Pasta Siciliana
By Renée Lasko
 
 Fennel, pine nuts and golden raisins add Mediterranean flare to this briny pasta

Yield: 4 4-ounce servings                                                  Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
As needed                   Water, salted, for pasta
½ cup                          Olive oil, divided
6 each                          Sardines, fresh or canned, roughly chopped
1 cup                           Onion, chopped into ½” pieces
1 ½ cup                       Fennel bulb, chopped into ½” pieces (approximately 1 bulb)
4-6 each                       Anchovy filets, drained and mashed with a fork
1 tablespoon                Garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons              Tomato paste
2 tablespoons              Raisins, golden
2 tablespoons              Pine nuts
1/8 teaspoon (pinch)    Saffron (optional)
¼ teaspoon                  Black pepper, ground
1 to 1 ½ cup                Water, warm
As needed                   Salt
6 ounces                      Pasta, whole wheat

Method of Preparation:
1. Gather all ingredients and equipment.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, in a sauté pan heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Add sardines to pan, sautéing just until they begin to turn golden.  Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan and return to medium heat.  Add fennel and onions and cook until soft, approximately 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Return the sardines to the pan and add the anchovies, garlic and tomato paste.  Cook, stirring often, for approximately 5 minutes or until the fish has broken down and melted into the sauce.
6. Add the raisins, pine nuts, saffron, black pepper and water.  Reduce the heat and sauté for approximately 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened.  Keep warm until pasta is ready to serve.
7. When pasta water is boiling, add pasta and cook 8-12 minutes until al dente.
8. Drain pasta and add to sauce, tossing to coat.
9. Transfer pasta to serving platter and top with minced fennel fronds.

Chef’s Notes:  Although Sicilian cuisine regularly uses sardines and anchovies -- both of which are rich in Omega-3s -- Worcestershire Sauce can be substituted for the fish if desired.

© Renée Lasko 2014

Eggplant Caponata
By Renée Lasko

Take advantage of August's harvests with this traditional Sicilian appetizer 
that’s great with crostini, atop fresh greens or on its own

Yield: 6 1/2-cup servings                                                    Prep time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
¼ to ½ cup                  Olive oil, divided
3 cups                         Eggplant, peeled and cut in ½” pieces
¼ to ¾ teaspoons       Salt, divided
½ teaspoon                 Black pepper, ground, divided
½ cup                          Onion, chopped into ½” pieces
½ cup                          Celery, chopped into ½” pieces
1 cup                           Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped into ½” pieces
2 tablespoons              Tomato paste
¼ cup                           Olives, Sicilian green or Kalamata, pitted and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons              Golden raisins, soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained
1 ½ teaspoons             Capers
1/4 cup                         Red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon                Pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup                         Basil, fresh, chopped or finely shredded

Method of Preparation:
1. Gather all ingredients and equipment.
2. In large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Add eggplant and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Sauté for approximately 15 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally.  When soft, remove from pan and set aside in medium bowl.
3. Using same sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Sauté for approximately 3 to 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and starting to turn golden brown.  When beginning to turn gold, remove from pan and add to bowl containing eggplant.
4. Using the same sauté pan again, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Add celery, season with salt and pepper and sauté for approximately 3 minutes or until soft.  Remove celery from pan and add to bowl containing onions and eggplant.
5. Using the same pan, add a tablespoon of oil to pan and heat.  When the oil is hot, return the eggplant, onion and celery back to pan.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, olives, raisins, capers, vinegar, pine nuts and basil.  Add an additional ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper.  Cook for approximately 15 minutes, until all vegetables are soft and flavors have begun to blend.
6. Taste mixture and adjust salt and pepper, if needed. 
7. Remove caponata from heat, transfer to medium bowl and allow to cool.*

Chef’s Notes:  Caponata may be served as a topping for crostini, as a topping for a salad or fish, or on its own as an appetizer.  It may be served slightly warm or cooled to room temperature.

* For a greater melding of flavors, wrap the bowl and allow the caponata to cool in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  When you're ready to serve, remove bowl from the refrigerator and allow to warm for at least 30 minutes before serving.

© Renée Lasko 2014

Thai-Style Chicken, Cabbage and Basil Stir Fry
By Renée Lasko

Another quick, easy and light dish that’s perfect for a hot summer day

Yield:  4 1 ½ -cup servings                                                Prep/cooking time: 15 – 30 minutes

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons                 Olive oil, divided
12 ounces                    Chicken breast or thighs, diced
2 cloves                        Garlic, finely chopped
½ teaspoon                  Crushed red pepper
4 each                          Scallions, sliced
6 cups                          Cabbage, shredded or chopped*
¼ cup                           Peanuts, unsalted, chopped
¼ cup                           Lime juice
2 teaspoons                 Rice wine vinegar (or 1 teaspoon white vinegar)
1 teaspoon                   Thai fish sauce (optional)
2 teaspoons                 Reduced-sodium soy sauce
½ cup                           Basil, fresh, chopped or chiffonade
¼ cup                           Mint, fresh, chopped or chiffonade

Accompaniments  (choose one if desired):
4 each                          Whole wheat tortillas/wraps, warmed
2 each                          Whole wheat pitas, cut in half
2 cups                          Brown rice, cooked

Optional:
1 cup                            Bean sprouts
2 tablespoons              Cilantro, fresh, chopped

Method of Preparation:
1. Gather all equipment and ingredients.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken breast and cook for approximately 5 minutes until meat is opaque and slightly browned.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
3. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil in sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add garlic and crushed red pepper, stirring rapidly for 10 seconds.  Add scallions and cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or until cabbage begins to wilt.
 4. Toss in the cooked chicken and peanuts.  Drizzle the lime juice, vinegar, fish sauce and soy sauce over the cabbage and chicken mixture, tossing well to mix in evenly.  Cook until everything is heated through, about 1 or 2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat.  Add basil and mint, tossing well to mix in evenly.
6. Distribute evenly among plates, tortillas/wraps, pita halves or over rice.  Top with bean sprouts and cilantro, if desired.

Chef’s Notes:  Adjust lime and vinegar as desired.  If you chose not to use fish sauce, increase  the amount of soy sauce as needed.  For a stronger lime flavor add some lime zest immediately before removing from heat.  This recipe also works with already-cooked leftover chicken or chicken strips; if using those, skip step 2.

* This recipe works well with both regular and Napa cabbage.

© Renée Lasko 2014

Broiled Goat Cheese and Snap Pea Toasts
By Renée Lasko

A super simple appetizer, snack or lunch that showcases our market's cheese, vegetables and bread

Yield: 1 1-slice serving                                                        Prep/cooking time: 10 - 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 slice                     Whole grain, French or other bread, thinly sliced
2 - 3 tablespoons    Dill chevre
4 - 8 each               Sugar snap peas

Method of Preparation:
1. Gather all ingredients and equipment.
2. Put oven rack in top position (for a combination oven/broiler) and turn broiler on to preheat.
3. Toast bread lightly until it is crisp but, at most, only very lightly brown.
4. Spread chevre on toasted bread.
5. Place slice of bread on cookie sheet and put under broiler.  Broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until top of chevre has softened and melted.
6. Remove bread from broiler, transfer to plate and arrange snap peas on top of chevre.

Chef's Notes:  Although the flavor of dill chevre works especially well with sugar snap peas, you may substitute unflavored or another flavored chevre according to taste.

© Renée Lasko 2014

Thai-Style Carrot and Ginger Salad
By Renée Lasko

A quick and refreshing salad that's perfect for a summer day

Yield: 4 1-cup servings                                                       Prep/cooking time: 15 – 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 each                   Limes, fresh, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon         Ginger, fresh, grated or finely chopped
1 clove                  Garlic, minced and crushed
1 teaspoon            Olive oil
1.5 pound             Carrots, peeled
¼ teaspoon           Salt
2 tablespoons       Cilantro, fresh, chopped

Method of Preparation:
1. Gather all equipment and ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, combine lime zest and juice, ginger, garlic and oil.  Whisk together and set aside.
3. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the carrots into ribbons.*  In a medium-sized bowl toss the carrots with the dressing and salt.  Cover the bowl and set aside for at least 10 minutes to allow the carrot to soften.  If setting aside for longer than 30 minutes, refrigerate the carrots until 5 minutes before they are to be served.
4. Toss carrots with cilantro immediately before serving.

Chef’s Notes:  The carrot ribbons may be blanched to achieve a softer texture.  Be sure, however, to remove them from the boiling water after only a few seconds to prevent them from overcooking.

* To make this dish even easier to prepare, the carrots may be shredded using either a box grater or the shredding disk of a food processor.

© Renée Lasko 2014