Tomato Pesto Swirl Bread

I know this is a sad excuse for a picture, but let that show you how quickly this bread was devoured.

I was enjoying the last slice when I realized I had yet to take a single picture of the fabulous bread. 

Just be aware it's pretty likely some oil from the pesto will leak out of the bread while it's baking.

This is from Alli-n-son, which has so many fabulous dessert recipes and has a really cute design. Check it out!

John Barrowman "Anything Goes"

Ingredients

• Bread
• 1-1/4 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry yeast
Pesto Swirl
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomato pesto (your favorite basil pesto blended with sun dried tomatoes)
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Place the bread ingredients into your bread machine in the order your bread machine requires. Select the dough cycle.
2. Once the cycle has completed turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and roll into an 8" x 12" rectangle. Spread pesto over the dough, leaving 1/4" on all sides. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
3. Starting at the short side roll the dough. Seal the seam and ends. Place the dough seam-side down on the parchment paper.
4. Let rise for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
5. While the bread rises, preheat the oven and a baking stone to 425 degrees.
6. When the bread has doubled in size slide the parchment paper and bread onto the hot baking stone. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking stone and cool on a wire rack.
7. Slice when completely cooled.

Tomato, Zucchini, and Leek Galette with Garlic Goat Cheese

I have a confession. I don't like tomatoes or zucchini. I know. But I loved this galette.

The zucchini and tomatoes are matched perfectly with the leeks and garlic 

"Rather Be" Clean Bandit

Adapted from Farm to Fork

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups thinly sliced well-washed leeks (white part only)
• 1 pound medium heirloom tomatoes, stem ends trimmed
• 8 oz zucchini, ends trimmed
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 5 oz goat cheese
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 heads garlic
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Directions 

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry dough to the 1/16th inch thickness. Cut out a 12 inch round. anPlace it on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill the dough in the freezer for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour. 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat the olive oil in a 10 inch saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the leeks, 1/2 tsp salt, and t1/8 tsp white pepper. Cook, stirring as needed, until the leeks have softened, 5 to 7 minutes.Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the leeks to a plate; let them cool until you're ready to assemble the galette.

Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch-thick rounds, and arrange them in one even layer on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, and set aside to drain for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile,slice the zucchini to 1/8 inch thick rounds. In a small bowl, mix the zucchini slices with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, 1/4 tsp of salt, and 1/8 tsp of white pepper. Set aside

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the goat cheese, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, and 2 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix well with a rubber spatula. Squeeze each head of roasted garlic over the bowl, pressing the soft cloves out of the peel. Mix until the goat cheese is smooth and the mixture is uniform.

Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and spread the goat cheese mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1 inch border around the edge. Spread the sautéed leeks evenly over the goat cheese. Blot the tomatoes dry and arrange them in a concentric pattern over the leeks arrange the zucchini slices in a concentric pattern over the tomatoes. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the top. Fold the border o the pastry up and over the edge of the tomatoes. Bake the galette or 20 minutes or until the crust is golden and puffed

Remove the galette from the oven, and sprinkle the fresh basil over the top and drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Set aside for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Fattoush

 

We got sumac after a Turkish cooking class, and I've been scouring the far reaches of recipe books and the internet for recipes.

This is great salad recipe if you want to try sumac. For a simpler sumac recipe, try adding sumac and salt to sliced red onion and letting it sit for about an hour. My mother, who usually picks onion out of everything, loved the onions.

 Next to Normal "Superboy and the Invisible Girl"

From The Kitchn

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 large or 2 small cucumbers, small dice
2 cups of fresh tomatoes, quartered in bite-size pieces
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
1 green pepper, diced
3 scallions, finely sliced
1 teaspoon sumac
2 pieces of pita bread toasted until golden brown, broken into pieces the size of a quarter

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the first four ingredients. Add everything else and toss well. This keeps very well in the fridge and can be made ahead. Serve as a side salad, a meze plate accompaniment, or as a filling in a pita sandwich with some grilled vegetables and roast chicken or lamb.