Eggplant Lasagna

Eggplant Lasagna

• Start by making your own basic sauce. I usually saute 1/3 of an onion (chopped) with salt, pepper, and garlic. Once cooked through, I add one can tomato sauce before adding my favorite spices (I like rosemary, basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Next, cut your eggplant into slices. Trim off the top of the eggplant (stem side) to create a flat surface. Then, cut eggplant long way into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. Lay eggplant slices flat and sprinkle with kosher rock salt and let sit for half an hour to one hour (this pulls out the bitter flavor from the eggplant). 

• Using a dry paper towl, dab eggplants dry of the bitter "water" which will have accumulated in little droplets. Try to get all the salt off as well.
• Next, fry each slice using as little oil as possible until eggplant begins to become transparent.

• Now you can assemble your lasagna- here's the order, working from the bottom up:
• Sauce
• Eggplant
• Sauce
• Mozzarella
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Eggplant
• Sauce
• Mozzarella
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Eggplant
• Sauce
• Mozzarella 
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Top with light drizzle of olive oil to brown

• Bake in oven for 20-30 min. at 350 degrees. 
• Let cool for 15 min and enjoy!

Brussels Sprout-Leaf Salad

Note: The blanching of the leaves is very time sensitive, so make sure to have your bowl of ice water ready and waiting. This was a simple and fun salad that I will definitely make again.

Brussels Sprout-Leaf Salad (Giada De Laurentiis)

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup evoo
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 large lemon should be plenty)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad

• 1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 1 head Belgain endive, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used a red endive for more color)
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted (350 degrees for 6 min, uncovered in oven)
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano

Method

• Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  
• Salad: Using a small paring knife, remove the outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts. Reserve the cores for another use. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the Brussels sprout leaves and cook for 1 minute. Drain and put in a bowl of iced water, then transfer to a colander to drain. Put the Brussels sprout leaves, arugula, endive and almonds into a large salad bowl. Add the dressing and toss together. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.

Trump's Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger

With me eating vegetarian this week, Brian has been surviving on frozen pizza and snacks. He refuses to eat "bunny food" with me so i'm going to make some turkey burgers for him to have in the 'fridge. I was surprised to notice I've never posed Oprah's favorite burger: The Mar-a-lago Turkey Burger. Mar-a-lago is one of Donald Trump's Resorts.  Oprah went to Mar-a-lago and loved this burger so much, she had the head chef of the resort come on her show and go through the recipe. I've been making this burger for a couple years now, and it's always a hit. The most interesting thing about this recipe; green apples!



INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
• 1/8 cup canola oil
• 4 lbs ground turkey breast
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. chipotle Tabasco
• 1 lemon, juice and grated zest
• 1/2 brunch parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed

METHOD

• Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.
• Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

• After refridgeration, season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit 5 min.
• Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll. 

Perfect Pesto

This week I decided to challenge myself to eat vegetarian. So far, it hasn't been much of a challenge at all because I haven't really craved any foods that require meat or chicken. Sushi, on the other hand, is something I have been day dreaming about... but i'll have to wait until next week.

I made a pesto linguine last night and it was absolutely delicious and so simple! I just got a mini food processor, so I've been taking advantage of every opportunity to use it. This was the perfect recipe see what that little machine is capable of!

Ingredients

• 4  cups  fresh basil leaves
• 2  tablespoons  pine nuts
• 2  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 2  garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 2  tablespoons  grated fresh Romano cheese
• 2  teaspoons  butter, softened
• 2  cups  uncooked penne (about 8 ounces)

Method

• Combine the first 5 ingredients in a food processor; process until finely minced. Place in a large bowl. Stir in cheeses and butter until blended.
• Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 3 tablespoons cooking liquid. Add pasta and reserved cooking liquid to pesto, tossing to coat.

 

Fingerling Potatoes with Aioli Dip

Ina's recipe turned out to be a hit at our Superbowl party. The aioli was surprisingly incredibly easy to make. Just toss a bunch of things in your food processor and, voila!

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 2 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, unpeeled 
• Kosher salt 

For the Aioli:

nocoupons

• 1(1/2-inch thick) slice white bread, crust removed
• 2 tablespoons Champagne
• 6 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
• Chives, chopped

Method

Rinse the potatoes and put them in a large saucepan. Cover them with cold water, add 1 tablespoon of salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are just tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander and place a kitchen towel on top, allowing them to steam for 5 to 10 minutes.

For the aioli, tear the slice of bread into pieces and place in a bowl. Pour the vinegar over the bread, and set aside for 5 minutes.

Place the garlic cloves, egg yolks, zest, juice, saffron, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the bread, and puree into a paste. With the processor running, slowly pour the oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until it is the consistency of thick sour cream. Place in a serving bowl.

Slice the potatoes in half and place them on a serving plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and decorate with the chopped chives. Serve with the aioli.

Above is our Superbowl table with Nikki's BLT macaroni salad, and Kitchen Sink salad, as well as sausages with peppers and onions, a little filet mignon,  and citrus mint tea-lemonade. The food didn't stop there... we also had wings with an amazing buffalo dip, chips and my homemade guacamole, a variety of cheese, crackers and fig spread, as well as a tasty dessert :) We were all stuffed!!