The Bored Vegetarian

Ricotta Crostini with Grilled Pineapple, Red Pepper & Green Onion Salsa

per serving

1 piece sliced Rustic Bread 
3-4 Tbsp Ricotta Cheese (if you’re feeling adventurous, make your own!)
4-5 pieces Sliced Pineapple
1/2 Red Pepper, seeds removed, chopped small
2 Tbsp Green Onion, chopped
1-2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to broil.  Cut bread in half on a diagonal and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle bread with olive oil on both sides, sprinkle with salt.  Broil in the oven until bread becomes crispy, a few minutes (flip on either side).  Remove from oven.  On a stovetop grill, grill the pineapple on each flat side until there are grill marks.  Remove from heat and allow to cool until they’re cool enough to handle.  Chop into small pieces.  In a bowl, combine pineapple, red pepper and green onion.  Sprinkle with salt and let it sit for about 10 minutes.  Spread ricotta on each slice of bread.  Spoon the desired amount of salsa on each piece and salt & pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Hey! Like The Bored Vegetarian on Facebook!

Heirloom Tomato, Burrata Mozzarella & Basil Salad

Those oddly shaped tomatoes you see at the grocery store? Pick them up!  They’re full of deliciousness.  With creamy Burrata and fresh basil, this salad is as simple as you can get, while packing a lot of flavor and visual punch. 

Heirloom Tomatoes
Burrata Mozzarella
Fresh Basil
Sea Salt Flakes
Fresh Ground Pepper 

Remove the cores of the tomatoes and chop into wedges.  Carefully slice mozzarella (it’s filled with creaminess, so it won’t be perfect).  On a plate arrange tomatoes and put a few pieces of burrata on top.  Add lots of fresh basil and season with salt & pepper.  

I was planning on uploading some pictures from last weekend’s trip to Long Island, but I have to scoot to see Imperial Teen at the Knitting Factory.  I haven’t seen them live in something like 5 years and I love me some 90’s indie pop a little too much.  Remember their song Yoo Hoo from the Jawbreaker soundtrack?  

Next Friday at 7:00pm, I’ll be doing a Hungry on Spreecast with Shea of Hungry in Brooklyn.  We’re going to talk about vegetarian food and our favorite places to eat in Brooklyn!  You can participate too, so make sure to check it out!

Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta with Shiitake Mushroom and Baby Spinach, topped with a Poached Egg

1/4 cup White Polenta (or grits, hominy)
1 cup Water 
1/4 cup Low Fat Milk
2 Tbsp Goat Cheese
1 1/2 cups fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
2 cups fresh Baby Spinach, stems removed
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Tbsp Butter 
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt to a boil.  Add in polenta and stir.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 12 - 14 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Once the polenta has started to thicken, add in 1/4 cup low fat milk and the goat cheese and stir until incorporated in.  Continue to simmer on low heat.  

Chop shiitake mushrooms in to pieces (not too small, they will reduce when you cook them).  In a small saute pan, melt the butter and 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil together over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and a bit of salt and toss.  Cook the mushrooms until they begin to brown and get a little crisp on the outside.  Room from heat and set to the side.  

Bring 2 inches of water to barely simmer in a saute pan.  Still to remove any air bubbles at the bottom of the pan.  Crack egg into a small bowl (I used a measuring cup) and ease into the water.  Set a timer for 4 1/2 minutes.

While the egg is poaching, heat the remaining 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil and saute spinach at medium heat until wilted.

Plate a the polenta and add the spinach and mushrooms.  With a slotted spoon, remove the egg from the water and top the polenta, spinach and mushrooms.  Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.  

Red Plum, Ricotta & Thyme Stuffed Puff Pastry 

I intended to go running after work… made this instead. Stomach: 1 point, Health: 0 points.

Puff Pastry
2 Red Plums
1 cup Ricotta
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme
1 Tbsp Honey
Sea salt to taste
1 Egg
1 Tbsp Water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Follow defrosting instructions on puff pastry box.  Once you’re able to unfold it, lay it out and cut two 4x4 squares (or circles! or hearts!)  Place on a greased or parchment-line baking sheet.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water.  Brush the tops of each of the squares with the egg wash.  Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until puffy and browned.  Remove from oven and set aside.  In a bowl, mix together ricotta and thyme.  Season with salt.  Cut plums into wedges.  Take each puffed pastry and pull the top off so that there’s two halves.  Scoop ricotta mixture into bottom half and layer with red plum.  Place the top half back on and drizzle with honey before serving. 

Havarti Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Spicy Guava Jam

I’ll admit that I cheated a little and bought canned jam, but I was hungry and was
daydreaming of the guava paste I’d had with a cheese plate at Dumont last week…  The Goya guava jam I used is vegetarian - pectin is the thickening agent.

2 slices of good Bread
1/4 cup Guava Jam
Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
Sliced Havarti Cheese (I used a little less than 1/4 of a pound) 
1-2 Tbsp Butter 

In a bowl, combine guava jam and cayenne pepper.  Taste as you add cayenne until it reaches the desired level of spiciness.  Spread a generous amount of jam on one side of both pieces of bread.  Layer with havarti cheese.  Put sandwich together and spread outside sides of bread with butter.  Grill each side to golden brown on medium/high heat in a saute or griddle.  Remove from heat, cool slightly and cut.  

Some summer pics..

Poached Egg, Grilled Asparagus, Ricotta & Almonds on Toasted Bread

1 Egg
5 spears fresh Asparagus
2-3 Tbsp Ricotta Cheese
1 Tbsp Slivered Almonds
1/2 Lemon
A nice loaf of bread (I used Toscana)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
White Vinegar
Chopped Chives (for garnish)

Fill a large pot half way with water.  Bring to a boil.  Prepare an ice bath and set aside.  Cut off ends of asparagus so the spears are similar in length.  Add to boiling water and blanch for about 30 seconds (the asparagus will turn bright green).  Remove from heat and drain.  Add to ice bath to cool down temperature.  Spread slivered almonds in a pan and roast at 350 until they begin to brown.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Slice a thick piece of bread.  Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil in each side and season with salt.  Place on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 375 and begin to toast bread.  Heat up stove-top grill.  Begin to grill asparagus until grill marks form (you should flip asparagus as you go). Bring a few inches of water and a tsp of vinegar (per 1 cup of water) to boil in a deep sauce pan.  Gently add egg gently, remove from heat and cover.  Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.  Removed toasted bread from oven, spread with ricotta.  Squeeze lemon juice over asparagus.  Layer asparagus over ricotta.  Add poached egg.  Season with salt. Sprinkle toasted almonds over the top.  Garnish with chives.

Creamy Parmesan & Brussels Sprouts Spread

12oz raw Brussels Sprouts
2 cups Milk
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Flour
1/2 tsp Lemon zest
Salt

In a saute pan, melt butter.  Add flour and whisk together, forming a rue.  Add milk to pan and mix with rue, bringing to a boil.  Chop Brussels Sprouts into ribbons, discarding any thick stems.  Continue to stir as sauce thickens.  Add cheese and stir in. Season to taste with salt.  Stir in lemon zest.  Spread on toasted bread and serve hot.

Triple Decker Cheese Sandwich

Cheese Fondue
 

1 garlic clove
1 1/2 cups dry white wine 
Flour 
2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
(tip from reader Miko: “It just says “swiss cheese” in your recipe - I’m a swiss, and we’ve got many cheeses. If you wanna get the best fondue, let me assure you, take “vacherin” in a 50/50 mixture with gruyere.”  Many recipes recommend Emmenthaler.  I used a smoked version). 

2 cups Gruyère cheese, shredded
1 loaf of French bread, cubed

 Fondue Pot 

In a plastic zip-loc bag, sprinkle shredded cheese with 1-2 tablespoons of flour.  Toss in bag until cheese is coated with flour.  Cut garlic clove in half and rub the inside of a sauce pan with the cut garlic pieces. Discard  Pour in white wine into pan (and into a wine glass for yourself) and bring to a simmer over low/medium heat.  Slowly add cheese, stirring constantly in a zig-zag pattern until the cheese has melted into a creamy consistency.  Simmer over low/medium heat for a few more minutes.  Pour into a fondue pot and turn pot on low heat (or light the candle if it’s not electric).  Dip bread and/or anything else that would taste good dipped in cheese (everything).  

Sometimes friends make fun of the sheer number of pieces of kitchen equipment I own.  Stovetop grill; handblender; pierogi press; ravioli press; sushi kit, the list goes on.  ”You’re like a real adult” Patrice commented as I nonchalantly shredded chunks of Swiss in my Cuisinart on Thanksgiving.  I acquired my fondue pot at a place on Cape Cod called the Treasure Chest. where well-off vacationers dump their summer home trinkets that they no longer want.  It’s all free, and it’s quite amazing if you’re into taking home other people’s junk.  The pot has come in handy at many parties and fondue is an easy way to impress your guests.  I would be impressed at least.

Over the long weekend I wandered over to the Goodwill Outlet in Long Island City, which is a great place to find dirt cheap glassware and dinnerware.  The Calvary Cemetery is also in the neighborhood, so we stopped by to explore the massive space.  I’ve shared pictures from there before, but here are some more decaying statues.