Mother's Day Menu

Polenta Toasts with Roasted Peppers
Grilled Chicken Salad
Lentil, Red Pepper and Potato Salad
Strawberry Crostatine

These recipes are excerpted from The Bertolli Olive Oil Handbook, Bertolli Nutrition Center, Secaucus, New Jersey. Click here for further information and facts about Bertolli olive oils.

Polenta Toasts with Roasted Peppers - Serves 12

Polenta is a yellow corn meal that is cooked with broth and flavored with cheese. It is often served soft, like mashed potatoes or baked in a casserole. Here it is chilled, sliced, browned in olive oil and served with a topping of roasted peppers.

Polenta:

¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon Bertolli Classico or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
cup yellow corn meal
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, to taste

Roasted Peppers with Herbs:

1 jar (7 ounces) roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or parsley
1 teaspoon Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Polenta Toasts: Combine the onion and olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan; cook, stirring over low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth. In a separate bowl, combine the water and cornmeal; stir into the broth and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and is very thick, about 10 minutes. Add cheese and salt to taste.

2. Line a 13x9-inch baking dish with foil; spray foil lightly with olive oil cooking spray. Add the polenta and spread in a smooth layer with a spatula. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, about 2 hours. Turn polenta out of pan and peel off foil. Cut into 12 squares. Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a non-stick coated baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Arrange the polenta squares on the pan leaving space between squares.

3. Bake on bottom oven rack until browned on bottom, about 15 minutes. Turn and bake until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes more.

4. Meanwhile cut peppers into 12 even portions and arrange on a platter. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs and a grinding of black pepper. Arrange peppers on top of each polenta square. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutritional Information Per Serving
Calories: 69
Calories from Fat: 18
Protein: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 11g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Fat: 2g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 1 mg
Sodium: 136mg

Grilled Chicken Salad - Serves 4

Marinade:

1 teaspoon Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
Pinch of crushed hot red pepper, or to taste
4 boneless and skinless chicken cutlets, pounded thin

Salsa:

1 cup diced plum tomatoes (seeds and pulp removed)
¼ cup diced sweet yellow onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 brine cured Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:

6 cups packed mixed salad greens
1 teaspoon Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Fresh basil leaves

1. Marinade: Combine the olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper on a large plate. Coat the chicken cutlets with marinade; cover with plastic wrap and let stand 30 minutes.

2. Salsa: Combine the tomatoes, onion, basil olive oil, olives and red wine vinegar; add salt and pepper. Cover and let stand until ready to serve.

3. Salad: Combine the salad greens in a large bowl; sprinkle with the olive oil and vinegar; toss to coat.

4. Heat a large (12-inch non-stick grill pan over high heat until very hot. Add the cutlets and sear on both sides until lightly browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; cut into ½ inch wide strips.

5. Assemble the salad: Divide the greens evenly among 4 large plates. Place chicken on greens, dividing evenly. Top each serving with a spoonful of salsa. Garnish each plate with fresh basil leaves.

Nutritional Information Per Serving
Calories: 198
Calories from Fat: 59
Protein: 28g
Carbohydrates: 6g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Monounsaturated Fat: 4g
Cholesterol: 66mg
Sodium: 95mg

Lentil, Red Pepper and Potato Salad - Serves 6

Perfect for the vegetarians at your table.

2 cups cooked lentils (if using canned lentils, rinse and drain)
1 cup diced cooked potatoes
½ cup cooked fresh or thawed frozen green peas
½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup chopped red onion
¼ cup chopped celery
1 tablespoons finely chopped basil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine the lentils, potatoes, peas, red pepper, red onion, celery, parsley and basil in a large serving bowl. Whisk the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a separate bowl; pour dressing over the salad mixture and toss to combine. If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Garnish each serving with a sprig of fresh basil and red leaf lettuce leaf, friseé lettuce or 3 endive leaves.

Nutritional Information Per Serving
Calories: 157
Calories from Fat: 45
Protein: 7g
Carbohydrates: 22g
Dietary Fiber: 3g
Fat: 5g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Monounsaturated Fat: 4g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 9mg

Strawberry Crostatine - Serves 8

Crust:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup Bertolli Extra Light Olive Oil
2 to 3 tablespoons low-fat milk or more as needed

Strawberry Filling:

2 pints medium-sized strawberries, rinsed and hulled
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Confectioners (powdered) sugar

1. Crust: Preheat oven to 400F. In a medium mixing bowl, stir flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt with a fork until blended. Whisk together the oil and milk. Gradually add milk mixture tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Add more milk, if needed. Press dough into a disc. Divide disc into 8 wedges. Roll each wedge between two sheets of waxed paper into small circles large enough to fit 3-inch tart pans. Press each circle into 8 tart pans; trim edges. Place a 4-inch square of waxed paper on top of dough and weight with a layer of dried beans or rice. Bake 10 minutes; remove paper and beans; Bake again until golden, about 5 minutes. Let tart shells cool and then remove shells from pans.

2. Filling: Reserve 24 of the most perfect berries for top of each crostatine; cut each berry in half and reserve. Thinly slice remaining berries. In a saucepan, stir sugar and cornstarch until blended. Stir in water and half of the berry slices; cook, stirring and mashing berries until mixture is boiling and looks thick and shiny. Take pan off heat and add remaining sliced berries and lemon juice. Let mixture cool to room temperature.

3. One hour before serving, spoon cooled berry mixture into pastry shells; smooth top; refrigerate. Just before serving, arrange 6 halves of reserved strawberries, cut side down on top of each crostatine. Sprinkle each serving with confectioners sugar.

Nutritional Information Per Serving
Calories: 229
Calories from Fat: 68
Protein: 3g
Carbohydrates: 39g
Dietary Fiber: 3g
Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Monounsaturated Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 141mg

_{Copyright © 2001 Ann Hall Every}