Mario Batali's Charred Sweet Corn Fregula

Serves 4 as a side dish
Kosher salt
1 1⁄2 cups fregula pasta
2 ears corn, shucked
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3⁄4 cup brown chicken stock (see attached recipe)
1⁄4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Set up a small ice bath nearby. Cook the fregula in the boiling water until somewhat tender but not cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the fregula, refresh it in the ice bath, and spread it on a tray lined with paper towels to dry
Preheat the grill.
Brush the ears of corn with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place on the grill, turning every 2 minutes until all sides are nicely charred and the kernels are just beginning to burst. Remove the corn from the grill with tongs and, when the ears are cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife.
Combine the blanched fregula, sweet corn, and the chicken stock in a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan and cook over high heat until the stock boils and is mostly absorbed into the grain, about 5 minutes. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and salt and pepper and toss over high heat for 1 minute more.
Amelia

Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade with Endive Leaves

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 12 appetizer servings
3 (8-ounce) cans of pitted black olives, drained
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 heads endive (about 1/2 pound)
In the bowl of a food processor, add the olives, sun-dried tomatoes and the olive oil it was packed in. Pulse until smooth, but still chunky. Add more extra-virgin olive oil if mixture is too dry. Spoon into a serving bowl. If not serving immediately, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. Be sure to bring it to room temperature and to mix it thoroughly before serving.
Gently pull off the leaves from the endive, being carefully not to tear the leaves. Wash thoroughly with cold water and dry completely.
Place the bowl of tapenade in the center of a large platter. Decoratively circle the tapenade bowl with the endive leaves working your way to the rim of the platter.
Amelia

Hearty Gourmet Oatmeal

Ingredients:
Raisins
Craisins
Cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon
Nutmeg
Old fashioned oatmeal (not instant or one minute)
Grape nuts cereal
Flax seeds
Finely chopped walnuts
Toasted coconut**
Vanilla

Use your judgment to decide how much of everything to use according to how much you like and the number of servings you’re making. Put the water on to boil along with the raisins and craisins and the cinnamon stick (add ground cinnamon later) and bring to a boil. The fruit should start to absorb the water and become juicy again. Pour in the mixture of mostly oatmeal with small portions of grape nuts, flax seeds, walnuts, toasted coconut and whatever else you might have that sounds good. Mix and reduce to low heat. Add a few drops of vanilla, a pinch of each ground cinnamon and nutmeg and let cook until it reached the desired texture and serve. Does not require extra sugar and the combination of textures and flavors is a surprise in every bite.
** If you haven’t toasted coconut already, it’s really easy and you can keep it in a jar for a long time and put it on top of ice cream or cereal or Kami’s delicious granola recipe. You just get a bag of regular sweetened coconut and pour it into a large frying pan and put the heat on medium. It will take a few minutes for them to start toasting, but when they do, flip the coconut up like you’re flipping an omelet until most of it looks nice and toasted and many pieces are crispy. We love having it around and it’s a nice topping on our oatmeal.
Amelia