Off The Counter: Peach Caprese Salad With Crushed Pistachios

This week's Off The Counter is a fresh take on the traditional Caprese salad.  Sliced peaches and crushed pistachios give this classic a surprisingly sweet and crunchy flavor while the layered arugula leaves add a peppery pop.  Ingredients and instructions below:

Ingredients

Tomatoes, mozzarella, peaches, pistachios, arugula, salt, pepper, olive oil and rice vinegar.

Instructions

Slice the tomatoes, the fresh mozzarella and the peaches.  Layer them on a tray, add the arugula leaves and drizzle all with olive oil and rice vinegar.  Sprinkle crushed pistachios over the top.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve and enjoy this seasonal favorite!

Off The Counter: Roasted Pistachios and Honey Pizza

This week's Off The Counter features one of my husband's favorite flat pizzas:  roasted pistachios and honey.  Ricotta cheese, salty pistachios and local honey make this unusual pizza delightfully yummy.  Serve with a simple salad and a bottle of dry white.  Ingredients and instructions below.

Ingredients:

pizza dough (store bought or home made), ricotta cheese, pistachios, honey and crushed red pepper

Instructions:

Roast the pistachios, roll out the dough, spread the ricotta cheese, cover the cheese with pistachios, add a pinch or two of crushed red pepper and drizzle as much honey as you like  (the more the better, I say).  Enjoy!!

Off The Counter

Off the counter features my latest food obsession, pistachios.  Most often eaten by the handful, now they're added to our salads and roasted veggies.  They add color, texture and saltiness to old favs like arugula and cauliflower.  Take a look:

arugula, zucchini and pistachios

Salad ingredients: arugula, zucchini, parmesan cheese, lemon, olive oil & pistachios.

Using a potato peeler, cut the zucchini and parmesan into ribbons.  Toss with arugula and  pistachios.  For the dressing mix use fresh lemon juice and olive oil.  Both the parmesan and the pistachios contain salt,  but add a pinch of it if needed.

Roasted cauliflower is like eating candy for me lately.  There's something so satisfying about it.

Ingredients:  cauliflower, capers, lemon, olive oil & pistachios.

Break apart large cauliflower florets and boil them for 5 minutes.  Transfer them to a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and salt.  Roast at 375 until they're soft but not coming undone.  Make sure you broil them for a minute or two to brown the edges.  Transfer to a serving bowl and add capers, a squeeze of lemon, a bit more olive oil and the [quite possibly addictive] pistachios.

Enjoy!!