Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes Mozzarella and Basil

We complained that it wasn't warm out and apparently someone was listening....she's hot out.  Not just hot, humid and I'm the type that melts in this weather.  I don't just melt, I swell and turn a certain shade of red.  It's not pretty.  When the humidity strikes, we go into "lock-down".  All the windows get closed, blinds are down and don't you dare leave the door open for more than 3 seconds or this gal snaps.  We don't have Air Conditioning so there are some strict rules in this house.....that also means I forbid anyone to cook anything inside unless it's in the evening when it cools off and it requires the stove, not the oven.  Crazy... perhaps, but an overheated me get's a wee bit scary.
This recipe requires a minimal amount of cooking....just the pasta.  The rest is basically prepping raw ingredients and is heated through by the pasta that comes straight out of the water.  It's fresh, flavourful, beyond easy and screams summer. Can you hear it?! I love every aspect of this.  My husband couldn't get enough of it and he didn't seem to care there was no meat.  If you need something more substantial, some grilled shrimp would be gorgeous with this. 
*I highly recommend mixing the tomatoes ( I had beautiful gems from the farmer's market), olive oil, salt and pepper an hour or two before and leaving it at room temp.  The natural tomato juices will come out and create a mouth watering "sauce".  Do not skimp on the oil at all....it gives the sauce body and gives it a delish mouth feel.

Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes Mozzarella and Basil

Serves 4

1 lb dry pasta (your choice)
3 large ripe tomatoes, medium dice (remove some of the seeds)
1/4 cup good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
Fresh ground Pepper
150 grams fresh or Buffalo Mozzarella (or a 1 large ball)
Handful of Fresh Basil, torn
Olive Oil for drizzling (optional)
Chili Flakes (optional)
Fresh grated Parmesan (optional)

Cook the pasta in a large well salted pot of boiling water.  In the meantime, toss the tomatoes in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper.  This can be done an hour or two ahead and benefits from doing so (*see above).
Just before the pasta is done, tear up the mozzarella and basil and add to the tomatoes. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the bowl of tomatoes.  Toss and allow it to sit for a minute or two to absorb the juices.  Check for salt and pepper.
Drizzle with a little extra olive oil, a sprinkle of chili flakes or a smattering of fresh Parmesan just before serving.

Caesar Dresssing

My 4 year old has been raving about Caesar Dressing and how much he loves it because he's had it at daycare.  This is the child that thinks everything is spicy.  I had to know...what kind was he having?  Well, I found out his lovely daycare provider has been making a scratch dressing and he loves it.  So, I get the recipe from her, whip it up and he has nothing to do with it.  I thought it was great but he ran when I tried to give him more.  Apparently, this is something he'll only eat at daycare that she has made, which is fine with me.  The mere fact he's eating it, impresses me.

Onward and upward, I am still determined to make one he'll eat at my house.  After some tweaking and altering, this is what I've come up with and it's awesome.  I made it 3 times in one week with rave reviews. It's thick and creamy, garlicky and the small child will eat it.

I use a blender to make this because I can add the olive oil in a slow stream to ensure it's thick consistency.  If you'd like to try going old school and whisking by hand in the salad bowl, go for it.  I myself have not yet test driven that method.  When I do, I'll let you know how that works out for me.  If you're taking the time to make a scratch dressing, take the time to make  homemade croutons (I will be blogging about them soon) and some good bacon or Pancetta.  Great ingredients make all the difference

P.S. Use the freshest eggs you can find.  Read below on how to coddle an egg if you're sketchy on using a raw yolk for the dressing.

Caesar Dressing

Makes about 3/4 cups

2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg yolk*
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp anchovy paste or 1 anchovy, chopped
1 tsp Dijon
1/2 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
Freshly ground Pepper

In a blender whiz together the egg yolk and garlic.  Add the lemon juice, anchovy paste Worcestershire and Dijon.  Open the lid or remove it from the blender and in a slow stream, drizzle the olive oil in with the machine running until it's a thick consistency.  Blend in the Parmesan and a good grinding of black pepper.  Check to see if it needs salt.  Keep refrigerated for up to 2 days.

*Bring a small pot of water to a boil.  Once it's boiled, remove from the heat and gently place the egg in the water for 30-45 seconds.  Immediately remove from the pot and run cold water over it to cool down the shell and make it easier to handle.  From there, you can separate the yolk from the white.

Chimichurri

What is Chimichurri some of you may ask?!  Well, it's a sauce that originated in Argentina and it's used on grilled meats.  A sort of Argentinian condiment, "Salsa" or "Pesto" if you will.  This stuff is really really really good.  On grilled steak it's amazing and adds a little pizazz but this herbaceous sauce on fish, chicken or pork would be equally delish. 

I scoured many different recipes for ideas and this combo is what I came up with.  I made this for my family and served it with T-bone steaks that I had cut off the bone and sliced thinly.  My mom made a couple of amazing sides....my dad and other half liked the Chimichurri so much, they put it on everything that was on their plate. Everything.

With the amount of Parsley and Garlic that's swimming in this, you can be sure you'll be giving your health and heart a boost of antioxidants and vitamins. This is definitely going to be a staple for my grilled meals from now on.

p.s. this can all be done by hand if you're willing to take the time and finely chop everything.  If not, give it all a rough chop and toss it into the food processor to make things a lot easier.



Chimichurri

1 cup roughly chopped Parsley
1 tbsp fresh Oregano or 2 tsp dried oregano, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tbsp capers (optional)
2 tbsp red wine, white wine or sherry vinegar (I used red but these would all be delicious)
1/2 cup good extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper, good grinding
Pinch of Chili Flakes (to your heat tolerance)

Toss the Parsley, Oregano and garlic into a food processor and pulse until it's finely chopped.  Remove to a bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients.  Refrigerate until ready to use.  Can be made hours before.  Serve with grilled meat, fish or veggies.

Curried Broccoli Slaw

We invited some friends for dinner and as I do, I shopped a few days ahead so I could do my prep ahead of time.  The day of, I felt a little under the weather and unfortunately had to cancel.  Not impressed with my well being that day and terrified how we would attempt to consume the massive amount of food I'd purchased.  Anyhow, I was going to make my Sriracha Coleslaw to accompany the chicken and ribs I was making and had bought a huge bag of  broccoli slaw..... Needless to say, we ate a lot of different variations of coleslaw that week. A lot.  This one was my favourite. So much so that I made it 3 times and still didn't get sick of it.  Apparently I was on to something, according to my taste buds.
This has crunch, mild heat, sweetness and the ability to make you eat more than you really should.  I found it kind of addictive.  Am I ever glad I wrote down the recipe the first time I whipped it up.  It's best eaten the day of but it can be made a few hours ahead and should be made at least 30 minutes ahead to allow the flavours to hang out and get to know each other.  Double the recipe if need be.

Curried Broccoli Slaw

Serves 3-4

3 cups Broccoli Slaw
1/2 small apple, julienned or small dice
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3 green onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Sriracha (optional)
1/2 - 3/4 tsp curry powder (start with 1/2 tsp and work your way up if you'd like more)
1/4 tsp salt
fresh black pepper

In a bowl combine the broccoli slaw, apple, walnuts, cranberries and green onion.  In another bowl combine the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  Pour over the slaw and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.  Check for seasoning before serving.