Friday March 18, 2011

Carole’s Concoctions:
Boston Flower Show - Come See Us - Sunday, March 20th - NOON

Here's what Mom, Jen and I have concocted to demo at the Boston Flower Show:

Out of the Container and Into the Pan  -  Recipes for the Boston Flower Show

Tarragon Chive Pasta Salad

1 lb Tri-color Rotini
3/4 cups olive oil - 1/4 cup to toss with pasta, 1/2 for the dressing
1 cup Scallions, sliced
3/4 cup Chives, minced
1/4 cup Tarragon, minced
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Cook pasta until al dents. Drain and toss in a large bowl with 1/4 cup f olive oil. Cool. Add scallions, chives and tarragon.
Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Slowly add in the 1/2 cup of olive oil in a stream until incorporated well. Pour over pasta and mix.

Best if pasta sits at room temperature for at least 4 hours or chill overnight and bring to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!

Serves 8-10 as a side.

Pork Tenderloin with Pesto Rub

2 Pork Tenderloins
8 garlic cloves
2 cups basil gently packed
4 cups parsley, gently packed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Place tenderloins on a plate. Pat dry.
In a food processor, first process the garlic, then add in the basil and parsley, then the walnuts, cheese, salt, pepper and oil. Do not over process. The pesto should be light green. Rub the pesto all over the pork, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
Grill the tenderloins to desired doneness. Slice to desired thickness and enjoy!!
Serves 4-6 as an entree, 8-10 as an appetizer.

Strawberries with Mint Simple Syrup and Lemon Zest

1 cup sugar
1 cup sugar
A handful of mint
4 cups strawberries
1/2 cup Mint simple syrup
Zest of one lemon

Simple syrup is simple - it’s one part sugar to one part water. Cook sugar, water and mint over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved and water boils. Remove and let cool. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Clean and cut up the strawberries. Add the syrup and lemon zest to strawberries and let sit for a few hours. (AKA macerate). Serve strawberries over vanilla ice cream for a refreshing dessert.

Serves 4-6.