Eggplant and Red Pepper Pasta

There are two things that makes this pasta much less boring than it sounds, roasting the veggies, and the red pepper, caper, garlic puree.

Cut up a large eggplant and three red peppers into one-inch chunks, toss with some olive oil and salt, then roast on a cookie sheet for approximately forty minutes at 400.

Remove from the oven and pulse a third of the red pepper in a food processor with a couple splashes of extra virgin olive oil, two tablespoons of drained capers, and a clove or two of garlic until nearly smooth. You could also mash them together if you don’t have a food processor, or do, and just hate to clean it.

Cook a pound of pasta, drain, and immediately toss with the warm eggplant, red peppers, and red pepper puree. Chili flakes are optional.

Salt to taste and serve with grated parmesan.

Hash Browns

As far as comfort foods go, hash browns are way up there on my list. To start with, they’re just as amazing for breakfast as they are for dinner.  Can you say that about mac and cheese?  

And how about their adaptability? They’re incredibly perfect on their own, but if the situation calls for it, can easily embrace some garlic, jalapeno, melted cheese, bacon, fennel, kale…the list goes on and on. You can’t say that about beef stew, can you?

But it does take some patience to get them just right. The size of your potato cubes matters, no bigger than half an inch.  And par boiling the potatoes is necessary, just a few minutes in some simmering salted water. And whatever you do, don’t rush the browning, medium low heat for thirty minutes in a heavy frying pan.

For a pound of potatoes, sauté a large chopped onion for a minute with some oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Add your drained potatoes along with some more salt and pepper and continue to cook. 

You want the potatoes to brown, but without burning the onion, so adjust the heat as necessary. And stir well every five minutes or so…very important! As you near the thirty-minute mark you should start seeing some perfection, now’s the time to salt and pepper to taste.

And it goes without saying, the more local the potato, the better they’ll taste. Last farmer’s market this weekend.

White Bean and Garlic Puree

As you’ve heard me preach many times before, it doesn’t necessarily take much to crank your dinner up a notch…and this bean and garlic puree isn’t just easy, but also super versatile. They’re just us good topped with a piece of chicken, beef, fish, or pork as they are with some crumbled feta, chili crunch, or sautéed veggies.

Empty a can of navy or cannellini beans into a strainer and rinse well with cold water. Peel and coarsely chop a clove of garlic and run for five seconds in a food processor with a quarter teaspoon each of kosher salt and black pepper.

Add the drained beans, turn on the processor, and slowly stream in about an eight of a cup of your best olive oil. Remove the lid and check the consistency; stream in more oil if you want it thinner.  Then just salt to taste.

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup

Soup season has most definitely started, and you can find most of the ingredients for this flavor busting cabbage soup at the farmer’s market.

For enough soup for six, cook a quarter pound of chopped bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat for about five minutes. Add a chopped onion and three chopped carrots and cook for another ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

Next in, a chopped medium cabbage, a tablespoon of caraway seeds, two tablespoons of light brown sugar, and a half a teaspoon of black pepper. Give that a good stir, cook for another ten minutes, then add a third of a cup of apple cider vinegar.

After five minutes, pour in a 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, juice and all.  Stir, then add about 7 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to a strong simmer and let it go for thirty minutes uncovered.

Finally, stir in a few squirts of ketchup, a quarter cup of chopped dill, and a large handful of raisins or craisins. To finish, simmer for another thirty minutes and salt to taste...when it comes to soups, sauces, and braises, I’m a big believer of waiting until the very end to salt. 

Roast Sweet Potatoes, Scallions, and Almonds

 

A single simple ingredient can be the difference between an ordinary and not so ordinary dish, and in this case, it’s toasted almonds.

Cut some sweet potatoes into one-inch chunks, toss with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast at 400 for about thirty minutes.  When they’re barely fork tender, stir in some chopped scallions and roast for another ten minutes.

While that’s cooking, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Once hot, cover the bottom of the pan with a handful of slivered or sliced almonds. Shake, flip, and stir until nicely toasted, about two minutes.  But keep an eye on them, there’s a short window between toasted and burnt.

Toss the potatoes, scallions, and almonds together in a large bowl then salt to taste.

Happy Fall!

Tahini Beans with Crispy Lentils

Summer is nearly over but the beans keep coming, and while this dish takes a bit of prep, it’s one of my new favorites. The cumin and honey spiced tahini alone would be enough to get excited about, and then add the crispy garlic and shallot lentils…wow!

Cut a pound of green beans into one-inch lengths then simmer in salted water for a couple of minutes. Immediately douse with cold water to cool, drain, then set aside.

Boil a third of a cup of beluga lentils until just tender, about 12 minutes. Run under cold water for a minute to cool, drain, then set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together a quarter cup each of tahini and extra virgin olive oil, the juice of one lemon, a tablespoon of honey, a teaspoon of ground cumin, and salt to taste. If necessary, stir in a tablespoon or two of water achieve a runny consistency.

Now you’re ready to start cooking. Toss the beans with some olive oil in a large pan over heavy heat. Once you start to see some searing, slide them into the bowl with the tahini and mix until coated well.

Turn the heat down to medium, add some more oil to the pan, then sauté a large sliced shallot and a few cloves of sliced garlic. After a minute, stir in the drained lentils, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for another three to four minutes stirring often.

Spread the crispy lentils over the beans and serve.

Leek and Tomato Salad

This one is really about the blanched leeks, once prepped and stored in the fridge, I ended up eating them way more often than I would have. They were great for salads, omelets, enchiladas, on a bagel with cream cheese, or sautéed with some mushrooms and garlic on top of some grilled lamb. So if you’re going to go for it, prep three or four, they will last for days.

Another benefit of blanching, you don’t have to worry about cleaning them. Cut off the dark upper third of each leek and save for a soup or stew, then cut off the root end and discard. 

Cut the leeks down the middle the long way, then into 1/8 to ¼ inch slices. Once you’ve cut up all of your leeks, slide them into a pot of boiling salted water, turn down the heat and simmer for about two minutes. Remove immediately and plunge them into an ice bath. Drain and store.

And we can’t not mention that it’s still tomato season, the blanched leeks along with a lemon vinaigrette make for a delicately flavorful salad.

Frisee, Corn, and Potato Salad

 

What I love about this salad is the way the frisee wilts a bit when you toss it with the hot corn.  And then with a shallot Dijon vinaigrette…late summer perfection!

To make the vinaigrette, add a small minced shallot to a clean jar followed by a tablespoon of Dijon, a few heavy grinds of black pepper, three tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and six of extra virgin olive oil.  Shake it well, then salt to taste.

Cube or wedge some white or red potatoes into half inch pieces then lightly boil in extra salty water until barely fork tender.  Immediately strain and douse with cold water to keep them from cooking anymore.

Meanwhile, in a large pan, sauté a couple shucked corn and three finely chopped cloves of garlic for three to four minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Wash and cut your frisee into bite size pieces. Then, in a large bowl, toss it together with the potatoes and warm corn right out of the hot pan.  Stir in the dressing and serve.

If you add a piece of salmon or chicken on top, douse that with some of the dressing as well.

Watermelon and Green Apple Salad

School might be starting but summer isn’t over yet, and this salad is so perfect for a hot, humid evening with family or friends.

In a large bowl, toss together a medium cubed watermelon, two green apples cut into 1/4 pieces, the zest from a lime, the juice from two limes, a couple of splashes of extra virgin olive oil, a small handful each of mint and cilantro, and coarse salt to taste. 

If you happen to have any around, toasted mustard seeds are nice…as are chopped salted peanuts.  And the key to keeping it from getting soggy? Prep everything ahead of time, then wait until the last possible minute to toss it all together.

Mussels with Sausage and White Beans

On their own mussels aren’t really a meal, but they could be with a quick sausage and bean sauce. For two pounds of mussels, figure on two sausages, a can of drained white beans, and about 12 ounces of your favorite store bought or fresh tomato sauce.

Using a sharp knife, slice through the casings and slide the meat from the sausages into a hot sauce pan along with some minced shallot and garlic. Use a spatula to break up the meat while it’s cooking.

When it’s cooked through, add the tomato sauce, drained beans, and for a little heat, some red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer for ten minutes.

In a separate pot, bring a half an inch of clam stock or white wine to a boil, drop in the mussels, turn down the heat to medium, and cover. After four minutes, pour in the sauce and a handful of chopped parsley.  Give it a gentle stir, cover for another minute, check to see that the mussels are sufficiently cooked, then serve.  Grated parmesan is optional.

Tonnato Sauce

After you make this once, everyone in your household will be chanting for it before every meal. Tonnato is the bomb!  It’s awesome on cutlets, but just as amazing on tomato toast, steak, chicken, shrimp, grilled vegetables, pita toasts, a substitute for mayonnaise in egg salad, the list goes on and on. You can’t go wrong, and you’ll have so much fun trying.

Tonnato is reason enough to acquire a food processor if you don’t already have one. Add a half a cup of extra virgin olive oil, a quarter cup of drained capers, two drained cans of premium tuna fish in oil, a tin of drained anchovies, the juice of one lemon, and a half a teaspoon of black pepper. Process until smooth and salt to taste…but it shouldn’t need much.

If you want to thin it out, add some more olive oil.  If you want to thicken it up, add some mayo. But don’t wait, make it now.  I promise you’ll be wondering how you’ve lived this long without it.

Yogurt Herb Marinated Chicken

“I wouldn’t feed white meat to my dog!” A local chef said this to me a while back when we were talking chicken, and I couldn’t argree more. Even fried, dark meat reigns supreme!  However, in the spirit of open mindedness, and the fact that my wife enjoys an occasional chicken breast, I gave this yogurt marinated chicken a try…and it was actually pretty tender and moist.

In a large bowl, stir together a third of a cup of whole milk yogurt, five minced garlic cloves, the zest from a lemon, a small handful of cilantro, a splash of olive oil, four teaspoons of dried oregano or za’atar, and salt and pepper.  Mix in two pounds of chicken breasts or tenders, cover with saran, then put in the fridge for at least a few hours…overnight is even better.

Remove the chicken from the fridge, then broil or grill making sure not to overcook and dry out. To serve, top with a big squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of dried herbs.

In case you’re wondering, chicken thighs work really well too!