Katie's Late Night Kitchen

Is there anything better than falling asleep with a full stomach? OK, maybe not the morning after. But . . . isn't it great to come home to a refreshing cocktail and a great late night meal after a long hard day at the scaffold? There are so many delicious ways to wind down at the end of the day. Whip up an easy late night supper, read an interesting book or your favorite magazine, share conversation and break bread with someone you love, watch a movie, listen to some music, embrace the night!

Late night meals can be just about anything, right? Think fresh guacamole and chips, fried eggs with prosciutto and asparagus, grilled chicken salad, soups, grilled panini, bruschetta (in my book, this means just about anything and everything on top of grilled bread), Italian tuna in olive oil with canellini beans and fresh herbs, and the list goes on and on. Back to the bruschetta . . . I generally cook more than we can eat in one sitting so that we can enjoy the leftovers (I don't like the word "leftovers". . . I'll have to come up with another word that means delicious and delectable food that you purposely prepared in advance so that it could be enjoyed a day or two after preparation). There are a million things (I'm not an exaggerator) that can be happily placed on top of thickly sliced, olive-oiled, kosher-salted, garlic-rubbed, grilled, high quality, artisan bread. Whew. I mean it though. A few examples: oven-roasted tomatoes with fresh ricotta cheese and a drizzle of olive oil, roasted red peppers marinated in olive oil, fresh herbs, garlic and red wine vinegar, pesto and farmers cheese, grilled eggplant and shredded Parmesan cheese, soft boiled egg and butter, thinly sliced fresh radishes and kosher salt, caramelized onions and kalamata olives, grilled portabella mushrooms, smashed sweet peas with onions and prosciutto, avocado slices with tomato, onion and gorgonzola..............the list is infinite. If you're not up for firing up the grill, you can easily prepare your bread and pop it into a hot oven. When I make"crostini", I generally use thinly sliced bread that has been brushed or drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt and then baked in a hot oven until crisp. Whether thinly sliced crostini or thickly sliced bruschetta, the bread is the luxury vehicle that will transport your toppings in style and flavor. C'mon, you know there's no better way to get a roasted tomato from Point A to Point B. Indulge. I think that bruschetta and crostini will definitely be the topic of a future KPK (Katie's Passion Kitchen) post and photo shoot. Watch for it! Carbo-phobes not welcome.

Here are some recent late night meals from Katie's "Late Night" Passion Kitchen . . .

Grilled asparagus gets bundled with havarti cheese and thinly sliced prosciutto. It hits Katie's Passion Grill one more time to crisp up the prosciutto and melt the cheese. Oh yeah. "That's what I'm talkin' to" (Thanks Bammer).

Toss some grape tomatoes with a little olive oil and kosher salt on a rimmed baking sheet, place into a hot oven (375 degrees) for about 15 minutes until they blister and pop.

Toss some fresh salad greens (arugula pictured here) and whatever else you have in the fridge (I used thin strips of zucchini and some sweet onion) with oil, your favorite vinegar, kosher s & p. Top with these flavor-packed tomatoes, shards of parmesan (your vegetable peeler will help you to be posh with your parm). Serve with plenty of great bread.

Soup rocks. Try this. Saute some chopped onion and garlic (let's say one medium onion and one clove of garlic) in a little olive oil in a medium pot. Season with some crushed red pepper flakes, s & p, and how about a little cumin and a little curry, if you like. Add some store bought chicken broth (a large carton or a small one plus some water - I love Swanson 100% fat-free). Add 2 cans of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans. Simmer for awhile. Remove some of the beans to a bowl. Remove from the heat momentarily and blend with an immersion blender (I love that handy son-of-a-gun). Return the reserved beans to the pot. You can also add some small pasta (like ditalini or some little rings - about 8 ounces). Simmer a little longer (or until the pasta is cooked if you're using pasta) and the soup is the consistency you desire. Thin with water, if needed. This does require some stirring to prevent sticking but the result is a creamy (cream-free) and delicious soup. Mess around with the seasonings and you can easily travel from country to country. Make it Italian with a little rosemary and thyme or use the spices from the Middle East to switch it up. Make it your own.

Crunchy romaine gets piled here with slices of marinated grilled chicken breast, red pepper strips, onion, bacon (cooked outside on the grill in a pan). We also threw in some sliced avocado and some cherry tomato halves. This happy group was eventually smothered in homemade buttermilk gorgonzola dressing and a generous sprinkling of freshly cracked black pepper. Note the stack of grilled bread in the background. (Bret's snack the following day).

That's today's update, my friends. Many more meals, many more photos and many more recipes to share. Tonight's dinner will be a hearty ribollita with lots of vitamin packed kale, cannelini beans, rustic bread and chicken broth. I'll let you know how it turns out. Light some candles and eat late tonight. It's fun. Love, Katie