Cook with Aloha - Mother's Day 2000

Mother's Day Menu

Bruschetta with Tomato and Mozzarella
Grilled Fillet of Salmon Salad
Cornish Hens with Orange, Honey and Herbs
Peppers Stuffed with Vegetable Couscous
Fresh Peaches with Raspberry Sauce

All recipes yield 6 servings.

Outdoor dining and grilling on the barbecue are two warm weather activities that we all enjoy and why not celebrate this holiday in style. This menu easy to prepare and you and your guests are sure to be impressed with the many different tastes and textures. Let's begin with the Bruschetta (pronounced broo-skeh-tah or broo-sheh-tah) an Italian creation of grilled bread rubbed with fresh garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. I've added a topping of fresh tomato and herbed mozzarella that makes a delicious hors d'oeuvre. As a first course, a marinated fresh salmon salad, dressed in a mustard vinaigrette and garnished with toasted walnuts. As a main course, Cornish Hens are split and marinated with an orange and honey marinade seasoned with herbs that us sure to please everyone. For a colorful and scrumptious accompaniment, peppers in assorted colors are grilled and then stuffed with a vegetable couscous mixture which has been seasoned with garlic, mint and mustard. The dessert calls for fresh peaches -- although locally grown peaches won't be available for a couple of months, tree fruit from Chile should be available in most large supermarkets. If not, frozen peach halves would be an acceptable substitute.

Bruschetta with Tomato and Mozzarella

2 medium ripe fresh tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
½ lb. Mozzarella, cut into small cubes
¼ cup Extra Virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
4 imported black olives, pitted and chopped
¼ tsp. Crushed dried red pepper flakes
5 large fresh basil leaves, finely minced (or 1 tsp dried)
1 sprig fresh oregano, finely minced (or 1 tsp dried)

1 large loaf Italian bread cut into ½-inch thick slices
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
2 Tablespoons finely minced parsley

1. In a medium glass bowl, combine first eight ingredients. Let stand one hour to allow flavors to blend.

2. Grill slices of Italian bread on the barbecue until grill marks appear on each side. Bread may also be grilled in a stove top grill pan lightly coated with oil.

3. Rub each slice of grilled bread with the cut side of the garlic halves and brush each slice with olive oil.

3. Top each bread slice with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the tomato mixture (amount depends on the size of the bread slice). Sprinkle chopped parsley over all slices. Arrange on a serving platter and enjoy with a beverage of your choice.

Grilled Fillet of Salmon Salad

6 x 3 oz. portions of salmon fillet
1 cup + 6 tablespoons Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressing (or your own vinaigrette)
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
Mixed Salad Greens - (choose a mixture of young tender greens such as endive, chicory, Frisée, watercress, arugula, radicchio cut into bite size pieces. Mesclun can be purchased in most large supermarkets which is a pre-mixed combination of different young greens.)
18 walnut halves, lightly toasted
12 small edible flowers - (squash blossoms, pansies, nasturtium, chive flowers that are specifically grown to be edible.)
6 small sprigs of fresh dill

1. In a glass pie plate, combine the salad dressing and mustard. Marinate salmon pieces in the mixture for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Line the grill surface with a piece of aluminum foil and poke hoes in the foil with a fork. This will prevent the salmon from sticking to the grill surface. (Note, if using an indoor electric grill or a stovetop grill pan, this step is not necessary) Place salmon on the foil surface and grill for approximately 3 - 4 minutes per side. This

2. Toast walnut halves in a non-stick skillet, lightly coated with oil. Remove from skillet and reserve.

3. Arrange young salad greens on 6 plates. Place a piece of grilled salmon in the center of the greens and garnish each plate with 2 edible flowers and 3 walnut halves. Place a sprig of dill on top of each salmon piece Drizzle a tablespoon of dressing over each serving.

Cornish Hens with Orange, Honey and Herbs

3 Cornish Hens, cleaned, split in half and backbones removed

For Marinade:

1 cup fresh orange juice
6 Tablespoons clover honey
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 large Spanish onion (or other sweet onion) thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon orange rind
1 Tablespoon lemon rind
3 sprigs fresh Thyme
6-8 juniper berries, crushed
2 bay leaves, broken in half
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish: cherry tomatoes and watercress sprigs

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a large glass or other non-corrosive dish and marinate the Cornish Hen halves for at least 3 hours (up to 8 hours). When the barbecue is hot, grill hens on both sides until browned. Test for doneness by cutting near the thigh bone. Juices should run clear and not pink. Also check for the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Poultry should be 180 degrees F. in the breast.

Grilled Peppers with Vegetable Couscous

6 medium size bell peppers in assorted colors (red, yellow, green, purple)
Olive Oil

Couscous Filling

2 cups cooked couscous
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into small dice
1 cup zucchini, diced
6 scallions, chopped
1 or 2 Jalapeño peppers, minced seeds and white ribs removed,
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (if using canned, rinse and drain before using)
6 Tablespoons chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup olive oil
½ cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 sprig of fresh mint, finely minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt to taste

1. Cut a slice off the stem end of each pepper. Remove the core and seeds and as much of the white ribs as possible. Brush peppers inside and out with olive oil. Place peppers on a hot grill, cut side down and grill peppers for approximately 15 minutes, turning occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from grill and let cool slightly.

2. For the couscous filling, mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Stuff each grilled pepper with the couscous and garnish each with a sprig of parsley.

Peaches with Raspberry Sauce

1½ cups sugar
3 cups water
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
6 fresh peaches, whole
2 packages frozen raspberries, drained
Mint sprigs for garnish

1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water and vanilla. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Add the peaches and simmer over low heat. Remove peel and halve the peaches. Discard the pit.

2. Purée raspberries in a food processor and add some sugar to taste if necessary.

3. To serve, arrange 2 or 3 tablespoons of the raspberry sauce in the center of each dessert plate; place two peach halves on top of the sauce. Garnish plate with sprigs of fresh mint.