basil

Herbs Over Burrata

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Cut Above: Herbs Over Burrata! A fresh mozzarella ball and a fresh burrata ball may appear to be the same thing, but actually they are quite different, kind of. Burrata has an outer skin of mozzarella, but the secret lies in the inner pouch filled with fresh cheese curds and cream. This makes it more flavorful, rich-tasting, and buttery. By adding chopped herbs and seasoning, burrata transforms into an elegant appetizer that will impress even the fussiest palate. Don’t believe me? What have you got to lose? Worst case scenario, you get it all to yourself. 

HERBS OVER BURRATA 

Ingredients:

2 small burrata balls, room temperature 

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon champagne vinegar

1 package garlic bagel chips 

Instructions:

Place the burrata balls in a shallow dish. Combine chopped parsley, chopped basil, chopped chives, sesame seeds, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Add olive oil and champagne vinegar. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Make a cut across the tops of the burrata to release the luscious center inside. Spoon the herb mixture over the top and dredge eat bite onto garlic bagel chips. 

Green Pepper Dip

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Green Pepper Dip!  Nothing says “presentation” like a vegetable dip served in a green pepper. If you don’t believe me, try this for your next gathering. People practically “oooh” and “aaah” when you enter the room with it. The best part is a subtle flavor of the pepper blends into the dip. Hint: Do your homework at the produce aisle. Make sure you buy a pepper that will sit straight on the serving dish. 

GREEN PEPPER DIP

Ingredients:

1 Large Green Bell Pepper 

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon dill weed

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

Instructions:

Cut top off green pepper. Carefully scoop out all seeds and the four ribs. Rinse and pat dry. Combine all remaining ingredients. Mix well. Gently fill the pepper with dip, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least one hour. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits. Serve with crudités and crackers. 

Goat Cheese Baked in an Herb Crust

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Goat Cheese Baked in an Herb Crust! This elegant appetizer is the perfect compliment for an intimate gathering. The soft creamy cheese spreads nicely on bagel chips and water biscuits. I serve it together with shrimp cocktail and Sauvignon Blanc simply because of its aromatic uniqueness. 

GOAT CHEESE BAKED in an HERB CRUST

Ingredients:

8 ounce Goat Cheese Log

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Herbs:

1 tablespoon oregano 

1 tablespoon basil

1 tablespoon marjoram 

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon minced onion

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Combine herbs and sprinkle on a piece of waxed paper. Gently roll the cheese log in the herb mixture to coat it completely. Place goat cheese in a covered baker and drizzle with olive oil. Bake covered until softened, about 15-20 minutes. For a crusty top, brown for a few minutes more under the broiler. 

***Leftovers are a delicious substitute for mozzarella in the recipe for Letter C, Caprese Salad. 

Caprese Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen?  Caprese Salad!  Here’s a refreshingly healthy salad alternative to the traditional Cobb Salad. This little number boasts an international flavor with an Italian influence.  Right now fresh tomatoes-on-the-vine are available at the market. Hand-pick them in any size cluster you desire.  All natural mozzarella makes all the difference, especially when surrounded by this season’s basil leaves. Pluck the basil from your window herb garden or go straight to the organic produce section of your favorite grocers.  As you dive in to this crispy salad, notice the colors of the flag of Italy.  Grazie, grazie molto!

CAPRESE SALAD

Ingredients:

4-6 Roma Tomatoes 

16 oz. Marinated Mozzarella*

24 Fresh Basil Leaves

2 T Red Onion, slivered

Herbed Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Garlic Wine Vinegar 

Directions:

Cut the tomatoes into wedges.  Add the mozzarella cheese, onion, and basil. Gently toss with drizzled olive oil and vinegar to taste. 

***May Substitute Herbed Goat Cheese. Watch for this recipe in Letter G.

 

Italian Compound Butter

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Symphony of Flavors: Italian Compound Butter! Compound butter tickles your taste buds in ways you can’t begin to imagine. Go one step further than ordinary butter by adding an Italian twist to it. The sun-dried tomatoes and yellow mini sweet pepper not only add color, they conjure up serving ideas that will make your head spin. Think pasta or potatoes, crusty artisan bread warm from the oven, seafood and fish, cheesy omelets, grilled veggies, and more. You’re only limited by your imagination. Plan ahead to make a batch to give as a hostess gift for that dinner party you’re attending next week. For everyone it’s a definite win-win. 

ITALIAN COMPOUND BUTTER

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped

1 tablespoon yellow mini sweet pepper, finely chopped

1/4 tablespoon garlic, minced 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves

Garlic bagel chips, for serving

Instructions:

In a bowl, cream butter with sun-dried tomatoes, yellow mini sweet pepper, minced garlic, and sea salt. Stir. Fold in fresh basil and thyme leaves. Mix until combined. Place a sheet of waxed paper on the counter. Spoon compound butter onto sheet. Roll the waxed paper over the butter to form a log. Roll tight and twist both ends. Refrigerate one hour or until firm. Serve with garlic bagel chips. 

Vine-Ripened Tomato Flatbread

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Uplifting Aromas: Vine-Ripened Tomato Flatbread! I miss my vegetable garden. Although it wasn’t huge, it provided me with tomatoes in all shapes and sizes. I used to snack on cherry tomatoes as I picked a handful for the evening dinner salad. Sometimes the juices would squirt out of my mouth, which made me thankful no one was around to be the target of such fluid madness. The Roma tomatoes were perfect when puréed into a delectable sauce for pasta or pizza. And the beefsteak varieties provided enough texture to hold everything together in a salty BLT smothered in mayonnaise. Talk about a sensory explosion. Ah, yes, tomatoes make me very happy. 

VINE-RIPENED TOMATO FLATBREAD 

Ingredients: 

1 naan flatbread 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon cornmeal 

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tomatoes, sliced and halved 

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

1/4 cup provolone cheese, shredded 

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend

Fresh Basil, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Brush the bottom of the naan flatbread with olive oil. Dust with cornmeal. Sprinkle with garlic powder and sea salt. Bake flatbread, seasoned side down, on a pizza pan for 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Arrange tomato slices over the top of the flatbread. Cut mozzarella cheese slices in half and cover the tomatoes. Top with shredded provolone cheese. Sprinkle Italian herb blend over all. Bake 10 minutes longer, or until cheese is gooey and tomatoes have softened. Drizzle with more olive oil, if desired.  Garnish flatbread with fresh basil. 

Another Egg Salad Recipe

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Uplifting Aromas: Another Egg Salad Recipe! Just what you need…….another way to make egg salad at home. What’s the mystery, you ask, rolling your eyes and shaking your head from side to side. Well sometimes those extra calories in mayonnaise can blow up a diet, if you know what I mean. Besides, I’m a huge fan of olive oil and fresh basil to make a dish flavorful. Sweet vidalia onions are a nice compromise to its distant cousin, the purplish-red onions, so you choose which way to go. Fair warning, though, this scaled down version of egg salad won’t stick together like glue. You’re better off eating it with a fork, spooning it onto a bed of baby spinach leaves, or scooping it off the plate onto a multigrain cracker. 

ANOTHER EGG SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients:

4 hard boiled eggs, cooked and chopped

1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

2 stems fresh basil leaves, snipped

Instructions:

In a serving bowl, combine chopped hard boiled eggs and sweet onion pieces. Drizzle olive oil over all. Sprinkle Himalayan sea salt to taste. Add fresh basil snips. Gently toss and serve.

Cross-Cross Party Loaf

Eating My Way Through the Holidays! Special Edition: Cross-Cross Party Loaf! Every buffet table should offer this yummy garlic cheese bread as a grande centerpiece. It commands attention by its savory aroma, golden crust, and strings of ooey-gooey cheese. Oh. My. Gosh. Choose any artisan bread: sesame, sourdough, rye, baguette, or round. No matter how many times you make it, you’ll be the hit of every gathering. Bread-lovers unite!

CRISS-CROSS PARTY LOAF

Ingredients:

1 loaf artisan bread

6 ounces Havarti cheese, sliced

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon oregano 

1/8 teaspoon marjoram 

1/8 teaspoon basil

1-2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the artisan bread on the baking sheet. Cut the bread diagonally in a crisscross design, stopping near the base without cutting through. Combine olive oil, garlic powder, sea salt, oregano, marjoram, and basil. Mix well. Cut each slice of Harvarti cheese into strips. Separate each segment and brush with olive oil mixture. Place a strip of cheese in each crack. Repeat until the bread is saturated. Wrap bread in foil. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted. Unwrap foil. Drizzle with melted butter; sprinkle with dill weed.  Bake 5 minutes longer. Serve warm. Guests may pull apart crusty segments as needed. 

Strawberry Basil Spread

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Fabulous Fixings: Strawberry Basil Spread! Is it a dessert….or an appetizer?!?!  Strawberries are such a versatile fruit. They may often be added to a garden salad featured on restaurant menus or as a topping on waffles, pancakes, and ice cream. Everyone seems to find favor in their sweet and tangy flavor. After all, strawberries are candy-like, naturally juicy, and sometimes creamy…..especially when slathered onto a cracker topped with Neufchâtel cheese. You seriously cannot go wrong with this tantalizing recipe. Plus, it looks good enough to eat. Wouldn’t you agree?

STRAWBERRY BASIL SPREAD

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries 

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

8-ounce block Neufchâtel cheese

1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

Fresh strawberries, for garnish

Instructions:

Place the frozen strawberries, sugar, and balsamic vinegar in a mixing bowl. Allow the strawberries to thaw for 30 minutes. Mash the ingredients together using a fork. Leave small chunks for texture. Place the block of Neufchâtel cheese on a serving platter. Slowly spoon the strawberry sauce over the block of cheese. Chop fresh strawberries; arrange over top and around sides where the sauce has spilled over. Sprinkle with thinly sliced basil leaves. Serve with sea salt pita crackers.