You say tomato, I say roasted with garlic and basil…

Besides the smell of a new born baby, there is nothing better than the smell of tomatoes and garlic roasting in the oven. In the spring and winter months , tomatoes are for sure not at their peak, so it's the perfect time to roast them and achieve maximum flavor. We use them in everything and they can stay in your fridge covered in oil for a couple weeks. We started grilling pizza last summer because it's so easy and gives it the brick oven flavor we all adore. Unfortunately we ate the pizza before I remembered to take a picture. I promise it was beautiful J

 

Crispy Grilled White Bean & Roasted Tomato Pizza

 Fresh or premade pizza dough

1 15oz. can Cannellini beans drained and rinsed

2 cloves garlic unpeeled

Juice of one lemon

4 ripe Roma Tomatoes quartered

Olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

Handful of fresh basil

 

Preheat oven to 325. Place tomatoes on a lined baking sheet with the unpeeled garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for about 2 1/2 hours until they turn a deep red and crisp around edges. Take out of oven and let cool.

    Preheat grill to medium high. Unpeel roasted garlic and place in blender or food processor with can of drained beans and about ¼ cup olive oil and half of lemon juice. Puree until smooth adding olive oil if needed. Season the puree with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice if needed. Brush the pizza crust with olive oil on both sides. Place on preheated grill for about 2 minutes on each side, or until toasted. Take off the grill and spread crust with bean puree, then place the roasted tomatoes on top and sprinkle with fresh basil. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and season with some kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. It's a lighter version of pizza that is great for summer and also as an appetizer!

 

Easter Brunch Perfection

We love Easter. It's spring, no more snow, fingers crossed, and fresh veggies starting to appear everywhere. This is a dish that I have made for a few family Easter brunches. About nine years ago I found the recipe in an old Southern Living cookbook and I changed it slightly to make it my own and a little tastier. It is a huge hit every time and looks beautiful when you cut into it. It screams SPRINGTIME. You can substitute any of the ingredients for what you like. I have also used asparagus, chopped broccoli, and tried different cheeses. It is so much easier to cheat and make with store bought puff pastry.

Herb Omelet Torte


9 eggs
1 lb. fresh spinach
2 sheets of puff pastry or your own favorite pastry crust
1 cup roasted red peppers sliced
2 cloves garlic chopped
Fresh chopped basil
Fresh chopped parsley
Fresh chopped chives
½ pound sliced provolone cheese ½ pound deli ham sliced thin
Butter
1 egg beaten
Olive oil
Salt and pepper



Preheat oven to 400.
Butter an 8 or 9-inch spring-form pan. Roll out one sheet of puff pastry one-quarter inch thick. Line the bottom and sides of pan with the pastry. Refrigerate lined pan and second sheet for top.


Prepare spinach: Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and spinach, saute together until wilted. Continue cooking until water is evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate and refrigerate.

OMELET: Beat together the eggs, herbs, salt, and pepper. Heat butter in an 8 or 10-inch skillet (so omelet will fit nicely into the pan) over medium heat. Pour one-half of the egg mixture into skillet. Be sure to loosen edges while omelet is cooking. When set, remove omelet to a platter. Cook a second omelet with remaining butter and egg mixture

Assemble torte: Remove spring-form pan from refrigerator. Layer in pan 1 omelet, next cooked spinach, then cheese, and a layer of ham. Next add all of the roasted red pepper. Repeat layering in reverse order (ham, cheese, spinach, and omelet) using remaining ingredients. Cover omelet with reserved pastry sheet and seal to side pastry by pinching dough together with fingers. Brush top with beaten egg. Set pan on a cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes at 400, then reduce to 350 and cook 40 more minutes. Cool slightly before removing from pan and slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.