Watermelon Feta and Olive Salad

I can't believe it has been a month since I last posted any recipes! Truly this past month has been fairly crazy and the next few weeks aren't going to be any easier with many birthdays coming up. Despite the numerous celebrations, most of the parties are being catered and therefore do not require my cooking/baking efforts. As a result I won't have my usual slew of occasions to try new cake recipes but I'm sure I will make other things to satisfy my recipe cravings.

This salad came together more out of curiosity than anything else as I have often watched shows on Food Network featuring the combination of watermelon and feta cheese. Also my brother recently mentioned that he read somewhere that sprinkling a little bit of salt on watermelon actually makes it sweeter. I thought that a nice summertime salad combining sweet watermelon and salty feta cheese would be just right for lunch. Since I like olives I decided to throw some in as well and dressed the salad with some fresh squeezed lime juice, a little salt, and olive oil. Overall it was simple and fresh and surprisingly not too sweet.

Watermelon Feta and Olive Salad

• 2 limes, juiced
• ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ large watermelon, cut into chunks
• ½ can pitted black olives, sliced
• ¼ bunch fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
• 150 grams feta cheese
• Olive oil
• Salt

1. Combine the lime juice and sliced red onion in a small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes to allow the juice to soak through the onion.
2. Roughly cut the watermelon into chunks and combine with the sliced olives and crumbled feta cheese.
3. Tear off the parsley leaves from the stalks and add to the salad along with the sliced onion and lime juice.
4. Add a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt (not too much as the olives and feta cheese are already salty). Gently mix so that all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Gnocchetti with Puttanesca Sauce

Along with the seafood fettuccine alfredo I made for dinner the other night, I also made this gnochetti pasta with a puttanesca sauce. Like the basic egg pasta, I was taught to make this pasta during my trip to Italy in the summer. It was actually this time last year that I first tried something similar when I made ricotta gnocchi with chives. Although I have yet to make the traditional gnocchi using a potato dough (due to the fact that I don't own a potato ricer) I think it's only a matter of time.

For this particular pasta it uses two different types of flour: regular all purpose, unbleached flour as well as durum wheat flour (also known as seminola flour). Finding the seminola flour was more challenging than I anticipated and I ended up having to go to a different grocery store than my usual Safeway because they didn't carry it. Still, I was determined to make this pasta so I made the special trip to Save-On-Foods and bought the flour, as well as some extra for the future.

I'm not going to lie and say that this pasta was easy to make. It's not that it was difficult, just time consuming. After making the dough, working with one chunk at a time, I had to roll it into thin tubes, cut it into pieces, and then roll each piece along the back of a fork (as I don't own a gnocchi board) to create the little ridges. A year ago, when I made the ricotta gnocchi, I grew frustrated with the fork rolling process and stopped after about ten pieces. However when I was in Italy I learned the importance of the little ridges and why, even though time consuming, it is a step that should not be skipped. What I thought was originally aesthetic turned out to have a purpose: the ridges expand when the pasta is cooked and the resultant grooves create space to hold sauce, making each bite of pasta filled with flavor. My fork rolling efforts were rewarded when I saw how well the pasta clung to the puttanesca sauce.

Between the two pastas, my family enjoyed this one more because of the sauce. Like me, most of my family members are more tomato sauce lovers rather than cream sauce. I think the little shapes also appealed to them since the pasta looked cute and fun to eat. Now that I have made these two pastas I really want to try making ravioli, but for that I think I will need a little time and also the right equipment. Until then, I will stick to making pre-made pasta, though definitely with my own sauces.

Gnocchetti with Puttanesca Sauce

For the Gnocchetti:

• 1 cup flour
• 3 cups durum wheat flour (seminola flour)
• 1½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

1. Combine the two flours and salt in a large bowl. Add the oil and stir through with a fork.
2. Form a well in the middle and add the hot water. 
3. Add the baking powder to the well of water and let it foam. Using the fork, start to mix the water in with the flour, adding more if necessary to moisten the dough.
4. Once the dough starts to come together use your hands to create a ball of dough. It should be quite soft and somewhat spongy. Add more hot water if it feels too stiff.
5. Remove the ball of dough from the bowl and knead it for 4-5 minutes until it is soft and uniform.
6. Working with one chunk at a time (about the size of a small plum), stretch and roll the dough to form a long, thin tube about ½" inch in diameter. Keep the rest of the dough covered with a damp cloth while you work.
7. Cut the tube into pieces about ¾" wide. Roll each piece over the tines of a fork, applying gentle but firm pressure, to form the ridges in the pasta.
8. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. Note: it is easier to roll the dough if it is moist, therefore if it starts to dry out don't be afraid to add a little water to it.
9. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water. The pasta is ready once it floats up to the top, generally 4-5 minutes.

For the Puttancesca sauce:

• 2 28 oz cans whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tin (approximately 6 fillets) anchovies
• ¼-½ tsp chili pepper flakes
• ¼-½ cup olives, chopped
• 2 tbsp drained capers
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Optional: 2-3 sprigs of basil

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat and melt the anchovy fillets. Mix the anchovies to help them break up into pieces.
2. Add the garlic and saute until golden and fragrant, stirring occasionally. Add the chili pepper flakes and olives and mix thoroughly.
3. Mix in the tomato paste and continue cooking for about a minute.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices. Then add the basil, if using, and the capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bring the sauce to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and reduces. It can take between 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how thick you want it. Taste again for seasoning and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary.

Savory Breakfast Muffins

I woke up this morning with the urge to bake...of course. Since I had made a sweet dessert the night before I decided to try and bake something savory instead. Due to the fact that I am constantly perusing through food blogs I constantly have a bunch of pages open on my computer with recipes that I would like to try. Luckily, I happened to have one open which matched the description I was looking for...something small, light, and savory.

The original recipe called for making regular sized muffins but I made mine mini sized because I love to use my mini muffin pan. I think it's quite convenient because it produces the perfect bite, allows you to produce a bigger quantity (good for a large family like mine), and takes less time to bake. The recipe is quite versatile and provides a batter base which can then be supplemented with a variety of savory mix-ins. I split the batter in half and made one batch using caramelized onions, mushrooms, and feta cheese while the other batch had sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and goat cheese. You can also add fresh herbs but I chose to skip that this time.

Funny enough, once I made the muffins my family didn't quite take to them as I had hoped. My mom said she imagined more of a bread rather than a muffin and the savory ingredients in muffin form threw her off. She said she didn't quite know how to react to the soft muffin texture but strong savory taste. Personally I enjoyed the muffins and when I brought some over to my aunt and cousin they seemed to like them too. I guess each person has their own preference and I should accept that not all of my recipes will always be a hit with everyone.

Savory Breakfast Muffins
Note: The recipe makes about 12 regular muffins or 24 mini muffins, but it depends on how much of the savory mix-ins are added. Try to add no more than 1 1/2 cups. For example: 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms, 1/2 cup caramelized onions, 1/2 cup feta cheese.

• 2 cups flour (the original recipe called for 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat but I used 2 cups all-purpose)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 scant black pepper (I just sprinkled enough that looked right)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp canola oil (I used olive oil which worked fine)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 cup savory ingredients

1. Prepare all of the savory mix-ins and set aside. This means cut them all into small, uniform pieces and cook anything such as mushrooms or onions and set aside to cool before adding to the batter.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper and set aside.
3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and sugar. 
4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet just until all of the flour is incorporated.
5. Gently fold in the savory mix-ins.
6. Lightly grease a muffin pan and fill each well almost full. I recommend using paper liners if you have them because the muffins were a little difficult to remove from the pan, despite pre-greasing. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If baking regular size muffins bake for 20-22 minutes; mini sized muffins for 15-18 minutes. The muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
7. Cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Zucchini and Carrot Ribbon Salad

Most often when my family eats dinner we always make the same salad to go with it: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, balsamic vinegar. It has become a staple salad in our family with a couple of additions at times such as pickles, avocado, feta cheese or some leafy greens. However, for the most part, it stays the same and we all enjoy it.

Last week, I decided that I wanted to try and make something different, spice up our lives a little. I tried making this ribbon salad using our vegetable peeler and random ingredients I found in the fridge. The end result was a yummy salad but my ribbons did not turn out the way I had wanted. All of my ribbons turned out thin and without a border. Perhaps if I had been using a cheese grater or a vegetable thinner that was wider I could have made those beautiful zucchini ribbons with the dark fringes. Also, the ribbons were a little long which made me wish I had cut them down a little. Still, I was happy with the taste of the salad and I think I enjoyed it even more the next day when it was cold.

Zucchini and Carrot Ribbon Salad
Note: The listed quantities are all estimations except for the zucchini and carrots; I added the ingredients until it looked right in the salad.

• 2 medium zucchini
• 4 medium carrots
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup olives, chopped
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• Goat cheese or feta cheese chunks
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil

1. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini and carrots into long, thin ribbons and set aside. You can keep the cores to use later in something else.
2. In a large skillet, heat up some olive oil over high heat. Add the ribbons and reduce the heat to medium.
3. Toss the ribbons around in the olive oil and continue to heat until just tender, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper while heating.
4. Pour the contents of the skillet, oil included, into a salad bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients.

Sundried Tomato Wonton Cups

This morning my mother came to me and said she needed to prepare some sort of appetizer to bring with her to a potluck party. We mentally ran through our usual list of party foods, but none of them seemed appealing to either of us. I then came up with the idea to go to tastespotting.com and see if anything popped out.

As we sat on the couch and strolled through delicious pictures, we came across a recipe for a tuna wonton cup. We both decided that we liked the idea of a wonton cup, and we knew we already had wonton wrappers in the freezer. Suddenly, my mother remembered that she had previously bought a can of sundried tomatoes and we agreed that they would go well as some sort of filling. I typed in "sundried tomatoes" into the search box and strolled through the recipes until I found one that matched our needs. The original recipe that I found was this one, but we added a little bit to the ingredients to make it our own.

In the end, the appetizer worked out wonderfully and was exactly right for a casual summer get-together. The wonton cup provided a nice crisp and held its shape quite well. The micro greens at the bottom gave the appetizer a lighter feel while the blueberries balanced the saltiness of the olives, feta, and sundried tomatoes by providing a tart juiciness. We were pleased with both the taste and presentation of our little creations.

Sundried Tomato Wonton Cups

• 24 wonton wrappers
• 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
• 1 cup sundried tomatoes
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 lb-1 lb crumbled feta cheese (use your judgment and decide for yourself how much to use)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• Shredded micro greens

• Optional: You can season your wonton wrappers a little before baking them, like we did, by brushing them with olive oil and then sprinkling a little seasoning on top. We used an already prepared seasoning mix in our cupboard called "Garlic plus". 

Press wonton wrappers into metal tart shells and bake at 400 Fahrenheit for 8 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top.

Mix all of the ingredients except for the micro greens in a bowl.

Fill the wonton wrappers first with the shredded micro greens, then with the mixture on top.

Olive Bread

As my tap class was getting ready for our annual year-end party, I volunteered to bring something that could be considered "real food"...ie. something that was not dessert. I decided to try and make this olive bread since it would go well with the pasta that someone else was bringing.

This was actually not my first time making this recipe, but it was the first time that I carefully read through the directions instead of briefly looking at them and being convinced that I had them memorized. The first time, after so confidently heading into my kitchen with the recipe committed to memory, I not only forgot to add the melted butter but I added the ingredients backwards. The result was an extremely dry looking bowl of ingredients, I can't even call it a dough or a batter. Once I figured out I was missing the batter I added it in, but it was too late. The dough clumped into pieces and refused to allow the butter to be incorporated completely. My friend and I decided to bake it anyways, since we already put the effort into assembling it, and ate it regardless.
 
This time I followed the correct order and I remembered to add the melted butter. I substituted some of the ingredients from the original recipe but I think the concept was still the same. Unfortunately, when I mixed the ingredients together the result was more of a dough than a batter as the recipe described. As a result, the bread was quite dense and now light and airy as I imagined it to be. I might try just using one cup of flour next time and see how that changes the texture. Luckily, it was still widely received in my tap class. Below is my adaptation of the recipe; the original recipe is courtesy of Laura Calder of the Food Network show French Food at Home, and can be found here.

Olive Bread

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup green olives, sliced and pitted
• 1/3 cup Kalamata (black) olives, sliced and pitted
• 1 cup feta cheese, lightly crushed, plus a little extra for sprinkling
• Pinch of salt

1. Heat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Butter and flour a loaf pan. (I used a 9" x 5" and sprayed it with Pam)
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl, and stir the salt and pepper through. 
3. Beat the eggs into the flour. Beat in the melted butter. 
4. Stir through the remaining ingredients to distribute evenly. 
5. Transfer the dough into the pan, making sure it is spread evenly across. Sprinkle some feta cheese over the top and bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
6. Cool slightly. Remove from pan. Slice, and serve.