Elaine Walker Elaine Walker

Summer Squash, Goat Cheese and Walnut Pizza

Summer Squash, Goat Cheese and Walnut Pizza

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 6 ounces pizza dough (we like Pastaworks store bought dough, but you could try to replicate Apizza Scholls awesome dough recipe)
  • 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, shredded
  • 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
  • 1/4 pound summer squash, thinly sliced on a mandoline
  • 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Preheat the oven, with a pizza stone set on the middle rack, to 500°.
  2. In a small bowl combine the olive oil with the minced garlic and let stand.
  3. On a lightly floured work surface roll out the dough to form a 12-inch round, that is about a 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the round to a lightly floured pizza peel (Pizza peels make this so much easier but any flat, light and heat resistant board, like a thin wooden cutting board, will work with some coaxing with a spatula).
  4. Leaving a 1/2-inch border of dough, brush the round with the prepared garlic oil and sprinkle with crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper.
  5. Scatter the onion slices over the round and top with the mozzarella and parsley.
  6. Arrange the squash slices on top in a single layer, overlapping them slightly.
  7. Dot with the crumbled goat cheese.
  8. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake for about 5 minutes, until the bottom is crisp and the squash is slightly browned.
  9. Carefully remove from the oven and transfer the pizza to a work surface.
  10. Sprinkle with the walnuts and drizzle with olive oil.
  11. Slice, serve and enjoy!
 
 
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Elaine Walker Elaine Walker

Roasted New Potatoes with Garlic, Pancetta & Caramelized Onions

Roasted New Potatoes with Garlic, Pancetta & Caramelized Onions

  • 1 pound new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarts
  • 2 new onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1/4 pound pancetta 
  • 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

  2. In a skillet set over medium high heat, sauté the pancetta until crispy. Using tongs, transfer to a plate or pan lined with paper towels to drain and cool.

  3. Toss the potatoes and oil together in a mixing bowl and spread in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes.

  4. Top the potatoes with the sliced onions and garlic cloves and roast for an additional 45-60 minutes, or until the potatoes are browned. Make sure to check and stir every 10 minutes to prevent burning.

  5.  When finished, turn the potatoes, onions and garlic out of the pan into a serving bowl and toss with the chopped parsley and pancetta. 
 
 
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Elaine Walker Elaine Walker

Cucumber & Thyme Vinaigrette

Cucumber & Thyme Vinaigrette

  • 1 cucumber
  • 3 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 4 teaspoons parsley, finely chopped 
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  •  Freshly ground black pepper
  1. Peel the cucumber and make juice: either run the peeled cucumber through a juice extractor or place in a blender and pulse until liquified and strain through a piece of cheesecloth into a bowl to separate out the solids. You should have about 1 cup of juice. 
  2. Whisk together the cucumber juice, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl.
  3. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
 
 
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Elaine Walker Elaine Walker

Fennel, Parsley, and Red Onion Salad

Fennel, Parsley, and Red Onion Salad

  • 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 
  • 1 cup parsley leaves
  • 1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
  • Juice and Zest from 1 lemon 
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

  1. Prepare an ice-water bath in a large mixing bowl.

  2. Soak the parsley leaves and sliced fennel and onion in a colander set in the ice-water bath. Let soak 10 minutes. This not only chills the final salad down for a nice treat on a summer night, it also smoothes the onion's intense flavor. 

  3. Drain, and transfer to a salad spinner. Spin until dry, and transfer to a serving bowl.

  4. Add the celery seeds, lemon juice, lemon zest, and olive oil. Toss to combine.

  5. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

 
 
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