cup jarred roasted red bell pepper strips, drained cup jarred roasted red bell pepper strips, drained .
cup pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise cup pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
Bring a Large Saucepan of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Cut an X at the bottom of each tomato and submerge the tomatoes in the boiling water for 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to the ice water to cool slightly. Using a small, sharp paring knife, peel off the tomato skins and cut the tomatoes in half. Scoop out and discard the seeds, then cut the tomatoes into 1-inch cubes. of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Cut an X at the bottom of each tomato and submerge the tomatoes in the boiling water for 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to the ice water to cool slightly. Using a small, sharp paring knife, peel off the tomato skins and cut the tomatoes in half. Scoop out and discard the seeds, then cut the tomatoes into 1-inch cubes.
Cut the crusts off the bread, and cut or tear the bread into 1-inch cubes. In a large bowl, whisk cup of oil, cup of vinegar, the garlic, and teaspoon each of salt and pepper to blend. Add the bread cubes, tomatoes, and sliced basil, and toss to combine. Set aside until the bread absorbs the vinaigrette, tossing occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season the salad with more salt and pepper to taste.
In a small bowl, soak the capers in the remaining 2 tablespoons of vinegar for 10 minutes. Drain. In another small bowl toss the roasted peppers with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season the peppers with teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
Transfer half of the bread mixture to a 13x9x2-inch gla.s.s dish. Arrange half of the roasted peppers, capers, and olives over the bread mixture. Repeat layering with the remaining bread mixture, then the remaining peppers, capers, and olives. Cover the salad and let stand at room temperature for the flavors to blend, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the salad. Garnish with the basil sprigs and serve.
Here are a couple of other great uses for stale bread: To make bread crumbs, cut the stale bread into pieces, then place them in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they"re finely ground. To make croutons, cut the stale bread into bite-size pieces, then place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until crisp and golden, about 8 minutes. of other great uses for stale bread: To make bread crumbs, cut the stale bread into pieces, then place them in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they"re finely ground. To make croutons, cut the stale bread into bite-size pieces, then place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until crisp and golden, about 8 minutes.
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EVERYDAY FRUIT.
Fruit Salad with Cannoli Cream[image] Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Cheese Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Cheese[image] Peaches Stuffed with Amaretti Cookies Peaches Stuffed with Amaretti Cookies[image] Cantaloupe, Strawberries, and Grapes with White Wine and Mint Cantaloupe, Strawberries, and Grapes with White Wine and Mint[image] Marinated Strawberries over Pound Cake Marinated Strawberries over Pound Cake[image] Grilled Pineapple with Nutella Grilled Pineapple with Nutella EVERYDAY CREAMS AND PUDDINGS.
Affogato[image] Chocolate Zabaglione Chocolate Zabaglione[image] Chocolate Tiramisu Chocolate Tiramisu[image] Rice Pudding with Vanilla, Orange, and Rum Rice Pudding with Vanilla, Orange, and Rum[image] Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries EVERYDAY COOKIES AND CAKES.
Almond Cake[image] Chocolate Amaretti Cake Chocolate Amaretti Cake[image] Citrus Biscotti Citrus Biscotti[image] Pine Nut Cookies Pine Nut Cookies[image] Toasted Pound Cake with Mascarpone and Amaretto Toasted Pound Cake with Mascarpone and Amaretto
Everyday FRUIT.
Italians love fruit for dessert, and not just in the time-consuming and fattening pies and tarts that are so popular here in the United States. In Italy, fruit-like many ingredients-is often treated more simply: grilled or poached, raw or baked, with drizzles of this or dashes of that. If you can make any generalization about Italian fruit desserts, it"s that their recipes let the fresh flavors of the fruit itself do all the work, instead of relying on b.u.t.ter, sugar, and flour. Of course, this puts a higher burden on the fruit: If you"re not dousing it in sugar and surrounding it with b.u.t.tery batter, it has to be that much better. So seasonality is key: While you might bake an off-season peach into a cobbler, you"re not going to want to grill it to serve with mascarpone.
FRUIT SALAD.
with Cannoli Cream Cannoli ("pipes") are said to be one of the unshakable rocks of Sicilian desserts, and these days they can be found in almost every Italian pastry shop in America. They are crispy fried pastry tubes that are filled with sweetened ricotta cheese or sometimes pastry cream. The tubes are time-consuming to make, but the filling is easy, and dolloped over fresh berries, well, it just brings me home.
4 SERVINGS.
cup whole-milk ricotta cheese cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
2.
tablespoons plus cup whipping cream tablespoons plus cup whipping cream
3.
tablespoons powdered sugar tablespoons powdered sugar Pinch of ground cinnamon
12.
ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered (about 2 cups) ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered (about 2 cups) .
pint fresh raspberries (about 1 cups) pint fresh raspberries (about 1 cups)
1.
tablespoon sugar tablespoon sugar
1.
tablespoon fresh lemon juice tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2.
kiwi, peeled and cut into -inch pieces kiwi, peeled and cut into -inch pieces
3.
tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
In a Medium Bowl, stir the ricotta and 2 tablespoons of cream to blend. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the remaining cup of cream with the powdered sugar and cinnamon until semi-firm peaks form. Fold the ricotta into the whipped cream. (This mixture can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) stir the ricotta and 2 tablespoons of cream to blend. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the remaining cup of cream with the powdered sugar and cinnamon until semi-firm peaks form. Fold the ricotta into the whipped cream. (This mixture can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries, raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice to combine. Let stand until juices form, tossing occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add the kiwi and toss gently.
Spoon the fruit mixture into 4 dessert bowls. Dollop the ricotta cream atop the fruit, sprinkle with the almonds, and serve.
GRILLED PEACHES.
with Mascarpone Cheese In the summer, I like to buy large bags or baskets of fresh peaches at the farmers" market. I eat the perfectly ripe ones immediately and use the firmer (but still ripe) specimens for this amazing dessert combo. But do be sure that your peaches are a little firm; if they"re going soft all over, they"ll fall apart on the grill. Add the cheese mixture right before you serve it so it looks fresh.
6 SERVINGS.
2.
tablespoons sugar tablespoons sugar
2.
tablespoons brandy tablespoons brandy
1.
tablespoon fresh lemon juice tablespoon fresh lemon juice .
Olive oil Olive oil