Thursday, March 9, 2017

Bread Salad Dressing


Dressing for Bread Salad
Dressing
I Tbs. sherry vinegar
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 TBS shallot bulb, diced
2 Tbs. olive oil
½ lemon, juiced
1 TBS honey
hefty pinch seal salt,
crushed black pepper to taste 

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Roasted Yams and Chickpeas

Roasted Yams and Chickpeas with Yogurt
Adapted from Gjelina
You’re going to end up with more yogurt and more chickpeas than you probably need — or fewer potatoes. It’s all a matter of perspective, really.
Serves 2, hungrily, 4, humbly
3 large yams or orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, cut into 4 lengthwise wedges, or 8, if your yams are very thick
1 to 2 tablespoons honey (I used 1; 2 are called for)
1 tablespoon crushed red-pepper flakes (Espelette are called for; I used mild Aleppo)
1 3/4 cups (1 15-ounce can) chickpeas, drained and patted dry on towels
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Greek-style plain yogurt
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from approximately 2 limes
2 scallions, both green and white parts, trimmed and thinly sliced, for garnish
Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line two baking sheets with foil, for minimal mess. Coat one, the one you’ll use for the yams, with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Toss yams with honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon of pepper flakes. Let sit in bowl for 5 to 10 minutes. Toss chickpeas with 1 tablespoon olive oil, smoked paprika and salt, to taste.
Spread yams out on olive oil-ed baking sheet in one layer. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, until nicely toasted underneath. Flip/move wedges around and roast for 5 to 10 more minutes, until soft and singed. For extra color, run them under the broiler for a final minute.
Meanwhile, spread chickpeas on second uncoated baking sheet. Roast in oven for 20 minutes, rolling around once or twice so that they cook evenly, until lightly browned and crispy on the outside. Set aside.
Whisk yogurt, remaining tablespoon olive oil and lime juice together in a small dish, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange yams on plate or platter, drizzle some of the yogurt over, then about half the chickpeas. Garnish with scallions and remaining pepper flakes, plus flaky sea salt, if you have any. Keep extra chickpeas and yogurt on the side. Dig in.

Japanese vegetable pancakes

Pancakes
1/2 small head cabbage, very thinly sliced (1 pound or 5 to 6 cups shreds) which will be easiest on a mandoline if you have one
4 medium carrots, peeled into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
5 lacinato kale leaves, ribs removed, leaves cut into thin ribbons
4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
Canola, safflower or peanut oil for frying
Tangy Sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (note: this is not vegetarian)
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon rice cooking wine or sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey (use 2 if you like a sweeter sauce)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Make the pancakes: Toss cabbage, carrot, kale, scallions and salt together in a large bowl. Toss mixture with flour so it coats all of the vegetables. Stir in the eggs. Heat a large heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Coat the bottom with oil and heat that too.
To make a large pancake, add 1/4 of the vegetable mixture to the skillet, pressing it out into a 1/2- to 3/4-inch pancake. Gently press the pancake down flat. Cook until the edges beging to brown, about 3 minutes. 30 seconds to 1 minute later, flip the pancake with a large spatula. (If this is terrifying, you can first slide the pancake onto a plate, and, using potholders, reverse it back into the hot skillet.) Cook on the other side until the edges brown, and then again up to a minute more (you can peek to make sure the color is right underneath).
To make small pancakes, you can use tongs but I seriously find using my fingers and grabbing little piles, letting a little batter drip back into the bowl, and depositing them in piles on the skillet easier, to form 3 to 4 pancakes. Press down gently with a spatula to they flatten slightly, but no need to spread them much. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the edges brown. Flip the pancakes and cook them again until brown underneath.
Regardless of pancake size, you can keep them warm on a tray in the oven at 200 to 250 degrees until needed.
If desired, make okonomiyaki sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until smooth and thick.
Serve pancakes with sauce and any of the other fixings listed above, from Japanese mayo to scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
Do ahead: Extra pancakes will keep in the fridge for a couple days, or can be spread on a tray in the freezer until frozen, then combined in a freezer bag to be stored until needed. Reheat on a baking sheet in a hot oven until crisp again.

PASTA PRIMAVERA with Asparagus and Peas

  • ¼ pound sugar snap peas, stems trimmed
  • ½ pound asparagus, ends snapped
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup fresh English peas
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced spring onion, white part only (or use shallot)
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
  • Black pepper, more as needed
  • 12 ounces fettuccine or tagliatelle, preferably fresh (see recipe)
  • cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, at room temperature
  • ½ cup crème fraîche or whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
  • Nutritional Information

Preparation

  1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.
  2. While the water is coming to a boil, slice snap peas and asparagus stems into 1/4-inch-thick pieces; leave asparagus tips whole.
  3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add snap peas, asparagus, English peas and onion. Cook until vegetables are barely tender (but not too soft or mushy), 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
  4. Drop pasta into boiling water and cook until al dente (1 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta, more for dried pasta). Drain well and transfer pasta to a large bowl. Immediately toss pasta with vegetables, Parmigiano-Reggiano, crème fraîche and herbs. Season generously with salt and pepper, if needed.

FARINATA

1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup lukewarm water
½ cup rosemary-infused olive oil (see note)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Pinch of coarse salt, such as Maldon, for finishing

1. Combine the chickpea flour, water, rosemary-infused olive oil and kosher salt, and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, and let the batter sit at room temperature for at least four hours and up to 12 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (enough to thinly cover the bottom), and put the pan in the oven to warm for about five minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and pour in the batter. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the pancake is firm and the edges set.
3. Heat the broiler. Brush the top of the pancake lightly with another tablespoon of olive oil if it looks dry. Broil a few inches from the heat until the top starts to brown, about two minutes. Top with chopped rosemary and coarse salt. Cut into wedges, and serve hot or warm. (At the restaurant, it is grilled before serving, but it also reheats well on a sheet pan in the oven.) Serve alone, or with a soft cheese, olives or tapenade.
Note: To make the rosemary-infused olive oil, add a few sprigs of rosemary to 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil — or a big handful of it to a gallon of oil to make a restaurant-size batch. Steep for about an hour over very low heat. A crock pot works well for this. Reserve the oil-coated leaves to scatter over the farinata.

SAVORY DUTCH BABY with Broccoli

Ingredients
  • For the Dutch Baby
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 scallion, white and light green parts thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/8 tsp. black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • For the Broccoli
  • 3 cups broccoli florets
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • Zest and juice from 1/2 lemon

Instructions
  1. Make the Dutch baby. Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and milk. Add the flour and whisk until incorporated, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Then whisk in the Parmesan cheese, sliced scallions, parsley, thyme, salt and black pepper. Set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and the skillet is hot, pour in the batter. Carefully transfer the skillet to your pre-heated oven and bake for 25 minutes. The Dutch baby will puff up during cooking, but once it’s removed from the oven and starts to cool it will deflate slightly.
  3. Meanwhile, roast the broccoli. In a medium bowl, toss the broccoli florets with the olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes. Spread the broccoli out onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to your pre-heated oven and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the lemon zest and juice over the roasted broccoli.
  4. To finish, top the Dutch baby with the roasted broccoli. Slice and serve immediately.

Spicy Roasted Broccolli Pasta

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ pounds broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (optional)
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • 12 ounces chiocciole or other tube-shaped pasta
  • cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 ounces best quality, whole milk ricotta
  • Fresh lemon juice, for serving (optional)
  • Nutritional Information

Preparation

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together broccoli, oil, cumin (if using), 3/4 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes. Roast until tender and browned at the edges, 18 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove from oven and set oven to broil.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together Parmesan, panko, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and the black pepper.
  4. Toss cooked pasta with broccoli on baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then dollop with ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan mix, drizzle generously with oil, and broil until topping is crisped and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice to taste, and serve.