Delicious Summer Pasta Salad

Last night I made a fantastic recipe that I found on Epicurious, Orzo with Grilled Shrimp, Summer Vegetables and Pesto Vinaigrette. The best part about it was I had everything on hand except for the heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, which made for a short shopping list.

I didn't use near the amount of vinaigrette that the recipe makes; my recommendation would be to add just a little at a time until you are satisfied with the taste.  This recipe is a perfect meal for a hot summer evening when you are looking for something light to eat.  It's also kid-friendly, my daughter loved the pasta.

Ingredients
8 ounces orzo (about 1 1/3 cups)
6 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
2 medium zucchini or summer squash (about 9 ounces total), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 red or yellow bell pepper, quartered
3 tablespoons purchased pesto
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 heirloom tomatoes (8 to 10 ounces total), cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves plus sprigs for garnish
1 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Cooking Instructions
Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Transfer to large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat).

Whisk 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl. Brush zucchini and bell pepper with oil mixture, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk pesto, lime juice, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl for pesto vinaigrette. Place shrimp in medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons pesto vinaigrette; toss to coat.

Grill zucchini and bell pepper until crisptender, about 3 minutes per side for zucchini and 4 minutes per side for bell pepper. Transfer to work surface. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper; grill until charred and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Place shrimp in bowl with orzo. Chop zucchini and bell pepper; add to bowl with orzo. Add remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, sliced basil, and mozzarella; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover; chill.
Garnish with basil sprigs and serve cold or at room temperature. 
(Bon Appétit, June 2008, by Sara Foster)

This meal was rated 3.5 asparagus spears

Basil and Oregano

I had quite a bit of basil and oregano left from our first bushel; the only thing that came to mind to use it up was homemade pizza night! This of course is not a very original menu idea, especially for a Friday night but it's quick and easy!

Menu
Chicken Pesto Pizza
Italian Sausage and Fire Roasted Tomato Pizza

Chicken Pesto Pizza

To make the pesto sauce I followed the Barefoot Contessa's Pesto Recipe found on foodnetwork.com. This recipe yields 4 cups which is way more than you need for this so I cut the recipe in half.

Toppings

I used 1 large boneless chicken breast and seasoned it with sea salt, fresh ground pepper and some Montreal Steak seasoning.  I also chopped about a tablespoon of fresh oregano.  To prepare the chicken, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil along with 1/4 of diced red onion in a saute pan. (I would suggest increasing the red onion to 1/3 cup as I wasn't completely happy with the chicken to onion ratio).  Add the chicken to the same pan and brown on either side.  Remove onion and reserve once the they have softened. Continue to cook chicken until it is cooked thoroughly.  Once the chicken is done, dice into small bite size pieces and let cool.  I also sliced 3 roma tomatoes and had about 4oz of goat cheese and 2 tablespoons shredded of Parmigiano Reggiano on hand.

Preparing the Pizza
For the crust I used 365 Everyday Value Organic Pizza Crust from Whole Foods.  Cover the crust liberally with the prepared pesto sauce.  I used about half of the pesto sauce on this pizza (approximately 1 cup). Season with a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper.  Add the diced chicken and the cooked red onion.  The next layer is the slices of roma tomatoes. Crumble the goat cheese and sprinkle the shredded Parmigiano Reggiano.  Chop some fresh parsley and fresh oregano and sprinkle to the top of the pizza for color.  Cook at 400 degrees for approximately 12 minutes.

Italian Sausage and Fire-Roasted Tomato Pizza

The Italian sausage I used was something we purchased from Lemon Tree Grocer in Downers Grove. It's their Italian sausage with giardiniera and mozzarella. I removed the sausage from the casing and browned it.

I also used the 365 Everyday Value Organic Pizza Crust for this pizza.  Lightly coat the crust with a little olive oil and sprinkle with minced garlic (approximately 2 large cloves).  I also added a bit of the pesto sauce from prior recipe and spread it out on the crust.  I would say I only used about a tablespoon on this pizza.  Add a 14.5 oz can of Muir Glen Organic Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes. Be cautious with how much tomato juice gets on the crust as you don't want the crust to get soggy. The next layer should be the Italian Sausage.  Let it cool some before adding it so that you can crumble it into some smaller pieces as you are layering it onto the crust.  Sprinkle with some chopped oregano leaves and thyme leaves.  Add 1 1/4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese and a few small dollops of the pesto sauce to the top.  Finish the pizza with a couple leaves of chopped fresh basil and oregano.  This pizza also cooks at 400 degrees for approximately 12 minutes or until the cheese is browned.

My food critic rated the pizzas individually.

The Chicken Pesto Pizza was rated 3.5 asparagus spears

The Italian Sausage and Fire Roasted Tomato Pizza was rated 4 asparagus spears

Casual Dinner

We had a busy day today so tonight we had a very quick and easy meal. Plus I am saving my energy for tomorrow since I will be making Father's Day breakfast and dinner.

Menu

Ready to go in the oven

Bruschetta (trying to finish up the leftovers from earlier in the week)
Homemade pizza

Tonight I used a recipe that was recommended by my sister and her husband. We have made this pizza several times and it's delicious. The Triple Jump Pizza Recipe can be found on runnersworld.com

I was very excited to use some of our fresh spinach from the first bushel of veggies.  I don't follow this recipe exactly when I make this pizza.  For example, I used 3 garlic cloves and probably 2.5 cups of spinach.  As a result I end up using additional cheese, plus my husband LOVES cheese!

As far as the pizza crust goes I have been using the 365 Organic Original Pizza Crusts from Whole Foods. They come in a package of two and are really easy to use and quite tasty.  For the spicy sausage I have been using The Original Brat Hans Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage which is also from Whole Foods.

Yummy!

Using my husband's rating scale he said this was 4 asparagus spears. So give it a try!

Cheese Manicotti

Menu
Bruschetta
Caesar Salad
Manicotti









Making the Sauce
In a saute pan combine the following ingredients with about 1 tablespoon of good olive oil

1/3 lb of Pancetta, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced
Pinch of Kosher Salt
Dash of Cracked Black Pepper

Once the pancetta is browned and the onion has softened add the following ingredients. Simmer on low for at least an hour, stirring occasionally

1- 28oz can of crushed tomato

1- 28oz can of whole tomato (squeeze while adding)

a palm of kosher salt (approximately a tablespoon)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1- 6oz can of tomato paste with Italian Herbs

15 oz water

1 tablespoon sugar

While the sauce is cooking roast 3 heads of garlic in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.  To do this just place the heads of garlic with olive oil in aluminium foil.   Let the garlic cool down a bit before peeling away the outer layers of the skin. You should be able to squeeze out the cloves and mash slightly before adding to the sauce. Simmer sauce for another hour. Stir occasionally to break up the chunks of garlic


Bruschetta
3 plum tomatoes seeds removed, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
4 tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped
Dash of Kosher Salt and Cracked Black Pepper
1 1/4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon good olive oil

Slice a loaf of crusty bread with approximately 1/2 inch thickness
Place on cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toast for approximately 10 minutes at 350 degrees

Caesar Salad

Chop Romaine lettuce
Add croutons, some cracked black pepper and a little grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Toss with a dollop of Caesar dressing.  I used Cardini's. Their light Caesar dressing is pretty good too.

Preparing the Manicotti
Cook Manicotti noodles al dente per box instructions (I used Barilla and only made 1/2 the box or 7 shells). Let cool before stuffing

To make the filling combine in a bowl 1 pound of good Ricotta Cheese, 1 egg, 1 fresh mozzarella ball cut into small chunks, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, 1.5 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, a dash of kosher salt and cracked black pepper.

In a 9 x 13 pan, cover bottom with a couple ladles of sauce. Stuff each noodle with the filling. Cover noodles with more sauce. Slice another fresh mozzarella ball and place a slice or two over the top of each noodle.  Grate a bit of Parmigiano Reggiano.  Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Overall, I think the meal turned out well. The sauce was delicious.  I normally purchase my Ricotta cheese at the deli at a local store by our house. Unfortunately they were out so I had to resort to the prepackaged Ricotta and there is definitely a big difference.  This Ricotta was much thinner than the kind I normally use.  Although the filling still had pretty good flavor. So make sure you use "Good" Ricotta cheese for the filling.

The nice thing about this meal is you can make a lot of it ahead of time.  If you have limited time you can saute the onions, garlic and pancetta ahead of time along with roasting the garlic.  The next day combine all the ingredients into a crock pot and let the sauce cook on low while you are at work.

You can also make the bruschetta topping and the toasts ahead of time.  Just wait until right before you are going to eat before plating them.  I use this bruschetta recipe all the time as an appetizer when we are having company.

Buon Appetito!!!