Tomato, Arthichoke, Black Olive and Fresh Mozzarella Bruschetta!!

This is a really simple, fast and delicious appetizer to serve your family and friends.  I recently made this for my wife and her friends as an appetizer before they went to the movies, they all loved it.  There are only a few ingredients so it is important to use the best you can find.  You will need some vine ripened tomatoes, marinated artichokes, black olives (or green if you prefer),  fresh mozzarella, fresh parsley, garlic, good quality balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and a baguette!

Start by doing all your prep work.  Chop the tomatoes (about 3/4 of a pound of the ripest you can get, to me the smaller tomatoes work best), marinated artichoke hearts (I used about 1 small jar and a half), black olives (about 1/2 a can), fresh mozzarella (I used about 3/4 of the container) all into about the same size pieces.  I think it is important to take the time and cut everything the same size.

This is one of those recipes that when it comes to how much of each ingredient to add there really is no right or wrong, put in as much of each as you like.  If you love artichokes, add more, if your not a huge fan of black olives, put in a little or none at all, it can be totally customized to your taste.  For the fresh mozzarella, you can buy any type you want, but the smaller balls are easier because they require less chopping (I simply quartered the ones you see in the picture above).  Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, now add some chopped parsley and chopped fresh garlic (I used 4 cloves chopped very small). 

Finish with some balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix everything together and taste. I pretty much dress it with equal parts balsamic and olive oil but you can adjust to your taste.

     Now you have to make the toast for the bruschetta topping.  Take a baguette or any french bread and slice on an angle about 1/4 in slices.  Place them on a sheet pan an brush them with a light coat of olive oil.  Place them in the oven and toast them a few minutes until just golden.  I like to put them under the broiler, only takes a few minutes so be careful, if you turn your back on them they will go from nicely toasted to burnt in a few seconds so stand by.

Arrange the toasted baguette slices on a platter and top them with the bruschetta mix.  Great before dinner or just stand alone with a nice glass of wine.  Give it a try!!  You could easily change this up to a Greek bruschetta by using calamata olives and feta, the combinations are endless!

Shells and Broccoli with Shrimp!!

This is a really simple yet delicious dish that my mom used to make. You can make it with or without the shrimp. Since there are so few components, it's really important that you use fresh quality ingredients!

                                                           
 You will need 1 lb. of large pasta shells (not the size that you stuff and bake), 8-10 cloves of garlic chopped,  some fresh broccoli, fresh wild caught shrimp, olive oil, butter, red chili flakes, fresh chopped parsley and fresh parmigiana reggiano cheese, and a few lemon wedges.
Start by doing all your prep work.  Peel and devein the shrimp if they have not already been cleaned (the amount of shrimp to use if any is totally up to your taste and budget), cut the broccoli into bite sized florets (as far as how much broccoli, again it is up to you depending on how much you like a lot or a little), chop the garlic and the parsley.  That's pretty much all the prep work!

                                                                  

Bring a large pot of  salted water to boil, one you normally use for pasta.  Drop the broccoli florets into the boiling water.  While the broccoli is cooking make an ice bath in a large bowl big enough to hold the broccoli by simply adding ice cubes and water.  After about 4-5 minutes of cooking the broccoli remove it from the water with a slotted spoon and place it in the ice bath, this will stop the cooking process so the broccoli will remain crisp and keep the bright green color that we love.

Now bring the water that the broccoli was in back to a boil,  it will probably be a little green from the broccoli, this will only add flavor to the pasta.  If you need to add more water do so.  Re salt the water and once it has returned to a boil add the shells and cook until al dente according to the package directions.  You definitely want to keep the pasta al dente because it will continue to cook after it is removed from the water and for a few minutes in the pan with the broccoli.