adapted from The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rosetto Kasper

8 oz. Rossi Pasta
1/2 cup fresh sweet peas or frozen tiny peas
4 quarts salted water
6 TB. unsalted butter
2 oz. prosciutto, thinly sliced and cut into matchsticks
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or 1 large vine-ripened tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 teas. imported Italian tomato paste
generous pinch of sugar (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup freshly grated Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese

Cook fresh peas in a steamer over boiling water until barely tender, about 5 minutes. Turn them into a strainer and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking and set the color. If you are using frozen peas, simply defrost them.

About 20 minutes before dining, place shallow soup dishes in a warm oven to heat. Bring the salted water to a fierce boil. While the water is coming to a boil, melt the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add about one third of the prosciutto and all the onion. Slowly cook 8 minutes, or until the onions are soft and clear, stirring frequently with a wooden spatula. Take care not to brown them. Stir in the garlic and remove the skillet from the heat.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook according to instructions. Drain the pasta and immediately finish making the sauce. Turn the heat to medium-high under the onions, and stir in the tomatoes and the tomato paste. Heat 1 minute, or until the tomato skins are seared, taking care not to break up the tomato pieces. Don't cook the tomato; you are simply heating through, keeping its fresh flavor intact. Stir in the sugar and th peas, cooking only until the peas are heated through, about 30 seconds. Taste for seasoning. Turn the drained pasta into the skillet, and add the remaining prosciutto. Turn gently with two wooden spatulas, coating the pasta with the sauce. Spoon the into the heated soup dishes and serve immediately. Pass the cheese separately.



from Allrecipes.com by Rainey Jr

4 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 TB. cider vinegar
2 teas. parsley
2 teas. basil
2 teas. oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar

In a small bowl or cup measure, mix together oil, apple cider vinegar, herbs, salt, and sugar.

Pour dressing over cherry tomatoes in a serving dish, and gently stir to coat. Chill for at least 2 hours. Gently stir from bottom to top, coating all tomatoes, before serving.



adapted from The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater

3 yellow squash
4 leeks, finely chopped
olive oil
1 clove garlic
3 TB. all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1/4 lb. feta cheese
small bunch chopped parsley
tomato salsa to serve

Coarsely grate the squash into a colander, sprinkle lightly with salt and leave in the sink for half an hour or so. Warm the leeks with a little oil in a shallow pan. Pat the squash dry with paper towels. Peel and chop the garlic and stir into the leeks with the squash. When all is soft and starting to turn pale gold, stir in the flour and continue cooking for a couple of minutes or so, with the occasional stir, to cook the flour. Beat the eggs lightly and stir them into the leek mixture, then crumble in the cheese and the chopped parsley. Season with black pepper and a little salt.

Heat four tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow pan, drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil and let them cookin until they are golden on the underside. Turn carefully - they will be fragile - and cook the other side. Lift the cakes out with a spatula and drain briefly on paper towels. Serve with the salsa.



1 small head purple cauliflower
1/2 purple cabbage
6-7 teas. salt
3 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
dried red hot chilies

Wash the cauliflower and break into bite sized florets. Cut the cabbage into thick slices. Do not separate. Mix the salt, water and vinegar together to create the brine.

Place a layer of cauliflower in a sterilized, large-mouth pickling jar. Top with a layer of cabbage. Repeat until you reach the top, but bury a chile or two deep in one or two of the layers.

Fill the jar with the brine. Use a long wooden skewer to release any visible trapped air bubbles. Close the lid.

Place the pickles in a warm spot for 10 days before eating.
Eat within a month.



adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

1/3 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 teas. olive oil
4 teas. fresh lime juice, or more to taste
¼ teas. ground cumin
¼ teas. ground coriander
1 TB. finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 TB. minced scallions
1½ cups cooked black beans (15-ounce can, drained)
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup diced bell peppers
2 teas. minced fresh green chiles
salt and ground pepper, to taste
lemon or lime wedges

Rinse the quinoa well in a sieve under cool running water. In a saucepan bring the water to a boil, add the quinoa, cover, and simmer on low heat, until all of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the oil, lime juice, cumin, coriander, cilantro, and scallions. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, and chiles. Add the cooled quinoa, and salt and pepper to taste, and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with lemon or lime wedges.



3 cups couscous
2 heads Graffiti Cauliflower
3 onions
5-6 carrots, diced
2 bunches green onion
2 bunches chopped chives
pinenuts for garnish
salt and pepper, to taste

Opal Basil Sauce:
2 bunches Opal Basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
1 TB. salt

To create the Opal Basil Sauce, blend all the ingredients in a food processor.

Place couscous in a bowl and bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Pour over couscous. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap.  Let stand five minutes and fluff with a fork.

To steam the cauliflower, place in a microwave safe bowl wtih 3 TB. of water in the bottom. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Puncture the wrap 5 times with the tip of a sharp knife. Cook on high for 3 minutes.

Caramelize onions in a skillet with 1 TB. olive oil over low heat until golden brown, approximately 12 minutes. Remove onions. Sauté diced carrots in the skillet with 1 TB. olive oil for 4-5 minutes until tender. Chop the green onions and chives. Toss cauliflower, carrots, onions, chive and sauce with the couscous. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with pinenuts.

from L.A. Times, June 4, 2008

Note: Adapted from chef Corina Weibel of Canelé (a restaurant in L.A.) The recipe for the vinaigrette will make more than is needed for the salad. The vinaigrette will keep for 3 days, refrigerated.

6 small  beets, trimmed
Salt
olive oil
2 TB. ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Very small pinch cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lemon, plus a squeeze, divided
8 very thin lemon slices
6 baby carrots
1 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup baby greens
1 small shallot, sliced thinly

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets in a shallow baking pan, with 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 TB. olive oil over the beets. Cover the pan with foil and roast in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Cool to room temperature, peel and quarter.

Meanwhile, make the dressing: Pound cumin and garlic to a paste. Add a pinch of salt, cayenne and juice of one lemon. When all the ingredients are incorporated and the salt is dissolved, drizzle in 1/4 cup of olive oil while stirring. Adjust to taste. Makes about 1/4 cup vinaigrette.

In a small pot of boiling salted water, blanch the lemon slices for 20 seconds, just to remove the tartness. Lift out with a slotted spoon and cool in ice water. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.

In the same pot of boiling water, add carrots and blanch 2 to 3 minutes, to bring out the vibrant color and soften just slightly. Remove and set aside to cool (do not shock in an ice bath). Add them to the bowl with the lemons.

To the bowl, add the lemon, parsley, greens, shallot and the remaining squeeze of lemon juice, tossing to combine. Add 2 teas. vinaigrette, or enough to lightly coat, and toss gently. Season to taste and divide among two plates. Separately, toss the beets with enough vinaigrette to coat, then divide the beets among the two plated salads. Serve immediately.