Shrimp Not Grilled

It's been a little busy around here which is really a good thing but as a result I haven't been cooking much.

I'm still making easy dishes that are quick and adding proteins to pasta is the key to fast and easy. I've been using gnocchi which is one of my recent favorites.

I must confess I don't make fresh gnocchi, but I'm lucky to be near a local specialty store that makes fresh pasta every day so I can pick up gnocchi whenever I need a quick meal.

Using a bunch of fresh baby spinach, shrimp and gnocchi this is a quick dish to prepare and it's light, tasty and, yes I would consider it a healthy choice - use less gnocchi, more spinach and shrimp for a healthier version.

Gnocchi With Shrimp and Spinach
(Serves 2 - 3)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. gnocchi
• 1 pkg. of baby spinach
• 8-10 large fresh shrimp cleaned
• 1-2 shallots thinly sliced
• 2 TBLS. butter
• 2 TBLS. olive oil
• 2 TBLS. dry white wine (optional - or use bouillon)
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh basil or rosemary (optional)

Directions:

1. Boil water and cook the gnocchi according to directions (usually 3-7 minutes).
2. While the water is boiling, heat a large saute pan and add the oil. When oil is hot saute the shallots on low/medium heat.
3. Add the shrimp and saute until almost cooked about 2 minutes on each side.
4. Add the gnocchi and saute with the shrimp for a minute and add the spinach, the butter, and the wine (or substitute bouillon) cooking for just another minute until the butter is well blended.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the fresh basil or rosemary if using.

This is a very quick dish and everything cooks quickly - just keep an eye on the shrimp not to overcook it. It's best to add the spinach while the shrimp are not yet fully cooked as the shrimp will continue to cook with the spinach while the butter is blending. The total cooking time for this dish will be less than 15 minutes.


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

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Memorial Day -- Honor & Pride

Thank you to all the courageous Americans who fought and gave their lives for the freedom we sometimes take for granted.

And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. 
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. -Lee Greenwood

Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Caponata - Eggplant Appetizer

One of  my favorite childhood holiday food memories is Nonna's caponata.   For those unfamiliar with Caponata it's an Italian/Sicilian dish made with eggplant, olives, capers along with onions and tomatoes all cooked together in one pot.

I make this dish several times during the year, not just during the holidays because it's easy to make and can be served room temperature or cold, it's almost a perfect appetizer to serve in the warmer weather since it won't spoil as quickly as other dishes.

What I love about this dish in today's eat healthy, make it easy and flexible cooking style is it hits all the marks - it's healthy, low in fat and calories and it's easy to prepare, and not to mention it is flexible - add in what you like and leave out what you don't.

I have re-made Nonna's recipe which calls for cutting the eggplant into cubes and fry in oil. The eggplant absorbs much of the oil so to cut back on calories and time I roast the cubed eggplant with the shallots. It's easier,  the taste is sweeter, and it's less calories.

While the eggplant is roasting you can prepare the remainder of the ingredients saving time along with those calories. From start to finish you will need 50 minutes or less.

Caponata
Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 large shallots, cut in large slices
• 1 large sweet onion, cut in 1/2" cubes
• 4 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and cubed
• 1 cup green Sicilian olives, pitted & halved
• 1 cup black Sicilian olives, pitted & halved
• 1 jar marinated artichokes, lightly rinsed & cut in chunks
• 1 TBLS. capers
• 1 TBLS. pine nuts
• 1 14 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 TBLS. Balsamic Vinegar

Directions
Heat oven to 425 degrees.

1. Cut up the eggplant and shallots and place on a sheet pan lined in parchment paper and toss with olive oil to coat (use aluminum foil with a little cooking spray if you don't have parchment).  This takes approximately 40 minutes.
2. While eggplant is roasting, cut up onions and celery and saute in 1 TBLS. olive oil in a large saucepot (approx. 3 1/2 qt.) approximately 8-10 minutes or until opaque, stirring often.
3. Add in the roasted eggplant and shallots stirring to blend then add in the tomato sauce and simmer on med/low heat.
4. Cut up the olives and artichokes and add in to the saucepan with the nuts and capers and continue to cook until flavors are well blended, approximately 10-15 minutes.
5. Add in the Balsamic vinegar and stir to blend simmer 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

For less-stress make this in advance.  It will keep refrigerated up to 5 days.

This is a delicious vegetarian recipe that can be served with almost any type of meal.  It's also perfect for a buffet.  It is usually served at room temperature, although it can be served hot over pasta (Nonna always served it cold as an appetizer and sometimes we would have it in a sandwich for lunch).

Serving suggestions: As an appetizer on garlic toast slices or with crackers. For warm weather entertaining, serve the caponata in a bowl and place it on a platter of ice. It will stay on the buffet table as long as the temps are average and it's not in direct sun.


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Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Affordable Wine for the Holiday Weekend?

I'm always trying to find wines that are affordable and still taste good. Because wine is very subjective it's hard to tell what wines will be good for you, or me for that matter.

For you to decide which wines to choose you first have to know what type of wine you like; then you have to decide what you don't like about wine.

Next you have to translate that to the salesperson in the wine store. They are very knowledgeable and will be able to help you choose the right wine at the right price.

There are many very good wines in the $10-15 range. A white suggestion: Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc from South Africa. Red wine suggestion: Malbec from Argentina and Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile are affordable wines for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

Keep in mind, these are only suggestions. Be sure to talk to the very informative salesperson to help you choose the perfect wine for you.

Have a fun and safe Memorial Day!

Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Homemade Pizza Dough Easy

I have to confess I only recently began making pizza dough from scratch. I've been making homemade pizza for years but I always used store bought, ready made dough from the supermarket.

My daughter gave me her recipe many years ago (which I never tried) when she and her girlfriend would make pizza dough all the time for friends on weekends. WOW, now that I think about it, that was a reaaaallllllly long time ago.

Anyway lovely daughter insisted she give me a lesson on how easy it is to make the dough. I'm glad she did because I was surprised at how fast it was to make and it was so much easier than I imagined. Oh, and I convinced my sister the 'cook' to try it, and even she said she couldn't believe how easy it was to make.

Here's the easy dough recipe. I don't know the source since it does not show on the photocopy my daughter gave me (it was back in the '80's).

Pizza Dough
Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups warm water (approx. 165 degrees)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 pkg. dry yeast
• 2 TBLS. olive oil
• 2 tsp. salt
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Measure water into large bowl. Add sugar to warm water and stir until dissolved.
   Sprinkle the yeast over the sugared water and let sit for 10 minutes.
   After 10 minutes stir well with whisk, then add the oil, salt and flour mixing well with a wooden spoon to blend. Then use your hands to be sure all the flour is mixed well with the liquid.
2. Turn out the dough onto floured surface and knead, adding more flour if sticky. Turn the dough over, into itself, and continue kneeding for about 5 minutes or until smooth.

3. Gather the dough into a ball and put into a greased bowl, covering with a damp towel (this will prevent the dough from forming a skin).
4. Let rise, about 2 hours, until it doubles in size.
5. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. It will make 2 14 inch pizzas.
6. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to desired size. Place on a lightly oiled sheet of parchment paper lined pizza pan.

Add your favorite toppings and bake on the bottom rack of oven at 425 degrees approximately 12 minutes, or until the bottom of the pie crust is lightly browned.

Now how easy was that! The actual prep for dough making is about 10 minutes. I make the dough early in the day and let it sit on the counter until I'm ready to make the pizza. You can also make calzone with the dough (I'll post a recipe).

I have also made the dough for future meals. I cut the dough in 2 equal pieces and then freeze each piece of dough individually wrapping it in parchment paper first and then seal in a freezer bag to use another day.

The only issue with freezing is that you need to know in the morning you want to make pizza so that the dough has time to defrost (needs several hours). I leave the frozen dough out on the counter for the day until I'm ready to use it. WARNING! if it's the warmer months, leave the dough to defrost in the fridge.


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

Grilled Vegetables Can Have Wine

'Tis the season for grilling and vegetables are always invited. We grill our vegetables as often as possible and I've noticed it's the only way to get everyone to eat veggies.

Many of us are eating more vegetables than ever before but they are not the easiest to pair with wine. Vegetables have many different flavors which are difficult to identify making them challenging to pair with wine.

Helpful TIP - choose Rose wine.

One of the most versatile and food friendly wines available is rose.

Rose wines are made from the very same red grapes that make rich red wines. When the grapes are crushed and fermented the skins are removed before the wine turns a deeper color of red. So very simply, the color of the wine is a rose (varying shades of pink) because the skins are not releasing their color into the grape juice, soon to be wine.

Now that we know why the wine is rose (not really pink) maybe we can convince the red wine lovers it's not the pink, ladies who lunch, wine. They may also be happy to know that Malbec, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, and Merlot wines (to name a few) are made in Rose style wines.

Rose wines are for both the white wine and red wine lover. The wines have the acidity of white wine and the complexity of red wine. Since the skins are removed early the wines have less tannins making for very drinkable wines to enjoy almost anytime.

One more myth that is not completely true is that Rose wines are sweet. There are sweet Rose wines, but they are not to be confused with the 'white zinfandel' sweet wine which is considered a 'blush' wine and NOT a rose wine.

Yes, some Rose wines have added sugar to make them sweet. And some Rose wines have strong fruit flavors that sometimes fool your palate with a hint of sweetness though they are not sweet, but there are many Rose wines that are dry to enjoy with food. The red wine grape varietals (as mentioned above) are usually dry.

Choose a Rose variety to add to your summer wine rack. Serve it well chilled and enjoy it on a warm day. It's refreshing and plays well with food.

As always drink what you like, but if you want to keep your grilled vegetables tasting delicious while still enjoying your glass of wine try Rose.


Salute!
Winelady Cooks

Life's Simple Pleasure

What does "life's simple pleasure" mean to you? For me it can mean many things. Since this is categorically a food blog, it can mean something that I have cooked, baked, had in a restaurant, or a memory of something I ate in my childhood. It could be uncomplicated and simple which in today's "foodie" world might be considered old fashion, bourjois, and definitely not gourmet.

Life's simple pleasure can also be just a wonderful memory of a time long ago. I often remember the times I spent playing simple games with my sister; or the family vacations we spent in the 'country'.

Or the times we went to the supermarket with our mom and she let us put the green stamps in the booklet. Remember the green stamps from the supermarket that mom or grandma saved to buy 'stuff'? I'm sure the items were very useful and were probably items they normally would not buy. Since they were 'kinda' free, it was a big 'score'.

Do you find yourself thinking about the 'good ol' days' and trying to explain to the youngsters how we lived way back when there were no cell phones and computers. It's sad that they'll never have the opportunity to enjoy "life's simple pleasures".

Recently at a family gathering my cousin told us about her special memories of the time she spent with her grandmother on the days her mother worked.

One of the fond memories she had was sharing treats. Twice a week her grandmother would send her to the corner store with a nickle to buy a bag of peanuts. She was only 6 years old at the time so her grandmother would watch her walk to the corner store for the peanuts.

When she returned with the peanuts her grandmother would open the package and lay out the peanuts on a cloth towel then folded the towel over to cover the peanuts. Her grandmother would then smash the peanuts with a small pan to make small pieces.

My cousin clearly remembered how excited she and her grandmother were to sit together on the couch and share the peanuts. They talked about what they did during the day and how much they liked peanuts. She remembered that she spoke to her grandmother in Italian since her grandmother did not understand or speak English.

Many of our memories do not always follow through to the next generation. We could only hope that the time we spend with our kids in today's high tech world will make special memories that they will have for a lifetime.

What is your favorite memory of 'life's simple pleasure'? Feel free to comment and share your memory. Just remember to keep them rated "PG" for everyone to enjoy as this is a family show!!!!!!


La Bella Vita!
Winelady Cooks

Grilled Cheese - Not An Ordinary Sandwich

This month's Crazy Cooking Challenge is Grilled Cheese. How could I resist when cheese is one of my favorite foods.

April was National Grilled Cheese Month (who knew?) so there were quite a few grilled cheese posts in blogsphere. The one sandwich that caught my interest was from Lana at Lana's Cooking.

Lana's pepperoni pizza grilled cheese sandwich looked delicious. I had no doubt that everyone would luv this grilled cheese sandwich, but I didn't have pepperoni and I needed to make lunch pronto.

Using Lana's 'pizza' style grilled cheese sandwich as my inspiration I decided to make a white pizza with spinach grilled cheese sandwich since all I had in the fridge was fresh baby spinach, leftover ricotta, mozzarella and half a loaf of Italian bread.

My white pizza with spinach grilled cheese sandwich is a take on the 'white pizza' that is made in many pizzeria's, especially in NY and NJ. The white pizza has only ricotta cheese on it and some pizzeria's will add a variety of toppings of your choice if you ask.

This sandwich was so delicious I hope you give it a try.

White Pizza With Spinach Grilled Cheese

                                                                                             Ingredients:

• 8 Italian bread slices about 1/4" to 1/2" thick
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 6-8 slices mozzarella
• approx. 8-10 spinach leaves (washed & dried)
• grated parmesean cheese (optional)
• oregano, basil (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste
• drizzle of olive oil for each slice of bread
• 1 TBLS. butter

Directions:

1. Pre-heat a griddle pan.
2. Lay out bread slices and drizzle olive oil on each slice. Divide the slices using half for the filling and the rest for the top of the sandwich.
3. Evenly spread ricotta on top of the drizzled olive oil bread slice, add mozzarella, salt & pepper and other herbs and/or cheese if using, then add the spinach leaves & a smaller piece of mozzarella on top to hold the sandwich together.
4. Place the remaining bread slices, olive oil side down, to make the sandwich.
5. Add the butter to the heated griddle pan then add the sandwiches to the melted butter.
6. Place a cover over the sandwiches to add a little weight which will help to seal the sandwiches. Cook about 2 minutes or just until browned and then turn over to brown the other side.

Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

No Eggs Please! Chocolate Chip Cookies

Almost everyone, and especially children enjoy cookies and cake. Though today it is very common that many of us have some type of food allergy which can prevent us from eating some of our favorite foods.

During the last six months I have been testing recipes that are gluten free, and egg free. The gluten free cookie recipe testing is still a work in progress since the boys are not too happy about the texture. But I'm continuing to work on it.

You can find another chocolate chip cookie recipe with no eggs which calls for spelt flour as an alternative to white flour.

However I do have this egg free recipe that I've been making for the past 4 or 5 years when my daughter's friend requested a cookie recipe that was egg free since her son is allergic to eggs.

He loved cookies and, as a concerned parent, she wanted to be sure he had a snack that was safe for him to eat while in school.

There are many cookies recipes without eggs, but some of them wouldn't appeal to children. I'm not sure 3 or 4 year olds would appreciate biscotti, though shortbread cookies are always yummy. Most children would prefer a chocolate chip cookie over shortbread so I thought this recipe would be THE one.

The recipe is very easy to prepare, the cookie is not too sweet, and if not over-baked it is the 'soft' style chocolate chip cookie.

This has become a favorite in my family especially when we are having a party since it's fast and easy to make. I named the recipe in honor of Andy who was the inspiration for this eggless chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Andy's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Butter
  
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  
• 2 Cups AP Flour
  
• 3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips
  
• 1 tsp. baking soda
  
• 2 tsp. milk
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Pre-Heat oven 350 degrees

• 1. Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer.
  
• 2. Add chocolate chips to mixture and stir in by hand
  
• 3. Add the flour and baking soda and stir by hand then add milk and blend - do not over-mix. If batter is too soft, refrigerate for 20 minutes before baking.
  
• 4. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.
  
• 5. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet and then transfer to cooling racks.

This is a very flexible recipe. You can make this a dairy free cookie if you substitute the butter and milk with a butter alternative and your favorite non-dairy milk (almond or coconut). I've made this as a dairy free cookie many times and the results were excellent -- grampy's discriminating palate never even knew there was a difference.

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Mangia!

Winelady Cooks