Tomato, Mozzarella Bruschetta

Okay, people, I know.  You don't have to tell me.  The last recipe which I posted 2 measly days ago was a tomato, mozzarella, basil recipe, and here I am, giving you another one.  I will remind you that I warned you I would do this.  And in my mind, I had planned on saving this recipe for later, putting a little buffer of other zucchini or squash recipes (as my garden is mass-producing them at the moment), but I couldn't wait.  This stuff is good.

You also don't have to tell me that it doesn't look that pretty, because I know that it doesn't.  I also didn't really get a chance to take a great photo of it all fancy on little toasts (that look like this), so you're not getting the full effect.  However, trust me.  I may have led you astray a time or two before, but stay with me.  This was made with tomatoes from the vine, and basil that had been attached to a plant 2 minutes before it was served.  Tomatoes are in season, so go buy (or better yet, pick) a million and eat them up.

Tomato, mozzarella bruschetta

ingredients

• 2 French baguettes
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling on the bread, plus about 1/4 cup for the tomatoes
• About 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1 pound fresh, firm tomatoes (you can certainly use more and adjust the proportions, as you like)
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 can great northern beans, drained
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves

Slice the baguettes on an angle about 1/2 inch thick.  Place on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with olive oil.  Broil in the oven for a few minutes, until golden (my broiler on low took about 4 minutes, so watch carefully to not burn them).

Put the pine nuts in a dry frying pan on the stove on medium heat.  Shake the pan every so often until the pine nuts are golden.  Don't let them burn.  Remove from the heat, and let cool.

Dice the tomatoes and cheese to about 1/4 or 1/3 inch cubes.  Drain some of the water from the tomatoes, if necessary (you don't want too much liquid in the mix).  Place them in a large bowl with the beans.  Add up to 1/4 cup olive oil (enough to coat everything without puddling at the bottom), and salt and pepper to taste.  Let  come to room temperature.

Tightly roll the basil, and slice it very thinly.  When ready to serve, add the basil and pine nuts, and stir to incorporate.  Serve on the baguette slices.      

Blood Orange Scallops with Sea Beans

This was my attempt at a fancy appetizer. Scallops are kind of intimidating to me for some reason, but they really are super easy to prepare. I found some jumbo scallops at Whole Foods, and they make for a really dramatic presentation with very little effort. I did learn a few things about scallops, though, if you're experimenting with them for the first time.

Scallops have little 'feet' which is just a small, tough muscle along the side which needs to be removed. Also, if you can find dry-pack scallops, they sear much better and keep a much better consistency than wet-pack.

This is also my experience with sea beans, but I saw them used them on Iron Chef one night and so that practically makes me professional. They have a briny crunch to them which pairs really well with the scallop. I used them raw here, but you could probably stir fry them for a minute or two to soften them up (I don't think they need it, though).

And just one more note on the presentation. You'll notice in the picture that I used a blood orange slice to the plate as garnish. The red and orange make a beautiful contrast, but were I to do it again, I would use a supreme wedge of the orange so you could actually eat it rather than just look at it.


Blood Orange Sea Scallops with Sea Beans

Ingredients

• 2 medium blood oranges
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 or 3 sprigs parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste
• extra virgin olive oil
  
• 4 large sea scallops
• Sea beans, enough to form small beds for each scallop

Supreme 4 segments of the blood orange, and set aside. Place the rest of the flesh from both oranges in a food processor with the cream and salt and pepper. Puree until very smooth.

Remove and discard the feet from the scallops, and then lightly salt and pepper the remaining flesh. If you want to add a few presentation points, slice shallow X's across the top and bottom of the scallops (they sear beautifully that way).

Pour a thin layer of oil in a non-stick pan and heat to medium high (until the oil starts to smoke slightly). Add the scallops and let sit still for a few minutes (3-4) until the edges are seared golden, then flip and sear the other side.

Meanwhile, wash and arrange the sea beans and the orange supreme on the plates. When the second face of the scallops are seared, place on the bed of sea beans.

Quickly pour the orange-cream mixture into the hot pan, and stir quickly to incorporate the olive oil into the mixture. Taste for seasoning, then top the scallops with the sauce.

Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella

While this is not nearly as much of a "recipe" as some posts on this blog, this colorful plate certainly does pack some punch when it comes to presentation. The simplicity of the flavor, color, and presentation really make this kind of a standout dish, and it so simple. The secret is all really in the quality of the ingredients: without fancy sauces or anything to hide behind, the quality of the tomatoes and cheese shines right on through. Go ahead and splurge a little on this one at the farmer's market or a high-end grocery store. You'll be happy you did.

It's great by itself, or you can serve it with some toasted bread drizzled with a little olive oil.


Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella

Ingredients

• Fresh, slightly firm tomatoes
• Fresh mozzarella (yes, it has to be fresh: there's a difference)
• Fresh basil leaves
• Extra-virgin olive oil
  
• Salt and pepper

Optional

• Toasted pine nuts
• Roasted red peppers
• Balsamic vinegar

(If you're using pine nuts: toast the nuts by placing them in a flat-bottomed pan over medium heat. Shake the pan regularly to mix them around, being very careful to not let them burn. Continue for a few minutes until both sides are golden brown. Remove from heat.)

Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into me dium, even-sized slices. Layer alternately on a platter (if you're using red peppers, too, layer them in as well). Drizzle with the olive oil (and vinegar), then top with torn/chopped basil leaves (and pine nuts).