Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil and Pesto Stacks

You can make these for a simple lunch (place on a bed of arugula) or as a side dish for a meal.  They look gorgeous on the plate, are easy to eat and simple to make.
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 Vine ripened tomatoes 
• 2 large, fresh mozzarella balls
• 8 large basil leaves
• 2 T pre-made pesto (if you have the time, make your own pesto)

Directions:

• Slice tomatoes into 8- 1/4 inch slices
• Slice mozzarella into 8 - 1/4 inch slices
• To make stacks, place 1 slice of tomato, followed by 1 basil leaf, 1 slice of mozzarella, then 1/2 t of pesto - repeat. Essentially each stack will have 2 slices of tomato, mozzarella, 2 basil leaves and 1t pesto.

Eclectic Spring Dinner Party: Cioppino and more

It's been quite a few months since I've hosted a dinner party.  Maybe I was a tad burned out from the holiday hoopla or maybe it was the monotonous half-completed home projects or possibly the push to change careers or perhaps the impromptu road trip...hard to say!  What I do know is that it was long overdue.  While I haven't finished (not even close) to my mile long to-do list, I found this urge to have a girls dinner.  I wanted to expand my table to include not just my usual crew,  but a mix of new and old friends and their daughters.  To continue with 'mix it up' attitude, I decided to mix a few tried and true dishes with some fresh and new items.  The anticipation of hosting new people with some of my legacy loves meant it would be an evening of firsts and I was certainly feeling I had arrived at my happy place.  

I was feeling like celebrating and being a tad decedent.  I was thinking surf and turf with gorgeous wines.  I had received a lovely delivery of perfect tomatoes from Door to Door Organics as well as some fresh basil and mozzarella, so Tomato Stacks were a no-brainer.  While I love going to Whole Foods and chatting it up with the butcher and seafood masters, I decided to hit Coscto.  I found an amazing beef tenderloin...so the stand-by Jack Daniels Peppercorn sauce was a must. While contemplating splurging on crab legs, I stumbled upon a mix of various shellfish.  It was reasonably priced, looked amazing and was certainly a healthy quantity.  But what to make?  Cioppino?  Never made it - but was kind of missing San Francisco and as a California native, it seems like something I should know how to make.  After all, my guests were from NY, CT, KS, CA and we were hopeful to have a Canadian as well!  So taking all of this into consideration, the menu was set.  

With the ingredients in the refrigerator, the guest list confirmed all that was left was to set the table and get cooking!  Since we were to have 6 women and 6 kids using both the kitchen table and the dining room table was a must - but I didn't want to have a formal affair. I wanted it to feel as eclectic as my menu, my mood, my guests and our  Colorado spring weather.  With the help of my little chefs, we set out to use a mixture of colored vases, fresh cut mountain spring flowers,  special china and everyday porcelain, woven and stainless flatware, bamboo place mats and our semi shabby chic tables were set!   

Finally it was time to gather all our ingredients and create magic. My labor of love.  I typically select a menu that will allow me spend more time with my guests and less time at the stove.  This was a 90% do ahead meal - so essentially the last 10 minutes  I leveraged everyone to help plate and serve.   

The people most certainly made the night, but the prep work with food, flowers and my daughters nourished my soul before anyone arrived.

From my kitchen to yours...

Menu:

Appetizers

• Caviar Pie
• Artichoke

The Main Event

• Beef Tenderloin with Jack Daniels Peppercorn Sauce
• Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella and Pesto Stacks
• Cioppino (see below)

Dessert

• Patsy Teuton's homemade carrot cake (I'll try and get her recipe - it was DELISH)

Cioppino

Ingredients:

• 2 T EVOO
• 1T unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4-6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 1/4 C dry white wine (save 1/4 C for last minute)
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 8-ounce bottles clam juice
• 1 large sprig rosemary
• 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 3-4 pounds any mix of shellfish: mussels (debearded), clams (scrubbed), shrimp (cleaned), scallops and squid (I bought a nice bag of mixed, cleaned shellfish at Costco - near the crab legs.  Many Cioppino recipes call for white fish or salmon as well - feel free to add what you like).

For serving:

• Flat-leaf parsley leaves 
• Toasted country bread, rubbed with garlic and olive oil 

Instructions:

• Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. 
• Add onion, shallots and garlic, cook until softened, 8-10 minutes. 
• Add basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes; stir until fragrant, about 3 minutes. 
• Add 2 C wine and cook for around 4 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices, crushing with your hands as you add them.Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 15-20 minutes. 
• Add clam juice, parsley, bay leaves, rosemary sprig; season with salt and pepper. 
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until flavors meld, 10-15 minutes more. Discard parsley sprigs, rosemary and bay leaves. 
• DO AHEAD TIP: I did the above steps hours before my guests arrived.  You can then do the final steps 5-10 minutes before you're ready to serve.
• Bring broth to a simmer and add shellfish mixture and final 1/4 C of wine. 
• Turn broth to a medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells open (discard any that do not open), about 5- 8 minutes.
• Divide among bowls; top with roughly chopped parsley and place toasted, crusty bread in each bowl.