Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

The summer is a wonderful time to enjoy the humble but terrific tomato! I have made many a marguerite pizza, tomato and basil salad, tomato and mozzerella stack, tomato and zucchini tart, tomato and bacon on an everything bagel.....just thinking about those recipes makes my mouth water. Today, for a light dinner, or nice luncheon dish, I have for you a tomato and goat cheese tart.

Don't panic it is relatively simple to make, no long preparation....just a few key ingredients.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts.                             Convection Oven 415 degrees F

1 sheet puff pastry, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoon butter
1 white onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped finely
1/3 cup white wine, substitute 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
4-6 basil leaves, torn
2 large tomato cut into thick slices
Or use a few grape tomato, cut into halves
6 ounces goat cheese
2 ounces grana padano or Parmesan cheese, fresh grated
2 ounces grana padano or parmesan cheese, shaved

Fit the puff pastry into 4-4 inch fluted tart tins with removable bottom, lightly press the pastry into the sides, cutting off the excess and fitting into any gaps, until the pastry comes to the top edge of each tart tin. I do individual ones as it is more fun and easier to serve. If you don't like to fiddle with the pastry, or don't have those tart tins, place each of 4 pieces of puff pastry onto a parchment lined sheet pan, then, lightly score 1/2 inch around the edge of the piece of pastry, don't cut all the way through, then prick the centre of each with a fork a few times to prevent the pastry from buckling up when it bakes, put into fridge to keep cold while preparing the filling. Put the 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and butter in sauté pan, over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic, for about 5-6 minutes, until it is soft and beginning to brown, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add the wine, cook and stir until the wine has evaporated and the onion is golden, add the fresh thyme and cook for a minute more. Turn off the heat and let cool while you grate the cheese, cut the tomato, crumble the goat cheese, tear the basil leaves. Remove the pastryforms from the fridge, place on sheet pan, toss some of the grated Parmesan into bottom of each tart, or in the center of each piece of puff pastry if not using the tart forms, (keeping the edges clear to puff up around the filling)top with the onion/ garlic mixture, crumble the goat cheese on top of the onion, top with the tomato slices or the halved grape tomato, or both, then the torn basil leaves, a sprinkle of pepper on each, then top with the shaved Parmesan slices. When finished building all the tarts, put into preheated 415 degree convection oven to bake for 20 minutes, if cheese browns too quickly, cover the tarts with a loose piece of parchment paper. Turn pan halfway through baking for even browning.

Dutch Girl Pasta Salad

 When you think about the taste of certain ingredients you like together, it is easy then to make a pasta salad. I have a plethora of recipes for pasta salad, but this one is my favorite.

You can use tricolor rotini or plain, or whole wheat, whatever kind you like, but the important thing is not to cook it too long then plunge the pasta into icy water to stop the cooking process.

Dutch Girl Pasta Salad

2 cups uncooked pasta
1/2 cup halved grape tomato
2-3 green onions chopped
1/4 yellow pepper, chopped finely
1/4 red pepper, chopped finely
10 Kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, chopped into tiny cubes
2 ounces Asiago cheese, chopped into tiny cubes
fresh basil leaves, parsley, chives, oregano, basil flowers, thyme, chopped or torn
A few capers
1/2-2/3 cup oil vinegar dressing, homemade or (use sun dried tomato dressing from Kraft)

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until "al dente", soft but still semi-firm in the centre of the pasta, drain, plunge into icy water to stop the cooking process. Meanwhile, wash, prepare and chop veggies,cheese, herbs and olives, let marinade in dressing while pasta cools off, when pasta is cool to the touch, mix with other ingredients, let stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes for the flavours to develop, serve and enjoy.

Oil and vinegar dressing-in a 1/2 liter jar with a lid mix 1/2 cup olive oil with garlic, salt and pepper, add 3/4 cup white wine vinegar,you could also add, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped sun dried tomato, to add a bit of zest to the pasta salad.

Indonesian Pork Sate Rice Balls

I love to play with my food! The other day, I made pork sate, jasmine rice with peanut sauce, well, you see where I'm going with this? I had leftovers.....what to do? No, I don't like reheated food, unless it's soup or stew which is better next day or two after its made, but grilled food, not so much, eh?!
So here is my take on a classic Italian favorite, stuffed rice balls;

2-3 bamboo sticks with leftover sate pork/chicken
1-1/2 cups cooked leftover jasmine rice
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch
2-3 eggs, mixed with 1-1/2 tablespoon water
Breadcrumbs, plain
Oil for frying

Cut leftover grilled sate pork/chicken into 1/2 inch squares, set aside. Put leftover rice in a bowl, test to see if it is sticky by scrunching it up into a ball, if it doesn't want to stay together, add 1/2 the cornstarch, mix well, then test again, keep adding a little more of the cornstarch until you have a fairly sticky rice. Put a little rice into a damp hand, put a piece of pork/chicken sate into the centre of the rice scrunch up, adding a little more rice if needed to form a ball, not too big around the meat, roll all of the meat into the rice until all is used up. Then roll all of the rice balls into the breadcrumbs, then the egg mixed with a little water then breadcrumbs again. I rolled all the rice and meat into balls first then did the breadcrumbs/egg/breadcrumbs, so that the rice wouldn't get mixed with the breadcrumbs. At this point you can cover the balls and fry them later. Fry the rice balls in a high sided pot with at least 2 inches of plain oil, until golden, drain on paper towels keep hot in oven until ready to eat. Serve with peanut sauce, hot sauce, soy sauce or hoisin sauce, or Thai chili sauce, enjoy!

Delicious Italian style Eggs

This wonderful egg dish is very tasty, easy to make and hearty enough for a big lunch or light dinner. We have it at least every couple of months, serve it with crusty bread, to dunk into the great sauce.

Delicious Italian Style Eggs
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig fresh thyme
1-14 ounce can Aurora brand chopped Tomato
1 large fresh tomato, or 6 cherry tomato, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
A few crushed chili flakes
4-6 eggs, depending on how hungry you are, 2-3 per person
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into chunks or use mini bocconcini
2 tablespoons fresh parmesan, grated
Few leaves of fresh basil
1 loaf unsliced Italian bread, cut into thick slices

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cook and stir until translucent, and smells good, don't let the garlic burn! Add the canned tomato, the fresh tomato, and the sprig of thyme, a little salt and pepper, and crushed chili flakes, cook and stir until you can smell the thyme, about 10 minutes, stir well, taste, then add more salt and pepper, if necessary, (keeping in mind that you will be adding the salty Parmesan cheese later). Stir the sauce well, then break eggs into the sauce, one by one, (sort of like poaching them in the sauce), do not stir or turn eggs over, add fresh mozzarella or bocconcini if using, now with a rubber spatula, loosen the eggs from the bottom of the pan, but do not stir it around too much, cook until eggs are set but not hard, usually if the sauce was near boiling when the eggs were put in it would take 4-41/2 minutes to cook the eggs (still over medium to low heat). Serve in pasta bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan and basil, pass the chunks of bread, enjoy!

Choucroute Garnie de Alsace

I have lots of great recipes for pork, which is a very versatile meat. Pigs that are raised these days are naturally lean and have less fat than it did even 5 years ago, also, any cut of pork can be flavoured with anything, similar to chicken. This makes pork a great alternative to having chicken every night of the week.
One of my favorite winter meals is Choucroute Garnie de Alsace, a dish that incorporates many cuts of pork, smoked pork chops, or ham hocks, bacon, bratwurst and knockwurst sausage and kielbasa, along with pickled cabbage and white wine. This dish is terrific if you are having lots of people over for a Brazilian night, which features many kinds of meat, served in portions until you are full a great celebration of the marriage of French and German cuisines!
Many of you know that we have been going to South Carolina for at least 35 years, I mention that because there were many seafood all you can eat buffet style, but only one seafood restaurant that served you any seafood menu item a potion at a time until you were full. This certainly saved the immense waste of food, but also allowed you to try different seafood items you may never have had the nerve to try like frogs legs and alligator. As well, the seafood was freshly made to order, instead of waiting under heat lamps drying it out! That was the Seafood version of Brazilian night! This then is my take on this fabulous dish,

Choucroute Garnie de Alsace

2 medium sized smoked ham hocks or small bone-in ham
1 pound fully cooked bratwurst
1/2 pound bacon, cut into lardons
2 large onions, chopped, 1/4 inch dice
2 stalks celery, chopped 1/4 inch dice
2 carrots julienned
1 cup shredded savoy cabbage
1 teaspoon juniper berries (optional)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
10 whole cloves
8-10 whole allspice berries
3 bay leaves
1 red delicious apples, cored and sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced
2-22 ounce jars wine sourkraut, drained and rinsed twice, then squeezed dry
1 pound knockwurst, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 pounds kielbasa, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 cups Riesling wine
2 pounds small red skinned potatoes
1/2 cup fresh parsley
Assorted mustards
Prepared Horseradish or horseradish sauce
The following can be prepared ahead:
Place ham hocks in a saucepan, cover with water by 2 inches, bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, skim the foam that rises, turn down heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, or til tender. Remove ham hocks from water, let cool, boil the cooking liquid until it is reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Remove meat from the bones, Discard bones, put ham in a covered container, put the reduced stock into another covered container, at this point you can refridgerate both until the next day.
In a heavy Dutch oven 5 quarts, on medium high heat, cook the bacon lardons until crispy, remove, add the bratwurst, brown all sides, remove, place bot bacon and bratwurst in the container with the ham hock meat. Sauté the onions and spices next, cook and stir for 3-4 minutes, until the onions are softening and you can start to smell the spices, add the apples, celery, carrots and cabbage next, cook and stir for 2-3 minutes to coat with all of the bacon drippings and mix all ingredients together. Add the sourkraut, mix everything together, now add all of the meat: ham hock, bacon, bratwurst, knockwurst, kielbasa, press down to submerge the meat into the veg, add the reserved broth and the wine, bring to a boil, boil for 10 minutes. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F for 1-1/2 hours. Meanwhile put small potatoes into a pot cover with cold water, cook until tender, drain, return to pot, add 1/4 cup butter and a few fresh parsley leaves, arrange meat and vegetables on a large platter, place cooked potatoes around the meat and veggie arrangement, serve with a variety of mustards, horseradish and/or horseradish sauce.

Dutch Girl Best Roast Chicken

This recipe for roast chicken should always be in your repertoire, it is one of those go to recipes that may see you through at least 3 meals, depending on the size of chicken that you roast. Having a roasted chicken on hand anytime is a life saver for those nightmare week nights that have you rushing around and need something easy, nutritious and delicious, without going to the fast food and blowing the food budget in one meal.

Best Roast Chicken

3-5 kg whole chicken
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped into quarters
1 stalk celery, cut into 2 inch pieces
Fresh sage leaves
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Turn oven on to 350 degrees F. Wash the chicken inside and out, dry, if the chicken has the string around it holding the legs together, remove it. Place chicken into a roasting pan with a rack, to keep the skin crispy all over and out of the rendered fat. Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken, put the onion and celery inside, then by sliding your finger between the breast meat and the skin, loosen slightly to allow you to slide the sage leaves and slices of garlic under the skin, rub the outside of the chicken with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tuck the chicken legs close to the body and the wings under the back, cover loosely with a piece of parchment paper put into oven, bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour 15 minutes for 3 kg to 2 hours 20 minutes for 5 kg., remove the parchment halfway through baking time and turn the roasting pan to achieve even browning. Remove chicken from oven, let rest at least 15 minutes, covered with the parchment from earlier.
If you wish to make gravy with the drippings from the chicken, remove the rack from the roasting pan put roasting pan onto the burner to heat up, loosen the baked bits on the bottom by stirring with a flat wooden scraper, add 1/4-1/2 cup flour if you are not glutin free, stir it around to absorb the fat in the chicken drippings (add more flour if necessary to absorb the fat), cook and stir the chicken drippings and flour for a minute or two, then add a bit of water, keep stirring, adding more water until you have a thickened gravy, taste for salt and pepper, strain it into the gravy dish. If you are gluten free, you can add chick pea flour or corn flour, but use less than with flour as these vegetable flours are generally more starchy. Serve with mashed potatoes and fresh salad, enjoy!