garlic

Za’atar Feta Dip

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Za’atar Feta Dip! It’s time to shake up the party with an appetizer favorite that won’t just sit on the table and be ignored. There’s no need to announce this popular Middle Eastern spice since, you know, people could likely turn up their noses and walk away. The secret is to pique their curiosity by making it look enticing. However, if you’re cornered into revealing this secret ingredient, simply mumble your way through za’atar’s blend of ingredients like oregano, marjoram, and thyme. As your voice trails off, they’ve already scooped up enough to slather on a chip and take a bite. It’s earthy. It’s tangy. It’s lusciously smooth and creamy. Now they suddenly want more. 

ZA’ATAR FETA DIP 

Ingredients: 

6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

4 ounces cream cheese, softened 

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon za’atar seasoning

1 tablespoon pistachios, roughly chopped

Fresh mint, for garnish

Raw Honey, for garnish 

Instructions: 

In a food processor, combine feta cheese, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, honey, minced garlic, and za’atar seasoning. Blend on High setting until smooth. Scoop mixture into a serving dish and smooth with a spoon. Make a small well in the center and fill with additional honey. Garnish with crushed pistachios, fresh mint, and a sprinkling of za’atar seasoning. Serve with mini pretzels or toasted bagel chips. 

Robust Tomato Sauce

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Robust Tomato Sauce! Tomatoes are my superfood. Slow-cooked tomatoes are my staple. Honestly, I can justify making tomato sauce all day long to anyone who would listen. What it “simmers” down to is a savory, garlicky, fragrance that fills the house with anticipation of what comes next. Call me a cheater, which I won’t deny, because I am a snob about beginning with San Marzano plum tomatoes grown in Italy. My eighth grade home economics teacher taught me to keep things simple. She said, “High quality ingredients can make an ordinary dish taste extraordinary. Always read the label!” To this day, I check the ingredient list because too often the additives can be artificial. And nobody wants that. 

ROBUST TOMATO SAUCE

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 garlic cloves, minced

28-ounce can whole peeled Italian tomatoes

3 ounces tomato paste

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:

In a large pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add chopped onion and diced carrot. Sauté for 8 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Add minced garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Purée tomatoes with sauce in blender. Add to the onion-carrot mixture in the pan. Stir in tomato paste, fresh basil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, black pepper, and sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low setting and allow mixture to simmer for 25 minutes. Footnote: Robust Tomato Sauce can be simmered on low heat for up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Lobster Au Gratin

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Lobster Au Gratin! Go to any lobster hut along the eastern seaboard and you’re bound to see “Baked Lobster Pie” on the menu. Ask the server about it, and you may see her mouth drool and eyes roll back as she explains the buttery cracker topping mixed with luscious lobster chunks. And butter. Did I mention butter? Real butter. Just before she turns on her heel to sashay back to the kitchen to fill your drink order, she’ll mention an afterthought, “Of course you can order it without the cracker topping.” By that time you’ve already made up your mind and respond without thinking, “Um, duh. Why would I do that?” Her smile says it all. 

LOBSTER AU GRATIN

Ingredients: 

2-3 lobster tails, cooked and cut into bite-size chunks

1 1/2 cups Ritz* crackers, crushed

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons sherry

1/4 cup light cream

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Parsley, for garnish

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2 individual casserole dishes with nonstick oil. Place them on a baking sheet. Set aside. Combine crushed crackers, chopped parsley, parmesan cheese, melted butter, and garlic powder. Mix well. Set aside. In small bowl, combine sherry, light cream, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper. Mix well. Divide the cooked lobster between the two prepared casserole dishes. Spread the buttery cracker topping evenly over the lobster. Carefully pour the cream mixture over the top. Do not overflow. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden brown. Remove the casseroles from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley. 

*I receive no recompense for mentioning Ritz crackers. 

Hearty Roasted Carrots

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Hearty Roasted Carrots! My husband is a fan of savory-sweet carrots. Then again, he could eat his weight in cooked carrots. When roasting them in the oven, I have noticed an enhanced sweetness emerges from the oven’s dry heat. That might explain the love affair it creates. As they roast in the olive oil and seasonings, a strange phenomenon occurs. Natural caramelization adds a flavorful profile making them fork-tender and irresistible. No wonder they say “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. Show your partner how much you love them. 

HEARTY ROASTED CARROTS

Ingredients: 

I pound garden carrots, peeled

2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

1/4 cup olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 lime, cut in half

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat. Set aside. In a large bowl, toss carrots with garlic cloves, olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Pour veggies onto the prepared baking sheet. Arrange into a single layer. Squeeze lime juice over all; then place cut limes onto baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, flip and roast 15 minutes longer, or until tender. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over carrots. Bake 5 minutes longer to form a slight glaze. Remove from oven and serve immediately. 

Copycat 1905 Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Copycat 1905 Salad! If you’ve ever traveled to St. Augustine, Florida, located in the heart of historic downtown is a place that’s been in business for a while now. It’s called the Columbia Restaurant offering Spanish/Cuban cuisine. You can always expect a long line of people that trails around the corner toward the Spanish-style fountain. Once inside, most customers insist on their signature 1905 tossed salad and then work their way through the menu. Now you can enjoy this specialty at home without the cost of a plane ticket. 

COPYCAT 1905 SALAD

Ingredients:

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Salad:

I head iceberg lettuce, shredded or gently torn

1/2 pound deli ham slices, julienned 

1/3 pound Swiss cheese, julienned

10 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

5 ounces green olives, sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

5 ounces garlic croutons

2 ounces parmesano reggiano cheese, grated

Instructions:

In an extra large salad bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, dried oregano, sea salt, and black pepper. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine ice berg lettuce, ham slices, Swiss cheese, cherry tomatoes, green olives, red onion, garlic croutons, and parmesano reggiano cheese. Gently toss. Add prepped salad contents to the dressing. Toss to thoroughly coat the salad with the dressing. Serve in individual salad bowls. 

Basil Tomato Pesto

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Basil Tomato Pesto! With a vibrant basil plant that thrives in the Florida sunshine, I get to reap the benefit of having this fresh herb as often as I crave it. The hubs doesn’t care for the taste or aroma of basil, but when I add a heaping tablespoon of pesto to spaghetti sauce, he knows he likes the taste. He just can’t figure out why it seems better than usual. True confessions? I think not! My lips are sealed. I simply respond, “I’ve got the magic touch.” And leave it at that. 

BASIL TOMATO PESTO

Ingredients:

1 cup cherry tomatoes

10-15 basil leaves

1/3 cup roasted pistachios, slightly chopped

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions:

Combine cherry tomatoes, basil leaves, roasted pistachios, garlic powder, and kosher salt in a food processor. Pulse to blend into a fine purée. Scrape the sides down and turn the processor to Low setting. As it is running, pour the olive oil into the mixture in a continuous stream. The tomato pesto will thicken nicely. Transfer to a serving bowl; garnish with fresh basil leaves. 

You Are What You Eat

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Daily Special: You Are What You Eat! I’ve been hearing this phrase my entire life, and it wasn’t until recently I actually began paying attention to it again. Oh sure, I knew moderation was key, exercise important, and water essential. I tried to maintain a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy, meats, and even fats because it made a difference in how well I felt. Plus it reflected in my energy level as well. So, as I was collecting all this produce, it seemed like a no-brainer to share the snapshot with everyone. Bon Appétit.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Ingredients:

Tomatoes

Green Beans

Assorted Peppers

Corn on the Cob

Zucchini 

Onion

Garlic

Squash

Instructions:

Wash the vegetables. Eat them raw, cooked, puréed, chopped, minced, buttered, grilled, roasted, par-boiled, or baked. 

“Make food simple

and let things taste

of what they are.”

~ Curnonsky (Maurice Edmond Sailland)

French Writer (1872-1956)

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Daily Special: Tomatillo Salsa Verde! The grower at the Farmers Market literally gave me her version of roasting tomatillos as she handed me her bounty. “Pull out your iron skillet, peel and quarter the tomatillos, throw in some garlic cloves, and roast it together in your oven. Simple.” Imagine my smile later that afternoon as I presented a dish of the freshest aromatic salsa verde to my husband for “Happy Hour”. Served with organic corn chips and a citrus margarita, it created quite a buzz!

TOMATILLO SALSA VERDE

Ingredients:

5-6 medium size tomatillos, peeled and stems removed

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cumin powder

3 jalapeño pickled peppers, sliced

Instructions:

Remove the crackly husks covering the fresh tomatillos. Rinse well to remove the sticky residue on the skin. Quarter each tomatillo and place in a seasoned iron skillet. Add garlic and sweet onion. Sprinkle with salt and cumin powder. Place skillet in the oven on highest setting for Broil. Check after 5 minutes, turn the vegetables, and broil another 5 minutes. They should appear soft and slightly charred. There will be juice in the skillet, so handle with care. Transfer vegetables to a food processor. Add jalapeño peppers and purée on pulse setting. 

Lazy “Lobster” Wrap

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Daily Special: Lazy “Lobster” Wrap! When you don’t live at the ocean where lobster is in abundant supply, the next best thing is an imitation variety. Alaska pollock is not only heart-healthy, fat-free, and packed with omega-3 in every serving, it’s readily available at your neighborhood market. Amazingly, this mock lobster is a surprising alternative. Eat it now and with the money you save, you can stuff yourself with real lobster when you travel to the shore. 

LAZY “LOBSTER” WRAP

Ingredients:

7-ounce package of chunk-style imitation lobster

1 tablespoon lemon olive oil

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

cracked pepper to taste

sea salt to taste

1 pat of butter

Vidalia onion slices

1 4-ounce container of crab dip, deli-style

2 flour tortillas 

Spring Mix Salad Greens 

Instructions:

In a medium skillet, sauté imitation chunk lobster and onion slices in lemon olive oil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. While still warm, add 1 pat of butter. Cook an additional minute to blend flavors. Remove from heat. To assemble wrap: Take a flour tortilla, spread on a layer of crab dip, top with salad greens, and add a spoonful of lobster mixture. Roll it together to form a wrap. Serve warm or cold.