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Menu Plan for Summer II: Week 6, Friday
Links:
Daily Recipes:
Caesar Salad
Grilled Lemon Shrimp
Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Green Beans with Garlic and Rosemary
Cooking time: 40 minutes for menu Cooking schedule: see below for instructions
Caesar Salad, the original, is really quite simple to make at home. With Romaine at it's peak in July, now is the perfect time. The same for the Fresh Tomato Sauce with Basil. Simple summer cooking!
Classic Caesar Salad
Total time: 15 minutes plus 5 minutes earlier
This is the hub's specialty.... From the Joy of Cooking. He has left out the raw egg on occasion, and it worked fine without it. Anchovies are classic - but it's still good without them, as well. If you use the raw egg, it's easiest to use your hands to mix the salad.
Ingredients:
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup good olive oil
- 3/4 cup bread cubes, preferably cut from a bakery loaf or 'French' bread
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- lots of black pepper
- 3 anchovy fillets, mashed or the equivalent in anchovy paste
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 tbs red wine vinegar
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 egg, raw optional
- 2 tbs Parmesan, freshly grated
- 1 large, fresh head of Romaine lettuce none other will do
Instructions:
- Earlier in the day or the night before: Peel garlic, cut each clove in half and put it, along with 1/4 cup olive oil, into a small glass dish or glass measuring cup. Cover with cling film and set aside to steep.
- When ready to use, remove and discard garlic. Or use it for something else.
- The croutons: Heat 2 tbs of the garlic oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the bread cubes and sauté until golden.
- Remove and drain on paper towels.
- The lettuce: Wash and spin-dry the Romaine. Tear it into large bite-size pieces.
- The salad: Mash the anchovies in the bottom of a large salad bowl.
- Add the salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire, vinegar, remaining garlic oil and mix lightly with a fork.
- Squeeze the lemon half over, sprinkle with Parmesan and mix lightly again.
- Add the Romaine and toss well with tongs or salad forks.
- Add the croutons, toss a bit more.
- At this point, if you are using the egg: Crack the egg into a small bowl and break the yolk. Add it to the salad and toss well to mix, hands work best but a tongs will do. Serve immediately.
Grilled Lemon Shrimp (Prawns)
Total time: 15 minutes longer if you have to clean them
Use a grill pan (it's like a mesh skillet) or a mat for these, if possible. Or thread them onto skewers (soaked in water for 15 minutes if wood) to make them easier to turn. We don't want them falling through the grill.
Ingredients:
- 12oz (360gr) large shrimp (prawns)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tsp sweet paprika (smoked if you can find it)
- 2 tbs butter
- 2 tbs lemon juice juice from 1/2 lemon
- Olive oil for coating pan
Instructions:
- Clean shrimp if needed, if not just rinse and let drain.
- Mix 1 tsp garlic and 2 tsp paprika in a small bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
- To cook on barbecue either put shrimp on skewers or cook in perforated grill pan with a little olive oil.
- To cook on stove add a little olive oil to a large frying pan and sauté over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes - until shrimp curl and turn opaque.
- When done, remove from heat, toss with butter sauce and serve.
- Butter sauce:
- Mince garlic.
- Melt butter in small pan. Add garlic, 1 tsp paprika and sauté until garlic is tender, 2 - 3 minutes.
- Add lemon juice and whisk lightly to combine.
Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Total time: 25 minutes
With all of the garden fresh tomatoes of summer why have a cooked sauce? This is so simple, so good, so fresh and so, well, summery.
Just be careful not to grate your hand..... And make sure your tomatoes are at their peak!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2.8oz, 80gr) dried farfalle pasta
- 2 - 3 fresh garden tomatoes
- 2 - 3 tbs fresh basil, large leaves torn or snipped
- salt and pepper (optional)
Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Drain and rinse briefly with cold water. Shake well to get rid of as much water as possible.
- Cut the tomatoes in half.
- Place a box or flat grater in a shallow bowl.
- Cup half of a tomato in your hand and rub it on the big holes of the grater until all that is left in your hand is the skin (of the tomato). You'll have to press a bit, but not too hard.
- Repeat with as many halves as you think you want/need. You end up with fresh tomato sauce with no skin... and no cooking.
- Depending on size of tomatoes you will want to do 2 or 3.
- Toss with cooked, cooled pasta, basil and serve.
If they're not garden ripened, flavorful tomatoes you might have to add some Balsamic vinegar and olive oil... but that defeats the idea!
Green Beans with Garlic and Rosemary
Total time: 25 minutes
One doesn't often think of rosemary with beans but it's a lovely combination especially with the garlic chips.
Ingredients:
- 6oz (180gr) green beans
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
- 1/4 cup chicken stock or water
Instructions:
- Peel garlic and slice as thinly as possible.
- Top and tail beans. Cut in 1 1/2" (4 cm) lengths or leave long if small.
- Put beans in a small skillet with stock, put on medium heat and bring to a boil.
- Turn down to low and simmer until done, 7 - 10 minutes.
- Drain beans and put into a serving bowl.
- Heat oil in same pan. Add garlic slices and sauté.
- When garlic is just starting to color add rosemary.
- Continue to sauté until garlic is light brown - careful not to let it or the rosemary burn.
- Return beans to pan, stir to coat and reheat if necessary.
- Put back into serving bowl and serve.
Cooking schedule: 40 minutes |
Grate Parmesan |
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