food

Complete Summer Dinner

A complete dinner of cavatappi pasta served with grilled bread topped with ricotta cheese and cherry tomatoes followed by a blueberry buckle.

food

Complete Summer Dinner

A complete dinner of cavatappi pasta served with grilled bread topped with ricotta cheese and cherry tomatoes followed by a blueberry buckle.

Ingredients

Cast-Iron Skillet Blueberry Buckle

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Toppings

  • Fresh whipped cream
  • Blueberries

Steps

Cast-Iron Skillet Blueberry Buckle

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 10-inch cast-iron pan with nonstick spray.
  2. In a small bowl, toss blueberries with 1 scant tablespoon of flour. This keeps the berries from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
  3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Beat in the the eggs, 1 at a time.
  5. Mix in buttermilk, vanilla and lemon zest.
  6. Slowly sift in the remaining flour, baking powder and salt, then beat until just incorporated.
  7. Fold in the berries with a rubber spatula, then spoon the batter into the prepared skillet.
  8. Bake for 45 minutes.
  9. Let cool for before serving.

Toppings

  1. Top with whipped cream and more berries, to serve.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 3 sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
  • 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 2 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 big pinch saffron
  • 1 pound cavatappi pasta
  • 4 tablespoons roughly chopped basil, plus more to garnish
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives, plus more to garnish

Steps

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Once hot, add the sausage, onion and garlic. Cook, while stirring and breaking up the sausage with the back of a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until they begin to break down.
  4. Pour in the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
  5. Pour in the stock, cream and saffron and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and let simmer for 5 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, cook pasta for 1 minute less than package instructions.
  7. Drain well and toss the pasta with the sauce. Cook and stir for about 1 minute so the pasta can absorb the sauce and flavor.
  8. Toss in basil and chives at the very end of cooking.
  9. Serve in bowls, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with more fresh herbs.

Ingredients

Roasted Tomatoes

  • 1 (16 ounce) container grape tomatoes
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whipped Ricotta

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh whole milk ricotta
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grilled Bread

  • 8 slices country bread
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Large-flake salt

Steps

Roasted Tomatoes

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. On a rimmed sheet tray, add tomatoes and garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss tomatoes until coated with oil.
  3. Roast for 35 minutes until soft.

Whipped Ricotta

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, add ricotta along with olive oil, milk, salt and pepper. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to stir until soft.

Grilled Bread

  1. Heat grill to medium-high heat.
  2. Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil.
  3. Grill on each side for about 2 minutes, until nice and charred with grill marks.
  4. Spread whipped ricotta on the grilled bread and top with a spoonful of roasted cherry tomatoes.