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Italian grill

Bruschetta With Eggplant
Ingredients:
1 loaf crusty Italian bread-cut into 8 slices
2 firm, long eggplants
3 ripe, round tomatoes
fresh mozarella cheese
3 tablespoons of pesto
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
fresh basil leaves for garnish

Preparation:
Over medium heat, grill lightly both sides of the bread slices. Grill the eggplants until golden brown and tender. Turn off the barbeque.
Mix olive oil and pesto and brush each slice of bread lightly with the mixture. Place one slice of eggplant on each piece of bread.

Next place on a slice of the cheese to cover the eggplant. Brush lightly again with the pesto oil. Finally place one slice of tomato on top.
Place each crostini stack back in the still warm barbeque for a minute or two, or until the cheese begins to melt. Serve garnished with the fresh basil leaves.

Grilled Shrimp Salad
Ingredients:
1 pound medium shrimp, shells left on
12 ripe cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
2 stalks celery, sliced thinly
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice)
salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:
Toss the shrimp in a little oil to prevent sticking. Heat up the grill, and cook the shrimp over medium high heat for about 2 minutes per side. Let cool, and then remove the shells.

Mix the shrimp with the remaining ingredients and toss well. Serve immediately still warm from the barbeque, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
Just before serving, adjust the seasonings. Serve.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients:
1 pound dried pasta such as fusilli or penne
12 ripe tomatoes, halved
2 medium onions, peeled and halved
2 bell peppers, halved
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
8 large black olives, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly grounded pepper
dash of salt
dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
additional grated cheese for serving

Preparation:
Grill the tomato, pepper and onion halves over medium heat until browned and tender. Remove from the heat and coarsely chop.

Cook the pasta al dente. While the pasta is cooking, mix together the oil, garlic, herbs, olives, capers and seasonings. Drain the pasta and add the seasoning mix.
Add the chopped onions, cheese, peppers and tomatoes and cook a minute or two over medium heat until everything is piping hot.

Serve, offering additional cheese if desired.

Seafood Skewers
Ingredients:
3 tbs. olive oil
3/4 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
8 large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
8 large scallops
1 (8 oz) fish fillet - choose a meaty fillet such as tuna or swordfish, at least 1 1/2 inch thick, cut into 2 inch chunks
salt and pepper
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
3 tablespoons softened butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour

Preparation:
Place alternating on each skewer, 2 shrimps, 2 scallops and two pieces of fish. Brush with the oil and carefully roll in the bread crumbs. In a saucepan, heat the lemon juice, chicken broth and wine.

Mix the flour into the softened butter, and whisk into the lemon mixture a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Keep over low heat while you grill the seafood. Just before serving, stir in the parsley.

Grill the skewers over high heat, 3 minutes on each side or until done.
Place on a platter, and drizzle the sauce over top. Serve hot.
(Seafood actually needs less cooking than most people imagine. Check the fish fillets to determine if the skewers have cooked long enough. Don't overcook!)

Grilled Salmon With Roasted Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
2 pounds salmon fillets, cut into 4 equal pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
salt & pepper to taste
For the sauce:
4 to 5 roasted tomatoes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons capers
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:
To prepare the sauce, place all of the ingredients except the parsley and capers into the food processor, and pulse until you have a smooth sauce.
Add the parsley and capers, and mix well. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it with just a little warm water. Keep warm.

Rub the salmon with the olive oil, and roll the pieces into the seasoned breadcrumbs.
Season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium high heat until it is still slightly pink inside.

The exact time will depend on the thickness of your salmon, but generally it takes just a couple of minutes on each side.
Once cooked to your preference, serve with a scoop of the roasted tomato sauce on top.

Grilled Pineapple
Ingredients:
1 large fresh pineapple, peeled and cored and cut into 8 slices
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup of liqueur of choice, or maple syrup
vanilla ice
toasted coarsely chopped nuts

Preparation:
Brush the pineapple slices with the melted butter, and grill until they are tender and golden brown, around 4 minutes on each side.
During the last minute of cooking brush with the liqueur or maple syrup. Remove from the heat and cut into bite sized pieces.

In individual bowls, divide the pineapple pieces, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and sprinkle on the toasted nuts.

You can add an additional drizzle of the liqueur or syrup over the ice cream if you choose.

Buon appetito!

 

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