Getting everybody outside onto the porch, yard or patio means you don’t have to worry about cleaning the house or squeezing a ton of people into a crowded space. Also, summer entertaining tends to be more casual, which lends itself to finger foods that aren’t as fussy or upscale as a big fall or winter bash.

Which is not to say appetizers and hors d’oeuvres served with cold beer and fruity cocktails shouldn’t look impressive. We just want something that echoes summer’s laid-back vibes and is simple for you to make and easy for your guests to grab and devour.

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Roasted Olives with Lemon, Garlic and Herbs

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 3-inch sprigs fresh thyme

2 3-inch sprigs fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon coarsely crushed fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 pound olives, such as Cerinola and Castelvetrano, in assorted colors and sizes (about 3 cups)

1/2 lemon, cut into 1/4 -inch rounds

1 large garlic clove, unpeeled and crushed

DIRECTIONS

Position rack in the center of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stir and crush together oil, thyme, rosemary, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a baking dish large enough to hold olives in a single layer. (A terra-cotta baking dish or ceramic quiche pan are both good options.) Stir in olives and lemon rounds.

Roast, stirring halfway through cooking, until mixture is very fragrant and sizzling, about 20 minutes. During last 5 minutes, stir in garlic.

Remove from oven and cool until warm or at room temperature. (Olives can be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days; remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving.) Serves 6-8.

— “Super Tuscan” by Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar (Touchstone, $35)

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Southern Cheese Straws

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces (2 cups) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons ice water

DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
Process cheddar, flour, butter, salt, paprika, baking powder and cayenne in food processor until mixture resembles wet sand, about 20 seconds. Add ice water and process until dough ball starts to form, about 25 seconds.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured counter. Knead briefly until dough fully comes together, 2 or 3 turns. Using your hands, pat dough into 4-inch square. Roll dough into 10-inch square, about 1/4 -inch thick, flouring counter as needed to prevent sticking.
Position dough so edge is parallel to edge of counter. Using rounded side of fork, drag tines across entire surface to make decorative lines, if desired. (I omitted this step.)

Using pizza cutter or a chef’s knife, trim away and discard outer 1/2 inch of dough to make a neat square. Cut dough into three equal pieces perpendicular to decorative lines. Working with one section of dough at a time, cut into 1/2 -inch-wide strips in direction of lines,

Even space cheese straws on prepared sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Bake until edges of straw are light golden brown, 30-35 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let straws cool completely on sheet then serve. Makes about 48 straws.

— “The Complete Small Plates Cookbook” by America’s Test Kitchen ($35)

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Summer Squash Tart

INGREDIENTS

1 pound yellow summer squash and/or zucchini, ends trimmed and sliced thin crosswise

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 store-bought pie dough round

1 5.2-ounce package Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees.

Toss squash with 1/2 teaspoon salt in large bowl; transfer to colander and let drain in sink for 10 minutes.

Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Place pie dough round in center of prepared sheet. Spread boursin evenly over dough, leaving 1-inch border at edge. Sprinkle cheese with lemon zest.

Spread squash over clean dish towel; cover with second towel and press firmly to remove as much liquid as possible. Transfer squash to now-empty bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Arrange squash in even overlapping layer over Boursin. Fold 1-inch edge of dough over filling, pleating every 2-3 inches and pinching to secure. Bake tart until crust is golden and squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Serves 4.

— Cook’s Country, June/July 2023

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Coconut Shrimp with Chili Sauce

INGREDIENTS

For chili sauce

1/2 cup rice vinegar (or white vinegar)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons sherry (or cooking sherry)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 -1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch

3 tablespoons cool water

For shrimp

3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup water

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

2 cups plain panko

1 pound peeled and deveined tail-on raw large shrimp

Vegetable oil, for frying

DIRECTIONS

Combine chili sauce ingredients except corn starch and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to medium and let boil for 10 minutes, or until reduced by half.

While mixture is boiling, dissolve corn starch into cool water in a small bowl. Reduce heat to low and add corn starch-water mixture. Stir to incorporate and continue stirring and cooking until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare shrimp: Stir together 2 cups flour, salt and black pepper in a shallow bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk together eggs, 1 cup water, baking powder and remaining 1 cup flour in a separate bowl until just combined. Stir together coconut and panko in a third bowl.

Dredge 1 shrimp in salted flour mixture; shake off excess. Dip into egg batter and let excess drip off. Dredge in coconut mixture, pressing lightly to adhere. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat process using remaining shrimp. Freeze shrimp until firm, about 30 minutes.

Pour oil to a depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven; heat over high to 325 degrees. Working in three batches, fry shrimp in hot oil until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per batch. Transfer cooked shrimp to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
Serve with chili sauce for dipping. Serves 6.

— Adapted from foodandwine.com

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In years past, salad was served as an appetizer or side dish, with little creativity in its preparation. Remember the salads that included cubes of Jell-O? Am I aging myself now?

Fast forward. Salads today, quite often, take center stage of meals, using a variety of greens largely unbeknownst to most in the past. Arugula seems to be popular and has become a favorite of mine. Watercress, Bok choy, endive, kale, and a plethora of lettuces have taken over from plain old iceberg. Fruits, both fresh and dried, heirloom vegetables (roasted ones add great flavor), seeds, beans, grains, nuts, meats, fish, cheese and easily made delicious dressings are now part of the ingredient repertoire.

Salads are a time-poor cook’s secret weapon for putting a healthy and delicious meal on the table. They offer endless possibilities; go to your local farmers market and introduce yourself to some unfamiliar greens and vegetables. Ask the farmer for some suggestions too. With some creativity, a simple, easy to prepare dish becomes a delicious and healthy lunch or dinner. But remember, some salad dressings can add those unnecessary, and unwanted, calories.

Many years ago, I met Wiley Mullins, (aka “The Salad Man,”) author of “Salad Makes the Meal,” published in 2008. He inspired me to add more dinner and lunch salads to my diet. It is quite easy with a cookbook giving inspiration.

“The Complete Salad Cookbook: A Fresh Guide to 200+ Vibrant Dishes Using Greens, Vegetables, Grains, Proteins, and More,” by the editors of America’s Test Kitchen (2021, America’s Test Kitchen, $32.99), is a welcome addition to my collection, especially with all the local produce becoming available. You might be thinking you don’t need a cookbook to make salad — perhaps you don’t if you choose not to go beyond tossed greens and a couple of other ingredients. Why not take your salads to the next level, mixing textures, and flavors. You’ll learn to incorporate roasted, grilled, sauteed and pickled vegetables as well as grains, dried and fresh fruit, beans, and a variety of pastas.

Before getting into the recipes, the editors differentiate salads by cutting technique, cooking method, assembly, and flavor profiles. Think, chopped, or sliced, shaved, spiralized, shredded, grilled, warm and wilted. A layered salad will impress your guests. The architecture of a salad and flight plan information is helpful in constructing a salad — “do you want it to be filling or light? Is it going to be the whole meal or just the starter?” Following the suggestions about how to get the most out of the ingredients, enhancing their flavor and appearance will make your salad appealing, anything but boring. The “what should I make?” section suggests specific recipes to make for each season: brunch, main-dish vegetarian, fruit-forward, dinner salads, around-the-world salads, salads in less than 15 minutes. I found the information on how to keep wooden salad bowls in tip-top shape helpful as well as the recommended tools to make salad making a cinch.

You’ll be introduced to new ingredients to use as well as the science behind making a vinaigrette that doesn’t separate. And talking about new ingredients to use, I was intrigued by the use of grated chocolate that the editors said adds the perfect finish to the recipe for Pinto Bean, Ancho, and Beef Salad with Pickled Poblanos. Ready to make your salad a masterpiece? Here are a few recipes from the book to get started. For the recipe on green bean salad with shallot, mustard and tarragon go to: bit.ly/43jxBci

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

The headnote says: “Why This Recipe Works: For a black bean salad with bold but balanced flavors that evoked the Southwest, we used a judicious mixture of black beans, corn, avocado, tomato, and cilantro. Sautéing the corn (both fresh and frozen worked well) in a skillet until it was toasty and just starting to brown added a pleasant nuttiness to the kernels. For a dressing that could stand up to the hearty beans, we used lots of lime juice and spicy chipotle chile, with a little honey to balance the bright citrus. Raw onion was too harsh in the dressing, but thinly sliced scallions provided a pleasant onion flavor. You will need three to four ears of corn to yield 2 cups of fresh kernels.”

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn

4 scallions, sliced thin

⅓ cup lime juice (3 limes)

1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1 teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed

2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and chopped

2 tomatoes, cored and chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add corn and cook until spotty brown, about 5 minutes; let cool slightly. Whisk scallions, lime juice, chipotle, honey, salt, and pepper together in large bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in remaining 2 tablespoons oil until emulsified. Add beans, avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, and corn and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste Serves 6-8.

California Chicken Salad

Serves 4

The headnote says: “Why This Recipe Works: You can put avocado on just about anything and call it “Californian,” but we wanted to earn our West Coast cred with a healthy, hearty salad that paid respect to the Golden State in every bite. Instead of just throwing on diced avocado, we prepared our luscious, dairy-free dressing with avocado, pureeing the ripe fruit with lemon, garlic, and olive oil. Of course, a California salad should burst with fresh flavors, so we went heavy on green vegetables such as spinach and sugar snap peas. Thinly sliced radishes offered a pop of color, then we added sweet grapes (think Napa Valley). And then we realized we were missing something quintessentially West Coast: a light, fluffy mound of alfalfa sprouts. Sprinkle on chopped California almonds, too, if you like. We like using Perfect Poached Chicken (page 43 in the book) here, but any cooked chicken would work.”

8 oz. (8 cups) baby spinach

2 scallions, sliced thin

1 cup Creamy Avocado Dressing (recipe below), divided

4 cups cooked chicken, chopped

9 oz. seedless grapes, halved (1½ cups)

4 oz. sugar snap peas or snow peas, strings removed, halved

8 radishes, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin

2 oz. (1 cup) alfalfa sprouts or microgreens

¼ cup chopped almonds

DIRECTIONS

Toss spinach, scallions, and half of dressing together in bowl to coat, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide among individual plates. Serve, topping individual portions with chicken, grapes, snap peas, and radishes. Drizzle with remaining dressing, add alfalfa sprouts, and top with chopped almonds.

Creamy Avocado Dressing

1 avocado, halved, pitted, and cut into ½ inch pieces

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. grated lemon zest plus 3 Tbsp. juice

1 garlic clove, minced

¾ tsp. salt

¾ tsp. pepper

DIRECTIONS

Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Use immediately. Makes about 1 cup.

Cherry and Goat Cheese Couscous Salad

Serves 4-6

The headnote says, “Why This Recipe Works: Back-of-the-box instructions for couscous yield mushy, clumpy granules. Toasting uncooked couscous in butter and garlic sets the starch in the pasta, which keeps the granules separate and prevents them from blowing out. It also adds nutty flavor. To enhance the cooked couscous further, we added sweet, tart, and spicy flavors—dried cherries, pecans, arugula, and goat cheese. You can eat the salad immediately, but it will improve if you let the flavors meld for 30 minutes or so. Do not substitute pearl couscous in this dish, as it requires a different cooking method and will not work in this recipe.”

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups couscous

1 cup water

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 tsp. table salt

1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped

1 cup baby arugula, chopped

1 cup dried cherries, chopped

4 oz. goat or feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)

6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

4 scallions, sliced thin

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add couscous and cook, stirring frequently, until grains begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add water, broth, and salt; stir briefly to combine, cover, and remove saucepan from heat. Let sit until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover and fluff couscous with fork.

Combine pecans, arugula, cherries, goat cheese, oil, scallions, and lemon juice in large bowl. Stir in couscous until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Source: Recipes and photos courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen

Stephen Fries, is Professor Emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, in New Haven, CT. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 15 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven, CT. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Stephen@stephenfries.com For more, go to stephenfries.com.

Summer’s Best Baked Beans

INGREDIENTS

2 cups dried navy beans

1 Vidalia onion studded with 10 whole cloves

2 whole bay leaves

1 meaty ham bone

3 cups water

2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup molasses

2 cups ketchup

½ cup sweet pickle juice

Salt to taste

Grinding black pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place beans in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and refrigerate overnight. Next day, drain and rinse them.

Place the beans, onion, bay leaves and ham bone in a bean pot or other heavy duty oven pot like a Dutch Oven.

In a bowl mix together the water, mustard, molasses, ketchup, pickle juice, salt and cayenne and black pepper. Pour over the beans and ham bone.

Cover pot and place in 325F preheated oven for 2 ½ hours or until beans are tender but not mushy.

Remove ham bone and onion; scrape any meat off bone and add to the beans; remove the cloves from the onion and discard them. Cut the onion into small pieces and add to the beans.

Serves 8

If you’re going to eat all the local asparagus you can while you are on this earth — which you should — there’s plenty of time to try it different ways.

The customizable approach here came about by way of messing around with a New York Times recipe for Butter-Braised Asparagus by David Tanis — his involves chives, parsley or chervil, tarragon and optional dill. But the chives may be substituted at will with shallot, green onion, spring onion, ramps or leeks; garlic seems too forceful in this application to me, but hey, do what you feel.

Buttery Braised Asparagus With Fresh Herbs

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds asparagus

6 tablespoons salted butter

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon snipped-to- 1/8-inch chives — or use your allium of choice, such as green onion, spring onion, ramps, shallot … (but maybe not our forceful friend garlic)

3 tablespoons chopped mint — or use fresh soft herb(s) of your choice, such as parsley, tarragon, marjoram, chervil or dill (but maybe not, you know, cilantro)

1-plus tablespoons pine nuts, toasted until nicely browned — optional but nice

DIRECTIONS

Rinse your asparagus spears in cool water, and snap off the tough ends — bend them toward the bottom, and they’ll break at the right spot.

Put the butter in a large skillet, and turn heat to medium-high. When butter is melted, add asparagus, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and simmer. Check it right at 3 minutes: You want your spears bright green, quite firm but getting tender, and they will keep cooking a little once the heat is off. Shift them around, and cook another minute or two as needed for fatter spears. Move the asparagus to a serving platter, reserving the stuff in the pan.

Turn the heat to high; add your chives/alternate choice; and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated and you get a saucy consistency. Add lemon juice and zest, turn off heat and stir in most of your fresh herb(s), saving a bit for garnishing.

Taste and add salt and/or pepper, and/or a squeeze of lemon, to your liking. Pour the sauce over the asparagus, sprinkle with extra herb(s) and the pine nuts, if you’ve got them, and enjoy. Serves 2-4 depending on asparagus appeti

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They’re often a hot, sticky mess, but roasted marshmallows just go so incredibly well with chocolate and graham crackers, right? The fact that you can make them over a campfire only adds to their crowd appeal.

But what if you don’t have a fire pit in your backyard, or aren’t keen about letting your kids cook over hot coals with a pointy stick? Or maybe you just want to impress friends and family with a make-ahead, party-worthy dessert.

This decadent pie recipe brings together all the familiar and sugary-sweet flavors of a s’more, only with a bit more flair, which makes it the perfect showstopper for a summer barbecue.

S’more Pie

INGREDIENTS

For crust

12 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces

2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, melted

For brownie layer

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

For fudge layer

4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped fine

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

For meringue

3/4 cup sugar

3 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

Prepare crust: Adjust oven rack 8 inches for broiler element and heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Process graham cracker pieces in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add sugar and salt and pulse to combine. Add melted butter and pulse until combined.

Transfer crumbs to 9-inch pie plate. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs into bottom and up sides of plate. Bake until crust is fragrant and beginning to brown, 16-18 minutes. Transfer plate to wire rack.

Prepare brownie layer: Combine chocolate, oil, butter and cocoa in a large bowl, Microwave at 50% power until chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Let cool 5 minutes.

Whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt into chocolate mixture until fully combined. Whisk in flour until just incorporated. Pour brownie batter into crust (does not need to be fully cooled).

Bake pie until edge of brownie begins to set and toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes. Let pie cool at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Prepare fudge layer: Meanwhile, combine chocolate, cream and corn syrup in medium bowl and microwave at 50% until chocolate is fully melted, 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Pour cooled fudge mixture over brownie layer and smooth into even layer. Let set completely at room temperature, at least 3 hours.

Make meringue: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl of stand mixer. Place bowl over saucepan filled with 1 inch simmering water, making sure water does not touch bottom of bowl. Whisking gently and constantly, heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 160-165 degrees, 4-7 minutes.

Fit stand mixer with whisk attachment and whip on high speed until meringue forms stiff peaks and is smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Spread meringue over filling, making sure it touches edges of crust. Use spatula or spoon to create swirls over the meringue.

Using a kitchen torch, continually sweep flame about 2 inches above meringue until well browned, 1-2 minutes. Or, broil pie under broiler until meringue is well browned, 1-2 minutes, rotating halfway through broiling.

Slice pie into wedges with wet knife, wiping knife clean between slices. Serve. Topped pie can be held at room temperature for up to 4 hours before serving. Serves 10-12.
— Cook’s Country June/July 2023

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Now that we’re heading into summer, it’s the perfect time to switch from hearty soups to light, filling, healthy meals. Salads tend to have a bad rep for being just boring lettuces and veggies thrown together, but there are endless opportunities to showcase your favorite veggies and fruits.

Rather than starting with a typical bed of lettuce and piling up all the delicious veggie toppings, use bulgur as the base for a delicious tabbouleh that is a Mediterranean staple. In my opinion, this dish can have many interpretations from wanting loads of veggies to how much dressing should be on the salad. This is mostly a vegetarian dish, but I’m sure the carnivores can add their favorite meats to this dish to make it unique.

As much as I love hearty, stick-to-your ribs soups, pasta dishes and steak, I’m a sucker for a fresh salad. I’ve been craving Mediterranean food recently, so I made tabbouleh with just a slight personal touch. It’s easy to create, makes perfect leftovers, and best of all, it’s delicious and healthy.

Enjoy the last few weeks of spring and live zestier.

Ingredients

1 cup coarse bulgur (will expand to double the quantity)

1 ½-2 tomatoes, seeded, small diced

2 bunches of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias

¾ English cucumber, seeded, finely chopped

6-8 fresh mint leaves, chiffonade (thin ribbons)

1-2 Tbsp. fresh dill, roughly chopped

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (1-2 Tbsp. added if necessary)

1 lemon, zested, and at least ½ juiced

Directions

In a glass bowl or measuring dish, pour 1 cup of bulgur and add hot water to about an inch over the top; cover. Allow the bulger to expand then squeeze out any excess water. The process takes about 15-20 minutes.

While the bulgur is “cooking,” finely dice the cucumber, tomato and green onions. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Finely chop two bunches of parsley, taking care to pick out the large stems, then place it in the mixing bowl with the bulgur. Add zest of a lemon, trimmed fresh dill and chiffonade fresh mint. Slowly fold in the juice of half a lemon and 3 Tbsp. of olive oil. Fold in the veggies and herbs, and add more acid or olive oil to your liking.

Let this dish marinade in the fridge for at least half an hour before serving. Use a lettuce leaf for presentation if desired, or just grab a spoon and start eating out of the bowl.

Esther Kennedy is a Myrtletown, California resident and recipe creator. She can be reached at estherthezester@gmail.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/estherthezester. 

Summertime brings outdoor eating, parties, graduations, Father’s Day and Fourth of July celebrations.

I took a trip to Greece about 10 years ago. Kalamata olives, lemons and olive oils were in abundance in the foods I enjoyed. This inspired me to make a simple non-mayonnaise potato salad safe for outdoor parties.

Secondly, previously I wasn’t a fan of turnips, but this easy recipe changed my mind. I plated them both on a beautiful dish I had bought in Corfu. Opa!

For questions, email cjvigos@yahoo.com.

Greek Potato Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. unpeeled red potatoes cut into chunks, boiled till cooked but still firm

1/2 medium red onion, halved and sliced into thin half moons

1 green onion, thinly chopped

24 pitted Kalamata olives, sliced into quarters

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh oregano

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

4 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. Cavender’s Greek Seasoning (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, combine the potatoes, onions, olives, dill and oregano.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Greek seasoning. Pour over the salad, mix well and refrigerate.

Glazed Turnips

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. turnips

1 1/4 cups of water plus 3 Tbsp.

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. of salt

DIRECTIONS

Peel turnips and cut into bite-size pieces. Put them in a large skillet and add 1 1/4 cups water, butter, sugar, and salt. Boil over medium high heat covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Boil uncovered for about 5 more minutes until the turnips are tender and golden and the water has evaporated. Add more water, about 3 tablespoons, if necessary to glaze the turnips.

An avid backpacker, hunter, skier and wilderness paddler, Nuttall-Smith has devised ways to bring a gourmet experience to the outdoors. With minimal fuss around a fire, he prepares spice-kissed lamb kebabs, restaurant-quality risotto, fire-baked pecan sticky buns and more.

He’s put it all in “Cook It Wild: Sensational Prep-Ahead Meals for Camping, Cabins, and the Great Outdoors,” from Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. There are 75 recipes for lunches, dinners, desserts, snacks and, necessarily, cocktails, published just as the summer outdoor season kicks off.

“My goal in making this book was to develop, to create, to share recipes that didn’t need to be eaten outside. They’re great enough that you can eat them at home, but when you’re out there, man, they just make your trip,” he said.

Nuttall-Smith’s hack is to do much of the prep work at home before setting out — toast the nuts, pulse the sauce, caramelize the shallots and open a can of beans to pour out exactly what you need.

All that not only gives you correct portions, but means a lighter pack and less waste to worry about in the outdoors. Plus you don’t have that awkward feeling of balancing a cutting board on your knee while you chop vegetables. More than half the recipes take 10 minutes or less at camp.

“All these little tricks were things that either I came up with or, thank God, I’ve got a lot of friends who work in food who say, ‘Why are you doing that? Why don’t you do this super-easy thing?’ And you just kind of slap your forehead.”

Nuttall-Smith freezes as much as he can to reduce spoilage, and carefully packs a cooler with early-trip items at the top to prevent churn.

“There are so many things you can freeze that you’re not harming the flavor or the texture or the cooking properties,” he said. Even olive oil: “It tastes exactly the same. You just shake it up. It’s great.”

The book’s recipes contain everything from Negronis and a mac and cheese — the pasta is cooked at home — to several ways to use aluminum foil to make food packets that just need to be heated up. And being Canadian, Nuttall-Smith had to include a poutine recipe.

Jennifer Sit, executive editor at Clarkson Potter, has made a bunch of the recipes and says the quality is so good that readers may just want to start cooking them at home, even if they have no intention of going camping.

“The depth of knowledge and experience he brings from his love of the great outdoors is what takes this book to the next level,” she writes.

One of the book’s triumphs is a recipe for campfire paella which calls for prepping squid, sofrito and green beans at home and is finished at camp with shrimp, rice, onion and saffron threads. He also includes alternate versions with chicken and a vegetarian option.

“There’s an old saying, everything tastes better outside, and I think there is some real truth to that,” said Nuttall-Smith, who is a judge on “Top Chef Canada.” Outdoors paella takes the dish back to its roots — field workers in Spain used to cook it on shovels.

Nuttall-Smith approached the book hoping to interest campers at every level. “Can I have a book that is going to be inspiring and delicious for backpackers, and as inspiring and delicious for paddlers and for RVers and for backcountry skiers and beach rats?” he said. “There’s very few that try to reach out to a whole cross-section.”

The layout is very clear, with each recipe divided into “at home” and “at camp” sections, how many people each dish serves, the weight, how long it will keep, and symbols for his recommendations, like dishes best for paddlers or ones needing a camping stove.

“At some point you just realize how rewarding it is, how special it is, to eat something really good when you’re in one of the most beautiful places you’ve ever been to. It just caps the experience,” he said.

Nuttall-Smith even designed the book so that each recipe could be photographed. He has no desire for readers to add the weight of his book to their packs.

“Who the hell wants to go camping with a cookbook?” he said, laughing. “Even if you’re car camping. Like, when I’ve been car camping, my car’s just loaded to the gunwales. I don’t want a cookbook.”

Other recipes include Grilled Cabbage Salad, Rum-Spiked Barbecue Banana Boats and more.

Barbecued Peri Peri Chicken

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

3-pound whole chicken

5 fresh long red chiles

5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/3 cup olive oil

1¾ ounce cider vinegar

1½ teaspoons salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Butterfly the chicken. Pat the skin dry with paper towels.

Place the chiles on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool, then roughly chop. (Turn oven off.)

Meanwhile, blanch the garlic cloves in boiling water for 30 seconds, then peel and roughly chop. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the garlic with the chiles, oregano, sweet paprika, brown sugar, olive oil, cider vinegar and salt. Bring to a simmer, lower heat and let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Allow the peri peri sauce mixture to cool, then puree in a blender.

Place the chicken on a tray and coat with the peri peri sauce, reserving some sauce for basting. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat a hooded barbecue grill to medium and lightly grease the grill rack with oil.  Place the chicken skin-side down on the grill and cook, covered, for 7 to 8 minutes. Turn and cook the other side, basting. Continue to cook, opening the hood occasionally to turn and baste, for a further 30 minutes until cooked through.

Serve with a salad and corn or some crusty bread.

— Adapted from “The BBQ Companion” (Smith Street Gift, $24.95)

Ah, come on sunshine. The barbecue needs a refresher.

Louis Lamb Chop ‘Lollipops’

Ten years ago, Personal Chef Katherine Louis Boucher joined me in my kitchen to show me how to turn lamb chops into irresistible Greek style “lollipop” appetizers. The chops are cut from the lamb rack, and each has a curved bone that is meat-free at the bottom making it the perfect handle for finger food grazing. She told me to offer guests napkins and stand back to watch the chops disappear.

Growing up in a Greek American family in Santa Ana, her maiden name was Louis, an Ellis Island adaptation of the original Louizo. Marinated first and then grilled lamb was a culinary tradition in her childhood home, especially on holidays. She riffed on her father’s marinade enhancing the mix with chopped fresh parsley and thinly sliced fresh jalapeño chilies.

Yield: 25 lamb “lollipops”

INGREDIENTS

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Minced zest and juice of 2 lemons, Meyer lemons preferred

2 fresh jalapeños, halved, seeds removed, thinly sliced, see cook’s notes

2 medium shallots, minced

8 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup fresh oregano

1/4 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

25 rib lamb chops, at least 1-inch at bone ends scraped to clean them; see cook’s notes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Garnish: 1 lemon thinly sliced, Meyer lemon preferred, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cook’s notes: Use caution when working with fresh chilies; upon completion wash work surface thoroughly and do NOT touch face or eyes. The first 2 or 3 ribs off the large end of the rack contain more fat than those closer to the loin.

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon zest and juice, jalapenos, and shallots. On a cutting board, chop the garlic, oregano and 1/4 cup parsley until coarsely chopped; add to olive oil mixture and stir to combine.

Arrange the lamb chops in a nonreactive baking dish; top with the marinade and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Heat grill to medium-high. Clean grate. Season the lamb chops generously with salt and pepper.  Remove chops from marinade and grill until slightly charred, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with thinly sliced lemons and parsley.

Source: Personal Chef Katherine Louis Boucher

Endive Boats with Green Olive, Parsley, and Walnut Salad

Belgian endives, compacted in torpedo-shaped heads about 6-inches long, have a subtle hint of bitterness. Both the pale green and burgundy-red varieties are delicious raw or cooked, paired with ingredients that add flavor balance. Individual endive leaves make lovely containers for appetizers.

If you aren’t a fan of feta, use finely diced Parmesan instead in these tasty endive canapés. Or if you prefer to omit the cheese altogether, substitute finely diced red bell pepper.  Pomegranate molasses adds a lovely sweet-sour spark to this dish. It is sold at Middle Eastern markets and many natural food stores. If unavailable, substitute balsamic vinegar.

I like to use buttery green olives in the mix, such as pitted castelvetranos.

Yield: About 24 appetizers

INGREDIENTS

2 green onions, thinly sliced, including half of dark green stalks

2 cups coarsely chopped Italian parsley leaves

1 cup coarsely chopped pitted green olives

1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces, coarsely chopped; see cook’s notes

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

24 endive leaves

Optional garnish: 1/4 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)

Cook’s notes: Place walnut pieces on rimmed baking sheet in single layer. Place in 350-degree oven until lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Watch carefully because nuts burn easily. Cool before coarsely chopping and using in salad.

DIRECTIONS

In medium bowl, place green onion slices, Italian parsley, olives, walnuts and feta. Toss.

In small bowl or glass measuring cup with a handle, combine juice, pomegranate molasses or balsamic, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Whisk in oil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour dressing over onion-parsley mixture; toss.

Arrange endive leaves on large platter, preferably round, placing them like the spokes of a wheel pointed end facing edge of plate. Fill endive half full with mixture. If desired, scatter pomegranate seeds (arils) on top and serve.

Source: “Melissa’s 50 Best Plants on the Planet” by Cathy Thomas (Chronicle, $29.95)

Solita’s Grilled Corn (Elote)

I love the grilled corn served at the Solita Tacos and Margaritas eateries. Called “elote” in Mexico, it’s a perfect outdoor party dish. Long ago, back when Deborah Schneider was the executive chef/partner at Solita, she shared the recipe with me. She has moved on from her Solita career, but her glorious corn remains on the menus. And it remains a regular treat fired at home on my grill.

The corn, still in its husks, is first roasted in the oven. Once roasted, the husks are pulled back and tied to make a dandy handle. A smidgen of butter goes onto the kernels before it’s placed over the fire, just enough to make it tasty, but not enough to make it drippy. Monitoring the progress, the corn is turned as each side caramelizes. The browning concentrates the sweetness and makes the texture alluringly chewy. Off the heat the corn gets slathered with butter and topped with a zigzag of chipotle sauce, a mixture of mayonnaise, pureed chipotles in adobo and fresh lime juice. A little crumbled Cotija cheese, and a little sliced green onion. A sprinkle of ground toasted California chilies and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Yield: 4 servings, with Chipotle Sauce leftover

INGREDIENTS

Chipotle Sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup pureed chipotle chilies; see cook’s notes

Juice of 1/2 lime, plus more if needed

Corn:

4 ears of corn, husks intact

3 tablespoons melted butter, divided use

Salt to taste

Crumbled Cotija cheese, about 1/4 cup

1 1/2 teaspoons ground dried California chili

2 green onions, trimmed, thinly sliced — including dark green stalks

Garnish: 4 lime wedges

Cook’s notes: Chipotle chilies are sold in small cans in the Mexican specialty section of many supermarkets. Puree the contents of the can in a small food processor or blender, including the red adobo sauce. Use what you need and freeze the rest.

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, stir mayonnaise, chipotle chili puree and lime juice. Taste and add more lime juice if needed. Place in squeeze bottle and refrigerate. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place corn in single layer on baking sheet or directly on the oven rack. Roast uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, start fire in barbecue using charcoal and chunks of wood (hardwood designated for barbecuing). Pull off a couple of outer crispy husks on the corn and tear them into strips to use as ties. Pull back husks on corn to expose kernels, leaving the husks attached; tie husks together with the ties. Brush with melted butter, just enough to very lightly coat; sprinkle with a little salt. When flames die down, grill on clean grate, letting husks extend over side of barbecue to use as handles. Turn as each side browns.

Place corn on platter. Brush with remaining butter. Top each with Chipotle Sauce squeezed from the bottle in a zigzag pattern. Top with Cotija cheese, a sprinkle of ground chili and green onion. Serve lime wedges on the side.

Source: Chef Deborah Schneider

Tribune News Service

The West Roxbury closure on Friday came after inspectors forced the local Mexican restaurant chain to shut down its spot in Brighton, where they found “multiple reports of a foodborne illness from items consumed at this location.”

The Boston Public Health Commission is investigating what they say is “an emerging salmonella outbreak” connected to the Brighton location.

A BPHC spokesperson said residents who visited the location between May 12 and 18 to check themselves for symptoms of Salmonella infection, ranging from fever to diarrhea and abdominal pain.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that the bacteria causes about 1.35 million infections and 420 deaths in the United States ech year and that food is the source for most of those. The symptoms usually set in anywhere from six hors to six days after infection and usually last four days to a week.

Jory Lange, who describes himself as a leading food poisoning lawyer in the country, said in press release announcing his own investigation that he’s unsure how many people have become infected with Salmonella, but added that the health commission has noted the amount is “numerous.”

“The scary thing about this outbreak is, as a consumer, there’s nothing you can do to tell whether the food that you are buying is safe,” Lange wrote in a release. “You can’t taste, smell, or see Salmonella . Food that is contaminated with Salmonella may look, smell, and taste just like any other food. This is why it’s critical that restaurants who make and sell our food, ensure the food is safe before they sell it,”

Inspectors found six violations at Los Amigos’ Brighton location, including no sanitizer being set up at the time of Thursday’s inspection, and “the interior walls and ceiling of a walk-in (freezer) unit observed with visible soils & mold-like substance.”

The West Roxbury location had more violations, inspectors reported, with 14.

Some of those infractions included rodent droppings being found on pineapple cans, a bag of pinto beans, beverage holders and storage stables and the floor;  no evidence of illness policy training; and just one employee washing their hands.

I use shallots in the sauce. They are in the onion family but have a milder flavor. They have a teardrop shape and can be found near the onions in the produce department.

You can use arugula or collard greens instead of baby kale.

You can use any type of sweet onion instead of shallots.

You can use any whole grain bread or rolls.

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Pork Scallopini with Mustard Sauce and Sauteed Kale

INGREDIENTS

3/4 pound pork tenderloin

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided use

6 cups baby kale

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup sliced shallots

1/4 cup unsalted chicken broth

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon honey

4 slices whole wheat baguette or other rolls

DIRECTIONS

Remove visible fat from the pork. Cut into 3/4-inch slices. Place parchment paper or plastic wrap over the slice and pound the with a meat batt or bottom of a heavy skillet until about 1/2 inch thick. Set aside while you saute the baby kale.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the kale and saute until the kale wilts, about 2 minutes. Remove to two dinner plates and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil to the same skillet. When the oil is hot, add the pork. Brown 2 minutes. Turn pork over and brown 2 minutes. Remove pork from the skillet to the two dinner plates. A meat thermometer should read 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add the shallots to the skillet and saute 1 minute. Add the chicken broth stirring to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Add the mustard and stir until sauce is smooth. Add the cream and honey and mix well. Spoon sauce over the pork. Serve with French bread.

Yield 2 servings.

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer/Tribune News Service

I had some Parmigiano Reggiano cheese rinds and a few cherry tomato stragglers plus some tomato sauce made earlier in the week. Sounded like the topping for a focaccia so I made the dough (store bought dough will work too) and topped it with the leftovers.

A few sprinkles of oregano, some salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil finished it off. Every taste that was old was new again.

French toast or pancakes may be popular weekend breakfast options, but why not switch things up with another sticky and sweet option? “Sweet Sunday Rolls” from “The Contented Vegan” (Head of Zeus) by Peggy Brusseau are quick to prepare and perfect for a relaxing morning meal when time allows. Enjoy with tea or coffee.

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Sweet Sunday Rolls

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup desiccated (shredded) coconut

1/2 cup lightly packed soft light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

10 1/2 ounces all-purpose or whole-wheat flour, plus extra for dusting your work surface

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 3/4 ounces coconut oil, plus a little extra for greasing the dish

5 ounces plant milk

2/3 cup raisins

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 ounces maple or barley malt syrup

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425 F, and grease an 11- 1/4 inch round baking dish or similar ovenproof dish with a generous coating of coconut oil. Sprinkle the shredded coconut over the greased dish, jostling it a little to distribute evenly.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar over the coconut-coated baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Add the coconut oil and use a table knife to “cut” it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the plant milk and stir well, then knead to a firm dough using your hands.

Lightly flour a work surface. Turn out the dough and shape it into a rough rectangle. Use a rolling pin (or simply press with your hands) to flatten it into a bigger rectangle of about 8 by 12 inches, with a thickness of about 5/8 inch. With the long edge closest to you, spread the raisins over the dough, leaving a gap of about 1 1/4 inches all around the edges. Lightly press the raisins into the dough. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the raisins, and drizzle with the olive oil and half of the syrup.

Roll the dough into a log from the long edge, working away from you. Press firmly as you roll to ensure the filling is properly embedded. Check that the ends and the long edge are closed – if necessary, dampen those edges and press together to seal. Using a serrated bread knife, cut the roll into slices about 1 1/4 inches thick. Lay the slices flat in the prepared baking dish, leaving a little room between each slice. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, cut a piece of baking paper large enough to cover the baking dish. When the rolls are cooked, set the dish on a wire rack or trivet. Lay the baking paper over the dish and put a large plate or tray upside down on top of the paper, with the baking dish centered underneath. Using oven gloves, carefully lift the dish and plate, holding them firmly together as you turn them over. Leave the baking dish upside down on the plate for 2 to 3 minutes, then carefully lift off.

Collect and spread any coconut mixture left in the dish over the rolls, which are now upside down. Drizzle the remaining syrup over the rolls while they are still hot. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before gently pulling them away from each other. Eat while still warm. Serves 4

There are different variations of frose. Some concoctions pour rose over sherbet while others mix the wine with various liqueurs before freezing. This “Best Frose Recipe,” from husband and wife home cooking experts Sonja and Alex Overhiser, is frose at its most basic – without skimping on flavor. Keep in mind that this mixture takes six hours to freeze, so prepare accordingly if you will be serving guests.

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Best Frose Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 750 ml bottle of favorite rose wine

8 large strawberries (about 1 1/2 cups ripe strawberries, halved), plus more for garnish

1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup for vegan)

DIRECTIONS

Open the rose and pour 2/3 cup into a glass measuring cup; set aside for when serving. Remove the tops of the strawberries and cut them in half.

In a blender, blend the remaining rose, strawberries and honey until smooth and fully combined. Then pour the mixture through a strainer and into a covered baking dish. Transfer the baking dish to the freezer and freeze at least 6 hours, or overnight. The alcohol in the mixture will keep it a slushy texture instead of freezing solid.

Blend the mixture again until it comes to a fluffy texture. To serve, place the blended mixture into a glass. Then pour a splash of rose into each glass (this step is important: it gives the final texture and brings in the character of the rose). If desired, garnish with strawberries and serve. Serves 6

Mother’s Day is a prime opportunity for other members of the household to spend time in the kitchen. Pasta dishes generally are easy to prepare and can feed a crowd. Such is the case with this recipe for “Carbonara” from “Rachael Ray: Memories and Meals From a Sweet and Savory Life,” (Ballantine Books) by Rachael Ray.

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Carbonara

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup approximately EVOO

1/3 pound chunk of meaty pancetta or guanciale, cut into 1/4-inch dice

4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced or chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

1 cup white wine

6 large egg yolks

1 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more to pass

Salt

1 pound bucatini or spaghetti

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (a fat handful of leaves)

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, heat the EVOO, four turns of the pan. Add the pancetta or guanciale and render for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper and stir 1 minute more.

Add the wine and reduce by half (about 7 minutes), then reduce the heat to low.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks and grated cheeses. Add the pasta to the liberally salted boiling water and cook to 1 minute less than al dente per the package recommendation. Remove about 1 1/4 cups of starchy cooking water from the pot and whisk it into the egg yolks in a steady stream to temper them.

Reserve an extra 1/2 cup of starchy water just in case. Drain the pasta or transfer it with a spider or tongs to the pan with the pancetta and garlic. Remove the pan from the heat and add the tempered egg yolks and parsley. Toss to combine.

If the sauce seems too thin, return the heat to the lowest setting and, stirring constantly for 2 to 4 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Add salt to taste.

Note: Many recipes for this dish include heavy cream. Such recipes may be delicious, but they’re not authentic. The creamy consistency here comes from tempering the eggs and emulsifying them with oil, cheese and cooking water.

Serves 4

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Mascarpone Cake with Blackberries

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1  teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 -tablespoons grated orange zest

5- tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

¾ cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons

2- large eggs

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 cup mascarpone cheese

2 cups fresh blackberries, blueberries or raspberries

Confectioners sugar for dusting on cake

Butter and line a 9 x 1-1/2 inch cake pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, ¾- cup sugar, eggs, extract and cheese until smooth. (Alternately use a hand mixer).

Mix the dry ingredients with the egg mixture.

Dust 1 cup of berries with 1 tablespoon flour and fold them gently into the batter. Transfer to the pan and bake until firm and golden brown, about 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester come out clean.

Cool on wire rack

Place the remaining 1 cup berries, the 2 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan off the heat and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat until the berries begin to exude their juice. Lower the heat and continue cooking until the mixture thickens slightly. Cool and set aside.

To serve:

Dust the cake with confectioners sugar and cut into wedges. Serve with some of the berry sauce spooned over the top. Serves 8

The city Inspectional Services Department has created a new policy that will allow restaurants to create outdoor spaces where dog owners and their four-legged family members can hang out together.

City officials say the new “dog-friendly spaces” variance is open to all restaurants and beer gardens with outdoor space depending on application status. Those that are approved can be ready to welcome dogs as early as June 1.

There are some caveats to the variance. The spaces must be completely outdoors, and establishments will not be allowed to prepare food around dogs. Patrons who bring their pooches are responsible for their pet’s behavior. The dog must be on a leash at all times.

“Residents and small business owners have been eager for four-legged family members to be able to enjoy our outdoor spaces too,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a release, “so we’re happy to make this regulatory change allowing dogs on outdoor patios and beer gardens.”

Allston resident Laura Jillian Gray, in a release, said it devastated her that she had to travel to nearby towns with her dog since she “didn’t feel welcome” in her neighborhood, which is becoming more friendly toward pooches, with a dog park opening last November.

“It means a lot to me to know that the city listened when I pointed out how upsetting it was that we created a new dog park, but still didn’t allow dogs in beer gardens or outdoor establishments in Boston,” Gray said. “With this new change to allow dogs, I can’t wait to enjoy this summer in Allston again.”

The mayor on Thursday joined officials from Emerson College and family-owned local businesses Trillium Brewing and El Barrio Tacos at a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebration at the city’s newest beer garden, “UnCommon Stage and the Trillium Garden on the Common.”

Outdoor dining season commenced this week across the city, with more than two dozen restaurants participating. About 50 applications are in review, the mayor told the Herald earlier this week.

The kick-off of the season this year has been different than previous years, with accessibility and other requirement leniencies under the pandemic no longer in effect and outdoor dining now largely banned in the North End.

The new seasonal venue will open Thursday when officials and community members gather for a ribbon cutting celebration at 5:15 p.m.

The effort combines the forces of Emerson College with family-owned local businesses Trillium Brewing and El Barrio Tacos to open the “UnCommon Stage and the Trillium Garden on the Common.”. The project is part of Mayor Michelle Wu’s long-term goal of “reimagining” America’s oldest park.

“This new performance venue and beer garden on Boston Common will activate the historic park, and our Downtown, with performances that represent all of our residents of Boston and a new, beautiful outdoor gathering space for all,” the mayor said in a release.

Residents and guests will get the opportunity to check out the new venue during the summer and into the fall as it’s slated to run through Nov. 1. The outdoor beer garden will be open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 9 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.

Officials say the garden is open to all and will offer a variety of beverages and food from Trillium and Taqueria el Barrio. Daily entertainment and programming, including local musicians, radio broadcasts, DJs, comedy shows and more, will be offered on Emerson’s ‘Uncommon Stage’.

Temporary restrooms will be set up within the garden, according to the city Parks and Recreation Department.

Parks Commissioner Ryan Woods called the venue a “perfect spot to grab a bite or spend time with friends and family” and touted how it will strengthen other citywide recreational programs.

The city is expected to receive between $130,000 and $150,000 from the gathering spot, Woods said earlier this year. That money will then go toward the city’s Fund for Parks and Recreation in Boston, a nonprofit that supports recreational programs using vendor payments.

Officials say this is part of the vision from the “Boston Common Master Plan,” a comprehensive report that shows how they plan to go about enhancing underused spaces throughout the park.

“Creating opportunities to experience arts and culture in the Boston Common is an excellent way to draw residents and visitors in, foster creative expression, and spread joy,” said Kara Elliott-Ortega, the city’s chief of arts and culture.

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Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich

INGREDIENTS

4 slices whole grain bread or bread of your choice

2 tablespoons pesto sauce

1 ball mozzarella cheese, well drained and cut into 4 slices

1 large salad tomato cut into thin rounds

Melted butter

DIRECTIONS

Spread 1 tablespoon pesto sauce over each of 2 bread slices.

Place two slices cheese over each. Top each with 2 or 3 slices of tomato. Place remaining bread slices over the tomatoes.

Heat a panini maker on the grill settling. Brush the outside of each sandwich with melted butter and place on the grill. Close grill top and cook until cheese begins to melt. Turn and brush the other side. Close top and cook a minute or two longer.

To make in a skillet, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan and add one sandwich. Press on it with a wide face metal spatula and when the bread begins to brown on the underside, turn it over and cook the other side until the cheese begins to melt.  Serve warm.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Marinated artichoke hearts, meaty mushrooms and fresh tomatoes create a rich sauce that is perfect with the wide pasta. It’s topped off with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Helpful Hints:

You can use large or wide fettucine noodles instead of pappardelle.

You can use any type of mushroom.

You can use 4 crushed garlic cloves instead of minced garlic.

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Pappardelle with Artichoke Hearts and Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS

1/4 pound pappardelle pasta

Olive oil spray

1 cup sliced onion

2 cups jar or can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 cups diced tomatoes

2 cups sliced portobello mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup broken walnuts

1 cup fresh basil leaves torn into small pieces

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place a large saucepan filled with water on to boil for the pasta. When the water boils add the pappardelle and cook 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with olive oil spray. Add the onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts, garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms. Continue to cook for 5 minutes stirring as the vegetables saute.

Remove 1/4 cup pasta water to a large bowl and drain pasta when it is finished cooking. Add olive oil to the bowl. Mix well and add the pasta. Add sauce from skillet to the bowl. Add walnuts, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well. Divide between two dinner plates. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Yield 2 servings

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

Tribune News Service

Both pair perfectly with pork, so I’m not throwing shade on mom or grandma. But since it’s spring, when fresh greens such as arugula and baby spinach are widely available, why not substitute a simple salad dressed in a zesty, lemony vinaigrette?

Sheela Prakash’s latest cookbook, “Salad Seasons: Vegetable-Forward Dishes All Year,” has one such recipe. Only instead of making it with lemon juice, vinegar and mustard, Kitchn’s senior contributing editor uses the entire lemon — rind, pulp, juice and all.

“Might sound nothing short of crazy,” she writes in the headnotes, “but it’s no-waste brilliance at its best.”
When mixed with honey, toasted almonds and a generous glug of olive oil, lemon’s vibrant peel, bitter pith and lip-puckering flesh “make for a complex vinaigrette that’s unlike anything you’ve had before.”

She’s right. The bright and cheerful dressing is both tangy and floral, with only an edge of bitterness.
Prakash used the lemon vinaigrette to dress an arugula salad in her book, but I substituted an arugula-baby spinach mix. I served it with bone-in, panko-fried pork chops.

Organic lemons are a good idea if you can find them, since you’re using the entire lemon (except the seeds) in the recipe.

In addition to dressing any and all greens, this vinaigrette is wonderful for drizzling on grilled or roasted meats or fish, spooning over roasted vegetables and as a dipping sauce for shrimp. It keeps in the fridge for about a week.

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Crispy Pork Chops with Arugula Salad

INGREDIENTS

For salad

1/4 cup sliced raw almonds, divided

1 small organic lemon

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon honey, or more to taste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 ounces packed arugula-baby spinach mix (about 4 cups)

For pork chops

1 large egg

1 cup panko or dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Generous pinch kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

Pinch freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

4 1/2 -inch-thick, center-cut, bone-in pork loin chops

Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying

DIRECTIONS

Prepare salad dressing: Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast in oven, stirring halfway through, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Trim the stem end off the lemon, cut into quarters and remove any seeds. Transfer to a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until roughly chopped. Take a peek to see if you missed any seeds, and remove any with a spoon.

Add half of the almonds, the garlic, honey, a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. Pulse until the lemon and almonds are finely chopped, scraping down sides of the food processor as needed, about 30 pulses.

Transfer lemon and almond mixture to an airtight container or jar. Add olive oil, seal the jar and shake to combine and emulsify. Set aside while you prepare pork chops. (My lemon was on the large side so I added a bit more salt and pepper to taste, along with a touch more honey and additional olive oil)

Crack egg into a shallow bowl and lightly beat with a fork or whisk. In another shallow bowl, toss bread crumbs with Parmesan, oregano and/or sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Pat pork chops dry and season with salt and pepper.

Dip chops in the beaten egg and press them into the seasoned bread crumbs to coat.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering over moderate heat. Add chops and fry, turning every once in a while, until golden brown and crispy, and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.

Keep warm while you dress the salad.

Place arugula in a large salad bowl, drizzle with half the lemon vinaigrette and toss to combine. Taste and add more vinaigrette, a spoonful at a time, to taste. Garnish with remaining toasted almonds.
Place pork chops on a serving dish and serve with salad. Serves 4.
— Adapted from “Salad Seasons: Vegetable-Forward Dishes All Year” by Sheela Prakash (Rizzoli, $37.50)

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/Tribune News Service

Rotisserie chicken can be served right out of the container just like a traditional roasted chicken. It also can be a component in many different meals. Consider these 10 ideas for putting rotisserie chicken to use.

1. After most of the meat from the chicken is eaten, boil the carcass with sliced onion, parsnips, carrots, turnips, and your preferred herbs to make a soup stock. Add bits of leftover chicken and noodles to have a delicious chicken soup.

2. Purchase premade pie crust and use it to line small ramekins. Mix chopped rotisserie chicken with a can of cream of chicken soup and thawed frozen mixed vegetables. Spoon the mixture on top of the bottom crust, then top with another crust round, poking venting holes in the pastry. Heat up until the crust browns and the filling is piping hot. The result is a delicious chicken pot pie.

3. Rotisserie chicken can be used as the filling for enchiladas, fajitas, and tacos. Simply season with a packet of taco seasoning or make your own blend from a combination of paprika, chili powder and cumin.

4. Pulse rotisserie chicken meat in a food processor with celery, dill and a few dollops of mayonnaise or even Greek yogurt or ranch salad dressing. Add some crumbled bacon and serve the chicken salad between slices of toasted whole wheat bread.

5. Shred the rotisserie chicken and blend together with melted butter and hot sauce to make it Buffalo-style. Use it as a topping for pizza served with a blue-cheese sauce on the crust.

6. Add pieces of rotisserie chicken to omelettes and top with melted cheese for a savory breakfast or brunch option.

7. Rotisserie chicken chunks can be added to any of your favorite casserole recipes in lieu of fresh chicken.

8. Make mac-and-cheese a more substantial meal by mixing in shredded rotisserie chicken.

9. Recreate “chicken bog,” a traditional South Carolina dish made from chicken cooked in broth and rice to make a thick and creamy meal.

10. Create a chicken stir-fry with the rotisserie chicken, Asian vegetables and seasonings. Serve over glass rice noodles.

Turns out that there are plenty of wonderful wine regions right here on the East Coast. Don’t buy it? From Long Island and Rhode Island, New Jersey and North Carolina, here are four vintages that might change your opinion of where to find the best wines.

Anchor & Hope’s Archipelago Chardonnay ($20)

The “archipelago” here refers to Long Island and Aquidneck Island, homes to the Greenvale and Macari vineyards. The Macari family and Greenville Estate have both been growing Chardonnay grapes for four decades. Rumford, Rhode Island craft winery Anchor & Hope pulls the two islands grapes together for a big bodied wine with a shake of sea salt and splash of tropical fruit. It also comes in a 250ml can for beach days, barbecues and Taylor Swift tailgating.

Macari Vineyards 2020 Bergen Road ($75)

Speaking of Macari Vineyards… The company, set on the North Fork of Long Island, makes a few well-respected wines (it has a highly-recommended $24 Sauvignon Blanc). But its flagship wine, Bergen Road, might be the best red produced on the East Coast. Yes, it is very expensive, so it’s probably a once a year splurge – maybe find three friends and each split a hefty glass. It’s also a red blend full of body and lusciousness. A healthy pour on its own can feel like a well-earned meal, but go nuts and pair it with some ricotta gnocchi in blush sauce.

Biltmore Estate Albariño ($18)

You should learn to make paella. Or maybe just head to Valencia for a pan. Or how about you quit your job and move to Spain. But first, some baby steps. The Iberian Peninsula’s best summer wine is Albariño. And you can get a great bottle produced in the States, North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate to be specific. Biltmore’s bottle of Albariño uses grapes from the winery’s California partners for something a little sweet, a little crisp, and fully refreshing. The hotter the day, the more delicious this wine is.

Renault’s American Champagne Reserve ($46)

Some Renault Winery fun facts! It’s the oldest winemaker and survived Prohibition by making sacramental wines and “Renault Wine Tonic” for “medicinal purposes.” But how is its sparkling white? Pretty darn good. It’s a smart balance of sweet and tart. You’ll like the taste at home. You’ll love it sitting in front of a fire pit at Renault’s sprawling 1,400-acre South Jersey property. Head on down. Make a weekend of it.

Often made with easy-to-find, everyday ingredients, they’re both wonderfully economical and oh-so versatile: They can be tossed in tomato sauce or pesto for a taste of Italy, simmered in broth with meat, tofu or veggies for an Asian-style soup, or tossed in a pot with seafood or cheese for a one-pan meal.

Noodles also make for great stir-fry, as Milk Street’s terrific new cookbook, “Noodles,” makes abundantly clear. From fast and saucy dishes such as shrimp with orzo and tomatoes to noodle soups, Japanese macaroni salad and Italian pastas, Christopher Kimble and his team travel the globe to gather recipes you can’t wait to slurp from a bowl or twist on a fork.

One that immediately caught my eye was a stir-fry combining thinly sliced flank steak with broccolini and rice stick noodles in a soy-garlic sauce. I don’t buy a lot of meat these days because it can break the bank, especially steak, so I like recipes that can stretch the protein into several servings by tossing it with other ingredients.

Rice stick noodles should be easy to find in the international section of your grocery store; Milk Street suggests wide noodles but I could only find medium and they worked just fine. You can also substitute thinly sliced broccoli for broccolini and even add a few red peppers for additional crunch and color.

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Rice Noodles with Thinly Sliced Flank Steak and Broccolini

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup soy sauce, divided, plus more to serve

2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing wine, divided

4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided

3 teaspoons oyster sauce, divided

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Ground white pepper

12 ounces flank steak, cut with the grain into 2- to 3-inch pieces, then thinly sliced against the grain

8 ounces dried rice stick noodles

Boiling water, to soak the noodles

3 tablespoons broccolini, halved lengthwise if thick

1 small yellow onion, halved and sliced about 1/4-inch thick

4 medium garlic cloves, minced

4 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths

DIRECTIONS

In medium bowl, whisk together 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sherry, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 teaspoon oyster sauce, cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. Add beef and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.

Place noodles in a large heat-proof bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let stand, stirring once or twice and separating any strands that are sticking together, until noodles are pliable, about 15 minutes, then drain. Toss with remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil and set aside,

In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons sherry, remaining 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, 3 tablespoons water and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. Set aside.

In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, heat grapeseed oil until barely smoking. Add beef in an even layer and cook without stirring until well browned on the bottom and pieces release easily from skillet.

Add broccolini, onion and garlic; cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, until onion is lightly browned and broccolini is bright green, about 3 minutes.

Add noodles, reduce to medium and cook, tossing to combine, for about 1 minute. Add soy mixture and scallions; cook, tossing and scraping up any browned bits, until the noodles are tender and have absorbed the sauce and the broccolini is tender-crisp, 3-5 minutes.

Off heat, taste and season with additional soy sauce and white pepper. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

— “Milk Street Noodles: Secrets to the World’s Best Noodles, from Fettuccine Alfredo to Pad Thai to Miso Ramen” by Christopher Kimball (Voracious, $35)

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/Tribune News Service

The curry-tinged chicken salad was served at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation luncheon in 1953, and it’s still extremely popular. But the coronation recipe released by Buckingham Palace — complete with social media campaign, videos, Prue Leith sightings and much hashtagging — is a royal-approved, veg-forward tart filled with spinach, broad beans and fresh tarragon.

Like all House of Windsor decisions, this one is already stirring controversy, which seems a bit much. So far, the criticisms include: That’s too much tarragon. Broad beans are a pain to peel. Tarragon — seriously? The pastry has lard! No tarragon!! And this is not a quiche, it’s spinach pie.

Here’s the recipe, courtesy of Buckingham Palace, which describes it as “a deep quiche with a crisp, light pastry case and delicate flavours of spinach, broad beans and fresh tarragon. Eat hot or cold with a green salad and boiled new potatoes — perfect for a Coronation Big Lunch!”

A few recipe notes: The palace instructions call for baking in a “flan tin.” You’ll want to use a tart pan with a removable bottom for ease of serving. There’s nothing in our supermarket vegetable bins labeled broad beans; look for fava beans or edamame. Broad beans should be double-shelled — shell them, blanch them, then slip off the skins — or look in the freezer case for pre-shelled edamame or favas. (And we won our independence in 1776, so if you don’t like tarragon, use another herb.)

P.S. The Guardian’s food maven, Felicity Cloake, says you’re probably going to want to bake this longer than the recipe calls for, if you want your quiche to look like the one in the palace video.

Coronation Quiche

Serves 6

PASTRY:

125g plain flour

Pinch of salt

25g cold butter, diced

25g lard

2 tablespoons milk

(Or use ready-made shortcrust pastry)

FILLING:

125ml milk

175ml double cream

2 medium eggs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Salt and pepper

100g grated cheddar cheese,

180g cooked spinach, lightly chopped

60g  cooked broad beans or soya beans

DIRECTIONS

To make the pastry: Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl; add the fats and rub the mixture together using your fingertips until you get a sandy, breadcrumblike texture.

Add the milk a little at a time and bring the ingredients together into a dough.

Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 30-45 minutes

Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry to a circle a little larger than the top of the tin and approximately 5mm thick.

Line the tin with the pastry, taking care not to have any holes or the mixture could leak. Cover and rest for a further 30 minutes in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 190°C (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper, add baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the greaseproof paper and baking beans.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (325 degrees Fahrenheit).

Beat together the milk, cream, eggs, herbs and seasoning.

Scatter 1/2 of the grated cheese in the blind-baked base, top with the chopped spinach and beans and herbs, then pour over the liquid mixture. If required, gently give the mixture a delicate stir to ensure the filling is evenly dispersed but be careful not to damage the pastry case.

Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until set and lightly golden.

— Courtesy of https://www.royal.uk/the-coronation-quiche

Little, sweet creamer potatoes or new potatoes are a spring crop. They have a short season, from April to June. Look for the very small ones, about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter, which don’t need a lot of cooking. You can use red or yellow potatoes instead. Cut them into 3/4-inch pieces.

Helpful Hints:

When you buy the salmon, ask for the salmon skin to be removed.

You can use any salmon fillet if wild salmon isn’t available.

You can find toasted sesame oil in the oil sections of the market, or you can use regular sesame oil instead.

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Sheet-Pan Sesame Salmon with Asparagus and New Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

1 pound new potatoes

2 tablespoons water

Olive oil spray

1/4 cup sesame seeds

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 pound wild caught salmon fillet, skin removed

1/2 pound asparagus

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons dried dill, optional garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash potatoes, do not peel, cut them in half. Add to a microwave safe bowl with the water. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Potatoes should be soft, add another minute if needed.

Spray a rimmed sheet pan with olive oil spray. Place sesame seeds on a plate, spoon lemon juice over salmon and add salmon to the plate. Press seeds onto both sides of the salmon. Place salmon on one end of the sheet pan. Remove hard ends from the asparagus and place on the sheet pan next to the salmon.
Place the microwaved potatoes next to the asparagus. Spray the asparagus and potatoes with the olive oil spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place sheet pan in the oven for 10 minutes.

Turn the oven on to broil. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes. The sesame seeds will start to brown, and potatoes become crisp. Watch to make sure they do not burn. A meat thermometer should read 125 degrees for the salmon and the asparagus and potatoes should be easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Drizzle the sesame oil over the salmon. Divide between two dinner plates. Sprinkle dried dill over the potatoes, if using.
Yield 2 servings.

– Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

Tribune News Service

At least that’s what happened to me on a recent trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Midweek during our trip, my husband and I braved the snowy Teton Pass into Idaho in my sister’s SUV so we could spend a few hours snowshoeing at the Grand Targhee Resort. Famished after clomping atop the (very deep and very packed!) snow, we stopped at The Provision Kitchen in the tiny town of Driggs for a little well-earned apres ski before heading back up the pass to Wyoming. I love anything with salsa verde, so the restaurant’s chilaquiles immediately caught my eye.

If you’ve never had it, chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican breakfast offering in which totopos — corn tortillas that have been cut into quarters and fried — are smothered in green or red salsa, then topped with garnishes such as queso fresco, black or refried beans, onion, fried or scrambled eggs and sliced avocado. It’s hearty, incredibly flavorful, pretty to look at and for the cook, super easy to make.

A cross between nachos and enchiladas, the dish is thought to date back to the time of the Aztecs, though an actual recipe didn’t appear until 1898, in Encarnacion Pinedo’s “The Spanish Cook.” It’s a great way to use up leftover tortillas or tortilla chips that would otherwise go to waste.

Served at The Provision Kitchen as a breakfast dish, mine came with a couple crispy pieces of bacon and an over-easy egg. Chorizo or pulled chicken or pork or beef barbacoa are other common toppings.

If you prefer red sauce, substitute about 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes for the tomatillos, and add 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth after they’ve been boiled and pureed. Then fry it in a couple tablespoons of oil for a few minutes to thicken.

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Chilaquiles Verde

INGREDIENTS

For sauce

1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed (about 10 medium-large)

2 or 3 jalapeños, stemmed and seeded

1/2 medium white onion

Large handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

Juice 1/2 lime

Kosher salt

For bowl

12 corn tortillas

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying

For serving

1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup sour cream, thinned with a little lime juice

1/2 cup queso fresco

4 fried or sunny-side up eggs

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

8 sliced crispy fried bacon

1 avocado, seeded and thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

Make sauce: Place tomatillos, jalapeños and onion in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and add enough water to completely cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer until vegetables are cooked through and soft, around 8-10 minutes. (Tomatillos will change color from bright to pale green.)

Transfer tomatillos, jalapeños and onion to a blender using a slotted spoon. Add cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and a generous pinch of salt and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt or lime juice if desired. Set aside.

Stack tortillas on top of each other and cut into eighths. Heat oil in a large frying pan, then fry wedges until brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, then place back into the pan.

Pour salsa verde on top, and toss gently to combine.

Portion tortillas into four bowls and top each with equal amounts of black beans. Drizzle sour cream on top, followed by equal amounts of queso fresco. Garnish each bowl with a fried or sunny-side up egg, sliced onion, 2 slices bacon and sliced avocado.

Serve immediately. Serves 4.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette/Tribune News Service

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Roasted Vegetable Focaccia Sandwich

INGREDIENTS

1 medium eggplant

1 large zucchini

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, pressed

Salt and coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

2 balls fresh mozzarella cheese (8 ounces), sliced

1 medium tomato, sliced

1 7 1/2-inch loaf focaccia bread (about 12 ounces)

1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 F. Cut eggplant and zucchini crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Combine eggplant, zucchini and oil in a mixing bowl. Press garlic into mixing bowl using a garlic press; toss to coat. Season with salt and black pepper, if desired.

Arrange vegetables in a single layer on a stoneware bar pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and deep golden brown. Remove from oven to a cooling rack; cool slightly.

Meanwhile, cut mozzarella and tomato into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut bread in half horizontally. Spread mayonnaise on cut surfaces.

To assemble sandwich, arrange basil leaves, vegetables, tomato slices, and mozzarella slices over bottom half of bread. Top with top half of bread. Cut into slices and serve (makes 6 servings).

What we want to see is green. After so many months of cold and dreary weather, green grass and blossoming trees are proof positive that the tide is turning and that our yards and gardens are (finally) coming back to life.

Spring also brightens up menus with tender, seasonal veggies and fresh flavors.

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Spinach Pesto

INGREDIENTS

For pasta

1 pound spaghetti, or other pasta of choice

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Extra Parmesan, shaved or shredded, to serve

Baby spinach, to serve

Toasted pine nuts, to serve

For pesto

4 tightly packed cups baby spinach leaves

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 tightly packed cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Make pesto: Place all ingredients except oil into a food processor. Jam that spinach in, there’s a LOT of it! Blitz until spinach is chopped into pesto-sized bits. Scrape the sides down as needed. With the motor running on low, pour oil in a thin stream. Set aside while you prepare pasta.

Cook spaghetti in boiling water with salt per the package directions. Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain spaghetti, then return to the empty pot.

Add a couple generous scoops of pesto to the pot with 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Toss well, using the extra water as needed to loosen. Add more pesto, if desired. Serve immediately while hot, or let it cool and serve at room temperature like you would a pasta salad. Either way, garnish with Parmesan, baby spinach, and pine nuts.

Serves 4.

— “RecipeTin Eats Dinner: 150 Recipes for Fast Everyday Meals” by Nagi Maehashi (Countryman Press, March 2023, $35)

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Cucumber Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 tablespoon low-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon sliced fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2 slices hearty wheat bread, such as Mediterra’s Mt. Anthos fire bread

1/3 cup thinly sliced English cucumber

DIRECTIONS

Stir cream cheese, yogurt, chives, dill and pepper together in a small bowl until well blended.
Spread the mixture evenly on one side of each bread slice. Top 1 slice with cucumber slices, then top with the other bread slice, cream cheese-side down. If you like, cut off crusts before cutting the sandwich in half diagonally, or leave intact for more heft.

Makes 1 sandwich.

— Adapted from eatingwell.com

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Lemon and Asparagus Quiche

INGREDIENTS

For crust

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

3 tablespoons ice water

For filling

1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed

1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter

2 small shallots, finely minced

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Zest from 1 lemon, preferably organic

2 large eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup minced mixed fresh herbs

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, optional

Olive oil, for brushing

DIRECTIONS

Prepare crust: In bowl of food processor, pulse flour and salt until combined, then add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. In separate bowl, whisk together egg and yolk with ice water. Add to flour mixture and pulse until moist crumbs start to form (no longer). Form dough into a disk (or 2 disks if making 2 quiches in pie plates), cover in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

After resting, let dough sit at room temperature until pliable, then roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 14-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, folding and pressing sides to an even thickness. (Or roll out 2 disks to 11-inch rounds and fit into 8- or 9-inch pie plates.)

Trim edge of dough flush with top of tart pan. (If using pie plates, fold edges of dough under and crimp as desired.) Wrap in plastic; freeze at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line crust with parchment, then fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake 20 minutes with a baking sheet on rack below; remove paper and beans. Let cool.

Reduce oven to 375 degrees.

Bring large skillet of salted water to a boil. Drop in asparagus and blanch for 3 minutes — or 90 seconds if you’ve got pencil asparagus (it shouldn’t be completely cooked). Drain in a colander, run under cold water and pat dry.

Cut off asparagus tips to make them about 3 inches long. If your asparagus is thick, slice lengthwise in half. Cut remaining stalks on the bias into slices about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide. Wipe out the skillet.

Put skillet over medium heat and add butter. When it’s melted, toss in shallots and cook, stirring, just until softened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and scrape into the crust, spreading them evenly. Add lemon zest and sliced asparagus stalks.

Whisk eggs, cream, sour cream and herbs together in a bowl just until blended. Season with salt (about 1/4 teaspoon) and pepper, then pour into prepared crust. Arrange asparagus tips (cut side down if you’ve halved them) in any way you like on top of the filling.

Bake quiche for 25-30 minutes, sprinkling on Parmesan cheese, if using, after quiche has been in the oven for 20 minutes. The quiche is done when the custard is set — a tester will come out clean — and puffed. Transfer to a rack and, if you like, brush olive oil over the top, using only enough to give it a gloss.

Serve quiche when it’s just warm or has come to room temperature. Makes 1 quiche.

— Adapted from Doriegreenspan.com

Tribune News Service