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
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 10-inch cast-iron pan with nonstick spray.
- In a small bowl, toss blueberries with 1 scant tablespoon of flour. This keeps the berries from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Beat in the the eggs, 1 at a time.
- Mix in buttermilk, vanilla and lemon zest.
- Slowly sift in the remaining flour, baking powder and salt, then beat until just incorporated.
- Fold in the berries with a rubber spatula, then spoon the batter into the prepared skillet.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Let cool for before serving.
Toppings
- 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
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- 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.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until they begin to break down.
- Pour in the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Pour in the stock, cream and saffron and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta for 1 minute less than package instructions.
- 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.
- Toss in basil and chives at the very end of cooking.
- 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
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- 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.
- Roast for 35 minutes until soft.
Whipped Ricotta
- 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
- Heat grill to medium-high heat.
- Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil.
- Grill on each side for about 2 minutes, until nice and charred with grill marks.
- Spread whipped ricotta on the grilled bread and top with a spoonful of roasted cherry tomatoes.