This hearty salad is best made using tomatoes and basil fresh from the garden or farmers market. For a more intense flavor replace the balsamic vinegar with balsamic reduction or glaze.
2 pounds fresh tomatoes
1 pound fresh mozzarella
Handful of fresh basil
½ cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons of fresh thyme teaspoon of black pepper, freshly ground
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar or Balsamic Reduction
Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Loaf of rustic bread
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Wash, drain, and mince the thyme.
Place ½ cup of olive oil and garlic into a ramekin. Cover ramekin and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain oil.
Remove the oil from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Carefully press the garlic into the oil.
Add the thyme and black pepper.
Cut the bread into half inch slices.
Brush with bread with the olive oil.
Place the bread slices onto a baking sheet and toast in the over for 10 to 12 minutes.
Wash, dry and slice the tomatoes.
Slice the fresh mozzarella into ¼ inch slices.
Wash and drain the basil and cut into chiffonade slices.
To plate the salad, alternate slices of tomato and cheese.
Top with basil. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Sprinkle fresh pepper and salt over the salad.
Serve immediately with crostini.
Serves 4 as a main course or 6 to 8 as a side salad
Use a combination of traditional salad tomatoes, yellow pear, and cherry tomatoes for an informal and more colorful salad.
Replace the balsamic with a reduced balsamic.
Deviations:
Add sliced of prosciutto between the cheese and tomatoes.
Download 8.5 x 11 pdf recipe for Insalata Caprese with Herbed Crostini
Tags: Caprese Salad, Herbed Crostini, Insalata Caprese, Julie Smoragiewicz
The snow peas in my garden runneth over! This vibrant and flavorful dish puts those abundant peas into a healthy side for summer grilling.
1 pound fresh snow peas
1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
Slice mushrooms.
Clean and trim snow peas.
Peel and grate ginger.
Press garlic.
Add olive to the large sauté pan.
Sauté ginger, garlic, and add soy sauce.
Add mushrooms. Cook until they release their moisture and become tender.
Add snow peas and increase heat to high.
Stir frequently and continuing cooking until the peas turn a vibrant green and are tender crisp.
Serve immediately.
Visions from the garden
Peas on the vine
The peas runneth over the basket!
download 8.5 x 11 pdf recipe Gingered Mushrooms and Fresh Snow Pea Stir Fry
Tags: Ginger, Julie Smoragiewicz, Snow Peas, Snow Peas and Mushrooms, Stir-Fry
As we continue with a summer grilling theme – you need to try this healthy and succulent salmon entrée. Cedar planks are used to keep from the salmon from direct heat and to add a smoky flavor to the dish. The cedar planks can be cleaned a used for several grilling sessions. This dish is elegant enough for guests and if keep a jar of the wine reduction on hand in your refrigerator, you can prepare this recipe any night of the week for your family – they will thank you!
1 salmon fillet (1 ½ pounds)
Grill Seasoning (coarse salt, cracked pepper, crushed coriander seed, paprika)
1 cup Blackberry Wine
1 cup Blackberries
Soak cedar planks by placing them in a pan of water. Weight the planks to keep them submerged. Soak for at least one to two hours.
Pour wine into shallow sauté pan.
Bring wine to a slow simmer.
Simmer until the liquid is reduced to a syrup. This may take oen to one and one half hours. Remove reduction from heat. Reduction can be made in advance and refrigerated until ready to use.
Preheat grill. I strongly recoomend using a charcoal chimney for coals that are ready in as little as 10 minutes.
Place the salmon fillet, skin side down, onto the cedar planks. Pour two teaspoons of the wine reduction into a small dish and brush the salmon with the reduction.
Sprinkle the salmon with grill seasoning.
Place the planks onto the hot grill. Close the grill and allow the salmon to cook for 20 to 30 minutes depending on grill temperature. Salmon is done when the flesh flaky yet is still moist and temperature registers 135 degrees.
Remove the salmon from the plank and place on a serving platter. The salmon can be served with the skin or the skin can be left on the plank. Cover with foil until ready to serve. The salmon will continue to cook and the temperature will rise another 5 to 10 degrees.
While the salmon is resting, place the wine reduction in a sauce pan over medium heat and add a handful of berries. Press the berries to release their juices and stir.
Add the remaining berries, stir to heat, and pour over the salmon.
Serve immediately. Yields 4 servings
Deviations:
Replace the blackberry wine with loganberry liqueur and the blackberries with loganberries.
Place the salmon on a bed of greens for a main course salad.
Download 8.5 x 11 pdf recipe Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon With Blackberry Wine Reduction and Fresh Blackberries
Pairing suggestion: Gingered Mushrooms andFresh Snow Peas – check later this week for this recipe.
Tags: Cedar Planks, Charcoal Chimney, Grilled Salmon, Julie Smoragiewicz, Wine Reduction
Sumer is the perfect time to fire up the grill! Fresh produce, meats, and seafood are delicious when cooked over fire.
A good grill (prefer charcoal for most items for most grilling), fresh produce or meat, and a few great utensils are all you need to grill an amazing meal and keep the heat out of your kitchen.
This summer I am giving away a set of grilling skewers from Dave Osmundsen of Arrowhead Forge in Buffalo, Wyoming. Dave hand-forged these functional and beautiful skewers in his blacksmith shop in downtown Buffalo. These heavy skewers are made to last a lifetime; they have a sharp point that makes threading vegetables and meats a breeze. With lovely artisan details, you will be proud to deliver your grilled food from the fire to the table for family or guests.
For a chance to win, submit a comment in the box below indicating you would like to grill on these skewers. The deadline to enter is Thursday, August 26 at 10:00 p.m. MT. Good luck to everyone and happy grilling!
Can’t wait a month to know whether you are a winner? You can purchase skewers directly from Arrowhead Forge or in Rapid City at Traditions Timeless Furnishings.
Tags: Arrowhead Forge, Dave Osmundsen, David Osmundsen, Give Away, Julie Smoragiewicz
During a recent trip to Des Moines, Iowa I had the pleasure of visiting the West Des Moines Farmers Market located in downtown historic Valley Junction – what a treat! One city block was closed to vehicle traffic and filled with booths from vendors featuring art, jams, handcrafted soaps, local wines, and of course fresh produce. It was a delight to meet the gracious vendors!
Jim Scato and Brad (an native of South Dakota) from Scato Farms.
Scato Farm produce
Wine tasting
Saloo’s had the most amazing samosas and mango drinks – yum!
If my vehicle wasn’t already filled with five kids, four bikes, and 15 bags I would have taken these two to South Dakota!
Nothings say ’summer foods’ better than fresh produce and grill. This recipe combines the freshest summer vegetables with hot coals to produce a healthy and delicisous side dish for grilled summer meats or for use in salads.
1 medium onion
1 summer squash
1 small eggplant
½ pound mushrooms
1 red bell or yellow pepper
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
Salt
Pepper
Skewers – see the set below handcrafted by Dave Osmundsen of Arrowhead Forge in Buffalo, Wyoming. Check back later this month for a chance to win your own set. These beautiful and functional skewers are available directly from Arrowhead Forge and through Staple and Spice Market.
Preheat grill.
Clean mushrooms.
Slice the mushrooms in half.
Slice the onions.
Cube the eggplant.
Cube the squash.
Chop peppers into one inch pieces.
Press or mince the garlic.
Chop the thyme.
Combine the olive oil, thyme, and garlic.
Place the vegetables onto the skewers, alternating vegetables and leaving a bit of space between each. Are your mushrooms splitting? Gently squeeze them as you skewer then or place them in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds to soften. Brush vegetables with olive oil.
Place skewers on hot grill. Grill vegetables for 5 to 7 minutes per side or until lightly charred.
Remove from grill and cover for five minutes or until ready to serve.
Serve vegetables on skewers or remove and serve in a bowl.
Serves 4 to 6
Deviations:
Modify vegetables to take advantage of what is in season.
Replace thyme with rosemary or other herbs.
Download 8.5 x 11 pdf recipe – Grilled Medley of Summer Vegetables.pdf
Tags: Arrowhead Forge, Dave Osmundsen, David Osmundsen, Eggplant, Grill, Grilled vegetables, Julie Smoragiewicz
During this week’s trek to the Black Hills Farmers market, I met Larry and Michelle Lesher of Battle Creek Gardens.
Their beautiful and ‘beyond organic’ – spicy mixed greens, super sweet orange cherry tomatoes, and freshly harvested beets were the inspiration for this colorful and hearty salad.
6 to 8 cups mixed spicy greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper
4 fresh beets
1 cup cherry tomatoes
½ pound fresh goat cheese
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
2-3 tablespoons balsamic reduction or glaze
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Slice and dice the beets into ½ cubes.
Place the beets on a sheet pat and drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Place the beets in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Place the sunflowers in a pan over medium high heat. Stir frequently until lightly browned. Place seeds in a bowl to prevent further browning.
Slice goat cheese into disks – use fingers to shape the cheese if it begins to crumble, or simply crumble the cheese over the greens.
Plate greens, tomatoes, and goat cheese.
Top with roasted beets and sunflower seeds.
Drizzle balsamic glaze/reduction over the salad and serve immediately.
Serves four as a main course salad
download a printer friendly pdf recipe for Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese and Roasted Beets
Visit Battle Creek Gardens at http://www.bhhec.org/Battle-Creek-Gardens.htm
Tags: Balsamic, Goat Cheese, Julie Smoragiewicz, Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese and Roasted Beets, Roasted Beets
Fire up the grill this July 4th weekend for these tender and tangy ribs!
The pork ribs are seasoned with a dry rub, slow roasted in the oven until tender, and then finished off on the grill. Finger licking good! Active cooking time is only 30 minutes, leaving plenty of time to enjoy family and festivities.
2 slabs of pork loin ribs (5-6 lbs total)
6 tablespoons dry rub
6 cloves of garlic, pressed
8 ounces barbeque sauce
Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
Wash and dry the ribs. Coat rib slabs with your favorite dry rub.
Rub the dry rub into both sides of the rib slabs.
Cut rib slabs into 2 to 4 rib sections.
Place ribs vertically in roasting pan and spread with crushed garlic.
Cover the roasting pan tightly with heavy duty (or double layers) aluminum foil and roast at 225 degrees for 4-6 hours. The pork should be fully cooked and fork tender, but not yet falling off the bone.
Preheat charcoal or gas grill. Charcoal is recommended. A chimney starter produces red hot coals in as little as five to ten minutes without the need for lighter fluid.
Brush ribs with your favorite barbeque sauce and grill on each side for five to ten minutes. Brush again with sauce and remove from the grill.
Cover the ribs with foil and rest for five to 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes.
Serve ribs with additional barbeque sauce. Our family loves Ol’ West Barbeque Sauce made in Mellette, South Dakota and available through Someone’s in the Kitchen and online.
Serves 4 to 6
Click here to open a new page and download an 8.5″ x 11″ pdf recipe for BBQ Pork Ribs
Tags: barbecued pork ribs, barbequed pork ribs, Julie Smoragiewicz, Ol' West Barbeque Sauce, Pork loin, Someone's in the Kitchen
This cool, fruity, and refreshing dessert (or palate cleanser) is the perfect finish to dinner on warm summer night.
4 -5 large mangoes
¼ cup candied ginger
750 ml bottle of mascato
Fresh mint sprigs (optional)
Place half the bottle of mascato into a sauce pan.
Add candied ginger pieces and bring and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Slice mangos in half lengthwise along the pit.
Score each half of the mangos every half inch lengthwise and crosswise being careful not to cut through the peel. Use a spoon to remove the mango from the peel and place in a bowl.
Strain the mascato into the bowl of mango pieces. Reserve a few pieces of the ginger.
Place the mango, mascato mixture, remaining half bottle of mascato, and a few slices of the softened ginger into a food processor bowl fitted with the knife blade and process until smooth, three to five minutes.
Add additional ginger if desired and puree until smooth, another three to five minutes.
Pour the sorbet mixture into shallow container and place in the freezer.
Remove the container from the freezer scrape sides with a fork and whisk. Repeat whisking every hour for three to four hours to allow for even freezing.
Scoop sorbet into glasses and garnish with fresh mint if desired.
Serve immediately.
Yields approximately 12 four-ounce servings
Click to download pdf recipe Mango Mascato Sorbet
Deviations: Serve one ounce portions as a palate cleanser for a formal dinner.
Tags: Dakota Thyme, Julie Smoragiewicz, mango, mango mascato sorbet, mango sorbet, mascato
Congratulations to Patrick James, winner of the May Dakota Thyme Give Away - Black Hills Beyond All Expectations – A Photographic Portrait. Pat wrote the following about the Black Hills “It’s the mini Yosemite of the great plains.”
Many thanks to those of you who entered comments for a chance to win this beautiful coffee table book contains stunning images of Rapid City and the Black Hills. Copies of the book are also available for purchase through the Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce. The book is great addition to your library or as a gift for someone special who has traveled to the Black Hills.
Stop back later this week for information on how to enter the June Give Away.
The Black Hills – what a beautiful and blessed place to visit or call home!
