Garden Salad With Basil-Pesto Vinaigrette

My pesto vinaigrette store in a Mason jar...like Pizza Outback!

My favorite pizza joint in Taos...actually one of my favorites anywhere....is Pizza Outback. Their pizza is phenomenal, and I will share some of their combinations another time. Today I am writing about one of my obsessions...their salad dressing. Salad dressing you ask? Seems odd to get this excited, right? But....this one is a delicious pesto based vinaigrette thinned with a bit of vinegar and other, secret, ingredients. People order the salad and then buy mason jar filled dressing to take home. I live a block away and confess I am one of their best customers.

fresh basil from the garden

I decided I would try to recreate the pesto vinagrette at home. I have bushes of basil growing in the summer, and it seems wrong to keep buying my dressing at Outback. (Winter is a different story, I will be back to my mason jars), but for now I am making my own version of the original. I haven't quite figured out their exact recipe, but I am pretty happy with my take. I used my regular classic pesto recipe but swapped almonds for the more traditional pine nuts and added some apple cider vinegar. I know that Pizza Outback's vinaigrette does not contain nuts, but I like the hint of sweetness the almonds add.

I used this dressing on green salads of course, but it is also delicious drizzled over grilled chicken or fish or vegetables. Your family just might up their daily greens consumption if they have access to the pesto vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Basil-Pesto Vinaigrette
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 oz parmigiano-reggiano cheese, cut into 2 pieces
2 garlic cloves
pinch red pepper flakes
5 cups basil leaves (packed)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp water (if needed)
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Toast almonds in a skillet until just beginning to brown.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add cheese to a food processor fitted with the chopping/mixing blade.  Process until the cheese is grated.  Add cooled almonds, garlic, and red pepper flakes and process until all ingredients are finely grated.  Add half of basil leaves, and 1/4 cup olive oil and process until smooth but with a bit of texture. Add remaining basil, remaining olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, and vinegar. Process until well mixed. Add water if necessary to reach desired pouring consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

The vinaigrette will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator. Let come to room temperature before using.

I like this with a green salad made with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, croutons and toasted sliced almonds. Toss with the vinaigrette and top with some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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Other pesto recipes you may enjoy:

• Italian green beans with tomatoes & pesto
• whole wheat pasta with spicy spinach & peanut butter pesto
• pasta with broccoli & spicy cashew pesto
• pizza with garlic confit & pesto (spicy)
• egg bruschetta with pesto

Summer means easy, breezy dishes made from fresh, just-picked produce and this week at Food Network's Summer Soiree we are celebrating Pesto. Do you have a favorite pesto recipe?  Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

The Lemon Bowl: Lemony Pistachio Basil Pesto
Dishin & Dishes: Kale Pesto and Mushroom Stuffed Porterhouse Chops
Creative Culinary: Pesto Potato Salad with Parmesan Walnuts
Weelicious: Kale Pesto
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Garden Salad With Basil-Pesto Vinaigrette
Red or Green: Corn On The Cob With Basil-Jalapeno Vinaigrette
Homemade Delish: Spinach and Kale Pesto
Domesticate Me: Ratatouille Quinoa Bake with Pesto and Buffalo Mozzarella
The Mom 100: Crusted Loin Lamb Chops with Mint Basil Pesto
Taste with the Eyes: Fresh, Fabulous, and Frugal - Carrot Top Pesto
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Chicken Breasts with Coconut and Cilantro Pesto
Healthy Eats: Green Is the New Black: 5 Must-Try Pestos
FN Dish: 6 Non-Pasta Ways to Go Big with Pesto

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove
please follow me on Facebook

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.

Spicy Pizza with Garlic Confit & Pesto

Pizza, salad and a glass (or two) of red wine and I am a happy girl. For my pizza, I like simple toppings, a delicious crust and just a small amount of sauce and cheese. And I am one of those people that likes cold and crisp salad paired with the hot pizza. Literally paired...as in pile the salad on top of the pizza. Does that sound weird?

I discovered this pizza at at Italian restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico a couple of weeks ago and decided I needed to recreate it for myself. Very thin crust spread with a smidge of very flavorful tomato sauce and fresh buffalo cheese, topped with garlic confit, roasted jalapeno peppers and then drizzled with olive oil and basil pesto.  So delicious. This one is a keeper!

Spicy Pizza with Garlic Confit & Pesto

1 head garlic
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 small jalapeno pepper, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 750 g (26.46 oz) box Italian chopped tomatoes (I like the Pomi brand)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 14 inch pizza crust (dough recipe here) or high quality store bought
8 oz buffalo mozzarella, sliced
basil pesto (recipe follows)
sea salt
black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Peel garlic from head and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, a pinch each salt and pepper and the red pepper flakes. Heat over medium-low heat for 45 minutes or until the garlic is very soft and spreadable. Let cool in oil. Set aside.

Add jalapeno to pie plate and roast in oven 5 minutes or until soft. Do not let brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Do not turn off oven.

Saute onion in 1 tbsp olive oil in medium saucepan until translucent. Add tomatoes, oregano and small pinch each salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes or until slightly thickened. Set aside.

Assembly:
Add dough ball to lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll into a 14 inch circle. (It does not have to be perfect. A rustic look is more authentic.) Roll the dough up around the rolling pin to make it easier to move. Unroll the dough onto a pizza stone or baking sheet which has been lightly oiled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with coarse cornmeal. (the cornmeal adds a delicious flavor and helps ensure the pizza dough will not stick to pan.)  Prick dough with a fork all over and bake 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and spread 1 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce over dough. Cover with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with the jalapeno and drizzle pesto over pizza. Top with the garlic confit and place pizza in preheated oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven and drizzle a little of the oil from the confit over the pizza. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Pesto
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 oz parmigiano-reggiano cheese, cut into 2 pieces
2 garlic cloves
1 fresh red cayenne pepper (or other fresh hot red pepper), seeded
5 cups basil leaves (packed)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Toast pine nuts in skillet until just beginning to brown.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add cheese to food processor fitted with the chopping/mixing blade.  Process until cheese is grated.  Add cooled pine nuts, garlic and red pepper and process until all ingredients are finely grated.  Add half of basil leaves, and 1/4 cup olive oil and process until smooth but with a bit of texture. Add remaining basil, remaining olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Process until well mixed.  Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

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Other Pizza recipes you may enjoy:

• pizza with spicy pumpkin sauce, black beans and fresh corn
• pizza with sundried tomatoes, red pepper & corn 
• pizza with kale & walnut pesto, sundried tomatoes pesto & pickled garlic 

Winter means comfort food at Food Network and this week we are celebrating Pizza. Do you have a favorite pizza recipe? Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

Dishin & Dishes: Crab Rangoon Pizza Flatbread
Daisy at Home: Mini Pizza Bites
The Cultural Dish: Mini Eggplant Pizzas
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Spicy Pizza with Garlic Confit & Pesto
Red or Green: Tostada Pizza
Swing Eats: Mini Deep Dish Polenta Pizzas (Gluten-Free)
Weelicious: Quilt Pizza
Taste with the Eyes: Pretty Little Cast Iron Skillet Pizzas
The Mom 100: Two-Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Naan Pizza
FN Dish: 6 Newfangled Ways to Get Your Pizza Fix

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove
please follow me on Facebook

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.

do you love guacamole??

first i should say that i love avocados..pretty much in any form. when i was a kid, my aunt lena had a really big avocado tree in her back yard in southern california. this tree produced massive amounts of avocados..my memory may be faulty..(ya think?)..but i seem to remember avocados year round. she used to give bushels of them away to everyone in the family..so i ate avocados all the time. it wasn't until i was older..and met people from outside of california..that i realized not everyone was familiar with them..many people i met had never even tried one..now, with the popularity of guacamole, most people know of avocados..but still have questions regarding their use..their fat content...and the on-going controversy of the world's best guacamole recipe...happily, we now know that the fat in an avocado is the good fat, that they are full of fiber and vitamins..and that there are countless ways to use this fruit (yes, an avocado is a fruit although it is used more like a vegetable) ..

i still use avocados all the time..i will spread mashed avocado on toast with a sprinkling of sea salt and eat for lunch or as a snack..i slice and add to salads, omelets, taco topping..cut them in half and fill with tuna, chicken, shrimp, crab or lobster salad, add to sandwiches, make avocado salad dressing..avocado soup...hundreds of recipes. but..more than all of these options..i make guacamole. i must admit..i am pretty addicted to guacamole..and have tried many different recipes. i have found that people are pretty passionate about their guacamole recipes..and everyone thinks their version is best. i have my own favorite..but like to try different recipes too. my friend shesh came to dinner sunday and brought over a few avocados. she decided to make her guacamole..which is the simplest version i have ever tasted. she just mashed up the avocados..added a bit of cilantro, salt and pepper..and served...it was really good. the avocados were perfectly ripe, the cilantro had a bit of a bite and the flavor was really pure...we gobbled it up.

my version uses avocado, finely diced red onion, cilantro, freshly squeezed lime juice, sea salt and diced jalapeno. i don't really used a recipe..i just add the ingredients to taste... but i do ensure all the ingredients..including the avocado..stay chunky..i like texture in my guacamole.... for those of you that have never cut up an avocado..here is a classic..and my favorite..technique. cut the avocado in half lengthwise. there is a big seed in the middle so you will need to cut around it. the seed will stay in one of the halves. use a chef's knife to gently whack the center of the pit so that the knife is slightly embedded in the pit...don't whack too hard or you will cut through the pit...twist the knife, pull out the pit and discard. (note..for safety's sake, put a kitchen towel in the palm of your hand and place the avocado on the towel the first few times you try this technique...be careful!).

slice each half of avocado lengthwise into 1/8 to 1/4 inch strips, and then cut across forming a grid. use a spoon to gently scoop out the avocado flesh.

combine the diced avocado with the onion, cilantro, lime juice, sea salt and jalapeno. serve immediately...i finely dice all ingredients except for the avocado and keep a lot of texture in mine.

i spent all day today trying out different versions of the basic recipe (i have a tough life!)..i substituted lemon juice for the lime in one batch..and took at least one of my ingredients out of each option to see how it would impact the final result..they all worked..so adjust the recipe based on what you like..if you dislike onions..leave them out..hate cilantro?..skip..(i find that people are seldom neutral regarding cilantro..you either love it or hate it)..you will always need salt and the lemon or lime..otherwise..go for it...



a twitter friend @emilyolson reminded me of the guacamole at rosa mexicano...i have ordered guacamole at numerous restaurants throughout the united states and mexico...while i have had many really good versions the absolute best restaurant guacamole i have ever had was at rosa mexicano in manhattan. their guacamole is prepared tableside in a traditional molcajete, which is a mortar and pestle made from volcanic rock...i have included the rosa mexicano recipe to get you started.... if you have never made guacamole before...give it a try..it may become your favorite too...but don't be afraid to experiment with ingredients you like...i challenge you to create your own "signature guacamole recipe"...oh and since this requires salt and freshly squeezed limes..can you say "pitchers of margaritas"??!!

rosa mexicano guacamoleIngredients:
1Tbsp white onion
cilantro
jalapeno
salt (i use sea salt)
3 hass avocado
3 tbps diced tomato
2 tbs chopped cilantro
Tortilla chips

Preparation:
1. Grind 1 tbsp. finely chopped white onion, one firmly packed tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, 2 tsp. finely chopped jalapeño, and 1 tsp. salt together in a molcajete until all the ingredients are well ground. (Alternatively, use a fork to mash the ingredients to a paste in a wide bowl.)
2. Prepare the avocado using the method described above
3. Scoop the diced avocado flesh into the molcajete. Repeat with remaining avocado halves. Gently fold the avocado into the chile–onion paste, keeping the avocado pieces fairly intact.
4. Add 3 tbsp. diced tomato, 2 firmly packed tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, and 1 tbsp. finely chopped white onion.
5. Fold together all the ingredients. Taste and add salt, if necessary.
6. Serve immediately, directly from the molcajete (or bowl), with tortilla chips.
Makes 4 servings.


we are having guacamole tacos for dinner with refried black beans, spanish rice, homemade green chile corn tortillas..and margaritas.. want some?
best,
napa farmhouse 1885™
"live a green life of style"™

have you been to uva trattoria & bar?

in downtown napa? uva is one of those places that makes you feel comfortable, happy and relaxed...sounds like an odd description for a restaurant doesn't it? what about the food? here is what i mean..the food is really, really good, the service..knowledgeable and friendly...the bar..terrific..they have live jazz wednesday through sunday..and there is a good mix of locals and tourists...many tourists i have talked to have commented that they enjoy feeling "like they belong here"..or "this is what it must be like to live here"...uva is that kind of place.

i went there for lunch wednesday with my good friend richard. we had loads to talk about..but i was a bit distracted because i knew i wanted to write about the restaurant in this blog..richard got into it..he even snapped the photos..and the waitstaff was so accommodating they actually brought some of the daily specials to our table just so we could photograph them...i had grand visions of writing a really cool review..i can dream can't i..but i did not want to do the typical.."here is what i ate..and here is what i thought" kind of review... i thought it would be more interesting to have everyone's imagination come into play..you see, i found myself totally immersed in just reading the weekly specials menu..the names, the combinations and the ingredients used.... i have written many times about my passion for really good quality ingredients... i was reading in a magazine once about a woman who shared this passion. she said something like.."i would rather invest in quality ingredients than expensive shoes"..i totally understood where she was coming from. anyway, the descriptions of the menu items were so compelling..i thought i would just list them for you. trust me..everything we ate was delicious...but here is a tip..read these dishes..and imagine what each dish would taste like...imagine each vegetable tasting like it was just picked at a local organic farm that morning, everything else..the highest quality ingredient possible...if you are like me, a logical next step would be to buy the ingredients and try to recreate the recipes for yourselves.. and maybe even add your own special twist...if you do..please let me know how they turn out..i will do the same...

oh..and the chef/owner is giovanni guerrera...giovanni..if you happen to read this..and want to share any of the recipes in the comments section..we would be very, very happy.

zuppa-red pepper puree' w/eggplant garnish (i had this..is was fantastic..the eggplant garnish was an eggplant tapenade spread on crostini floating on top...so, so good)

antipasto-flash fried squash blossoms stuffed w/teleme cheese w/zucchini relish and tomato sauce.

pasta-spinach tagliatelle w/grilled portobello mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, toasted garlic, pecorino romano.

risotto-seared gulf of mexico scallops w/roasted shallot puree', asparagus & prosciutto risotto

pesce-alaskan halibut w/brentwood sweet corn & morel mushrooms, garlic whipped potatoes, zucchini salad garnish.

carne-5-dot ranch skirt steak w/roasted shallot sauce, flash fried fingerling potatoes, torpedo onions, broccolini, gorgonzola aioli.

pizza-fontina cheese, fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, arugula.

dolce-frog hollow peach cobbler w/vanilla gelato

visit their website to learn more about uva and their own commitment to quality ingredients..they even own their own organic farm where most of their produce comes from...and read the stories of the two owners giovanni guerrera and sean pramuk..oh..and, please visit uva next time you are in napa...

uva trattoria & bar

1040 clinton st

napa, ca 94559

707.255.6646

best,

napa farmhouse 1885™

"live a green life of style"™