Mediterranean Bon Appetit

Last night we had Bon Appetit at the Cook's.  Valene cooked a amazing Mediterranean dinner (from a Bon Appetit 2004).  Over the top amazing.  Just look at these pictures!  Truly, Valene's home is my favorite restaurant!!!!!  Delish!
 
White Bean Puree with Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Pita Slices
 

 

Makes 4 cups

• 1 cup dried Great Northern beans
• 4 cups water
• 2 small onion, quartered

• 2 4-inch-long fresh rosemary sprigs

          1 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup (or more) boiling water

          2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• Lemon wedges
• Toasted pita triangles

       

Place beans in medium saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover beans by 3 inches. Let stand overnight.  Drain beans well. Return to saucepan. Add 4 cups water, onion, and rosemary sprigs. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until beans are soft, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Discard rosemary sprigs. Drain beans and onion; cool to room temperature.

 

Using on/off turns, puree drained beans and onion, sun-dried tomatoes, shallots, and chopped rosemary in processor until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Puree until blended. With machine running, gradually add 1/2 cup boiling water. Thin with more water by tablespoonfuls if necessary. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Transfer white bean puree to wide shallow bowl; drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with parsley. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve with toasted pita triangles.

Recipe by Zov Karamardian

 Skewered Rosemary Shrimp with Mint Pesto

 

 

Makes 24 Servings

Mint pesto

• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoon (packed) feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons (packed) Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped jalapeño chile
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups (packed) fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Shrimp

• 24 large uncooked shrimp (about 2 pounds), peeled, deveined, tails left intact
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 24 4-inch-long woody rosemary sprigs

       

For mint pesto:

Combine first 7 ingredients in processor. Using on/off turns, process until mixture is smooth. Add mint leaves and lemon juice; process until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Gradually add oil and process until mint pesto is smooth and creamy. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate.

For shrimp:

Preheat broiler. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. Whisk oil, garlic, and parsley in medium bowl to blend. Add shrimp; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Arrange shrimp in single layer on broiler pan. Broil until opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to large bowl; sprinkle with lemon juice and toss with 1/2 cup mint pesto. Starting at base end of rosemary, skewer 1 shrimp on each sprig. Arrange on platter and serve.

Recipe by Zov Karamardian

Mediterranean Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Herbs and Asparagus

 

 

Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients

8 Servings

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 8 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 2 1/2 pounds)
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• 1 1/2 pounds assorted wild mushrooms (such as oyster, crimini, and stemmed shiitake), sliced
• 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 2/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 3 plum tomatoes, seeded, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 2 tablespoon (1/4 stick) chilled butter
• 1 cup teardrop tomatoes (red and yellow)
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• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• Caper berries, halved (optional)

Preheat oven to 200°F. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, add chicken to skillet. Cook until brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to ovenproof plate and place in oven to keep warm. Discard oil from skillet.

Add 3 tablespoons oil to same skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until wilted and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add broth; boil until almost all liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add olives, plum tomatoes, garlic, shallot, and capers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Add butter; stir until melted. Mix in teardrop tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon mushroom mixture over chicken. Sprinkle parsley and pine nuts over. Garnish with caper berries, if desired, and serve.

Capers are flower buds from the caper bush, and caper berries are the fruit. They are about the size of an olive, and are usually pickled and sold in jars. They can be found at Italian markets, specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets.

Recipe by Zov Karamardian

Roasted Potatoes and Herbs

8 Servings

• 4 pounds 2- to 2 1/2-inch-diameter Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, each cut into 6 wedges
• 1 cup chopped shallots (about 5 large)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
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• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

 

Add potatoes to large pot of boiling salted water. Cook 6 minutes and drain. Toss potatoes with shallots, oil, salt, and pepper in large bowl to coat. DO AHEAD Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil 2 rimmed baking sheets. Divide potatoes between prepared baking sheets. Roast 35 minutes. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons parsley and 2 teaspoons thyme over potatoes on each sheet. Using metal spatula, turn potatoes to coat. Roast until brown and tender, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer to serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, and serve.

Recipe by Zov Karamardian

Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Gratin

 

Makes 8 Servings

• 4 10-ounce bags fresh spinach leaves

• 3 red bell peppers

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
• 1 large shallot, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat large deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches (about 10 cups at a time), sauté fresh spinach in dry skillet until bright green and wilted, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer spinach to strainer. Squeeze spinach dry; roll in kitchen towel to remove excess water.

Char peppers directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and slice peppers into 1/4-inch-wide strips.

Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, shallot, and garlic; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk cream and eggs in large bowl to blend. Whisk in all cheeses, salt, and pepper. Stir in spinach, leek mixture, and 2/3 of roasted red peppers (reserve 1/3 of peppers for topping). DO AHEAD - Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Transfer spinach mixture to prepared dish. Bake gratin until knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Arrange remaining red pepper strips decoratively atop gratin and serve.

Recipe by Zov Karamardian