Fennel-Rubbed Salmon with Caramelized Carrots and Poached Quail Eggs over Salad

Not our prettiest presentation, and maybe a little over-complicated, but everything was delicious together.

Buckwheat Pasta with Red Snapper, Roasted Tomatoes and Olives

This dish was inspired by a recipe from River Cafe Two Easy, and we broke the rules to make it, as tomatoes are not even close to in season. It was pretty tasty though, and I plan to make it again this summer when I have tomatoes coming out of my ears. The original recipe calls for Red Mullet, but since they are an East Coast fish, we substituted filets of Red Snapper instead. We just roasted the tomatoes with thyme and olive oil for about a half hour (I might give them an hour next time so they get caramelized), smashed the olives, and roasted the fish for maybe 10 minutes before tossing it all together with the pasta.

Brown Sugar Angel Food Cake with Candied Kumquats

The other day we bought three different kinds of kumquats at the market and candied them to put on ice cream. I had some left and needed to make another Passover dessert, so this recipe from Martha seemed perfect. I used matzoh meal instead of flour, so the cake came out more dense than a normal angel food cake... almost like a very light pound cake. But it was pretty tasty! I didn't have any creme fraiche so I made some brown sugar whipped cream and filled the center of the cake with it in addition to the piping you can see.

Flourless Chocolate Torte

This "Chocolate Valentino" comes from Alpine Berry and has become one of our Passover favorites. It's super rich so one cake is definitely enough for a large group.

Millet Cake

Erik made this one- I take no credit- but it was really tasty so I thought I'd share. I think this would be amazing with the addition of some parmesan cheese, or as Erik likes to serve it in the summer, with pesto. Recipe here.

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.

Eggless Mayonnaise

This recipe was on David Lebovitz' blog yesterday and as we happened to have bought some lovely little artichokes at the market, we decided to whip up a batch to accompany them. It's amazing how close it is to a real mayonnaise, and a bit lighter for those of us who are trying to pay attention to these things. I made it without the chervil, since my plant is still pretty small, and I added about a half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. I should add that this photo makes it look much more yellow than it really was, but I thought it was too pretty to color correct.

Salmon over Lentils with Caramelized Shallots and Kale

For the salmon, I chopped up a bunch of herbs from the garden and some lemon zest, mixed them with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and drizzled the mixture over the salmon. I baked the filets for about 12 minutes in a 450 degree oven.


Meanwhile, Erik sliced the shallots very thin and caramelized them slowly in a pan with some olive oil. Then he added the kale and let it cook down. We'd soaked the lentils overnight, so all we had to do was strain them, bring them to a boil, and season them before serving.

Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches!

It's almost strawberry season here and I thought I better use up the last of the berries I froze last summer. We used the basic vanilla ice cream recipe that came with my Kitchenaid attachment, and added chopped strawberries and a little strawberry puree to it as it was churning. For the cookies, we used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. YUM!

Garbanzo Bean, Sunchoke, and Asparagus Risotto with Gremolata

There were fresh garbanzo beans at the market today! They taste like a cross between a pea and a fava bean, and we thought they'd go great with the yummy asparagus we've been getting. First we parboiled the asparagus and saved the water to cook the rice with. We roasted and then pureed the sunchokes and added them to the risotto once it was nearly finished cooking, along with the asparagus and beans, and then served it with gremolata on top.

Boudin Blanc and Beans

Since I couldn't make it to my home away from home, Camino, for the last of their Boudin Blanc Mondays tonight, I had to make do at home. I bought a beautiful sausage from the Cafe Rouge butcher shop (it's much more lemony than Russ') and sauteed it with some cannellini beans and fresh thyme. The leftover fennel in milk from the other night was the perfect accompaniment!

Sauteed Asparagus and Fava Bean Shoots

We found fava bean shoots at the market! They were bitter and sweet at the same time, if that is possible. Yum!

Braised Artichokes with Mint

And another Saveur recipe...

Broccolini with Garlic and Hot Pepper

Another Saveur recipe... we made it with broccolini and it was delicious.

Fennel Baked in Milk

This month's Saveur featured some fantastic recipes for Roman contorni, so Erik and I made a few of them tonight for some friends. The biggest success was this Finocchio con Latte al Forno, which was buttery and sweet and made us all want to lick our dishes. I will definitely be making this again and again.

3 medium bulbs fennel, fronds reserved
4 cups milk
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Heat oven to 475°. Remove tough outer layer of fennel. Halve bulbs lengthwise and cut into 1⁄2″ wedges. Combine fennel, milk, and 2 tbsp. butter in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until fennel is just tender, 30–45 minutes. Add fennel seeds and season with salt and pepper.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer fennel to a 2-quart oval baking dish; pour 1 cup of the milk mixture over fennel. Sprinkle with Parmesan, dot with remaining butter, and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve fennel garnished with some of the fronds.

SERVES 4 – 6

Pasta with Asparagus, Mint and Ricotta Salada

Roasted Garlic Risotto with Toasted Almonds and Breadcrumbs, and Mascarpone Cheese

An old favorite!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Kale, Caramelized Onions, Fried Sage, and Crispy Pancetta

Gnocchi recipe here. We found that it needed more flour (almost 2 cups more), but I'd say just use your instincts.

Chicken, Avocado and Cream Cheese

I know this sounds weird (or boring, or both), but I think it's a great and subtle sandwich. The creamy avocado and the tangy cream cheese mix together really well, especially on soft, fresh bread. I stole the idea years ago from a favorite sandwich shop in downtown Oakland- they add bacon, and I admit that adds some more interesting flavors, but I am usually too lazy to fry some up for my own purposes.

Citrus Salad with Preserved Lemon and Avocado Toast

More Cookies!

Yesterday's cookies were so easy and fun to make that I decided to make a few different varieties of shortbread to give to some of the people in my life that I owe a "thank you." I used Martha Stewart's basic shortbread recipe for the orange-cardamom, and I used the cornmeal recipe for the rosemary-apricot cookies, which were inspired by this post. The brown butter ones from Lottie & Doof ended up being my favorite. Yum!

clockwise, from top: rosemary (I served these with apricot preserves),
brown butter-sea salt, lemon-cornmeal, and cardamom-orange

Blood Orange Marmalade

I didn't measure anything for this, so you're just going to have to use your judgement when it comes to amounts. I had some blood orange segments and zest frozen from last winter, so I can't even tell you how many oranges I used... sorry!

Start by zesting the blood oranges in large strips. Slice the zest very fine, and place in a pot with sugar and enough water to cover it. Let it boil until softened, and translucent. Meanwhile, remove the pith from the oranges, and slice up the flesh into rounds (or you can supreme them). Add the orange pieces to the pot and continue to simmer until thickened, adding more sugar if necessary to taste. When the marmalade is reduced enough to pass a jell test (put a spoonful on a plate, stick the plate in the freezer for 10 min, and when you slant the plate, the jelly shouldn't spill), spoon it into jars and seal.

Lemon-Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies

This recipe was on Poppytalk a while back, and I found it while searching through my Reader for Lottie & Doof's brown butter shortbread cookies, which I've had on my "to make" list for some time. Because we've been having such lovely summerlike weather, I decided to save the brown butter cookies for a cozier day, and make these sunny yellow cookies today, using the Meyer lemons from my newly planted tree. The wonderful thing about shortbread is that it is pretty much foolproof. In the simplest versions, all you need are butter, flour, and sugar. Since the basic recipe is so easy, the cookies can be dressed up in a million ways. My friend Christine makes amazing salt and pepper shortbread with fleur de sel, and it's easy to dress up your shortbread with cardamom, toasted coconut, rosemary (I've made rosemary pine nut ones as well- they go wonderfully with blood orange sorbet!), green tea, chamomile... you name it! Anyways, I've modified the recipe slightly, and I think they came out really well. They are lemony and buttery with just a little crunch from the cornmeal. This recipe makes about 32 cookies.

1 1/3 C flour
1/2 C yellow cornmeal
4 T cornstarch or tapioca flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 C unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Grated lemon zest from 3 small lemons or two medium ones
Demerara sugar for sprinkling (I used Turbinado- any coarse sugar will do)

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream the butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla and lemon zest and mix. In another bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch and salt and whisk together. Slowly add in the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture and stir until just combined.

Prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat, and using your hands, pinch off about a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Press each ball with your thumb and repeat, spacing each cookie about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the undersides of the cookie are slightly golden. Cool on wire racks.

Farro and Lentils with Rapini and Caramelized Shallots

This is my spin on Erik's pasta dish from the other day. Pretty tasty!

Carrots with Cumin, Lemon, and Yogurt Dip

Citrus and Mozarella Salad with Fennel, Purple Basil and Preserved Lemon Peel, Smashed Chickpeas on Toast

Pasta with Lentils, Kale, and Caramelized Onions

My friend Erik made this for me today and I am totally stealing his recipe. The sweetness of the onions, and the heartiness of the kale and French lentils was perfect with a little bit of shaved Parmesan cheese.

Polenta with Wilted Nettles and Garlic

Scrambled Eggs with Broccolini, Caramelized Onions, and Parmesan Cheese

Pasta with Broccolini, Currants and Pine Nuts

I topped this with a little shaved Pecorino Romano but it would also be good with some pancetta or anchovies as a base.

Radicchio Salad with Persimmons, Asian Pears, and Tangerines

Egg Mayonnaise with Pea Shoots

When I lived in London I had a weakness for the egg mayonnaise sandwiches that were sold in the train station. Served on a soft roll, they were filled with sliced, hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes, and smeared with mayonnaise. I have always been a fan of traditional egg salad but there is something great about eating the egg sliced instead of chopped and mixed with the mayo. I had these wonderfully sweet pea shoots from the market and I thought they'd go well with egg, but this would also be good with watercress or baby lettuces.

Smashed White Beans with Chicory and Persimmon Salad

Cannellini beans sauteed with a little olive oil and garlic, then smashed with a fork.

Spaghetti with Pea Shoots, Mint and Ricotta Salata

*Whole wheat spaghetti works really well with this.

Parsnips with Pancetta

Pasta Puttanesca with Roasted Tomatoes and Tuna

Every summer I roast and freeze tomatoes to use when they are out of season. This dish is great with fresh tomatoes, but since it's December, I tapped into my reserve and used the roasted ones instead. It actually ends up saving time, since the tomatoes are already caramelized and you can just throw them into the sauce as is.


Boil pasta. Melt anchovies in a little olive oil, and add garlic (I just throw in whole cloves), capers and chili flakes. Add tomatoes, tuna*, smashed Kalamata olives, and a little pasta water. Season with black pepper. Toss with drained pasta and serve.

*I always use tuna canned in olive oil for cooking. I think it is more flavorful and moist than the kind in water, but you could use either.

Radicchio with Clementines, Green Olives, Feta Cheese and Toasted Pine Nuts

Brown Rice with Butternut Squash and Italian Sausage

Roasted Squash with Lentils, Goat Cheese and Crispy Shallots

Inspired by this recipe.

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!

Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

This is based on a recipe from Deb at Smitten Kitchen. If you can find pre-made dulce de leche, you can simply combine it with the hot milk mixture, chill, and freeze. If you prefer to make the dulce de leche from scratch, you can do that, too- here's a recipe on Apartment Therapy. But if you're like me and would rather not spend the time, condensed milk makes an easy shortcut.

1 2/3 C sweetened condensed milk
1 C cream
2 C whole milk
Vanilla (1 bean or 1 tsp extract)

Cook the condensed milk over low heat, stirring constantly to keep it from burning. In a second pot, bring the milk and cream to a boil with the vanilla. When the condensed milk has caramelized to a golden brown and is very thick, whisk it together with the milk mixture. If you used a vanilla bean, remove it from the milk now. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in an ice bath in the refrigerator until cold. Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to freeze.

Gnocchi

This is another recipe from Deb at Smitten Kitchen.

2 lbs boiling potatoes
1 1/2 C flour
Pinch of salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten


Boil the potatoes until fork tender. Pass through a ricer, or grate into a large bowl with the fine side of a box grater. Add the egg and mix together with a wooden spoon. Add the flour a little at a time until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a floured board and knead like you would bread dough (for about 3-4 minutes). Divide into 6 pieces and roll each piece with your hands into "ropes" about 3/4 inch thick. Chop into 1 inch "pillows." If you'd like, roll each pillow across the back of a fork to create the traditional shape. At this point you can boil the gnocchi (add to a pot of boiling, salted water and cook for about 1 minute after they have risen to the surface), pan fry them until browned*, or freeze them for later use.

*To pan fry, I boiled the gnocchi until they rose to the surface of the water, tossed them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and then threw them in a hot pan for a few minutes. They were delicious this way!

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.