This is a delicious roasted red pepper puree which, like any pesto, uses nuts, aged cheese, garlic, olive oil and salt.
Basil, Parmigiano Reggiano, pine nuts, garlic, salt and really good olive oil. How could pesto not be delicious? Traditionally, pesto is made with a mortar and pestle as a labor of love. A modern food processor makes it super quick and easy to whip up a delicious pesto.
Eggplant and sweet red peppers are a classic vegetable combination. Cooking eggplant until it’s “melted” transforms it into a luxurious pasta sauce. Enhance the melted eggplant and sweet red peppers with herbs and Parmesan, and you have a vegetarian, comfort filled delight.
Melting a full pound of zucchini is the perfect amount to dress a 12-inch pizza. Melting the zucchini coaxes the water out of it, reduces it in size and concentrates its flavor. Give this a try with your favorite pizza crust methodology.
Ratatouille is the quintessential dish of late summer. It combines tomatoes, squash and eggplant that arrive earlier in the summer with the sweet peppers which take a little longer to show up. This version of ratatouille uses a tomato sauce made on the stovetop while the other three vegetables are prepared in the oven to their own individual perfection.
Tons of flavor complexity that all work together like a symphony. The smokey, earthy flavor of the charred poblanos. The richness and smokiness of NC smoked pulled pork, along with the tartness of the vinegar it brings. The sweet and tang of fresh peaches and blueberries. The warmth of the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. The herbal earthiness of the oregano. The crunch and nuttiness of the pecans. All of that covered with a rich, nutty, goat-cheesy cream sauce with a hint of bourbon. Yeah, how can that not be good?
Summer in the NC piedmont means local peaches. Just like everyone else, I love peaches in sweet concoctions. But my favorite application is to use them in savory dishes. Peach chutney is super easy to make and it is very versatile to work with.
Blueberry pie, blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes. Yeah, all of those are great. But I like the surprise of blueberries in savory dishes. Blueberry chutney is super easy to make and it’s so versatile.
If you have a food processor, hummus is super simple to make at home. The ingredient list is short: A can of chickpeas with the liquid reserved. Some tahini, lemon juice, salt, and a clove of garlic. Cumin is a traditional seasoning, but you can season hummus many ways.
Every ingredient in this salad pairs with every other ingredient, in any pair or any combination. Peach and ricotta, check. Tomato and basil, check. Peach and basil, check. Tomato and ricotta and balsamic, check. Peach, tomato, ricotta, basil and balsamic, all together, CHECK!
Combine one of my favorite flavor combinations for pasta and seasonal vegetables with one of my favorite cooking techniques for eggplant, and you get Pasta with Melted Eggplant, Italian Sausage and Lemon!
How do you cram a quarter pound of veggies into a delicious grilled cheese sandwich? “Melted” zucchini has a creamy texture which pairs so nicely with gooey cheese for a veggie loaded grilled cheese sandwich.
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