The freshest ingredients all rolled into one yummy bite, or two. I’ve had several requests for this recipe I posted on my Instagram (@lesliespartydiaries), so I thought I would share it with everyone in a quick “bonus” post.
This July 4th is the holiday that keeps on giving! Due to the fourth falling on a Wednesday this year, people are celebrating all week long. If you’re headed to the lake, beach, mountains, or just sitting tight, this recipe makes a great, summery side to go with any main course. It’s pretty enough for company too.
Happy Fourth! Here we go again…
Butter Bean and Tomato “Crostini”
Makes approx. 24
1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth, unsalted or low sodium
3 cups fresh butter beans
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut into ½-inch slices
4 ears corn, kernels removed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, plus extra for garnish
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Vine ripe tomatoes, cut into ½-inch
In a medium saucepan bring chicken broth to a boil; add butter beans, and simmer 25 to 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and allow to cool.
In a cast-iron skillet, heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Place onion slices in hot skillet. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, turning once until both sides are charred and onion has softened. Remove from skillet, and set aside.
In same skillet, sauté corn and red pepper for 5 to 10 minutes until tender. Place in a medium-size bowl.
In a small bowl, place mayonnaise and next 6 ingredients; combine well.
On a cutting board, chop onions and add to corn mixture. Add beans, and toss with dressing. Refrigerate for at least 2 to 4 hours or overnight. Serve on tomato slices. Garnish with fresh basil.
1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth, unsalted or low sodium
3 cups fresh butter beans
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut into ½-inch slices
4 ears corn, kernels removed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, plus extra for garnish
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Vine ripe tomatoes, cut into ½-inch
Instructions
In a medium saucepan bring chicken broth to a boil; add butter beans, and simmer 25 to 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and allow to cool.
In a cast-iron skillet, heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Place onion slices in hot skillet. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, turning once until both sides are charred and onion has softened. Remove from skillet, and set aside.
In same skillet, sauté corn and red pepper for 5 to 10 minutes until tender. Place in a medium-size bowl.
In a small bowl, place mayonnaise and next 6 ingredients; combine well.
On a cutting board, chop onions and add to corn mixture. Add beans, and toss with dressing.
Refrigerate for at least 2 to 4 hours or overnight. Serve on tomato slices. Garnish with fresh basil.
And don’t forget to pick up a July/August copy of Birmingham Home and Garden magazine for more “Fresh from the Garden” recipes in my column, or go to birminghamhomeandgarden.comI still have a few books left in the basement. If you need a gift or two go to Buy the Book on this post, or to my website at lesliespartydiaries.com
Luckily, I was surrounded by good food and talented cooks my entire life on BOTH sides of my family.
I believe even if you think you don’t like to cook, by being exposed to it on a daily basis, it will eventually rub off on you—whether you want it to or not.
For instance, Lily, my 20-year-old, until about a year ago used to sprint through the kitchen to avoid any cooking or dishes. Now, she has turned into a real foodie. She shares her love for cooking and healthy eating in her Instagram account called lilsburydoughgirl. Check out her “Jalapeño Business” coming to you this semester from Barcelona, Spain. It’s quite impressive and—hot!
Lily’s Instagram creations. Follow her on lilsburydoughgirl.
I love it when the first time you try a recipe it works out perfectly. That’s what happened the first time I made Nanny’s Red Sauce, a recipe given to me by my cousin Vicki, and my Aunt Nancy from Columbus, Ohio—both wonderful cooks. Nancy is my dad’s oldest sister–she is 97. She is Nanny to all of her grandchildren.
Recipes are meant to be shared.
Nanny’s Red Sauce
Makes 5 cups
8 cups fresh tomatoes, quartered
1 onion, chopped
½ cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine all ingredients except basil and Parmesan cheese. Roast 45 minutes; then pulse in a food processor and salt to taste. Toss with pasta. Garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.
Simply toss Nanny’s Red Sauce with any style of pasta. It’s hard to beat plain old spaghetti.
Nanny says, ‘If you can read, you can cook.’
Simply remove the cores and cut the tomatoes into quarters or wedges. There is no need to peel the tomatoes.It takes about 7 or 8 medium tomatoes to make 8 cups.After the tomatoes, onions, and garlic have roasted for 45 minutes, ladle them into the bowl of the food processor. Be sure to get all of the juices too.Pulse until smooth for a creamy, rich texture.
I’ve made this recipe four times in the past few weeks. I’m like a squirrel stocking up for winter. Vicki says it freezes well—and that’s all I needed to hear. While the tomatoes are still at their peak, I thought I would fill the freezer. I may give it as Christmas gifts with a bag of pasta. It would make an easy and delicious Christmas night supper when you realize all the grocery stores are closed.
One recipe makes about 5 to 6 cups. A double batch will make about 3 quarts. It freezes beautifully.
It can also be left a little chunky too—pulse just two or three times. I also tested the recipe with roma tomatoes for the off season. It was delicious too.
For a more chunky-style sauce pulse 2-to-3 times max!
Oh, I forgot to mention, when you roast the tomatoes, onions, and garlic, your house smells like the most amazing Italian restaurant. It’s worth doing it before you are having company—it’s that good.
I wish I could bottle this aroma.
Learn from Leslie: If you double the recipe, use two separate pans to ensure the ingredients and seasonings are equal and accurate. Vicki likes to do a double batch. She leaves one batch chunky and purees the other into a smooth sauce.
This is the recipe that keeps on giving.
Besides tossing it with a variety of pastas, it also makes a wonderful sauce for Chicken-Parmesan. See recipe below.
Individual Chicken-Parmesan is an awesome choice for a small crowd. Dinner knife by Cutco at cutco.com.
Chicken Parmesan
Serves 4
1 ½ pounds chicken tenders
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups of Nanny’s Red Sauce
8 slices of Muenster cheese, thinly sliced
Between two sheets of wax paper, pound chicken tenders with a meat pounder or rolling pin until ¼ inch thick; set aside.
In a small, shallow dish, beat eggs and water with a fork; set aside. In another small, shallow dish, combine Panko, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter and olive oil at medium-high heat. While skillet is heating to medium-high, dip chicken tender into egg mixture, then into Panko mixture, coating both sides evenly. Place in hot skillet. Repeat with rest of the chicken. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
The chicken tenders cook quickly in medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet.Place chicken on top of Nanny’s Red Sauce in an ovenproof dish.Top with two thin slices of Muenster cheese, and broil 2 to 3 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with fresh basil. Stainless ovenproof bakers by All-Clad at all-clad.com.
And there’s more! A warm, savory appetizer is always welcome at any dinner party or cocktail hour. Use warm Nanny’s Red Sauce for dipping. These mini-meatballs also can be served over pasta as a main course.
A mini cast-iron skillet is the right size for these mini-meatballs. They are available at lodgemfg.com.
Savory Mini-Meatballs
Makes 38
½ pound pork sausage
½ pound ground chuck
1/2 onion, grated
1 carrot, grated
¼ cup fine breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup ketchup
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Shape the mini- meatballs with a melon ball scoop. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
A melon ball scooper is the perfect size to form a miniature meatball.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve with toothpicks and warmed Nanny’s Red Sauce for dipping.
Learn from Leslie:
If the ground chuck and sausage comes in a 1- pound package, with the remainder make two patties of each and freeze for a quick hamburger night or sausage biscuit breakfast.
I don’t mind serving the same meats or mains over and over again, but when it comes to the side dishes, I like to change it up a bit. Here are two of my most recent favorite side dishes. Both are simple and impressive—with five ingredients or fewer.
These Hasselback-style potatoes are a Swedish version of a roasted potato. It takes its name from the Hasselbacken Hotel Restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden. The name makes me think of David Hasselhoff—from Baywatch—I can’t help it! It’s silly, I know.
Baywatch Potatoes
Serves 6
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced Hasselback style as directed below
Kosher salt
Toppings: sour cream and chives
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Melt butter in a small microwaveable bowl; stir in olive oil. Set aside.
Place potatoes, one by one, in the bowl of a serving spoon, slicing in 1/8th of an inch increments, stopping when knife hits the spoon. (The spoon prevents the knife blade from going completely through the potato—leaving it intact at the base.)
The metal of the spoon prevents any slipups with the knife.
Brush a 2-quart baking dish with the melted butter mixture. Place sliced potatoes in the baking dish. With a basting brush, brush the potatoes with the butter mixture; sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven, and baste with remaining butter mixture. Return to the oven for an additional 35 to 40 minutes or until brown and crispy. The baking time may vary slightly, depending on the size of your potatoes.
Brush the potatoes with butter and olive oil mixture before baking; sprinkle generously with kosher salt.The potatoes should be the size of a large egg.
6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced Hasselback style as directed below
Kosher salt
Toppings: sour cream and chives
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Melt butter in a small microwaveable bowl; stir in olive oil. Set aside.
Place potatoes, one by one, in the bowl of a serving spoon, slicing in 1/8th of an inch increments, stopping when knife hits the spoon. (The spoon prevents the knife blade from going completely through the potato—leaving it intact at the base.)
Brush a 2-quart baking dish with the melted butter mixture.
Place sliced potatoes in the baking dish.
With a basting brush, brush the potatoes with the butter mixture; sprinkle generously with kosher salt.
Bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven, and baste with remaining butter mixture.
Return to the oven for an additional 35 to 40 minutes or until brown and crispy.
These are delicious with a steak dinner. Depending on the size of the potato, allow 1 to 2 per person. Pottery by earthbornpottery.net.
Both of these beautiful and tasty sides are even more attractive because they don’t break the piggy bank.
I like to think of the overall look of the recipes on the dinner plate. The Blistered Tomatoes are a nice, colorful addition to a plate of mostly brown food.
How cute are these?Simple ingredients make this recipe a snap.
Blistered Tomatoes
Serves 3 to 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups (1 pint) of cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh basil
Balsamic glaze, to drizzle
Salt and red pepper flakes to taste
In a heavy skillet (I use my cast iron), heat olive oil to medium-high. Add tomatoes to hot oil, and jiggle often. After about 5 minutes the tomatoes will begin to shrivel.
To stir, simply jiggle.
Continue to cook 5 more minutes or until some of the tomatoes begin to pop open.
Drizzle with balsamic glaze, and top with fresh chopped basil. I serve this right out of the cast-iron skillet.I like the thickness and richness of the balsamic glaze, but a good quality balsamic vinegar can be substituted.Balsamic Glaze is available at most grocery stores; look for it with the vinegars.
Learn from Leslie: If you have any leftovers, the tomatoes are a treat to serve over pasta.
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