Blue Cayenne

Yields 8 Servings

Artichoke Torta

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Ingredients

• Fine Sea salt
• 2 pounds baby artichoke hearts (I used Trader Joe's frozen artichoke heart quarters)
• Unsalted butter
• 1/4 C. extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra as needed)
• 1 large onion (diced)
• 3 large garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/4 t. freshly-ground black pepper (plus extra to taste)
• 1/2 C. fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (chopped)
• 1 t. dried Italian seasoning or plain oregano
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 C. plain coarse fresh breadcrumbs
• 7 large eggs
• 1 C. freshly-grated parmesan cheese (approximately 2 ounces)

Instructions

1. Defrost the frozen artichokes and toss them in as much melted unsalted butter as your conscience will allow.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Add 1/4 C. olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Sauté the onion until it is translucent. This will take about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic to the onion mixture and sauté for a minute. Add artichokes, 1 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper to the pan with the onions. Add parsley, Italian seasoning and nutmeg to the artichoke mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
4. Using olive oil, brush the bottom of your baking dish. (You will want to use a 2 to 2 1/2 quart baking dish for this recipe.) Pour 1/2 C. breadcrumbs into your baking dish and shake the dish to evenly distribute the crumbs on the bottom of the dish. Set the prepared dish aside.
5. Using a large bowl, whisk the 7 eggs, 1/4 t. salt and a grind of pepper together. Gradually add the cooled artichoke mixture to the whisked eggs. (Be careful here, if your artichoke mixture is too hot it will cook the eggs.) Add 1/2 C. breadcrumbs and all the the parmesan to this mixture.
6. Pour the artichoke batter into your prepared baking dish and spread it out to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 C. breadcrumbs over the top of the artichoke batter and drizzle some olive oil over the crumbs. The addition of the olive oil will cause the crumbs to crisp in your oven.
7. Bake until the crumbs are lightly brown and the eggs are set. This will take 35 to 45 minutes. (You can use a toothpick to check the eggs for doneness.) When your torta is done, let it sit on your counter for at least 10 minutes before serving.
8. Garnish with sliced tomatoes, chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan.
9. This dish can be served warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories

503 cal

Fat

37 g

Carbs

17 g

Protein

21 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

Yields 6 to 8

Mashed Potato Salad with Scallions and Herbs

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds red potatoes or small white creamers (cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks)
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (plus more juice for serving)
• 2 t. minced fresh rosemary
• 1 t. fine sea salt (or to taste)
• 1 t. coarsely ground black pepper
• Dash or two of hot sauce (or to taste)
• 1/3 C. extra-virgin olive oil (with more to drizzle over the top of the salad)
• 6 T. mayonnaise
• 4 T. sour cream
• 3/4 T. Dijon mustard (or to taste)
• 1/2 C. thinly-sliced scallions (white and green pats)
• 1/4 C. chopped parsley
• 2 T. chopped basil or dill
• Tomato rose for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook potatoes in salted water until tender. This will take 15-20 minutes. Drain.
2. Whisk lemon zest, lemon juice, rosemary, salt, pepper and hot sauce in a large mixing bowl. When the salt is dissolved, whisk in olive oil, mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard.
3. Add chopped potatoes to the dressing while the potatoes are still warm and carefully mix to coat the potatoes. Mixing the potatoes with the dressing while they are warm will enhance the potato's ability to absorb the flavor of the dressing. Once this is done, mash about 1/4 of the potatoes. Stir the mashed potatoes to mix them with the remaining potato chunks. Fold in scallions and parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt, lemon juice, hot sauce and olive oil to your taste. Garnish with chopped basil or chopped dill.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yields 6 Servings

Israeli Couscous, Eggplant and Tomato Gratin

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds eggplant (sliced into rounds about 1/3 inch thick)
• Salt to taste
• 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 C. cooked Israeli couscous
• 8 ounces fresh spinach (or more)
• 2 C. Julia Child's tomato sauce provencale ( Julia Child's Tomato Sauce Provencale )
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese (grated--about 1/2 C. tightly packed)
• 6 ounces grated mozzarella cheese (or more)
• 3 ounces feta cheese or ricotta
• Chiffonade-cut fresh basil to garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line your baking sheet with foil and brush the foil with a little oil.
2. Slice eggplant and toss it in salt and 1 T. oil. Place your eggplant slices on your prepared baking sheet. Roast eggplant slices in your oven for 15 minutes. When done, the tops of the eggplant slices will look dry and you will be able to easily pierce the slices with the tines of a fork. Remove the tray of eggplant slices from the oven and, wearing heat-proof gloves, fold the sides of the foil up and over the eggplant to make a sealed packet. Let the packet of eggplant slices sit for 15 minutes; this will permit your eggplant to cook a bit more.
3. Reduce heat in your oven to 375 degrees F.
4. Oil a gratin dish. Prepare Israeli couscous by putting it in a large heated saucepan over medium-high heat. Toast the couscous until it just begins to take on come brown color and it is aromatic. Quickly, add two quarts of water and salt to taste. Boil for 10 minutes. The couscous pasta should be al dente but not mushy when it is ready and there will still be plenty of water in your pan when the couscous is cooked. Drain the couscous and rinse with cool water. Return the drained couscous to the cooking pot, cover it with a dishtowel and the pot lid and let it sit for 10 minutes.
5. Put prepared couscous in a large bowl and add 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Spoon the couscous and tomato sauce mixture into your prepared gratin dish to make a layer.
6. Boil water and briefly immerse spinach in the water. Drain spinach, being sure to squeeze out as much water as possible once the spinach has cooked. Spread a thin layer of the spinach over the couscous. Sprinkle crumbled feta or ricotta on top of the spinach layer.
7. Arrange cooked eggplant slices on top of the spinach/couscous/cheese layer. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the eggplant and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and grated mozzarella. Sprinkle a scattering of chiffonade sliced fresh basil leaves.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. The dish should be browned and bubbling when it is finished. Let the dish sit on your counter for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes