Recipes Tortellini Salad with Roasted Vegetables

This Tortellini Salad with Roasted Vegetables has been one of my go-to recipes for a long time! I’ve been making it for at least a decade – and it always gets rave reviews from anyone who eats it!

We start out by roasting a mix of cubed eggplant, red and orange bell peppers, red onion and garlic in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper.   While the vegetables are roasting, cook some tortellini, and also mix up a simple but flavorful dressing made with Dijon mustard, champagne vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.

Once the vegetables and tortellini are done, mix everything together in a large bowl – ideally while the tortellini is still warm so that the pasta absorbs all of the wonderful juices and flavors from the roasted vegetables as it cools.

Finally toss in some toasted nuts (we used walnuts in our recipe today, but pine nuts are also delicious with this salad) as well as cherry or grape tomatoes plus some fresh basil. Allow the Tortellini Salad with Roasted Vegetables to cool to room temperature before serving – or chill it in the refrigerator until ready to eat. (We do recommend bringing the salad back up to room temperature before serving for the best flavor!)

Right before serving, sprinkle some crumbled feta cheese over the top of this delicious Tortellini Salad with Roasted Vegetables – and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS :
For Roasting Vegetables :

• 1 pound eggplant, peeled and cut into one inch cubes
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into one inch cubes
• 1 large orange bell pepper, cut into one inch cubes
• ½ pound red onion, cut into one inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1½ teaspoons sea or kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon crushed pink or black peppercorns
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Other Ingredients :

• 1 12-ounce package dry cheese tortellini
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (OK to substitute whole grain if you prefer)
• 1/3 cup champagne vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed pink or black peppercorns
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup walnut pieces (pine nuts may also be substituted), optional
• 1 pint mixed cherry, grape or sun glow tomatoes
• ½ cup fresh basil, cut into strips
• 4 ounces feta cheese

INSTRUCTIONS :

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl toss eggplant, red and orange peppers, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil.
3. Pour out onto a sheet pan and roast for 15 minutes. Flip vegetables and roast for 15 minutes more.
4. Cook the tortellini according to package directions – but time it so the pasta is ready at the same time the vegetables come out of the oven. Drain pasta well.
5. While vegetables are roasting, make dressing by combining mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly pour in oil to make the vinaigrette. Set aside.
6. Once the vegetables and drained pasta are ready, place in a large bowl with the dressing and gently toss.
7. Toast walnut pieces in a dry pan for about five minutes to brown. Add to large bowl along with fresh tomatoes and basil. Toss again.
8. At this point you can chill the mixture on a flat pan to cool quickly and when ready to serve, place in a bowl and add the feta cheese or if serving warm, sprinkle feta over the top and serve.

Recipes Persimmon Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

I may as well just put it out there: I’m totally and entirely infatuated with persimmons. An affair of the tastebuds, if you will.

We’ve been buying them every chance we get, using them in everything from our Thanksgiving green beans to this amazing winter caprese salad. But I know their abundance is short-lived, so excuse me while I go stuff my face while I still can.

This salad features an incredible blood orange-infused olive oil from Capay Valley Ranches (disclaimer: CVR sent me some oil to try, but wouldn’t be writing this if it didn’t blow me away).

I love that it is grown entirely in California and not imported (Italy’s great and all but… go USA!) Normally I’m not one for flavored or infused olive oils, but this stuff is incredible. It has a candy-like sweetness that tastes almost like orange jelly beans. It’s really perfect for this salad. Or any salad, really.

Sure, you could make substitutions to this salad as the seasons change: blood orange segments would be an obvious choice, or peaches in the summer, or figs in the fall; just something to add that note of freshness and sweetness to the salad.

And if you don’t have or can’t find the blood orange olive oil, use a good extra virgin with a splash of fresh-squeezed blood orange juice instead.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons blood orange-infused olive oil
• 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 (4-5oz) bag mixed greens
• 3 fuyu persimmons, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons roasted and shelled pistachios

Directions:

1. An a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss dressing with salad greens until evenly coated, and divide among salad bowls. Top with sliced persimmons, crumbled goat cheese, and pistachios.

Recipes Honey-Roasted Carrot and Quinoa Salad

Another day, another unique salad. This one combining some rather unusual ingredients, including honey-roasted carrots, pickled beets, and dill. The beets and carrots make for a delightfully sweet salad. Darn right pretty too, with Trader Joe’s rainbow quinoa blend and some stunning rainbow carrots.

Just keep an eye on the carrots as they are roasting otherwise you’ll end up with a big mess and a ruined cookie sheet. Curses!

I only realized after the fact that we forgot the arugula the second time we made this, so I’m going to go ahead and call it completely optional (since the salad didn’t suffer without it). We liked the addition of the fresh mozzarella, but feta or goat cheese would be other good options.

Completely un-food-related but definitely relevant if you follow this blog, Google Reader is shutting down as of July 1st. If you use Google Reader to follow me or other blogs, be sure you have a replacement lined up.

Over at Purr Design, I wrote a post entitled “Life After Google Reader” that compares two alternatives and will walk you through the process of making the switch. And remember, you can always subscribe to Love & Olive Oil by Email and get new posts emailed directly to you (if you prefer!)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well in a fine-mesh sieve
• 1/4 cup olive oil plus more for baking sheet
• 2 tablespoons apple cider
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 medium carrots (about 1/2 pounds) peeled, thinly sliced on a diagonal
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup pickled beets, cut into matchsticks
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh dill
• 1 head butter lettuce, leaves torn, or a few handfuls of fresh arugula
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cook quinoa according to package directions, until tender. Fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl; let cool.
3. Lightly coat a large rimmed baking sheet with oil. Whisk cider and honey in a large bowl to blend; season with salt and pepper. Add carrots and toss to coat. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, spreading into a single layer, and roast until tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
4. Whisk vinegar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup oil until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Add beets, dill, carrots, and half of vinaigrette to quinoa mixture and toss to coat. Arrange lettuce among serving bowls, top with quinoa mixture and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Top with mozzarella cubes, if desired, and serve.

Recipes Heirloom Tomato and Burrata with Spicy Greens

These next few weeks are pretty much going to be one long, drawn out farewell to summer. My feeble attempt to get these last seasonal recipes posted while the stuff in them is still in season.

More than one recipe has come out of my late-summer gluttony, gorging myself on ripe plums and juicy melons and savory okra in a last ditch effort to thwart fall. I’ll be darned if I let summer pass be by without it being fully (and deliciously) appreciated.

And not least of all that means gorging myself on tomatoes. Because we all know as soon as that first frost hits (which, admittedly, seems like a world away with this unusual September heat and humidity) all that will be left are crisp green tomatoes that someone had the foresight to pluck off the vines before the frost hit. Sure, green tomatoes have their uses, but nothing can compare to a ripe summer tomato.

And so it is with a fond farewell that we bid summer adieu… and I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than with this super simple—and super delicious—salad.

The heirloom tomatoes might be seasonal, but burrata is forever. And I’m not complaining.

I mean, mozzarella is good and all, but burrata is so much more.

If you’ve never had it before, burrata is a ball of freshly made mozzarella with a mixture of mozzarella curd and fresh cream hidden inside.

It’s like the Kinder egg of the cheese world, a seemingly plain ball of mozzarella with an unexpected surprise inside. Creamy, milky, and almost buttery in flavor, it’s this divine combination of flavor and texture that will have your eyes rolling back in your head.

Seriously, you need try it. I’ve been buying balls on a weekly basis and adding it to everything from salads to pasta, bruschetta to fancy flatbread. It’s usually best when it’s fresh, as I feel it tends to lose its unique character and texture when exposed to high heat (so stick to mozzarella for your main pizza cheese… although I wouldn’t object to some fresh burrata scattered on top when it’s done baking.)

We could all use a little more burrata in our lives.

We used a mix of spicy greens for the base of this salad, including arugula, baby radish greens, micro basil and micro sorrel for a bit of color. The spiciness of the greens was a perfect counterpart to the creamy burrata and sweet ripe tomatoes, but you could certainly whatever greens you had available to you.

What else is there to say about this simple salad… drizzled with a thick and sticky balsamic glaze (we like DeLallo’s, but you can also make your own by reducing balsamic vinegar with a bit of brown sugar), and topped off with flake sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

It’s a miracle I was even able to photograph this salad before diving head first into those wedges of burrata and stuffing my face with as many ripe cherry tomatoes as I possibly could (because that, well, that would not have made for a pretty picture).

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces spicy mixed greens (such as arugula, radish greens, or watercress)
• freshly torn basil or micro basil
• 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 ball burrata cheese, cut into wedges
• extra virgin olive oil
• balsamic glaze
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Toss greens and basil with a splash of olive oil. Arrange on serving plates. Top with halved tomatoes and burrata wedges. Drizzle with more olive oil and balsamic glaze as desired; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipes Fregula Sarda Salad with Tart Cherries and Smoked Trout

Taylor has decided that dried tart cherries are his new favorite thing this side of Disney World.

“If you didn’t need these for a recipe,” he told me, “I’d have devoured the entire bag by now.”

To which I replied that we can always buy more, and if it makes him happy, by all means, eat away. (It’s the little things, right?)

And in fact, I’m inclined to agree with him.

I’ve never been a fan of raisins (which have absolutely NO place in cookies), and dried cranberries are often too tanic and overpowering (especially when you accidentally buy the orange-flavored ones, they overtake your entire meal).

Dried tart cherries, however, are miracles. Little wrinkly miracles; pockets of flavor that compliment and enhance without overpowering. And unlike the chewy/leathery/tough texture of other dried fruit, cherries are tender and supple and won’t break your teeth in the process.

Contrast is king in this colorful salad, which pairs bitter and sweet, salty and smoky, bright and crunchy: multiple dimensions of flavor and texture that make it come alive. It might seem like an odd combination of disparate ingredients, but each one becomes a piece in the greater whole and does so with purpose and intention.

We wanted a salad that would satisfy as an entree, and that meant adding some sort of protein to compliment the fresh and fruity flavors.

Not wanting to stick with the same-old-same old (meaning, flaked salmon or canned tuna, mostly like) we stumbled across some smoked trout that looked intriguing. It’s actually very similar in flavor to smoked salmon (not cold smoked/cured salmon like

Lox, but rather the stuff that’s actually smoked until opaque and flaky) and in fact you could easily substitute one for the other here if necessary.

While we originally planned to use pearl couscous, we found a stray bag of Fregula in the back of our cabinet that we had picked up on our trip to DeLallo foods last fall and promptly forgot.

Fregula sarda is a semolina-based pasta, similar to Israeli or pearl couscous that has been toasted until it’s 50 shades of golden brown. I remember being intrigued by the idea of a toasted pasta, and indeed, it carries a subtle toasted flavor not unlike a piece of crisped bread.

It makes me wonder, can other kinds of pasta be toasted too?

This toasty base serves as the foundation for a unique and satisfying salad.

With bright and bitter arugula, crunchy raw fennel, and sweet dried tart cherries, it’s a trifecta of toppings that are perfected even more by the smoky salty fish and the tart and creamy cherry vinaigrette (a dressing which, might I add, would be great to have on hand for last minute salads… so make a double batch if you so choose).

Quick. Healthy. Flavorful. Unique. What more could you want in a meal?

Ingredients:
For Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dried tart cherries (optional)
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil (extra virgin or a combination of extra virgin and light or grapeseed oil for a lighter flavor)

For Salad:

• 16 ounces fregula sarda, cooked according to package directions*
• 1 bulb fennel, cored and very thinly sliced
• 4 ounces baby arugula
• 4 ounces smoked trout, skin removed and flaked
• 1/4 cup dried tart cherries

Directions:

1. Optional: soak 2 tablespoons dried tart cherries in champagne vinegar for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain and discard cherries (you can use them on the salad if you like, however they are very potent, so taste them first beforehand).
2. Combine cherry-infused or plain champagne vinegar, sherry vinegar, shallot, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor; pulse to mix. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, mixing on low speed until emulsified and thickened.
3. Prepare fregula sarda according to package instructions until just al dente. Drain and let cool to room temperature or refrigerate.
4. In a large bowl, combine cooled fregula with arugula and sliced fennel. Toss with dressing until evenly coated. Divide among serving dishes. Top with flaked trout and sprinkle with remaining dried tart cherries. Serve at room temperature.

Recipes Fig, Blue Cheese, and Bacon Salad with Fried Shallots

Well that’s a mouthful.

In more ways than one.

Shortening the ‘name’ of this recipe would be doing a disservice to one of the amazing ingredients it contains. Figs? Majorly important. Bacon? Always. Blue cheese? Yep. And the fried shallots? Anything but an afterthought.

It’s salty and sweet. Fresh and tangy. Soft and crispy. Meaty and fruity. Substantial enough for a meal or special enough to hold its own on the side

While we’ve chosen to use figs this time, this recipe would really work with any fresh fruit. In fact, the first time we made this salad this past winter, we used pears. I’d also imagine plums or blackberries would be suitable substitutions.

Anything to provide a subtle sweetness in contrast to the other flavors and textures in this stunning salad.

Ingredients:
For Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

For Salad:

• 5 slices bacon
• 1 large shallot, sliced into thin rings
• 6 ounces (1 bag) mixed baby greens
• 8 ounces fresh figs, halved
• 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

Directions:

1. For dressing, whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, and honey in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside to cool, then crumble into pieces. Add sliced shallots to hot bacon fat and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 1 minute. Take care not to overcook the shallots or they will become bitter. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel to drain.
3. To assemble salad, toss lettuce with dressing until evenly coated. Divide among serving dishes and top with figs, bacon, shallot, and blue cheese.

Recipes Fennel and Arugula Salad with Candied Orange Peel

The perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and crunchy all in one bowl, this fennel and arugula salad won’t disappoint.

Just in case your salad game is getting a little bit stale, here’s another unique salad recipe to spice up your repertoire, complete with raw fennel, baby arugula, and ribbons of candied orange peel.

You might be thinking, two salads in a row? Did Lindsay bump her head or something?

What can I say, I must be in a salad kind of mood lately.

Of course, the fact that the farmers’ markets are booming doesn’t hurt – all that fresh produce is just too tempting.

This one is obviously completely different (but no less impressive) than the lettuce-less Cumin-spiced Beet Salad I posted two weeks ago (another recipe inspired by my farmers’ market finds).

While this one might be more of a conventional salad (seeing that it starts with a pile of greens and all) it’s by no means boring. Spicy arugula, crunchy raw fennel, and sweet candied orange peel create a trifecta of awesome (and awesome is not a word I often use in the same sentence as salad, so take note).

(And don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of sweet recipes coming soon to break up all this healthy stuff. I’m not dumb, I know why y’all are really here.)

The dressing is fresh and light, made with champagne vinegar, shallot and a bit of honey. After I photographed this I added in some orange zest for a bit of extra orange oomph and to tie the flavors together with the orange peel (I tried using orange juice, but it just doesn’t have the same bright tang as the lemon in this case). Totally optional though, the dressing is stellar without it.

This recipe makes enough dressing for a double batch; any left over can be easily refrigerated in a jar or airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

I’d argue that the candied orange peel is non negotiable here, though you can certainly buy some rather than making your own (I, however, find most store bought to be too thick and chewy. When I make it myself I use this little zester to create super thin, delicate ribbons of peel which are much easier on the teeth).

The touch of sweetness and subtle crunch of the sugar granules are the perfect finishing touch. I mean, let’s face it, without the candied orange this salad wouldn’t be Boring with a capital B.

And if you have leftover, which I doubt you will, this candied orange peel is also great on waffles, homemade yogurt, or custard tarts.

I love raw fennel just as much as I love caramelized, with the hint of licorice and delightful crunch it brings too recipes like these. We used a mandoline to get super thin slices, but if you’re skilled with a knife you can use that too.

Don’t waste the fennel fronds! Tear it into coarse pieces and toss it in with the arugula. The fronds are a much milder licorice flavor than the fennel bulb itself, but add a nice textural contrast and visual interest (I tend to prefer salads with a mix of greens, it makes things more interesting).

I also think this salad would be great with some toasted pistachios, fresh citrus segments, or even a bit of crumbled feta or goat cheese.

For a more substantial meal, serve this on the side of marmalade-roasted chicken breasts or some tender fish en papillote with fennel and herbs.

Ingredients:
For Candied Orange Peel:

• 2 medium organic oranges, washed well
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for coating
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup

For Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup champagne or white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons finely minced shallot (from 1 small shallot)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons light olive oil or grapeseed oil

For Salad Assembly:

• 1 medium fennel bulb, cored and very thinly sliced (fronds reserved)
• 3 ounces baby arugula, washed well
• coarse flake salt, for finishing

Directions:

1. For candied orange peel, wash and scrub oranges in warm water. Use a ribbon zester to scrape off thin ribbons of peel; alternatively, use a vegetable peeler to peel off thin swaths of peel, then slice into thin strips.
2. Place orange peel in a medium saucepan and cover with filtered water. Bring to a boil, then drain off liquid. Cover peel with fresh water and bring to a boil again. Drain once more.
3. Set saucepan over medium heat; add 1/2 cup filtered water to blanched orange peels, along with sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally just until sugar dissolves. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour (slightly more if your pieces are larger/thicker), until orange peel is tender and starting to turn transparent.
4. Using a slotted spoon or fork, remove orange peel from syrup and spread onto a wire rack, letting excess syrup drain off. (Orange syrup can be reserved and use for another purpose – it’s great for sweetening tea or mixing with club soda for a quick refresher!)
5. Once orange peel is cooled and dry, toss with granulated sugar until pieces are fully coated (this will prevent them from sticking together). Store orange peel in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
6. To prepare vinaigrette, whisk together vinegar, honey, mustard, lemon juice, shallot and orange zest in a bowl or jar. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking vigorously to emulsify the mixture. Once all the olive oil has been incorporated, drizzle in the light oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Dressing can be stored in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks).
7. To assemble, toss thinly sliced fennel together with arugula. Divide among serving bowls. Coarsely tear fennel fronds over top. Drizzle with vinaigrette and top with candied orange peel.