Greens, Eggs (and Ham?)

I love a dish that gives me room to experiment, and this this versatile greens and eggs dish certainly fits the bill.  A combination of hearty greens, tomatoes, sausage, eggs, and cheese all baked together makes a great weekend breakfast or a quick weeknight dinner.  

I made this for dinner the other night using a blend of pre-cut "Southern Greens" from Trader Joe's--Mustard, Turnip, Collard, and Spinach.  A blend is a great way to incorporate several types of greens at once, without having to buy bunches of all of them.  (And it's a great shortcut!)  For cheese I used some Gouda that was kicking around in the back of the fridge, and a chicken andouille sausage to add some kick!  I was very happy with the results, but I look forward to playing around and using different greens, trying both hard and soft cheeses, and different sausage flavors.  (And obviously, the sausage can be omitted to make this a vegetarian meal.)  It's easy to double or triple for a crowd; I can see myself making this for a brunch buffet and just dumping the whole thing in a casserole dish.

Zucchini Noodles and Sausage-y Tomato Sauce

Maintaining three blogs is a bit time consuming these days (in addition to Macy Bakes, I write YearOfChees.es, and the blog for Wiggle Room, a Boston-based personal organization company.)  Okay there's the plug for all the blogs.  Go read 'em all and then meet me back here.

I was sort of playing blog roulette: which one shall I update today?  Jordan has been anxious to see our zucchini noodle creation in writing, so that one is today's winner.  

Grilled Cheese, For Grown Ups

A couple weeks ago I went to a talk by Christopher Kimball, founder of America's Test Kitchen.  (ATK publishes Cook's Illustrated magazine, probably my favorite and most trusted food resource.  If you're not already familiar with the magazine, check it out!)

It was only fitting that I'd already planned on making Cook's Illustrated's "Grown Up Grilled Cheese" after the talk.  Quick background: my boyfriend Jordan and I have embarked on a project called The Year of Cheese, which we'll also be blogging.  (As of today there's only an "About" page, but hopefully that will be remedied soon.)  The project is pretty straight forward: sample a new cheese or two each week, sometimes straight up, sometimes in a cooked preparation, record impressions.  We're only a few weeks in, but so far it's going deliciously.  

Thin Crust Caramelized Onion, Sausage, and Spinach Pizza

 
The photography department here at Macy Bakes has been on an extended vacation, but they're back with (mediocre) pictures of (awesome!) pizza.  They kind of forgot to take a picture of the masterpiece before it was mostly-devoured, but here's a little slice (groan) of what was going on in the kitchen:

Please excuse the terrible cell phone picture. 

Last night I revisited the awesome thin crust pizza dough that I posted about in January, with real toppings that were only partially pilfered from the dining hall!  I wanted to make pizza, but didn't want to shop, so I poked around my pantry and freezer and came up with Caramelized Onion, Spicy Sausage, and Spinach Pizza with Pecorino-Romano and Mozzarella.  

Warm to the Bone Lentil Soup

After a relatively warm early December, winter has finally hit Cambridge, and nothing says "winter" like a big pot of soup.  (Although, as I write this, a mild warm front is moving in, but I'm not complaining about that.)  

Multiple Christmas parties left me with three ham hocks, which got me thinking about lentil soup.  I bookmarked the Barefoot Contessa's recipe a while back, and as a fan of all things Ina, I was eager to try it (especially after an unsolicited ringing endorsement from a friend).  It becomes a vegetarian recipe if you swap out chicken broth for vegetable stock, has a classic vegetable backbone, and uses French green lentils, which I had in my pantry and wanted to use up.  But since I had so much ham and even more lentils in my pantry--red ones--I turned to Google for further inspiration.  This led me to a blogger's Red Lentil and Ham Soup with an Indian spice flavor profile.  Realizing I had all the necessary spices in my ridiculously stocked pantry I ambitiously, and perhaps foolishly, decided to do both.  (Honestly, how much soup can a single girl eat?)

Winter Warmth

 

One of my favorite winter meals is Turkey and White Bean Chili.  The recipe is one that I've adapted slightly from Emeril Lagasse of Food Network fame.  Its subtle spiciness is countered by the freshness of the cilantro, while the turkey and beans make it hearty and satisfying while warming you to the core.  Whether you make a big pot to share with friends, or just eat it yourself over the course of a week (which you can do, because it reheats beautifully), I guarantee that you'll love this chili. 

Stuffed Peppers

  

Casablanca Restaurant in Harvard Square makes, hands down, the best stuffed peppers I have ever eaten.  The one on their menu is served as an entree because it's so big and delicious.  I've become a huge fan since trying it for the first time a year ago.  These peppers are considerably less stuffed--definitely a side dish, not the main enchilada.  Still, they satisfy my craving for a yummy pepper stuffed full of goodness.  They are quick to execute and makes a great side dish, packing veggie and grains into one delicious package.  This is a Mediterranean-inspired version, but once you have the technique, which is quite easy, it's a fun dish to experiment with, using different grain/fruit/nut/vegetable combinations. 

Couscous and Vegetable Stuffed Peppers (Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis/www.foodnetwork.com)

Makes 6 Stuffed Peppers

When shopping, look for firm, unblemished peppers that are fairly full and round with nice, even bottoms.  These peppers will hold a good amount of filling, and they are much easier to clean out than skinny, misshapen peppers.  The peppers can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance, and stored, tightly covered, in the fridge, then baked before service.

Peppers:

* 1 ⅓ cups low-sodium chicken broth

* 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

* 1 cup couscous

* 1 15-ounce can of chick peas (also called garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

* ½ cup dried currants or raisins

* 1 packed cup chopped baby spinach leaves

* ⅔ cup (about 5 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

* ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

* Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

* 6 medium sized bell peppers.  Red, yellow and orange are the most flavorful, and make the prettiest presentation

* Hot water, a cup or two

Sauce:

* 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves

* ½ cup (about 4 ounces) creme fraiche or sour cream

* 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

* 1 Tablespoon water

* 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped

* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

* ¼ teaspoon sugar

* ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, plus extra, as needed

1. Heat your oven to 400 degrees F, with a rack in the center position  

2. Bring the chicken broth and cumin to a boil in a medium sauce pan.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover the pan until the couscous is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Once the liquid has been absorbed, fluff it with a fork to separate the grains. 

3. Slice the tops off the peppers and rinse to clean and remove all the ribs and seeds.  If necessary, cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.  Dice the pepper tops.

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pepper pieces, garbanzo beans, currants or raisins, spinach, feta and ¼ cup of olive oil.  Add the couscous and toss together.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  

5. Stuff the peppers with the filling and drizzle the tops with olive oil.  Put the peppers in an appropriately sized baking dish (8 by 8-inches holds 5 peppers, but if you're actually doing 6, you'll probably need at least 10 by 10 inches).  Fill the baking dish with 3/4-inch hot water and bake until the filling is golden and the peppers are cooked through, about 55 to 60 minutes.  Check after 30 minutes, and cover with foil if the filling is browning too quickly or is starting to look dry.  I didn't do this, but I should have! 

6.  In the meantime, make the sauce.  In a blender, combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

7. Serve sauce on, under, or just alongside the peppers--whatever you like!  

Enjoy!  

Best. Day. Ever. (Part 2)

  

So, after we ate ourselves silly on eggs, there was the wine and cheese pairing/tasting part of class.  I know, you're already jealous.

The lineup

We sampled 5 wines and cheese pairs, all French, and all paired based on the notion of "terroir." Loosely translated as "a sense of place," terroir denotes the idea that the shared geography, geology, climate, and farming techniques of agricultural regions give the wine and food produced unique, shared characteristics.  More simply, as we say in English "what grows together goes together."  The five cheeses represented five different areas of France, and the wines with which they were paired we from the same region, and complemented their flavors superbly.

Though I've been aware of the concept of food and wine pairing, I never taken it seriously.  Occasionally I'll notice if something tastes really good together (when I cause that to happen, it's always just a lucky coincidence).  More often I will notice that a wine that I enjoy before dinner will take on a harsh or astringent taste with food, probably due to exceptionally bad pairing on my part.  The first time I actually had a restaurant meal with wine pairings was just a few weeks ago, and I kept marveling at how good everything was together, particularly because all the the wines for the meal were things that I would have never chosen on my own.  With this recent experience in mind, I was very excited to sample two things that I love (wine & cheese), paired!

We started with a simple Chevre log paired with Sancerre.  The bottle we drank was Henri Bourgeois Les Bonnes Bouches 2009.  Both the wine and the cheese were from the Loire region of France.  The chevre was creamy and slightly tangy, while the wine was very light and fruity.  We started by taking a bit of the cheese in our mouths, and letting it melt on our tongues a bit, really tasting it but not swallowing it.  Then we took a sip of wine, and let the flavors mix in our mouths, tasting how the cheese and the wine complement each other.

 Serious wine & cheese contemplating underway...

Next we sampled L'Explorateur cheese with a White Burgundy, which are produced in adjacent regions (the former from the Ile-de-France region, the latter from Burgundy, as you may have guessed).  L'Explorateur is a triple-cream cheese, which means it's about 75% butterfat, and thus is out of this world creamy, smooth, and delicious.  We spread the L'Explorateur on Stoned Wheat Thin crackers--there was some logic for this, but unfortunately I can't remember what is is, other than that it tasted good.  Likewise, I can't remember what the wine was like, other than I wrote in my notes "quite good."  The wine was Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Setilles 2008.  Just so I don't sound totally clueless, I googled it, and found this review from one wine vendor: "A very fresh and intensely floral nose also reflects hints of lemon-lime and earth, both of which can also be found on the nicely rich and round flavors that are not only intense and delicious but also deliver better than average complexity."  So that's a little bit more descriptive than my "quite good" note...

Third was Epoisse, with a red Burgundy.  Epoisse, for those non-tyrophiles out there (that's my new word, it means "one who loves cheese"), is one of those fantastically stinky cheeses--not quite in Limburger territory, but not far off.  When it's quite ripe it literally runs and oozes when you cut into it; ours was a few weeks shy of completely ripe, so it was a bit more manageable stinkiness-wise, and a bit firmer in the center, although still creamy.  You don't eat the orange rind, whose color comes from the Burgundy wine with which its washed.  However, the inside pairs well with sweet-tart dried cherries.  We took a bite of cheese and cherry, and let the flavors sit in our mouths while we swished our Burgundy wine around--amazing.  While I appreciated Epoisse before, this way of tasting it has increased my enjoyment so much more!  (Probably helped too that the cheese was not quite as over-ripe as my dad likes to serve it!)  The Burgundy that we tried was Domaine Fribourg Closerie Des Alisiers Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits 2009.  I liked this wine okay, but I think if I ever recreated this tasting, I'd find a different Bourgogne.

Fourth was Emmentaler with Cotes du Rhone.  Emmentaler, the original Swiss Cheese, is a firm, mild cheese, with the subtlest spicy aftertaste, as well as a faint nuttiness, which we enhanced by eating it with walnuts.  As someone who likes slightly stronger cheeses, I found the Emmentaler to be a little dull, but I can appreciate how it fit into the cheese tasting due to its flavor and texture.  And, with the wine, Clos du Mont-Olivet Cotes du Rhone Monteil-la-Levade 2008, and the walnut, it certainly took on more interest than it had on its own.  The wine was a beautiful dark red, and while I can't remember how it tasted, I didn't write anything bad in my margins, so it must have been okay!

Finally, my favorite wine (Sauternes!), with my least favorite cheese (Roquefort...).  But add some pear, and hot damn, I actually found something new to like!  For me it was the most eye opening pairing, since I am a huge Sauternes fan (chalk it up to my insatiable sweet tooth), but generally not a fan of blue cheeses (too potent and moldy tasting).  However, with the sweet, creamy Bosc pear slice, and the honey-like sweetness of the wine, the pungency of the Roquefort was nicely tempered.  I don't think I'm going to be putting it on everything, but I see that in the right situation it can be quite enjoyable.  Oh, and for those who don't know, Sauternes is a very sweet, often expensive, fortified dessert wine.  Most people find it painfully sweet, but not this girl.  We tried Castelnau de Suduirant 2003, a "deuxieme vin," (the Chateau's 2nd tier bottle) but still pretty tasty.  Roquefort and Sauternes both hail from Bordeaux, making them a good pairing in this terroir exercise, and this particular bottle wasn't too expensive for a Sauternes, but for generally more pocket book friendly alternative, Chef John suggests an Orange Muscat, such as Quady Essensia Orange Muscat. 

The damage.

Finally, we experimented by tasting wines and cheeses that weren't meant to go together, just to understand how a good pairing and a bad pairing can really change your experience with certain wines and foods.  I tried the Sauternes with the Chevre, and while I love both things on their own, together they were kinda funky, not gonna lie...  I also tried the Sancerre, my next favorite wine of the group, with the Epoisse--again, a little bit off.  Then I just snacked on the dried cherries, because they were so good!  The takeaway from this lesson is that a) Cheese is good.  b) Wine is good.  c) Together they can be fantastic, or weird, depending, so pair well!  If you are lucky enough to live in Boston, check out Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge or the South End--the cheeses there are fantastic and the staff is beyond knowledgeable.  For further reading from Chef John, check out his feature of having a wine and cheese tasting on his website.

And again, I've rambled on too long, so I must be off to do my reading for tomorrow!

Symphony in Green

 

...a.k.a.: Lima Bean Puree with Pecorino Romano on Crostini, a.k.a., your new favorite thing that you never knew you were missing .

So I think I ripped this recipe out of the Boston Globe Magazine at some point, although I can't be sure, because it doesn't have a date or any other identifying info on it.  But let me say this: it's good.  Very good.  Very very good.  In fact, the reason I was too full to actually eat the delicious Chard and White Bean Stew that I was cooking simultaneously. 

It took me a while to find frozen lima beans (not quite sure why these are better than canned, but that's what the recipe recommends).  But when you find them, buy them, then make this absolutely fantastic puree.  It is great on its own, but slathered on crostini and topped with a shaving of Pecorino Romano seriously elevates it to heavenly.  I don't even like Pecorino Romano that much on its own (a little too salty and sheep-y tasting for me), but on top of this light, fresh, herby, lemony puree...well, the best thing I can say is the whole is even greater than the sum of its parts.  And the parts are pretty darn good.

So the next time you're throwing a shin dig, and you want an easy and different alternative to hummus or some dull store-bought spread, whip this little baby up.  You'll love it, I promise.

Creamy Lima Bean Puree and Pecorino Romano Crostini (From the Boston Globe Magazine, perhaps?)

Makes About 48 Crostini

* 1 Tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1/2 a lemon)

* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

* 1 pound frozen baby lima beans, cooked according to package directions and cooled

* 1 shallot

* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or about 1 teaspoon dried

* 2 generous Tablespoons of chopped flat leaf parsley

* Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

* About 48 crostini, either freshly made or store-bought

* About 48 pieces of shaved Pecorino Romano

1. In a measuring cup, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and 3 Tablespoons of hot water, set aside.

2. Peel the skin off the shallot and roughly chop into a Cuisinart bowl, fitted with a sharp blade.  Pulse until the shallot is chopped.  Add lima beans, oregano and parsley, pulse until the ingredients are as blended as possible.

3. With the feed tube open and the motor running, add the lemon-oil mixture in a slow, steady stream.  Continue to process for a full minute, stopping to scrap down sides if necessary.  Taste, and adjust with salt, pepper, and more parsley, if desired.  (I ended up adding a little more parsley to bump up the fresh taste).

4.  Allow mixture to stand for at least 30 minutes to let flavors develop, or store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days.  

5. T-1 hour before your fete, spread about 2 teaspoons of spread on top of each crostini, and top with a shave of Pecorino Romano.  The easiest way to get nice shaves of Pecorino Romano is actually with a veggie peeler.  Just run it over the cheese just like a big root vegetable, and you'll get beautiful shaves of cheese.  

Party ready

Enjoy these!  And tell me what you think--part of me thinks I'm crazy for being in love with lima beans, so please justify my new obsession! 

Bean Stew For A Healthy You

 

Well, the 12 days of Christmas are officially over, so I figured I had to move on from Christmas cookies.  Tear.  And on to semi-healthy things, since it's January, and that's how people roll in January, right?  Actually, the fact that this next recipe is on the semi-healthy side is purely coincidental.  I saw it on Smitten Kitchen and it looked absolutely amazing, AND I realized that I had nearly everything I needed in the pantry already, and so that's what I did.  

So, the recipe:  Chard and White Bean Stew.  Doesn't that excite you?  It excites me.  Seriously.  It's full all sorts of yummy things that I love, like beans and tomatoes and garlic and shallots and herbs.  The real bonus was, as I said, all of these things are pantry staples for me, other than the chard.  I made a special pilgrimage to Whole Foods just for that, and for 20 whole minutes felt way too uncool to be there.  Cambridge is just too hip for me...  Anyway, I got home, then whipped this up.  It probably takes about an hour to make, if you're actually paying attention, but I was distracted with several other things, so it probably took me a longer.  But it's great because after you've got all your aromatics chopped and sauteing, you don't really need to pay close attention.  Perfect for cleaning up as you go, or doing other projects that I'll tell you about shortly.

Smitten Kitchen says that the chard can be replaced with kale or spinach or another hearty green, if so desired.  As for serving (which I haven't actually done yet, due to too much snacking while cooking), it can be served as is, or with some fresh herbs or grated Parmesan or Romano on top.  To make it an even more filling and delicious meal, try toasting at thick piece of rustic bread, rubbing it with a clove of garlic, then ladling your stew on top of that, then topping it with a poached egg, then some fresh herbs, few drops of sherry vinegar and/or some grated cheese.  Gosh, I wish I could take credit for that, but I cannot.  But I am definitely doing that tomorrow, once I'm hungry again.  Ooh, golly I just can't wait.

Chard and White Bean Stew (Adapted only slightly from SmittenKitchen.com)

Serves 6 to 8

* 1 pound Swiss chard (or kale, spinach or another green), ribs and stems removed and cleaned
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup (5 1/4 ounces) chopped carrots
* 1 cup (5 ounces) chopped celery
* 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) chopped shallots, about 4 medium
* 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1 cup dry white wine
* 2 15-ounce cans (or about 3 3/4 cups) white beans (such as Navy Beans or Cannellini beans), drained and rinsed
* 2 cups (or more to taste) vegetable broth
* 1 cup pureed tomatoes (canned is fine; this is less than a 15 ounce can)

* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3 fresh thyme sprigs
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (Red wine vinegar also works in a pinch)

* Garnishes: Toasted bread slices, poached eggs, chopped herbs such as tarragon, parsley or chives or grated Parmesan or Romano, if desired

1. Bring medium pot of salted water to boil. Cook chard (or any heavier green; no need to precook baby spinach) for one minute, then drain and squeeze out as much extra water as possible. Coarsely chop chard.

2. Dry out the medium pot and heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery, shallots and saute for 15 minutes, adding the garlic in the last few minutes.  Light browning is okay, although don't go crazy--you mostly want soft veggies, not crispy ones, and definitely no burnt garlic--bitter city!

3. Add wine (scraping up any bits that may have stuck to the pot) and cook it until it reduced by three-fourths. 

 4. Add beans, broth, tomatoes, a few pinches of salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chard and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Add more broth if you’d like a thinner stew and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve as is drizzled with sherry vinegar. Or try the aforementioned toast/stew/egg/cheese/sherry vinegar combo.

Enjoy!

Theo the Greek's Spinach Pie

I am pleased to say that there was a specific request that this recipe make it into the blog, which validates it, at least in my mind.  Sometimes when I cook, especially when it's just for me, I have trouble gauging how good or how interesting things are.  Last Saturday night though I hosted 16 Williams Womens' Crew alums at my parents' apartment, so I had a whole host of people to cook for.  I prepared a mix of new and tried-and-true recipes.  This particular recipe was new to me, and comes from Table Talk, a cookbook written by Martha's Vineyard cafe owner Carol McManus.  I heard about it when she was interviewed on a local NPR talk show, where she made particular mention of the much-requested veggie burger recipe.  So I took the book out for the veggie burger recipe alone, (which, at least a year later, I have yet to make).  I also copied down a handful of other yummy sounding recipes, including this one for Spinach Pie, which I had completely forgotten about until I was poking around my computer the other day, looking for something completely unrelated.  It turned out to be so popular that several friends requested that the recipe appear on the blog, so they could make it, to.

Theo the Greek's Spinach Pie is essentially a quiche but with more veg and less egg, so you can pretend that it's healthier.  It's super easy, comes together in minutes and then, if you happen to be making this for a party and desperately need to shower, you have a whole 40 minutes while it bakes to pull yourself together!  The only thing you have to remember is to give yourself enough time to let your frozen spinach thaw, since man, that stuff is like a brick!  I left my spinach in the fridge for 26 hours beforehand, assuming it would thaw in there, but it didn't.  So I put it in a colander on a cookie sheet while my oven was preheating to help it along.  A little unconventional, I know, but the microwave was otherwise engaged.  And once it's thawed, you need to squeeze the heck out of that spinach.  It holds a lot of water!  I justsqueezed it in my hands, but if I had had some cheesecloth, I think the best way is to put it in a piece of cheesecloth, twist the corners together to make a pouch, then just squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.  You do dry out the spinach a little more though when you saute it for a few minutes with the garlic and tomatoes.  I tweaked a few of the ingredient quantities so that they correspond to standard packages, instead of (what seemed to me to be) arbitrary quantities.  But it's essentially all the same, plus or minus a few ounces of spinach and tomatoes.

Update 1/24/12: I revisted this recipe and played with it a little more.  Further tweaks and ideas can be found here.

Theo The Greek's Spinach Pie (Adapted from Table Talk by Carol McManus)

Serves 8 or so

* 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic

* 3 Tablespoons olive oil

* 10 oz. package of frozen spinach, thawed and with liquid squeezed out

* 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained and chopped into large pieces (or the equivalent in fresh tomatoes, about 2 cups)

* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

* 4 large or jumbo eggs, lightly whisked together

* 9 oz. feta cheese, crumbled into small pieces

* Basic pie crust for single pie (you can definitely use frozen here!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a frying pan, sauté garlic in olive oil over low heat for 2 minutes--keep an eye on it though.  It should get golden, but not burnt, or else it will just taste bitter.  Add defrosted spinach drained of liquid.  Sauté for 3 more minutes.  Add chopped tomatoes, pepper, and nutmeg, and sauté 2 more minutes.  Set vegetables aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs.  Add cooled vegetables.  Fold in feta cheese, and pour into prepared pie crust.

4. Bake pie 35-40 minutes until firm in center.  Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.


Enjoy!!

Summer Squash Pasta & Grilled Garlic Bread

When things get crazy busy in the summer and I barely have time to cook anything, let alone find good recipes that are actually worth taking pictures of and sharing with you (since I doubt you'd be interested to hear about how I made burgers...again...or any other comparable summer meal), I can thank my dad for finding good things and sending them my way.  Ahh, retirement must be great!  Anyway, over the 4th of July weekend my dad found an article about Mario Batali in the Wall Street Journal and saved it for me.  I already threw out the article, and my short term memory is failing me, so I can't remember what it was about, but the recipe featured alongside the article was for pasta with summer squash.  Seasonal, no?  Batali's trick on this pasta is to undercook the pasta and the squash just slightly, then steam them together at the end, which apparently infuses the pasta with the squash flavor.  Batali's version calls for penne, although Erik got excited over fresh spinach pasta at the store, so we ended up using that instead.  Although I used Batali's technique, I think the spinach pasta was so flavorful on its own that it didn't pick up too much additional squash flavor, though the two did work well together.  We also used basil instead of the recommended mint, although I intend to try it again with mint, because I'm sure it would be equally delicious.  Whatever kind of pasta and herb you choose, this dish is fast, easy, and perfect for summer.  This meal rounds out nicely with grilled herb and garlic bread.

Pasta with Summer Squash and Ricotta (From Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking by Mario Batali)

* Kosher Salt

* 1 cup fresh ricotta (go whole or low-fat, definitely not fat free)

* 6 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmiganio-Reggiano, plus extra for serving

* 2-3 tablespoons warm water

* 1 pound summer squash or zucchini, or a combo, cut lengthwise in half and sliced into 1/3-inch-thick half-moons

* Fancy sea salt (like Maldon), or kosher if that's all you have

* 1 pound of pasta

* 6 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint or basil

* Freshly ground fresh pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 3 tablespoons of kosher salt.

2. While the pasta water heats, whisk together the ricotta, Parmigano-Reggiano, and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small bowl.  Whisk in 2 tablespoons of warm water to loosen the consistency; add the 3rd tablespoon if it's still too thick.

3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep-ish skillet (that has a lid) over medium heat.  Add the squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's just tender and golden, 4-5 minutes.  Season with your fancy salt, and remove from the heat.

4. Cook your pasta until it's barely al-dente.  Drain the pasta, reserving 1/3 of a cup of the pasta water.

5. Add the pasta and the reserved water to the squash, stirring and tossing over medium heat to mix well.  Pop a lid on and reduce the heat to low, and allow the pasta and squash to steam together for 2 minutes.

6. Stir in the mint (or basil), and season with additional salt, if necessary.  Dish up the pasta and top with a dollop of the ricotta mixture.  Garnish with additional chopped mint (or basil), and serve with extra grated Parm.

Enjoy!

Champagne makes anything fancy.  Even this easy dinner.

Erik's Garlic Thyme Bread.

Slice a baguette or a ciabatta loaf some other good bread.  Melt a few tablespoons of butter.  Stir in a tablespoon or so of chopped thyme.  Brush both sides of the bread slices with the butter/ thyme mixture and then grill them for a 1-2 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  Watch the bread carefully, because it can burn quickly.  Remove from the grill.  Peel a large clove of garlic and rub the garlic onto both sides of the bread.  Serve immediately.  (PS, if you don't have a grill, you can do this on a cookie sheet under the broiler, just watch the bread closely!)

A Shaved Dinner

I know this sounds weird, a "shaved" dinner.  As far as I know it's not a new food trend or anything, it just happened to be the theme of tonight's dinner.  It started with a pizza recipe, which was complemented by a simple salad, and then, when I started to write this post, I realized they each contained shaved components, and there you have it, the theme for this post.  So without further ado...


Part 1 of Shaved Dinner: Shaved Asparagus Pizza

 

I just finished eating this pizza about 5 minutes ago, and I'm already itching to share it with you, because it's darn good.  I found the inspiration for it on smittenkitchen.com, which is a fantastic blog.  I can't remember if I've plugged it before, but I will now: it's a great site. 

This simple pizza has elevated asparagus in my book simply because it is shaved.  Never thought of that before!  For me shaving asparagus takes away what I don't like about the veg (the stringiness) while enhancing the flavor, and particularly bringing out the sweetness.  I tweaked the recipe a little bit, adding pancetta (because I thought it would be good) and omitting scallions (because I completely forgot to buy them, although I bet they would be good).  Other than that I followed Deb's sound advice, and I have to say, I will be returning to shaved asparagus again and again.  Why?  Because it's easy to prep, versatile (I'm already envisioning some sort of pappardelle/shaved asparagus pasta something or other), and brings out a whole new side to this fantastic veggie.  Which, as it so happens, is in season, so you should get some ASAP and whip up this tasty pie.

Shaved Asparagus Pizza (Adapted from SmittenKitchen.com)

Makes 1 thin crust 12 to 14-inch pizza

* 1 recipe of your favorite pizza dough (see below for my fave easy recipe), or pre-made dough from the grocery store, at room temperature
* 1/2 pound asparagus--8 or 9 stalks, perhaps?
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
* 1/2 pound mozzarella, shredded or cut into small cubes--you can use pre-shredded bagged mozz here, but I love the fresh mozz balls that you can find in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store, or at the very least, the vacuum sealed mozz balls, such as Bel Gioioso or Dragone brands
* 2 teaspoons olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 scallion, thinly sliced

* 1 scant cup finely diced pancetta (about a 1/4 inch dice)

* A few tablespoons of cornmeal, for dusting

1. Preheat your oven to the hottest temperature it goes--500 is typical. If you use a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven now.

 

2.  Prep the asparagus: wash your asparagus and pat dry.  Don't snap off the tough ends like you normally might when prepping asparagus, as they are useful to hold on to while you're shaving the asparagus.  Holding a single asparagus spear by its tough end, lay it flat on a cutting board and run a vegetable peeler from the base to the top of the spear to make long shavings.  Repeat with remaining stalks.  Don’t sweat it if some pieces are unevenly thick (i.e., the last slice of the stalk)--it all works out once it's cooked.  Discard the tough end and toss the shaved asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.  

3.  If you are using pancetta, cook it in a saute pan over medium heat, tossing occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until browned.  Some of the fat will render out here, so no need to grease the pan.  Transfer the pancetta cubes to a paper towel lined plate to drain (just like you would with bacon).

4. Assembly time: Stretch out your pizza dough to a 12 to 14-inch round.  Dough should be quite thin, although you can leave it a little bit thicker around the edges.  Either transfer to a floured or cornmeal-dusted pizza peel (if using a pizza stone in the oven) or to a cornmeal-dusted cookie sheet or round pizza pan to bake it on. Sprinkle pizza dough with Parmesan, then mozzarella and pancetta.  Pile asparagus on top. Bake pizza for 10 to 15 minutes, or until edges are browned, the cheese is bubbly and the asparagus might be lightly charred. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with scallions (if using), then slice and enjoy!

Deb had the following suggestions for ways to tweak this recipe.  I think they would all be fantastic--perhaps I will try one next time:

-Toss a pinch of red pepper flakes with the asparagus, oil, s&p.

-Squeeze lemon juice over the asparagus after you remove it from the oven

-Add a few eggs by baking the pizza for 8 minutes, breaking the eggs on top, then finish cooking pizza and eggs together

Part 2 of Shaved Dinner: Shaved Fennel and Arugula Salad 
 

If the concept of shaved veggies has you really excited, I would suggest a shaved fennel and arugula salad to accompany this fine pizza.  Shaved fennel and arugula is one of my all time fave salads, a combo that we have adopted & adapted from Jamie Oliver and Pi Pizzeria, our local high(er) end pizza place.  It's super easy:  

1. Take a fresh fennel bulb, cut off the fennel stalks, halve the bulb, and peel off any outer pieces if they are brown and bruised.  Using either a good chef's knife or a mandolin (my tool of choice), thinly slice either one or both halves of the bulb (depending on how many people you're making the salad for), stopping just before the tough root.  

2. Toss with arugula (I like buying the pre-washed organic boxes of arugula, but if you buy it in bunches, be sure to wash it well, since it is often sandy).  If you want, shave some Parmesan on top (your veggie peeler is a good tool for this).  

3. Dress with a simple Dijon mustard-lemon juice-EVOO dressing and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.  

This was a winning combo with the pizza.  Enjoy!!!

Easy Pizza  Dough (From the new Gourmet cookbook)

* 1 1/4 oz package (or 2 1/4 teaspoons if it's from a jar) of active dry yeast

* About 1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour, divided, plus more for kneading.  You can replace up to half of this flour with whole wheat, if you'd like

* 3/4 cups warm water, divided. (105-115 degrees F)--if you don't have a thermometer, this is quite warm to the touch, just slightly cooler than shower water

* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Mix 1/4 cup of the warm water, the yeast and 1 tablespoon of flour in a cup and let sit for 5 minutes. The yeast mixture should look creamy

2. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups flour and the salt. Pour in the yeast mixture, the rest of the water, and the olive oil, and stir until smooth.

3. Mix in the enough of the remaining flour (about 1/2 a cup) until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

4. Turn the dough out on to a clean surface and knead with lightly floured hands, adding more flour if the dough starts to stick to your hands. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Here is a good YouTube video that demonstrates kneading: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWj8oHMPFm0

5. Form the dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Dust with flour and cover with saran wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft free place for about an hour and a quarter, until doubled in size.

Shakshuka: Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce

I wish I had something inspirational to say about this next recipe, but truthfully, I don't.  I don't even have a photo to show you, sorry.  But I do have an easy, tasty recipe, so read on.  

I hadn't even heard of Shakshuka, an Israeli dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce, until it was featured on Smitten Kitchen, an excellent cooking blog that I often read.  Although in Israel Shakshuka is traditionally served as a breakfast dish, for my American palate I thought it was much more well suited to dinner (I usually steer clear of anything more potent than Cheerios at breakfast).  I was enticed by the simple ingredient list and easy prep--the perfect meal for the end of a busy week.  

I tweaked the recipe just a bit, most notably in the number of servings.  Smitten Kitchen and Saveur, which originally published this recipe, claim that it serves 4-6, but Erik and polished off 2/3 of it on our own (hey, don't judge, it's mostly vegetables!).  However, I reduced the number of eggs accordingly, from the recommended 6 to 3, basically budgeting 1 egg per serving.  The diameter of the pan I used was smaller than the recommended 12 inches, so in my pan 3 eggs fit perfectly--any more would have just created a thick, egg-y layer instead of individually poached eggs.  I suppose that if you had a larger pan and used 2 eggs per person you could stretch the sauce a bit, but I liked mine saucy without too many eggs--healthier that way, right?  I also bumped up the amounts of cumin and garlic, because I simply can't get enough of those delicious flavors.  I wimped out on the jalapenos, however, and used only 2.  Without their seeds, jalapenos actually don't pack too much of a punch, so when I make this again I will use the recommended 3 jalapenos, or add a few seeds, since those are where most of the heat resides.  This is a forgiving and flexible recipe that's easy to prepare, so try it when you're in the mood for something easy, comforting, and full of flavor.

Shakshuka (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Serves 3 to 4 

* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

* 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
* 6 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
* 1/2 Tablespoon ground cumin
* 1 Tablespoon paprika
* A 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained

* 1/2 cup water
* Kosher salt, to taste
* 3-4 eggs, or more, if you feel so inclined
* 1/2 cup crumbed feta cheese
* 1 generous Tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
* Warm pitas, for serving

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chilis and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

 

2. Crush the tomatoes.  You can do this by transferring them to the bowl and crushing them with your hands, or just crushing them as you add them to the skillet.  Either way, crush the tomatoes and add them, along with their liquid and 1/2 cup water to the skillet.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Season with salt, to taste.

3. Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover and cook until yolks are barely set, about 5 minutes.  (Obviously you can simmer for less time if you prefer a runny yolk, like Erik does).  Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk.  Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with warm pitas, cut into quarters, for dipping.  Enjoy!

Cleaning Out The Fridge Quiche

 

See a theme here?  Cleaning out the fridge?  I've been on a kick lately.  Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by the odds and ends in my fridge that I'm just desperate to get rid of it all.  This week I haven't shopped once, it's been all about using up the stuff I already have.  

The dish du soir is quiche, one of my all time faves.  Eggy cheesy goodness in a pastry shell--sort of like souffle but richer, and practically worry-free.  This isn't the first time I've used quiche to clean out the fridge--some of my favorite combos have been born out of this very routine, such as my "southwestern" quiche: onion and bell pepper remnants diced and sauteed quickly and tossed with some of Emeril's Southwestern Essence or just a pinch of cayenne pepper and pepper jack cheese.  Or the dregs of a box of frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, and paired with just about any cheese and a couple of dashes of nutmeg.  The list really could go on. 

Tonight's "Cleaning Out The Fridge" quiche was extra-special because I actually had pie dough that I needed to "get rid of."  If you recall, I had been planning on making mini-quiches last weekend for the Oscars, and after making the dough decided to scrap the project due to egg/cheese overload.  Usually I use frozen pie crusts for quiche (insert gasp here), but since I was going to make the mini quiches in muffin tins, I needed my own pastry dough.  The particular dough that I made, Martha Stewart's classic pate brisee, is supposed to keep well frozen for a month, but I knew if I didn't use it up soon many months would pass before I remembered I had it.  So I started thawing it in the fridge this morning, and by 6:30 it was ready to roll.  In addition to the pate brisee, I still had quite a bit of that ham left (remember, it showed up in potato gratin a few nights ago).  I also had some cheddar leftover from mac and cheese that we made about a month ago.  And, to pretend this dish had some nutritional benefit, I threw in one small onion, because I always keep onions on hand.

Before rolling the dough I assembled the custard part of the filling, which is more or less equal parts egg and sour cream (I use reduced fat), and about 1 cup of cheese, plus whatever meat/veg.  Can't you see how precise this recipe is?  Ha!  Clearly, I totally eyeball the whole thing.  So I mixed my egg, sour cream, and cheese, and on Erik's suggestion added some fresh dill and thyme that we had kicking around.  Then I diced the onion and sauteed it in a bit of EVOO until it had softened a bit, about 8 minutes probably.  Then I diced some ham in 1/4 inch dice or so.  When I was ready I sprinkled my silicone mat with flour, and rolled out the dough so it was about 18-1/4 inch thick.  After carefully transferring it to the pan and adjusting it so that I didn't have to stretch it to make it fit (apparently if you do this the pastry will shrink as it bakes), I rolled the overhanging edges and pinched around the edge to make a rim.  I kind of winged it, because actually, this is the first pie crust I've made from scratch.  But I'm happy to say, it was pretty easy!  Then I layered in the custard mix and the fillings....and realized I had waaaay too little.  I had made enough for a frozen pie crust, but my deep dish glass pan is nearly twice as big!  So then I mixed up some more custard mix, finished filling it, baked it for about 45-50 minutes, until it was set.  Erik put together a nice salad with mesculan, cuke, red bell pepper and chopped scallions dressed with a simple dijon-lemon juice-EVOO-S&P dressing (an easy classic), and dinner was served! 

I'm not going to lie, the quiche was delicious.  Although, I've never really met a quiche that wasn't.  While I will probably continue using frozen pie crust 90% of the time, the homemade crust was noticeably yummier, I thought (or perhaps I was just thinking about all that work making it...)  But whether you opt to duplicate tonight's recipe, or discover your own combination, think about quiche when you're thinking about cleaning out the fridge...or not.  It is so delicious that you should think about it next time you're having people over for brunch, or lunch, or dinner, or just whenever you want a delicious, easy dinner. 

Cleaning Out the Fridge Quiche

I had to nearly double the amounts of egg, sour cream, and cheese to make this fill my deep dish pie plate.  However, the amounts listed below are for your average sized frozen pie crust, which is what I use most of the time.

My half-filled quiche.  Oops.  If that were a frozen pie crust, it would have been perfect.

* 4 or 5 eggs

* About 1/2 a pint, aka 1 cup, of sour cream (reduced fat works fine)

* About 1 cup of grated cheese, plus and additional 1/4 cup or so to sprinkle on top. Semi-firm varieties, such as Cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, and Gruyere work well

* Freshly ground pepper

At this point, that's all you need for a yummy plain quiche.  However, meat and veggie additions make it even yummier.  Tonight I used:

* 1 small onion, diced and sauteed in EVOO until softened

* About 1/2 cup diced ham (organic, nitrate-free, if you can find it)

* Fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stems

* Fresh dill, chopped

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Remove your frozen pie crust from the freezer and allow to thaw while you prep filling.

2. Whisk together the egg, sour cream, pepper, herbs, and 1 cup of grated cheese in a bowl. 

3.  In a small skillet, saute onions in some EVOO over medium heat until they are softened, about 8 minutes.

4.  Dice ham to a 1/4 inch dice.

5.  Place pie crust on a cookie sheet (if you're using a frozen crust in a flimsy pan).  Pour about 1/3 of the custard filling into the pie crust (it doesn't matter if the crust hasn't thawed completely).  Sprinkle on about half the ham and onions, and then repeat with another 1/3 of the custard, the remaining ham and onions, and then the remainder of the custard.  This step doesn't have to be too precise, but I do it this way instead of mixing everything together to help ensure an even distribution of the chunky stuff.  Sprinkle the top of the quiche with the 1/4 cup of grated cheese. 

 Filled to perfection.  You don't want to go all the way to the top, because the egg will bake up a bit

6.  Bake quiche, on cookie sheet, for about 35-40 minutes, or until top is golden brown and the center of the quiche doesn't jiggle if you shake it gently.  If the crust is browning too quickly, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil.

7.  Cool quiche for about 5 minutes before slicing, and serving like a pie.  Enjoy!

If you're feeling really inspired and want to make your own crust, try of Martha Stewart's classic pate brisee, recipe below.  The quantities listed make a single crust for 9 or 10-inch pan.

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 teaspoon sugar

* 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

* 1/8 to 1/4 cup ice water 

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. 

3. Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap.  If needed, use your hands to gently press the dough together into a disc.  Wrap tightly in the plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

4.  To roll the dough, lightly flour a rolling surface and your rolling pin.  Starting rolling from the center, and rotate the dough often to create an even circle (or circular like shape)  Roll to about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick, and until it reaches the correct size.  Place your pie pan (ungreased--plenty of butter in there already!) right next to the dough, and gently lift it into the pan and center.

5. Trim any overhang that's too long, and transfer the dough to a part that doesn't have much of a lip, if necessary.  Fold the overhaning dough over towards the center of the dish, and pinch the edge all the way around to create a lip.

 Behold!  My first pie crust!  The unsightly overlap will be covered with egg, so don't sweat it.