Black Olive, Anchovy and Caper Tapenade

I’ve always loved tapenade, but I never LOVED it until I made this recipe, which combines my love of puttanesca flavors into a thick, dark purple dip/spread that is delicious with toasted bread or pita or chips.

With Memorial Day this weekend, I figured this would be a great dish to make for entertaining guests or enjoying a warm evening in the garden.

Ina Garten’s recipe packs a punch with these robust flavors: anchovy, capers, black olives and lemon.

And the best part is that it’s easy to just combine the ingredients and mix!

Adapted from Ina Garten.

Black Olive Tapenade

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 baguette, sliced and toasted

Combine the olives, capers, anchovies and garlic in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and pulse 3 times. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, thyme and parsley and process until chunky.

Spoon into a serving bowl and serve with toasted bread, chips, pita triangles or pita chips. And some crisp veggies: carrots, celery, etc.

Enjoy, friends! xoxo

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Deviled Eggs with Anchovies and Basil

It seems like Easter was decades ago, but if I don’t see another deviled egg for another 4 decades, it will be too soon. I kid! Love these little monsters, ever since I was a wee one. And I’ve been wanting to try these decidedly adult deviled eggs since I read about them in Cook’s Illustrated. I love basil and I love anchovies, so why not bring them together in a creamy filling for a tender egg white?

Admittedly, I added roughly half as many anchovies as the recipe called for – 8 whole fillets just scared me, even though I love the fishy bodies, bones and all. But what I put in was perfect – it added a salty background, but wasn’t the main flavor, which I appreciated. The basil added a nice brightness that you normally don’t get from this popular pot luck food.

Deviled Eggs with Anchovies and Basil (Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)

Ingredients:

• 7 large eggs
• 3/4 tsp whole-grain mustard
• 3 T mayo
• 1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire saurce
• salt and ground black pepper
• 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed, dried and finely chopped
• 4 tsp minced basil leaves

Place eggs in medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand 15 minutes. Transfer eggs to ice bath to cool for 5 minutes.

When eggs are cool enough to handle, peel away shell and slice in half.

Remove yolks to a small bowl. Add mustard, mayo, vinegar, Worcestershire, anchovies, 2 tsp minced basil and salt and pepper to taste. Mix so there are no yellow lumps left. Fill pastry bag or Ziplock bag with yolk mixture, snipping the end to pipe the yolk mixture into the empty egg whites, mounding the filling 1/2 inch above the surface.

Sprinkle eggs with remaining basil. I also like to add a dash of paprika for color and heat.

Enjoy, friends! xoxo

Chicken Caesar Salad, Deconstructed

Who hasn’t ordered the chicken Caesar salad at The Olive Garden? Or pretty  much any other restaurant, regardless of cuisine, over the years? Typically, it consists of romaine lettuce dripping with creamy “Caesar” dressing, with cold chicken on top, along with more Parmesan cheese and stale croutons.

This is my new spin on chicken Caesar salad, inspired by a recent Bon Appetit recipe. But instead of piling everything high on a smudged plate, the diner gets a unique salad-eating experience with a deconstructed restaurant staple.

The panko-Parmesan-crusted chicken is lovely along with the seared romaine flecked with garlic and minced anchovies. I love the whole seared-lettuce thing. Really changes the flavors.

I highly recommend adding this dish to your summer menu – a wonderful entree for dining al fresco, if you can.

Deconstructed Chicken Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 7-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped, divided
• 2 large hearts of romaine, halved lengthwise
• 4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained, minced
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

Preheat oven to 450°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place on prepared sheet. Combine cheese, panko, 2 Tbsp. oil, parsley, and 1 garlic clove in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Pat panko mixture onto breasts. Roast chicken until crumbs begin to turn golden, about 10 minutes.

Drizzle romaine with 1 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with remaining 1 chopped garlic clove and anchovies. Season with salt and pepper. Remove sheet from oven; place romaine around chicken.

Roast until chicken is cooked through and lettuce is browned at edges, about 5 minutes (mine was even less).

Divide among plates. Garnish with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

Doesn’t that look yummy? Also good as sack-lunch leftovers – just reheat the chicken and serve with the cold romaine and squeeze a lemon wedge over.

Enjoy, friends! xoxo

Green Goddess Dressing with Basil

Green goddess dressing combines every delicious dressing flavor into one creamy sauce. I made this last month for my birthday party – served with a bunch of fresh vegetables for dipping. However, it really should be treated like a salad dressing, not a dip – served over hearty greens such as spinach, romaine or bibb lettuce.

It’s like a caesar dressing with the addition of basil – amazing. Scallions, anchovies, lemon garlic – your guests will at first be concerned for the state of their breath, but then forget all that once they taste it. I had numerous people ask, “What is IN that?”

Once basil is in season again, I will definitely keep this as a refrigerator staple for my summer salads, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.

Here, I just drizzled it over veggies.

Green Goddess Dressing with Basil

Ingredients (makes roughly 2 cups):

• 1 cup good mayonnaise
• 1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (6 to 7 scallions)
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
• 2 teaspoons anchovy paste or equivalent anchovy fillets
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup sour cream

Add everything except the sour cream to a blender and process until smooth. Add sour cream and blend completely.

Serve with your favorite veggies or drizzle over salad – you will not believe how robust the flavors are. And don’t worry about the anchovies, they are hidden among the other ingredients so as to not overpower.

Enjoy, friends! xoxo

Caesar salad

Once in a while, I’ll be inspired to make my own salad dressing, but usually, I just reach for the Newman’s. One salad that I love entertaining with is a classic Caesar, made with anchovies, Worcestershire, Dijon, garlic, Parmesan and lemon. I’ve made it before with raw egg, which honestly tastes a little weird, but this recipe doesn’t need it. I love the inclusion of Parmesan mixed into the dressing, giving it a richer body.

You must, must, must use anchovies in this. If you don’t have the whole fillets, use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of anchovy paste. I used fillets and they smelled HORRIBLE, as usual. I mean, it was gross. Those tiny hairy bones, the fishy smell, I could hardly take it. But you know I love cooking with anchovies, and they truly did melt right into the flavorful dressing, giving it a nice savory, almost nutty edge.

Mixed with crisp romaine and my garlic croutons, this was a wonderful first course at a recent dinner party.

Adapted from Bon Appetit…

Caesar Salad with Garlic Sourdough Croutons

Ingredients:

For croutons –

• 6 slices sourdough bread, cut into cubes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• EVOO, S&P to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss bread with garlic, olive oil and S&P. Bake until toasted on all sides, about 15-20 min., mixing occasionally. Let cool in pan.

For salad –

• 4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1-2 large hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped into bite-size pieces
• Chopped fresh Italian parsley

Whisk first 6 ingredients in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil, then 1/2 cup cheese.

Toss lettuce, croutons, 1/4 cup cheese, and dressing in bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and season to taste with pepper.

The sauce is light and tangy, and I swear you can’t taste the anchovies and all their fishiness. The croutons are amazing – as my roommate said, “They are like crack croutons!” Next time you reach for the bottles Caesar dressing, consider this, instead. You’ll just love it. Enjoy, friends! xoxo