Ricotta with Roasted Cherry Tomotes on Crostini

Ricotta with Roasted Cherry Tomotes on Crostini

I think this is the best appetizer I have had in a long time. Super easy to make and sooooo good! I could make a meal out of this alone!

Ingredients

Serves 6 to 12 as a starter

• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 pound fresh or smoked ricotta, drained
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• Coarse salt
• Rustic Crostini
• Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Directions

1. Drizzle oil over ricotta. Sprinkle with thyme, and season with salt. Spread on crostini. Top with tomatoes.

Rustic Crostini

Ingredients

Makes 12

• 1/2 loaf rustic bread, cut diagonally into 12 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush bread with oil on 1 side. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until edges begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool. Crostini can be stored, overnight in an airtight container.

Roasted Cherry Tomotoes

Ingredients

Serves 6 to 12

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (yellow or red)
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Sicilian (zingermans.com)
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spread tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with oregano, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes are wrinkled and just starting to burst, about 10 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart Living.

Caribbean-Style Chicken with Brown Sugar-Peanut Spice Rub

Oh...my....gosh...this....is....GOOOOOD.  I want to coat EVERYTHING in this spice-rub from now on!  If you don't like dark meat, you can try this recipe with chicken breasts instead, but it might not be quite as juicy.

Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, 2002

Serving Size:  4 servings

Prep time:  5 minutes

Cook time:  45 -55 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely ground roasted peanuts

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 Tbsp salt

1-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp bay leaf

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 chicken thighs, skins on

4 chicken legs, skins on

1 (6-inch) tortilla

1-1/4 cup dark chicken stock

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp ground chili powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 Tbsp smooth peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium heat and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make spice rub, combine peanuts, brown sugar, salt, cayenne, bay leaves, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon in large bowl.  With a small, sharp knife, score slits into each thigh and drumstick twice on each side (1/2 inch deep).  Place chicken in spice-rub bowl and toss to coat evenly.

Grill chicken until marked, about 4-5 minutes on each side.  Transfer to baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Roast in oven until browned and cooked through and juices run clear, about 35 minutes. (To save time, I cooked it a little bit longer than called for in the pan and reduced oven time to 25 minutes).  Remove from oven and transfer to plate (save juices in pan for later use).  Cover chicken to keep warm. 

Heat tortilla over flame.  Tear into pieces and place in small saucepan with 1/4 cup pan drippings, chicken stock, lime juice, chili powder, & salt.  Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Transfer to blender and add peanut butter.  Process until smooth

Divide chicken among place and serve immediately with peanut sauce.

Spicy Pasta with Vodka Sauce & Italian Sausage

You can add as much (or as little) kick to this pasta as you like - by varying the amount of red or Cayenne pepper.  I made this for a dinner with friends and we all loved it!  This quick dish is easy to make...the only downside is that you have to remove the sausage from its casings (this is kind of a gross project, but well worth it)!  Serve with an Asparagus & Green Bean Salad with Garlic-Lime-Pesto Dressing (see recipe below).  Enjoy!

Serving Size: 4 people

Prep Time:  10 min

Cook Time:  20 min

 Ingredients:

1 pound Italian Sausage, removed from the casings and crumbled

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 cups finely chopped yellow onions

1/2 tsp red pepper

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1-14 oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup frozen green peas

1 cup vodka

1 cup cream or half-&-half

1/3 cup chopped basil

1 lb choice of pasta (I recommend Rigatoni)

Grated Parmesan Cheese 

Directions:

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta as desired.  Meanwhile:

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add sausage and cook until browned and all pink has disappeared (3-4 min).  Add onions, & red pepper and saute until soft and slightly caramelized (about 6 min).  Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.  Add crushed tomatoes, stir, and cook 2 more minutes.  Add vodka and cook until slightly reduced (4 min).  Add peas and cream, cooking 2 min or until thickened.  Remove from heat & stir in basil.  Add pasta to sauce and combine.  Serve with grated cheese.  

Asparagus & Green Bean Salad with Garlic-Lime-Pesto Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 lb green beans

3/4 lb asparagus

1 cup parsley, chopped

1 lemon, juiced

2 tsp garlic

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Bring 1 inch of salted water to a boil  Add green beans.  Cover & cook 3 minutes.  Add asparagus and cook another 3-5 minutes, or until cooked (but not mushy)! Drain. In a food processor or blender, combine next 4 ingredients (everything except for olive oil).  With processor running, stream in olive-oil.  Season and pour over vegetables.