Category Archives: Appetizers

Sriracha Egg Salad

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Sriracha Egg Salad

During the work week, I am notorious for eating lunch at my desk.  Some people may frown upon it but I don’t.  I consider it being efficient and a form of multi-tasking…

For those who do not know what Sriracha is. It’s an Asian chili sauce that you may be able to find in the Asian section of your favorite grocery store.  It’s a little bit spicy and in my opinion, tastes wonderful in so many dishes that you may want to add a little heat to.  It’s a staple in my kitchen and I use it all the time in soups, stews, sauces, eggs, stir fries and even on pizza.  

My Sriracha Egg Salad is one of those dishes that I can easily prepare the night before and have it ready in my lunch bag before I leave for work the next morning.  I just grab a handful of crackers, maybe a piece of fruit, some sparkling water and lunch is done. My Sriracha Egg Salad is a riff on a traditional egg salad but with light mayonnaise and spicy Sriracha sauce. Next time you are in the mood for egg salad, add a bit of Sriracha to liven it up.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 4 hard boiled eggs
  • 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup celery (chopped)
  • 1 Tbs relish
  • 1 green onion (chopped)
  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Sriracha or to taste (I like to use more)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • garnish with fresh chopped chives and pinch of smoked paprika

Peel and chop your hard boiled eggs.  Add to a medium sized bowl.  Add light mayonnaise, celery, relish, green onion, dijon mustard, sriracha, salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Spread on your favorite bread or crackers.  Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Makes 4 servings.

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Mexican Style Pickled Vegetables

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Mexican Style Pickled Vegetables

If you love hot and spicy food, you are in for a real treat.  This unassuming little dish of pickled vegetables will fire up your taste buds.  My Mexican Style Pickled Vegetables is a wonderful combination of marinated bright orange carrots, crunchy cauliflower and smoking hot Serrano peppers.  I like to serve my Mexican Style Pickled Vegetables whenever I make homemade tacos, burritos or enchiladas.

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Serrano Peppers.  Use gloves when slicing these little bad boys…  Also, be sure to not touch your eyes or nose after working with these peppers.  Wash your hands well after working with the peppers.  Trust me.  You will not like what they will do to you.  I made that mistake once.  If you can’t handle the heat from the Serranos in the dish, you can dial it down by simply adding milder peppers instead.

My Mexican Style Pickled Vegetables is not only easy to make but vegan too.  Next time you serve Mexican cuisine at your home, be sure to make a batch of these pickled vegetables to serve along side your favorite dishes.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound carrots
  • 1 pound cauliflower
  • 3 Serrano peppers
  • 1 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 Tbs minced garlic

Begin by washing and peeling the carrots.  Slice diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces.  Set aside.  Wash and cut the cauliflower into bite sized florets and set aside with the carrots.  Trim the tops of the peppers and cut into 1/2 inch sized pieces.  In a non reactive pan, add vinegar, water, sugar, bay leaves, salt and black peppercorns.  Bring vinegar mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved.  Add garlic, Serrano peppers, carrots and cauliflower.  Cook for an additional 3 – 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.  Be sure to let the vegetables sit in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours before serving.  The longer it sits in the refrigerator, the spicier it gets.  This makes a pretty good sized batch, so feel free to cut the recipe in half.  Makes about a quart and a half of spicy pickled vegetables.

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Gevulde Broodjes

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Gevulde Broodjes

The recipe that I am sharing with you today is one of my most favorite of our family recipes.  They’re called Gevulde Broodjes.  Translated from Dutch, it means stuffed buns.  It’s one of those dishes that I like to prepare because it reminds me of my most fondest childhood memories.  Many years ago my Oma used to make these for my sister and I whenever we visited her home.  The filling for these little rolls is the same as the filling that she used to make for her kroketten (croquettes).  Kroketten is another recipe that I need to share one day soon!

Gevulde Broodjes are small fist sized dinner rolls that are hollowed out and stuffed with a warm beefy filling.  They are generally served as a snack but I have also made them for lunch or even dinner.  Last summer my Uncle Boebi made a large batch of these rolls to share with our family.  Within a few short minutes, the Gevulde Broodjes were gone. Scarfing the rolls is probably a better word to describe what happened.  That was the only time over the entire weekend with the family that there was near complete silence in the home.  Silence because everyone was quietly devouring the rolls :).  My family loves these little beef rolls and I hope that you do too.  Enjoy!  Tessa

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Slice the top off of the roll…

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Gently hollow out the roll.  Save the crumbs for another dish…

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Stuff the rolls with beef mixture and replace the top.  Now they’re ready to warm up and serve!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 cup white onion (minced)
  • 1 cup celery leaves and stems (minced)
  • 2 Tbs butter
  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 2 tsp garlic paste
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1/3 cup flour (use more if needed)
  • 2/3 cup water (use more if needed)
  • salt to taste
  • 12 soft french bread dinner rolls

Melt butter in a large frying pan.  Cook onions and celery on medium heat until onions are translucent, taking care not to brown the mixture.  Add ground beef and mix well and cook for a few minutes until nearly done and the beef is finely crumbled.  Drain any grease out of the pan.  Add chicken bouillon cubes, garlic, coriander, nutmeg, and white pepper.  In a separate bowl, \whisk together the flour and water until there are no lumps.  Add flour mixture to beef mixture and cook for about 15 minutes, constantly stirring until the flour taste is gone.  Add additional flour and water if needed.  Taste and correct your seasonings and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Start cutting the tops off the dinner rolls and set the tops aside.  Using your fingers, gently remove the center of the rolls.  Be sure to leave 1/2 inch of bread on all sides of the roll.  Do the same for the tops of the rolls also.  Do this until each of the rolls have been hollowed out.  Fill each roll with about the beef mixture and add back the tops.  Place rolls in a baking pan, cover with foil and bake until warmed through.  Serve with good quality yellow mustard.

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Broccoli Bisque

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I have not posted any recipes for the past couple of weeks… It’s not that I did not want to or that I was being lazy.  Most of my free time after work has been spent trying to figure out why my website was not cooperating with me.  Most of the time food blogging is an enjoyable and rewarding hobby but it can be extremely frustrating at times.  Maintaining a food/recipe website is a combination of being a food writer, photographer and webmaster.  I am comfortable with the first two items, but the web master part, I’m still learning (struggling). And, in my opinion, I have a long way to go…

My website problem was this…  Every time I tried to post my Broccoli Bisque recipe, the body of the post would not stay formatted properly. I tried everything. I uninstalled and re-installed different components on my website.  I tried even changing the look of my website.  My frustration level with my computer was at all time high.  I was seriously irritated and I was questioning why I even want to be a food blogger in the first place.  In other words, my website was seriously “jacked up”.

Then late last night it dawned on me…  I thought to myself that maybe I’m having software conflicts with web browsers.  I’ve seen that before with software applications at work.  I have certain applications that I work with that don’t run very well in Internet Explorer and perfectly in Firefox.  And vice versa.  Since I only have Firefox on my laptop, I thought I’d download a free copy of Google Chrome.  I installed it and then I tried working on my website while on Google Chrome.  Unbelievable!  Problem solved!  I learned something big.  Next time I am having problems with my website I’m going to check if it is an issue  with a web browser before spending the time dismantling my entire website.

Well, I’m back.  I look forward to being back on schedule and creating some dishes to share.  Meanwhile, be sure to try my easy vegan Broccoli Bisque.  It’s simple to make, good for you and most importantly, it tastes delicious!  Enjoy!  Tessa

 Ingredients:

  • 3/4 pound broccoli florets
  • 1 Tbs canola oil
  • 1 cup onion (chopped)
  • 1 quart vegetable stock
  • 2 cups russet potatoes (peeled and diced)
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • salt to taste.

In a large saucepan on medium heat, add broccoli, onions, canola oil and a big pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring constantly until broccoli is crisp tender or onions are translucent.  Add potatoes, vegetable stock, coriander, and white pepper.  Cook covered until potatoes and broccoli are tender.  Grab an immersion blender and blend until creamy.  Add more stock if necessary.  Taste and correct your seasonings.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley or chopped onion.  Serves 4.

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Orange Pomegranate Salad

Orange Pomegranate Salad

The holidays are fast approaching and I am already planning our meal for Christmas Eve.  It’s a family tradition that every year on Christmas Eve I make a huge pot of New England Clam Chowder to share with my family and friends.  With the chowder, I serve up finger foods, fresh baked breads, salad and dessert.  Since the chowder is the only item on the menu that does not change from year to year, I try to think of different and fresh tasting dishes to serve with the soup.

While I am thinking about what I am going to serve with the chowder, our family is busy decorating our home for the holidays.  Bruce’s responsibility is to put up the lights out in the front of the home, and my job is to decorate the dining room and living room.  I love doing that.  It’s one of my favorite things to do.

This is what my dining room looked during the last Christmas season.  Last year, I focused on red and green colors.  This year my plan is to decorate with white and silver.  I want my dining room to have a shiny cold sparkle to it.  The table will be removed and 2 eight foot tables will take its place on Christmas Eve.  That’s what I do every time we have a large gathering in our home.  What I have in mind this year is crisp white table cloths, white candlesticks with snow covered greenery.  The three little trees that you see above are now covered with little white birds, silver ornaments and shimmery snowflakes.

One of my white birds.  I snagged about a dozen of these at a craft store last week for about a dollar each.  I would have bought more but I cleaned out the bin…

Silver pine cone ornament.  My Mom gave these pine cone ornaments to me earlier this year.  These pretty ornaments are on the same trees as the white birds.  Can you believe that this ornament is made of plastic?  Could have fooled me…  I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not ashamed of decorating with plastic ornaments.  I like plastic ornaments because they are pet and child friendly, they don’t shatter and when they fall off the tree, all they do is bounce!  And what’s even better about plastic ornaments…  They’re inexpensive.

I just love the holidays!  In my opinion, it’s not about the gifts or the food.  It’s all about spending quality time with family and friends.  I want everyone who visits our home to have a wonderful time and have fond memories of our time together.

I have made the decision to serve my Orange Pomegranate Salad on Christmas Eve.  It’s light, plates beautifully and won’t leave my guests stuffed once I start ladling up steaming hot bowls of chowder.  My Orange Pomegranate Salad is made with fresh naval oranges, pomegranate seeds, watercress, radish shoots, crunchy pepitas and a tangy pomegranate vinaigrette.  It’s easy, bright and delicious! Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 6 large naval oranges, peeled and sliced.
  • 3 cups water cress (use more if you like)
  • 3 cups radish shoots (use more if you like)
  • 6 Tbs toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 6 Tbs fresh pomegranate seeds
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/8 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/8 cup pomegranate vinegar
  • 1 Tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Begin by cutting off the peel from the oranges.  Slice each orange into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Arrange on six salad plates with water cress, radish shoots, pomegranate seeds, and pepitas.  Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the canola oil, rice vinegar, pomegranate vinegar, brown sugar, ginger and salt.  Drizzle the vinaigrette on the salads when ready to serve.  Serves 6.

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Marinated Black Olives and Autumn along the Rogue River…

Marinated Black Olives

This year at our Thanksgiving table, one of my responsibilities is to prepare an antipasto platter to share with our family.  My antipasto platters always includes a simple selection yet carefully chosen variety of cheese, salami, olives, vegetables and bread sticks.  Those who have prepared antipasto platters before, know that good ingredients don’t come cheap.  One way to save some money is to instead of purchasing expensive store bought marinated olives, is to marinate the olives yourself!

My Marinated Black Olives is simple to make and what’s so cool about it is that you can make a ridiculously dirt cheap can of black olives taste amazing!  Toss together the ingredients and make a plan to get out of the kitchen.  And while your olives are marinating, go out and visit one of your favorite places for the next couple of hours. Maybe the mall, your favorite park, or hiking trail…

One of my favorite places to visit in Southern Oregon is the Rogue River.  This a section of the Rogue River a few miles outside a tiny little town called Merlin.  This is a view looking downstream above the world famous Hellgate Canyon.

A view of Hellgate Canyon at the top of the hill.  Several Hollywood movies and television shows were filmed in this area. John Wayne and Katherine Hepburn filmed “Rooster Cogburn” in the canyon.  James Arness filmed an episode of “Gunsmoke” here.  Kevin Bacon and Meryl Streep filmed scenes from the movie “The River Wild” on the Rogue River below.

A fly fisherman along the bank of the Rogue River at Indian Mary Park.  Abundant quantities of Salmon, Steelhead and Trout are found in the river.

A view up river towards Merlin.  If you ever get the chance to visit Oregon, be sure to stop by our wonderful Rogue River.  It’s so beautiful!

My Marinated Black Olives are ready to serve.  It takes only a few minutes to prepare and about 4 hours minimum to marinate.  If you are patient, the olives taste even better the following day.  These Marinated Black Olives are bargain priced, easy to prepare and most importantly, delicious!  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 5.75 ounce can of black olives (drained, I used jumbo)
  • 1/3 cup garlic red wine vinegar
  • 3 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 Tbs fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 tsp fresh chopped oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • pinch of red pepper flakes (or to taste)

Mix all ingredients in a non reactive bowl.  Add to pint jar or container. Cover and place in refrigerator.  Keeps up to 3 – 4 days.

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Chicken Liver Pate

Chicken Liver Pate

When it comes to food preferences and tastes, I believe that people fall into two distinct groups.  People either like to eat liver or they don’t.  I consider myself one of the fortunate people who fall in the first category.  And as for my husband Bruce, well, take a wild guess…  I learned early on in our marriage that if I wanted to elicit a strong response out of Bruce, I would simply tell him that we are having liver and onions for dinner.

It all started with a harmless trip to the butcher…  Earlier that day I purchased a pound of calf’s liver and right before I was going to prepare the meal, Bruce noticed the package of liver in the refrigerator.  I kid you not, for within minutes, I received a stern lecture on why he will not eat liver.  Meanwhile, while trying to understand his food issue, I could not help but notice the look on his face.  The look on his face was priceless.  I knew I had just pressed a button :).

The other day while shopping for our groceries for the week, I saw a half a pound of chicken livers on sale and I promptly put them in my basket.  I knew exactly what I was going to make with them.  Chicken Liver Pate!  Not only just Chicken Liver Pate, but Chicken Liver Pate all for me.  My Chicken Liver Pate is easy to make and tastes delicious.  Serve Chicken Liver Pate on toasted crostini or on your favorite crackers.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound chicken livers cleaned and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 3 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic (minced)
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme
  • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
  • pinch of white pepper or to taste
  • 1/4 cup Marsala wine

Heat a saute pan to medium high heat (Not too hot).  Add olive oil and chopped onion.  Cook until onion is opaque.  Add chicken livers, garlic, thyme, salt and white pepper.  Cook until livers are cooked completely through and no pink color is left.  Remove thyme sprig and deglaze pan with Marsala wine.  Cook until wine has nearly disappeared.  Add entire contents of pan to a food processor and process until smooth.  Taste and correct your seasonings.  Remove from processor and place in a bowl.  Cover surface of pate with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until completely cool.  Serve pate chilled with your favorite crackers or toasts.  Makes about 3/4 cup.

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Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes

The nights here in Southern Oregon have been crisp and cool.  It won’t be long before we see the first frost of the season.  And once the frost hits, my garden is pretty much done for the year.  When I walked outside this morning I noticed that my tomato plants were still loaded with tomatoes.  Tomatoes that will not ripen on the vine because it’s just too cold outside

Well, let me tell you what.  These beautiful green fruits are not going to waste or get tossed in the compost bin.  As a matter of fact, these unripe tomatoes will be put to good use as delicious Fried Green Tomatoes with Smoked Paprika Aioli.

A variety of unripe green heirloom tomatoes.  I’m sure going to miss my tomatoes this winter.  There are very few things better than a fresh picked tomato out of the garden.  Chocolate is one of them.

A green zebra heirloom tomato. The interesting thing about green zebras is that they are still green in color when they are fully ripe.  I know that this one is not ripe due to the firmness of the fruit.  When making Fried Green Tomatoes be sure to use ones that are completely unripe.  If you use ripe tomatoes, you will end up with a gooey mess.  Trust me, don’t go there.

Slice your tomatoes into half inch slices.  Discard (or compost)  the tops and the bottoms.

Three hot and crispy yet moist in the middle slices of Fried Green Tomatoes with my Smoked Paprika Aioli.

Got green tomatoes?  Make a batch and dig in…  They’re easy and delicious!  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 3 – 4 unripe tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup corn meal
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • oil for frying

Begin by using unripe, unblemished fruit.  Slice into 1/2 inch slices and toss the tops and bottoms.  In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and milk.  In another bowl mix together the panko, corn meal, salt and pepper.  Heat a nonstick fry pan with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan with about 1/2 inch or so deep with oil.

Dredge tomato slices (both sides) in flour, dip in egg mixture and then dip in the crumb mixture.  Repeat for each.  Place in fry pan and fry both sides until you get a golden color.  Don’t over crowd the pan.  Drain on paper towels.  Finish again with a light sprinkle of salt.  Serve plain or with Smoked Paprika Aioli (recipe below) or even some spicy sriracha sauce.  Makes about 3 -4 servings.

Smoked Paprika Aioli

  • 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic paste or to taste

Whisk all ingredients in small bowl.  Store covered in refrigerator up to 3 days until ready to use.

Note:  This aioli can be used on crab cakes, grilled fish, and even potato fries.  I like it on hamburgers too!

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Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Chicken Satay.  Now close your eyes and repeat after me.  Saa-taay…  While you are saying it, just imagine hot, juicy, succulent, flavorful barbecued chicken on bamboo skewers drizzled with peanut sauce.  Close your eyes and say it again.  Saa-taay…

Did I just catch you drooling?

If you have never had satay before, satay is an amazingly flavorful barbecued dish that is generally of Southeast Asian origin.  It is prepared with many different ingredients such as chicken, beef, shrimp, lamb, fish, pork, goat and even tofu.  One of my favorite ways to prepare satay is with chicken.  I like to use bits of boneless, skinless chicken thighs marinated for several hours in coconut milk, Indonesian soy sauce and a variety of spices.  I then thread the chicken on to the skewers and cook them on the barbecue.

I like to serve my Chicken Satay with my homemade peanut sauce or drizzled with sweet chili sauce or sriracha.  I also serve it with a scoops of fluffy jasmine rice and fresh sliced cool cucumbers for garnish.  I also make sure that there’s plenty of sambal oelek on the side for those who love fiery hot food.  Makes 10 -12 skewers.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  •  1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1″ cubes or strips
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp Indonesian soy sauce
  • 1 – 2 tsp minced garlic
  • pinch of red pepper flakes or sambal oelek (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

In a medium sized bowl whisk together all the ingredients except for the chicken.  Once the marinade has been blended, add the chicken and toss well to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Take 10 -12 bamboo skewers and soak completely in water while the chicken is marinating.  Soaking the skewers in water prevents the skewers from burning off while the satay cooks on the barbecue.

Thread chicken onto the skewers and cook on medium hot barbecue or grill pan until the juices run clear or the chicken reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit.  Toss any remaining marinade.  Do not brush it on the chicken while cooking and do not even think about reusing it.  Pay attention and turn your skewers occasionally for even cooking.  Be sure not to over cook or under cook the satay.  Makes 10 -12 skewers.

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Heirloom Pineapple Tomato

Heirloom Pineapple Tomato

One of my favorite variety of tomatoes is the heirloom Pineapple Tomato.  The massive yellow fruits are juicy, sweet, and can grow up to a whopping 2 pounds each.   Every year I purchase one or two plants at the Master Gardener Fair down at the Expo in late spring.  I plant them in the garden in late May and by early August, I am in the midst of my harvest.  My tomatoes are doing quite well (so far) and the biggest one that I have picked out of my little garden this year weighed over 1 1/4 pounds.   Wow!

I have learned over the years when preparing a dish for my family, sometimes less is more… What I mean by that is when you have a spectacular ingredient to work with, don’t cover it up with other flavors, seasonings or textures, simply showcase it.  That is exactly what I did with one of my fresh picked Pineapple Tomatoes.  I sliced it, drizzled it with olive oil and added a pinch of salt.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Simply perfect.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 1 Heirloom Pineapple Tomato
  • olive oil to taste
  • coarse salt to taste
  • garnish with a sprig of basil

Slice tomato into 1/3 inch slices.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.  Garnish and serve.

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