Yup, it’s way to hot to cook so here is a salad. 🙂 I’m calling this one Peas and Pearls Pasta Salad. Peas are self explanatory. Pearls because of the perlini mozzarella. you don’t need to use orecchiette pasta, however I think it looks cute when peas or perlini end up nestled inside them. Don’t have baby arugula? Baby spinach or even watercress would be good too.
Going back to an old stand-by as I am often doing. Here is yet another recipe for crumble bars, this time with gooseberries and pistachios. Just goes to show you that you can really use any fruit and nut combination. If you’ve never had a gooseberry, it’s a greenish or light pink (although there are also dark purple just not around here) berry. Quite tart. In German, they are called Stachelbeeren …. thorn berries …. because the vines have thorns on them. They are a member of the ribe family (as are currants) so they were banned in parts of the US for a long time and are just making a comeback (though there are still quite a few laws on the books outlawing mass growing of them). Anyway, delicious combo with the pistachios.
It’s salad season — summer in New England! I love all sorts of salad and Caesar is no exception. The dressing is key — yes, anchovies and really good parm are key. This is only the recipe for the dressing, because I think most people can figure out romaine lettuce, croutons and in this case, grilled chicken. Yum!
Stromboli aren’t something that I make very often, but I should make them more. Like calzone, they are pretty versatile and you can make them with a slew of fillings. They can be eaten warm or at room temperature and I personally think that they are a great alternative to a sandwich on a picnic. I made these with a sourdough (had to feed Alice!) but you can make it with a yeast pizza dough or even a store bought dough.
This pasta salad is my standard, as far as pasta salads go. It’s very simple to put together and is pretty customizable. While I always add red onion, bell pepper, corn, pickles and peas, other optional items include lives, salami, cheese (usually sharp cheddar) and cherry tomatoes. If you’re vegetarian, leave out the salami and ham. If you are cheese-adverse, leave out the cheddar. If you don’t like cheddar, swap it out for gouda or harvarti or monterey jack. The recipe also works really well with gluten free pasta, in case you want or need to go down that route. Great for summer picnics!