Step 1: Appetizer -- Turkish Salad
Ingredients:
1 large cucumber--chopped into bite sized pieces
3 large tomatoes--chopped into bite sized pieces
1/4 c chopped red onion
10 leaves of fresh green lettuce chopped (any type you prefer)
1 Chopped Green pepper
1 Chopped Red Pepper
Dressing:
3 Tb olive oil
1 large lemon juiced
5 Tb chopped Mint
2 cloves of chopped garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Mix chopped lettuce, cucumber, red onion, green pepper, red pepper and tomatoes in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix olive oil, lemon juice, mint, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and mix well. Allow to marinate together for about 15 minutes. This is really refreshing, especially during the summer. Enjoy!
Step 2: Main Course -- Baked Italian Pasta with Squash & Mushrooms
8 ounces of pasta (we used Elbow Macaroni, but you can use any type you like)
2 Tb of Olive Oil
5 Large Mushrooms chopped
1 Yellow Squash chopped into bite sized pieces
1 Zucchini chopped into bit sized pieces
3 cloves of minced Garlic
12 ounces of Pasta Sauce (make your own if you prefer)
1/2 teaspoon of dried red pepper
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Salt and Pepper to tasts
Boil pasta for about 8-10 minutes and drain. Heat olive oil in medium skillet. Add chopped mushrooms, zucchini, squash, garlic, and dried red pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add pasta sauce and cook for another 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Combine vegetables with pasta in baking dish. Stir in half the cheese and pour the rest on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until top is browned. Enjoy!
Step 3: Dessert -- Raspberry Cream Pastry
Ingredients: Filo Dough
10 fresh Raspberries
2 Tb Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
2 Tb butter (melted)
2 Tb of melted chocolate
1 Tb powdered sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sure your Filo dough is thawed and cut 10 layers into any shape you like. I chose about a 3 x 4 rectangle. Take 5 layers of the dough and place on a cookie sheet and place the other 5 layers next to the original 5 layers. Brush the top layers with butter. and bake until golden brown and until flaky. Take out of the oven an let cool. In a separate bowl, add the heavy whipping cream, regular granulated sugar, vanilla, and raspberries and whip with an electric hand mixer until creamy. Place 5 layers of bakes Filo dough on a plate, spoon on fresh cream. Place other 5 layers of bakes Filo dough on top. Drip melted chocolate sauce over the top of the pastry. Dust with powdered sugar, and decorate with two fresh raspberries. Enjoy!
Closing Remarks:
Brian: I really enjoyed this meal. It was a bit difficult for me to work with the Filo dough since this is the first time I ever worked with it. In the recipe above, I recommended using less dough int he layers than I did. The dessert is meant to be light and refreshing. the pasta was wonderful although I would add a bit more salt and perhaps a bit more sauce.
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