Anytime Appetizer: Roasted Garlic Crostini

When it comes to entertaining, I often go to the hands down easiest to make appetizer in my recipe arsenal: roasted garlic crostini.  It's the perfect thing to make when you want to serve something that will be a sure fire crowd pleaser, but you still want to have time to actually enjoy your guests and not be stuck in the kitchen the entire time.  And the best part about it is that you can top these warm garlicky toasts with just about anything that you have lying around the house - sun dried tomatoes, olives, tapenade, cheese - the possibilities are endless! 

The other night I set out to make this dish as a pre-dinner appetizer, but everyone loved it so much, we ended up eating several crostinis each in place of dinner.  Vampires and those on a first date need not apply.  All others, dig in!  

Roasted Garlic Crostini

2 large heads of garlic (or more, depending on the number of guests you have)
extra virgin olive oil
1 baguette, sliced
assorted toppings

For the garlic:

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Cut the tops off of heads of garlic to reveal individual cloves like so:

Drizzle with olive oil and place in baking dish lined with aluminum foil:

Wrap foil around heads of garlic to completely enclose:

Then bake for 1 hour (or until garlic becomes soft and has just started to caramelize):

While garlic is cooling, place bread slices on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil:

Bake at 400 F for 10 to 12 minutes (bread will be lightly toasted but not dark brown - if you prefer your bread more toasted, place under broiler for about a minute):

Scoop garlic cloves out with a spoon or fork and place on toast:

The garlic should be soft enough that you can spread it with the back of a fork or a butter knife:

I topped one of my toasts with goat cheese and rosemary and the other with gruyere and balsamic vinegar, but like I said before, you could top them with just about anything and they'd still be delicious - enjoy!

Cinque Terre Dreaming: Spaghetti al Limone

Just before starting graduate school, I had the great fortune of being able to take 17 days to backpack through Europe.  It was my first trip to "the Continent", my first big vacation with my then boyfriend (now husband), and because of all that, has always had a romantic, magical quality in my memory.  Every place we went was a revelation, the realization of all of the sights, smells, and sounds I'd always dreamed of immersing myself in.  And when it comes to food, none more so than Italy.

Based on the recommendation of my dear friend Julie, who had recently gone to Italy for her honeymoon, we decided to spend a few nights hiking through the Cinque Terre.  The Cinque Terre are five remote coastal villages in the Italian Riviera connected only by an old train and a rugged hiking trail.  Due to their remote location, these villages have retained much of their historical character and a visit here is like taking a trip back in time:

The view of Vernazza from the hiking trail.

We spent a night in Vernazza during our trip and our dinner that night was one of the best meals I've ever had.  Paul had a ravioli dish with pesto (since this region is famous for it's pesto), and I enjoyed another local specialty, the pasta with lemon sauce.  I loved it so much that I cleaned every last bite from my plate.  It's the perfect pasta for a summer's day, or anytime you find yourself dreaming of the Italian Riviera.

Spaghetti al Limone (Spaghetti with Lemon)

1 lb spaghetti
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, minced
freshly squeezed juice of 3 lemons (between 1/3 and 1/2 cup lemon juice, depending on the size of the lemons)
1 cup reserved pasta water
salt and pepper, to taste
1 oz. chopped basil
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente (according to package directions).  Strain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water to use in the sauce.

In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Zest two lemons (I don't own a zester, so I used the small side of my cheese grater):

Be sure to stop zesting once the dark yellow parts of the lemon rind are gone - the light white parts of the rind are very bitter and shouldn't be used in the pasta sauce:

Add 1/2 Tbsp of lemon zest and garlic to the skillet with olive oil and saute until garlic just begins to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes:

Freshly squeeze the juice of 3 lemons (this should come out to between 1/3 and 1/2 cup of juice, depending on the size of the lemons you use):

Add lemon juice and reserved pasta water to skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste:

Cook until liquid reduces by about half.  Add pasta, basil, and parmesan and toss to coat pasta:

Freshly grated parmesan.

Spoon pasta into bowls to serve and garnish with more parmesan and remaining lemon zest.  Enjoy!

Garlic and Anchovy Pasta

Another pasta post!  (What, you thought that I had given up on pasta?  Silly rabbit.)

As much as I adore hearty, tomato-based pasta sauces, sometimes they are just too heavy for a meal on a hot summer's day.  In this spirit of making something lighter, I toyed around with the ingredients I had on hand and came up with the following recipe.  (Even if you don't think that you like anchovies, you should give this recipe a try - since there are only 2 oz. of anchovies they add a nice brininess to the pasta without overpowering it, while the parsley balances out the saltiness by adding brightness to the dish.)

Garlic and Anchovy Pasta

1/2 lb spaghetti
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 oz can of anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp freshly chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 cup reserved pasta water
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti in large pot of salted boiling water:

In the meantime, heat olive and butter in a skillet over medium heat until butter has melted:

Add garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley, anchovies, and parsley to skillet and season with salt and pepper:

Cook, stirring often, until garlic is just starting to brown and anchovies begin to disintegrate:

Add pasta water and boil until the mixture reduces by about half:

Add pasta and cheese to skillet and toss until cheese melts and pasta is coated with sauce.  Spoon into large bowls and enjoy!

Independence Day 2011

Last year over the July 4th holiday weekend it was cloudy and rainy with highs in the high 50's/low 60's.  We had a pretty hard time motivating to do much, except cook, as evidenced here. 

This year could not have been more different!  The weather was postcard perfect San Diego weather - in the high 80's all weekend and the fog burned off each day by 9 or 10 a.m.  We spent almost the entire weekend outside.  But I have to say that the biggest highlight was Paul's blue ribbon win at the San Diego County Fair Homebrewer's Competition!

He entered a Scotch Ale:

In addition to the ribbon, he got this "trophy":

While we were waiting for the announcement of the winners, we perused some of the county fair cuisine.  The newest addition to the fried food parade this year was deep fried Kool-Aid:

I was way too creeped out by the idea to try it, although I did see some kids eating it.  Instead, I decided to indulge in some Indian fry bread and a beer, two of my favorite guilty pleasures (though they are usually hard to find in the same place):

On the actual holiday, we headed down to Scripps to bbq.  We set up shop on the deck of one of the labs and you sure can't beat having this as the view from your office:

There was a charcoal grill set up on the deck and we threw some salmon burgers and veggies over the coals:

Paul topped his burger with Swiss cheese, grilled onions, avocado, tomatoes, and lettuce.  I topped mine with bbq sauce and Swiss cheese:

Hope you all had a very Happy 4th of July!