Asparagus, Radish and Broccolini Salad

When the weather began getting warmer in mid-May, I found myself in a bit of a cooking funk. I didn’t feel like cooking anything and worried that I’d never find enough warm weather recipe ideas to keep me going for the whole summer. For the first few weeks I continued making lentil soups and roasting vegetables like it was still winter. This didn’t last long, though, because it became too hot to stand over the stove and have the oven running, and all my body craved was light, healthy, uncomplicated food.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are colorful, bright, and in season right now, but sometimes it’s hard to know how to put them all together to make a healthy meal that’s not boring or that leaves you hungry an hour after you eat it. It’s also ideal to find recipes that don’t take long to prepare since it’s hot out and you’d probably rather be outside than cooking dinner for 2 hours.

My first instinct, when looking for dinner ideas, is to get pulled in by the endless pasta options. Especially at this time of the year when you can boil up a pot of pasta, add some vegetables and a light vinaigrette and call it dinner, it seems tempting to make something like that every night. I’m trying to resist that urge. (hard for me…I could eat pasta every day for the rest of my life)

Thanks to a few sites out there, which provide unending dinner inspiration for any time of year, the search for weather appropriate recipes has been so much easier lately.

Take, for instance, a light salad of asparagus, radishes and broccolini, topped with a toasted pine nut, olive oil, shallot, lemon juice and sea salt vinaigrette, served over nutty farro. Does that sound delicious and filling and just right for a summer day? It did to me when I saw it on 101 Cookbooks, and when I finally made it, it really was wonderful.

The vibrant green of the asparagus and red of the radishes make this dish visually appealing in addition to fresh and wonderful to eat. The vinaigrette is light and has a subtle punch, perfectly coating all of the vegetables. Adding toasted pine nuts to this vinaigrette, which I initially was going to skip because they were so expensive at the store, is probably one of the best parts of this salad. Their crunch and warm, roasted flavor enhance the vinaigrette and give it an extra dimension. Then there are the shallots, which are mild enough to be tasted but not so much so where they overpower everything in the plate.

You could serve this salad over any grain or quinoa, but for me, farro has been a recent favorite option that’s earthy and chewy, and which takes far less time to prepare than brown rice does.

So, next time you’re at the market and see some gorgeous asparagus and radishes, consider making this simple, fresh salad. It’s the glory of summer in a plate.

Asparagus, Radish and Broccolini Salad with Farro

Yield: 2-3 servings

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the salad:
12 asparagus spears, sliced into coins
5 - 6 broccolini (or broccoli) florets, trimmed and cut into small pieces
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 small shallot, chopped finely
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted, and coarsely chopped
7 mini radishes, washed, trimmed and sliced thin
zest of one lemon
grated parmesan, optional

For the farro:
1 cup farro
3 cups water
Large pinch of kosher salt

Directions:

1. Heat the farro and water in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a low boil and allow to cook for 15 minutes, at which point the farro should be tender. While the farro cooks, continue on to the rest of the recipe.

2. Wash the asparagus and broccolini and set them aside to dry..

3. Whisk the lemon juice, salt, shallot and olive oil in a small bowl. Stir in the pine nuts.

4. Pour a glug of olive oil and a large pinch of salt into a large skillet. Once heated, add the asparagus and broccolini. Stir well to coat the vegetables in oil and then cover the skillet with a lid and cook for a minute. Stir it again and taste a piece of asparagus. If the asparagus is still a bit raw, put the lid back on the pan and cook for another minute.

5. Once the vegetables are done, remove them from the heat and add in the radishes and lemon zest. Taste for salt and add more if necessary. Stir in a little less than half the dressing and mix it to combine. Add more dressing if you need to. There might be a bit extra.

6. Scoop farro into bowls and top with the salad, which should be served lightly warm or at room temperature. Top with grated parmesan, if using.

From 101 Cookbooks

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

If you know me, you know that I really love baking cookies. I’m sure this isn’t something I need to admit, though, because my obsession is rather evident from the numerous cookie recipes I have posted to this site.

When I have somewhere to go, feel like sharing baked goods with friends, or just want to bake something for fun, I always look for a new cookie recipe and bake away.

What I’ve discovered as a newbie food blogger is that there are so many kinds of cookies out there that I’ve never seen or heard of before. Tuiles? Cowgirl cookies? World Peace cookies? These are all part of a world whose surface I’ve barely scratched.

There’s a cookie baking chain called Insomnia Cookies that opened a small store a few blocks away from my apartment (danger!). If you’re not familiar with their story, Insomnia was created by UPenn students who baked cookies for fellow classmates when they craved a late night snack, hence the name Insomnia Cookies. Now they have expanded to several universities throughout the country and, lucky for me, opened a shop in my neighborhood. A few weeks ago when we walked home from dinner we passed Insomnia and stopped in for some grub. The absolute best cookie they sold was the white chocolate macadamia nut.

Let’s back up. Until that point, I hadn’t ever tried a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to. I prefer my cookies to have chocolate or M&Ms inside, and macadamia nuts never appealed to me. But since my boyfriend is far more well versed with the finer college type indulgences than I am, he assured me I would love the cookie, and I did.

The version I’m sharing with you doesn’t taste quite like Insomnia’s did (probably because they lace their cookies with secret awesomeness), but it’s still wonderful. The cookies are chewy, textured and sweet with a hint of subtle saltiness to round out the flavors. And, of course, they please a crowd, which is always what you want when cookies are around.

And the cookie baking obsession continues…

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Yield: about 3 dozen cookies

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted macadamia nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl.

3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Add both sugars to the butter and beat very well, until completely incorporated. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat until just combined. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the white chocolate chips and the nuts.

4. Bake the cookies until just golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on racks.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

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Margherita Pizza

The first recipe I ever posted on this blog was for simple pizza. Looking back on that post (which is painful) with its awful pictures and ingredient list consisting of mostly store bought items, reminds me of how far I’ve come as a food blogger and, dare I say it, a home cook, over the past 10 months.

Since then, pizza has sort of become my cooking side project. I’ve been working towards sharing a recipe on here that I have tested dozens of times and that makes me proud enough to proclaim that I’d rather eat my own, homemade pizza, than anything I can get at a nearby pizzeria. (I can guarantee that if I lived anywhere within a mile or 2 of this place, though, I’d be doomed. Their pizza is the best, ever. Period. No questions asked. I want some right now. Ohhhh.)

Speaking of pizza, I actually live directly above a pizzeria. We even share an address. On move in day, I thought that I’d become a carb loading pizza fiend and pop in for a slice every other day, but 10 months later, I’ve been there only three times because the pizza there sucks. Other people seem to love it, but I can’t get past their limp crust and paste-like sauce. No good.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t credit my boyfriend here, too because he’s as passionate as I am about making perfect pizza. In fact, he has become the designated dough maker of our duo. He’s just got a special touch and is able to make it perfectly every time he tries. I don’t know what that special touch is or how to get it, but he has it. And I don’t. (By some stroke of luck, I am way better at cleaning dishes. What a drag.)

Over the course of the past several months, we’ve experimented with a handful of pizza dough and sauce recipes. For a while, we’d finish each pizza feeling satisfied, but also with a sense that it could’ve been better or different. In the end, it all boiled down to a brilliant Brit named Jamie Oliver.

Jamie’s dough first entered my world when Luisa shared the recipe a few months ago on her blog. Prior to this, we’d tried a number of other dough recipes, all of which are wonderful, and worth a try if you’re interested in comparing them. They’re all similar, so it’s possible that one of these will suit you even better than Jamie Oliver’s version might. But my favorite is clear. This dough is salty and sweet and very easy to work with. When the pizza is cooked, the crust is airy, light, and has its own warm, yeasty flavor.

For a while, we were set on this dough and knew it was “the one.” But the problem was that I couldn’t find a sauce I was happy with. Sometimes I’d make a simple marinara or this sauce or even use the stuff in a jar, but after browsing through all the cooking shows on my DVR a few weeks ago, Jamie Oliver’s pizza episode of Jamie at Home was on there, and he made the most wonderful, silky tomato sauce. One try and bam, that was it.

The sauce simply combines garlic, basil, whole peeled tomatoes and salt. Then the whole mixture is strained through a sieve and heated, allowing it to thicken. The basil leaves infuse the rest of the sauce and everything tastes smooth, luscious and fresh.

Here are some notes that might help you avoid some of the common pizza problems:

• Don’t over-top your pizza. Keep it simple. Choose 3-5 good quality ingredients and let them shine.
• Feel free to refrigerate the dough for a couple of days if you’re not going to use it right away.
• Don’t be afraid to crank up your oven as high as it will go to give your pizza a nice scorching hot place to bake.
• Don’t let the thought of homemade dough and sauce intimidate you. Make this pizza on a weekend and give yourself time to allow the dough to rise and the sauce to simmer.
• Make sure the sauce and cheese don’t add too much moisture to the top of the pie, or else it’ll all gather in the middle and make the pizza sink.

And now, without any further stalling, I present you with my favorite pizza recipe. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Margherita Pizza

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 2 hours, including dough rise

Ingredients:

For the dough:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (“00” flour is even better, if you can find it)
2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 packet (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
corn meal (optional, for dusting the bottom of the sheet pan)

For the sauce:
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large handful basil, left in tact
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
kosher salt
tomato paste, optional

For the toppings:
fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
handful of fresh basil, cut into ribbons or roughly torn
parmiggiano-reggiano, grated

Directions:

1. Drop the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the water into a large measuring cup and mix in the yeast, sugar and olive oil. Let it sit for a few minutes before pouring it into the well. Take a fork and slowly mix the flour in with the wet ingredients, adding more and more flour from the sides as it starts to combine. Once you've begun mixing the wet ingredients with the flour, add the salt and continue mixing until the dough forms a ball. When the mixture is completely incorporated, work it with your hands and knead it well until the dough is smooth, a little sticky, and bounces back when you poke it with a finger.

2. Clean out the bowl and coat it with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Place the ball of dough in the bowl and rub it in the olive oil so the entire ball is oiled. Place a damp dish towel over the bowl and let the dough rest in your oven (make sure it’s not turned on!) for an hour. It should be double the size after an hour.

3. While the dough is rising, make the sauce. In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, put the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for 2-3 minutes, allowing it to perfume the oil. Don’t let the garlic burn, though. Add the basil and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Pour the can of tomatoes into the pan along with a generous pinch of kosher salt. Using a spoon, break the tomatoes apart.

4. Strain the sauce into a medium sized bowl with a sieve. I find that using the back of a wooden spoon speeds up this process a bit. Throw out the tomato and basil and only keep the strained sauce.

5. Put the sauce back into the saucepan and heat it for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce reaches the desired thickness. If you feel that it’s still too watery after 20 minutes, stir in about a teaspoon of tomato paste.

6. Once the dough has risen, lay it on a flat, floured surface and “punch down” the dough with your fist. Take your sheet pan and either coat the bottom with a little oil or cover it with some corn meal so that the pizza doesn’t stick. Pat the dough down into a 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick crust and then place it in the pan. Allow it to rest here for 15-20 minutes, during which it will rise a tiny bit more. In the mean time, preheat your oven as high as it will go.

7. After 20 minutes, add the sauce to the pizza dough, leaving a 1 inch border free for the crust. Spread the sauce out evenly. Top with mozzarella cheese and any other toppings you might want to use. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the crust is brown and the sauce and cheese are bubbling.

8. Let the pizza rest for a few minutes before serving. While it's resting, grate some parmiggiano-reggiano over the top and cover with fresh torn (or ribboned) basil.

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

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Rhubarb Crisp

Rhubarb is one of those ingredients that had, until recently, eluded me. I’d see it on Tastespotting in galettes, pies and crumbles, yet when I passed it in the grocery store and saw its red celery-like stalks resting ignored near the turnip and lettuce section, I didn’t feel inspired enough to grab some and work with it.



Then, one day, I saw this recipe, and I knew it was time. I had been looking for a dessert that used only rhubarb instead of, say, strawberry and rhubarb together, because I wanted to really taste it in its true dessert form without other flavors mixing in. 

I was intimidated at first and wondered how I’d get those red shoots into a dessert but it turns out that the rhubarb was surprisingly easy to use and really stood up for itself throughout the baking process.

If you decide to taste raw rhubarb, the flavor will make your eyes wince and lips purse from its bitterness. Rhubarb isn’t inherently sweet and it doesn’t look particularly appetizing, either. Looking past these flaws, the wonderful thing about rhubarb is that once you add a few simple ingredients to it (sugar, for example), and heat it through, the bitterness is lost and what you’re left with is pieces of rhubarb which fall apart with each bite and a flavor that mixes sweetness and sourness and that has a complexity that most desserts don’t have. In other words, it’s very rich and very good, and when it’s covered in a caramel like glaze and topped with butter, oats and brown sugar and then put in the oven for 45 minutes, the result is amazing.

And, hey! This recipe is just in time for the Fourth of July, in case you needed any dessert inspiration! I think it would be great with some whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Speaking of, what will your Independence Day look like? I’ll be on Long Island where my parents are having their annual 4th of July barbecue. Whether you’re at a barbecue, too, or kicking it on a blanket at the Charles River while eating jello shots out of Tupperware (memories..), I hope your Independence Day is warm, relaxing and full of food, family, and all that good stuff!

Rhubarb Crisp

Yield: 9-inch round crisp

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

This crisp will stay well at room temperature covered in an air tight container for about 3 days. You can store it in the refrigerator, too, if you’d like.

Ingredients:

For the filling:
4 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. corn starch
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the crisp topping:
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of salt
½ cup chopped walnuts
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Place rhubarb in an 8x8 baking dish or divide between 6 ramekins.

3. In a small saucepan, add the sugar, cornstarch and water and mix them together. Put the saucepan over medium high heat and bring it to a boil until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is like a thick caramel. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour this mixture over the rhubarb.

4. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt and walnuts. Stir in the melted butter until everything is combined. Drop this mixture over the rhubarb and make sure it’s evenly distributed throughout the top of the baking dish.

5. Bake the crisp in the oven for 45 minutes or until the rhubarb is cooked through and the filling is bubbling.

6 Serve warm with a bit of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

From Kitchen Simplicity

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Peace, Patience and Pasta

So it’s back to reality over here. It’s back to 6AM alarms, the morning routine, the work e-mails, client phone calls, deadlines, aggravations and “the grind.”

I told myself when I woke up on Monday morning that I wouldn’t let the routine get the best of me. That I’d relish in the glory of my 10 days away and bring that refreshed, peaceful feeling with me throughout my week.

It hasn’t been easy. Life, in general, can really get under a person’s skin in a way that you don’t notice until you’ve had the time to get away from it.

What I wonder is if it’s possible to remain sane when life is so hectic. Can I be patient and peaceful amidst the constant pull to be doing more or better? Can I sit back and breathe deeply, focusing on exact moments as they happen instead of worrying about singing or work or blogging or what’s for dinner?

I’m really going to try to remain peaceful and not allow myself to get lost in the chaos. And, when there is chaos, which is inevitable, maybe there’s a way that I can look at it from a positive perspective in order to make it a little less dramatic and stressful.

And, of course, the only logical thing to talk about at this point is pasta, right? (Right!) It’s one of those comforting foods that I crave when I haven’t had it in a while. It’s the food that I can count on when I have nothing else in the cupboard to eat. And it is so versatile!

This pasta with portobello mushrooms and asparagus dish is the sort of thing you throw together at the end of a long day. It doesn’t require much effort, is healthy, and makes great leftovers. That’s a theme around here, I think, but it works.

Mushrooms and asparagus make an unlikely yet very fitting pair. The tenderness of the mushrooms and slight bite of the asparagus fit them together well. The contrasted flavors are interesting too. Mushrooms are very deep and asparagus are a bit lighter but, depending on their doneness, they can develop a long, rich flavor, too. And then adding this stuff to pasta is just too fitting. The sauce, made mostly out of vegetable stock (or white wine, if you’d like), has the opportunity to reduce and enhance the flavors of the vegetables.

So, here’s to peace, patience and a little bit of pasta mixed in. Happy hump day!

Penne with Portobello Mushrooms and Asparagus

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. penne, cooked 2 minutes less than package directions suggest
extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (I usually use 1 tsp. or more since I like it spicy)
4 portobello mushroom caps, washed and cut into wedges
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock, if that’s what you have)
1 tbsp. lemon zest (optional)
handful of basil, cut into thin ribbons (optional)
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes, and let them cook until the onion is slightly soft, 3 minutes. Be careful not to let the garlic burn. Add the mushroom and asparagus to the pan along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and let cook for 5-8 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

2. Add the vegetable stock to the pan and let it evaporate and thicken a bit. This should take about 8-10 minutes. Once the sauce is as thin or thick as you’d like it to be, add the almost cooked pasta and allow it to cook until it is fully done, about 2 minutes. Add more liquid at this point if the sauce is too thick.

3. Check for seasoning and add more salt, pepper and red pepper flakes as you see fit. Serve the pasta warm, in large bowls, with a bit of lemon zest and some basil on top, if using.

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She’s Back!

I really meant to post on here weeks ago before leaving for vacation, but because of work, performances and preparations for the trip, it just didn’t happen.

 

San Francisco:
Salmon at Zuni Cafe
Roasted potatoes with fava beans and crème fraiche at Zuni Cafe
Vegetarian quiche at Tartine
Pain au chocolat at Tartine
Dahi Vada from Dosa on Fillmore
Peony cocktail from Dosa on Fillmore
Paratha from Dosa on Fillmore

 

Seattle:
Onion obsession sandwich from Paseo
Salted caramel ice cream from Molly Moon’s
Soy latte from Macrina Bakery

 

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French Yogurt Cake

When the weather started getting warmer this spring, complex flavors stopped appealing to me for a few weeks. It was so weird. I didn’t want a rich chocolate cake or my one of my favorite foods, falafel, among other things. Everything seemed too much, too rich, too complicated. It all required too much energy to enjoy.

Thankfully this all subsided after a few weeks and now everything is back to normal. Phew. I was getting worried!

As a person who enjoys cooking and sharing recipes, it was hard to think about what I wanted to prepare when all I felt like eating was boring stuff that no one cares about (ie: plain pasta, roasted cauliflower, chickpea salad, etc). Usually it’s the simple food that I pass over in favor for the more colorful, vibrant, spicy sorts of things but in this case, I was drawn to foods I normally would not choose to eat.

One of those things? A French style lemon yogurt cake, formally known as Gâteau au Citron. Simple, unfussy and bright, this cake is the perfect solution for a simple dessert. The yogurt in the batter gives the cake a moist, light texture that is so refreshingly spring like. It’s the sort of cake that doesn’t look all that pretty or seem like it’ll make heads turn, but the fact that it is unexciting in appearance makes its subtle sweetness and elegance a surprise.

The cake itself mixes the usual suspects: eggs, yogurt, sugar, flour, canola oil and lemon zest. Once the cake comes out of the oven and cools, a lemon glaze is spread over the top, seeping into all the nooks of the cake. It’s so delightful and special.

In the end, I got what I wanted. I had a dessert that was easy to make and that didn’t have a multitude of flavors running through each bite. I also had a cake that made me close my eyes while I ate it, savoring the pure lemon flavor and airiness. And, I think I’ll make it again even when I’m not in the mood for something so simple.

Gâteau au Citron (French Yogurt Cake)

Molly’s site has a good deal of information on the measurements for this cake and, if you read the comments, she also answers some great questions people had about their cakes burning on the outside but not being cooked on the inside. It helped me diagnose my oven calibration issues!

Ingredients:

For the cake:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/2 cup canola oil

For the glaze:
Juice from 2 lemons
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a 9-inch cake pan. Feel free to also line the bottom of the pan with parchment or wax paper.

2. Combine the yogurt, sugar and eggs in a large bowl until well blended. Add the flour, baking powder and zest, mixing just until everything becomes incorporated. Mix in the oil well, until it blends to a smooth batter (it’ll look oily at first, but keep stirring). Pour the mixture into your prepared cake pan.

3. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes until the cake springs back at the touch and a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean.

4. Cool the cake on a rack in its pan for about 20 minutes before taking it out of the pan and allowing it to cool completely.

5. Combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and drizzle it over the completely cooled cake. Serve immediately.

6. The cake will keep well for 3-4 days covered in foil or plastic wrap.

Adapted from Les gâteaux de Mamie via Orangette

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On Barbecues and Pasta Salad

When you hear the word “barbecue,” which pleasures come to mind? Many will probably agree that beer, burgers and ribs take the cake. I personally picture chips & guacamole, cold beers, swimming pools and, typical for me, pasta salad.

Yes! I said pasta salad. The kind that’s full of fresh vegetables and coated with a bright, zesty vinaigrette and served at room temperature. It’s the pasta salads that, in my experience, are often completely passed over while hungry guests fill their plates with baked beans, hot dogs, corn and mayonnaise laden potato salads at barbecues. And that’s really not a problem because then there’s more pasta for me.

I attended my first barbecue of the season on Monday at my parent’s house and it felt so, wonderfully, like summer that day. (and all week, really) There’s something about summer barbecues and hanging out in people’s backyards by the pool with a beer in hand and the smell of food cooking on the grill in the background that evokes happy and hopeful memories for me. It’s good to know that, even though the opportunities for barbecues in the city are rare (even more so now that we’ve been banned from even stepping foot onto the roof of our building without incurring a $275 fine! Stupid.), that I can still hop on the LIRR and see friends and family all summer long.

Because my mom follows a vegan diet, barbecues at our house generally contain more vegetarian/vegan items than not. At a barbecue a few years ago we started introducing veggie burgers and soy hot dogs into the mix and, before my mom was able to tell everyone which plate of hot dogs had the “real” ones and which one didn’t my grandfather took a bite of a soy hot dog and winced at bit. He proceeded to yell, “What the hell is this thing?!” Oops.

For non meat eaters, barbecues can sometimes seem a bit unfriendly. While I’ll fully admit that I occasionally deem it perfectly acceptable to drink beers and eat chips, dip and dessert and call it a meal, that sort of eating can be a bit unfulfilling sometimes.

That’s why dishes like this pasta salad are so wonderful at this time of year for outdoor eating. It’s a salad that can be eaten at room temperature or even a little bit warm and that has great texture contrasts because of the loads of fresh vegetables, beets, and chopped almonds. The vinaigrette is bold enough to stand out among the various ingredients and is light enough to avoid weighing down your plate. The beets, scallions, parsley, beets and radicchio add delightfully bright colors to the dish, and the flavors meld perfectly to make this pasta a great picnic or barbecue option.

The hands-on preparation time for this pasta isn’t too bad, but because it contains beets which need to be roasted for an hour and then cooled before they can be diced, this isn’t the sort of thing you can throw together in 10 minutes. Don’t fear, though! All you physically have to do is chop ingredients and mix them together. So while the beets are roasting, you can take care of other things. It’s worth it, I promise!

Orecchiette Salad with Roasted Beets, Fennel, & Toasted Almonds


Yield: 4-6 servings

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 medium golden beets, washed

4 tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup whole natural almonds
2 cups uncooked orecchiette pasta

1 cup radicchio, sliced thin

½ cup fennel bulb, sliced thin
¼ cup fennel fronds, chopped
½ cup scallions, sliced
¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/3 cup lemon vinaigrette (recipe below)

Lemon vinaigrette:1 tbsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. honey (if you want this to be vegan, substitute agave)
1 tbsp. lemon zest
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Wash your beets and then put them on a large piece of aluminum foil. Cover them with 2 tbsp. olive oil and season with salt and pepper before gathering the edges of the foil and covering the beets with it (it should be like a pouch). Bake in the oven for an hour or until the beets are tender when you stick a fork in them. Let the beets cool and then peel the skin off and dice them into 1/2 inch pieces. Set the beets aside and leave the oven on.

3. Spread the almonds onto a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes or until you can smell the faint aroma of nuts. (You can put them in while the beets are baking.) The almonds are done when they are slightly more brown than usual. Remove the almonds from the oven and let them cool before chopping them coarsely.

4. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add small handful of salt and then drop the pasta in, allowing it to cook according to the package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander letting all of the water drain off, then put it in a large bowl and stir in 2 tbsp. of olive oil to keep it moist.

5. Add the diced beets, chopped almonds, radicchio, fennel bulb & fronds, scallions and parsley to the large bowl with the pasta. Pour the lemon vinaigrette* onto the ingredients and stir well to combine. You can cover and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it. Make sure you let it warm to room temperature before it is served, though; it tastes much better that way.

To make the lemon vinaigrette:
In a small bowl, mix the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, honey (or agave), lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, continuing to stir until the mixture is well combined, about 2 minutes. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready for it.

Adapted from Macrina Bakery and Café Cookbook via Dana Treat

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Buttermilk Blueberry Scones

I mentioned recently that we’re headed to the west coast in a few weeks. I really can’t wait for a vacation, and, naturally, we’ve been spending the past few weeks making lists and dinner reservations, and all kind of plans for what we want to do when we’re away.

One of the destinations that we’re particularly excited about is Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. My parents got Scott, who has become very interested in bread baking these days, the Tartine Bread book for his birthday and we have been eyeing all of the wonderful recipes in it for months. When we realized that Tartine is in San Francisco, we both freaked out a little and then added it immediately to our list of places to try.

Scott had been talking about making the croissants (which look gorgeous) from Tartine’s bread book for weeks and when his schedule freed up a bit, he decided it was time to dive into this project. Just note this: the croissants were attempted. Sourdough starter was made and proceeded to explode all over the kitchen counter on a daily basis. In the end, oven temperature issues foiled the whole thing and now we’re back to the beginning.

On a happier note, Tartine’s original cookbook features a delightful recipe for buttermilk currant scones. I made them recently, and they are amazing. I actually used blueberries, not currants, since I liked the idea better.  I’ve never had scones quite like the ones that came out of this batch.

You know how some scones can be? Dry, brittle, stale tasting and unimpressive? These scones blow all those others out of the water. They’re buttery, sturdy and moist and are the kind of scones that you’d want to eat for breakfast or just snack on all day long. They’re vaguely biscuit-like and possess a delicate balance of sweetness and tartness that make them exact and satisfying without being the least bit overwhelming. The scones taste best when you’re in the mood for something that isn’t too rich or elaborate because they’re comfortably unfussy. It’s that natural simplicity which makes them so delightful.

Best of all, they’re not difficult to make. I initially wasn’t sure what to expect when I made scones for the first time (omg triangles!), but I assure you that there is nothing to fear. My first attempt ever yielded wonderful scones, and it took about 3 days to finish off the entire batch.

I’m counting down the days until I visit Tartine! I’ll let you know how it is.

Buttermilk Blueberry Scones

Yield: 12-14 servings, depending on size

Total Time: 1 hour

I found the idea for blueberry scones here where Alexandra suggests cutting the recipe in half to make the process more manageable. I followed her advice and it worked out perfectly.

Ingredients:

For the scones:
4 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. lemon zest, grated
1 cup + 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 cups fresh blueberries (if you have to use frozen, do not thaw them)

For the topping:
3 tbsp. butter
granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the sugar, salt and lemon zest and stir well. Cut the butter into small cubes and put it in the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Using the back of a fork, incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients. There will be small pebble sized clumps once everything is mixed and that’s ok.

3. Pour the buttermilk and blueberries into the dry mixture and stir gently with a wooden spoon being careful not to break the blueberries. Add more buttermilk in tablespoon sized increments if the batter is too dry.

4. Dust your counter with flour and place the dough onto the surface. Pat the dough into a large disc and brush the top of with melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Cut out 6-8 even pie shaped slices and place them onto the parchment paper covered baking sheet.

5. Bake for 25-35 minutes until the top of the scones is lightly browned. When they’re ready, serve warm or cool them to room temperature and serve them then. They can be kept in an air tight container for about 4 days.

Adapted from Tartine

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Brussels Sprouts and Tofu

Food wise, I had a wonderful weekend. (with the exception of Friday night, when Scott and I both came home from an opera performance and rehearsal, respectively, at around 1AM and sat in front of the couch eating whatever we could scrounge up. Not our best moment.) Yesterday was particularly exceptional. Being the lovely girlfriend I am (note sarcasm here), I bought Scott some bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Zingerman’s, one of his old college haunts, to celebrate two years of dating and we had an indoor picnic (the weather outside was crummy) with those ingredients, pesto, mozzarella cheese and olives from Fairway, fresh fruit, vegetables, baba ganouj, wine, and chocolate chip walnut cookies from Levain Bakery. It was a feast that was far too excessive for two people to eat alone (leftovers!!) and it was followed (several hours later, mind you) by dinner at Marea, one of the best restaurants I’ve visited in the past few months. If you go to Marea, definitely try the calamari appetizer. It’s stuffed with cod puree and accompanied by tomatoes, pignoli nuts, capers and grilled polenta. The flavors are warm and reminiscent of Italy and the dish is incredibly refined and looks spectacular. The tagliatelle with lobster and tarragon is quite a treat, too. Gosh, I wish I had taken pictures.

As you can imagine, it was around noon today before I even wanted to eat anything. At that point, I still couldn’t really imagine eating a full meal so when it came time to make dinner tonight, I knew whatever I made would have to be easy and light. A stir fry type dish was the perfect choice.

Now, I’m going to be honest with you: I am not the world’s biggest fan of tofu. Yes, I will eat it if it’s available and is the only non meat option on a menu. Yes, I’ll actually crave tofu in a Thai red or green curry (that’s my favorite way to eat it). But at home, I don’t generally gravitate towards recipes that include tofu because it’s just not my favorite thing to cook with or eat.

But tofu and brussels sprouts? This intrigued me. I saw the recipe on Dana Treat a few months ago, and was just waiting for the right time to make it. Side note: If you’re ever looking for wonderful desserts or healthy, fresh meals to make, you should read Dana’s site. I’d probably starve without it. Or eat pasta every single night.

Now back to this. The key to this recipe is to let the tofu marinate for a half hour before doing the stir fry. Let it soak up the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, maple syrup and chili sauce. The tofu absorbs these tastes and then infuses all of the other ingredients in the pan with the flavor of this marinade. The profile is noticeably East Asian with a hint of edginess which the brussels sprouts lend to the dish. Even if you’re not a huge fan of tofu or brussels sprouts, there’s something to be said for the bold, sweet, spiciness of this combination.

Best of all, it doesn’t weigh you down. Served by itself or with a side of brown rice, there’s no better way to get back into eating well than to make something like this for dinner.

Brussels Sprouts & Tofu

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. maple syrup
12 oz. extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 pound brussels sprouts, sliced in half, long ways, stems discarded
kosher salt
grapeseed oil
3 scallions, white and green parts only, thinly sliced
1 red chili, seeded and minced
8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large, flat baking dish mix the chili sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar and maple syrup. Add the sliced tofu and cover it with the marinade until coated well. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cover the pan with the oil. Let it heat for a few minutes and add the brussels sprouts and a pinch of salt, allowing them to brown. Don’t stir. Once they are as soft or as crunchy as you’d like (about 8-10 minutes will elapse), remove them from the pan and put them into a large bowl.

3. Over the heat again, add a teaspoon more of oil to the large skillet and add the scallion, red chili and mushrooms. Stir to combine and then leave it alone, allowing this mixture to brown. It’ll take about 6 minutes. Add this mixture to the bowl with the brussels sprouts.

4. Add the tofu to the pan but be careful and try not to let it break. Let each side brown for about 3 minutes. Add all of the ingredients back in the skillet and add the remaining tofu marinade and the cilantro and mix everything well to combine over medium heat. Take the pan off the heat and serve warm.

Adapted from Plenty via Dana Treat

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