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In advance of this weekend’s Food U shows in the Detroit (Saturday) and Minneapolis (Sunday) areas, here’s a quick, easy and healthy pesto sauce recipe prepared by Food University star instructor Karl Benko.

PESTO SAUCE

INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups packed basil leaves, rinsed
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1/2, cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Process basil, garlic and pine nuts in a work bowl of a food processor until finely chopped.
With a processor running, slowly add oil through top of processor. Process for one
minute until smooth. Remove to non-reactive storage container and stir in Parmesan
cheese and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

You can see this and many more recipes and cooking tips as celebrity chef Curtis Aikens hosts Food University events this weekend. On Saturday, join us from 2-4pm at the IKEA at 41640 Ford Rd in Canton, MI near Detroit. On Sunday from 2pm-4pm, we’re at the IKEA at 8000 IKEA Way, Bloomington, MN, near Minneapolis-St. Paul.

How nervous would you be if you were serving a brand new recipe to one of the world’s most famous chefs? Food University star instructor Curtis Aikens found out when he prepared pickled melons for Julia Child years ago. Pickled melons? As Curtis explains in the Skype interview (below), the dish turned into a big hit!

Curtis says it’s a great time of year to prepare pickled melons. We’ve posted the recipe below. Let us know how it turns out for you. If you’d like to witness Curtis’ cooking passion firsthand, he’s going to be at two big Food University events this weekend. You can catch him Saturday from 2-4pm at the IKEA at 41640 Ford Rd, in Canton, MI, near Detroit. On Sunday, Curtis will be at the IKEA at 8000 IKEA Way, in Bloomington, MN, in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. See you there!

Fresh Pickled Melons

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Melons cut into bite size piece (mixture of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew)
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 / 4 cup white wine
• 1 / 4 cup vinegar
• 1 teaspoon each fresh dill, tarragon, and mint finely chopped

Directions:

In a large bowl combine wine and vinegar. Add sugar and herbs mix until sugar dissolves. Add melons; turn to coat with herb and vinegar mixture. Chill and serve.

Here’s a quick, easy and healthy recipe we’re proud of. This Three Bean Caprese Salad takes mere minutes to make but tastes like you’ve been working on it all day. If you’re in the Salt Lake City area, and want to lean more about this and many other great recipes, head to IKEA on Saturday, October 16, 2010. Celebrity chefs Caprial and John Pence will be hosting a Food University event from 2-4pm.

THREE BEAN CAPRESE SALAD

INGREDIENTS

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup loosely packed basil
• 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 can (15 oz.) of red kidney beans drained and rinsed
· 1 can (15 oz.) of small white beans drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the dressing in a medium bowl. Whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.
While whisking, add oil in a thin stream until blended. Set aside. To prepare the salad, heat
a medium sized pot of water to boiling. Add green beans and cook for four minutes or until
crispy or tender, Drain and rinse with cold water. Tear the basil into bite-sized pieces. In a
large bowl, toss the basil, green beans, tomatoes, mozzarella, and kidney and white beans.
Whisk the dressing. and then drizzle over the salad. Toss gently to coat and serve.

Check out this interview with Food University Exec. Producer Rich Gore and Star Instructor Marc Silverstein. They were on the At Home with Victoria Show, talking this weekend’s live events at the IKEA in Portland, OR on Saturday, October 9 and at the IKEA in Seattle on Sunday, October 10th. And don’t forget, you can watch the Sunday event right here at www.myfoodu.com.

Listen to the show here

Food University is spending quality time in the Pacific Northwest. Just back from Seattle, Food University Executive Producer Rich Gore shares the secrets of Food U’s appearance at the just wrapped Italian Festival–featuring celebrity chefs John and Caprial Pence. Next up: stops in Portland (October 9th) and again in Seattle (October 10) as Food U teams with IKEA and Family Circle to bring home the flavor. (And don’t miss the details of the October 10th webcast from Seattle. You’ll be able to watch it right here at www.myfoodu.com.)