Sasha's Kitchen: Jamie Oliver's Spicy Pasta with Mushrooms and Lamb Sausage & Upcoming CSN Stores Product Review

First off, a note, I will be publishing a product review in an upcoming post of a great serving product from CSN Stores.  I am thrilled to be doing a product review for CSN Stores, as they have so many great options for service on your dining room tables. An upcoming post from me on A Kitchen In Brooklyn will showcase one of the great products that CSN stores has to offer for chefs and home entertainers! CSN stores is a great retailer that has a fantastic selection of items for your homes and kitchens.  So stay tuned for a review of a really fun product from CSN stores to spice up any dinner party!

Jamie Oliver is one my my favorite chefs. His cooking style is so organic and raw - it really showcases the ingredients that he uses. Many of his recipes are quite simple, actually and they are always improved by using the best fresh ingredients possible.  Jamie is a big meat lover and loves to use interesting and flashy meats in his cooking. I love lamb and lamb sausage so when I saw Jamie's recipe for pappardelle pasta with spicy lamb sausage and wild mushrooms in one of my old Jamie Oliver books, The Naked Chef Takes Off, I knew the recipe was one I was going to have to try. I did a few variations to use the quality local ingredients in my grocery store and the result was quite delicious.

Jamie Oliver's Pappardelle with Spicy Sausage and Wild Mushrooms (with some variations by me)
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, diced
8 oz spicy lamb sausage, skin removed, and chopped into small pieces (I got some great lamb sausages at Fresh Direct)
2 handfulls fresh thyme, leaves picked from stems
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (Jamie uses dried red chiles crumbed, but the effect is the same as it adds some heat)
14 oz wild mushrooms (I used cremini, but you could use oyster, shiitake or chanterelles), torn or sliced
[note - I omitted the butter, you don't need it, and added a bit of olive oil]
handfull of fresh parsley
grated parmesan cheese
1 lb fresh pappardelle (although Jamie made his own, I got mine fresh at Fresh Direct)

So I didn't make my own pappardelle, but a pasta machine is an inexpensive kitchen appliance I plan to get soon so I can start making my own ravioli, tortellini and fresh pastas.

To make this recipe, saute the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil with the sausage meat. Remember to remove the skin from the sausage meat and chop into small pieces. Add the thyme, red pepper flakes and mushrooms and a bit more olive oil. Cook the pappardelle and combine with the mushroom mixture. Throw in some fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese and serve hot.

Sasha's Kitchen: Jamie Oliver's Spicy Pasta with Mushrooms and Lamb Sausage & Upcoming CSN Stores Product Review

Sasha's Kitchen: Belgian Beef Carbonnade

My husband Brad and I are going on vacation to Europe for two whole weeks soon, and one of our stops (a brief stop and not the focus of this trip) will be in Brussels, primarily so we can eat our way through Belgian cuisine. Our brief visit to Brussels is planned to include eating the very best moules (mussels), frites with spicy mayo, Belgian waffles, Belgian beef stew and of course Belgian chocolate, that we can get our hands on.   Planning this made me really hungary for some Belgian cuisine.  I have already made Belgian waffles, which were delicious and easy to make.  I decided to try my hand at two of my favorite Belgian dishes this week - frites with spicy mayo (coming soon) and Belgian beef carbonnade, or beef stew.

Belgian beef stew is very simple.  My recipe is a variation of a Jacques Pepin recipe that I found on the internet.  They key to this stew, and quite frankly any classic Belgian carbonnade is the quality of the Belgian pale ale that you use to make the broth, as well as the quality of the beef in the stew.  Pepin uses flatiron steaks, which are expensive and contain a bit too much fat for my style of cooking.  Instead, I elected to use lean stew beef from Fresh Direct, a great NYC area provider of quality meats.  For the beer, I went for the real deal - my favorite Belgian pale ale, Leffe Blonde, a great Belgian Abbey beer.

Belgian Beef Carbonnade
2 T unsalted butter (can be replaced with olive oil if you prefer)
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs lean stew beef, cut into chunks
salt and pepper to taste
3 T all purpose flour
2 bottles of Leffe Blonde Belgian Pale Ale
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
5 thyme sprigs
2 cups baby carrots
1 cup peas

In a large Dutch Oven, melt 1 T of butter with 1 T of olive oil until it sizzles. Season the meat with salt and pepper and sear until browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Cook for about two minutes.  Transfer the meat to a large plate and add the remaining butter and olive oil. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until lightly browned. Stir in the pale ale and bay leaves, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.  Add the chicken stock and thyme and return the meat to the pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cover the Dutch Oven and simmer on low heat until the meat is tender - it took me about an hour.  Add the baby carrots and simmer for 15 minutes. Then, add the peas and simmer for an addition five minutes until the peas are cooked (but not faded in color) and the carrots are tender.  This was delicious and exactly how I hoped.  I can't wait to eat this dish with some steak frites in Brussels!

Sasha's Kitchen: Belgian Beef Carbonnade

Sasha's Kitchen: Summer Plum Salad

For the last week, it has been unbearably hot in New York.  I haven't felt like cooking much after taking the subway home from work in 103 degree heat. It's just too hot to turn on the oven and cook.  However, it's just the right temperature for making a summer salad.  I like to make these salads after picking up some delicious summer fruit at the Union Square farmers market, which is near my office. This time I picked up some yellow Japanese plums, called Shiro plums, a wonderful sweet Japanese plum. They are quite tiny, so I picked up a handful for incorporation into a salad with my favorite nuts (hazelnuts), mixed greens and crumbled goat cheese.  The mix of the sweet and the tart flavor of the plums is great in a summer salad like this. If you don't have access to Shiro plums or want to try out another fruit, I have also made this salad with apricots (which are actually my favorite fruit for this salad), nectarines and peaches - basically all of the stone fruits.  I also can do this salad with strawberries and it's  a great salad, too.  However, if you are going to make the salad with strawberries, I recommend blending some of the fresh farmers' market strawberries right into the salad dressing along with a small amount of dijon mustard to make it nice, creamy and pink.

Sasha's Summer Stone Fruit Salad
Handfull of sliced Shino plums, or a couple of sliced apricots, peaches or nectarines
Organic mixed greens
Chopped Hazelnuts
Crumbled goat cheese
Balsamic vinegar & canola oil for the dressing

Sasha's Kitchen: Summer Plum Salad

Sasha's Kitchen: Fourth of July Themed Coffee Cupcakes

For the fourth of July, I decided to make some red white and blue decorated cupcakes.  I wanted to try out the cappuccino cupcake recipe from Julie Hasson's Book 125 Best Cupcakes, so rather than creating red white and blue frosting, I made the cappuccino cupcakes with coffee frosting and then decorated the cupcakes with some red white and blue decorations made out of fondant (flags, starts, and my red/white/blue Obama cupcakes - so apparently my cupcakes got a little bit political).  Hope everyone had a great fourth of July weekend.  We also made my traditional fourth of July treat - my blueberry pie.

Cappuccino Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream (adapted from Julie Hasson's recipes) (makes 12)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp finely ground coffee
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp warm water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup nonfat sour cream

Frosting:
2 sticks butter (so yeah, this is where those calories come!)
2 cups confectioner's sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp instant coffee (i added about 2 tsp)
1 tsp hot coffee
1 tsp Kahlua or other coffee flavored liqueur

In a small bowl mix the flour, ground coffee, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  In another bowl, combine the instant coffee and warm water.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar and oil.  Add the instant coffee mixture and vanilla.  Alternatively mix in the sour cream and flour mixture and beat until smooth.  I chose not to add in any chocolate chips as were called for in the recipe I used.

I filled 12 lined cupcake molds in a silicon cupcake tray.  Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees and allow to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy and frosting like.  Add the coffee, vanilla and Kahlua to get the desired flavor.  Yum!

Sasha's Kitchen: Fourth of July Themed Coffee Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen On the Road: Foodie Tour Of Vermont

My husband and I spent last weekend in Vermont for a friends wedding at Shelburne Farms.  While in Vermont we had some fantastic local cheeses (especially the Shelburne Farms two year cheddar).  What's so great about Vermont cooking is the focus on using local, organic farm fresh ingredients from eggs to cheese and dairy to fruits and vegetables.  Everything we tasted was fresh and fabulous from the food at our friends' wedding to the local produce we ate at the restaurants we visited.  And of course we made time for some of vermont's finest Ben & Jerry's Ice cream, because a visit to Vermont without stopping by their factory in Waterbury just isn't a visit to Vermont.

Our first night in Vermont, we had an amazing meal at Hen of the Wood, in Waterbury, VT with friends who had just flown in from Germany. We started out meal with a sampling of four local Vermont cheeses, all of which were delicious.  We paired this with different beers and wines that were equally fantastic - Allagash White, a local white Belgian style wheat beer that has become one of my favorites - and a delicious summer Frog's Leap Rose - a great wine from one of my favorite Napa wineries (yes Napa is in California, not Vermont, but I couldn't resist).

For my appetizer, I had the most delicious salad I've had in some time.  The salad was a mixture of locally grown, farm fresh arugula, spinach, barley, pansies and walnuts with local goat cheese.  So pretty. My husband and our friends had the asparagus soup which was also delightful.

Four our main courses, I had braised beef short ribs prepared with gnocchi - of course locally raised organic beef which was delicious.  One of our friends had the scallops which were beautifully prepared.  My husband opted for a more unusual suggestion - the rabbit prepared with a fresh carrot puree - it was delicious as well.

For dessert, our friends had a chocolate torte that was decadent and delicious, while we had a panna cotta with fresh strawberries - also amazing.

We also had a lovely brunch at Shelburne Farms (see above) where I had an amazing frittata made with eggs that were locally raised on the farm (we got to meet the animals on the farm later that afternoon, including some adorable baby goats).  My husband had the cinnamon carrot pancakes with ricotta that were out of this world amazing.  Our table was outside, where we had a gorgeous view of Lake Champlain to the side.

And just a final note - the arugula salad from our friends' wedding was made with delicious Vermont blue cheese and Shelburne Farms' own farm-made honey - right in the honeycomb.  It was amazing, along with everything else served at the wedding.  They had some fantastic beer and food pairings at the cocktail hour as well, but the food was so good I forgot to take pictures of it.

Sasha's Kitchen On the Road: Foodie Tour Of Vermont

Sasha's Kitchen: Cool Cucumber Mint Soup

It has been so unbearably hot in New York that, upon my return from a nice weekend up on Lake Champlain in Vermont, I decided that I couldn't bear to cook any hot food.  I decided that some cool summer salads and soups were in order.  My plans for this work week include two summer soups, both of which are easy to make.  I am making gazpacho with locally grown, farmers' market tomatoes later this week, but I decided last night to make a cool cucumber soup.  And what flavor is better to complement the cool summer flavor of the cucumber than mint?  Actually, I think a cucumber-watermelon soup would be a fantastic variation as well for the summer, so I will have to try that soon.

On my way home from work, I bought four cucumbers at the Union Square Greenmarket, a great farmers' market in NYC. I decided that the soup would be a cold soup that would incorporate mint as the primary secondary flavor and would use Stonyfield Farms nonfat yogurt.

Sasha's Summer Cucumber Mint Soup (four servings)
4 large cucumbers
1 pint of Stonyfield Farms fat free plain yogurt
2/3 or a quart of lowfat buttermilk
1 cup of mint - pureed and shredded in a food processor
2 T of diced fresh dill
cumin, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste (note: this is not spicy at all - the cayenne in a small amount just helps to balance the flavors)
pomegranate seeds to serve (optional)

To prepare the soup, peel the cucumbers and halve them.  Remove the seeds and season with a bit of salt.  Allow to sit for a few minutes.  Then dice the cucumbers. Puree the cucumbers with the buttermilk and the yogurt in a blender.  You may have to do this in batches like I did if your blender can't hold it all at once.  Season with cumin, pepper and cayenne to taste.  I served with some fresh pomegranate seeds.

Sasha's Kitchen: Cool Cucumber Mint Soup

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

All of my favorite fruits are in season, but in particular strawberries, apricots and peaches.  The best strawberries, of course, are the ones that I have picked myself.  There's a million and one delicious uses for farmers' market strawberries - one my favorites is a strawberry salad with goat cheese and hazelnuts.  But I just love strawberry shortcake as a sweet treat.  In the past, I have always made a traditional strawberry shortcake with a plain scone or shortcake.  But this time I decided to go the chocolate route for a fun variation - I made chocolate strawberry shortcakes with chocolate shortcakes which was delicious! I adapted from this recipe for the shortcakes.  For the topping, I did not mix the strawberries with a load of sugar as is commonly done - it's too much especially with the natural sweetness in the berries this time of year.  Instead, just serve the strawberries with a bit of lemon juice, nice and fresh.  Add a tablespoon of sugar, if you prefer, but not more. Some whipped cream is essential but you really don't have to make your own - I didn't - some store bought whipped cream will work just fine.

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes (shortcake portion derived from this recipe)
Makes 6
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 T dutch process cocoa
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 T butter, cut into pieces
3 oz semisweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
extra sugar for sprinkling
1 quart strawberries, sliced
1 tsp lemon juice
whipped cream
1 T sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  To make the shortcakes, mix the flour, sugar, salt, cocoa and baking powder.  I used a mixer to blend in the butter.  Then I mixed in the chocolate chips, one of the eggs, the heavy cream and vanilla.  I prepared the dough on a baking sheet into about 6-7 rounds. This is very similar to the types of rounds that you would make if you were making scones.

Next, put the rounds in the freezer for twenty minutes.  Glaze with the remaining egg and top with some sugar.  Bake until firm for about twenty minutes.  Then allow to cool.

For the strawberry topping, combine the sliced strawberries (use farm fresh, seasonal strawberries if you can - they make this dessert what it is) with the lemon juice and a tablespoon of sugar if you prefer.  Top the chocolate shortcakes with the strawberries and the whipped cream.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Sasha's Kitchen: Grilled London Broil Steak Sandwich

It is officially the start of summer, as yesterday was the summer solstice. That means that grilling season is here. Although my husband and I have outdoor space here in Brooklyn, we do not yet have a grill - something that we plan to rectify soon.  However, when I received some free samples of Nature's Pride hamburger buns and hot dog rolls from the Foodbuzz  Tasemaster's Choice program, I couldn't resist the chance to do some indoor grilling to use some of the free samples. Seriously, what's better than coming home from work to discover a large box with free samples?  I had a nice cut of London Broil from Fresh Direct so I decided it was time to make some steak sandwiches.

Sasha's London Broil Grilled Steak Sandwich (serves 4-5)
Nature's Pride Country White Rolls
2 lb cut of London Broil
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup soy sauce
grated parmesan cheese
pomegranate seeds
arugula

Marinade the london broil steaks (which can be divided into four steaks or into strips) in the marinade of the pineapple juice and soy sauce for about an hour. Then, grill the steaks on a grill pan (or an outdoor grill) on each side to your liking.  We then cut the steaks into strips and further grilled them to medium well, which is how my husband and I like our meat prepared.  I served in a fairly non-traditional way with pomegranate seeds, fresh grated parmesan and arugula on a Nature's Pride Country White Roll.  It was delightful!

Sasha's Kitchen: Grilled London Broil Steak Sandwich

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Brioche

Prior to last weekend, I had only made brioche once.  I had made a loaf of a nice, light brioche bread though.  I wanted this time to make individualized brioche as a dessert. I looked long and hard for chocolate and/or chocolate chip brioche recipes.  I reviewed many, many brioche recipes before coming up with my own that suited my desires of what I hoped to get out of this recipe - muffin tin dessert brioche for brunch.  The end result was delicious and pleasurable - definatly  a dessert but not overwhelmingly sweet.  But don't be fooled, these brioche, like any other contain quite a bit of butter, so they are a special treat and to share with friends - not something I suggest eating three of in one sitting (which I could have done if I let myself).

Sasha's Chocolate Chip Mini Brioche (makes 1 dozen)
1/4 cup plus 2 T milk ( I used Stonyfield Farms Fat Free Milk, my favorite organic milk)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp (two packages) active dry yeast
1 1.4 cup plus 2 T unbleached bread flour (I used King Arthur Flour)
1 1/2 cup plus 2 T all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
5 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk for egg wash
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine the milk, sugar and yeast.  Warm the milk for about 15 seconds in the microwave first.  Allow to sit for about 10-15 minutes until the yeast is activated (it will become frothy and bubbly and will double in size).

Using a stand mixer, with the dough hook attachment, combine the yeast milk mixture with the flour, eggs, chocolate chips mix well.  Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and the butter is incorporated for about five minutes.  If you need to you can add some extra flour (I added a tablespoon or two extra at this point).

Coat a large bowl with PAM and transfer the dough to the bowl.  Allow to stand in a warm place for about an hour and a half until the dough doubles in size.  This is just the same as if you were making my recipe for Challah bread.

Punch down the dough and recover.  Refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours and punch down the dough again. The preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a silicon muffin tin with PAM.  Evenly divide the dough into 36 small balls, like 36 little ping ping balls. Then, place three of the balls inside each of the muffin tin molds, to make a total of 12 brioches.

Loosely cover the mold with plastic wrap and allow to sit in a warm place for about 30 minutes.  Then brush the tops with the egg yolk wash.  Bake for 10 minutes at 425 and then reduce the heat to 350 and bake until golden brown - the time will vary depending on your oven but it took me another 15 minutes or so.  Allow to cool and enjoy!

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Brioche

Sasha's Kitchen: Homemade Falafel and Israeli Salad With Tahini Yogurt Sauce

When I was in Israel for 8 weeks one summer during my high school years, I tasted some of the best falafel that I ever had.  One of the other things that I liked best about the cuisine in Israel (aside from the amazing giant Apricot fruit rolls that I discovered on Ben Yehuda Street that I have since been unable to find anywhere else in the world) was the basic Israeli Salad which was served with just about everything in Israel from falafel to schwarma.  I decided to create an Israeli meal with my own falafel, a tahini yogurt sauce and an Israeli salad to bring be back to those great memories of my summer in Israel.  The recipe is adapted from Tyler Florence's Recipe on the Food Network, while I added a traditional Israeli salad. I was concerned that the falafel balls would fall apart when they were fried so I added a bit water to the recipe below before forming the falafel balls (just about a tablespoon or two).  In addition, I used canola oil to fry them rather than vegetable oil, so they are actually a reasonably healthy treat.  These were served for brunch with our friends Alica and Alex, and were thoroughly enjoyed with a dessert of chocolate chip brioche (my recipe coming soon!)

Falafel
2 cups dried chickepeas  (soak for 18 to 24 hours in cold water before using)
1 tsp baking powder
1 small onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, diced
1 T cumin
1 T coriander
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 handfulls fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 handfull fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
canola oil for frying
warm pita bread

Israeli Salad
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
2 heirloom tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 T lemon juice

Tahini Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup tahini (tahini is a type of sesame seed paste)
1/2 cup FAGE greek yogurt
1 T lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
pinch of salt
pinch of paprika


Put the chickpeas in a bowl and add water to cover by two inches.  Soak in cold water in the refrigerator for 17-24 hours.  The chickpeas will triple in size from their dried form.  Do not use canned garbanzo beans - I am told that your falafel will be soggy if you do.

Put the soaked chickepeas in a food processor and pulse to grind coarsely.  Add the other ingredients and mix well to combine.  Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Pur three inches of canola oil in a deep fryer or a large pot.  Roll the falafel into balls about the size of ping pong balls (this recipe should make about 24 falafel). If you have trouble forming balls that are cohesive, add a tablespoon of water to the mix. Fry until the chickpea balls are crusty brown on all sides and voila - its falafel.  Serve with the pita bread, tahini sauce and Israeli salad.

Falafel

Sasha's Kitchen: Homemade Falafel and Israeli Salad With Tahini Yogurt Sauce

MollyD's Kitchen in Seattle: Pickled Beets

I'm not cooking much beyond throwing things together, and thus I haven't posted in a while. Then, the other day, I spied some winter beets in the back of our crisper drawer and decided it was time to bite the bullet and do something with them. I considered roasting them as usual, but I usually tire of roasted beets' flavor before they go bad, which seems like a greater waste than leaving them alone in their uncooked potential. Instead I took a cue from a jar of Ikea herring and decided to pickle them, a great way to use a big ol' beet and have it last.

I googled pickled beet recipes and saw several suggestions of cloves, which complement beets' earthy sweetness. Since I recently picked up a small bottle of clove extract (in alcohol, not oil, which would just float on top of the pickling liquid) I ran with the idea, and with the “earthy sweetness” theme in mind I also added some balsamic vinegar.

Initially I wasn't preparing a blog post on this, so I eyeballed and tasted, and the following measurements are entirely guesstimated. You could halve or double it without problem, or use different ratios of balsamic vinegar to mild vinegar to water; it's a pretty mild pickle, so if you want something stronger you can fill the jar to the top with vinegar. Finally, I'm sure whole cloves would work in place of the extract, though I'd use a fair amount to ensure enough flavor extraction that they wouldn't be overwhelmed by the balsamic. Regardless, all of this recipe is flexible and to taste.

Pickled Beets

2 large beets or equivalent in small beets, with any long greens or tail removed

2 T balsamic vinegar

¼ c rice vinegar or white vinegar

½ tsp salt

few drops clove extract

water

1. Place beets in pot and cover with water. Bring to boil, then lower to simmer. Go do something else.
2. Remove beets from pot when knife can be inserted into center without resistance. Let cool, then peel off skin with fingers and, if necessary, a paring knife.
3. Quarter, then slice into ¼-inch pieces. Place into quart jars.
4. Add all other ingredients, then water to cover.
5. Refrigerate and eat over the next few weeks.

So what do you do with pickled beets? Obviously there's salad, but despite the lettuce in our fridge I haven't felt like it. Instead I chopped a few slices along with some of the pickled herring, mixed in mayonnaise (sour cream would be good too), and spread the Swedish-inspired mixture on toast. Today I made a closed tuna melt in the toaster oven (slice of bread + tuna salad + sliced cheese, plus a separate slice of bread), then laid some beets on top of the cheese before closing the sandwich; the mild, soft beets didn't ruin the texture or dominate the flavor, and it was a surprisingly nice combination. Pickled beets are more adaptable than you might think!

MollyD's Kitchen in Seattle: Pickled Beets

Sasha's Kitchen: Peach, Mozzarella & Bresaola Salad

As i discussed in my recipe for Peach Cobbler, peaches are my favorite summer fruit.  The peach is very versatile, and of course, my favorite summer salad recipe includes peaches.  This salad is a dinner salad - it includes my favorite cured meat, bresaola, which is a type of cured beef.  I think that the taste of the bresaola is lovely with fresh peaches and baby bocconcini, a type of mozzarella cheese.  The salad is very refreshing and perfect for summer.  You can make it without the meat as an appetizer if you prefer. I love the farmer's market peaches - this is the perfect dish for summer and I've been waiting for months to get nice fresh peaches to make this dish, which is one of my favorites!  This recipe is totally mine, but it feels very Jamie Oliver, doesn't it?

Sasha's Summer Peach Salad (makes two salads)

2 farmers' market peaches, sliced 

8-10 pieces of bresaola

fresh organic salad greens

1/3 cup canola oil (for dressing)

3 tablespoons lemon juice (for dressing)

1 T red wine vinegar (for dressing)

bocconcini mozzarella

Assemble the salad ingredients above and top with the lemon vinaigrette (which is just canola oil, lemon juice and red wine vinegar).  This is a very special way to showcase those fantastic June peaches!

Sasha's Kitchen: Peach, Mozzarella & Bresaola Salad

Sasha's Kitchen: Pasta with Lemon, Arugula and Golden Beets

Recently I was at the organic market and saw that they had fresh, seasonal golden beets.  Until recently, I had only had golden beets in restaurants and had only cooked with regular beets which turn everything they touch bright pink.  I love golden beets - they are easier to work with in the kitchen and have a pleasant sweet taste.  I can't really describe the difference but as a beet fan, I like them better than the typical magenta variety.

I decided to create a pasta dish that was light and refreshing and that would showcase the fresh summer beets.  This pasta dish is basically a salad, but for the pasta.  It can be served cold or warm and showcases the bitterness of the arugula with the sweetness of the beets.  I added goat cheese, but you could certainly use parmesan or pecorino. The lemon is the perfect accompaniment for this dish - it adds a pleasant refreshing quality to the light olive oil based sauce. This is the perfect healthy summer meal.

Sasha's Summer Pasta with Lemon, Arugula & Golden Beets
1 box of spiral pasta (fuselli)
2 golden beets, cooked and peeled
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
3 oz baby arugula
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (a lemon flavored olive oil would be a delightful substitute)
6 oz goat cheese crumble

To prepare this dish, make the pasta al dente. Prepare the beets by boiling them for about a half an hour.  Rinse them in cold water so they are cooler to the touch and peel off the skin with your hands.  Slice the beets and mix them in the pasta dish with the lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil.  When the pasta has cooled slightly, mix in the goat cheese crumble and the arugula.  This was delicious!

Pasta

Sasha's Kitchen: Pasta with Lemon, Arugula and Golden Beets