Basil Pesto

2 – 4 ounce bags fresh basil, stems removed

¾ C toasted walnuts

6 garlic cloves

1 t salt

1 t pepper

1 C grated parmesan cheese (a middle-of-the-road parmesan is fine, like DiGiorno)

Olive oil

top off with a thin layer of olive oil

Using a food processor, drop garlic cloves through the feed tube while machine is running. Once garlic is fully minced, add remaining ingredients – except olive oil. Turn machine on and drizzle olive oil through the feed tube until desired consistency is achieved. See photo. This makes about 2 cups of pesto. Once you go to the trouble of making pesto, you might as well freeze some for future use. Great on pasta, sandwiches, salads, flatbread, soup and more. This recipe uses walnuts instead of the traditional pine nuts. Gentler on your wallet. AND just as tasty.

Mango Pico

2 large mangoes, peeled and diced small

1 small red onion, diced small

1 small bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

2-3 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced

1 sweet red pepper, trimmed and diced small

Zest of one lime

Zest of half an orange

½ t salt

2 T fresh lime juice

2 T olive oil

Prep all ingredients according to specifications. When you go to a Mexican restaurant, look at how they prepare pico de gallo. Is it fresh and diced well? When preparing the mango pico, chop ingredients in a uniform manner. Nothing should be extremely smaller or larger than the other ingredients. Take pride in this tedious exercise. Balance of flavors and a nice presentation depend on your efforts. If you want to make ahead, just prepare the vegetables, mango and zest. Add the lime juice, olive oil and salt about 30 minutes prior to service. The addition of these start to break down the other items. I like the mango pico to have crunch and freshness. Often it can be slimy and past its peak.

Panzanella Salad

4-5 slices of stale ciabatta bread, cubed and baked

1 ½ pounds of gourmet cherub tomatoes, halved

1 large shallot, finely diced

4 balls fresh mozzarella, cubed

8-10 leaves fresh basil, torn into larger pieces

12 pitted Kalamata olives, diced small

Simple vinaigrette

For ciabatta bread, slice into ¾ inch thick slices. Stale bread works best. It absorbs the olive oil better. Who doesn’t have some stale bread? Generously brush each side of the sliced ciabatta with EVOO. Cubed the bread into bite-sized pieces. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden in color. Remove and cool. The rest is an assembly of ingredients. None of the remaining components are critical measures really. I call them subjective measures. I like lots of basil. Some may like more olives. Your food passion makes the call. There should be some balance of flavor! Combine ingredients and dress with a simple vinaigrette prior to serving. The “croutons” have a nice light crunch. This is a great summer salad. Wonderful tomato choices now too. Heirlooms, homegrowns, cherubs, all good. Mix it up for color and variety. Enjoy this bite of summer goodness.

Split Pea Soup with Ham

¼ C olive oil, plus another ¼ C of olive oil

1 center cut ham steak, trimmed and diced

1 yellow onion, diced small

4 celery stalks, diced small

4-5 carrots, diced small

classic mirepoix or holy trinity, many good things begin here

5 whole cloves

1 T dried thyme

6-8 bay leaves

1 pound split peas, rinsed

8 C chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

In a preheated soup pot, add ¼ C olive oil. Add diced ham and cook over medium heat until ham pieces develop a nice brown color. Please be patient. Develop good color. You should not rush this with high heat as you can burn the ham and develop a bitter taste. Remove browned ham to a paper towel lined plate. Pour off remaining oil. Add the remaining ¼ C of olive oil to the pot and add celery, onion, carrots and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables release their liquid. Continue to cook until liquid starts to evaporate leaving a nice brownish color on the bottom of the pan. See photos! Remember, brown = flavor. Browning the ham and veggies is the most important step in the recipe as depth of flavor is being created. The rest is simmering and waiting for the peas to cook. Once veggies have started to brown and your pot has a nice coloring on the bottom, add a small amount of stock and deglaze. Reduce down to a thick liquid. Add remaining stock, cloves, thyme, bay leaves and peas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until peas soften and break apart. If soup is too thick, add more stock. Add reserved ham pieces and continue to simmer. Adjust seasoning at this point with salt and pepper. Serve this bowl of comfort with croutons and enjoy a real classic.

Coconut Almond Macaroons with Chocolate Ganache

(makes 15 medium-sized macaroons)

1 – 14 ounce bag of sweetened flake coconut

2/3 C flour

½ t salt

2/3 C almond slices, toasted

1 – 14 ounce can of condensed milk

1 t vanilla

Combine coconut, flour and salt in a mixing bowl and mix well with your hands. Break up clumps of coconut. Add almonds and gently mix. Try to keep almonds from breaking. Add condensed milk and vanilla. Pour vanilla over condensed milk. Mix well using a “folding type” motion. Lift from the bottom of the bowl up. Once blended, portion batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet using an ice cream scoop. Don’t pack the scoop. Just use it as a form. (Tip: spray your baking sheet with non-stick baking spray first and then press parchment onto baking sheet. Acts like “glue”.)

Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 15 minutes. Rotate and bake another 15 minutes or so or until golden brown. Careful when opening the oven door as coconut smell can burn your eyes. Remove macaroons to a cooling rack. Before serving, dip the tops of the macaroons into chocolate ganache. These satisfy chocoholics and coco NUTS. The chocolate ganache is always best dipped fresh. Store macaroons without sauce. Then, dip before you serve.

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

4 ciabatta rolls, split open

2 medium-sized eggplant, peeled and sliced in rounds

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 C of feta cheese, crumbled

Large bunch of fresh mint

Roasted red pepper aioli

Peel and slice eggplant into ½ inch rounds. Brush one side generously with olive oil and a spritz of salt and pepper. Place, oil side down, into a preheated grill pan. Brush with oil and season the other side. Cook until eggplant softens and is marked. Do not overcook. Just look for marks and a slight softening in texture.

To assemble the sandwich: spread both sides of the ciabatta bread with the aioli. Layer on eggplant, red onion, feta and mint. See photo. Brush tops of sandwiches with olive oil and place in a Panini press for grilling. Alternately, place sandwiches back in your grill pan and weight the tops and flip over to crisp the other side.

Just crisp up the bread. No need to heat all the way through. Slice on the diagonal and serve. These are incredible. Flavor packed, great texture, and punches of freshness.

Marinated Olives

1 C pitted Kalamata olives

1 C pitted Manzanilla olives

Zest of 1 small lemon

Zest of half an orange

1 ½ t Herbes de Provence

½ t red pepper flakes

1 ½ t fennel seeds

1 T minced garlic

3-4 bay leaves

¼ C EVOO

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix. Let olives marinate for several hours before serving. They can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Serve at room temperature.

Herbes de Provence is a savory mix of dried herbs including rosemary, thyme, savory, marjoram and lavender.

How can you go wrong with that flavor combination?

Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 C mayonnaise

1 roasted red pepper, patted dry

Zest of half an orange

Pinch of Italian parsley

1 t capers, drained

Several dashes of Tobasco

Drop garlic through the feed tube of a food processor while the machine is running. Once garlic is completely minced, add the remaining ingredients. Process until smooth and store in refrigerator. Good for 1 week. In addition to being a delicious spread for sandwiches, this aioli is great as a topping for fish, crab cakes and fried shrimp.

“Aioli” is fancy language for garlic mayo. Jarred roasted peppers are fine to use.

Simple Vinaigrette

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ C white wine vinegar

2 t Dijon

½ t salt

½ t black pepper

1 t agave nectar

¾ C EVOO

In a bowl, combine minced garlic, vinegar, Dijon, salt, pepper and agave nectar. Whisk to combine. Drizzle in EVOO while whisking. Continue to whisk until a smooth consistency is formed.

Blueberry, Lemon and Ricotta Muffins

(makes 2 dozen medium-sized muffins)

Pull it all together before starting.

1 ½ sticks, soft butter

1 ½ C sugar

Zest of 1 small lemon

3 eggs, room temperature

1 ½ t vanilla

¼ C half and half

1 C ricotta cheese, whole milk

2 ½ C flour

2 t baking powder

½ t salt

½ t soda

2 C fresh blueberries

Add butter, sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using paddle attachment, cream mixture. Combine eggs, vanilla and half and half in a pourable container. With mixer running, add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Combine dry flour, baking powder, salt and soda in a mixing bowl and whisk to blend. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry mix and the ricotta cheese to the egg/butter mix. Begin with the dry mix and end with the dry mix. Use lowest speed and minimize your paddle use. You can finish folding by hand. Add blueberries 1 C at a time and carefully fold into the batter without bursting the berries. A gentle touch can pull this off. Reserve a few berries for poking into the tops. Portion batter into a muffin tin sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Place reserved berries on top of each muffin submerging them just into the batter. Sprinkle raw sugar on top of each and place into a preheated 375 degree oven. Bake 12 minutes, rotate and bake an additional 12 minutes more or until the muffins are just set. Remove tin from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing muffins to a cooling rack. These are incredible. So moist. So full of berries. Enjoy.