Fresh Corn Salad

Fresh corn is incredible in this summer salad. With fish, chicken or carne asada, the sweet corn and light, tangy dressing are a perfect accompaniment to any main dish.

• 2 Corn on the Cobbs
• 3 green onions
• 1 cup of halved cherry or baby heirloom tomatoes
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime
• 1/4 tsp agave
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove the husks from the corn
2. Place the corn vertically in a bowl and carefully cut the corn off of the cobb. Use a sharp knife and slice all the way down - like you would bread.
3. Chop the onion, tomatoes and cilantro and toss in with the corn
4. Squeeze the lime and add the agave and olive oil
5. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste
6. Toss ingredients together

Seared Swordfish with Tahini Lemon Cauliflower

TIME: 40 min

SERVES: 2 people

• 2 6-9 ounce swordfish filets (1 inch thick)
• 1/2 teaspoon sumac
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 lemon
• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• Salt & Pepper
• Handful of parsley
• Handful of mint

1. Cut head of Cauliflower into florets
2. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 350° for 30 minutes. Toss pan halfway through.
3. In a bowl, mix the tahini, olive oil, water, lemon juice and grated garlic. Mixture should be similar to a thick salad dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside
4. Julienne the onion and cook on low heat with a pinch of salt until soft and golden brown. Set aside.
5. Sprinkle the cumin, sumac, salt and pepper onto each Swordfish steak. Lightly rub vegetable oil and sear on medium for 6 minutes on one side and finish lightly searing on the other side for a few minutes or until firm and cooked through.
6. Take a platter and spread a layer of the tahini sauce on the bottom. Top with the roasted cauliflower, caramelized onions, parsley and mint. Drizzle more sauce on top.
7. Serve with seared swordfish steaks on top.

Portuguese Baked Eggs

Shakshuka is one of my favorite crowd pleasers. Why? It's a one pan wonder, cooks quickly and is quite the stunner on the table. Everyone gets to dig in together and it makes for a nice centered conversation piece. This Portuguese spin on baked eggs really just reflects a different use of spices than the traditional Middle Eastern version. It is slightly smokier, a bit spicy and has a nice bite at the end from the Manchego that is shaved on top upon serving.

Here's what you'll need:

1 12 in cast iron or oven proof pan

6 small eggs (4 if they are large)

1 28 ounce can of  Marzano Crushed Tomato

2 roasted red peppers- julienne

1 small brown onion- julienne

4 large garlic cloves- minced

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne (or more if you like it hot!)

1/4 cup fresh basil

Manchego cheese for shaving

Olive oil

Salt

Cracked black pepper

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat your cast iron or oven proof pan on the stove at medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and allow it to cover the pan.

3. Once hot, add your julienne onions and let sweat until translucent and slightly turning brown on the edges. Add a dash of salt to help them sweat!

4. Add the chili powder, paprika and cayenne to the onions and allow the oil to cook the spices for just another minute or so.

4. Add the chopped garlic and let toast just until golden brown. Once it's a little golden that's your cue it's done and on the brink of burning.

5. Add the roasted peppers, can of crushed tomatoes and let stew for 10 minutes until sauce thickens.

6. Break an egg into a separate small bowl. Be sure to take out any bits of shell just in case.

7. With your cooking spoon, make a little saucer hole in your thickened tomato sauce. Take your bowl with your raw egg and carefully drop your egg into the hole.

8. Repeat with remaining eggs.

9. Place into your 350 degree oven on the top rack and let broil until egg whites are firmed but yolks are still runny. This usually takes about 8-11 minutes.

10. Remove from oven and top with torn or chopped basil. Finish with shredded Manchego cheese or Pecorino Romano.

Serve with warm pita or crusty bread.

Fresh Pasta Dough

If there was one thing I would urge any foodie to do, it would be making fresh pasta dough. That box of spaghetti from the market does not come close to what you can whip up at home. I understand it may not be your everyday solution to a carb craving evening, but it should be a staple to a serious pasta dinner once and a while.

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb AP flour (or half Ap and half 00)

4 eggs, 1 yolk

3 tablespoons olive oil

Few tablespoons water on hand

Pinch of salt

1. Sift your flour onto your working surface. Create a well in the center. (If you'd rather do this in a bowl, just use a big one and follow the same steps)

2. In the center of the deep well, add the eggs, olive oil and pinch of salt.

3. Whisk the wet ingredients and slowly add parts of the inner wall of flour to the center.

4. Keep adding until the dough begins to form.

5. If it looks a bit dry, add a few tablespoons of lukewarm water.

6. Once the dough has picked up most of the flour it's time to knead!

7. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until you see a nice smooth, shiny dough. When you press the dough with your pointer finger it should spring back into place.

8. Time to rest! Form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep in a cool place for at least 30 minutes.

9. Get ready to roll. Cut your dough into quarters for easy rolling. If you have a pasta machine, take a quarter of your dough and flatten a bit so that it fits inside your attachment. You want to fold this piece over 4 times before moving onto thinning the dough out. If doing this by hand, roll out your piece of dough until desired thickness.

10. If using a machine, continue thinning out your sheet of dough to your desired preference. The thicker, the more al dente so be sure to choose the right thickness depending on your shape. Most suggest going to the 7th setting.

11. Cut it by hand! For thicker pieces like papardelle, fold your thinned sheet onto itself a few times and slice vertically. You'll end up with beautiful thick ribbons of carb heaven. You can also do this to create linguine, fettuccine and other flat shapes including ravioli squares or lasagna sheets.

12. Cook it! For fresh pasta, it's best to let it sit for 10 minutes just to firm up a bit. Add it to some boiling salted water and cook for just about 30-60 seconds MAX. Your pasta should still have a slight bite.

13. Store it! Fresh pasta can keep in the fridge for up to 3 days covered. You can also freeze fresh pasta at this point and can keep for months with this method. If needing to dry, you can either hang it on a drying rack or an old fashioned hanger. You can also lay it out to rest on a baking sheet. Just be sure to dust the strands or sheets with some semolina or all purpose flour to ensure the strands don't stick.

14. Keep moisture out! Just a tip to remember, fresh pasta and moisture don't mix well when it comes to drying your pasta. It is very susceptible to growing mold if not dried properly, so if you are laying it out on a baking sheet, make sure the noodles have a little breathing room to ensure even drying.

Enjoy!