Mindy had some friends over so she asked me if I could cook for them. Could I? Yes. Did I want to? Yes. Crisis averted!

Roasted Yellow Pepper on Tapenade and Ciabatta

Equipment:

• Baking sheet
• Mortar and pestle

Ingredients:

• Kalamata olives
• Black Olives
• Garlic, minced
• Fresh basil
• Fresh thyme
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Mushroom, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Roasted yellow pepper, dice once it’s cooked
• Ciabatta bread
• Parmesan Cheese

Procedure:

1. Beat the crap out of all the ingredients in the mortar and pestle with the exception of the yellow pepper, bread, and cheese.
2. Once you have achieved “Paste Status” stop beating the crap out of the tapenade.
3. Spread tapenade over bread, top with yellow pepper, cheese, and a little minced basil
4. Run over extra tapenade and bread to neighbor’s house to see if they like it. They liked it!
5. Run back to house place bread in oven at 325F and top bread with a little extra virgin olive oil
6. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes then serve.

White Wine Vinaigrette Salad

Equipment:

• Mixing bowl
• Whisk

Ingredients:

• Red leaf, green leaf, and butterhead lettuce
• Arugula
• White wine vinegar
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Black olives, sliced thin
• Pine nuts, toasted
• Parmesan
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure:

1. Pour white wine vinegar into mixing bowl
2. Slowly pour in extra virgin olive oil while you whisk
3. Pour vinaigrette over salad and add rest of the ingredients

Linguica Stewed Tomato Spaghetti…..special request from Mindy

Equipment:

• Dutch oven

Ingredients:

• 8-10 Roma Tomatoes, concasse them (click)
• 1 Large Tomato, concasse it
• Linguica Sausage, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
• Mushrooms, sliced thin
• Black Olives
• Celery
• Onions
• Red wine
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Basil
• Roasted red pepper
• Oregano
• Olive oil
• Spaghetti noodles

Procedure:

1. Place a little olive oil in the dutch oven on the top of the stove then sear the linguica
2. Remove linguica from dutch oven and set aside
3. Place onions and celery in and cook until onions are translucent
4. Deglaze with red wine
5. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, roasted red pepper, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and linguica then place cover on dutch oven and place in the oven at 250F……you can leave this in there for as long as you want…..good food takes time.
6. Remove sauce from dutch oven and pass 3/4 of the mixture through a food mill
7. Fold sauce into spaghetti noodles

Cabernet Sauvignon Sorbet with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

No recipe for this. It’s store bought stuff. I intend to teach myself how to make both so just come back in a month or so.

That’s it….Appetizer, Salad, Main, and Dessert for 6 people.  Nothing spectacular, just comfort food.

Eric