Worth Tasting
Five members of the Junior League of the Palm Beaches, who contributed to the League’s Worth Tasting cookbook, share their favorite recipes with Palm Beach Illustrated.
Crispy Chickpea Pita
Courtesy of Emily Perrotto
Recipe:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 15.5-oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, plus 1/2 cup whole parsley leaves
3/4 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
4 plum tomatoes-diced
4 grilled pitas
1 8-oz container of hummus
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp Tabasco® sauce
½ cup plain, Greek yogurt
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Directions:
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned, about five minutes. Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice, chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp of the salt, and 1/4 tsp of the pepper and toss. In a small bowl, combine the whole parsley leaves, tomatoes and the remaining oil, salt and pepper. Divide the warm pitas among individual plates and spread with the hummus. Top with the chickpeas, onion and Tabasco®. Serve with the parsley salad, yogurt and lemon wedges.
Monkey Bread
Courtesy of Esther LaBovick
Recipe:
3 (10 count) cans refrigerator biscuits
1 cup sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
½ cup light brown sugar
Directions:
Cut the biscuits into quarters. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a large Ziplock bag. Add the biscuits, seal and shake until coated. Arrange the coated mixture in a bundt pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Heat the butter and brown sugar until the brown sugar has dissolved. Pour this mixture over the biscuits. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Red Velvet Cake
Courtesy of Barbara Nicklaus
Recipe:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp cocoa
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp vanilla
½ bottle red food coloring
1 cup butter milk
Directions:
Sift together flour, baking soda and cocoa. In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vinegar, oil, vanilla and food coloring. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixer and mix well. Pour into three greased 8-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Once cakes are cool, remove them from pans, placing one on cake plate or stand.
Frosting
1 stick of butter
1 8-oz package of Philadelphia cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 box 10x powdered sugar
Directions:
Combine ingredients and beat well. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the top of the plated cake. Place another cake on top, and spread a thin layer of frosting on that. Top with third cake and spread remaining frosting over the whole thing.
Gorgonzola, Mushroom and Spinach Salad topped with Crab Cakes
Courtesy of Alice Randolph
Recipe:
Salad
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper to taste
5 oz baby spinach (5 cups)
8 oz white bottom mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 small red onion thinly sliced
½ red bell pepper chopped
2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese or other blue cheese, crumbled
Directions:
Whisk the vinegar and olive oil in a salad bowl until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Add the spinach, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and cheese to the vinegar mixture and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Serves 4
Crab Cakes
1 16-oz can lump crabmeat
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
Pepper to taste
Olive oil
Directions:
Mix all ingredients, except olive oil, together in a bowl. Form crab cake mixture into small patties, set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Place crab cakes in pan and turn to brown both sides. As you make the batches in the pan, you may need to add another tablespoon of olive oil. Serve immediately.
Delicato Sauce
Courtesy of Jaimee Peirce
3 tbsp olive oil
Garlic to taste, slice or chopped
2 handfuls of fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 16-oz cans peeled tomatoes, drained
1/16 teaspoon of salt
½ cup half & half or cream
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Hot cooked pasta of your choice (Recommend baby penne or linguini)
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over low heat. Cook the garlic in the hot oil and then stir in basil. When basil begins to wilt, stir in the butter. Add the tomatoes and mash until combined. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the tomato mixture is cooked down, stirring constantly. Stir in the salt and half-and-half. Add cheese until the consistency is rich and mix well. Ladle over pasta and garnish with sprigs of basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Lemon Salmon over Baby Spinach & Fancy Wild Rice
Recipe:
Salmon
1 Lemon
1 ½ to 2 pounds salmon fillet
1 clove of garlic, sliced
2-3 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of water
3 tbsp of white wine
Sprinkle with some Herbes de Provence
Spinach
3 cups baby spinach, stems cut off
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 tbsp of olive oil
Pinch of salt or garlic salt
Wild Rice
1 cup wild rice
2 cups of water
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
3 long celery stalks, chopped
2 cups Bella mushrooms, sliced
½ red onion, chopped
Salt, pepper
Directions:
Prepare salmon in cooking dish and drizzle olive oil on both sides so it does not stick to glass pan. Squeeze lemon over the top of salmon and add garlic, white wine and water, and sprinkle lightly herbs de Provence. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove salmon half way and ladle juices on top and then finish cooking.
In a separate cooking pot boil 3-4 cups of water. Place spinach in a strainer along with garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. Put strainer inside pot and cook for 5-6 minutes. Do not overcook (you just want to flash steam the spinach).
In a separate pan, heat butter and olive oil over low heat. Once butter is melted, add onion, mushrooms, celery, salt and pepper. Cook until blended and soft. Move to the side.
In a small pot, boil 2 cups of water and 1 cup of wild rice mixture and bring to boil and place lid on. Stir and leave on medium to low heat to burn off water. Cook about 40-45 minutes or until ready. Mix rice together with mushroom mixture.
Ladle wild rice mixture on a serving plate and place spinach in center. Place salmon fillets right on top and serve with a garnish of your choice.
