And Presto! It's Pesto.

I remember my first introduction to pesto.  It came out of a packet. No, really.  This would have been somewhere in either the late 80's or early 90's.  I spotted it in a grocery store; a packet of pesto sauce made by Knorr Swiss.  You see, this "exotic" green sauce hadn't really become mainstream in America at that time. Not only had I never tasted it, I'd never even heard of it.  What came out of that packet was indeed delicious, but years later when I finally found fresh pesto being served in Columbia, I quickly realized the difference.  This, of course, led me to "Hey, why don't I just make this myself?"

Pesto originated in the Ligurian region of Italy and remains today their culinary star.  Just as France dictates that champagne can only come from Champagne, the Italians have restrictions on true Pesto alla Genovese.  They insist on the proper ingredients, preferably all local.  So, pesto involves basil, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, parmesan, pecorino romano and sea salt.  If you're a purist, which I am not, invest in a mortar and pestle to grind the ingredients into a sauce.  This is the most pristine method of preparation.  I use either my blender or food processor simply out of convenience and speed.  Some Ligurians would say that the heat generated by the machine may alter flavor a bit, but <<newsflash>> I'm not Ligurian.  I'm a busy American mom whose attitude is:  when I want fresh pesto, I want it now!

Truthfully, if I had a nice mortar and pestle, I'd use it.  But I don't, so the blender it is. The funny thing is that some people I know have no idea how ridiculously easy it is to make your own. And, how fast.  Just this morning, we sat out on our patio and had coffee.  Neil and I both glanced over at our pot of basil and decided today would be a great day to whip up some pesto.  Now, the reason I'm posting this at all, is to show you how fast and easy this is.  If you're not in the habit of making pesto, I want you to start after you finish reading this.  

Pay attention, this is tricky...Pick a good packed cup of basil leaves.  Put those in your blender with 1/4 cup of parmesan, 1/4 cup pine nuts, 2 tsp minced garlic.  As you begin blending, pour in a 1/4 cup olive oil through that opening in the lid of your blender.  You may need to thin it with a little bit of water.  You be the judge.  

VOILA! PESTO.  

See?  Wasn't that ridiculously easy? Now you're ready to toss this magical emerald sauce with hot pasta, stir it into a baked potato, add some to that pot of minestrone you have on the stove or mix it into a cream sauce and drizzle over grilled tuna.  If you're not ready to use it, you might like this: I freeze mine in ice cube trays.  Once frozen, just pop them into a ziploc and when you need pesto, each cube will give you about 2 Tablespoons, depending on the size of your ice cube trays, of course. Here's an interesting tidbit:  years ago, I wrote to Vegetarian Times magazine and told them about my ice cube tray trick and guess what?  They published my letter.  15 minutes of fame.

Ok, that's it.  If you don't have any basil in your garden or on your patio, get in the car and go to Lowe's or a garden center.  That's step one.  

Now get going and buon appetito!

 

Bellacino's

I realize Bellacino's isn't new.  I remember when the one in Lexington opened, gosh, probably 10 years ago, one of my Realtor (r) friends used them all the time to cater Agents' Open Houses.  But, even after all these years, I had not ever actually gone into the restaurant.  Just had their catering on numerous occasions.

Bellacino's in Lexington, SC

Yesterday, my mom and I found ourselves in the area and decided to pop in and give it a try.  If you don't  know anything about Bellacino's, here's what I know.  It is a chain, but the Lexington & Irmo locations are owned by the same person.  Their menu is pizza, sandwiches (they call theirs 'grinders'), pasta and salads.  Neil tells me that any place that calls their sandwiches 'grinders' is a good thing in his book.  Apparently, years ago while working in Connecticut, he fell in love with grinders.  

As we walked in, the first thing I noticed was how clean the place smelled.  Restaurant cleanliness should go without saying, but as we all know, some restaurants get this and sadly, some do not.  So, after being greeted with a clean smell, I looked around and saw that the place is very neat, clean and tidy.  Good vibes so far.

We looked over the menu and decided to give the pizza a try.  We ordered a 12" with pepperoni, sausage & black olives. A classic combo, in this wanna-be's opinion!  You order at the counter and then the staff delivers your food to your table.  The dining room is large but has some dividers so it doesn't have the wide, open, banquet hall feeling to it.  I also noticed they have covered patio seating.  

Our pizza arrived and certainly passed my visual test.  Looks good and makes me wanna eat it.  Bellacino's cuts a round pie not into traditional slices, but slices it into a grid.  I like this idea actually because those of us who don't care for crust (kids) can get a nice gooey piece of pizza without the crust wastage.  For those of us who do like our crust, Bellacino's was nice and crusty, crispy and a medium thickness.  The sauce was nice, a little on the sweet side.  The toppings were also generous, especially the olives, which is a huge plus for me.  As a kid, we always went to our friends Dupre's pizza joint in Irmo called McIntosh's.  We ordered double black olives every time.  And every time, Dupre saw that double black olive ticket come in the kitchen and he knew it was us.  

Ummmmm

As most of you know, I am a life-long pizza devotee and a principal pizza proponent.  I've met very few pizzas that I didn't like.  Bellacino's is good and I'll gladly eat their pizza pie again.  However, on my next visit, I'll have to exercise some pizza lovin' self control and try out a 'grinder' or a salad.  

 la vita è più dolce con un po 'di peperoni in esso

New-fangled Sausage & Peppers

I love how romantic and classic Italian food always sounds. Just the mere mention of it can conjure up images, aromas, even flavors. But, in reality, I find (most) "traditional" Italian fare pretty disappointing. Now, before anyone fires up the Fiat and starts heading over here to beat me senseless with a massive mostaccioli, let me explain. I LOVE Northern Italian food most of all. But, here in the U.S. (at least the part I grew up in) "Italian" is pretty much synonymous with tomato sauce, pasta, onions, peppers and meat.

One dish that always sounds enticing to me is sausage, peppers and onions. 

There's just a couple of problems here.

• I hate sausage. Well, I love the flavor of sausage, but not what sausage is. I'm very particular about meat. Fat, gristle, bones, hard unidentified shit, etc. doesn't belong in meat and certainly not in any food I'm going to consume. 
• Peppers are ok to me in small doses. Qualification: jalapenos and chiles I'm good with because I like some heat. But when it comes to bell peps, I get more picky. I like green ones for fajitas, pizza, sauces, etc. But, it makes me mad when yellow, orange and red bells are marketed as "sweet" peppers. NO THEY AREN'T. They still taste like a regular old bell pepper, but milder in flavor. There ain't nothin' sweet goin' on here. 

• Onions are wonderful. But, combine them with bell peppers and tons of tomato based sauce and my experience with an Upper G.I. at age 17 enters my memory like a herd of elephants. But things have changed. 

Over Thanksgiving, Aunt Kathy introduced me to something similar yet different. Chicken and apple sausages and (actual) sweet peppers.

Since she's in Florida, she has Publix stores at her disposal that make ours here in S.C. look microscopic. In fact, when we returned after the holiday, I searched my Publix to make sure I hadn't overlooked these items before. Nope. So, I talked to one of the employees and told him about these sausages and peppers I'd seen in Publix-land. Well, sometime this month, I noticed them showing up here. I have no doubt that I had absolutely NOTHING to do with that. I'm just glad that they are here. 

I'll quit rambling and let you know more about what I'm talking about... In the bacon/sausage/lunch meat cooler, look for "Alfresco" sweet apple chicken sausage. They are low fat, all natural and gluten free. The best part? Smooth texture, no gristly weirdness and they taste awesome, especially grilled. Next is the peppers. In the produce section, look for bags of small, multi-colored peppers. I don't know what brand name is on them, but you can't miss them. Kathy rubbed them with olive oil and then popped them on the grill. Here's the significant thing: THESE PEPPERS ARE ACTUALLY SWEET. Finally, truth in advertising :-) 

To be honest with you, the old Italian sausage with peppers and onions doesn't even sound remotely appetizing anymore now that I've discovered this delicious (and more interesting) alternative. If you're a traditionalist, I respect that; more power to you! But, branch out and try these too. I think you'll be happy about having another sausage and pepper dish in your repertoire!

Lunch at Travinia

So, my lunch at Travinia yesterday.  Our group was seated in the Wine Room.  The server we had did a great job handling a large party.  Everything seemed to time itself perfectly.  I wish I had caught his name.

I ordered the Pollo Isabella.  This was grilled chicken breast with sun-dried tomatoes, basil and goat cheese over baby spinach.  The presentation was delightful and I couldn't wait to try a bite.  The goat cheese was so creamy and had a bold flavor, which I like.  The chicken was nicely grilled and the combination of the basil, spinach and sauce was a lovely backdrop.  The only change I made was a little salt to pop the flavors.  You guys know how I feel about salt.  It enhances flavors!  Don't be afraid of it.  Just use it correctly.

Sorry this photo isn't very good; the room was kind of dark,

Some other dishes that my companions tried were the crab cakes, which looked like giant lumps of crab and not tons of bread and filler.  If I hadn't just met Staci, I would have asked her for a bite!  MP got a beautiful salad with chicken, mixed greens, & huge blackberries.  Everyone enjoyed their lunches...no complaints.  

Another thing I can say about this Travinia is when I've been there before at night, they had some awesome specials like tempura asparagus and a romaine wedge salad that was remarkable.  Even though this is a chain, I like Travinia.  Lexington needs more upscale restaurants so I think bringing Travinia to them was a welcome move.  

Delicious Delucca's

It seems that all I'm blogging about lately is eating out.  I do still cook, I promise.  It's just been one of those out on the town kinda weeks.

Today I was having lunch with my mom and dad.  Since mom and I work together and my dad is retired, the three of us lunch together quite often.  As we went through the "what are you in the mood for" conversation, Delucca's came up.  

We hadn't been there in awhile, so off we went.

Lasagna is on Everyone's Mind

Lately, I keep hearing about lasagna.  It's kind of weird, because in everyday life, you might hear about a celebrity, politics, events, etc on a regular basis, but rarely various people you know bringing up lasagna.  Most notably, I keep  hearing about "Crockpot Lasagna."  What the hell is this stuff?  I can't even imagine how it looks, or how you serve it?  But, I'm always willing to learn new tricks...

The first time I heard about it was a month or so ago, some of us were volunteering to make a lunch for the Youth Group at church.  My friend Cindy stepped up with the Crockpot Lasagna.  I was curious, but got preoccupied and forgot to inquire.  Well, fast forward and I saw it come up on Facebook.  Then again.  Then, just the other day, my friend Kathryn posted that she was making it.  So, I had to ask.  Apparently, the recipe is right there on Oprah's website.  And, thankfully for me, a photo.  

All this brings me to my own latest lasagna experience.  I was looking around the kitchen for what I had on hand and what I could do with it.  I know the Vivver likes lasagna, so I decided to "guinea pig" her with a vegetable version.  I'm pleased to report that my sweet little veggie lovin' pumpkin pie loved it. She ate a good dinner and asked to take some the next day in her stylish Hello Kitty lunchbox.  This is why I cook!

Here's how I did it this time:

• 9 lasagna noodles (cooked, rinsed & placed back in pot covered w/cold water)
• 3 large carrots
• 3 medium yellow squash
• 1 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach (thawed & squeezed dry)
• 1 container ricotta
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup warmed milk
• mozzarella
• sauce

I'm not the most rigid measurer, so use your judgment!  Ok, so, I used my mandolin to slice the carrots & squash at 1/4".  I tossed the squash with salt, pepper & a little olive oil, spread on a cookie sheet and baked at 350 for about 10 minutes just to pre-cook them.  Similarly, I steamed the carrots for about 5 minutes to soften a bit.


Sauteed the garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil with the crushed red pepper.  Then, slowly mixed in the flour (basically  making a roux). Gradually whisk in the warm milk.  Remove from heat and add in the ricotta, 1/4 cup parmesan & spinach; mix well.  Set aside.


For convenience's sake, I used a jarred sauce that I had in the pantry.  Spread a little on the bottom of your lasagna pan. Place 3 noodles on top.  Spread with about 1/2 of the spinach mixture, layer of squash, some mozzarella, layer of sauce.  Then, 3 more noodles, the rest of the spinach mixture, carrots, mozzarella, layer of sauce.  Finally, 3 more noodles, layer of sauce, mozzarella and parmesan on top.  

Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 350 or 375 for about 30 minutes.  Uncover & bake about 10 minutes or so until cheese is bubbly & just starting to get golden.  Basically, until it looks good to you!  I always let mine sit for about 15 minutes to "set up" before trying to cut into it.  You'll get better looking pieces that hold together better.

I have to admit, I'm curious now about this crockpot recipe.  The photo convinced me!  So, until next time,  Mangiare, bere e divertirsi!  (If you want to know what this says, go here)