4 minutes on each side until they begin to cook thru and soften.  You can brush extra sauce on as you go for even more flavor.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta with Fresh Mozzarella & Pancetta

Last week I posted about a Grilled Vegetable "Bolognese" Pasta Sauce that was made completely out of vegetables that I served with Homemade Pappardelle.  We loved it so much that I decided to make it again, but with a few new ingredients that seem to make everything even better... Fresh Mozzarella and Pancetta.  Instead of making the Homemade Pasta, I opted for rigatoni.  Now, we can't decide which version we like the best... a nice dilemma to have.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta
with Fresh Mozzarella & Pancetta


1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 yellow pepper, seeded and quartered
3 tomatoes, thickly sliced
1/2 cup of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
sea salt & pepper
......
2 tablespoons of sea salt
1 pound of rigatoni
......
1/4 pound of pancetta, diced
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1 inch pieces
fresh basil

Combine 3 sliced cloves of garlic and 1/2 cup of olive oil in a small bowl.  Brush the oil on all sides of the sliced vegetables.  Reserve the remaining oil.  Sprinkle each vegetable with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Grill the vegetables for 3-4 minutes on each side until good color has developed and the vegetables are tender.  Remove the vegetables from the grill and bring them inside, let cool.  Cut the vegetables into 1-inch pieces. 


Meanwhile, boil a pot of water with 2 tablespoons of sea salt for the pasta.

In a large saute pan, cook pancetta until crispy.  Add reserved olive oil with sliced garlic cloves.  Cook for 30 seconds on medium high just until the garlic begins to bubble.  Add the crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook for 10-20 seconds longer, then add chopped vegetables and stir the mixture.  The more tender vegetables like the eggplant and tomatoes will naturally break apart to create the sauce.

Cook the pasta in the salted, boiling water just until al dente.  Add a 1/4 cup of pasta water to the sauce to thin it slightly.  Add more, if needed.  Remove it from the water and add it directly to the sauce, toss it with the pasta.  Add fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.  Toss together. 

Grilled Summer Vegetable "Bolognese" with Fresh Pasta

This recipe was inspired by a recent edition of Everyday Food magazine.  Sarah Carey called it a Summer Ratatouille pasta.  It has Eggplant, Tomatos, Peppers and Zucchini- all grilled.  The grilled tomatoes and eggplant broke apart and coated the pasta creating an amazingly fresh and very flavorful sauce... Mike and I were both shocked how delicious this was.  The texture and taste was almost like a meaty bolognese sauce- but it is all vegetable.  Really amazing.  This is going to be my 'go-to' pasta for the summer when I'm at the market drooling over all of the beautiful produce- I'll know exactly what I'm going to be making for dinner.  Oh, and if you want to go crazy with this, toss in some fresh mozzarella at the end and sprinkle on some crispy pancetta... makes it really over the top.

my version of...  
Grilled Summer Ratatouille
Vegetable "Bolognese"
with fresh pasta


1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 yellow pepper, seeded and quartered
3 tomatoes, thickly sliced
1/2 cup of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
sea salt & pepper
......
2 tablespoons of sea salt
1 pound of pappardelle pasta (homemade recipe here, or store-bought)
......
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

fresh basil
fresh cherry tomatoes, halved

Combine 3 sliced cloves of garlic and 1/2 cup of olive oil in a small bowl.  Brush the oil on all sides of the sliced vegetables.  Reserve the remaining oil.  Sprinkle each vegetable with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Grill the vegetables for 3-4 minutes on each side until good color has developed and the vegetables are tender.  Remove the vegetables from the grill and bring them inside, let cool.  Cut the vegetables into 1-inch pieces. 

Tomato, Zucchini and Olive Bruschetta | Fresh Summer Party Food

I love good party food.  I really do think there is an art to designing a menu for a party.   It should be fresh, really flavorful, not too complicated and look bountiful - no one likes to go to a party where they feel like the food is rationed out or they have to wonder what it is they're eating!   When I was catering, I was able to observe what people when crazy for, then I would think about why...  

Here are my rules for great party food :

- Goes great with a cocktail, beer or glass of wine

- Easy to eat with one hand

- Easy to eat in a couple of bits

- Good hot, cold and/or at room temperature

These bruschetta fit the bill- in fact, most all bruschetta fit the bill.  I really like this combination of tomatoes, zucchini and olives - it feels very summery to me.  Another reason this is great party food?  Budget friendly.  The zucchini is a budget friendly way to stretch the more expensive tomatoes and olives.  Zucchini typically takes on the flavors you add to it, so the garlic and seasoning will make it taste very flavorful, not to mention the great green color it adds.  Don't feel like you have to splurge on heirloom tomatoes for this recipe- the seasoning and the other ingredients provide plenty of color.  Save your splurge for something else.  

 

Tomato, Zucchini & Olive Bruschetta
perfectly fresh party food for summer

serves 8 people for appetizers

1 zucchini, diced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small pinch of red pepper flakes
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper
..........
3 cups of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of kalamata olives
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper
..........
1 large baguette, sliced into 24 slices
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 clove of garlic 

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place diced zucchini on a baking sheet and toss it in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 small pinch of red pepper flakes, minced garlic clove, 1 teaspoon of sea salt and cracked pepper.  Roast it in the oven for 10 minutes until the zucchini begins to brown on the tips.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, dice tomatoes and olives and place them in a medium bowl.  Dress the tomatoes and olives with  olive oil, salt & pepper.  Add the zucchini and toss.  Refrigerate until you're ready to use- I like to serve this cold, but it is great at room temperature, too.

Prepare the bread by slicing it into thin slices.  Toast bread just before serving.  You can do it under the broiler in your oven, or on the grill.  Brush the bread with olive oil on both sides.  If broiling, place them on a sheet and place them under the broiler for 1-2 minutes on each side.  Be careful not to burn!  If grilling, also grill the bread on each side for 1-2 minutes.  When you remove them from the grill or oven, let them cool slightly, then rub the raw clove of garlic on each piece.

Serve with the tomato mix and parmesan cheese on the side to be assemble by the guests, so the bread does not get soggy.  If you would like to serve them pre-assembled, I recommend assembling, then serving them immediately from a passed tray.

Piled high.  Don't you like the napkin?  I made it myself!

 

I gobbled up these three right after shooting... I would plan for 3 per person.  At least.

 



I think these work great for pre-dinner appetizers because they are not too heavy- light and fresh before dinner so your guests are still hungry!  Paired with some other hors d'oeuvres they are great for a cocktail party, too, as they are substantial enough to be satisfying... think of them as a side dish as party of a mini meal. 

I'm so ready for some Summer parties... and Summer cocktails.  What are your favorites to serve to a crowd?

4th of July Salad Favorite : Farmers Market Panzanella | Heirloom Tomatoes Red Peppers Fresh Basil

 4th of July Salad Favorite : Farmers Market Panzanella

When produce season is in full swing, it is great to have a recipe that utilizes everything that looks great at the farmers markets: tomatoes, peppers, fresh basil, etc.  This panzanella is one of my favorite summer side dishes - it is always oogled over when I serve it at parties.  The best part is that the only thing you have to do is chop vegetables, stir together a dressing and make croutons - which, by the way, is much easier than you'd think!

Panzanella came from the need to stretch fresh vegetables and use left over bread... proof that all great things come out of necessity.  This panzanella recipe is fairly traditional, but you can use whatever fresh vegetables you have around.  I have a friend sending me a panzanella with strawberries.  I also think a watermelon version might be worth a try... maybe with a balsamic vineagarette?  Leave a comment with your panzanella ideas.  Maybe we should have a contest?!

Croutons :

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small loaf of good bread (6 cups)
Sea Salt & Pepper

Vegetables :
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound of tomatoes (I used heirloom cherry tomatoes)
1 cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1/2 red onion
20 large basil leaves

Dressing :
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon
3 tablespoons White Wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet.  Drizzle the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 15 minutes until slightly browned.

Cut the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers into 1/2-inch cubes.  Cut onion into a small dice.  Add all of the vegetables to a bowl along with chopped fresh basil.

Whisk together dressing ingredients with a fork.  Pour over vegetables.  Add croutons just before serving. 

The salad looks as good as it tastes - so many bright colors.

I like to chop the onions a little smaller - Mike is not a huge fan of onions, so the smaller the better for him.

I used heirloom cherry tomatoes because homegrown tomato season is still a couple of weeks away in the New England.  I find that cherry tomatoes always have good flavor.

I can't say enough about homemade vinaigrettes - they are so easy.  Here is a link to some of my favorite (read: easy) homemade salad dressings.   

 Basil makes everything better...

 

Like those red finger nails?  A far departure from my typical creamy polish... not quite sure it is me - too high maintenance!

Everything goes into one bowl.  Wait to put the croutons in until just before serving.  

Homemade croutons are the only way to go.  They are not hard to make and they are so much better than store bought.  You can also pan fry them in butter if you've got extra time.