BULLETPROOF RECIPES with Laura Lorson, Tom King and Caterina Benalcazar
Good Morning Granola with Orange-Infused Yogurt
Ingredients
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups shredded coconut (preferably unsweetened)
- 2 cups sliced almonds
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup honey
- 1 ½ cups chopped, dried apricots
- 1 cup chopped Calimyrna figs
- 1 cup chopped dried cherries
- 1 cup chopped dried cranberries
- 1 cup chopped toasted cashews or walnuts
- Orange-Infused Yogurt (recipe follows)
Combine the oats, coconut and almonds in a very large bowl and set aside. Pour the oil and honey into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the oil and honey mixture over the dry ingredients and toss to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly in a large jelly-roll pan.
Bake the granola in a 225 degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes total. After 25 minutes, stir the mixture and evenly re-spread using a wooden spoon. Rotate the pan and return to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes more, until the granola is lightly toasted. Remove the granola from oven and let cool in the pan overnight.
The next morning, break up the granola and put it in a very large bowl. Add the dried fruits and cashews or walnuts. Stir to combine.
Serve the granola with Orange-Infused Yogurt (recipe follows). The recipe makes about 12 cups of granola. The granola keeps for 1 month stored in a covered container.
Double-duty tips: Eat the granola as a breakfast cereal or a snack. Serve as a topping for ice cream or add to muffins. Add granola to chess pie filling or to snickerdoodle cookie dough. Dogs love this granola! Use it in making dog biscuits.
Good Morning Granola adapted by Laura Lorson from the recipe, Homemade Granola, Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten, published by Clarkson N. Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. 1999.
Orange-Infused Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 quart plain yogurt (organic whole-milk yogurt preferred)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 orange, juiced (blood orange preferred)
Place a fine wire-mesh strainer over a bowl. (There should be two or three inches of clearance between the bottom of the strainer and the bottom of the bowl.) Line the strainer with 3 or 4 layers of cheesecloth, or 2 layers of paper towels. Spoon the yogurt into the prepared strainer and cover with a clean dishtowel. Refrigerate and allow the yogurt to drain for at least three hours, or overnight.
When the yogurt has drained, discard the liquid in the bowl. Turn the yogurt into a medium bowl. Peel off the paper toweling or cheesecloth. Add the orange zest and juice to the yogurt and stir to combine. Serve with Good Morning Granola. The recipe makes about 3 cups. The yogurt keeps for about 1 week. Store in the refrigerator.
Option: Add 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup raisins or Zante currants and ¼ cup walnuts to the yogurt.
Double-duty tips: Serve Orange Infused yogurt for breakfast, as a midday snack or dessert. Serve on Belgian waffles or a dessert topping.
Orange-Infused Yogurt adapted by Laura Lorson from the recipe, Orange Yogurt, Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten, published by Clarkson N. Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. 1999.
Arrabbiata Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds very ripe fresh plum tomatoes, or 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes
- 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 fresh Serrano chile pepper, or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes salt & black pepper
- 5 to 6 fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
If using fresh tomatoes, core and quarter them. Purée the tomatoes (fresh or canned) in a food processor or blender and set aside. Heat the olive oil in heavy saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot enough to sizzle, add the garlic. Cook the garlic, stirring constantly for a minute or two, until it releases its aroma. Do not brown the garlic. Stir in the fresh chile or red pepper flakes (flakes burn quickly), and immediately add the tomatoes, stirring to combine. Bring the sauce to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, or until the sauce reduces and thickens. Season the sauce with salt and pepper near the end of cooking. Add a few more chile pepper flakes if needed. Add torn basil leaves, if desired.
Store Arrabbiata Sauce in the refrigerator for about one week, or freeze up to three months. Makes about 3 ½ cups of sauce.
Penne all' Arrabbiata
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried penne pasta
- 2 to 3 cups Arrabbiata Sauce (see recipe above)
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Cook the penne in a large pot of rapidly boiling, salted water. (A rapid boil helps to prevent sticking.) Barely undercook the pasta--it will finish cooking in the sauce.
Warm 2 to 3 cups of prepared Arrabbiata Sauce in sauté pan or skillet. When the pasta is cooked, drain well and add to the Arrabbiata Sauce. Gently toss the pasta with the sauce until well-coated. Add 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley and toss again. Top each serving with grated cheese. Serves 4. Seafood Variation for Arrabbiata Sauce (shrimp, salmon or mussels): Sauté some garlic and red pepper in a small amount of olive oil. Add shrimp (3 to 4 per person) or chunks of salmon to the pan and sauté for a minute or two over medium heat until partially cooked. Add the prepared Arrabbita Sauce and cook until the shrimp or fish is cooked, or the mussels (6 to 8 per person) open their shells. (If using mussels, add just as the sauce begins to simmer. Discard any unopened mussels.) Add cooked pasta, toss and serve with grated cheese. Serves 4.
Penne alla Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil I clove garlic, chopped
- 3 or 4 anchovy filets, chopped
- I tablespoon capers, drained
- 12 large Kalamata or oil-cured olives, pitted and torn or sliced into quarters
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 2 to 3 cups Arrabbiata Sauce (see recipe above)
- 1 pound cooked penne pasta
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan or skillet. Add the garlic and anchovies and stir until the anchovies melt. Stir in the capers, olives and wine and simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the prepared Arrabbiata Sauce and simmer over low heat 5 minutes. Add cooked penne and toss with the sauce until well-coated. Serves 4. Seafood Variation For Puttanesca Sauce (shrimp, salmon or mussels): While preparing the Puttanesca Sauce, add shrimp (3 to 4 per person) or chunks of salmon to the pan just after cooking the garlic and anchovies and sauté for a minute or two over medium heat until partially cooked. Add the capers, olives, wine and prepared Arrabbiata Sauce. Cook the sauce until the shrimp or fish is cooked, or the mussels (6 to 8 per person) open their shells. (If using mussels, add just as the sauce begins to simmer. Discard any unopened mussels.) Add cooked pasta, toss and serve with grated cheese. Serves 4.
Vegetable Variation (eggplant or zucchini): Cut eggplant or zucchini into one-inch cubes and fry in olive oil until golden. Add to Puttanesca or Arrabbiata Sauce at the last minute, and toss gently until heated throughout.
Other Variations for Arrabbiata Sauce: Onions, leeks, bacon, mushrooms, or cooked meatballs with a pinch of oregano, are all great additions to Arrabbiata sauce--improvise!
Tips for using Arrabbiata Sauce:
Experiment with chiles--different heats, different tastes. Try a smoked chile. such as chipotle. Ladle Arrabbiata into soups and stews--such as butternut squash soup or beef stew--for extra body and flavor.
Add fresh or prepared horseradish and lemon juice to chilled Arrabbiata for a quick cocktail sauce.
Room temperature Arrabbiata is a great complement to grilled or roasted vegetables.
Recipe for Arrabbiata Sauce and variations by Chef Tom King.
Spiced Pear Frozen Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 quart plain whole milk yogurt
- 2 cups pear butter (homemade or purchased)
- ¼ cup sugar
Line a fine wire-mesh strainer with paper towels or paper coffee filters. Place over a bowl and add the yogurt. Refrigerate and let the yogurt drain overnight.
When the yogurt is firm and has an almost cheese cake- like consistency, place it in a bowl and stir in the pear butter and sugar. Taste and add more sugar, if desired.
Place the mixture in an ice cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately, or spoon the frozen yogurt into a freezer-proof container and store in the freezer. Makes about 1½ pints.
Option: Make Apple Butter Frozen Yogurt by using apple butter in place of pear butter.
Option: Make frozen yogurt sandwiches by placing scoops of frozen yogurt between 2 large cookies. Serve immediately, or wrap individually and store in the freezer.
Recipe for Spiced Pear Frozen Yogurt by Caterina Benalcazar.
