Basically, I'm Always Hungry

Dark Chocolate Tart with Salted Almond Filling

2012-01-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

About a year ago I found a really fun cookbook - and immediately started messing with the recipes and having visions of home-made pies for every occasion. The occasion that immediately presented itself was my dear hubby's birthday, let's call it his Bar Mitzvah (+25). His very favorite cake is a passion fruit curd chocolate mousse which I set out to do all on my very own. I made the crust, I made the mousse and I even made the crazy, 12 egg yolk (!!!) passion fruit curd. The cake was stupendous. He was touched, guests were awed, I was proud and then.....I dropped it. Yes, dear reader I dropped that cake. Fortunately by the time dessert rolled around the audience was past the point of caring and we scooped that sucker up right off the floor. Even sadder than my cake's literal downfall is the fact that I never got a picture of my beauty nor did I write down what I actually did to create that amazing madness of a cake.

The following day, once the euphoria...ahem...alcohol wore off I remembered my cake's sad fate. I was sad and stupid. But then I remembered that the cake crust recipe I used made two crusts and I had another crust in the freezer. I needed to make up for my ~~alcoholism~~ clumsiness and come up with another cake. Here it is.

Dark Chocolate Tart with Salted Almond Filling

makes one 9 inch tart

for the crust - Chocolate Pate Sucre (enough for two tarts)

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

1/4 cup of sugar

1/4 tsp of salt

2 sticks of cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 to 4 tbs of cold water

Pulse flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolks and drizzle the water over the mixture; pulse until the dough begins to come together and form a ball. If it's too dry and is not combining, add another tablespoon of water and pulse.

Divide dough in half, pat each half into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Freeze the second disk for later use.

almond filling

1/2 cup of lightly toasted almonds

1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp of salt

1 tsp of safflower, grapeseed or olive oil

Lightly toast almonds in a dry skillet, shaking the pan for a few minutes. In a food processor, puree nuts, sugar and salt until mixture starts to clump together. Taste the mixture, if need be add a little more salt or sugar. There should be a hit of saltiness, not too much! Add oil, and puree until very smooth and past like. Reserve.

chocolate filling

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup milk

5 ounces, dark chocolate, chopped

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out chilled dough to an 11 inch round 1/4 inch think (don't get scared, you don't have to be exact). Fit into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, patching any tears and trimming any dough overhang from the sides. Refrigerate for another 15 minutes until firm.

2. Preheat oven to 325F and bake crust until firm, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely and reduce oven temperature to 300F.

3. In the mean time, to make the chocolate filling, heat the cream and milk in a small saucepan. Add chocolate, remove from heat and whisk until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes and add the egg, stirring to combine.

4. Spread almond paste evenly on the bottom of the crust, pressing firmly with a spatula until flat and smooth. Pour in chocolate filling and bake until just set, 30-35 minutes. (Tip: place tart shell on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any run away chocolate sauce).

5. Cool completely and sprinkle tart with some chopped almonds and fleur the de sel.

Jazzy Green Beans with Almonds, Lemon and Crispy Shallots

2012-01-28T16:49:00.006-05:00

In honor of Green & Healthy Month at P.S.321, the holy grail of both elementary education and sanctimonious parenting, I will be model of healthy eating this month. And here's a reason you should trust my healthy recipes even more than my bacon, cheese and chocolate splattered ones. If I, someone who thinks life is always better with a side order of bacon, can get excited by a healthy dish, than gosh-darnit, you know it's a good one.

The thing I mostly dislike about beans is texture, if not done right they can turn mushy if not plain soggy (gasp). When putting this bean dish together, I knew I wanted it to be crunchy and fresh. I wanted to just shock my beans with boiling water to keep their crunchiness. Toping them with crispy shallots, crunchy almonds and lemon zest and parsley for freshness, made for a green bean dish even I could get jazzed up about!

You can use any old green beans you like, but I prefer the skinny French ones, the Haricot Verts (why is everything French always skinny....?)

Jazzy Green Beans with Almonds, Lemon and Crispy Shallots

(makes enough as a side dish for two)

1/2 lbs of trimmed Haricot Vert or green beans

1 large or 2 small shallots, sliced

1/2 cup of almonds, roughly chopped

1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped

1 tbs of lemon juice & 1 tbs of lemon zest

1 tbs of canola oil

2 tbs of olive oil

salt & pepper

for the beans

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim your beans and boil until tender but still crisp. About 3 minutes for the skinny French ones and 4-5 minutes for regular green beans. Remove from hot water with kitchen tongs into an ice bath or by pouring water and beans into a colander and running cold water over them. Drain fully and pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet to medium high heat with one tablespoon of canola oil. When the oil is hot, add the sliced shallots and toss until crispy.

3. In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and almonds. Toss until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add the beans, season with salt and pepper as needed. Turn off heat and add the lemon juice, and continue tossing to just warm up the beans.

4. Remove to a platter and top with lemon zest, parsley and crispy shallots.

Candied Orange Peel Dipped in Chocolate

2012-01-23T23:36:00.002-05:00

A confession: I suffer from a genetic disorder that does not allow me to waste or throw out food. I have a freezer full of old baguettes that can one day be weaponized or rehydrated. I use an ice cube tray to freeze left-over sauces and save shrimp shells and vegetable ends for stocks (or famine). I blame genetics, because obviously after three generations of surviving food shortages in Communist Ukraine, something somewhere in my brain was set to "automatic save". Thus while a normal individual purchases a case of oranges from Costco, happily juices or eats them and throws the rind away. This here individual looks at a heap of beautiful orange peels and says, there must be a better way.

Candied Orange Peel Dipped in Chocolate

6 large thick skinned oranges

2 cups sugar

6 oz. dark or semi sweet chocolate, melted

2 tbs of heavy cream

It's a 4 step process: 1. Peel and cut 2. Blanch and boil 3. Dip in sugar 4. Dip in chocolate

Honest, that simple. But here it is again with a few more details.

1. Wash and peel the oranges, cutting the rind into about ¼ inch wide strips.

2. To blanch, place the orange peels in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil over high heat, boil for about 5 minutes and drain. Repeat this process twice more, three times in total.

2 1/2. In the same saucepan, combine 1 cup of sugar and two cups of water, bring to a boil, add the orange peels and cook for 45 minutes or until they are very soft.

3. Drain the orange peels and air dry them on a baking sheet covered with parchment or wax paper for a few hours or overnight. Save the cooking water i.e. syrup to use in tea or something else amazing!

4. Put the remaining cup of sugar in a large plate or shallow bowl and toss and roll the peels to make sure they are coated thoroughly. Let the sugared peels dry on either a cooling rack or on fresh parchment paper.

4 1/2. Combine chocolate and cream over a double boiler (bowl set in a pot over water gently boiling below) and stir gently with a whisk until melted and smooth. Dip the orange peels one at a time. Place on waxed or parchment paper and refrigerate until the chocolate is set.

Of course, you don't have to make them yourself, they are available for sale...wait why am I not selling these yet?

Roast Chicken with Apples, Fennel and Mustard Cream

2012-01-07T00:09:00.002-05:00

What I really want to do is tell you about my 12 days of cookies, but I made a promise... so here is a chicken recipe instead. Actually, this is the most I've been excited about chicken since...CHICKEN!

Chicken with Apples, Fennel and Mustard Cream

Feeds 4-6

8 skinless chicken thighs

1 Vidalia onion, sliced

1 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1 spring of fresh thyme

1-2 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced into eighth

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs butter

1/2 cup of apple cider

1/3 cup of white wine or Calvados

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbs of spicy mustard or Dijon mustard and a pinch of red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and add to the pan. Brown the thighs, about 3 – 5 minutes on each side; remove to a plate.

3. Add the apples and caramelize for about 45 seconds per side, until golden but not mushy. Remove to a plate with the chicken

4. Add the onion to the skillet, stir and cook until slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and fennel and cook until all the vegetables are soft.

5. Add the wine or Calvados to the vegetables and deglaze the pan. Let the liquor reduce a little and add the apple cider, stirring to combine. When the liquid has reduced by about a quarter, add the mustard and cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Add the chicken and apples along with any juices that have accumulated back to the pan. Cover and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is coming off the bone and the sauce thickened.

Awesome over a bed of cous cous or quinoa!

Chocolate Cupcakes with a Pretzel Crust, Marshmallow Filling and Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-12-13T22:45:00.000-05:00

I've had a long and sordid relationship with the salty/sweet combo. I'd like to claim a high ground here and say the combo is too trite and overdone. But the truth is it's never been done well by me and that my friends, is the true stem of our mutual animosity. Salty/sweet and I have come to a certain detente, I am allowed to enjoy the flavor as long as I don't attempt to make it myself. But this weekend, in anticipation of my child's 9th NINTH!!!! (Wait how am I still 23, if he's NINE???) birthday, I once again ventured into the salty/sweet zone and it was..... in the words of my NINE year-old AMAZING! The pretzel crust was the perfect combination of salt, sweetness and crunch. The marshmallows melted for soft creamy chocolaty filling and the cream cheese frosting, oh the cream cheese frosting

Chocolate Cupcakes with a Pretzel Crust, Marshmallow Filling and Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

(Makes 30+ cupcakes)

1 box of chocolate cake mix (yes, I know, I cheated. You won't know the difference, I promise)

3 eggs, vegetable oil, water as directed on the cake mix box

60 mini marshmallows

Pretzel Crust (recipe below)

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)

For the Pretzel Crust

2 cups of crushed pretzels

1/2 cups Melted Butter

1 cup Sugar

Crush pretzels in a large Ziploc bag. Mix crushed pretzels, melted butter and sugar together and set aside.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2-3 cups confectioners sugar (to taste)

In the bowl of an electric mixer or food processor, mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add the cocoa powder and sugar, one cup at a time. More sugar will make the frosting sweeter and stiffer, i.e. easier to pipe with a pastry bag.

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350

1. Mix the chocolate cake mix with eggs, oil, and water according to package instructions.

2. Place 1 tablespoon of pretzel crust into each of 30+ cupcake liners. Top with two marshmallows per cupcake. Fill the cupcake liners with cake batter until they are about 3/4 full.

3. Bake about 15 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

4. Using a piping bag or spatula, frost the cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting.

Parmesan Chicken Meatballs!

2011-12-02T23:39:00.001-05:00

The moral of the week is this:

"Cheese to meatballs, is like 70F degree weather to December "

Unexpected, unusual but ultimately delightful!

The cheese melts and binds the meatball with its gooey goodness. It forms a crunchy cheesy crust on the outside while ensuring the inside stays moist and airy. If you have not yet passed out from anticipation and find yourself still able to read, the best part is these babies are guilt free (sort of) since they are baked and not fried! Yes, I know. Santa brought you a menorah early this year, because something this amazing can't possibly be true.

Parmesan Chicken Meatballs!

For the meatballs:

1.5 pound ground chicken

1/2 cup white bread put through meat grinder or shredded into bread crumbs

1/2 cup of cooked white rice

3 cloves of minced garlic

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

3/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan or a mix of both

4 tablespoons milk

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place the ground chicken, rice, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, grated cheeses, milk, beaten egg, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently. You can use a fork, but I love using my hands to gently mix my meatballs. There's something very grandma in the kitchen about it...Don't overmix or they will be tough.

3. With a teaspoon, form meatballs that are about an inch big. Place onto a sheet pan, or a couple of sheet pans, lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through, with the cheese forming a lightly browned crust.

Parmesan Chicken Meatballs warming up in my semi-tomato sauce

To Sauce or to Soup? That is the question?

That my friends I can't help you answer. I have dropped these babies into a warm chicken soup for an Italian Wedding Soup-like concoction (add some greens such as escarole or spinach too) as well as my favorite semi-tomato sauce recipe as can be found in the Chorizo & Beef Meatball recipe.

Either way, they are, forgive the colloquial turn here, amazi-balls!

Seared Sesame Tuna in a Ginger Lime Wasabi Dressing

2011-10-12T21:37:00.000-04:00

More thandaylight, more than the ability not to dress like an onion, even more thantrips to Costco not becoming acceptable recreational activities, I will misssummer for my green market. Sure itstays open throughout the year. But comeJanuary the only produce you can actually buy makes you feel like a starvingIrish peasant more than hip Brooklyn foodie. C'est la vie, in a few weeks the last remnants ofcolor will be gone from the trees and the food stalls, and I will have toresume my 12 days of cookies and other some such waist-widening activities. The warm weather vendors I miss the most fromthe farmer's market are my amazing fish guys. So while they are still here and I am ableto consume things that are not deep fried and slathered in layers of butter, Ifigured I'll share my favorite tuna salad recipe.

The tuna isvery quickly seared in this recipe and essentially stays raw inside. So the freshness of your fish will trulydetermine how delicious your salad will turn out.

Seared Sesame Tuna in a Ginger Lime Wasabi Dressing

1 lbs tuna,freshest you can find, cut into steak size portions

1/2 cup oftoasted sesame seeds

2 tbs oliveoil

2 tbs canolaoil

1-2 avocados

2 scallions,chopped

handful ofslivered radishes

mesclunsalad mix

For the Dressing

1 lime,juiced and zested

1 tbs freshgrated ginger

1 tsp preparedwasabi paste

1 tbs ricevinegar

1 1/2 tbssesame oil

4 tbs oliveoil

1/2 tsphoney

salt &pepper

Directions

1. If usingraw sesame seeds, toast them in a dry pan. I like a combination of toastedwhite seeds and black sesame seeds. Spread out the seeds on a flat plate.

2. Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil and sprinklewith salt and pepper. Press into the sesame seeds to make sure they are evenlycoated.

3. Pour a little canola oil into a very hot pan and cookthe tuna steaks for about a minute on each side. Once done, set aside on a platter.

4. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a smallbowl and whisk to emulsify. Season withsalt and pepper. Peel and cut the avocado into one inch pieces and soak in thedressing to prevent browning.

5. When tuna is coolenough to handle, slice on the diagonal. Toss the salad with the dressing, avocado, scallion and radishes. Top with the tuna and mix carefully justbefore serving.

Cucumber-Mint Limeade (Vodka Optional)

2011-09-06T23:31:00.001-04:00

This is more than a drink, it's a time capsule. My last attempt to capture the all too quickly fading summer days. Actually, who am I kidding. It's the first day after Labor Day, it's pouring and barely 60F. Summer is over and all I got to show for it is a fading tan, 26 cans of tuna (thanks a lot Irene), five accumulated BBQ pounds and this drink. By the way, did I mention that I'm very lazy when it's warm (insert deep thought about the North-South divide, warm weather contributing to general apathy and the socioeconomic status of warm-climate nations and the spaciness of Californians). As I was saying, I'm pretty lazy during the summer months, so my recipes are 5 steps or less. This is one is less!

A staple I suggest you stock in your fridge for any drink making emergency is mint simple syrup. It's a great way to preserve your extra mint and the beginning of many amazing drink creations....mmmmm mojito! Simple syrup is equal parts water and sugar. To make a minted simple syrup add twice as much fresh mint leaves as sugar/water to your syrup and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Cucumber-Mint Limeade (Vodka Optional)

Minted simple Syrup

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of boiling water

2 cups of fresh mint leaves

3 limes

1 cucumber, sliced

1 cup ice water

extra mint

ice cubes

1. To make the simple syrup, bring one cup of water and one cup of sugar to a boil, stir gently until the sugar is dissolved. Off the heat, add 2 cups of mint leaves and allow to cool and infuse. If not using right away, pour into a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

2. Strain the simple syrup, discarding the leaves. Slice the cucumber, do not peel. Half and juice the limes. Combine all with the minted simple syrup and fresh mint leaves. Add a cup of ice water and ice cubes.

Don't think I forgot about the Vodka (optional) part either.

This is a really fresh drink and would go great with a splash of vodka. Skeptical? I've got an analogy:

You know when you step into a store dressing room and the harsh lighting makes the cellulite on your ass look like a topographic map of New Zealand? Well sometimes, if the store rocks they have a handy little button that turns on the soft light and wham! you're Heidi Klum! Pre-babies!!! A splash of vodka in this drink will be just that, a photoshop for our reality. Enjoy and remember, reality is just an unfortunate side effect of sobriety.

Cream of Very Wild Mushroom Soup

2011-08-23T00:00:00.002-04:00

An admission: I’m kind of a high strung gal. You know the lack of sleep, the job, the kiddies, it all adds up. We all need our zen moment. Mine for the past 10 years or so has been cooking. You whisk, you stir, you braise, you zone out. Cooking is my version of downing a bottle of codeine cough syrup. I mellow, I smile, I let the people in my apartment live another day.

This is all well good for about 10 months out of the year. But like every other rule abiding Russian, every summer we dutifully send our children to the Poconos for the yearly “ozdorovlenie” otherwise known as a dose of fresh air and grandma’s overfeeding. Therefore my summer cooking goes down over an electric stove, in a tiny, hot and crowded kitchen. It’s quite hard to get to zen.

Fear not for the lives of your loved ones, because I have discovered Mushrooming. If cooking is my codeine, then mushroom picking is my full on heroin! Mushroom hunting, picking, gathering, etc., as described by the good people of Wikipedia is the practice of “of gathering mushrooms in the wild, typically for eating. This is popular in most of Europe, including the Nordic, Baltic, and SLAVIC countries.” Obviously no normal, G-d loving American would or truthfully should, forage for mushrooms. Because it is one unforgiving activity. As in, hey this little fellow is so cute and red and has dots on top and it will kill you in about 6 hours but not before you throw up the entire contents of your digestive system into this here bin. But, if you do know what you are doing. Mushroom picking can be the single most satisfying, relaxing, amazing activity on this planet. Picture this: you are walking through a quiet wood, staring below, with nothing on your mind except where to spot the next mushroom. And when you do, you know it will be more delicious than anything you can ever buy in a store! Did I mention it’s free too! Oh and I picked what feels like at least 50 lbs of mushrooms this summer!

Mama Alla and her proud hoard

For your reference the mushrooms here are two-colored boletes, king boletes and some porcini cousins.

With this many mushrooms at hand, we really needed to be creative with what we can do with them. Mama Alla came up with an ingenious pickled mushroom recipe I will be sure to share. But I am particularly proud of this mushroom soup. If you are knowledgeable in the trade of shrooming, go ahead and try to pick your own. If not, for the love of all that is holy, go to your local market and pick up some mushrooms, shitake / crimini combination will do just fine.

I’ve made a few mushroom soup varieties, Ina’s (Barefoot Contessa) Cream of Wild Mushroom, a Gourmet Magazine recipe. They were all good but not amazing. The deep mushroom flavor was always diminished by the cooking process. I was really looking for a way to bring out the deep flavor of the mushrooms and then I stumbled on the Balthazar Wild Mushroom Soup recipe. One key difference between this and other recipes is sheer bulk. This recipe calls for a lot of mushrooms! But I still tweaked their method to make the best damn mushroom soup in the world! No exaggerations. And if you dollop it with some truffle oil like I did, you may, just may see the face of G-d in that soup.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

1 ounce dried mushrooms (porcini, shitakes, etc.)
2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs unsalted butter
2 sprigs of thyme
1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
2 pound crimini, shitake or other wild mushroom, cleaned and thinly sliced

1/2 cup of white wine
1 leek, thinly sliced
6 cups stock or water (I used a combo of 4 cups of beef stock and 2 cups of water)
1 cup heavy cream

Optional garnishes: truffle oil, minced chives or parsley

1. Soak the dry mushrooms in 1 cup of hot water for 20 minutes until plump.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium flame. When the oil is hot add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent but not brown.

3. Turn the flame to medium high and add the mushrooms and thyme.

4. Cook for 10 minutes, during which the mushrooms will give off their liquid (which should evaporate quickly due to the high heat) and deflate significantly. Stir occasionally.
5. Add the wine and allow it to cook down. Turn off the heat.

6. In a soup pot, over medium heat, heat the butter and add the sliced leek. Cook until soft but not brown.

7. Add the mushroom and onion mixture, the stock or water, the dried reconstituted mushrooms and their soaking liquid. When adding the dried mushrooms, do so slowly so that any grit stays on the bottom of the bowl.

8. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs, then add the cream and butter. Puree the soup either with an immersion blender or working in batches, in a food processor until smooth. Do not allow to boil, but keep at a very low simmer until ready to serve.

10. To serve, sprinkle with chives, minced parsley and a drizzle of truffle oil.

Raspberry Chicken Salad with Mesclun and Wild Rice + Raspberry Vinaigrette Recipe

2011-07-24T15:34:00.000-04:00

Everyone has a childhood memory that is particularly iconic, like a family trip to an amusement park or a treat at your first real restaurant outing. And so you one day you may decide to take that proverbial stroll down memory lane only to realize the park was actually a homeless shelter with a game machine and the restaurant a long-distance trucker rest area where your parents fed you beef jerky and benadryl.

Well this is not one of those memories. Because sometimes, the park really did exist and was the most wonderful magical place ever. And the restaurant, well it was still a truck stop, but you loved that jerky and still have a soft spot for some Children's Benadryl. What I'm trying to say is sometimes our impressionable minds experience something of then seismic proportions and remains overgrandized in our yet unmolded minds for good.

About six years ago, before I underwent the super-hero worthy transformation into the current foodaholic, that seismic culinary event was the creation of a very, dare I say, avante garde, wild rice, chicken and raspberry salad! For many reason, lack of alternatives or total awesomeness, this was hubby's favorite dish. As I got my kitchen legs, this oldie was outshined by the filet mignons, roast ducks and poached lobsters (making that last one up, but it's on my to-try list). The other night, out of hunger, nostalgia or delirium after his three hour commute, husband remembered that dish. Usually, I forget stuff as soon as I make it (hence the blog), but this one, for some reason (I made it once weekly for three years) I remembered. I fully expected this recipe to be the benadryl laden homeless shelter. No way was my novice chef's hand able to create something the new snobby Julia could appreciate. But what do you know, it was just as amazingly delicious as we remembered. Welcome back old friend, welcome back.

Oh yeah, there was one major difference. Raspberry Vinaigrette from Scratch! Repeat after me: As G-d as my witness, I will never buy store-made salad dressings again!!!!

Raspberry Chicken Salad with Mesclun and Wild Rice + Raspberry Vinaigrette Recipe

For the Salad:

2 chicken breasts

1 tbs of olive oil

1/2 tsp of dried marjoram

1 cup of uncooked wild rice

1 bunch of scallions, chopped

1/2 cup of almonds, chopped

1 cup of fresh raspberries

1 small box (5oz) of mesculun salad leaves

s&p

For the Vinaigrette

1 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries

1/2 cup - 1 cup of olive oil

3 tbs of red vine vinegar

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp honey

s&p

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper and marjoram. Heat olive oil in a skillet and over medium high heat sear the chicken breasts until a golden crust forms on both sides. Finish cooking in the oven for about 8 minutes until cooked through but not dry. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, slice on the diagonal into one inch strips.

2. In the meantime, cook the wild rice according to instructions in salted water. Drain and cool.

3. Combine rice, chopped scallions and almonds.

4. To make the vinaigrette, in a food processor combine raspberries, vinegar, mustard, honey and mustard. Pour enough olive oil until the desired consistancy - 1/2 cup for a thicker vinaigrette, 1 cup for thinner. Add salt and pepper and more vinegar if necessary.

5. To serve: Place mesculun leaves on a platter, top with rice mixture and chicken strips, scatter raspberries and drizzle with dressing.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Tomato Pimenton Aioli

2011-06-15T00:05:00.000-04:00

I truly loved creating this dish. The spicy aioli that lays hidden underneath the roasted potatoes is such a fun surprise and it elevates the dish from regular weekday potatoes to a very cool party food.

I admit, I got the idea from a this place - Jeffrey's over in the West Village which serves an amazing mussels dish on top of a saffron aioli. I somehow wanted to incorporate tomatoes in a homage to Potatos Bravas I had daily while in Barcelona. The process was easy enough, I simply roasted a couple of tomatoes along with my potatoes and then pulverized them with mayo, garlic and spices. Sounds easy, looks and tastes sophisticated, my kinda dish.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Tomato Pimenton Aioli

(feeds four)

1.5 lbs of fingerling potatoes (I strongly recommend Russian Banana)

salt, pepper, fresh thyme

olive oil

For the Aioli

2 plum tomatoes (look for an unripe specimen)

1/2 cup of mayonnaise (regular Hellman's please none of that olive oil mayo travesty)

1/2 tsp of picante pimenton (hot smoked Spanish paprika)

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

salt & pepper

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 450F.

2. Scrub the potatoes and cut each in half lengthwise. This will ensure a crisper potato. Dry with paper towels and then toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme in a metal baking dish lined in aluminum foil. Roast for about 25 minutes, tossing around from time to time. The potatoes should be soft enough to be pierced with a fork and developing some a deep golden hue on the cut side.

3. In the mean time, place the tomatoes in a separate baking dish. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the tomato collapses.

4. Once the tomato is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and place in a food processor. If the tomatoes are too watery, drain them or your aioli will be runny. Puree with the mayo, paprika, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. You can really play with this dish and add other spices like chili powder.

5. To serve, spread the aioli on the bottom of your serving dish and scatter the potatoes on top. Garnish with chopped parsley or chives.

Easy Peasy - Arugula Salad with Peas, Fava Beans, Radish and Shaved Pecorino

2011-06-07T23:55:00.002-04:00

Since there's no more chance to escape dieters in my home than there is perverts in politics, I've decided to have one healthy followed by one (less than) healthy blog post. Let's see if you can keep me honest.

Once I saw that fava beans were back in the market, I couldn't resist but toss them into this fun salad. Since I was going for that Tuscan Spring theme, I also shaved some Pecorino cheese, added blanched frozen peas, sliced radishes for color and crunch and tossed the whole thing with my favorite shallot vinaigrette. It makes for a very fresh zingy salad that's pretty enough to serve to friends.

Easy Peasy Spring Salad with Arugula, Peas, Favas, Radish and Shaved Pecorino

(serves 4-6)

For the Salad

5 oz pack of wild baby arugula (my favorite is from Satur farms, it has small spiky leaves and fresh spicy flavor)

1 cup of shucked and cooked fava beans (find your fava ode and instructions here)

1 cup of blanched frozen or fresh peas

1 bunch of radishes thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

3 scallions, chopped

2 oz of Pecorino Romano, shaved

For the vinaigrette

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

3 tbs of sherry vinegar

9 tbs of olive oil

1 tsp of dijon mustard

1/2 tsp of honey

kosher salt & pepper

Once you're done shucking and blanching your beans. Blanch the peas for a few minutes in salted boiling water. Throw in the frozen peas and allow to boil for another minute. Quickly drain the beans and peas and transfer to an ice bath.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk the vinegar with mustard and honey, then add the olive oil and emulsify. Season with salt and pepper and add the chopped shallots and scallions to allow the vegetables to soften in the vinaigrette.

Toss the arugula with the radishes, beans and peas. Add the vinaigrette and top with shaved Pecorino.

Call the Apothecary - we’re serving Cod Liver Crostini (with ginger and garlic)!

2011-05-20T16:36:00.009-04:00

Call the Apothecary - we’re serving Cod Liver Crostini!

Cod Liver! That’s right, COD LIVER!

Although my Soviet upbringing has conditioned me to consuming Cod Liver in salad form. I admit it’s been a while. Grandma’s salad long forgotten, the only thing cod liver conjures up is the image of Madame Bovary’s husband dispensing spoons of cod liver oil to sickly children.

So imagine my surprise when I happened on a funky bar ~~that I frequent in my super trendy neighborhood~~ that I pass on my way to the supermarket, that served COD LIVER CROSTINI. As I ~~discerningly read the menu~~ pressed my face against the restaurant window, trying to glimpse the menu through the quickly fogging glass, I managed to get a glimpse of the word ginger.

An idea to ~~sell, handcuff, temporarily drug the children and run to the funky bar~~ replicate these marvels of the culinary world at home was born. Cod liver and ginger, the travesty, the magic! Ginger cuts through the otherwise heavy taste of the liver and adds a fresh zingy dimension. Garlic adds another layer of taste for unbelievable combination.

Side note: In the city where you can procure absolutely anything, canned cod liver can only be found in either a Russian Store or Russ and Daughters (thank you Vava!)

This here bad boy was purchased for a couple of bucks and has about 10 oz of cod livery goodness.

Cod Liver Crostini with Ginger and Garlic

10 oz of canned Cod Liver
½ teaspoon of grated ginger
½ teaspoon of grated garlic
kosher salt
Lemon juice (optional)

Drain the Cod Liver, reserve about two tablespoons of the oil and mash well with a fork. Add the garlic and ginger, season with salt. A drizzle of some lemon juice never hurt. Spread over thinly sliced and toasted baguette and go reread your Madame Bovary.

French Lentil Salad with Sherry and Shallot Vinaigrette

2011-05-20T10:21:00.008-04:00

This month has been busier than a _________ (fill in your favorite Redneck saying here). Mine is "busier than a one-legged hooker in a five cent ass kicking contest." Or, is it one-legged midget and a hooker on nickel night. Wait, what does this have to do with food....

Like I was saying, it's a been an eventful 30 days. I went to Aruba. Which was fan-freaking-tastic. So much amazing seafood lost their little lives to party on my grill that week. Unfortunately, I have brought back no recipes as I was not in the procession of a writing instrument or the desire to write something for the entire 8 days. My only thoughts were, swim, eat, sleep, drink, cook, randomly constructed each day.

We returned from vacation, a few shades darker and inches wider to find the Husband dieting yet again. This time he is not drinking dragon urine and lemon juice, but shunning carbs and fats. There goes my bacon quiche, huh.... This time I'm prepped as I still have the entire contents of the organic, healthy and cardboard section of Fairway left untouched from the last time we/HE dieted.
I found lentils and the search for flavor not created by carbs or butter led me to the creation of this tasty little salad.

French Lentil Salad with Sherry and Shallot Vinaigrette

1 cup of French Lentils
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 shallot, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 cups of water
S&P
1 cup of chopped fresh parsley

For the Vinaigrette

1 shallot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
2-3 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
6 tablespoons of olive oil
lemon juice
S&P

1. In a medium sized pan, warm the olive oil and add shallots and garlic. Cook until fragrant, add the lentils, thyme and bay leaf and coat with oil. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes until the lentils are soft but not mushy.

2. While the lentils are cooking, make the vinaigrette. Chop the garlic and shallots and cover them with the vinegar to soften. Let stand for about 10 minutes. Add the mustard, oil, whisk to emulsify and season with salt and pepper.

3. Once done, remove lentils from the heat and drain any water still left. Allow to come to room temperature and mix with the vinaigrette. Adjust seasonings. Mix in the parsley and drizzle with fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Enjoy guilt free (for once)!

Spanish Paella with Shrimp, Scallops, Chicken and Chorizo

2011-04-03T15:21:00.010-04:00

Last week, I threw caution and calorie count to the wind and made my very first Paella...and it was pretty awesome. I've always been intimidated by paella and considering I couldn't find a decent one in all of Barcelona, I was beginning to think this would be a herculean production. Time consuming, a bit, but quite doable and a perfectly satisfying way spend a Sunday evening (for a psycho like me anyway).

I prepared for this gastronomic venture by reading at least 17 paella recipes and buying a paella pan (6 bucks at TJ Maxx, makes for a very dramatic presentation). Paella can be an all meat or all seafood production, but I liked the idea of combining both and having all the different ingredients flavor the rice. I started with Spanish-style chorizo sausage, my favorite are by D'Artagnan, but whatever brand you choose, make sure they're Spanish and not Mexican/Latin as those are unbearably hot and missing that amazing Pimenton flavor we're going for. I also added chicken thighs, shrimp and scallops (will try clams next time!). You can use any short grain rice in a Paella. Although Bomba rice is traditional, Arborio which is risotto rice, worked great.

Paella with Seafood, Chicken and Chorizo

(serves many)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

4 cups fish, seafood or chicken stock

Pinch saffron threads (if you're feeling rich the flavor is amazing, but it's an expensive sucker, so feel free to omit)

2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika (1 tsp sweet and 1 tsp hot)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon mild curry powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

8 ounces Spanish chorizo, chopped into quarter inch pieces

1/2 dry white wine

1/2 cup tomato puree

2 cups short- or medium-grain rice, Bomba or Arborio

1/2 pound of peeled whole shrimp

1/2 pound of dry sea scallops

1/2 pound Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Warm the stock in a small saucepan, if using saffron add it to the pot and allow to seep in the stock.

3. Pat chicken dry. Sprinkle it with salt, pepper, cumin and a pinch of both paprikas. Rub into the skin. Pour the oil in a paella pan or the widest ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, cook the chicken until deeply browned on both sides.

4. Keeping the browning chicken in the pan, add the onion and garlic, sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Add the chopped chorizo, allow to brown for a bit. Add the paprika, wine, and tomato purée; bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Add the rice, spreading it in the pan as evenly as possible, cook for a minute or two stirring occasionally, until it’s shiny. Carefully add the warm stock and stir until just combined, then tuck the shrimp and scallops into the rice.

7. Put the pan in the oven and bake, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes check to see if the rice is dry and just tender. If not (probably not) return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes. If the rice looks too dry, but still isn’t quite done, add a small amount of stock or water. When the rice is ready, turn off the oven and let it sit for at least 5 and up to 15 minutes.

8. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with parsley. If you like, put the pan over high heat for a few minutes to develop a bit of a bottom crust before serving. That bottom crust is called a soccarat and is my favorite part!

Tangy and Sweet Cranberry Bars

2011-03-16T00:16:00.012-04:00

Some things should be eaten seasonally. Like heirloom tomatoes, grab them at your farmer's market, enjoy all summer and skip the supermarket variety in the winter. But why are cranberries short shifted between the months of January and October. This is my attempt to bring the humble cranberry out of the oblivion its been cast into after the happy Thanksgivings - Christmas run.

Actually, truth-be-told, due to a communication error between me and husband we ended up with four half gallons of milk and needed to make room in the fridge. And deep at the end was a bag of cranberries left over from....Thanksgivings. Hardy little fellows.

I saw a recipe for cranberry bars in Gourmet that kind of reminded me of my favorite dessert, the lemon bar and I decided the combination of tart fruit and sweet short-bread crust will work great. But after making the cranberry sauce according to recipe I found it kind of bland and decided to add fun stuff like lemon juice, orange zest, a little jam for extra sweetness and some walnuts and ginger. I essentially recreated the cranberry sauce I made for Thanksgivings. So this is sort of cranberry sauce in dessert form. Not bad at all my friends.

Tangy and Sweet Cranberry Bars

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (not thawed if frozen; 3/4 pound)
1/4 cup raspberry jam (you can also use strawberry jam or substitute with sugar)
1/4 cup water
zest of one lemon and one orange
2 tbs of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of grated ginger
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil and top with a sheet of parchment, leaving an overhang on 2 opposite sides.

In a food processor, blend butter, flour, salt, and 1/2 cup of sugar until mixture begins to clump together. Press into bottom of pan. Doesn't have to be perfect, but as evenly as you can.

Dough pressed into pan ~~~ Baked nice and golden

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until pale golden and sides begin to pull away from pan.

While crust is baking, cook cranberries, remaining sugar, and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries burst, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the raspberry jam, lemon juice, zests, ginger and nuts. Stir to combine. If the mixture is too tart, you can add more jam or sugar. But remember the crust will be sweet, so you want it to balance nicely with the tart cranberries.

Pour cranberries over crust and bake until edge is golden, about 25 minutes.

Let cool and set for about 25 minutes. Gently pull on the foil overhang to dislodge from baking sheet and move to a board to cut in squares.

Herb Marinated Goat Cheese

2011-03-15T22:58:00.005-04:00

This is not really a recipe, it's more of a cosmic revelation really. How can something this good be so darn easy. And when I say good, I mean, drink the leftovers and lick the jar good!

BEHOLD THE MARINATED GOAT CHEESE!

Goat cheese can do no wrong. You can spread it, you can stuff stuff with it, you put it in tarts and quiches and salads and even fry it. It lends your food an air of sophistication that feels almost undeserved because all you did really was add some goat cheese. But this recipe took the hard working goat cheese to a whole new level. The first batch I ate while standing at an open refrigerator with a baguette in my hand. The second batch I actually shared with my husband and used the left over marinade oil for an amazing salad. This is a total eyeball recipe but these proportions will make enough to fill an 18 oz Mason jar ( I used one left over from my Sarabeth preserves).

Marinated Goat Cheese

One 6-ounce log fresh goat cheese (look for the thinner kind as they're easier to fit in the jar)

1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

4 juniper berries (I finally got a chance to use my Dean & Deluca juniper berries - thanks Inessa)

Carefully cut the goat-cheese log into 2-inch rounds. This is easier to do when the cheese is cold.

Place half the herbs, spices and garlic in the jar. Carefully add the cheese rounds, alternating with the remaining herbs and spices.

Fill the jar completely with olive oil. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 days or up to a week.

To serve, bring the goat cheese to room temperature. I served it straight out of the Mason jar, spooned over some warm bread, pure heaven. Thank me later.

A grown up Cheez-It or Spanish Spiced Cheddar Cheese Straws

2011-03-01T15:15:00.008-05:00

After a weekend of homemade ricotta and too many wonderful things on bread, I accidentally grazed the scale and decided never to think or talk about food again. That is after I write about these crazy grown up Cheez-It's I concocted.

If I was forced to eat only one food for the rest of my life, cheese sticks / straws would be way on top of that short list. Why I never thought of making them on my own, is beyond my comprehension. But I did this glorious weekend and a whole new world of possibility opened up before me. The recipe I found was from the utter genius behind smittenkitchen. Her recipe called for cheddar and red pepper flakes. I decided to make mine even cheesier and figured if we're going to spice them up, why not add some Spanish Pimenton to really deepen the flavor. If you haven't tried it yet, Spanish paprika can turn just about anything from your tomato sauce to your chicken to a piece of cardboard, into pure culinary delight. It's available in your fancier supermarkets and typically comes in a tin can in Picante and Dulce flavors. I like the combination of both and usually use them together.

So why with all these complex sophisticated flavors am I resorting to calling these guys Cheez Its? Because that's what they tasted like! But like an older spicier Cheez It cousin with depth and a flare for Flamenco dancing. Very fun. Next I'll try them with sun-dried tomatoes or Gruyere and parsley, or Parmesan and Garlic!!!! Oh the possibilities. Wait, I said I'm off food right. Oh well. Cheese sticks and straws may break my scale, but pounds will never stop me.

Cheddar Cheese Straws with Spanish Spices

1 ¾ cups (about 7 ounces) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into quarter inch squares

¾ cup flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon of hot smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton)

¼ teaspoon of sweet smoked Spanish paprika

(you can use one or the other type of paprika or both as I did, depending on the kick you enjoy)
1 tablespoon cream, milk or half-and-half

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a food processor, combine all the ingredients, except the milk/cream and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk/cream and pulse again until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.

3. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife cut the dough into thin 8-inch strips, each 1/4- to 1/3-inch wide. Gently transfer the strips to a cookie sheet lined with parchment, leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. (The dough may break occasionally in the transfer, but don’t worry, the beauty of a homemade cheese stick is it’s irregularity J) Some of my straws were the perfect 10” while others a mere inch and a half.

4. Bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Don’t over-bake, they should be a little chewy in the middle. Remove from the oven and cool.

5. Serve at room temperature. I’ve read they keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but honestly they barely lasted the night in our house.

Portabella Mushrooms Stuffed with Creamy Chicken in a Béchamel Sauce

2011-01-17T23:06:00.006-05:00

I'm not going to talk about the weather, I won't mention the snow, or the ice, or the fact that when people mention "hell freezing over" they're probably referring to the last couple of month. I won't write about the fossilized bags of garbage that are permanently embedded in the ice blocks outside my house or the Black Swan worthy splits I'm now accustomed to performing every time I step outside. Nope. This blog is not about shitty weather, but about food. Good fatty food. Because honestly, cheese and butter are about the only things keeping me from the abyss this winter.

Portabella mushrooms stuffed with creamy chicken in a béchamel sauce
• 4 large portabella mushrooms
• 1 lb of ground chicken or two large ground chicken breasts
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tbs of butter
• 2 tbs of flour
• 1 cup of milk or half and half
• 1 cup of Gruyere cheese grated (3.5-4 oz)
• 2-4 tbs of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs (preferably fresh)
• salt, fresh pepper, pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400F

1. To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk or cream and cook until the mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 of the Gruyere cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

2. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth. Remove stems, if any, chop and reserve.

3. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbs of olive oil and sauté the ground chicken until it loses its pinkness and just starts to brown slightly. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Remove to a bowl.

4. In the same skillet, add more olive oil if necessary and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and reserved mushroom stems, cook until garlic is fragrant and mushrooms soft.

5. Return the chicken to the skillet. Mix with the onions and add the white wine. Scrape the sides, deglazing the pan. Reduce for a minute and add the bechemel sauce. Adjust seasoning.

6. Divide chicken mixture evenly into four parts. Place the mushrooms in a baking dish and top with chicken. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and the reserved Gruyere.

7. Bake until the cheese on top is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Awesome with a mesclun greens salad with a light lemon vinaigrette.

Sour Cherry and Almond Biscotti

2011-01-07T23:08:00.018-05:00

The world, according to Julia, is divided into two kinds of people, people who cook and people who bake. While you may have never held a spatula in your hand or stepped into the kitchen for anything more than to press the reheat button on your microwave. Whether you realize it or not, you too, are either a cook or a baker. Cooks experiment, they take chances and risks, they draw outside the proverbial lines or recipes and throw caution and seasoning to the wind. Cooking and the life of a cook is forgiving that way. Bakers on the other hand aren't your salt to the wind people. They thrive on rules (baking soda vs. baking powder), guidelines, proportions. These crazy people actually enjoy organization and rules! I know, what the heck?

If you know me at all, you can surmise that I am not the baking kind. And yet, as I grow and dare say, mature.....eeeeek. I have come to realize that there may, in food, as in life, be a grey area. An area where cooks and bakers converge and sometimes enjoy the rules as well as the chaos.

So as I have gained life wisdom and my state of the art, Kitchen Aid stand mixer (!!!!!) I have ventured into the life of flour and started to actually enjoy baking. Not just for the scrumptious results. But because sometimes, it's great to actually follow some rules.... maybe....

Anyways, enough philosophizing. Across the street from midget's school is this amazing bakery - Sweet Melissa's which charges about a zillion dollars for a dollop of dough and it's totally worth it too. But Melissa made the mistake of publishing her own cookbook which I intend to steal one recipe at a time. So baker or cook, these biscotti are fraken amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!! And easy, I swear!

Sour Cherry and Almond Biscotti

1/2 cup dried sour cherries

1/2 cup orange juice

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp almond extract or 3 tbs of Ameretto liquor

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup whole blanched almonds (skins removed), roughly chopped

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cherries and orange juice and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover, and let the cherries reconstitute.

To blanch the almonds, bring another small saucepan with water to a boil. Drop the almonds and remove from heat. In small batches remove almonds with a slotted spoon and rub between several sheets of paper towels. The skins should come off easily at this point. If not, return to the water and allow to seep for another minute.

Peeling blanched almonds

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a food processor, cream the butter, sugar, zest, and salt until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes or until if using a food processor until evenly combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and almond extract.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

3. Drain the cherries, discarding the juice. Stir the cherries and almonds into the dough.

4. Turn the dough out onto the prepared cookie sheet, flatten, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

5. Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator and on a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough in half. Using a little extra flour, the dough will still be sticky, roll each half into a log about 14 inches long.

6. Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the cookie sheet with clean parchment paper.

Mixing and chilling dough

Rolled out logs - ready to bake

Scored Biscotti logs after the first baking

7. Place the logs about 4 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden and slightly firm. Remove to a wire rack to cool until you are able to handle them. Turn down the oven to 275 degrees.

8. As soon as the logs are cool enough to handle but still warm, about 10 minutes, carefully peel them off the paper and transfer to a cutting board. Using a serrated bread knife, gently score the logs at 3/4-inch intervals on a 45-degree angle. After scoring, cut through each scored line in one motion with a sharp chef’s knife, slicing the logs into pieces.

9. Carefully transfer the cookies to a freshly lined cookie sheet browned side down and not touching one another. Bake for an additional 60 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet after 30 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool on the pan to room temperature.

10. The biscotti will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for at least 1 week (assuming they last that long).

They are magnificent (yes, I used that word) dipped in tea or coffee, or just munched on between meals.

Get in my belly

Russian Cabbage Rolls with a Hanukah twist

2011-01-04T18:37:00.009-05:00

I consider these rolls my gastronomic homage to my ethnic roots.

As you may have gathered from all these blog posts, I'm not big on Russian foods. Partially because I never learned to make them (thanks for kicking me out of the kitchen grandma). But honestly besides Chicken Kiev and Salad Olivier, what are my people's contributions to the culinary world. It's poor people food, you got your cabbage, your beets and potatoes and your dough, oh the dough. Can't hate on the dough. We've got pierozhki, pelmeni, vareniki, blini of every shape, size and origin. I do love me some dough. In fact, it's my biggest remiss since moving away from the 11235 zone, you just can't find a good cabbage roll around yuppie-ville, but you can make it yourself!

I made these rolls for a Thanksgiving luncheon and then decided to give them a Hanukah twist the following week by adding mustard and pastrami. (As you can see my recipes are posted with about a month delay.) You can omit the pastrami, but I thought it added another level of flavor to these already delicious bites. Oh and best part is, Pillsbury crescent dough is fantastic for this recipe. Not quite up to Brighton Beach grandma standards, but pretty good for me.

Russian Cabbage Crescent Rolls with a Hanukah twist

1 small head cabbage, thinly sliced

1 large onion, thinly sliced

5 garlic cloves, minced
5 hard boiled eggs, chopped

¼ lb of beef pastrami, chopped into ¼" cubes

Spicy Dijon or Country mustard
1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tbs of live oil
salt & pepper
3-4 containers of refrigerated Pillsbury crescent roll dough (they come in count of 8)

Egg-wash: 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbs of water to brush the top of the rolls

Directions
1. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onions until soft and translucent, add garlic and continue to sauté until the onions are just starting to brown.

2. Add cabbage, season with salt and pepper and cayenne, cover and cook until cabbage has wilted.

3. Let the mixture cool, adjust seasonings. Add the chopped hardboiled eggs, scallions and pastrami.

4. Preheat the oven to 375.

5. Carefully open each package of crescent rolls, unroll the dough on a flowered surface and roll out each triangle just a little. Brush each triangle with the mustard and put a tablespoon of filling on top of the wide part of the triangle. Carefully pinching the sides, roll the crescent rolls.

6. Brush with egg-wash and bake the rolls for 15 minutes until golden.

Eat these babies warm or reheat as necessary.

Beef and Chorizo Meatballs

2010-12-03T16:07:00.008-05:00

Meatballs, are one of my hands-down favorite foods to eat. The problem is, I hate tomato sauce and there is only one person who makes meatballs without tomato sauce and that's my mom. And asking my mother for a recipe typically goes like this: "Mama, what's in your meatballs?" "You need three meats and not too much bread." "Okay, what about proportions?" "Oh leave me alone, I just mix what I have". Maybe that's why I didn't learn to cook until I was 25.

So I set out to create my perfect meatball. This took time and many prototypes, some of which we promised not to speak of while quickly dialing Mr. Wonton. Until one weekend, while still under the influence of Spain and all its culinary greatness that I looked at my 79 lbs of contrabanded chorizo sausage and the world started to make sense.

Beef and Chorizo Meatballs

For the Meatballs

1 lb of beef

3/4 lb of soft chorizo sausage, casings removed

1/2 cup day old bread, torn into small pieces and soaked in milk

2 tbs chopped parsley

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 onion grated

1 cup of cooked white rice

1 egg

1/2 tsp of sweet paprika

1/2 tsp of hot paprika

1/4 tsp of nutmeg

2 tsp of kosher salt

1/2 tsp of pepper

Directions

1. Remove casing from the chorizo sausage and break up the sausages using hands or a fork to resemble ground meat.

2. Place the sausage meat, ground beef, bread crumbs, cooked rice, garlic, onion, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, hot and sweet paprika, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork.

3. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs.

4. Pour equal amounts of canola oil and olive oil into a large skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil over medium high heat. When ripples start to form form, very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil. Lower the heat to medium-low and brown them well on all sides, turning carefully. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels to drain excess oil. Discard the oil and wipe out the pan.

You could stop reading this post and make your own amazing sauce, use your favorite home-made or (gasp) store bought sauce. Or you could continue with what became the weirdest but strangely tastiest meatball sauces I ever made:

Going back to conversation with mom, "so what's in the sauce?"

Mom - just water

Confused Julia - water?

Mom - you know, water, onions

Very confused Julia - so what gives it flavor?

Mom - oh yeah, ketchup

HUH???

So here's what I did: I sauteed an onion and 4 cloves of crushed and chopped garlic in olive oil, when soft 5-10 minutes, added 1/2 cup of wine, deglazing the pan and scraping up all the brown bits of goodness, then I stirred in 1/2 cup of Ketchup with enough water to give it a saucy consistency, yes KETCHUP and WATER, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper and let it cook a bit over low heat. Not very sophisticated, but guess what it was a damn good sauce!!!!

Pumpkin Spice Napoleon Whoopie Pies with Orange Cream Filling

2010-12-03T14:25:00.014-05:00

More than a recipe, this post is a public service announcement. Sure we had our fun, we carved, we poked, we painted and then what? We let them rot, tossed them in the trash or worse, threw them out whole once our stoop no longer needed fall decorations. People, pumpkin is food. Let the poor things complete their squashy destiny, cook them, eat them.

Now you may think, this post is not very timely as we're sort of done with pumpkins. But that's my point. As I look out my window and see people hauling their trees up the block, I just know what will happen to the pumpkin that preceeded it.

This monster graced my living room for a few days and then became a roast pumpkin salad. His little friend a pumpkin risotto. Their seeds, dried and roasted with cumin and salt. But the real amazingness was in the form of dessert. And actually was an epic fail until it was turned into serious wonderfulness.

What was meant to be whoopie pies like the ones I had in this place, didn't happen. My whoopies didn't come out whoopie like at all, but instead were flat. But guess what, still pretty fantastic. So I layered them with lots of cream and made them little napoleons for the moistest most amazing cake/cookie/pie thingamagingy ever. Even when I got the whoopie shape down, I realized my flat little napoleons were even better.

Pumpkin Spice Napoleons with Orange Cream Filling

For the dough

1/2 cup = 2 tbs firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup of organic granulated sugar (or white, but I don't like using it)

8 tbs or 1 stick of butter

1 ex large egg

1 cup of pumpkin puree (yes you can use canned, but we're trying to save a life here people...err vegetable life that is....see below for how to use fresh pumpkin)

2 cups of flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup of milk

For the cream filling

4 tbs of butter, at room temp

6 tbs of cream cheese, at room temp

1/2 +1 tbs cup of confectioners sugar

zest of one orange

zest of one lemon

1 tsp of freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1. To make the pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkin: preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Halve and seed your pumpkin and roast for about an hour and a half until very tender. Remove and cool. Then scrape away the pulp from the skin. See how easy, not even peeling required.

2. For the dough, lower the oven to 350F. In a bowl of an electric mixer or food processor mis together the sugars and add the butter. Beat together for a few minutes until smooth and add the egg and pumpkin puree.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

4. Add half the flour mixture to the pumpkin. Mix well. Then add half the milk. Mix again. Add the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk. Mixing between each additional ingredient. Blend thoroughly, but do not overbeat.

5. Spoon mixture on to a parchment paper lined sheet spacing the cookies an inch apart or alternatively make one thin layer . Bake for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove and cool.

To make the filling:
6. In a electric mixer or food processor, combine the butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, zest, juice and vanilla. Beat until fluffy and smooth.

7. Cut the cookies into desired shapes and layer with the cream. My favorite were three layers of cream to four layers of cookie. Cut into bite sized pieces as they're really rich. Best at room temperature.

Chicken with a Heavenly Mushroom Sauce

2010-11-12T11:06:00.007-05:00

This is hands down my absolutely favorite chicken recipe. The sauce is so amazing, you will be licking your plate, fork, pan clean or I'll come over and lick them clean for you. On a crappy fall day, this chicken dish is the food version of a hug. It's also a great dish to pull together at the last minute, or do ahead for a few days worth of yummy dinners.

I can't take credit for its creation, that lies as usual with my girl Ina. But since Ina and I have different budgets and for now at least, different waistlines, I had to simplify her original Chicken and Morels dish, to this equally amazing, if just a bit more pedestrian, Chicken with Mushrooms.

Chicken with Mushrooms

1- ounce dried wild mushrooms (porcini, morels, etc.) soaked for 30 minutes in 3 cups very hot water *

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

All-purpose flour, for dredging

2 tbs butter

2 tbs of olive oil

2 large chopped shallots

4 cloves of minced garlic

1 cup Madeira wine**

1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

1 cup half and half

1/2 tsp of sugar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

*This dish calls for dried mushrooms, as their flavor is concentrated is lot deeper and earthy then fresh.

** Don't skimp on the Madeira, it has a distinct sweet taste. You can get an el cheepo bottle for 5 bucks because trust me you will be making this dish again.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lift the mushrooms carefully from the hot water in order to leave any sand or grit behind in the liquid. Rinse if necessary and pat lightly with paper towels. You can discard the liquid (nooooooooooo) or set it aside to use as a base for a cous cous or risotto side dish (!!!!!!!!!!!!).

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge them in flour and shake off the excess. Heat half the butter and olive oil in a large saute pan and cook the chicken in 2 batches over medium-low heat until browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. Remove to an ovenproof casserole or dutch oven.

Add the rest of the butter and oil to the pan along with the shallots, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute over medium heat for 2 minutes, tossing and stirring constantly. Pour the Madeira into the pan and reduce the liquid by half over high heat, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the sour cream or creme fraiche, half and half, lemon juice, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Boil until the mixture starts to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 12 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through.

Ethan's Birthday Cake - Rainbow Psychedelic Cake that is

2010-10-29T11:00:00.012-04:00

My second-born often gets shortshifted in this game called responsible parenting. He starts his day by eating left-over cereal, gets dressed in some hand me down outfits and plays with salvaged toys possibly played with by at least 4 kids before him. Before you shed a tear for this Dickensonian tale of woe, don't forget he glides down to Prospect Park in his Bugaboo stroller while Matthew before him breathed fumes off the Belt for recreation.

Since I suffer the fair amount of parental guilt and as most Jewish mothers, I alleviate the guilt by feeding my children, for Ethan's birthday I knew he deserved a seriously spankin cake. This psychedelic beauty is my take on the Rainbow Cake. Also perfect for rave after-parties and gay weddings.

Ethan's Rainbow Cake

For the cake I used Ina Garten's birthday sheet cake recipe below. I halved the recipe and ended up with a cake that was about 4 inches tall. I split it and frosted the layers to give it height and more flavor. You can use the full recipe for a taller cake. Of course, you could also be lazy and do this with a cake mix, but what's the fun in that.

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1.5 cups sugar

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature

3/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 lemon zested

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Food coloring.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a cake pan.

2. To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes or if you don't have one of these monster contraptions, a food processor or hand mixer will do the job as well.

3. On medium speed, add the eggs,, 1 at a time, then the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well.

4. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until smooth. Finish mixing by hand to be sure the batter is well mixed.

5. Now comes the FUN part. You will need as many bowls as you have colors. I used five colors: purple, red/pink, green, orange and blue. Divide your batter evenly amongst the bowls and add in the food coloring according to instructions.

6. Pour the first colored batter into the pan and wait for it to settle. Carefully add the next color, it will push the first color around the bowl. Continue with the rest. Smooth the top with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan to room temperature.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

12 ounces of softened cream cheese

2 cups of confectioners sugar

1 3/4 sticks of butter

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

1 lemon zested

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Food coloring

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer or food processor, combine the cream cheese and sugar. Start with a low speed and then continue on medium high until fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

2. Add the butter, vanilla, lemon juice and zest and mix until just combined. Add the food coloring, beat about 45 seconds more.

Taste the frosting. It shouldn't be overpoweringly sweet but you should not be able to taste the cream cheese either. If you do, add more sugar.

Once the cake is cool, you can split it and frost the layers, or just frost the top, you'll have lots of amazing icing left over then.

I had so much, I decided to make cupcakes too.

Psychedelic Vanilla Cupcakes

(makes 9 regular cupcakes)

¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
½ cup sourcream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
food coloring

1. Heat an oven to 350 F. Line the muffin pan with papers and set aside.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl..

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment or food processor, add the butter and sugar and cream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and mix well until combined.

4. Add half of the flour mixture, the sourcream and vanilla, and the remaining flour mixture, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition.

5. Using the same method as for the cake, divide batter among bowls and mix in the food coloring. Since cupcakes are small, I used only two colors for mine.

6. Pour one color batter at a time as you did for the cake, evenly among the lined cups and bake until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs about 18 minutes.

7. Frost with your left over icing, or make a whole new batch, cause who are we kidding, you ate the first batch with a spoon!

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart with Orange Glaze

2010-08-31T23:37:00.009-04:00

If you happened to have been entertained at my house, or really just passed by or dropped off the mail, anytime between the months of May and July, you would have been treated to one of my many versions of a Strawberry Rhubarb pie. Not one to respect traditions, why did I forsake other perfectly fine desert combinations and develop an obsession for this American classic. The simplest answer is of course that it was so freakin' delicious, I wanted to keep eating it. But of course things are never that simple and I'm sure there are tons of underlying Freudian reasons for why I love Strawberry Rhubarb pie. It probably fed into my immigrant angst, and along with dropping my accent and my 16 letter maiden name, eating a Strawberry Rhubarb combo, must have made me a full-fledged freedom loving American this summer! Gosh darnit.

Nah, not really. I just happened to finally notice Rhubarb, previously thought of as celery's weird red cousin. And they were only about 2 bucks a bunch and for that money you can't even buy a beat up apple at the farmer's market. Rhubarb as it turns out can served in a savory dish or a sweet one, but however you serve it, do not for the love of G-d and all that is holy, try to eat that sucker raw.

I reserve real baking, batter, dough, kneading, etc. for seriously special occasions. Most times, especially when using light fruit toppings, puff pastry works just fine. In this tart, the sweetness of the strawberries is complemented by the tartness of the Rhubarb and the orange juice which after being reduced makes a lovely glaze.

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart with Orange Glaze

1 cup strawberries, sliced

2 stalks rhubarb, cut into tiny dice

1 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon grated orange and/or lemon zest

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with a table spoon of water, for egg wash

Nonstick cooking spray

Puff pastry

In bowl, toss together strawberries, rhubarb, orange juice, zest, and sugar; set aside for about 30 minutes until the fruit releases its juices and all the flavors are blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray and line bottom with parchment paper.

On lightly floured surface, roll out defrosted puff pastry dough sheets. Press into baking sheet and poke all over with a fork. You can make pretty edges like my sous chef, aka Mom did for me. Chill in the fridge while the fruit is getting ready for its mission.

Strain fruit mixture, reserving liquid and spread out fruit mixture over the dough. Brush edges with egg wash and bake until golden brown - about 30 minutes, start checking at 20.

Reduce juice in a small sauce pan until half the liquid remains and the consistency is syrupy and thick.

When the edges are nice and golden, remove tart and brush with the orange juice reduction. Return to the over for another minute. Allow to cool slightly, slice it up and enjoy. Feel free to wave an American flag while chewing.

I wanna lay you down on a bed of ... greens?

2010-08-31T00:24:00.006-04:00

This recipe had to have come to life during one of my more ass conscious moments. Those moments are rare but typically involve me starring into the fridge for the next meal idea and painfully becoming aware of the fact that my pants are so tight they're getting into Chinese foot binding territory.

Blanching a bunch of asparagus, classic yes, but it's been done before. But this method of pureeing asparagus with leeks and spinach makes a very pretty presentation and a surprising taste. Hubby upon tasting and I quote - "hmm, pretty, tasty, mmmmmm, what is it?"

I've used this puree as a bed for all kinds of seared fish, from skate to halibut. Top it with some grilled chicken breasts and boring no more!

Asparagus Puree for your chicken or fish

(makes 2 servings)

1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves chopped
1 leek (finely sliced - white and light green parts only)
1/2 pound asparagus (cleaned, tough ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 cup spinach
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and simmer until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Melt the butter in a pan and add the leek and garlic and sauté until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the Spinach and cook until wilted, about a minute.

Puree the leeks, asparagus and spinach in a food processor.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and return to the pan to keep warm until the main dish is ready.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

2010-08-31T00:23:00.003-04:00

Since I'm on a soup kick, I figured I'll post this little marvel and clear out the backlog of recipes I've been sitting on since the spring when Asparagus was actually in season.

Making soup used to be the most amazing of all mysteries. I mean how did my mom take a chicken and some vegetables and all of a sudden it was soup. And a different soup each time too. Eventually I learned to make a decent chicken soup and a killer borscht, but fancy cream soups were still out of reach. Enter the most amazing woman in my culinary life, Ina Garten with her scrumptious cookbooks, love for Jeffrey, ridiculous lifestyle and most important, her soups! After learning to make a seafood bisque and a cream of mushroom soup, I realized it's all about a good stock and gosh darn it, I can soup anything now. And one of the keys to a good stock is sautéing your veggies before hitting them with water to seal all those flavors.

Towards the end of the asparagus season, when I over-indulged and was about ready to break from them till next spring, my mom brought me another two pounds. Soup was about the only thing I didn't try putting asparagus into and always curious to taste a cream of asparagus soup, I set to work. Fearing it would bland with just asparagus, I also added mushrooms, a potato for body and spinach for color. It was so good, even certain members of our household usually allergic to all things green, tried and approved!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:

2 pounds of asparagus
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
1 large russet or yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
1/4 lb of mushrooms, shitake or crimini
2 quarts of water
1/2 cup of wine
1 medium onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
4 ounces of fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup of half and half
4 tablespoons olive oil
fresh squeezed lemon juice to taste (1-2 tablespoons)
kosher salt and pepper

Wash asparagus and snap each one into three parts: tip, stem, woody stem. Reserve the woody stems separately.
Wipe mushrooms with a damp paper towel and separate the stems from the caps.
Over medium heat, heat 2 table spoons of olive oil and add the chopped onion, carrot and two cloves of minced garlic. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add the woody asparagus stems and mushroom stems and cover with at least two quarts of water. This will be your vegetable stock and the base of your soup. Bring it to a boil and let simmer for about 25-30 minutes until all the vegetables are soft.
Strain the stock. Discard the asparagus stems and the carrot and onion. If using shitake mushrooms, discard their stems as well, pick out any crimini stems you want to rescue and set the stock aside.
In a separate pot, heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, then add the leeks, garlic, and chopped mushroom caps, and season with a little salt and pepper. Sauté the vegetables until the leek is translucent and the mushrooms are soft. Add the wine and scrape the edges. Add the diced potato and reserved stock, and cook until the potatoes are almost cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Add the reserved chopped asparagus pieces, and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the spinach leaves and cook another minute. Add the half and half and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove soup from the heat and once cool enough to handle, remove a few of the asparagus tips and reserve to garnish each plate.
Using an immersion blender right in the pot or a regular blender or food processor, blend until very smooth.
Check for seasoning and creaminess, adding additional milk, or half and half if desired and add fresh lemon juice to taste.
You can serve this soup hot or at room temperature. I served it with crusty bread and a parmesan crisp. To make a parmesan crisp, make circles out of grated parmesan cheese on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until the edges are golden and the middle is a light gold. Let cool and remove.

Andalusian Gazpacho or A tomato's destiny fulfilled

2010-08-25T19:08:00.015-04:00

Seriously, this gazpacho is what every tomato aspires to one day be. There's so many amazing flavors in this soup that you can get away with using any old supermarket tomato. But if you're lucky enough to grab some summer market tomatoes, well then this soup goes from wonderfully refreshing to orgasmically delicious.

It's also one of the few things you'll ever find me serving that is seriously good for you. It's like a vitamin shot in a bowl. And since the soup is "cooked" without any heat, it's perfect on a hot day.

Gazpacho

(about 6 portions)

2 lbs of red tomatoes, beefsteak or other heirloom, if not in season, roma or plum will do

1-2 English cucumbers, peeled

1 red or orange bell pepper, stemmed and seeded

2-3 garlic cloves, any green germ (stem) removed

1/2 small red onion or 1 shallot

1/4 day old baguette, most crust removed

2.5 tbs of sherry vinegar

6 oz of extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt & pepper

Roughly chop all of the vegetables and the bread and puree in batches in a blender or food processor. Add the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Taste and add any additional s&p, or oil and vinegar as needed.

Pour mixture into a non-reactive (non-metal) container and refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours until chilled and all the flavors are blended.

The great thing about gazpacho is it's so hard to screw up, you should really look at these ingredient amounts as suggestive. So if you have more tomatoes on hand, throw them in.

Garnish with crab (fresh or canned) as pictured, cooked shrimp, chopped vegetables, avocado, croutons, etc. You can really dress it up by serving in a martini glass. Sorry this shot was done in Pennsylvania, and we're in country mode up there. Not a martini glass to be found for miles.

I'll try to keep up with my blog a bit better and will try to post my other tomato soup - bread and chorizo. Gotta love those Spaniards, they really know how to work a tomato.

Beet Red Risotto in Technicolor with goat cheese

2010-08-17T23:53:00.010-04:00

Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese

Who said playing with your food is wrong. They were obviously a small boring person whose children ate lima beans and loved wearing shades of grey. Or perhaps they were a lovely person, whose children wore wonderful technicolor outfits and thought it was fun to try foods of all different colors, including lima beans......

Actually playing with food is a multipurpose activity. In the first place it's quite handy in getting my children to consume a vegetable that is not a cucumber. It was quite stunning to look at and got me to use up that long forgotten beet that was dying an undeserved death on the bottom of my veggie drawer.

The beets melted into the risotto. To balance out any bitterness left over from the beets, I substituted a soft goat cheese for standard Parmesan used in risottos. The result was not only really cool looking, but very tasty as well. I also dotted the risotto with some blanched peas, you can also add asparagus pieces or nothing at all.

Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese

(Serves 4)

1.5 cups of Arborio rice

2 tbs of olive oil

2 oz of red or white dry wine

4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

1 large or 2 small chopped shallots

2-3 cloves of garlic chopped

2 small shredded red beets

4 ounces of soft goat cheese, plus 2 tbs to garnish

salt and pepper

1. In a medium sized sauce pan, heat the olive oil and add the shallots and garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and shallots are melting.

2. In a separate sauce pan, heat the stock and leave it simmering on the stove.

3. Add the rice and stir to coat each rice grain with oil. Cook until the rice becomes almost entirely translucent expect for the white center.

4. Add the wine and cook until completely reduced.

5. Ladle just enough hot stock to cover the rice and cook until most of the stock has been absorbed. This is an absorption cooking method used for risotto and some pastas and grains. Repeat this step with one more ladle and then add the beets. Stir in the beets and then continue ladling stock until all of the stock has been used and the risotto is done.

6. Off the heat, stir in the goat cheese, adjust the salt and add freshly cracked black pepper to taste and any other garnish vegetables if using.

7. Top the risotto with the left over cheese and some more pepper for contrast.

NYC Summer Suvival Kit: White Sangria

2010-07-24T20:51:00.007-04:00

How we doing out there? A little warm? A bit baked? Perhaps a tad roasted a jus?

Hey, its summer in the NYC and as your backside was literally frying in the midtown sun or the BK subway tunnel, I know you were not thinking about food. Yeah you could hose down a cold brewsky but how is that for original.

If you want to cool down while keeping it classy baby, I suggest you try this summer's best creation yet....

White Sangria

1 bottle of reisling wine (don't splurge here, but try to get a genuine German)
1 cup of white rum (or more depending on how boozy you like it)
1/2 cup of triple sec
1 container of frozen lemonade
1 cup of seltzer or club soda
combination of sliced citrus: orange, lemon, lime
cherries, green apple slices

Mix all the ingredients, add sliced fruit, pitted cherries and chill for a few hours.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. double this recipe if you know what's good for you

Salad Lyonnaise with Crispy Poached Egg

2010-06-16T23:49:00.006-04:00

I must say I'm a bit peeved that Mark Bittman beat me to the Salad Lyonnaise post with last week's Times Dining Section. But I'm not intimidated, I say bring it Mark....

Here I was writing a two-fold expose - Part I on how my dad is a thrifty foodie and so instead of presents I get him meals, like Moules & Frites for Father's Day and the beautiful Salad Lyonnaise for his birthday breakfast. The second part of the post was devoted to how with this salad, I conquered my fear of poaching eggs, a prior-to unfathomable act that turned out to be fairly simple and seriously addictive.

So here goes:

My father is one of my biggest food fans. This is at least partially due to a sense of wonder he must feel when he sits down to eat a meal served by the girl that left his house some 10 years ago without the complex knowledge of how to make mashed potatoes. But Daddy Boris is also a foodie, just not a lavish one. He loves to travel and eat and appreciates all the foods he gets to sample when traveling. But get him back to Brooklyn and the idea of paying for food on the outside when there's perfectly good food in your own fridge is preposterous, incomprehensible, nonsensical, well you get the idea.... Plus he has me, so what's the point of spending money on restaurants {anyone notice that shameless act of self aggrandizing, tee hee.}

So for his birthday this past month, I decided to recreate his French travels with food. For his birthday breakfast I served a seriously stunning Salad Lyonnaise.

Salad Lyonnaise is traditionally made with Frisée lettuce (not a fan); lardons (bacon), croutons, mustard dressing and topped with a poached egg.

There is something of a poached egg euphoria currently happening in the foodie world. But to me, the idea of dropping something as unstable as an egg into boiling water and expecting it to emerge with some sort of form and taste was beyond the laws of physics and logic.

As it turned out, poaching an egg is no rocket science, it’s not even high school math! And once I learned to poach eggs, I couldn’t be stopped. Yet there was always something about a white poached egg that looked undone to me... Until I discovered that you can fry a poached egg! WHAT you say, a crispy panko coated outside and a gooey runny inside!!!! It can not be, but oh yeah it is!!!!!

Salad Lyonnaise with Crispy Poached Egg
(serves four)

For Salad:
10 oz baby lettuces with frisee mixed in
6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch strips
4 extra large eggs
4 Tbsp vinaigrette
1 tsp vinegar (for poaching eggs)

For Vinaigrette:
2.5 oz extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp sherry vinegar (sherry is best or sub red wine or balsamic vinegar)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste

For Breading the Egg:
2 Tbsp. flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
canola oil for frying

Baguette, either for croutons or simply sliced and toasted with the salad.

1. Make the vinaigrette by whisking together all ingredients; olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard,and shallot.

2. Slice the bacon and cook until crisp in a dry pan over medium heat. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel.

3. While the bacon is cooking, bring a quart of water to a simmer and add the vinegar and a tsp of kosher salt. Here is the tricky part. You need to lower the eggs in to the water very gently so as not to break the yolks. If you are poaching all four eggs or even more, you should consider the safe way of cracking each egg into a small bowl and gently lowering it into the simmering water. If you are halfing this recipe or are feeling quite confident about your poaching skills, you can crack the eggs straight into the bowl. If one of the yolks breaks, you can use that egg for your batter when frying the eggs.

Here’s what you shouldn’t do: Do not drop all the eggs in at once, space them out. Otherwise they will stick together and will not form those perfect individual little buckets of goodness you are looking for.

Poach for 3-4 minutes and using a slotted spoon, remove to a paper towel. Allow to cool for acouple of minutes.

4. While the eggs are poaching, set up your breading stages. In three separate plates place flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs in each. Season the flour with salt and pepper.

5. Using a slotted spoon, very carefully dredge the egg in flour, then beaten egg, then coat withthe panko breadcrumbs. Set breaded egg gently on a plate and bread the other eggs.

6. Heat enough oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat to just cover the egg. Test the oil by dropping a few panko crumbs into it. If they start to sizzle and color not burn, the oil is ready. If it browns in a few seconds, it’s too hot and should be taken off the heat for a bit.

When the oil is ready, using the slotted spoon, gently lower the eggs into the oil. Fry for about 15 seconds on each side until the eggs turn brown. Remove with the slotted spoonto the paper towels and drain.

7. Assemble the salad with a the dressing and the bacon and placeon plates. Top with the crispy poached eggs and serve with baguette or croutons.

Going Green: Very Green Asparagus Salad with a Lemon Yogurt Dressing

2010-06-03T00:09:00.005-04:00

So the blog's run a bit a dry lately. My apologies really. The midgets have been monsterly, mood crappy and apparently writing even snippets of my food journey requires time that has become a non-existent commodity.

And then, if these reasons weren't enough, my main guinea pig, the hubby decides to go off food for two weeks. Yes, that's a solid two weeks of no food. Some may call it a master cleanse, others the only viable option after living with me for 10 years, but I call it plain sabotage to my blog venture.

Now if you are interested in the cleanse recipe, please consult another blog. There'll be no cayenne pepper maple syrup unholiness around here.

The cleanse was only part one of the sabotage. Because now, the newly cleansed husband became a special needs case who wanted to consume greens, and proteins, and stay away from fats and butters and bacons, and all that awesomeness that makes food worth eating. To his luck, we are in the spring and spring fare is light and green and tasty and so I happily (ok somewhat happily) obliged and Gone Green!

Somewhere in the throes of the cleanse week we visited the Amish Country and picked up a ton of veggies - asparagus, baby lettuces, green onions, chives, etc. all of which were destined for a lovely salad green enough to please the cleansed Breitman and tasty enough to satisfy his discerning wife.

Very Green Asparagus Salad with a Lemon Yogurt Dressing

Lemon Yogurt Dressing (recipe below)

1 bunch of asparagus

Assorted lettuces

3-4 chopped green onions

For the Dressing

(This makes a lot of dressing that can be stored in an airtight jar for up to a week)

3.5 oz or half a container of 2% Fage Greek Yogurt

1 tbs of freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp of minced garlic

1 tsp of sherry vinegar

4+ tbs of olive oil

2 tbs of chopped chives

s&p

Combined the yogurt, lemon juice and zest, the garlic and vinegar. Slowly add the olive oil one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. The yogurt is very thick and the olive oil will thin it out. Mix in the chives and season with salt and pepper.

The asparagus can be blanched in salted boiling water for 3 minutes or grilled in the oven with a bit of olive oil at 400F for about 7 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, cut up the asparagus into 2-3 inch pieces and mix in with the lettuce. Add the green onions and season with the dressing. Garnish with additional chives.

To make this a full meal, I topped it off with grilled chicken pieces.

Asparagus Napoleons with Goat Cheese and Chives

2010-05-28T16:52:00.012-04:00

Has an hors devours ever made you break out in song. No? Well then, you've obviously never feasted your eyes on these babies.

♫ You are so beautiful

To me

Can't you see

You're everything I hoped for

You're everything I need

You are so beautiful

To me ♫

But I digress...

This amazing little appetizer takes less than 20 minutes but looks like you've got Martha camping out in your cupboard. The key, gorgeous seasonal ingredients like asparagus and chives. And every cook's handy little cheat, puff pastry. How I love you, let me count the ways...

Asparagus Napoleons with Goat Cheese and Chives

For 6 Napoleons you will need:

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed about half an hour at room temperature
1 egg yolk, beaten with about 2 teaspoons water
24 asparagus spears, woody bottom stalks cut off
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
1 teaspoon of garlic (less if you'd like it milder)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives and chive flowers if available, plus more to garnish

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoons honey
salt, pepper

1. bake puff pastry rectangles: Preheat the oven to 400F.

If you haven't yet discovered Pam with Flour, it may convert you to a baker. One of the things that always prevents me from pulling out the rolling pin is the thought of all that flour all over my kitchen, children, extremities... Using Pam w/ flour I spray my board and my rolling pin and no need to flour any surface. Hooray.

But, please feel free to go old school and lay the pastry on either a lightly floured surface or a sprayed one. Gently roll out the pastry to make a 9x10 rectangle. Don't worry about being exact, but make approximately 6 rectangles of about 3x5 inches each.

Place the rectangles of puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper or well sprayed baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little of the egg wash. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the pastry is nice and golden.

2. for the asparagus:

While the pastry is baking, line a baking sheet or dish with foil. Place asparagus spears on sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast at 400F for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

3. to make the filling:

In a small bowl, mix the softened goat cheese, garlic, chives, lemon zest, honey and salt.

4. assemble your beauties:

Slice each puff pastry rectangle horizontally. Spread the cheese filling on the bottom sections, reserving a little for the top sections as well (this makes the tops stick better to the asparagus). Place asparagus spears on top of filling. Some spears may need to be cut in half. Place puff pastry tops on. Garnish with chives and chive flowers.

Creamy Chicken with Leeks and Almonds....A chicken dish to cure the blahs.

2010-05-18T01:28:00.008-04:00

Ok, let's face it, chicken is boring. It doesn't have the variety of fish, the taste of a good steak or the seasonal beauty of veggies. And yet, on most days, what are we having for dinner? Chicken, of course.

In my house, the chicken is unfortunately fried in the form of a deformed finger or a really screwed up nugget, so as to make the child who will only eat fried beige foods happy. But sometimes, just sometimes, I'll create something, that even the child is willing to sample and we're only to happy to eat up.

Creamy Chicken with Leeks and Almonds

4-6 chicken breast, pounded with a meat mallet to about 1/2" thickness

1 tbs of butter

2 tbs of olive oil

2 leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

1/2 lb of mushrooms of shitake mushrooms or rehydrated porcini

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup of white wine

1/2 cup of almonds, crushed

1/2 cup of sour cream

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Over medium heat, melt butter in the olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven. Season the chicken with kosher salt and braise until nice and golden on both sides about ten minutes. You may need to do this in a few batches. Once the chicken is done, remove to a platter.

To the same skillet add the leeks and cook until opaque, but not brown. About half way, add the garlic and mushrooms, stir, continue cooking. Once soft, add the almonds, stirring to combine. After about a minute, add the wine and deglaze the pan (i.e. scrape up the yummy goodness from the pan). Reduce the wine for a minute, add the sour cream, lemon juice and sugar. Add salt and pepper as necessary. Stir to combine and add the chicken.

Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the sauce to bubble over the chicken for about 5 minutes.

Guaranteed to cure the Monday blahs

Fava Bean and Arugula Crostini

2010-05-18T01:25:00.009-04:00

Crostini, like a true love affair I remember the first time we met. It was 2002, Il Latini Restaurant in Florence, Italy. I was but a culinary novice yet unschooled in your greatness. There were all kinds of crostini, liver, bean, prosciutto... {drool}. This was the beginning of a serious obsession with putting things on bread. Seriously, you can't go wrong with putting anything on bread. But a true Tuscan crostini ain't your momma's sandwich.

I have yet to match the creamy liver crostini we had in Il Latini, but I've finally found what the bean crostini was all about - fava beans!!! Yes, yes fava beans. If you haven't read my original ode to them - here it is again. These crostinis are a classic Tuscan combination of fava and sharp Pecorino cheese, spread it over a garlicky toast, take a bite and imagine yourself under the gentle shade of a Cypress tree. Ok, enough reminiscing, to the recipe.

Fava Bean and Arugula Crostini

Ingredients

· 1 cup shelled fresh fava beans (1 1/4 pounds in pods)

· 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

· 1 1/2 cups packed baby arugula (1 1/2 ounces), divided

· 3 tablespoons grated Pecorino Toscano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

· 1/4 teaspoongrated lemon zest

· 1teaspoon fresh lemon juice

· 1 baguette

· 3 garlic cloves

Directions

Slice the baguette on a diagonal and toast at 350F heat for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, rub one side of each with garlic.

Cook shelled fava beans in boiling water, uncovered, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Gently peel off skins.

Pulse fava beans in a food processor until very coarsely chopped, then transfer half of mixture to a large bowl. Add the oil, half the arugula, cheese, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to favas in processor and purée until smooth. Add to bowl. Coarsely chop remaining cup arugula and gently fold into fava-bean mixture.

Spoon fava-bean mixture onto baguette toasts, then drizzle with some more oil oil and garnish with chives, chive flowers or mint.

If Favas are not in season, you could use frozen edamame or canned beans of choice. It won't be Tuscany, but it'll do.

Crispy Scallion and Chive Pancakes

2010-05-18T01:15:00.007-04:00

Who says you have to wait for Hanukah to have latkes. And who says they have to be called latkes. These are the latkes springtime cousin. This potato pancake shed the heavy onion, egg and matzo meal filling and instead is all about springtime ingredients – chives and scallions. Instead of eggs to hold the potatoes together, I used cornstarch which made them lighter and extra crispy – thanks Thomas Keller!

Chive and Scallion Potato Pancakes

Serves 6

2-3 scallions

1 tbs of chopped chives

3 large russet potatoes

1/4 cup cornstarch

Canola oil

S&P

Discard most of the white heads of the scallions and slice the greens on a severe diagonal into very thin slices. Chop the chives and combine. Peel the potatoes and using a food processor with a shredding blade or the large side of a grater, shred the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a bowl of cold water and rinse several times to rid of the starch. Dry the potatoes by either wringing out in a kitchen towel or spinning in a salad spinner.

Spoon the cornstarch around the sides of the bowl and toss the potatoes with it (adding the cornstarch this way will help to coat the potatoes evenly). Work quickly or they will turn brown.

Heat enough canola oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium- high heat until the oil is shimmering. Turn down the heat to medium. Gently spread the potatoes in a thin layer around the pan. To keep the potato cake light and airy do not press down on the potatoes. Season with a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the chive and scallion mix, reserving some for a garnish. Spread additional potatoes on top without pressing down on them. Season with salt and pepper again. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until the bottom is golden. You should hear the potatoes sizzling in the oil; if the potatoes get quiet and are not sizzling, or the pan looks dry, add a bit more oil. Turn the pancake over to brown the second side. Cook until the second side is browned and crisp, then transfer to the rack and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining 2 pancakes.

Break each pancake into 4 wedges, stack on a platter, and garnish with the reserved greens.

Radicchio and Roasted Calamari Salad with Asparagus and Oranges

2010-05-14T18:17:00.008-04:00

I tend to go a bit, okay a lot, overboard at the farmer's market. Dooming myself to unforgivable fate of watching perfectly fresh and overpriced produce wilting away in my otherwise produce free fridge. That's why I love a recipe that is like a spring market in a bowl. This recipe also has a foolproof technique for cooking calamari that you can use with or without the rest of the salad.

Radicchio and Roasted Calamari Salad with Asparagus and Oranges

Makes 2 servings for dinner or 4 for an appetizer

1 navel oranges

4 tbs sherry vinegar

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pounds squid (calamari) cut into ½-inch rings
6 asparagus spears
1 medium head of radicchio, leaves separated

1.Peel the oranges, removing all the white pith and skin. Reserve in a bowl.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the sherry vinegar with the lemon zest, lemon juice, minced garlic and paprika. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt to taste. Add the squid and marinate for at least 15 minutes or until ready to use.

3. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Prepare an ice bath. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the asparagus and blanch until just tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to the ice bath until cooled, then drain.

4. Slice the radicchio into thin strips and place in a large bowl. Add the cooled asparagus to the bowl.

5.Preheat the oven to 450°. Place a large skillet in the oven and heat for about 5 minutes, until very hot. Remove the skillet and add the squid and vinaigrette. Toss the squid and return to the oven for 1 minute. Remove from the oven and toss again. The squid should become firm and opaque. If necessary, return to the oven for another minute (any longer and the

squid will be rubbery).

6. Remove the skillet from the oven and immediately transfer the squid to the bowl with the asparagus and radicchio. Toss, gradually adding the warm vinaigrette until well dressed. Season with salt and discard the remaining vinaigrette. Garnish with the orange segments.

Forget the Maypole, it's Ramp Season!!!

2010-05-08T23:04:00.010-04:00

A true foodie marks the rites of spring by the beginning of the ramp season. In fact you can count yourself a foodie, if you even know what a ramp is! In case you're just beginning your food journey, a ramp is the wild cousin of the onion family. Considered a wild leek, they're absolutely delicious with a delicate taste that's a cross between a garlic and an onion. But what makes these guys so elusive and therefore foodie fodder, is the fact that they can not be commercially cultivated and are in season for only about three weeks each spring. Usually found at the farmer's market, their season just about finished, sorry this post took a bit, while I explored all the ways to use these gems. But they're still available on FreshDirect for only about 6 bucks a bunch. Totally worth the culinary exploration.

Last few weeks my kitchen was a virtual Rampathon. I sautéed them in butter and olive oil, used them in place of chives and leeks in tarts and even pickled them. With all the amazing uses for the incredible edible ramp, the simplest and most delicious has to be a ramp omelet.

Ramp Omelet (or the best eggs you will ever eat)

The ramps are entirely edible, including the heads and the green leaves. For the omelet, slice the white heads into thin slices, cut the stalks into quarter inch pieces and the leaves into 1-2 inch pieces. Sauté the sliced ramps in butter over medium heat for a few minutes until softened and fragrant. In a separate bowl mix eggs with milk or if feeling really luxurious half-n-half, season with salt and mix into the ramps. Stir to combine and cook until just set. Off the heat, mix in another tablespoon of butter. The delicate garlicy flavor infuses the entire omelet for an unmatched flavor.

My first attempt at pickling anything. I used a sherry vinegar, garlic, peppers, cumin and mustard seeds. I used just the heads of the ramps and saved the green tails to use as a side dish.

Sautéed in olive oil they are an awesome side on their own as well as in addition to other vegies like grilled asparagus.

Sliced ramps ready to fulfill their destiny.