Author Archives: Hope Cohen

Sangria Fontellina

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Fontellina is the chic Italian restaurant/beach club seaside in Capri. Spend the day there lounging on the rocks in the sun, swimming in the inky blue Mediterranean Sea, eating the divine food and drinking their famous “Sangria”. La Dolce vita starts and ends here!

Fontellina is the chic Italian restaurant/beach club seaside in Capri. Spend the day there lounging on the rocks in the sun, swimming in the inky blue Mediterranean Sea, eating the divine food and drinking their famous “Sangria”. La Dolce vita starts and ends here!

  • 1 Bottle of chilled dry white wine (I like Pinot Grigio)
  • 4 Ripe peaches, each peeled, pit removed and sliced into 8 slices
  • 4 Ripe plums, each peeled, pit removed and sliced into 8 slices
  • 4 Ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced into quarters
  • 15 Seedless white grapes, sliced in half
  • 2 Mint Sprigs
  • Ice for serving

 

    1. Place all ingredients in a large glass pitcher and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.
    1. Stir Well, serve over ice in a wine glass and enjoy

 

Green Pea Soup with Mint

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Bright emerald green and bursting with clean, fresh mint flavor, this soup is so simple and like a breath of new spring air. Serve it warm on a chilly night or icy cold as a warm weather lunch.

Bright emerald green and bursting with clean, fresh mint flavor, this soup is so simple and like a breath of new spring air. Serve it warm on a chilly night or icy cold as a warm weather lunch.

 

  • 1 tbs vegetable oil
  • 2 scallions, trimmed and chopped
  • 1 small bag of frozen baby peas
  • 12 fresh mint leaves
  • 3 cups of water
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 tbs Crème Fraîche stirred together with salt to taste (for garnish)
  1. Heat oil in medium sized pot on medium heat.
  2. Sauté scallions, seasoning with salt and pepper, stirring often for several minutes.
  3. Add peas, mint, water, salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until peas are cooked but till bright green.
  4. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  5. Carefully transfer mixture to a blender.  Blend carefully, allowing steam to escape, stirring and scraping blender container as necessary.
  6. Continue to blend until all ingredients are well pureed.  Add some additional water if necessary to thin the soup.
  7. Taste for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Serve immediately or allow cool, refrigerating and serving the next day.
  9. Garnish each serving of soup with a dollop of Crème Fraîche.

 

Note: Be extra careful when blending hot ingredients in a blender to allow some hot air to escape while blending ingredients, by slightly moving lid to a side position or removing the center plastic part of the lid and covering with a towel so the ingredients don’t splatter.  Neglecting this step can cause a hot explosion.

 

Serves 4

photo by Kristi Senat

 

Patrón Black Cherry Margarita

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  • 1.5 oz patrón silver tequilla
  • ½ oz orange liquor such as cointreau
  • 1 oz fresh lime juice
  • ½ cup fresh, pitted black cherries, pureed with an immersion blender
  • Lime for garnish

 

  1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a shaker glass filled ith ice and shake well.
  2. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with lime.  Drink while icy cold.
Makes 1 Cocktail

 

 

 

Warm Steak Salad with Mustard and Greens

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Warm slices of garlicky, charred, juicy steak sitting on top of cold crisp greens, herbs and ripe tomatoes all dressed with a spicy red wine and Dijon vinaigrette could be Summer’s best salad

(4) 6-8 oz individual filet or ny strip steaks

For marinade

  • 2 tbs dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup dry red wine
  • 1 garlic clove smashed or pressed
  • 2 tbs chopped italian parsley
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 cups mixed greens for salad
  • 2 red ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 scallions, chopped finely

For vinaigrette

  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, mint
  1. For the marinade, mix dijon mustard, red wine, garlic, parsley, salt & pepper until combined.
  2. Place steak and marinade in a zip lock baggie, squeeze out excess air, and seal bag well.  Move steaks around in bag to distribute marinade evenly around meat.  Marinate for several hours, removing meat from the refrigerator 1 hour before grilling.
  3. Make the vinaigrette.  Mix dijon, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper together well, and then add olive oil slowly in a stream, mixing well until emulsified. Stir in fresh herbs (reserving a small amount for garnish), tomatoes and scallions and set aside until ready to compose dishes.
  4. Pre-heat grill to medium high heat.  Remove meat from marinade and pat dry.  Grill for approximately 5 minutes per side for medium rare.
  5. Remove meat from grill and let stand for 5-10 minutes to rest.  Alternately, steaks may be pan sauteed or broiled.
  6. Toss salad greens with reserved vinaigrette, tomatoes and scallions.  Place a serving of salad on the center of each plate.  Slice steaks thinly across the grain and lay slices decoratively over salads and serve.

 

Serves 4 – 6


Ripe Strawberries and Vanilla Cream

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Summer sweet strawberries paired with cream that has been freshly whipped and scented with vanilla, is a classic, delightful combination. Find a farm stand with freshly picked berries and local organic cream for a true summertime treat

Summer sweet strawberries paired with cream that has been freshly whipped and scented with vanilla, is a classic, delightful combination. Find a farm stand with freshly picked berries and local organic cream for a true summertime treat

  • 1 quart fresh ripe strawberries, rinsed, drained and trimmed and halved
  • 2 tbs granulated sugar
  • 1 half pint heavy cream
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Mint sprigs for garnish

 

  1. Toss strawberries with 1 tablespoon of the sugar, reserving the other tablespoon for the cream.  Mix gently and set aside.
  2. Combine cream, vanilla and sugar in a medium sized metal mixing bowl.
  3. Beat with a hand mixer on high until cream is whipped softly and forms small soft peaks when the beater is lifted out of the bowl.  Do not beat to long or you will wind up with cream that is too stiff or worse yet, butter!
  4. Place strawberries into individual serving bowls and top with a generous dollop of cream.
  5. Garnish with mint and serve immediately.  (alternately, cream may be whipped and refrigerated in a covered container for up to 24 hours for later assembly)

 

 

Serves 6