Jamie's Winter Vegetable Salad, Take Two (Vegetarian/Gluten Free Version)

Another version of Jamie Oliver's stellar winter salad, this time with chicories, roasted squash, beets and red onion, oranges, avocado, and pumpkin seeds. I didn't even miss the chicken or chunks of bread (or pomegranate seeds).

Another Green Couscous

This one comes from Jamie Magazine and is a little bit quicker to prepare than the Ottolenghi recipe (due to the lack of caramelized onions)- I think it took me about 15 minutes altogether, and I've made it twice this week already! Full of broccoli, greens (Jamie uses spinach but I had kale), toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and seasoned with harissa, I found this to be very satisfying and quite healthy.

Winter Vegetable Salad

The latest issue of Jamie Magazine came in the mail yesterday and it's full of recipes I want to make (including a whole section on celery!). This salad was perfection: roasted root vegetables (beets and carrots in this case) and red onions, toasted chunks of bread, shredded chicken, pomegranate seeds, sunflower seeds and pepitas, and an assortment of beautiful baby chicories from the market, all dressed in a honey-orange vinaigrette. There are a lot of components, to be sure, but in all it took about 40 minutes to prepare (including roasting time), and I will definitely be making it again. I only wish my shoddy nighttime photography accurately depicted what a beautiful plate this was.

Tarte Tatin with Creme Fraiche Ice Cream

I wanted to make something using my dad's current crop of extra tart apples, and as it happens, apple pie is a favorite of the dinner guest I was having over this week. Instead of an American apple pie, I decided to try my hand at the classic French version- tarte tatin. I've made banana tarte tatin, and tomato tarte tatin, but never the traditional apple. I followed Jamie Oliver's recipe, which was very simple, but I got impatient waiting for the liquid from the apples to reduce before adding the puff pastry, and it got a little soggy. When I reheated the tarte for this photo, it got a little close to the broiler, so my apologies for the unsightly burnt edge. Either way (soggy or burnt) it still tasted great, and the ice cream (for which I used David Lebovitz's recipe) was fabulous and the perfect tangy accompaniment to this sweet dessert.

Roasted Squash and Avocado "Panzanella"

This is loosely based on this recipe from Jamie Oliver. I roasted squash with his mixture of cumin, chilli, garlic, thyme and orange and lemon halves, and tossed that with the avocado, arugula, and some red wine vinegar. Then I added some torn up bits of toasted whole wheat seeded bread at the end. I think it would have been nice with the addition of some toasted seeds like Jamie suggests, since the bread ended up sopping up all the dressing and not providing much crunch, but it was delicious anyways!

Spicy Squash and Hand-Pulled Mozzarella Skewers

Erik pulled the mozzarella just moments before we served the skewers. Recipe from Jamie.

Whole Halibut Baked in Salt

We made this using a combination of instructions from Jamie Oliver, River Cafe, and an episode of Two Fat Ladies. It was a little scary at first but turned out amazingly!

Buccatini with Oregano

When Erik picked this recipe out of one of our River Cafe cookbooks, the first thing I thought of was "Veronica, I made your favorite- spaghetti with lots of oregano!", so of course we watched Heathers while we ate. I must say that this recipe- which calls for 1/2 cup of dried oregano plus "two generous handfuls" of fresh oregano, tossed into the pasta with a bit of olive oil- was a bit much for me. This is only the second River Cafe recipe we've tried and disliked (I know, I really should change this blog's title to "Recipes from River Cafe and Jamie Oliver")... really it was just too much oregano. The pasta was bitter and woody (why did it need the dried oregano?), and desperately needed something to balance it out like some ground pine nuts or walnuts maybe, or even some cream or butter. The fresh cherry tomatoes from my garden were a nice, sweet reprieve, but I definitely did not go back for seconds. Oh, well...

ADDENDUM: We figured out that the problem arose from using Mexican dried oregano instead of Italian! The Italian variety comes in big, leafy bunches, whereas the Mexican is ground up and includes lots of stem pieces.

Breakfast Salad

Inspired by Jamie Oliver: crispy pancetta, roasted tomatoes, shaved parmesan and toasted croutons over greens, with a poached egg.

Green Chopped Salad

This one was inspired by Jamie Magazine, but I made it my own with a few different ingredients. It is: romaine lettuce, celery, fennel (stalks and fronds), pea shoots, spring onions, English peas, sweet corn, avocado and cojita cheese, dressed with whole grain mustard, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Crunchy and delicious!

Roasted Rhubarb with Custard

Another Jamie Oliver recipe, I'm afraid. The rhubarb was roasted with orange zest, ginger, and a little sugar, and was delicious with warm custard on top.

Jamie's Nan's Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Recipe here.

Horseradish Potato Salad

From Jamie Oliver. Potatoes tossed in creme fraiche, horseradish, celery, parsley, tarragon, and lemon juice.

Spaghetti with Fennel, Currants, Capers, Anchovy, Pine Nuts and Breadcrumbs

There is probably a shorter name for this dish; all I know is that it was delicious! It was inspired by a recipe in the latest Jamie Magazine. We cooked down chopped fennel, onions and garlic with anchovies, capers, currants, chilis, and pine nuts. Then we tossed the pasta in it, along with some chopped lemon zest, parsley, and thyme, and toasted breadcrumbs.

Spaghetti with Anchovy, Hot Pepper and Breadcrumbs

This is a super simple recipe from Jamie Oliver. We made it with farro pasta, which I use for everything these days- it's a little bit sweet and has a really nice bite. We toasted some bread crumbs in a pan with olive oil, garlic, and some fresh thyme, and put them aside. Then we melted the anchovies with some minced garlic and hot pepper flakes, and tossed the pasta in it, adding the breadcrumbs on top.

Banana Tart Tatine

This recipe is from Jamie Oliver (with a few changes by me), and is delicious! I served it with dulce de leche ice cream.

2 oz butter
3/4 C sugar
4 large bananas
Ground cinnamon
Zest of one tangerine, or half an orange
1/2 lb puff pastry


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy skillet, melt the butter and add the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Cook over low heat until golden and caramelized (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, peel the bananas and slice them about an inch thick. Lay them carefully on top of the caramel (watch out- the caramel is very hot). Remove from heat and sprinkle some cinnamon and the orange zest on top. Lay the puff pastry over the top of the skillet, and carefully tuck it around the inside to make sure there are no gaps. Using a knife or fork, poke a few holes to vent the tart. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is puffy and golden.

When the tart comes out of the oven, place a serving plate on top and carefully (wear oven mitts!) turn it over. You want to do this right away or the caramel will harden and make it much harder to remove the tart from the pan. If the pastry's not quite cooked on the bottom, stick it back in the oven for another few minutes. Otherwise, serve!

Chicken with Olives and Fennel

There was a recipe for chicken with olives in the most recent issue of Jamie Magazine, but when I examined it I thought it seemed sort of boring. I was inspired by the concept and decided to make up my own dish instead. This is sort of like a fricassee, but with a bit of a Southern Italian/Northern African spin on it.

1 onion, sliced
2 bulbs fennel, quartered (keep the fronds aside, chopped)
Parsley, chopped
6 sprigs of thyme
3 bay leaves
4 chicken breasts, cut into large pieces
1 1/2 C green olives, cracked and pits removed
1/2 C Preserved lemon peel*, rinsed and diced
2 C chicken broth
4 Tbs flour
Olive oil
1/2 C white wine

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a heavy, oven-proof pot or dutch oven, lightly saute the onions with the bay leaves, thyme, and olive oil. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In the same pot, brown the chicken, and set aside. Add the white wine to the pot to deglaze it. When most of the wine has evaporated, add the flour and stir until all the oil and drippings are absorbed (you can add a little extra oil if there isn't much left). Gradually add broth to form a thin gravy. Add the chicken, onions and herbs, along with the fennel, olives, and preserved lemons. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Garnish with the fennel fronds and parsley.

*If you don't have preserved lemons, you can just use thinly sliced fresh lemons. Don't dice them- keep them in slices so they are easy to avoid when it's time to eat, as they will be very bitter.

Duck Legs with Quince, Plums and Sage

This is a pretty broad adaptation of a Jamie Oliver recipe. I followed his steps pretty closely but all the ingredients except the duck and plums are different (his recipe had a more Asian slant, with chilis and cinnamon and soy sauce). Since I made this up as I went along, there are no quantities- just use your judgement.


Duck legs
Oranges
Plums
Quince
Sage leaves
Fennel seed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Chili flakes
Honey

Marinate the duck legs in orange juice and olive oil with sage, fennel seed, salt, pepper, and chili flakes for an hour or more. Cut the plums and quince into large chunks and toss with a little lemon juice (to keep the quince from discoloring) and honey (you can skip the honey- my plums were not very ripe so I wanted to sweeten them up a little). When the duck is done marinating, toss the quince and plums in the marinade and arrange in the bottom of a baking pan, with the duck legs on top. Roast in a 325 degree oven for 2 hours.

I served this over creamy polenta (surprise!), with a big green salad on the side and roasted squash.

Chorizo and Butter Bean "Stew"

As I've posted many times before, I have a huge crush on Jamie Oliver. Ever since his days as the Naked Chef, I've been following his cookbooks, television shows, products, projects and now... his magazine. I love getting Jamie Magazine every other month more than any other piece of mail. It's chock full of simple, rustic recipes, including the magnificent "recipe a day" centerfold, and is a constant source of cooking inspiration for me. I am so excited for his American tv series to start!

I had leftover polenta from last night's dinner, so I decided to have it for dinner with this chorizo and butter bean "stew" from the latest issue of Jamie. One thing I love about Jamie's recipes is that they are very intuitive, so even though he provides quantities and instruction, it's pretty easy to just look at the ingredients and improvise. I made this by just sauteing some Spanish chorizo with onion, adding some canned tomatoes and beans, and simmering until it was all good and soft. It was, as Mr. Oliver would say, "easy peasy" and deliciously smoky on a cold autumn night.

*Note: I also served this on top of crostini as an hor d'oeuvre at my last dinner party and it was a huge hit! I paired them with my "Out Like a Lamb" cocktail, which really complimented the smokiness of the chorizo. To make crostini, just slice good bread, brush with olive oil, and bake for a few minutes until it gets crispy. Then top with whatever you like!

Chocolate Amaretto Semifreddo

A semifreddo is a sort of quick ice cream- it has a softer consistancy but is no less of a treat! This recipe was inspired by a dessert I had at a restaurant a while ago, and based on Jamie Oliver's basic semifreddo recipe.


2 C heavy cream, plus 2 Tbs
4 eggs, separated
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C good, unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 C amaretto
1 vanilla bean
Italian Amaretto cookies

You will need three bowls to start. In one bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and the inside of the vanilla bean. In the second bowl, wisk the cream with the cocoa powder and amaretto until soft peaks form. In the third bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold the cream and the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Transfer to a shallow container, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 6-8 hours, or overnight. Serve with the cookies on top.