Kudos to Kevin Colins, a Princeton University grad student who won the Princeton Family Dinner week recipe contest. Chef Chris Albrecht loved Kevin’s recipe for its use of local ingredients as well as the idea of grilled pizza. Kevin came with three of his friends and enjoyed a Saturday lunch at Eno Terra. Here is the recipe. Chef Chris used hard boiled eggs and you are welcome to try it both ways.

10-15 stalks of local asparagus (depending on thickness), with bottom woody part removed
4-5 oz local fresh mushrooms, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup of Jersey Fresh marinara sauce
1 cup (grated) of Cherry Grove Toma Cheese
2-3 Cherry Grove (or other locally pasture-raised) eggs
Salt and pepper to taste.
One recipe basic  pizza dough (recipe follows)

Step 1:  Prepare pizza dough (or if necessary, prepare uncooked pizza dough from local pizzeria)

Step 2:  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add Asparagus, and blanch until bright green (about 2 minutes). Remove asparagus directly to a bowl of ice water to shock, leave until chilled to room temp (again about 2 minutes), then remove and dry on paper towel.

Step 3.  Heat a large pan (so as not to crowd the mushrooms), add butter, and saute the mushrooms. When cooked, remove to paper towel to wick away excess fat. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Step 4:  Heat grill, cleaning grates thoroughly, until very hot. Quickly grill the asparagus, just enough to mark them.

Step 5:  Roll out pizza dough into one large pie, slightly thicker than would roll out to cook in an conventional oven.  On a peel dusted with cornmeal, lay out pizza dough and carry to grill.  Grill one side of the dough until set and slightly brown. Then remove dough to peel, with the cooked side up.  Add sauce, applying very thinly to the pizza. Add mushrooms, then cheese, then lay asparagus stalks on top of cheese.  Finally crack the eggs on top of the pizza, spacing evenly. Return to the grill, and if possible, close grill top.  Cook until bottom is golden brown and the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Season to taste with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Step 6:  Cut into eggs so yolk sauces the pizza. Slice and serve family style.

Kevin Collins and Chris Albrecht

Basic pizza dough recipe (Adapted from Mark Bittman)

1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
3 cups (about 14 ounces) all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
Ground black pepper
1 to 1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

Combine the yeast, flour, and 2 teaspoons salt, and several grinds of black pepper in the container of a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water and the 2 tablespoons of oil. Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch. If it is dry, add another tablespoon or two of water and process for another 10 seconds. Or if needed, add flour a tablespoon at a time.

Empty out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead several minutes and form a smooth, round dough ball. Grease a bowl with the remaining olive oil, and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise 6-8 hours in the refrigerator. The slow rise at refrigerator temperatures yields a superior flavor and texture, though 1-2 hours of rising at room temperature can suffice.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator to come to room temperature for thirty minutes. Punch down the dough, knead it out on a board, and again form a smooth round ball. Allow to bench proof for another 30-60 minutes before shaping into pizza.

Congratulations to Chef Amy Rosenthal!  She won second place at the Princeton Family Dinner Week recipe contest!

Amy’s winning entry, gnocchi 2-ways, was judged by Chef Chris Albrecht  who loved the “seasonal take on the classic broccoli rabe and sausage.” Amy used New Jersey asparagus instead of the broccoli rabe

Chef  Chris made a few suggestions: first, to bake the potatoes rather than boiling them. This way the potatoes are less moist and therefore bind better and absorb flavors better. He also suggested making the Alfredo sauce with milk rather than cream. Amy happily embraced  the suggestions.

The gnocchi were offered as a special on Eno Terra’s menu last  Saturday. Amy, her husband Matt and Kids Jason-15 and Ally-12 were invited for a weekend family lunch in which their recipe was featured.

Here are the recipes in Amy’s own words. Next Saturday: winner Kevin Collins with his grilled pizza with local everything (asparagus, cheese,even tomato sauce)

The Rosenthals with Chef Chris Albrecht

Gnocchi Two Ways

For the gnocchi (make in advance for weeknight meals)
3 large Idaho potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup flour
kosher salt
Cut potatoes in half and put in a pot of cold water. Turn heat on to high and bring to boiling, cooking for about 30 minutes. Make sure the potatoes are soft all the way through! Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and put into a colander. Do not dump out the water in the pot if making the gnocchi immediately… we’ll re-use it.
If you are baking the potatoes: preheat the oven to 350 F. Scrub the potatoes and leave the skin on. Pierce the potatoes with a fork a few times and then bake for 45 minutes of until soft through. Let cool a little and then peel.

Immediately add the potatoes to a food processor with the shredding blade inserted. We don’t have a potato ricer, and probably would end up over mashing the potatoes that way. Quickly “shred” the potatoes and dump them into a very large serving bowl. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Wipe out food processor and switch to whipping blade. Add eggs and whip so they are light. Pour egg over the potatoes and sprinkle flour and some salt on top. Gently fold the potatoes until all is combined. Form dough into long rolls (3/4″ diameter), then cut into “pillows” with a sharp blade. Freeze if saving for another day.

If making fresh gnocchi, re-boil the potato water in the pot.
If using prepared gnocchi, boil a fresh pot of water with a little salt. Proceed with the following recipes:

Sausage, Asparagus and Garlic Sauce
1 fresh tomato
1 bunch fresh asparagus
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon-ish olive oil
3 links Simply Grazin’ pork sausage
salt and pepper

Throw whole tomato into the pot of boiling water (for about 15 seconds). Remove with a slotted spoon; keep the water boiling. Remove skin, remove seeds and core, then chop the tomato pulp small.

Chop asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces. Add steamer to pot and steam asparagus pieces over boiling water until soft. Remove with slotted spoon; keep the water boiling.

Crush garlic. We usually remove the sausage from the casing instead of slicing it (more fun that way). Squeeze out small globs of sausage and saute in olive oil until cooked. Add crushed tomato, steamed asparagus and garlic to same pan. Saute for 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Cook Gnocchi
Add the gnocchi to the boiling water in small batches. Cook until the gnocchi float to the top of the water (5 minutes). Rinse out the large serving bowl used to make the gnocchi, then gently put the cooked gnocchi back into the bowl using a slotted spoon. Dump most of the water from the pot (leaving a little bit) and put pot back on the burner.

Spinach Alfredo Sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)
1 cup spinach (torn)

Add the heavy cream and butter to the pot with the leftover gnocchi water, or to a clean pot. Stir while butter melts. Add cheese and stir while cheese melts into the rich creamy sauce. Add torn spinach to sauce and stir until wilted.

Put it together
Gently put half of the gnocchi into the sausage pan, and the other half in the alfredo pot. Heat both for a few minutes. Put both types of gnocchi back into the big serving bowl (half on each side). Nobody cares if the sauces touch each other… they work so well together! Add some shaved Parmesan on top, and let everyone help themselves.

Fueled by a passion to help people, Dorothy Mullen is making believers of  folks who may have doubted that you are what you eat, i.e., – healthy or unhealthy. We caught up with Ms. Mullen at the Princeton YMCA where local restauranteur Raoul Momo and his sons and nephew were among those sharing (and helping to prepare) – a Dorothy supper.   Our visit came in late April during “Family Dinner Week” in Princeton.

See below for some fabulous, teen – friendly recipes from Dorothy’s Suppers Program.   Visit her web site at www.DorothyMullen.org. And for even more about Dorothy’s Supper’s Program, follow this link to U.S.1  for a profile about her work.

Chicken Tortilla Soup ~ Serves 8

Ingredients:

8 corn tortillas
Lime salt (kosher salt mixed with grated lime zest)
2 cups thinly sliced onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Dash of ground allspice
3 pounds chicken pieces, skinned, bone in.
1 quart chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 carrot, cut into 3 piece
1 celery stalk, cut in half crosswise
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup ground red chiles
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin

For Garnish:

1 cup avocado, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
Chopped fresh cilantro, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Brush tortillas in olive oil and sprinkle some lime salt

Cut each tortilla in half. Cut tortilla halves into 1/4-inch strips. Arrange tortilla strips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 6 minutes or until lightly browned.

Combine onion and next  9 ingredients (onion through bay leaf) in a stock pot. simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove chicken from broth; cool slightly. Remove chicken from bones; cut meat into bite-sized pieces. Discard bones.

Strain stock through a sieve into a bowl, and discard solids. Return stock to cooker; stir in ground chiles, oregano, cumin, and chicken; let stand 5 minutes.

Divide soup evenly among 8 bowls; top each serving with 2 tablespoons avocado, 1 tablespoon sour cream, tortilla strips and a pinch of  cilantro.

Mango Salsa:
2 cups diced mango
1 cup diced jícama
1 cup cooked black beans, drained
1 tsp. finely chopped jalapeño (or to taste)
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh mint
½ small red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
In a food processor or blender, purée 1/2 cup of the diced mango until smooth. In a serving bowl, combine the remaining diced mango, the jícama, beans, jalapeño, mint, onion, lime juice, and vinegar. Gently stir in the mango purée. Season with salt. Ideally, let stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Black Eyed Peas Salsa
1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ small red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh juice from ½ small lime
1 minced fresh garlic clove
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

Chili

1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds ground turkey
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 lime wedges

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook slowly, over low heat for 10 minutes until soft. Add chili, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add turkey and cook until changes color, stirring frequently to crumble. Stir in tomato paste and stir for about 3 minutes. Add pepper, cannelini beans, tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Guacamole
1 medium tomato, finely diced
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
2 large Haas avocados (about 1 lb.), cut into 1/2-inch dice
In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes with the onion, cilantro, lime juice, red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp. salt, and let sit for about 5 minutes. Add the avocado and gently mash it into the tomato mixture with a fork. Serve immediately.

Mexican Chopped Salad (from Fine Cooking)
For the peppers and corn:
2 large orange or red bell peppers
2 ears fresh corn
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the honey-lime-cumin vinaigrette:
1 small clove garlic
Kosher salt
3 Tbs. fresh lime juice
3 Tbs. fresh orange juice
2 tsp. finely chopped shallot
1 Tbs. honey; more to taste
3/4 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and finely ground
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
To assemble:
2 large firm-ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1-3/4 cup)
1 jícama, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
2 large firm-ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 2-1/2 cups)
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Roast the peppers and corn:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425ºF. Line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with foil. Put the pepper on the baking sheet cut side down. Husk the corn and put the ears on the baking sheet. Drizzle the oil over the peppers and corn and rub it around to coat the pepper skins and corn kernels evenly. Sprinkle the corn with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until the peppers are soft and slightly shriveled and browned and the corn kernels are lightly browned in a few spots, about 20 min. (rotate the corn occasionally as it roasts).
When the vegetables are done, let them rest until cool enough to handle. Scrape away the pepper skin and cut the flesh into 1/2-inch dice. Cut the corn kernels from the cob. You should have about 1-1/2 cups kernels.

Make the vinaigrette:
Mince and mash the garlic to a paste with 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the garlic paste with the lime and orange juices, shallot, honey, and toasted ground cumin. Slowly add the oil in a thin stream, whisking until well blended. Season to taste with black pepper and more salt and honey, if you like.
Assemble the salad:
Artfully arrange the corn, tomatoes, peppers, jícama, avocado, and black beans in stripes or piles on a small platter or other wide, shallow serving dish. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Serve the vinaigrette in a pitcher. Encourage guests to spoon elements of the salad onto their plates and drizzle on some of the vinaigrette. Or drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad platter just before serving.

Mango Salsa

2 cups diced mango

1 cup diced jícama

1  cup cooked black beans, drained

1 tsp. finely chopped jalapeño (or to taste)

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh mint

½  small red onion, finely chopped

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

Salt to taste

In a food processor or blender, purée 1/2 cup of the diced mango until smooth. In a serving bowl, combine the remaining diced mango, the jícama, beans, jalapeño, mint, onion, lime juice, and vinegar. Gently stir in the mango purée. Season with salt. Ideally, let stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Black Eyed Peas Salsa

1 cup chopped tomatoes

½ small red onion, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped green pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Fresh juice from ½ small lime

1 minced fresh garlic clove

Salt to taste

½  teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups cooked black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

Chili

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic,  minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 pounds ground turkey

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 poblano pepper, diced

1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

6 lime wedges

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook slowly, over low heat for 10 minutes until soft. Add chili, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add turkey and cook until changes color, stirring frequently to crumble. Stir in tomato paste and stir for about 3 minutes. Add pepper, cannelini beans, tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Guacamole

1 medium tomato, finely diced

1/2 small red onion, finely diced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 Tbs. fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

2 large Haas avocados (about 1 lb.), cut into 1/2-inch dice

In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes with the onion, cilantro, lime juice, red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp. salt, and let sit for about 5 minutes. Add the avocado and gently mash it into the tomato mixture with a fork. Serve immediately.
Mexican Chopped Salad (from Fine Cooking)

For the peppers and corn:

2 large orange or red bell peppers

2 ears fresh corn

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the honey-lime-cumin vinaigrette:

1 small clove garlic

Kosher salt

3 Tbs. fresh lime juice

3 Tbs. fresh orange juice

2 tsp. finely chopped shallot

1 Tbs. honey; more to taste

3/4 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and finely ground

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

2 large firm-ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1-3/4 cup)

1 jícama, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)

2 large firm-ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 2-1/2 cups)

1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Roast the peppers and corn:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425ºF. Line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with foil. Put the pepper on the baking sheet cut side down. Husk the corn and put the ears on the baking sheet. Drizzle the oil over the peppers and corn and rub it around to coat the pepper skins and corn kernels evenly. Sprinkle the corn with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until the peppers are soft and slightly shriveled and browned and the corn kernels are lightly browned in a few spots, about 20 min. (rotate the corn occasionally as it roasts).

When the vegetables are done, let them rest until cool enough to handle. Scrape away the pepper skin and cut the flesh into 1/2-inch dice. Cut the corn kernels from the cob. You should have about 1-1/2 cups kernels.

Make the vinaigrette:

Mince and mash the garlic to a paste with 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the garlic paste with the lime and orange juices, shallot, honey, and toasted ground cumin. Slowly add the oil in a thin stream, whisking until well blended. Season to taste with black pepper and more salt and honey, if you like.

Assemble the salad:

Artfully arrange the corn, tomatoes, peppers, jícama, avocado, and black beans in stripes or piles on a small platter or other wide, shallow serving dish. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Serve the vinaigrette in a pitcher. Encourage guests to spoon elements of the salad onto their plates and drizzle on some of the vinaigrette. Or drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad platter just before serving.

(Adapted from Fine Cooking)
2 Tbs. olive oil
6 to 8 cloves garlic, chopped
14 oz. canned diced Jersey Fresh tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved.
4 cups vegetarian chicken broth
1 package  fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
1 lb kale or spinach, washed and chopped
8 to 10 leaves basil, coarsely chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese, preferably parmigiano reggiano

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat combine oil and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 min. Add drained tomatoes and saute for 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook halfway, about 5 minutes  for frozen pasta, less if using fresh. Add the tomatoes liquid, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook just until the pasta is tender. Stir in the greens and basil and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 min. Serve sprinkled with the grated cheese.