Pascale’s Kitchen: Fresh & easy summer dishes

This week I decided to bring you, dear readers, recipes that are quick and easy to make, perfect for serving when temperatures outside are soaring. The first recipe is for sea bass with herbs and olive oil. It is an extremely healthy dish that’s perfect to serve on hot summer days. The sea bass are baked in an oven and get crispy and browned as if they were cooked on a barbecue or a tabun.

The next recipe is roasted chicken breast with paprika and thyme cooked on a griddle pan. This nutritious dish is perfect for people who are watching their weight.

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The third recipe is for tasty baked vegetables that are so delicious, you’ll be licking your fingers so as not to waste one bit. The vegetables are cut into large pieces, and only a little bit of seasoning is needed. A lot of the flavor comes from the orange or lemon zest. And the amazing colors make the vegetables look especially appealing. Sometimes the best thing to do so that a specific dish comes out tasty is to keep the seasoning simple.

The fourth and last recipe is for olive bread. This unique bread, which is baked in a round pan, rises high and comes out crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Sea bass with olive oil and herbs

Makes 4 servings. 

• 4 small sea bass, filleted (see picture)
• 4 sprigs of rosemary
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 6-8 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Olive oil

Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper. Place the fish fillets on the paper (each tray should have room for 2-3 fish). Place the rosemary, thyme and garlic on top of the fish, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle on a generous amount of olive oil. Cover the trays with baking paper, then aluminum foil on top and seal well.

Place the trays in an oven that has been preheated to 180°-190° and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the foil and baking paper and continue baking another 5-7 minutes so that the fish can crisp up. Serve hot.

Level of difficulty: EasyTime: 30 minutesStatus: Parve

Roasted chicken breast with paprika and thyme

Makes 4 servings. 

• 500 gr. chicken breast, cut into four pieces
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. crushed garlic
• ¼ tsp. spicy paprika (optional)
• ½ tsp. thyme, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Serving suggestions:

• Lettuce leaves
• Spicy red pepper, sliced
• Sprigs of thyme
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse and dry the chicken breast. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl, then add the chicken pieces and cover them well with the paste. Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes.

Heat a griddle pan on your stove. Grill the chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve on a bed of lettuce, then top with spicy pepper slices and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Level of difficulty: EasyTime: 30 minutesStatus: Meat

Tasty baked vegetables

Makes 4-6 servings. 

• 2 red onions, quartered
• 1 basket of button mushrooms, halved
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 medium light green squashes, quartered lengthwise
• 1 basket of small peppers of various colors, halved
• 2 spicy green peppers, halved 
• 2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise
• 3-4 green onions
• 2-3 sprigs of parsley or cilantro
• ½ tsp. cumin
• ¼ tsp. coriander
• ½ tsp. lemon or orange zest
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup olive oil

Place all the cut-up vegetable pieces in a large bowl. Rinse and then dry them. Place a sheet of baking paper on a tray and arrange the vegetable pieces on it. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and add the zest, then drizzle olive oil all around.

Cover with baking paper, then foil on top of that. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 200° for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and paper, and turn the temperature down to 180°. Bake for another 15-20 minutes so that the vegetables can crisp up a little.

Level of difficulty: EasyTime: 40-50 minutesStatus: Parve

Quick olive bread

Use a round pan with a diameter of 22 cm. or 24 cm.

• 1 Tbsp. dry yeast
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 ¾ cups (380 ml.) water, at room temperature
• 3 ½ cups (500 ml.) white flour, sifted
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup black olives, pitted and chopped
• 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. caraway, cumin or chia seeds

In a small bowl, mix the yeast together with the sugar and 1/3 cup (80 ml.) water at room temperature. Set the bowl aside for 7-10 minutes until the mixture bubbles up.

Mix the flour with the salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture that has bubbled, and mix well. Add the rest of the water (300 ml.) and mix just until all the flour has been absorbed. Add the olives, spices and seeds and fold them in gently. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 230° and place the tray on the middle shelf. Let the tray heat up for 20 minutes. Next, place the dough on a floured surface, and knead it by pulling from the side and folding the dough over the center.

Remove the hot tray from the oven, sprinkle a little flour on it, then place the dough on it. Bake for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 200° and bake for another 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.

Level of difficulty: EasyTime: 50 minutesStatus: Parve

Translated by Hannah Hochner.