Cucumber Spaghetti Strawberry Purée And Crushed Olives Food

STRAWBERRY PUREE

Steps:

• Combine strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a blender (such as Vitamix®); blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container or freeze.

SPAGHETTI WITH OLIVES AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. When water comes to a boil, add pasta, stirring constantly for the first minute to help prevent spaghetti from sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• In a large saute pan, heat oil. When almost smoking, add olives and red pepper flakes. Saute for 3 minutes over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and carefully pour in tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Drain pasta in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water. Add pasta to the sauce and toss to coat completely. Add pasta water if you need to thin out the sauce a bit. Plate pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil.
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

PASTA SALAD WITH TOMATOES, CUCUMBERS AND GRILLED GREEN ONION-CRUSHED OLIVE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to high.
• Toss the scallions in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the scallions until the bulbs are tender and the greens are well charred, 6 to 8 minutes, turning every couple of minutes. Set aside to cool. When the scallions are cooled, chop them finely.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package instructions.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil. Add the scallions and toss to coat.
• When the pasta is finished cooking, drain and add to the vinaigrette. Add the olives, tomatoes, red onion, provolone, dill, parsley and arugula. Toss to combine.

SHRIMP TILES WITH CUCUMBER AJAAD

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic and jalapeños. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste it; it should be sweet, sour, salty and a little spicy (in that order). Adjust the flavors as needed. Discard the garlic clove and transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl to cool. Once cooled, fold in the cucumber, then cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, garnish with cilantro leaves and chopped peanuts.
• Using a food processor, purée the shrimp, salt and pepper. Sauté a small spoonful of the mixture in a bit of oil to check for seasoning; if needed, add more salt and pepper to the raw mixture.
• Cut the square sheets of spring-roll skins diagonally. In a large wok or skillet, pour in oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, assemble the tiles by spreading a teaspoon of the shrimp mixture evenly over an entire triangle (to the edges). Place a cilantro leaf in the middle, then cover with another triangle, pressing them together firmly to adhere. Repeat until all the filling is used.
• Test the oil by dropping in a piece of spring-roll wrapper. It should immediately puff up. Adjust heat as necessary and fry the tiles, a few at a time, until golden. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Place the tiles on a serving platter, and top each with a bit of ajaad. Serve.

SATSUMA MOJITO

Steps:

• In a large shaker, muddle 1 lime and 2 Satsumas with 2 sprigs mint. Add ½ cup rum, 2 tablespoons simple syrup and crushed ice. Shake. Strain into 2 small Collins glasses filled with crushed ice and top with club soda. Garnish each with a sprig of mint. Repeat.

S'MORES PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust. Crumble graham crackers into the work bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. Alternatively, you can put them in a bag and whack them with a rolling pin until finely crushed. Pour melted butter into crumbs and mix (hands are best for this) until the butter is fully incorporated and the texture is that of wet sand. Butter or oil a 9-inch pie pan and firmly press the graham cracker crumbs against the sides, then against the bottom of the pan (the underside of a measuring cup works well for smoothing the bottom crust). Chill for at least 30 minutes to avoid crumbling when serving.
• While the crust chills, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare the chocolate filling. Put the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until scalded - do not boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 1 minute. Whisk the cream and chocolate together until glossy and smooth. Add a pinch of salt, then crack the egg into the chocolate mixture and whisk to fully incorporate. Pour into chilled crust and bake for 25 minutes, or until the filling is set but still slightly wobbly in the center. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
• Prepare the marshmallow topping. Pour 1/4 cup water into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the gelatin on top. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup of water, sugar and corn syrup just until sugar is dissolved. Heat until a candy thermometer reads 260 degrees, or hard-ball stage. Remove from heat, turn stand mixer to medium speed to begin beating the bloomed gelatin, and slowly pour in sugar syrup, aiming it down the side of the bowl to prevent splatter, and scraping any remaining syrup from the pan with a heat-proof spatula. Slowly increase the speed of the mixer, and beat until the mixture is white, fluffy and doubled in volume. Add vanilla and beat for a few moments more. Pour the mixture on top of the cooled chocolate layer, gently spreading it to the edges of the crust with a spatula. Refrigerate, uncovered, 30 to 60 minutes.
• The last step: brûlée the marshmallow. A torch is best for this (a propane torch from the hardware store or a butane crème brûlée torch). If using a torch, clear the area of any flammable items, ignite the torch, and slowly wave the flame over the surface of the marshmallow until you achieve the desired level of toastiness. If you do not have a torch, use the broiler of your oven. Preheat the broiler, cover the edges of the pie crust with foil or pie shields, place the pie on a baking sheet and broil - watching carefully to prevent burning - for 2 to 3 minutes, rotating as necessary.
• To slice the pie, it helps to dip your knife in hot water, then dry it with a towel. The heat facilitates easy slicing through the marshmallow layer.

CUCUMBER SPAGHETTI, STRAWBERRY PURéE AND CRUSHED OLIVES

Steps:

• Using a mandoline, finely slice the cucumbers lengthwise into spaghettilike strands.
• Combine the strawberries and sugar in a blender. Purée until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• In a salad bowl, combine the cucumber strands, olive oil, vinegar and basil. Toss gently to mix. Pour equal portions of strawberry purée into each of 4 bowls. Arrange coiled ''spaghetti'' in the center of each bowl and garnish with chopped olives.