Lentil Pasta

In summer, when Tomatoes are the best we always make Lentil Pasta. To make this turn out properly you should use the best tomatoes in the market. However they don't have to look great because they get roasted in the oven. Our farmer's market sells them as softies at a discount.  This is the vegetarian pasta that tastes like it has a meat sauce. We have have made this many times, and love it. You can get the recipe from our blog of: July 22, 2008. Click the date to get the recipes for both the pasta and the tomatoes.

We started with a Tomatoes, Olives and Feta Salad. We ended with Apple Pie and Ice Cream. Perfect dinner, once again eaten outside. I mention when we eat outside, because Los Angeles often has cool nights, and it is a special time when we have warm night, allowing us to dine al fresco.

Lamb Salad

We had left over Grilled Lamb. We made a Lamb Salad with Olives, Feta Cheese and Corn that we removed from the ears. It was a delicious salad on a warm evening in Silverlake.

Scarpetta's Spaghetti With Tomato and Basil

It was a warm summer night and once again we ate outside on our deck.

We decided to make Scarpetta's Pasta again. This is a marvelous recipe. The pasta is only partially cooked and then added to the sauce. The sauce gets absorbed into the pasta to complete its cooking. The taste of the pasta is very intense. You can get the recipe from our blog of: August 6, 2015. Click the date to get the recipe. This is a pasta you should make.

We started with a Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata and Pesto. 

Grilled Lamb Chops with Pomegranate

I wanted to grill lamb chops. This is a great recipe for Grilled Lamb Chops with Pomegranate Molasses from Cooking with Café Pasqual’s by Katharine Kagel. You can find this recipe on our blog of: September 5, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe. We purchased the lamb at McCall’s Meat and Fish. We found the Pomegranate Molasses in a local Armenian grocery.  

Scott was out of town, so we invited Tom over. It was a warm evening and we ate on our deck. Global warming has definitely been a mixed bag for Southern California. The drought continues, but the nights are warmer than usual. It has allowed us to eat out many nights this summer. With the lamb chops we served Grilled Corn and Eggplant with Miso Sauce.

We started with a Tomato Salad, several types of tomatoes topped with burrata cheese.

  

Rishia Zimmern’s Chicken With Shallots

Chicken With Shallots is a great chicken recipe from the New York Times. I love the taste the mustard and vinegar add to the rich sauce. It is excellent you should make it! You can find the recipe on our blog of: April 2, 2014. Click the date to get the recipe. It is especially good in summer when Cherry Tomatoes are at their best!

Lobster Fried Rice

Nectarine Salad with Burrata and Hazelnuts

Lobster Fried Rice (Thai Style)

Nectarines are in season and we made a simple Salad with sliced Nectarines, Burrata Cheese and Hazelnuts. It was very refreshing. I like summer fruit salads.

We had dinner at Newport Seafood (our favorite Chinese restaurant). We always get their special Lobster. We ordered a lobster that was big enough that we knew we would have leftovers. We took the leftover lobster home along with the shells of the lobster that we ate. We then proceeded to make  Thai Lobster Fried Rice with the leftover Lobster. We use the recipe for: Fried Rice with Crab from Thai Street Food by David Thompson. We simply substituted the crab with Lobster. It was as good or better than any Fried Rice we get a restaurants. This is a recipe (with Crab or Pork or Shrimp, or lobster) that you should try. We used the lobster shells that we brought home, plus the lobster shells from the lobster that we used in the Fried Rice and made lobster stock by just covering the shells with water and boiling for about an hour or so. We then froze the stock for future use. The fried rice was unbelievably good!

You can get the recipe for fried rice from our blog of: April 4, 2013. Click the date to get the recipe.

Pasta with Zucchini Sauce

Pasta with Zucchini Sauce is one of those dishes that makes me think I could become a vegetarian! It is especially good in summer when zucchini's are at the freshest. This is absolutely wonderful and relatively easy. It helps if you have a food processor to quickly slice the zucchini, but you can also do it by hand. You can find the recipe for this great pasta on our blog of: July 19, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a Salad of Tomatoes Burrata and Pesto. A perfect summer meal!

Thai Pork Fried Rice

Thai Fried Rice can be made with many leftovers. We start with the recipe for Thai Crab Fried Rice that we like so much and substitute other ingredients for the crab. In this case we had amazingly good Barbecue Ribs at a local Silverlake Restaurant: Alimento. We didn't finish the ribs and brought them home. I had left over Suckling Pig from my birthday dinner at Barbrix. So we combined the two meats in this Thai Fried Rice. It was great as always. You can get the basic recipe for the Thai Fried Rice on our blog of: April 4, 2013. Click the date to get the recipe.

Shrimp Salad and Corn on the Cob

Shrimp Salad

Corn on the Cob with Parmesan Cheese

We had a delicious corn on the cob at Al’Acqua. It was covered with Butter and Parmesan Cheese then roasted in the wood burning oven. I don’t think I had ever had Corn and Cheese together (wait a minute is that like Doritos?). At any rate we made corn and grated Parmesan over it. It was wonderful.

Tomatoes were in season and I was looking for an excuse to make a Shrimp Louis with Thousand Island Dressing. The salad was just as I remembered. Lots of tasty Tomatoes and Avocado. We use Mark Peel’s recipe for both the Shrimp Louie and the Russian Dressing from New Classic Family Dinners. You can get the recipe from our blog of: July 4, 2010.

Scarpata's Pasta

We saw this recipe in The New York Times and decided to make. We loved it! We are going to make again very soon. This is a winner - try it!

Scarpetta's Spaghetti With Tomato and Basil

New York Times

3         ounces spaghetti, high-quality dried or fresh

Salt

6         ounces tomato sauce (recipe follows)

4         large leaves of basil

½         tablespoon butter, unsalted

2         tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1         tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

8         ripe plum tomatoes

¼         of a can San Marzano tomatoes

2         tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of red chili flakes

Pinch of kosher salt

¼         cup extra virgin olive oil

6         cloves garlic, whole

2         stems of basil, leaves on

Pinch of red chili flakes

Note: Vary the ratio of canned to fresh tomatoes according to the season. If fresh, flavorful tomatoes are available, use all fresh; if tomatoes lack some flavor supplement with canned.

Procedures

1.          Place a large pot of water on the stove. Heavily season with salt, until it tastes as salty as a broth would. Bring to a boil.

2.          Roll basil leaves into a cylinder and thinly cut lengthwise into a chiffonade. Set aside.

3.          Cook the spaghetti in the water and remove when it is just shy of al dente—depending on the pasta, 3 minutes for fresh, 10 minutes for dried.

4.          While the pasta is cooking, place the sauce into a sauté pan and heat slowly. Allow the sauce to reduce slightly. Add the pasta to the sauté pan along with a bit of pasta water, to add starch and seasoning.

5.          Add the pasta to the sauce, and allow to finish cooking, over medium high heat. The sauce should coat the pasta and look cohesive. When you shake the pan, the sauce and pasta should move together.

6.          Remove from the heat and add the basil, cheese, butter, and extra virgin olive oil. Toss until well incorporated.

7.          Adjust the seasoning and serve immediately.

Tomato Sauce yields 2 cups

1.            Place a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Prepare an ice bath by placing ice in a bowl and filling with cold water. Core tomatoes with a paring knife, and discard cores. Score the bottom of each tomato with an "X." When water has come to a boil, place tomatoes in water and leave for 15 seconds, until skin begins to split away. Transfer to ice bath. When cool, peel with paring knife.

2.            Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Remove seeds with your thumb, and set seeded tomatoes aside. Reserve seeds and excess juices. If using canned tomatoes, seed in the same way.

3.            In a new pot, place 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, carefully transfer tomatoes to the pot. Add a pinch of salt and chili flakes.

4.           Allow the tomatoes to cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften, then smash them with a potato masher. If the consistency is particularly thick, strain excess tomato juices for seeds and add to pot. Allow tomatoes to cook 30 to 45 minutes over medium heat, smashing and stirring occasionally.

5.           While the tomatoes are cooking, prepare the basil-garlic oil. Take a small saucepan and place the remaining 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil in the pan. Add garlic cloves, basil, and chili flakes. Slowly heat to allow the flavors to transfer to the oil. When the garlic is lightly browned, remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Strain the oil and combine with the tomato mixture.

6.            Remove the sauce from the heat and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, as needed.

Steak Salad

We had leftover steak from Grill in the Alley and decided to make a Steak Salad. We used a recipe from the food network by Giada Laurentiis. It was good! Great way to use left over steak!

Steak Salad

Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

½        head romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces

1         large head Belgian endive, thinly sliced crosswise           (about 1 1/2 cups)

½        red onion, thinly sliced into rings

3         cups fresh baby arugula

12       cherry tomatoes, halved

4         ounces Gorgonzola, coarsely crumbled

Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1        pound steak (such as New York, rib-eye or filet mignon), pan-fried or grilled and chilled

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

½        cup red wine vinegar

3         tablespoons lemon juice

2         teaspoons honey

2         teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1         cup olive oil

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the romaine lettuce, Belgian endive, red onion, baby arugula and cherry tomatoes, and half of the cheese.

Toss the salad with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the salad on a platter.

Cut the steaks crosswise into thin slices. Arrange the steak slices atop the salad and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Drizzle more

vinaigrette over the steak slices and serve.

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender.

With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil.

Coconut Red Curry With Tofu

We made Coconut Red Curry With Tofu from a recipe in The New York Times. Once again the magic wasn't there for us, but it is always fun to try a new recipe. Sometimes you find a real winner. This one wasn't for us! Maybe our veg friends will like it.

Coconut Red Curry With Tofu

New York Times

This simple weeknight red curry relies on jarred or canned red curry paste for flavor, which you can find at larger supermarkets and specialty markets. Transfer leftover canned curry paste to a jar, top it with a little oil and store in the refrigerator for up to a month. Or freeze for longer storage. Feel free to substitute other vegetables for the mushrooms and snow peas, though you might have to increase the cooking time slightly if using something dense like carrot or cubed winter squash.

INGREDIENTS

•                14 ounces extra-firm tofu

•                1 tablespoon peanut or safflower oil

•                1-inch ginger root, peeled and minced

•                2 shallots or 1 small onion, minced

•                2 garlic cloves, minced

•                1 Thai chile or 2 serrano peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

•                2 tablespoons chopped cilantro stems

•                8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered

•                ½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste

•                3 tablespoons prepared red curry paste

•                1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

•                2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce

•                Zest and juice of 1 lime

•                1 cup snow peas

•                Basil and/or cilantro leaves, for garnish

•                Brown or white rice, for serving

PREPARATION

•                Cut tofu into 1-inch slabs and place on paper towel-lined baking sheet. Cover with another layer of paper towels and place another baking sheet on top. Let sit for 20 minutes. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

•                Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ginger, shallots, garlic, chile and cilantro stems, and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Stir in curry paste and cook 2 minutes. Pour in coconut milk, scraping up any curry paste with a wooden spoon. Add fish sauce, lime zest and juice. Add tofu cubes and snow peas. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the snow peas are tender, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and add more salt and/or fish sauce if needed.

Serve warm with brown rice and a scattering of torn basil and/or cilantro leaves on top.

Papa Al Pomodoro

Papa Al Pomodoro, is a very thick tomato and bread soup. We use the recipe from Italian Country Cook Book by Rogers / Gray. They have the fabulous River Café in London. This is almost a soup that you can eat with fork. In every respect you would think it should be a winter dish it is such a hearty soup, but it is best made with fresh tomatoes. I really recommend this dish! You can get it from our blog of: August 2, 2006. Click the date to get the recipe. Unfortunately for us, we had just had the soup at Barbrix for my birthday and their version was so much better! We need to figure out what Don did!

Chicken with Figs

We continued to eat summer fruit salads. This one is with Nectarines and  Burrata.

Figs were now in season, so it was time for Chicken with Figs served over cous-cous. This is regular for us when figs our in season. We really like this recipe from Zuni Café. You can get the recipe from our blog of: July 27, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

Bathazar Swordfish

Tomato Salad with Olives, Burrata and Pesto

Beautiful Swordfish from McCall's

Grilled Swordfish with Beurre Noir   

It was a warm summer night and we invited Tom and Scott to join us for dinner outside on our deck overlooking the city. We purchased swordfish from McCall’s and made a wonderful recipe: Grilled Swordfish with Beurre Noir. This is a great fish recipe. Balthazar in New York City is a favorite of ours and their cookbook is excellent. You can get the recipe for the fish from our blog of: September8, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

We have been eating A LOT of tomatoes this summer. We started with a Tomato Salad with Olives, Burrata and Pesto. It was a beautiful night.

Clam Pasta with Scallops

We wanted to make Clams with Pesto, however there were no clams in the market. We decided to substitute Scallops for the Clams. We enjoyed the dish but decided next time we would try it with shrimp. The delicate Scallops taste of the sea is overwhelmed by the Pesto. The pasta (with Clams or possibly shrimp) is excellent and you should try it. You can get the recipe from our blog of: September 10, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a Prosciutto and Melon Salad.

Sweet Corn Polenta with Eggplant

Eggplant with home made Creamed Corn is a wonderful summer dish. This is another winner for all our vegetarian friends. We really like this dish. you can get the recipe on our blog of: August 11, 2011. Just click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a Fig Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds. A dinner that celebrates summer!

Salmon with Mustard Sauce

Sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn't. We made Roasted Salmon Glazed with Brown Sugar and Mustard from a recipe in The New York Times but we weren't thrilled with it. Try it, let us know what you think. We served it with leftover Brussel Sprouts from Republique (a favorite) and Rice.

Roasted Salmon Glazed with Brown Sugar and Mustard

New York Times

We all want to eat more fish. Here's a quick and easy recipe for sweet and savory salmon. Once you try it, we bet you'll add it to your weekly menu rotation.

INGREDIENTS

•                Salmon fillets, preferably wild or farmed organically

•                Dijon mustard

•                Brown sugar

•                Salt and black pepper

PREPARATION

•                Heat your oven to 400 degrees.

•                Make a mixture of Dijon mustard and brown sugar to the degree of spicy-sweetness that pleases you. Salt and pepper the salmon fillets.

Place the salmon fillets skin-side down on a lightly oiled, foil-lined baking sheet. Slather the tops of the fillets with the mustard and brown sugar glaze and slide them into the top half of your oven. They ought to be done in 12 minutes or so, and they pair beautifully with simple braised greens.