This is an old school recipe that anyone can manage in a pinch.  Perfect for the holiday cocktail parties, bring to work pot luck holiday appetizers.  And most perfect for a 1950’s theme party;  For which this yummy treat was made.

1/2 lb of smoked ham, thinly sliced but not shaved

1 small container of Boursin cheese (can find at any major grocer)

Small bunch of Italian parsley, rough chop

Separate each slice of ham.  Pat dry any excess liquid.  Place each piece of ham on a cutting board and press flat.  Gently spread the Boursin cheese over the entire piece of ham – up to each edge.  Take the most narrow side of the piece of ham and make a small, tight roll into itself and towards the center.  Continue this process until you reach the opposite side.  Set aside and repeat whole process with each piece of ham.  You will have several ham rolls.  Take each roll separately and slice in the center making 2 halves.  Take each half and slice into 3 or 4 pieces depending on the side of the roll.

If the edge of each cut piece is coming apart from its roll – then add a bit more cheese to glue it together.  Place each piece of “roulade” on a platter, sideup and sprinkle with parsley.  Serve.

Serves several!

*Rolls can be made the morning of and sliced before serving.

Aren’t these peppers stunningly beautiful?  They’re 2-bites of sweet with a touch of heat.  Bite into one and their  juices slide around on your tongue while the colorful flesh melts leaving a longing for more….many more! Here is a quick recipe for this delicious fall treat.

1 bag of sweet baby peppers
1/4 C of extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp of kosher salt
1.5 tsp of fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven 400°

Place the peppers on a half sheet pan.  Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt & pepper all over peppers.  Mix all ingredients so that the oil, salt and pepper surrounds each pepper.  Place in oven until the skins of the peppers begin to get soft and you see their skin charring slightly.  This will take up to 20 minutes.  Check at 10 minute intervals.  Once the peppers are done take out of the oven and cool.  Serve.

Yeilds 8 to 10 servings.

*these can be served by themselves, with a dipping sauce, sliced on salads – basically skys the limit!

picture taken by cory ryan

I don’t have a name for this salad.  So it’s up for grabs!  What do you think it should be named?  It’s full of both raw and roasted vegetables, lettuces, herb and even a few spices.  There were zucchini in the fridge that needed to be used, 1/2 of a cauliflower, a little broccoli and a few handfulls of lettuces.  So I just threw this together.  And after I did that, sat down and ate, cleaned up, and wrote up the recipe – I thought wowza!  It may not be quite so easy for some…there are 3 steps afterall.  However, before you start the recipes, know that each step isn’t too difficult and maybe something you have done or tried already.   If not that’s ok!   Both the roasted vegetable and raw vegetable recipes could stand on their own – you don’t have to mix them.  Meaning you could make one of the other with the simple vinaigrette.

For the Roasted Vegetables:
1 large idaho potato, peeled & diced into 1/2″ pieces
3 C of cauliflower florettes, 1″ to 1 1/2″
3 C of broccoli florettes, 1″ to 1 1/2″
2-3 Tblsp of extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 tsp of salt
1/2 to 1 tsp of fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven 375°

Cover a 1/2 sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower on the pan.  Drizzle olive oil evenly over the vegetables.  Sprinkle the salt and pepper over vegetables.  Mix vegetables with your hand (clean – of course) until the vegetables are well coated with oil and seasoning.   Spread the vegetables across the sheet pan so that they end up in one layer.  If you have veg overflow – don’t worry.  Just prepare another pan with parchment and put the remaining vegetables on it.  Place sheet pan with vegetables into the pre-heated oven.  Roast vegetables until they begin to have a touch of brown and are soft all the way through.  This should take up to 20 minutes.  Check at 10 minute intervals.  Once vegetables are done.  Take out of oven and set aside to cool.

**Note:  Parchment paper is an option – it’s not necessary.  It just keeps the pan from burning or getting too dirty.

For the Raw Vegetables:
4 medium zucchinni, peeled
1 red bell pepper,  seeded and julienned
1 handfull of baby spinach leaves
1 handfull of baby arugula leaves
1/2 C of fresh flat leaf parsley

Set a large bowl in front of you.  With a vegetable peeler, take one zucchini and begin peeling the it  into strips.  You will peel the flesh of the zucchini just as you peeled its skin off:  one long peel by sliding the peeler down the length of the zucchini, turning the zucchini slightly, sliding the peeler down the length of the zucchini again.  This process will be repeated with each zucchini until you reach the inner seeds.  Set the remaining zucchini aside.  (See technique for roasting above – slice the leftover zucchini).  Now you have a bowl full of zucchini strips.

Add the red bell, spinach, arugula, parsley and roasted vegetables to the bowl with the zucchini strips.  Set aside for just a moment while you make your vinaigrette.

For the Vinaigrette:
1/2 C Olive Oil
1/8 C of white or Champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp of lightly crushed fennel seed, optional
1/4 tsp of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp of fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper

In a small glass or plastic container w/ a lid, add all of the above ingredients.  Place the lid on the container and make sure it is secured.  Over the kitchen sink, shake the container vigorously until the oil and vinegar have emulsified (when the oil and vinegar combine).  It should have a creamy texture and be golden in color.

Lightly drizzle 1/2 the vinaigrette over the raw/roasted vegetables, lettuces and herb.  Mix all the ingredients so that they combine and that the vinaigrette has incorporated itself into the vegetables.  Taste.  Add more vinaigrette over salad if needed.

Serve immediately.  Serves up to 6 people.

Can be served with fish, chicken, and/or steak.  I especially like it with grilled proteins.  Enjoy!

Here in Texas the heat has been in 3 digits – with no sign of dropping down anytime soon. To beat that summer sizzle without the extra heat of the stove or oven, here is one of my favorite “salads” incorporating rockin’ summer veggie, fruit, and herb. It’s cool, refreshing, tasty, and you can have one or the other anytime!

Gazpacho:
4-5 lbs of large fresh tomatoes, roasted and peeled
½ of red bell pepper, seeded and rough chopped
½ bunch of green onion, cleaned and rough chopped
3-4 large cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and rough chopped
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and rough chopped
¼ C plus 2 Tbls of red wine vinegar
3 Tbls of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl place all ingredients and toss. Divide mixture up into 3 equal parts. Take one part place in blender and puree until smooth. Pour into clean bowl. Repeat with remaining 2 parts. Strain mixture through a course strainer into another bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill for as little as one hour or up to eight hours. Garnish with Roasted Corn Confetti.

Yields: 6-9 servings.

“Roasted” Corn Confetti:
1Tbls Olive Oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
¼ C fresh green onion, minced
1 Serrano pepper, minced with seeds

3 ears of fresh white and yellow corn, cleaned and cut from the cob
½ C red bell pepper, minced
1 tsp fresh mint, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp fresh parsley, minced
1-2 Tbls of good quality tequila
Salt and Pepper to taste

Over high heat in a medium sauté pan, pour in olive oil. Add garlic, green onion, Serrano pepper and sauté for just a minute. Add corn and stir garlic/onion mixture into corn. Turn heat down to medium. “Roast” corn for a few minutes without touching. Stir corn mixture. Add red bell pepper and ½ of all herbs. Also add a bit of salt and pepper. Incorporate all ingredients. Let corn mixture cook for a few more minutes or until the corn becomes a bit tender and you begin seeing a golden crust form on the bottom of the sauté pan. Remove pan from heat and pour tequila over corn mixture. Immediately return pan to heat to deglaze. Stir corn mixture and let alcohol from tequila burn off. Salt and pepper to taste. When corn is tender remove from heat, add remaining herbs then set aside and let cool.

Yields: 4 servings.