Green Beans with Cambazola & Pine Nuts

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 4 cups green beans
• table salt (for parcooking)
• 3 oz cambozola cheese
• 1/4 tsp fleur de sel or grey salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)

To start, first toast the pine nuts in a small pan over medium low heat until lightly browned. Once done, remove from the pan and let cool slightly. Roughly chop.

Clean and de-stem the beans. You can also use French green beans for this dish.

To cook the beans, bring a large pot of water to a boil and then add the salt (about 1 tsp per liter/quart of water). Next, add the beans and cook until they are tender but still have a sight crunch to them. Drain the beans and place them into a large serving dish. Immediately add the chunks of cheese to the hot beans. Add the pine nuts and gently mix everything together until the cheese starts to melt. Lastly, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

You will love this salad. It is the three simple ingredients that make it: pine nuts, green beans and Cambozola.

To make this dish even faster to prepare, toast the pine nuts and clean/trim the beans in advance. You'll have it ready in no time.

These beans also make a great side dish that pairs extremely well with grilled meats.

Pancetta White Bean Soup with Crostini

Crostini

• 1 whole French baguette
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp grey salt

To start the crostini, preheat the oven to 375° degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the baguette into 1/2" -inch slices and place the pieces onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Brush lightly with olive oil. Bake, oil side up, for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly golden.

While the bread is cooking, peel the garlic and set aside. Once the bread is ready, lightly rub the oiled side with the raw garlic and while the bread is still warm, sprinkle with a little grey salt.

Soup

• 3 cloves garlic
• 6 slices pancetta (or prosciutto, bacon or ham)
• 2 - 28 oz cans whole tomatoes
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 Parmesan rind (optional)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (depends on saltiness of pancetta)
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 - 19 oz cans cannellini or white beans
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce (optional)

To start the soup, first mince the garlic. Slice the pancetta into small strips. Dice the tomatoes and reserve the juice.

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the oil and sauté the pancetta for a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it just starts to turn golden, about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato juice and chicken stock. Then add the rosemary, Parmesan rind, salt and pepper and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the beans and bring just back to a simmer to heat the beans through.

Just before serving the soup, check and adjust the seasoning. Shred the lettuce. Place a small handful of lettuce in the bottom of a bowl and ladle the soup over top. Serve immediately with the garlic crostini.

Note: Save those leftover Parmesan rinds! Store them in a freezer bag and toss them into soups for added flavor.

Roasted Potatoes | Hasselback Potatoes

• 2 lb small white potatoes
• 2 to 4 tbsp non-dairy butter
• 1 to 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• few sprigs of thyme or rosemary
• 3 small bay leaves

Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C).

Note: When choosing the potatoes, try to make sure they are all roughly the same size.

Using a small pairing knife, cut each potato across the width, into about 1/4" -inch slices. Stop just before you reach the bottom, so the potato stays intact at the base.

Place the potatoes onto a tray.

Rub a bit of room temperature butter onto each potato. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss gently to coat. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.

Scatter a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary onto the surface of the potatoes and place a few bay leaves on top.

Place into the oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until they start to slightly brown underneath.

Once the bottoms of the potatoes have browned slightly, flip them over and return to the oven for another 20 minutes or so, or until a knife inserted into the potatoes easily glides through.

To serve the potatoes, drizzle with any melted fat from the baking tray or with more extra-virgin olive oil.

Toss and season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to a dish and serve immediately.

Roasted Cauliflower

Making the Dressing

• 1 clove garlic
• zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil (or other oil of your choice)

To make the dressing, crush the garlic over a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Set aside while you prepare the cauliflower.

Preparing and Roasting the Cauliflower

• 1 whole head cauliflower
• Parmesan cheese* (optional)

To start the cauliflower, preheat your oven to 450° degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the large florets from the cauliflower and cut them into even-sized pieces. Any of the very large florets can be sliced in half. Place the cauliflower into the dressing and toss to coat.

To roast the cauliflower, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Lay any flat pieces of cauliflower cut-side down, so they caramelize nicely. Roast for about 10 minutes before tossing. Return to the oven for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it is almost cooked through.

Once it is almost cooked through, grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over top, if desired. Place back into the oven for another minute or so, just to melt the cheese.

Notes

Keep in mind that the cauliflower will continue to cook, even after it comes out of the oven. When done, it should have a tiny bit of crunch to it. It should not be mushy.

Roasted cauliflower, whether it is served hot or cold, is delicious. It can be added to things such as salads, antipasto platters and frittatas. It can even be incorporated into soups.

Don't have any lemons on hand? Easily substitute the lemon juice with white wine or champagne vinegar.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts
• 1 to 2 tbsp oil (grape seed or coconut)
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Note: The sprouts can also be roasted higher at temperatures as high as 475°F, just note that the cooking time will need to be adjusted.

Wash, dry and trim the Brussels sprouts. Cut in half lengthwise. Place into a bowl and toss with the oil and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking tray. Place into the oven and roast for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden, turning once, if necessary.

Once done, serve immediately.

Note: Fresh Brussels sprouts are nothing like frozen Brussels sprouts. Do not try to use frozen ones for this recipe because the excess moisture will prevent them from roasting properly.

Piselli alla Romana - Peas Roman Style

1 Large Bag of Frozen Peas
1 Onion
1 Stick of Celery
Olive Oil
1 Pack Pancetta or Thick Cut Bacon


Finely chop an onion and stick of celery, and sauté slowly in olive oil until soft. Now add some diced pancetta (thick bacon) and fry that too until cooked. Then add in your peas straight from the freezer with a very small amount of water, just so they have a little steam to breathe in. You can cook these gently or fiercely (and you can reheat in the microwave), so it’s a zero-stress vegetable.