Prosciutto and Mozzarella Sandwiches

Found a link on the Food Network site to “no-cook” recipes. Sometimes I’m all about no cook just for the sake of not having a bunch of pots to clean. This sandwich was delicious. Plus it helps that I love prosciutto and arugula. I’m not hugely fond of generic black olives and wanted more taste so I bought a tapenade from the deli. I then added the tomatoes to that. The tapenade was obviously stronger since it also had green olives and garlic in it. It was still delicious.

And, I didn’t feel like dealing with fresh mozzarella, so I bought slices. Probably a huge faux pas for the true gourmand. But quite honestly, with the strong flavors already on the sandwich, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to tell much difference anyways. At the end, we had a cutting board, knife, and two bowls to wash. Not to shabby!

One huge plus to this sandwich is that it would work perfectly for a picnic or a takealong sandwich! This recipe is definately a keeper just for that reason as well as being easy and yummy!


Prosciutto and Mozzarella Sandwiches
Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine

1 large plum tomato
3 tablespoons black olive paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 pound fresh mozzarella
4 cups trimmed arugula
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 store-bought focaccia
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto

Seed tomato and chop fine. In a bowl stir together tomato, olive paste, and basil. Cut mozzarella into thin slices. Coarsely chop arugula and in a bowl toss with oil, salt, and pepper, to taste.

Halve focaccia horizontally and spread bottom half with olive mixture. Top olive mixture with mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, and remaining focaccia half. Press focaccia gently and cut lengthwise in half and crosswise into thirds to make 6 sandwiches. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill sandwiches at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Tri-Colore Orzo

Also, off the same Everyday Italian episode, I found this recipe. It was delicious! Very complex with the tangy lemon juice, salty feta (we used feta), bitter arugula, and sweet cherries. Only other change I made was to chop up the cherries. Smaller pieces made it distribute further.

Very light and fresh tasting. And, I think the arugula is holding up for this dish to be a leftover. I’ve been very impressed with Giada’s recipes that we’ve tried out.

Tri-Colore Orzo
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
2 cups fresh arugula (about 3 ounces)
3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese (or feta cheese)
1/2 cup dried cherries
12 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and put the pasta on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle the pasta with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss, spread out, and set aside to cool.

Once the orzo is cool, transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine. Serve.

Chicken with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Here’s a YUMMY-LICIOUS barbeque recipe that we used last night. Mapgeek grilled over charcoal, but no smoking. It was decided that smoking the chicken might make the flavors too much. We used chicken thighs because they grill great and are the perfect size. It’s been decided that this is a definite keeper in our barbeque collection. Go figure that it came off an Everyday Italian episode!


Chicken or Steak with Balsamic BBQ Sauce
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

For the Balsamic BBQ sauce:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the chicken or steak: 4 pieces chicken (any combination of breast or leg-and-thigh pieces) or 4 pieces of New York strip or Club strip steak Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the BBQ sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by 1/3, about 15 to 20 minutes.

For the chicken or steak: Place a grill pan over medium heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Lightly coat with some of the BBQ sauce using a pastry brush. Place the meat on the grill. Place the remaining BBQ sauce, still in the small saucepan, over low heat or on the edge of a gas or charcoal grill and allow to gently simmer while the meat cooks.

Cook the chicken about 8 minutes per side. Cook the steaks starting at about 4 minutes per side until a meat thermometer reads the desired temperature, 120 degrees F for medium rare, 135 degrees F for medium (about 6 minutes per side), 155 degrees F for well done (about 9 minutes per side). Continually brush the meat with BBQ sauce every few minutes. Remove the meat from the grill and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Serve with the heated BBQ sauce alongside.

Alternately, the chicken can be baked in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the chicken skin side up in a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and spoon the BBQ sauce all over the top of the chicken. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.