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)
• ⅔ 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
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ⅓ 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.

Black Rice Noodles with Ginger and Chili

From Simply Nigella

2 T. chopped raw blanched peanuts
1 fat clove garlic
2 and 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. Asian sesame oil
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. rice Chinese rice wine
1.5 T. hot sauce, such as Sriracha
2 T. cold water
8 oz. black rice noodles, or soba noodles
2 scallions trimmed
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro, with whole leaves for garnish

Toast the peanuts in a dry frying pan until golden

Put garlic and ginger in a heavy pan with vegetable and sesame oil, heat gently, then increase the heat and let sizzle for a minute before taking off the heat.

Add the soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, hot sauce and 2 T. cold water. Put back on the heat and bring to a bubble, then take off the heat pour into a large bowl to cool.

Cook the noodles, refresh under cold water, drain and toss with the sauce.

Shred scallions, add to noodles, along with the chopped cilantro and most of the peanuts

Dive the noodles between two bowls, and top each with cilantro leaves and the rest of the nuts.

Chimichurri

From Gjelina
Good on eggplant and with artichokes and pasta

Chimichurri

1 bunch fresh cilantro, stemmed and chopped
1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and chopped
1 T. dried oregano
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 shallot minced
1/2 cup olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper

1 T. red wine vinegar - add this just before serving

In a medium bowl, combine the cilantro, parsley, oregano, paprika, shallot and olive oil and stir. Let stand at room temp for 20 minutes.

Store in airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to room temp, season with salt and pepper, and stir in vinegar just before serving.

Preserved Lemons

You can keep these in a glass jar in the kitchen...from Gjelina

12 large lemons, well washed
3 T. coriander seeds
3 T. fennel seeds
2 cups kosher salt
1 dried guajillo chile
6 fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 cinnamon stick, crushed
2 bay leaves, crumbled

Starting at the top of each lemon, cut a deep X into it, stopping about 1/4 inch from the base, so you are left with a quartered lemon held together at one end. Set askide.

In a small, dry pan, toast the coriander and fennel seeds until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. In a medium bowl mix together the salt, toasted spices, chile, thyme, cinnamon stick and bay leaves.

Working over a large bowl, stuff a lemon with a handful of the salt mixture, using your thumb to gently break into the flesh, allowing the juices to run out. Drop this lemon into the bottom of the bowl. Repeat until all the lemons have been stuffed. Pour any remaining salt over the lemons and gently toss.

Carefully pack the stuffed lemons and salt into a 2 quart glass jar with a lid, pressing down so they are completely covered in their own juices. Pour in any juice and seasoning from the bowl. Seal the jar and let sit at room temp until the rinds have softened, 3 to 4 weeks.

Store, tightly sealed, at room temperature for up to 6 months.