panzanella salad

 just yum! from natashaskitchen.com.

ingredients for the salad

• 6 oz crusty bread*, (1/2 loaf) cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 2 lbs ripe tomatoes, cut into small wedges or bite-sized pieces
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, halved mozzarella pearls
• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, (about 22 leaves), coarsely chopped, plus more to garnish

ingredients for the dressing

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place bread in a mixing bowl, drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake for 9-12 minutes until toasted then set aside to cool. Edges should be golden brown and crisp and the centers should be fully dried through.

2. In a small bowl, combine vinaigrette dressing ingredients and whisk to combine. Set it aside for the flavors to meld while you prepare the rest of your salad ingredients.

3. Place remaining Panzanella salad ingredients into the same mixing bowl you used for the bread. Add the cooled bread. About 10-15 minutes before serving, drizzle on the dressing, adding it to taste. Toss the salad gently to combine.

pearl barley risotto with mushrooms

 this was absolutely delicious but VERY filling. i one-and-a-halved this recipe for my family but turned out not needing to since it was so filling. also, it takes FOREVER to cook. plan for an hour near the stove. found it at seasonsandsuppers.com. i added a tad bit of cream for fun to make it more...creamy.

ingredients

3 T butter, divided

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb mushrooms

1/4 t fresh thyme leaves

1 C pearl barley

1/2 C white cooking wine

4 C beef broth

1/4 C parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 C cream for funnsies

salt and pepper to taste

directions

• Heat the beef broth in a saucepan and keep warm.
• In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until starting to soften. Add the mushrooms and thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring regularly until mushrooms are tender and lightly golden, about 5-6 minutes. Add the barley and the remaining 1 Tbsp butter. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the wine is absorbed, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add one ladle of the hot beef broth and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until nearly all of the broth has been absorbed. *You don't want to boil the mixture too vigorously, but you do want a consistent simmer. Adjust heat to that point. Continue adding broth, one ladle at a time, allowing the it to cook until the liquid is absorbed before adding another ladle. Cook until all the broth is added. Test the barley. You want it to be al dente. If it is not quite there, add another ladle of hot water (or broth, if you have more available) and cook a bit longer. When barley is cooked, stir in grated Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
• Season dish with salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Serve with additional grated Parmesan and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs or fresh thyme leaves.

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lemon curd

i LOVED this recipe. other lemon curd recipes seem stressful as you're adding in egg yolks and hoping not to curdle them...or as you're futzing with a double boiler...and the amount of lemon flavor and tart-sweet ratio was perfect. thank you, food network!

ingredients 

3 lemons

1 stick butter

2 C sugar

4 large eggs

1/2 C freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/8 t salt

directions

zest the lemons and put in a food processor with the sugar and process til fine. cream butter and sugar mixture. add eggs one at a time, whipping til fluffy each time. stir in juice and salt. cook over low heat in a quart size pan until thickened and not quite simmering, about 10 minutes. let cool.