Balsamic Vegetable Phyllo Triangles

A working lunch happens fairly often. Taking a meeting or working on a project while noshing is nothing new. These savory triangles fill the need for fast and convenient yet healthy food. They keep well and are delicious warm or at room temperature. Or try them as an appetizer at your next party!

Balsamic Vegetable Phyllo (Filo) Triangles
1/2 pound of frozen filo sheets
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup sweet potato, 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cup red bell pepper, 1/4 inch dice
1/3 cup thin asparagus, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons finely diced purple onion
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped Swiss chard
1 teaspoons kosher salt, plus some for sprinkling
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Optional: 1/3 cup feta or Balsamic Bellavitano cheese
Thaw filo in the fridge for several hours or overnight. When veggies are diced and ready to go, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium high heat. Add sweet potatoes, cook and stir for 3 or 4 minutes or until they begin to caramelize. Stir in red pepper and continue cooking 2 or 3 minutes more. Add asparagus, purple onion, pine nuts and rosemary. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Add Swiss chard and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. When chard has wilted, stir in 1 teaspoon salt and red pepper flakes. Pour balsamic vinegar into pan then cook and stir until vinegar has been absorbed in the veggies, about 4 minutes.

 Put the olive oil in a small bowl. Place one sheet of filo onto a work surface, keeping other sheets under plastic wrap. With a pastry brush or your fingers, spread a bit of olive oil over the filo then top with another sheet. Spread oil on 1/2 of this filo sheet, lengthwise. Fold sheets in half lengthwise. Place about 1/4 to 1/3 cup filling on one end in a rough triangle. Top with 1  tablespoon cheese, if using. Fold into triangle shapes, like a flag is folded. Tuck ends in, place on an ungreased baking sheet, brush top with oil then sprinkle with some kosher salt. Repeat until all the sheets of filo are used. Place sheet in a cold oven and turn temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. If using the cheese, make sure to chill with in one hour. 

 Hints: The filo will dry out but not too quickly as you work with it. Keeping it covered will help with that. Use spinach if you don't have Swiss Chard. Dried rosemary would work but fresh is a bit better. You could substitute another herb such as oregano or thyme if you like. Use as much red pepper flakes as you want or leave them out altogether. The balsamic is lovely in this filling and I love it with the rosemary. These are pretty messy to eat but worth every crumb! This filling would also work in a yeast dough as a calzone or in pie crust dough as a savory hand pie.

I have made these with and without cheese. They are delicious both ways. It just depends on whether you want to up the protein or you want straight vegan fare. Try my recipe for spanakopita if you like these.

Pineapple, Prosciutto and Rosemary

Three simple ingredients, one magnificent bite! Sweet, juicy, perfectly ripe pineapple + salty, creamy, smooth prosciutto + tender, aromatic, slightly pungent fresh rosemary = the best lunch I've had in weeks, maybe months. These would make a wonderful appetizer course, eaten with a knife and fork or make smaller versions with picks for hors d'eouvres. Share this phenomenal taste with all your friends!

Pineapple, Prosciutto and Rosemary
10 fresh pineapple spears, about 4 inches long
5 slices prosciutto
20 small rosemary sprigs, no tough stems
Cut prosciutto slices in half. Place a pineapple spear on the middle of the ham, top with 2 rosemary sprigs and wrap the ham. Serve at room temperature with rosemary crackers, if desired.

Hints: Make sure to remove all the peel of the pineapple, no rough spots. Prosciutto is so thin that it needs to be treated gently but a little tearing will not matter. I had fresh rosemary right off the shrub--SO GOOD!

A riff of the classic prosciutto with melon, but has a bit more acid with the pineapple. Glorious! Sorry but I'm excited about the new taste combo, if you couldn't tell.

Roasted Red Grape Salsa

Perusing my Pintrest connections introduced me to roasting grapes. Who would have thought taking lovely grapes and heating them up was a good idea? Well, I did. Genius! I thought. So off we went on a roasted grape adventure. The recipes that inspired me are here and here and are very nice ideas in my opinion. I intend to try them both. However I needed a buffet style dish and wanted to try making some flour tortilla chips, here is what happened--

Roasted Red Grape Salsa
4 cup small red grapes, rinsed and dried
2 tablespoons grape seed oil (or canola oil)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon sliced green onion
1 tablespoon chopped pistachios
1 cup crumbled bacon (cooked crisp)
Optional:Up to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper or 1 tablespoon diced jalapeno pepper
crackers, chips, flat bread or toast for serving
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss the grapes with the oil and place in a single layer on a roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Transfer to a glass mixing bowl, using a rubber scrapper to get all the juices from the pan into the bowl. Stir in the rosemary, green onion, pistachios, bacon (and red pepper or jalapeno if using). Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Serve at room temperature with crackers, chips, flat bread or toast. (See hints for additional serving ideas.)

Hints: If your grapes are larger, you may need to roast them a bit longer. You can chop the grapes on the roasting pan or even puree them before you add the other ingredients if you want a smoother product. Adding the spicy peppers may be just what you are looking for but is not necessary to have a flavorful, intriguing dish. I think this would be good served over pork medallions or grilled chicken. Or smoothed over fresh mozzarella in a panini. It would also be awesome served over a block of cream cheese with crackers.

Here are the grapes on my roasting pan--roasting pans are different than cookie sheets in that they are battle scarred and tough looking. They have taken the heat in many situations and have developed the perfect patina for their calling in life. I admire my roasters, tough old soldiers!

Fruit Salad with Rosemary Citrus Dressing

This is a variation of Honey Lime Ginger Dressing which is what I usually use on fruit salad. This day I was craving rosemary and had some lovely fruit to use so Rosemary Citrus Dressing was born. I hope you enjoy--

Rosemary Citrus Dressing
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 clementine, zest and juice
Place honey and rosemary in a microwave safe dish. Heat on full power for 20 seconds. Remove and allow to cool for several minutes. Stir in the zest and juice of the clementine. Pour over 5 to 6 cups of cut up fruit.

Hints: I used about a cup each of kiwi, blueberry, strawberry, mango, pineapple and red grapes. The flavor will go with nearly any fruit you have on hand. Allowing the honey to cool gives the rosemary time to infuse the honey with flavor. (You could quadruple these amounts, add some sparkling water and have a killer rosemary citrus beverage similar to this Lemonade recipe.)

With the idea of incorporating more fruits and veggies into ones diet, comes the challenge of maintaining the health benefits of the produce. A bit of honey with some flavorful component is a fine way to do just that. Ginger or rosemary or mint or vanilla bean--pick your favorite and go for it. Let me know if you stumble across a terrific idea we could all use.

Pork Medallions w/ Pine Nuts and Dates

Here is another quick and tasty dinner that is easy enough for every day but elegant enough for entertaining. I think you will love it.

Pork Medallions w/ Pine Nuts and Dates
2 pound pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoon butter, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
1 cup water
1/2 cup sliced dates
1/2 teaspoon chicken stock paste
1/2 teaspoon beef stock paste
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, slice pork across the grain into 3/4 to 1 inch thick medallions (there will be approximately 9 to 12 medallions). Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When it is hot, pour in olive oil and add 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle both sides of medallions with salt and pepper. With tongs, place them in the hot fat. Allow to brown, undisturbed for 2 minutes. Turn with tongs and sear other side for another two minutes. Remove to a oven proof dish in a single layer and place in the oven. Turn heat to 400 degrees. Place pine nuts in skillet and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until beginning to brown. Add rosemary and stir and cook for another minute. De-glaze the pan with the water, scrapping the bottom of the pan to loosen the fond. Lower the heat to medium. Add the sliced dates, stock pastes and mustard. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until liquid has reduced by 1/3 to 1/2. Remove from heat. Remove medallions from oven. Cut remaining butter into chunks and whisk in to sauce. Pour sauce over medallions and serve.

Hints: Putting a good sear on the meat and finishing it in the oven is a great technique to know. The thickness of the medallions will determine the level of pinkness in the finished medallions. Pork can be consumed safely with a slight pink tinge. They are ideally a bit juicy. You can cut one when you take them out of the oven to make sure they are cooked through, (remember that they will continue to cook a bit). The sauce will thicken up from the dates and will be just a bit sweet. This medallion recipe is another good one that is not sweet, but herbed and lemony. If you need to hold this dish for a few minutes, do so before you finish the sauce with the butter. Just remove from the meat from the oven and the sauce pan from the heat. When ready to serve, reheat the sauce to a simmer, remove from heat and whisk in butter. If you add the butter while the sauce is on the heat, the butter will separate and there will be a layer of oil on top.

Don't over fill the pan or the sear will not be good.

The dates should be slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

Dinner on the table in 20 minutes. Nice one to have in your repertoire. Inspiration for this sauce was a bit different. I opened the door of my fridge and saw the bag of pine nuts next to the bag of dates. A flavor combo was born, although dates and nuts together are nothing new, pairing them with the pork may be. Love cooking with what's on hand.  

Taco Mania 1 - Chicken Verde

I love tacos! I like them any which way, any time of day. I like to serve them for parties or eat them by myself. Today's recipe is for a lovely chicken taco with rosemary overtones. Great for a taco bar at your next party because this can be made a day ahead and re-heated in the oven very easily.

Rosemary Chicken Verde Tacos
1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs.), salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup finely diced sweet white onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 cup pepitas, roughly chopped
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces canned diced fire roasted green chilies
12 ounce bottle mild green salsa
1 fresh lime, zest and juice
1/2 cup cilantro
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a roasting pan and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 50 minutes or until joints of leg move easily and internal temperature at thickest part of breast reaches 180 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to cool until it can be handled. (Cut up chicken pieces can be used instead of a whole chicken.) Remove and discard skin, shred meat with your hands or two forks and set aside. There will be 6 to 7 cups of meat.
Heat 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to pan and then onions to oil. Saute until onions begin to be translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rosemary, cumin, sage and pepitas to pan and continue to stir and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. De-glaze pan with 1/2 cup water, scraping bottom to loosen the fond. Stir in salt and salsa. Zest the lime over the pan and then squeeze juice into the sauce. Add shredded chicken and cilantro. Cook until heated through. Serve warm or cool and refrigerate overnight. Serve by reheating, tightly covered, in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour.
Serve with:
Corn tortillas, cheddar cheese, lettuce, avocado, corn, pepitas, lime wedges, sour cream and salsa.

Hints: Roasting a chicken is easy but you can use all chicken breasts or thighs if you want. I roast two chickens at a time, freezing the meat from one to use in another recipe. (Adding two or three sprigs of fresh rosemary to the cavity of the chicken while roasting would be great.) The rosemary adds a Santa Fe type twist to the flavor that is delightful. This recipe will serve 8 people two or three tacos each. Leftovers freeze well. Use flour tortillas or hard taco shells if you want, both are very good. The chicken filling would be good in tamales, too.

Tomorrow I will post a yummy beef filling for the same taco bar. A day with a taco is better than a day without a taco...that is my philosophy and I'm sticking with it!

Zucchini with Rosemary, Savory or Sweet

Zucchini bread with or without spices, zucchini soup, stuffed zucchini, zucchini brownies--they all are OK with me. Here are two of my favorite ways to use up my harvest each year. Each also utilizes fresh herbs. The photo above shows a portion of my herb garden: golden sage, chives, parsley, rosemary.

Sauteed Zucchini
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium zucchini
1 medium crook neck squash
1/2 medium sweet onion (like Vidallia)
1 red or orange bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Prepare veggies and herbs by cutting squashes in half lengthwise then slicing thinly. Cut onion in half lengthwise and sliver one half---reserve other half for another use. Cut pepper in half lengthwise and clean out seeds. Then slice it into thin ribs and half them crosswise. Chop herbs as well. Place saute pan over high heat and when hot, pour in olive oil. Add squashes and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn down heat to medium high. Stir in onions and peppers and continue to cook until veggies are getting brown. Add herbs, salt and pepper to taste and continue to cook for another 2 or 3 minutes. Serve immediately or use in a frittata, as a crepe filling with feta cheese or stir into cooked pasta with Romano cheese.

Hints: My favorite herb combos are rosemary with parsley, multiple varieties of basil, sage with Greek oregano. This dish is best with young zucchini and crook neck. The squash will release quite a bit of liquid; you need to cook them long enough for that to evaporate a bit so they can begin browning. The onions will caramelize if you use medium heat and cook long enough. I like to add the herbs in the last few minutes so that their flavor is still quite bright.

 

Here is my favorite take on lemon bars. Don't listen to what Neal has to say about them. He was just sick of my experimenting with both zucchini and rosemary. Poor guy, has to endure my creative jags. They are great frozen too. (The cookies, not the jags.)

Rosemary Lime Zucchini Bars
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon grated lime zest (one medium lime)
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine above ingredients. Spray the bottom of a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Spread the crust into the pan and press down firmly. Bake 15 minutes. remove from oven and pour the following mixture over hot crust.

5 large eggs
1 cup finely shredded zucchini 

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tablespoons lime zest (about 3 limes)
1/2 cup lime juice (about 4 limes)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
While crust is baking, beat eggs until thick and pale. Squeeze excess liquid out of zucchini then measure 1 cup. Add zucchini, sugar, flour, lime zest and juice, rosemary and salt to eggs. Beat until well combined. Pour over hot crust and return to oven for 25 minutes or until set and beginning to brown. Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into rectangles.

Hints: Some varieties of rosemary are stronger flavored than others. If you have a strong type, you may need to back off on the amount of rosemary in this recipe. Be sure to get out as much of the liquid in the zucchini as possible so that the bars will set up properly. I leave the skin on the squash because the color flecks add to the final products appearance.

I plant a small area of the yard with herbs. The fresh picked herbs make everything they go in taste fabulous. Herbs like basil, rosemary, cilantro and parsley are robust but need to be replanted every year in our climate. Sage, chives and oregano merely need to be cut back occasionally. Mint will take over an area and is hard to contain. Haven't tried dill yet--maybe next year. Chewing on a basil leaf while touring the yard with Stella makes all right with the world.