Pizza
1/2 pound Italian hot (or sweet) sausage
1 large red onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 large yellow pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
2 large red pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 recipe favorite pizza dough, rolled into 4 (6-inch) rounds
1/2 pound grated fontina cheese
1 cup sheep’s milk ricotta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Basil Vinaigrette
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Special Equipment: Portable Outdoor Gas Grill

Preheat the grill to medium high heat.

Grilled Pizza
Grill the sausage on both sides until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes per side. Brush onions and peppers with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the onions and peppers until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the sausage from the grill and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Remove the onions, separate into rings, and roughly chop. Remove the peppers and slice into 1/8-inch thick slices.

Heat grill to high. Brush dough with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and grill for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the grill and place on a flat surface.

Divide the fontina cheese among the 4 pizza rounds. Divide the sausage, onions and peppers over the cheese. Place the pizza on the grill, close the cover and grill until the cheese has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. To finish in the oven, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the pizza on sheet pans and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Mix together the ricotta, extra-virgin olive oil, and oregano in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the pizzas from the oven and drizzle with Basil Vinaigrette. Top with dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Basil Vinaigrette
Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serves 2-4

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Toss the zucchini, onion, tomato and olives with 1 tablespoon of the oil in a baking dish; season with salt & freshly cracked pepper. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until tender and beginning to caramelize at edges.

Place fish on flat surface. Brush another tablespoon of the oil over the fish and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Open the oven door and place fish fillets on top of the vegetables. Cook 8 minutes, until cooked through.

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, mustard and remaining oil to make a dressing. Transfer the fish and vegetables to dinner plates and drizzle with the dressing and scatter with chopped parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

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2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil (I used far less – about 4 tablespoons)
3 tomatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 large pinches of saffron
2 cups short grain rice, ideally Bomba
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup favas (about 1 pound), out of pods and peeled
1/2 cup fresh English peas (about 8 ounces), shelled
1 cup asparagus (about 10 spears), cut into about 2-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 piquillo peppers for garnish, thinly sliced
Lemon wedges

1. In a large, heavy, ovenproof casserole, cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil very slowly over low heat until tender and golden but not browned.

2. Cut the tomatoes in half and grate them by pressing the fleshy side against the medium holes of a box grater. Discard the skins. After the onions are tender, add the grated tomato and saffron and cook slowly for 10 minutes. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains. Add the white wine, stock, favas, peas, asparagus and salt.

4. Bring the rice mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the stove top and bake, uncovered, until stock is absorbed and rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Decorate with the piquillo pepper slices and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
1 cup chopped shallots
1 garlic clove, minced
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

Dip a pastry brush in olive oil and evenly brush flesh side of the squash halves; place flesh side down on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400˚F for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Let squash cool for 10 minutes. Remove flesh from the squash halves with a spoon and mash with a fork until smooth (my yield was 2 cups).

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander, return it to the pot, and keep warm.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet and cook shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Add spinach and roasted mashed butternut squash to the pan. Stir in buttermilk, milk, rosemary, and salt and stir until smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix pasta and sauce until the sauce evenly coats all the ingredients. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over each serving.

6 servings

My trick to really good chicken stew, curry and stir-fry recipes (especially when making it quickly, and have little time to marinate) is to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are much more tender and tastier than breasts. And for a stir-fry? Peanut sauce is my favorite!









Stir Fry
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in small cubes
5 cups mixed veggies, cut in cubes (onion, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms all work well!)
2 tablespoons spicy sesame oil (use whatever oil you have)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 head butter lettuce, cups (optional)
1/3 cup nuts (toasted slivered almonds or pine nuts work well)
salt, to taste

Peanut Sauce
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp spicy sesame oil
4 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
chili sauce, to taste

Stir Fry
Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add sesame oil and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes on low heat. Add the veggies and cook until mostly tender. Add the chicken and cook until mostly done (about 4-5 minutes), stirring constantly. Add the soy sauce and stir-fry another 2 minutes. When the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tender, remove them from the pan and drain the liquid.

Peanut Sauce
Add garlic and oil to a small sauce pan and heat on low. Add peanut butter, sugar, soy sauce, chili sauce and coconut milk, and cook for 4-5 minutes on low, stirring well. Add salt, if desired.

Mix 3/4 of the peanut sauce with the drained chicken mixture. Place spoonfuls of the chicken mixture into a piece of lettuce or on a plate, add additional sauce and toasted almonds (or nuts) to the top. Serve with white rice and enjoy!!

Serves 2

3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1¼ lbs hot Italian sausages (or use a mixture of sweet and hot)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 medium peppers, (red and green) cut into thin strips
28 oz can diced tomatoes; with juice
4 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp thyme
pasta (optional)
5 sprigs fresh basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausages and onion; cook, turning the sausages to brown all sides, until onions are just tender, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and bell peppers and cook another couple of minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Raise heat to high and cook until liquid starts to boil. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the sausages feel firm about 25 minutes. Cut the sausages into slices or leave whole for serving. Serve with fresh pasta or bread!

Serves: 4

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Lay 6 slices of bread on your work surface and divide the cheese among them. Top with the remaining pieces of bread and cut off crusts (optional).

Heat a skillet over medium heat.

Add 2 tablespoons butter and cook to brown the butter. Add half the sandwiches and cook until browned on the first side, about 1-1/2 minutes.

Flip the sandwiches and cook on the other side for another 30 to 45 seconds. Place on a sheet pan and spread 1 teaspoon of butter over the top and bottom of each sandwich. Repeat with the other sandwiches.

Put the baking sheet in the oven for 2-5 minutes. Remove from oven and slice sandwiches in half.

Serves 6

Boil the cauliflower for 7 minutes in salted water, then cook in the cream for 5 minutes. Put the cream and cauliflower into a food processor and blend until smooth. Pass through a sieve. Cook the butter until golden brown and add to the puree. Season to taste with salt and a pinch of nutmeg.

Heat a little olive oil in a very hot sauté pan and add scallops and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side (until just cooked through!). Remove and season with lime juice, salt and pepper.

To serve, arrange a scoop of cauliflower purée on each serving plate. Top each with 2 scallops, add onion garnish and serve!

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs (bone in or boneless, with skin)
40 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup half and half
chopped fresh parsley

Special Equipment: Round French Oven

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or other oven proof pot over medium heat. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. In batches, cook chicken until browned. About 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a separate platter. Set aside.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of pan drippings, add in garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook until garlic browns slightly, stirring often, about 2 minutes.

Return chicken to pan, pour chicken stock and wine over the top. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake an additional 10 minutes. If you would like the chicken skin crispier turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes.

Remove chicken from oven. Transfer chicken to a serving platter and cover to keep warm. Place dutch oven back on the stove and turn heat to medium. Bring to a boil. Stir 1 tablespoon of hot pan drippings into the half and half to temper it. Reduce heat and slowly whisk tempered half in half into sauce. Cook 3 – 5 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Spoon sauce over chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves 5-6 people.