Category: Lent
Romesco Roast Salmon over Pumpkin and Olive Grits
| December 19, 2011 | Filled under Fall, Fish and Seafood, Lent, Light, Quick Weeknight Meals, Shawn's Favorites, Sides, Winter |
I don’t know where I originally saw it or what context it was in, but I recently wrote “pumpkin, red pepper, and olive” in the little notebook that I use to keep track of recipe ideas and inspiration. Kind of a weird combination, right? But ever since I wrote it down, I’ve been obsessed with trying out that flavor combination.
I spent a few weeks dreaming up ways to make the ingredients work together, and then came up with this recipe for roast salmon with romesco over pumpkin and olive grits. It worked. The flavors were subtle but complex – not as bold as I usually go for – but this was really, really good.
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Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Pitas
| August 17, 2011 | Filled under Lent, Light, Quick Weeknight Meals, Sandwiches, Shawn's Favorites, Summer, Vegetarian or Vegan |
As the days get shorter and the evenings start to get that fall chill to them, I’m making an effort to squeeze in every last little bit of grilling that I want to do. These grilled vegetable sandwiches are an old favorite that I had forgotten about until recently. I’m really happy that I remembered them though, because they’re super simple to make and are full of fresh summertime flavors.
These sandwiches were inspired by a lunch that I had years ago at Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, DC. It was before I really started to get interested in cooking (between work and grad school and planning my wedding I had enough to concentrate on), but I remember making the sandwich for dinner just a few nights later in my tiny little apartment kitchen — it might actually have been the first time I ever tried to recreate a restaurant meal at home! The sandwiches have evolved over the years and my memory of the original has gotten fuzzy – I only remember the portobello, pita, and fresh basil — but they are every bit as delicious as I remember them being.
Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Pitas
Prep time: 5 minutes, Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 sandwiches
- 2 Tbs Olive Oil
- 2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and quartered
- 2 Portobello Mushrooms
- 1 Zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 4 mini Pita Breads (or 2 larger breads split to form 4 rounds)
- 2 ounces Goat Cheese
- 2 Tbs roughly chopped Kalamata Olives (about 8.)
- Fresh Basil
Preheat grill, grill pan, or sandwich press to high.
Combine the oil and vinegar in a large mixing bowl. Add the peppers, zucchini, and portobellos and stir so that they are well coated. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Remove the red peppers from the marinade and place on the grill, skin-side down. Grill for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and portobellos to the grill. Grill an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the zucchini and mushrooms are tender and the peppers are soft with a charred skin. Remove vegetables from the grill.
Spread 2 pitas with goat cheese and sprinkle with olives. Add one portobello, 2 pieces of pepper, half the zucchini, and some whole fresh basil to each sandwich. Top with the remaining pitas.
Lower the heat on the grill to medium. Return the sandwiches to the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes — just long enough to warm the bread.
To serve, but each sandwich in half.
*****
I’m submitting this recipe to Souper Sunday at Kahakai Kitchen.
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