Beer Girl Cooks

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Basil

Panzanella

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Have you noticed that everything seems different?  Does it feel like fall where you are?

 

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I woke up Sunday morning and it just felt different.  I mentioned to Chris that it feels like fall and he agreed.  I don’t know if it’s this cold front that started moving in or if we reached a turning point. It feels like there is a chill and a crispness in the air.  Even the sunlight is different and there are leaves falling in my yard.

 

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But I still have tomatoes!  And more are on the way!  I don’t think I’m going to give up on summer until October.  It’s official.  Queen Rachelle has declared summer is extended.  Who cares if school started and football kicked off last weekend?  I am putting my foot down and stopping this gateway to winter and all things dark and cold and snowy and gloomy.  Well, except for Christmas where everything is happy and sparkly and shiny.  And I’m not really stopping it – it’s more of a denial and delay, but I’ll take it.

 

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Because I’m lucky enough to live in the south where summer lasts almost until winter.

 

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Panzanella

Ingredients

  • 15 - 20 to matoes of combined variety chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1/2 of a day old baguette sliced and torn into bite size pieces
  • 4 garlic cloves pressed or minced
  • 1 sweet onion thinly sliced
  • 12 or so basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup chopped chives
  • 1/4 cup chopped tarragon leaves
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar plus 2-3 tablespoons more for finishing
  • 1/4 cup olive oil plus 2-3 tablespoons more for finishing
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Put the onion slices in a bowl, cover with water and soak for 10-15 minutes
  2. Add tomatoes, garlic, bread, onions, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Use hands to toss and combine.
  3. Set aside for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours at room temperature, tossing occasionally
  4. Add the herbs 15-20 minutes before serving
  5. Taste and adjust seasonings, finish with remaining red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper
  6. This salad is best on the same day it's made

 

Note: The bread should be hard and dry.  If it isn’t, you can dry it out in the oven on a baking sheet at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes.  You do not want it to be toasted or brown.

Note: This is more of a guideline for panzanella, rather than a recipe.  You can use some or all of the herbs or add different ones.  The longer the salad sits, the more liquid gets absorbed into the bread, so you will want to taste it and adjust the dressing and seasonings prior to serving.  Also, keep kind of a rule of thumb that the bread should be 1/3 ratio to the rest of the salad.  Feel free to use up any fruits and vegetables in your fridge, such as cucumbers and bell peppers.

Roasted Beets – Homegrown!!

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Y’all, I have the most exciting news!

 

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I grew beets!   No joke! I’m sorry if that isn’t as exciting to you as it is to me, but I’ve never really grown anything but basil.  Oh, and a couple of serrano peppers for Chris.  And you’ve met me, right? I LOVE and totally HEART beets!

 

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I also grew some random tomatoes.  The tomatoes that are growing best in my garden right now are not actually in my garden.  They are growing by the side of my house where I tossed some unattractive tomatoes last summer.  Now the’re ginormous plants with green tomatoes all over them ready to explode into a welcome invasion of red tomatoes that I’m not sure what in tarnation I’ll do with.

 

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So yay me for growing some beets!  I kept them true to their best flavor and roasted them.  Then I just tossed them with some basil and balsamic and put them in a bowl.

 

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I’m glad I did.

 

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Roasted Beets – Homegrown!!

Ingredients

  • 8-10 beets
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 10-12 basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425
  2. Individually wrap each beet in a foil packet drizzled with olive oil - the beet not the packet 🙂
  3. Roast for about 1 hour, depending on size, let cool
  4. Peel, then dice, slice, cube, or whatever floats your boat.
  5. Toss in balsamic
  6. Garnish with basli

Grilled Watermelon Caprese Salad

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Hello Summer!  I’ve missed you, old friend.

 

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Nothing says summer more than a caprese salad.  Well, maybe watermelon and grilling.  I had so much watermelon and I already pureed it and added booze so what’s left to do?  Throw it on the grill.

 

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Now we all know that I tend to make things janky rustic and that’s the way I’m rolling here.

 

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I could have done some precision artistry with my big ole knife and made uniform shapes or some business like that.

 

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But I didn’t.  The truth is that I started to and just got over it.  I was ready to get my grill on with this watermelon caprese.

 

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And it was time for dinner.

 

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Grilled Watermelon Caprese Salad

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 8 or so cups of watermelon pieces
  • salt according to taste
  • 8 ounces mozzarella
  • 15 or so basil leaves

Instructions

  1. Bring balsamic to a boil in a small sauce pan, reduce to medium and reduce by about half and thick
  2. Salt watermelon according to tase - I used about 1/4 teaspoon on all the watermelon and found it to be a bit insufficient
  3. Grill watermelon 2-3 minutes each side - you can do this on a grill or use a grill pan on the stove
  4. While watermelon is grilling, cut up the mozzarella into slices, then quarters
  5. Let the watermelon cool and drain a bit so it doesn't get soggy
  6. Arrange watermelon on a platter, top with mozzarella and basil
  7. Drizzle with balsamic reduction
  8. Serve immediately

Note: I think grilled peaches and/or plums would be a nice addition with the watermelon.

Grilled Plum and Peach Stacks with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Fig Reduction

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After last weekend I’m ready for my staycation!  Woot!

 

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No alarm clocks, emails, or phone calls.

 

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No commute downtown.

 

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It’s nice to just stay home sometimes, don’t you think?

 

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And enjoy the simplicity.

 

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Traveling is certainly fun too, but sometimes I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

 

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So we’re staycationing and keeping things simple.  Simple like some grilled plums and peaches with a balsamic fig reduction.

 

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It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

 

 

 

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Grilled Plum and Peach Stack with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Fig Reduction

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds peaches and plums combined halved and pitted
  • 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons fig preserves
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese
  • handful of basil leaves optional

Instructions

  1. Put plums and peaches in a large bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  2. Combine 1 cup balsamic vinegar and fig preserves in a saucepan over high heat, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is reduced by about half and thick, stir frequently (15 - 20 minutes)
  3. Grill peaches and plums over high heat 2 minutes each side, cut side first, pour remaining balsamic over top after turning
  4. Stack e peach and 3 plum slices alternately, top with goat cheese and drizzle with balsamic fig reduction
  5. Garnish with basil leaves if desired
  6. For an easy alternative you can just toss it all in a big bowl and call it a salad.