Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

This is a quick lunch on the weekend or even a quick dinner through the week. My husband loves turkey sandwiches but I usually don’t end up making too many sandwiches at home and so he end up eating them for lunch at work. I am not sure why- but sandwiches don’t come to mind when I think of lunch- and then I wonder why my daughter doesn’t like them. I never gave her a sandwich while she was a baby- so she never got used to one.

I bought sliced turkey since I had a large loaf of bake at home baguette in the fridge. I planned on making turkey pesto sandwiches for my hubby. My initial thought was to bake the bread first and then assemble the sandwich- but then I thought of assembling it first and then cooking it on a grill pan. I used another heavy pan to press down on the sandwich while all the ingredients melted together. Speaking of melting- I also had mozzarella cheese in the fridge which went perfectly with the pesto and the turkey.

I served a few potato chips and a green salad with the delicious sandwich. It was really good- I had a few bites…

Next time you are in a bind and don’t know what to make for lunch- try a turkey and pesto panini.

• 2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
• One (6 inch) piece of bake at home baguette
• 3 thin sliced herb turkey
• 3 thick slices of mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon basil pesto
• 4 to 5 fresh basil leaves
• Fresh black pepper

Heat a grill pan with the olive oil. Slice the baguette in half. Spread the mayonnaise and pesto evenly on both sides. Spread the cheese and turkey slices. Add the basil leaves and black pepper on top. Place the second slice on top and place it on the grill pan. Press the panini down with another heavy pan or anything heavy. Brown the sandwich on both sides pressing well for 5 minutes each. Cut in half and serve.

This is a great start to the healthy eating I had envisioned. Cauliflower and scallops are my husband’s two favorite things to eat- usually separately. I thought of using them together in one dish. I have seen some kind a sicilian risotto dish with both cauliflower and scallops used together- with raisins and nuts. I was a bit skeptical pairing them together- but decided to take a chance and go ahead and make a stir fry.

I love doing stir fries. They are quick and easy to make. It is nice to have some kind of tamari and soy sauce in your pantry. Some other things handy for a Chinese inspired dinner are rice vinegar, sweet chili sauce, black bean sauce and of course garlic and ginger are a must. I always have all of these ingredients in my pantry so I can make any dish on a whim.

I started by broiling cauliflower florets with a bit of oil and tamari. This gave the vegetable a sweet nuttiness and a great golden brown color. I then whipped up a simple sauce with black bean sauce, tamari, rice vinegar and sweet chili sauce.

The dish is very simple, yet quite sophisticated. I loved the sweet cauliflower with the sweet scallops. The two textures are similar yet very different. I sliced the scallops in half and got more bang for my buck. Be careful not to over cook the scallops- it will spoil the dish.

I made fabulous brown rice and served the stir fry on top. Big success- it was low fat with very big flavor. Exactly what I am looking for.

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to broil.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Add the cauliflower on to the cookies sheet. Add the soy sauce and oil, mix well and broil till golden brown. Keep aside.

• ½ pound scallops, cleaned and sliced in half

Sauce

• 3 tablespoons black bean sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Mix well in a bowl and keep aside.

• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• 1 medium white onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

In a wok like saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes on medium high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes on medium high heat. Add the scallops and sauté for a minute (careful not to break them). Add the cauliflower and the sauce. Mix well and serve with brown rice.

It was all about wine yesterday- well sort of- there was gelato, granita and cappucino as well.

We started off from Spello after lunch. We were headed to Montefalco and the surrounding areas to drive around some wineries. It’s incredible to drive around the Italian countryside- all you see are olive trees and grapevines. We stopped at a winery that looked closed from the outside but in fact was open. Most people are in siesta mode from about 2 PM till 4 PM- and that is when we have been venturing out. Needless to say, the older gentleman was not too happy to see us. He also conveyed many times and in many ways that we should have called to make an appoitment. We sat down and sampled 3 wines. They were good, but not fabulous. We chatted a bit and decided to leave.

We drove around some more and finally reached Montefalco. As usual we drove up very steep roads to park and continued to walk up to the main square. It was quite a sleepy little town- mostly everyone was indoors resting. We hung out and stopped for a gelato, sandwich and yes you guessed it- Italian ice.

We headed to Spoleto from there. It is a gorgeous town pearched on top of the Appennines. We headed inside the gates to find parking and began walking up. We hiked up for about 20 minutes and found a little cafe with the most amazing views. We sat down and had – yup, you are right- Italian ice. Somehow the Italian ice or granita is very different from what you get in the US. The ice texture is smooth and creamy instead of hard and dry. It is very delicious.

We sat for an hour and headed back to Spello. Dinner today was going to be at a restaurant very close to our apartment tucked away in a tiny street. We sat outside in their garden overlooking Spello- it was incredible!

We at brushchetta, pasta with zucchini and the most incredible wild boar and veal. The young man who took our order, was the owner and told us he hunted for the wild boar himself.  The meal was delicious and so was the pannacotta and the chocolate cake. The white and red wines were delicious as well.  It was a great day. One more day left in Spello and then off to Rome before we head home.

I love vodka sauce, usually with some prosciutto and peas- that is your typical vodka sauce preparation. I wanted to cook it a little differently and thought of using Italian sausage in the sauce. I crumbled the sausage with the onion and garlic and cook it down so the flavor is present in the sauce. Also most restaurant and store bought vodka sauces have quite a lot of cream. I added half-and-half instead. It gives it the nice pink color and a creamy taste for a lot less calories. For those who are concerned about the vodka in the dish, it cooks off and is safe to serve to the kiddies. It is always nice to take help from the store to make your life easier! So I went to find fresh pasta and thought ravioli should be interesting! I bought some cheese ravioli, but I think you can really play around with the flavors and get whichever one makes you happy. A citrus salad and some more white Portuguese wine made the meal complete!

• 1 package store bought cheese ravioli
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 links Italian sausage, removed from the casing and crumbled or chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons vodka
• 3 tablespoons half and half
• Salt to taste
• Pinch of sugar
• Sprig fresh basil for garnish
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for garnish

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and golden about 4 minutes. Add the vodka and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook on medium heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Stir in the half and half with some salt and sugar. Stir in the basil and remove from heat.
In the meantime, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the cheese ravioli and cook according the box directions. Strain the raviolis and toss with the vodka sauce and sausage mixture. Top with cheese and serve.