Grilled Pesto and Mozzarella Sandwich for a Garage Painter

The other day my son was painting the garage. It was hot, muggy and he was starving. I thought I had nothing in the house.
Then I remembered my homemade pesto, oven roasted tomatoes and some leftover fresh mozzarella cheese.
I had some yummy Arthur Avenue Casa Bread from the Bronx and I gave it a quick toasting. Slathered it with pesto, slices of mozz and threw on some oven roasted tomatoes. I popped it back into the toaster oven and melted the cheese. I served it up with a tall glass of Iced Tea. The boy was in heaven! And lunch merely took me 10 minutes from start to finish.
All text and picuters are property of The Gypsy Chef

Garden Fresh Salad with Herb Chicken Paillard

It has finally warmed up in New York and actually feels like summer. As the heat climbed today I thought a salad would be a perfect lunch. We could sit outside, enjoy the garden and dine on a fresh crisp summer inspired meal. I picked fresh oregano, rosemary and thyme, tore them into pieces and mixed them with garlic, lemon, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
I marinated chicken cutlets in this mixture for about 30 minutes while I cleaned the last of the radicchio and lettuce from the garden.
When the grill was hot, I lightly cooked the chicken just a few minutes on each side.
I served it on the greens garnished with radishes, cucumber, red onion and wonderfully flavorful grape tomatoes. I tossed it with a Dijon Vinaigrette and garnished it with chives from the garden and a bit of grated cheddar cheese. Served with a glass of Rose and a piece of Herb Slab from Acme Bread in San Francisco, it was a perfect lunch to begin a relaxing vacation!
Herb Chicken Paillard

6 chicken cutlets, sliced thinly
A few sprigs of oregano, thyme and rosemary
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Juice of one lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Pull the herb leaves from the stems, give them a
rough chop and place in a medium size bowl.
Peel the garlic clove and put it through a garlic press right into the bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. Whisk to blend. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Allow the chicken to marinate at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the grill, when hot add the chicken. It will cook fairly quickly. When the side is marked by the grill give it a turn and cook just another minute or two until done.

Dijon Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a jar and shake to blend.
All text and pictures are property of The Gypsy Chef

A TSA Friendly Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

Eating on an airplane has it's hazards. The food offered is generally mediocre and expensive. It's hard to imagine anything more unappetizing than a cold, soggy, plastic encased day old turkey wrap with a side of sun chips. Then we ask you to pay $9.00 for these gastronomic masterpieces. As a flight attendant I've been desperate enough to eat these offerings and let me tell you, it's not a banquet for a Queen. More like alms for the poor. I've found with a little planning you can eat well for less. And in this economy, who doesn't like that?
One of my favorite things to bring is a grilled vegetable sandwich. Flavorful, delicious at room temperature and easy to pack. I wrap all the ingredients separately and assemble it on the plane. Just ask a F/A for a set of plastic flatware and your ready to eat a wonderful lunch while your fellow travelers look on longingly.

The TSA or Transportation Security Administration have developed rules for bringing food on board an aircraft, but it's easy to live within these guidelines. Just remember no liquids over 3 ounces, no cutlery or glassware. In other words, leave behind you chef's knife, wine bottle and glasses.
I usually start by grilling my vegetables the day before. I place those in a seal plastic container. I then cut and split my bread, and wrap it separately in plastic wrap. The cheese I place in a zip lock bag and finally pack it all together in a large zip lock bag to carry on board. If I have a small amount of pesto or sauce to spread on my bread, I place it in a small single serving "Gladware" container. You can always pull it out of your bag for inspection while your passing through security. Be careful, if it looks too good, some hungry agent may confiscate it!
Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

1/4 cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper
1 small zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 thick slices
1 red onion, cut in half across the width, leaving the skin, root end and blossom end attached
2 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
handful oven roasted tomatoes
enough fresh pesto to spread on the bread
1 piece of ciabatta bread, split
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat an outdoor grill.
Place the cut side of the onion on the grill. When the grill marks appear, turn the onion and position it on the grill so that it is sitting up right. brush it with olive oil. Place it on the side and continue to cook until it's soft. Peel the skin, and slice into 1/4 inch slices.
Place whole red pepper on the grill. When the skin has blacken on one side, give it a quarter turn and continue turning it until all sides are black. Place it in a paper bag, seal it and allow to cool. This will steam the pepper and enable you to peel it easily. Once cool, peel pepper removing seeds and stem. Cut into large pieces.
Lay the zucchini slices on the grill, when grill marks appear, turn and brush with olive oil. Turn again after the other side is marked and brush with olive oil once again. Remove when the zucchini is soft.
To assemble, spread pesto on bread. Lay zucchini slices on the bread, top with red pepper slices, onion rings, mozzarella and oven roasted tomatoes.
This sandwich is good as is, but exceptional toasted.

All text and pictures are property of the Gypsy Chef

Quick Greek Salad

A quick but simple summer lunch can be made by throwing together an assortment of veggies, cheese, olive oil and vinegar. Add a fistful of chopped herbs, a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper and you've made a lunch your friends and colleagues will envy.
Keeping this formula in mind, I used feta cheese, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and mint for a refreshing and healthy luncheon salad. Feel free to substitute the the red onion for scallions, add bell pepper. or even fresh oregano. This salad is easy to customize to your own taste. Keep it cool in the frig at work, or in an insulated bag with an ice pack.
Quick Greek Salad

1/2 cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
handful fresh mint leaves, torn into pieces
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 teaspoons olive oil
coarse sea salt freshly ground black pepper

Toss all ingredients in a bowl, season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.