Neighbourhood Table- Session Two: Under The Mediterranean Sun...

St.Philip's Church and their partner The Arab Community Centre of Toronto (ACCT)'s Neighbourhood Table at its second instalment Under The Mediterranean Sun is really an extension of herbs from our first session's theme on Fresh Herbs and of course a variety of vegetables. The church works with the Good Food Market offering fresh healthy produce at affordable pricing every Wednesday at a nearby park. 

The colourful lunch menu consist of Italian favourite bruschetta (with basil), mixed mushroom with garlic and thyme, Greek Quinoa Salad (with Dill), a Niçoise Platter adapted from the classic French Nice salad (with tarragon), and pitchers of real fruit-infused water (with mint). For the story on how this program came about check out my Post.

Recipes at a glance...

 Fresh produce and herbs at a glance...

Returning youths and kids eager to help cook...

My sidekick Michelle and I over the stove simultaneously cooking up mushrooms.

All prep, and set for assembly demo time...

Tada.... My audience's view of me...

Nicely chopped tomatoes for bruschetta

And my view of the audience...

These are two great party or appetizer ideas served over toasted baguette slices.

Easy Crowd Bruschetta
Makes 5 cups

10 firm ripe tomatoes, quartered with core and seeds removed
¼ medium red onion, finely chopped
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
10-12 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup (EVOO) extra virgin olive oil (your best)
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (your best)-- if too acidic dissolve a little brown sugar in it
Sea or kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
French baguette, sliced on an angle and baked/toasted

Place all your fresh ingredients into a large bowl. Drizzle with EVOO and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper; toss. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve over toasted baguette slices.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Slice bread into 1/4 inch thick slices on a slight diagonal. Place bread slices on baking pan or sheet. Brush tops lightly with olive oil-if you do not have a pastry brush, you can pour some olive oil into a bowl and simply dip the slices in it. Bake 10-12 minutes or until slices are lightly browned.

TIP: Remove some excess liquid from bruschetta if serving later, as tomatoes continue to emit juice.

Mixed Mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme
Makes 6 cups

Oil
2 small onions, chopped
2 lbs. cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 lbs. white mushrooms, sliced
8 garlic cloves, minced
Fresh thyme, leaves plucked from stems
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with chopped parsley or dill

Heat oil in skillet on medium-high heat. Cook onions for two minutes, then add garlic and mushrooms, and cook for five minutes. Do not stir too often to allow for searing. Sprinkle in thyme and toss for one minute. Transfer to a plate to cool. Serve over toasted baguette slices.

Greek Quinoa Salad is the perfect crowd-pleaser salad to make with it's healthful ingredients and tasty flavours! I teach this all the time in my classes to the old and young...  and they all love it. A large fresh bed of both romaine and mixed greens topped with textured nutty grains of quinoa and a medley of crunchy colourful vegetables you'd find in a Greek salad dressed with garlicky lemony dill. Mmmm....

Greek Dill Quinoa Salad

The original Niçoise salad has tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives, anchovies, and  dressed with olive oil. It has certainly evolved to include green beans, potatoes and tuna instead. Tarragon has a distinctive bittersweet flavour with notes of anise, lending itself well in this make-your-own lemon vinaigrette to serve over fish, tomatoes and eggs.

Niçoise Platter
Makes 8 servings

8 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved
3 cans (170 g) tuna chunks, drained
6 cups green beans (preferably haricots verts), trimmed and steamed
2 cucumbers, seeded and cut into small pieces
6 cups cherry tomatoes, halved and lightly sprinkled with sea salt
6 cups small white potatoes, boiled in salted water
1 cup niçoise or pitted black olives
12 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced

Dressing:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. raw honey or maple syrup
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. fresh tarragon, minced
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
pinches of sea salt
dashes of freshly ground black pepper

On a large platter, arrange a row of each: tuna, eggs, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes. (If you’re serving a group, it’s probably better to put the eggs and tuna on one end in case someone on a vegan diet wants part of the salad). Scatter olives and radish slices evenly around the salad. Combine all dressing ingredients well in a clean jam and shake well. Drizzle with dressing just before serving.

Simply colourful and gorgeously presented!

Looking forward to sharing you details from session three that happened today: Breakfast for Lunch.