- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line baking tray with parchment paper; set aside.
- Place potatoes in saucepan; pour in enough cold water to cover. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-high to maintain light boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water; dry well.
- Toss together potatoes, 2 tbsp pesto, olive oil, salt and pepper; spread evenly on prepared pan. Smash each potato with heavy-bottom saucepan. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on the bottom.
- Top each potato with dollop of remaining pesto and arrange on platter. Top with Parmesan and pine nuts. Serve with lemon wedges.
Tip: Make these potatoes extra special by also topping with creamy ricotta and pan-crisped pancetta.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with foil; set aside.
- Make deep, diagonal cuts (about 1 inch apart) in diamond pattern into Italian loaf, making sure loaf stays intact at the base. Whisk together olive oil, Italian seasoning blend and garlic; brush all over loaf and in between cuts.
- Toss together tomatoes, 1 cup cheese and pesto; press mixture in between cuts of the loaf. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top.
- Cover with foil; bake for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove foil; bake for about 10 minutes or until loaf is heated through, golden brown and crispy. Let cool slightly before serving.
Tip: Use a pre-shredded blend of Italian cheeses, or make your own with a combination of mozzarella, provolone, Emmental, Asiago and Parmesan cheese.
Parsnips add a little sweet and earthy spice to mashed potatoes.
- Put the potatoes and parsnips in a 6- to 8-quart pot, cover by about 3 inches with cold water, add 1 Tbs. salt, bring to a boil, and cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes after the water begins to boil.
- Drain the potatoes and parsnips, put them back into the pot with the oil, and coarsely mash with a potato masher. Fold in the broth, crème fraîche, nutmeg, 2 tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper. (If you prefer a smoother texture, whip with a hand mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.)
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
TIP: To add a burst of flavor to this mashed potato, serve with your favorite Filippo Berio Pesto!
Hearty bread stuffing is a highlight of Thanksgiving dinner. It’s made a little more heart-healthy with the addition of olive oil. If you use a Pyrex dish, as opposed to a ceramic one, the bottom of the stuffing will brown better.
- Tear or cut the bread into ¾-inch pieces until you have 8 to 10 cups. If working a day ahead, lay the pieces out on a rack and leave them uncovered on the counter to dry overnight. Otherwise, spread the bread out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 275°F oven, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until it is crisp and mostly dry; it will continue to dry a bit as it cools. Depending on how moist the bread is to begin with, oven-drying takes 15 to 45 minutes.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low. Add the leeks, celery, carrots, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly softened. Add the chestnuts and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the parsley, thyme, and sage to the stuffing mixture and toss well. Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Add the broth and wine to the mixture. If the liquid isn’t immediately absorbed and pools at the bottom of the bowl, that should be enough; just toss the mixture occasionally for a few minutes and the liquid will be absorbed. At first, the bread cubes may feel wet on the outside and still be dry on the inside, but they’ll even out as the stuffing cooks.
- Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper as needed. Add the ¼ cup oil. Stir in the eggs. Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with oil. Spread the stuffing in the dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the top is lightly browned and crisp, another 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat; grease grate well.
- Cut loaf into 1/2-inch-thick slices, cutting larger slices in half to make 2-inch square pieces.
- In batches, grill bread slices for 30 to 40 seconds per side or until grill-marked and toasted. Rub each piece of bread with cut side of garlic. Brush with half of the oil.
- Layer vegan cheese slice, basil leaf and tomato slice over each piece of bread. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer crostini to serving platter; drizzle with remaining oil. Garnish platter with remaining basil.
Tip: As a variation, substitute vegan spreadable-style goat cheese for vegan fresh mozzarella-style cheese.
This slightly tangy balsamic side is a perfect accompaniment to the steak.
- In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, marjoram, salt and pepper.
- In 9x 13-inch baking dish, toss the vegetables; drizzle with the olive oil marinade. Toss to coat; cover and marinate for 2 hours or overnight, turning the vegetables occasionally.
- Prepare a medium-high gas or charcoal grill fire. Transfer the vegetables to a grill pan, reserving leftover marinade. Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally and brushing frequently with the reserved marinade, for 12 minutes or until tender.
The versatile and delicious topping for this pizza is a sautéed shortcut version of ratatouille, which is sometimes called ciambotto in Italy. It cooks in only 15 minutes and is so flavorful and has such a great melting texture that no sauce is needed for the pizza.
- Put a baking stone on the lowest rack in your oven. (Move the top rack up or out of the oven for easiest maneuvering). Heat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- In a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet, heat 3 Tbs. of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant, peppers, and 1/4 tsp. salt, and turn the heat to medium high. Cook, stirring occasionally at first and more frequently as the vegetables begin to brown, until the vegetables are softened and all of them have some browning (some will be very brown), 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cherry tomatoes, the remaining Tbs. of olive oil, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring and scraping the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes have started to collapse (some will brown) and the mixture is well-integrated, 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and drizzle with the balsamic glaze or syrup, if using. Season to taste with salt. Transfer the mixture to a plate or tray and divide it loosely into thirds.
- Combine the oil and garlic in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Arrange the garlic oil, topping, cheeses, and salt near your work area.
- Sprinkle a pizza peel or the back of a large cookie sheet with cornmeal. Lightly flour your work surface, your hands, and a rolling pin. Gently press one dough ball out with your fingers and hands until it forms a flat cake on your work surface. Using the rolling pin, roll the dough out to an 8-inch circle. If the dough is bouncy, let it rest between rolls.
- Transfer the rolled dough to the pizza peel or baking sheet.
- Spoon about 1 scant Tbs. of the seasoned oil (including the garlic) onto the dough and brush or use the back of a spoon to spread it all over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border around the edge. Spoon one portion (a third) of the topping on the pizza and nestle 6 to 9 pieces of the mozzarella in it. Sprinkle with a few teaspoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano and drizzle with a bit more of the garlic oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and cook until the crust is golden brown around the edges and crisp and golden on the bottom (check with tongs), 8 to 9 minutes. Use the peel (or tongs and a baking sheet) to transfer the pizza to a wooden cutting board. Top with a third of the fresh basil. Slice and serve.
- Repeat with the remaining dough and topping to make two more pizzas.
- In dry saucepan, toast dried chipotle pepper, mustard, chili pepper flakes, cinnamon stick, clove, allspice berries and peppercorns over medium-high heat, shaking pan, for about 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add 2 1/2 cups water, vinegar, sugar, salt and bay leaf; bring to simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let cool for 20 minutes. Add peaches; transfer mixture to pint-size sealable jar or container. Refrigerate for 24 hours. (Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
Tip: Substitute ancho chili pepper for chipotle pepper if desired.
