Recipes
Caramelized Onion, Blue Cheese & Arugula Pizza
The trick to this pizza is cooking the onions long enough to caramelize them. A nice slow cook over medium heat will bring out their natural sweetness.
2-3 onions
Butter or olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Pizza dough or crust
2-3 oz. of blue cheese
2 handfuls of fresh arugula
Salt & pepper
Caramelize the onions – slice and cook over low heat with 1-2 tbsps. of butter or oil until they are dark brown and sweet, mine took about 45 minutes. About three minutes before they are finished, add 1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar.
Top your pizza crust with the onions and blue cheese. Bake for 5 minutes in a 550 degree oven. In the meantime, toss the arugula with olive oil, salt and pepper. Top the pizza with the arugula and bake for another 5 -10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
Watermelon, Feta, and Arugula Salad with Balsamic Glaze
Bon Appétit July 2009 by Fred Thompson
5 oz baby arugula
8 cups 3/4-inch cubes seedless watermelon
7 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar glaze
To make the balsamic glaze, boil 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan until reduced to 3 tablespoons, 6 to 7 minutes.
Arrange arugula over large platter. Scatter watermelon, then feta over. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and sprinkle with pepper.
Roasted Tomato and Arugula Salad
Epicurious November 2008 by Andrew Friedman
1 cup olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 lb tomatoes, in sections lengthwise lengthwise and seeded
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 cups (loosely packed) arugula
Preheat oven to 250°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil.
In large bowl, stir together olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dip tomato halves into oil, shake off excess, and arrange on baking sheet, cut sides down. Roast until skins are wrinkled and beginning to brown, about 2 hours. (Tomatoes can be roasted ahead and refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before using.)
In large bowl, whisk together remaining 1/2 cup olive oil, vinegar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add arugula and tomatoes and toss to coat.
Parsley Chimichurri
This parsley packed condiment is a staple in Argentina where it is always served alongside meats. It is also terrific spread on sandwiches, alongside grilled potatoes, and to liven up a plate of eggs and toast.
1 cup (packed) fresh parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
Green Chard with Ginger
This is a simple, slightly spicy side dish or snack. Try adding just a little tamari or miso to the pan if you have any left, but make sure not to add more salt if you do!
1 bunch green chard
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 sliced jalapenos
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Directions
Separate stems and leaves from Swiss chard. Chop leaves and dice stems small. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add chard stems, minced peeled fresh ginger, and jalapeno slices; cook until stems soften, 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add chard leaves, cover, and cook until wilted, 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until tender, 4 minutes.
Watermelon Gorgonzola Salad
I imagine this salad would taste just as good with the Bayley Hazen Blue cheese...
6 cups watermelon cut into 1" cubes
2 cups lettuce or spinach, loosely packed
1 shallot, minced
1/3 cup Cava Rose vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
2/3 cups olive oil
1 cup chilled, crumbled gorgonzola cheese
Toss together watermelon and greens in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together shallot, vinegar, and honey. Whisk oil into vinegar to form a thick, creamy emulsion.
Stir crumbles into vinaigrette and taste with a cube of watermelon. Season dress to taste with additional salt, pepper, vinegar or oil and lightly dress watermelon and greens.
**If making this ahead, keep the watermelon separate. It will release water which will dilute your dress and wilt the greens.
Charred Corn Crepes
I have been dying to try this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen blog for a while now. After making those corn fritters last week I'm all about cooking with corn! This recipe makes 9 to 10 9inch crepes so you may want to double the recipe.
1 large fresh corn cob
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup flour
1 cup milk, any fat level will do
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Butter or oil for pan
To char corn: Shuck your corn but leave the “stem” on if you can; it makes a great handle. Remove small children from the area. Over a hot grill or an open gas-stove flame, char the corn until well-blackened but not completely burnt. It tends to snap, crackle and yes, pop a little making terrifying noises (hence, the removal of small people) but will smell amazing (like popcorn and fireplaces and summer camp). Remove cob from heat, and when cool enough to handle, shave off kernels using a large knife. You should have about 1 cup kernels. Transfer to a bowl and pour melted butter over it; let cool to lukewarm.
Make crepe batter: Place corn-butter mixture in a blender with flour, milk, eggs and salt. Blend until mostly smooth (a few bits and coarse piece of corn are awesome but too many will make the batter hard to pour and spread in the pan). Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or two days; this resting time really, really makes it easier to make crepes that don’t fall apart.
Cook crepes: Heat an 8- to 9-inch skillet (nonstick makes things even easier here) over medium heat. Coat very lightly with butter or oil. Pour 3 (for an 8-inch skillet) to 4 tablespoons (for a larger size) batter into the center of the skillet and roll it around so that it evenly coats the bottom. Cook until edges appear lightly brown, then flip the crepe* and cook it on the reverse side for another 30 seconds.
Slide crepe onto a paper towel-coated plate or counter. Repeat with remaining crepe batter, re-buttering pan as needed. Cooling crepes can overlap on the towels. Cooled crepes can be stacked and will not stick to each other.
Mexican Street Corn Crepe Stack (pictured above): I spread about 1 teaspoon mayonnaise (which is very scant and you can definitely use more; use yogurt or sour cream if you dislike mayo) between each crepe, then sprinkled about 2 teaspoons crumbled cotija cheese (but you can use ricotta salata, feta or another crumbly salty cheese if you cannot find it), a couple shakes of chili powder and a small amount of chopped cilantro (but you can use flat-leaf parsley if you’re not into cilantro). The toppings add up quickly as you stack the crepes, so don’t be afraid to go easy on them; you’ll still get a full amount of topping with each bite. Serve with lime wedges, squeezing some lime juice over each wedge.
Smoky Eggplant Dip [Moutabbal]
This recipe, also from Smitten Kitchen, is similar to the baba ganoush I made this weekend. I was in a rush though and didn't properly smoke the eggplant as you're supposed to. I think David Leibowitzs' recipe is a better way to do it so you get that true smoky flavor. Feel free to use this as a starter recipe and cooking technique, then tweak it to your tastes. Adapted from David Lebovitz‘s My Paris Kitchen
Makes about 2 cups
2 medium eggplants (about 1 pound each)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt, or to taste
6 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste), well-stirred if a new container
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste, if desired
Pinch of cayenne or aleppo pepper
Pinch or two of ground cumin
2 tablespoons well-chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
Toasted sesame seeds or za’atar for garnish
Heat oven to 375°F. Brush a baking sheet or roasting pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Prick eggplants a few times with a fork or tip of a knife. Over a gas flame, grill or under a broiler, evenly char the skin of your eggplants. I like mine quite smoky and like to leave no purple visible. Transfer to a cutting board, and when cool enough to handle, trim off stem and cut lengthwise. Place cut side down on prepared baking sheet and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until very, very tender when pressed. Let cool to room temperature.
In a blender or food processor: Scrape eggplant flesh from skin and into the work bowl. Add tahini, lemon, cayenne, cumin and 1 tablespoon parsley. Blend in short bursts (pulses) until combined but still coarsely chopped.
By hand: Scrape eggplant flesh from skin and onto a cutting board. Finely chop the eggplant, leaving some bits closer to pea-sized. In a bowl, whisk together tahini, garlic, lemon, cayenne, cumin and half the parsley. Add chopped eggplant and stir to combine.
Both methods: Taste and adjust ingredients if needed. I usually need more salt and lemon.
To serve: Spoon into a bowl and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Scatter with second tablespoon of parsley, and some toasted sesame seeds or za’atar, if desired. Serve with pita wedges.
For a big delicious summer meal, you could serve this with a tomato-cucumber salad, ethereally smooth hummus and pita wedges. If you’d like to be fancy, grilled or pan-roasted lamb chops are wonderful here too.
Butter Chicken
Butter chicken is the General Tso’s of Indian food, a great, ever-evolving, cross-continental dish found in Delhi, London, New York, Perth and most points in between. In its purest form, it is yogurt-and-spice-marinated chicken dressed in a velvety red bath comprising butter, onions, ginger and tomatoes scented with garam masala, cumin and turmeric, with a cinnamon tang. It is wildly luxurious. Serve with basmati rice and mango chutney, with papadums or naan if you can find them, with extra rice if you cannot. Read more about the recipe and technique here.
1 1/2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons ground turmeric
2 tablespoons garam masala
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 pounds chicken thighs, on the bone
1/4 pound unsalted butter
4 teaspoons neutral oil, like vegetable or canola oil
2 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely diced
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
2 medium-size tomatoes, diced
2 red chiles, like Anaheim, or 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
Kosher salt to taste
2/3 cup chicken stock, low-sodium or homemade
1 1/2 cups cream
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons ground almonds, or finely chopped almonds
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, stems removed, or parsley
Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala and cumin in a large bowl. Put the chicken in, and coat with the marinade. Cover, and refrigerate (for up to a day).
In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil until it starts to foam. Add the onions, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds, and cook until the onions start to brown.
Add the cinnamon stick, tomatoes, chiles and salt, and cook until the chiles are soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the chicken and marinade to the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for approximately 30 minutes.
Stir in the cream and tomato paste, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the almonds, cook for an additional 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Garnish with the cilantro leaves.
Beer-Simmered Grilled Sausages
This is a great way to enjoy your chorizo!
a needle or pin and a cork
3 pounds uncooked Chorizo, or other sausage such as Sweet or hot Italian or bratwurst
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cups beer, as needed
About 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Mustard, for serving
Prick each sausage a half-dozen times with a needle or pin stuck in a cork. Arrange the onion slices on the bottom of a sauté pan just large enough to hold all the sausages. Place the sausages on top and add beer and water to cover (the ratio should be about 3 parts beer to 1 part water). Place the pan over medium heat and gradually bring the liquid to a simmer, not a rapid boil. Poach the sausages until half-cooked, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a rack on a baking sheet to drain or drain in a colander. Separate the sausages into links.
Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium-high.
When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Lightly brush the sausages on all sides with oil and place on the hot grate. Grill until the casings are crisp and nicely browned and the sausages are cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side. You may want to rotate the sausages 90 degrees after 2 minutes on each side to create an attractive crosshatch of grill marks. Should flare-ups arise, move the sausages to a different section of the grill. Use a slender metal skewer to test for doneness. Insert it into the center of one of the sausages: It should come out hot to the touch.
Transfer the sausages to plates or a platter and let rest for 3 minutes. Serve with plenty of mustard.
Variations: Poaching is optional and not every grill jockey does it. If you omit the poaching, you'll need to grill the sausages 7 to 10 minutes per side.
Beef Stew
From the kitchen of Greenfield Highland Beef. Serves 6.
1 package stew meat
1/4 c. flour seasoned with salt & fresh ground pepper
2 onions, chopped
2 large stalks celery, sliced
2 large carrots, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 c. liquid (dry red wine, beef broth, water or mix)
1/4 Ib. bacon slices, cooked
(opt)
1/4 c. brandy
(opt.)
1/2 tsp. hot sauce or cayenne
Roll beef cubes in seasoned flour. Place cooked bacon in bottom of flameproof casserole. Pour diced tomatoes into casserole. Layer half of beef cubes over tomatoes. Cover with half of the vegetables. Repeat with remaining beef and vegetables. Mix wine, broth &/or water with brandy, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper and seasoning to taste. Pour over meat and vegetables. Bring to a simmer on stovetop. Cover w. lid and cook in oven at 300°F for 3 hours or until meat is tender.
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