Cooking With Rania: Summer Vacation-Inspired Recipes
This week, Rania Harris is in the Pittsburgh Today Live kitchen with two tasty recipes inspired by her summer vacation!
Sugar Snap Pea Salad With Crispy Pancetta and Mint
1 pound sugar snap peas, stem ends and strings removed
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1/4 pound pancetta, thinly sliced, cut crosswise in 1/4-dice
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 cups baby arugula
½ Vidalia onion, sliced thin
¼ cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese or more to taste
8 to 10 fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
Directions:
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of well-salted ice water and set it nearby. Add the peas to the boiling water, let the water return to a boil; cook for just a minute or until the peas turn bright green. Remove peas from water and immediately plunge them into the ice water. When the peas are cold, drain them and lay on paper towels.
Coat a medium sauté pan with olive oil, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Set pan over medium heat and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic. Add the pancetta and cook until crispy. Add vinegar. Turn off the heat.
In a large bowl, combine the arugula, snap peas and onion, along with the prosciutto and any juices from the pan. Toss well. Add the Parmesan and mint, then taste and adjust salt if needed.
Vidalia Onion Pie
½ cup butter
5 medium-size Vidalia sweet onions, sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Frank's Red Hot Sauce (to taste)
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
3 eggs, well-beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pastry shell, unbaked
¾ cup grated Asiago cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Heat the butter in a medium sauté skillet, add the onions, and sauté until the onions are translucent but not brown.
Combine the salt, pepper, hot sauce, mustard, eggs and sour cream in a medium-size bowl and mix well. Stir in the onions. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and top with grated cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is set and the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into serving pieces.
