Recipe, interrupted

Recipe: Pan-Roasted Anchovy Potatoes

Pommes Persillade with anchovies. Simple and delicious with a fried egg.

Secret flavor shortcut: anchovies

My floral whiz kid friend recently let me in on her favorite quick go-to meal ideas. Like me, she often turns to roasted veggies and pasta. Her key addition, though, was one that I hadn’t been giving enough attention to lately: anchovies. (I haven't been giving enough attention to a lot of ingredients lately; more on my kitchen renovation soon.) Many people are turned off by the idea of their strong, salty flavor. But when anchovies are used as a seasoning (rather than as a main ingredient) and allowed to melt away into a dish, most of those people wouldn’t even recognize where this extra deliciousness came from. Anchovies add a wallop of umami flavor and a mellow sweetness when they mingle over heat with other ingredients.

And good for you, too

Before even getting to the flavor, there’s a lot to be said about the nutritional value of anchovies. Loaded with Omega 3s and protein and also a good source of calcium, iron, and selenium, they are good for you too. It’s true, they are quite salty, so cooking with anchovies is important to ease up on additional salt, especially if you are watching your sodium intake.

Potatoes, Provence-style

That’s what I did the other day with these simple pan-roasted red potatoes. Basically, they’re the French bistro classic, pommes persillade, or little cubed potatoes, pan-roasted and tossed with parsley and minced garlic. With anchovies added to the mix, the dish takes on a more Provencale flavor. Perfect with roast chicken, lamb chops, or a steak, it is equally delicious in more humble pairings. Like what I made last night with ingredients from my almost-bare fridge: cabbage and onions and fried eggs.

“How’d you get these potatoes so sweet?” is what my husband asked. I had to wave him off until my kids took their first bites to tell him the secret was in the anchovies. “You’ve been using those a lot lately, haven’t you?” was his response. It’s true, and why wouldn’t I? By the way, try a dab of anchovy paste or half a fillet of preserved anchovy in basil pesto…heaven.

Parsnips, A little secret for extra sweetness

Finally, to be fair, I have to credit an added parsnip for some of the sweetness. Another oft under-appreciated food, a small amount of parsnip can really round out the flavor of a dish that is dominated by a neutral-tasting ingredient like potatoes. And I think it works especially well with the anchovy, highlighting some of its sweetness.

 

Serves 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes

 

2 pounds red or gold potatoes, scrubbed and with skin on, cut into ¼- to ½-inch cubes (optional: add a peeled and cubed parsnip – or maybe a carrot? – in with the potatoes for a total of 2 pounds of root vegetables)

about 4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, generous pinch

6 cloves of garlic, minced fine or passed through a garlic press

4 fillets of anchovies, preserved in oil, plus some of their oil

3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 

1. Heat a large cast iron or enameled skillet over medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, add about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir in the potatoes (and parsnip, if using) to coat them in oil and spread them out in the skillet. Let them soften and brown slightly for a few minutes, turning them once with a spatula and then add the salt.
   Ready for salt
    
2. Reduce heat to medium. Continue to turn them for even browning. When they are tender and nicely browned, after about 15 minutes (longer if your cubes are on the larger side), clear a spot on the skillet and heat the remaining olive oil in it.Add the garlic and anchovies to the oil, stirring to encourage the anchovies to break down.
   
3. After 1-2 minutes, when the garlic is fragrant, add the parsley and toss gently to incorporate all the ingredients together.
    
4. Serve immediately. 

 

Recipe: Kale with Millet, Brown Butter and Sage

This dish is what I like to think of as luxury-hippy food. Not in a fancy Whole Foods kind of way. More like, I’m-making-millet-but-this-ain’t-no-bird-food. With brown butter, sage, and toasted hazelnuts, millet and kale are transformed into a rich and deeply satisfying treat.

Millet is high in protein and B vitamins and is shaped like little beads, which I think are sort of cute. You can cook millet like you would rice. The problem with millet, though, is that it has a tendency to clump together in sticky, not so cute way. This recipe gets around that potentially sticky situation in two ways: brown butter coats and separates the grains and a good amount of chopped kale blocks the millet, keeping it from congregating in large crowds. Kale also balances out this dish nutritionally – you could eat this as a one-bowl meal. 

 

Serves 4 as a side dish, 2-3 as a main course

Preparation time: 30 minutes

 

5 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped shallots

Kosher salt, to taste (about ¾ teaspoon total)

4 cups chopped kale

2/3 cup millet

1 ½ cups water

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped and toasted

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

 

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add shallots and a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally, cooking until shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Add kale and continue to cook until kale is wilted, another 5 minutes.
   
   
2. Stir in millet and add water. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until millet is cooked through and kale is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.
   
   
3. Melt remaining butter in a small skillet, over medium heat. When butter foams, add the sage. Cook the mixture another minute or two until it is fragrant and nutty, and the butter solids have begun to deepen in color. Remove from heat, stir in hazelnuts.
   
   
4. Drizzle the sage-brown butter and hazelnuts over the millet and serve. Note: leftover millet is not so great, so clean your plates!

 

Recipe: Chanterelle and Cauliflower Sauté

Fresh chanterelles are such a rare treat. Even when they’re in season, they can be quite expensive. So I stretched them out in this recipe with the ubiquitous and economical cauliflower. This pairing doesn’t just bring down the cost per pound, however. The mild earthy flavors of both ingredients blend into a mellow autumn dish. The chanterelles are meaty and tender and develop a nice crisp when cooked at a high heat. And cauliflower somehow manages to taste earthy and clean at the same time. Together, they taste to me like the culinary equivalent of a cozy blanket on a cool front porch

 

Serves 4 as a side dish

Preparation time: 15 minutes

 

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or other neutral high-heat cooking oil)

About ½ pound fresh chanterelle mushrooms, wiped clean and tips of stems trimmed

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small head of cauliflower, trimmed into florets and cooked, but still firm

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, minced

2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

lemon juice

 

1. Preheat a large skillet over high heat. Add grapeseed oil. When oil is hot, add mushrooms, tossing them to coat evenly with oil. Turn after a few minutes, when they have browned lightly on one side. When they are nicely browned, after several more minutes, sprinkle in a pinch of salt and toss in cauliflower. Add a few twists of pepper. Stir occasionally until cauliflower is browned on some of its surfaces.
    
2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Create space in the skillet by pushing the mushrooms and cauliflower off to the side. Melt butter in the open space of the skillet and stir the shallot into it. Cook until shallot is softened.
    
3. Remove skillet from heat. Add parsley and stir all ingredients together, adjusting flavor with lemon juice and additional salt if necessary. Serve hot.

Recipe: Fresh and Bright Guacamole

This has been a guacamole summer for me so far. I never really made the stuff much before, but since May, I’ve been whipping up a batch about once a week. I’ve found that salty corn tortilla chips, a beer, and a generous bowl of guacamole is a very pleasant way to wind down a day. Especially when the creamy guacamole is loaded with a spectrum of fresh flavors and just enough heat.

Though red onion is more common in guacamole than shallots, I like the mild sweetness that shallots contribute to the mix of flavors. But, of course, feel free to use a tablespoon of minced red onion if you like prefer.

If I don’t have fresh jalapenos on-hand or if I just want a deeper, slightly smoky guacamole, I use a dab of chipotle in adobo sauce. You can buy a small can of it and, after opening it, store it in a jar in the fridge until you need it again.

 

Makes about 2 cups

Preparation time: 10 minutes

 

2 medium ripe and tender hass avocados

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded, pith removed, and minced

1 small tomatillo, minced

1 small shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, passed through garlic press, or mashed well with the salt

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves

Juice of up to 1 lime

¾ to 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, to taste

 

1. Scoop the avocado flesh into a mixing bowl along with the pepper, tomatillo, shallot, garlic, and cilantro. Add the juice from about half the lemon and ½ teaspoon or so of the salt.
   
2. Using an electric hand mixer, working up to high speed, blend the ingredients together until creamy. If you like a chunky guacamole, use a potato masher instead, or use the electric hand mixer just until you reach the consistency you like. If you want a very silky guacamole, use an immersion blender.
   
3. Taste and season with additional lime juice and salt as desired.

Recipe: Root Vegetable Hash with Ramps and Fried Egg

I hope you’ll feel free to adjust the ingredients and amounts in this very loose recipe as you see fit. Parsnips, turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and/or carrots all work nicely here. I also add celery – ok, not exactly a root, but it tastes good in here.

The main idea is to pan roast the veggies until they are tender, lightly browned, and aromatic. Then comes the kicker: stir in some chopped ramps in the last few minutes of cooking. Ramps, or wild leeks, add an earthy, delicately garlicky flavor that makes this a uniquely springtime dish.

With a fried egg on top, it’s hearty enough to eat as a main course. My favorite part is piercing into the yolk and letting it run over the vegetables as a rich dressing. 

Serves 4

Preparation time: 30 minutes

 

For the vegetable hash:

4 ounces bacon, diced

About ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

About 2 pounds of mixed root vegetables such as turnips, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, cut into small dice

2 stalks celery (or try a small fennel bulb for a different, sweeter flavor), cut into small dice

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 big fistful of ramps (about 6 ounces), white parts finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped

2 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley

Fresh lemon juice, to taste
 

For the eggs:

2 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter

4 eggs

 

1. Cook the bacon in a skillet or Dutch oven over medium-low heat, adding a small amount of olive oil if necessary, until bacon is crispy and fat is rendered, about 7 minutes.
   
   
2. Increase heat to medium-high, add root vegetables, celery, thyme, a dash of salt, black pepper, and 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. Make sure to not to crowd the skillet or Dutch oven or the vegetables will not brown as nicely and will tend toward the soggy side. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are cooked through and lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.
   
   
3. Stir in ramps and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in parsley. Salt to taste. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil and a few squeezes of lemon juice over vegetables.  
   
4. Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat and add olive oil or butter. When fat is hot, crack eggs into pan, add a pinch of salt to them and cook until whites are set and yolks are still soft and runny.
   
5. Spoon vegetable hash onto plates or in shallow bowls. Gently lay eggs on top and serve hot.

Recipe: Spinach Matzo Latkes

I devoted a good portion of yesterday to preparing a Passover Seder meal – that’s my excuse for not putting up a Monday post. However, the quickest, easiest, and most last-minute addition to the meal gave me the material to write today’s post.

I had matzo meal that I wanted to use but the only thing I really knew to do with it was make matzo balls (that’s tonight’s dinner). Then I came across this recipe for matzo meal latkes on Serious Eats. To make them a little more savory and vitamin-packed, I added onions and spinach. (I also put in a little more matzo meal and took out the sugar.) They were such a cinch to make – I just mixed all the ingredients together in a large measuring cup and fried the batter up like regular pancakes. And the texture was just right, not at all chewy or dense but with enough substance to serve as a starchy side to the braised short ribs I had prepared.

 

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

 

3 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ cup pureed cooked spinach, drained well

½ cup minced onion

¾ cup water

¾ cup matzo meal

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Grapeseed oil for frying, about 3 tablespoons

 

1. Blend together eggs, spinach, onion, water, matzo meal, and salt in a mixing bowl (or large measuring cup).
   
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add about 2 tablespoons of oil, enough to provide a thick coating to the bottom of the pan.
   
   
3. When the oil is hot, ladle the batter onto the skillet, forming pancakes about 3 inches in diameter. Flip when they are lightly browned on the bottom, after about 4 minutes. Brown on the second side and transfer to a warmed serving plate.
   
4. Continue with remaining batter, adding oil to skillet as necessary. 

 

Recipe: Orzo Pasta Salad with Tomato and Dill

If you’ve got a potluck or other occasion that calls for a dish that can be prepared in advance, consider making this orzo salad. In the recipe below, I say it serves 6 as a main dish, but it goes much farther when you are serving it alongside other dishes.

Speaking of potlucks, you know how sometimes luck has it that you end up with a bunch of foods that don't necessarily go so great together?  This salad works nicely with a range of dishes. With a mellow tomato base and bright accents of dill, capers, and feta, it stands out your palate without competing against what else is on your plate.

The cooking method is a little unconventional, but very easy. The pasta gets cooked only about halfway, less than al dente. Then the hot dressing is poured over it and the pasta soaks up the flavor while it softens to just the right texture.

 

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Serves 6 as a main dish

 

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)

¼ cup tomato paste

1 cup chicken broth (you can also use vegetarian broth)

Kosher salt, to taste

1 pound dried orzo pasta

3 tablespoons drained and rinsed capers

1 cup toasted slivered almonds

¼ cup minced fresh dill

½ cup feta cheese, crumbled or cut into small dice

lemon juice, to taste (I usually use about 2 teaspoons)

 

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
   
   
2. In a saucier or medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook an additional 3 minutes. Whisk in broth, bring to a simmer, and add salt to taste. Allow the tomato broth to simmer gently for about 5 minutes.
   
   
   
3. In the meanwhile, cook the pasta halfway, until it is softened on the outside, but still hard in the center.Drain the pasta and transfer to a large mixing bowl. 
    
4. Pour hot tomato dressing over the pasta and stir to combine. Add capers, almonds and most of the cheese and dill. (If not serving immediately, reserve almonds and stir in just before serving.) Stir in remaining olive oil. Add lemon juice and additional salt to taste. Garnish with remaining cheese and dill. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
   
   
   
   
   

Recipe: Warm Quinoa Salad with Pecans and Cranberries

When I sent a post update to the Recipe, interrupted group on Facebook recently, I half-seriously resolved to take a break from writing about sweets and focus on something healthy and virtuous, like a quinoa & celery salad, instead. Once the idea was planted in my head, it started to sound really appetizing. I did end up making it, and loved it. Fresh, crisp, light, with the added heartiness and warmth of toasted pecans, this salad turned out to be a welcome antidote to all those truffles I made for my Valentine’s post on Serious Eats.

Quinoa has some of that nuttiness and wholesomeness that you’d expect from a whole grain. But quinoa is not technically a grain. It’s a seed. When it’s cooked, the germ pulls away slightly from the seed as little curly rings. As long as you don’t overcook them, the seeds separate and fluff up nicely and when you bite into them, they have a pleasant al dente snap to them, almost a ‘pop.’

I like eating this salad slightly warm, as soon as it is made. It is also delicious prepared in advance and served at room temperature.

 

Serves 4 as a side dish

Preparation time: 25 minutes

 

1 cup quinoa, rinsed (I used golden quinoa but you can use other types too)

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup toasted pecans (halves if small, roughly chopped if large)

½ cup finely chopped celery

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup minced fresh parsley

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

 

 

1. Put quinoa in a saucepan with 2 cups of water and a generous pinch of salt, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, until quinoa is cooked through but still al dente.
   
   
2. Combine vinegar, shallots, honey, lemon juice, and salt to taste (I use about 1 teaspoon) and allow the shallots to macerate while the quinoa cooks.
   
   
3. Toss the pecans, celery, cranberries, parsley into quinoa.
   
4. Whisk olive oil into the vinegar/shallot mixture. Pour over quinoa and toss well.
   
   
5. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

 

Eat Your Greens: Baked Kale Chips

This is one of the few greens I can get my picky five-year-old to eat. Calling them chips helps. It’s an apt name though; they really are very crispy when they come out of the oven and just as addictive as any chips out of a bag. Unlike the Caesar salad above, though, these need to be eaten right away. Leftover kale chips get soggy.

I find that lacinato kale works best here because of its flatter shape, but you can use any variety of kale.

You don't really need a recipe, these basic instructions should do it. I usually use one store-bought bunch of kale per batch (approximately 5 cups once you've torn the leaves up).

Preheat the oven to 275°F. A convection oven is ideal, but you can use a conventional oven.

Wash and dry the kale, and remove the ribs. Tear the leaves up into chip-sized pieces (they will shrink as they bake). Make sure they are very dry. This will ensure a good crunch.

Spread them out on a baking sheet. The less crowded they are, the crispier they will be.

Drizzle olive oil over the leaves and toss to coat with an even, thin coat of oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt.  If you’d like, you can also toss in some red pepper flakes.

Bake for 20-minutes or until the kale is crispy and very lightly browned in some spots. Sometimes I sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan over the chips as they come out of the oven, but they are delicious without.

Serve immediately. 

 

Recipe: Sweet Potato Latkes

A few years ago, my sister-in-law served some delicious sweet potato latkes. I was hoping to find them at her table again yesterday, but no luck! Instead, there were many other goodies we all enjoyed. Still, when I got home I had to try making the sweet potato version of the classic potato latkes myself. Here's what I came up with. I think they'd be delicious for a breakfast or brunch as well as part of a Hanukkah spread. 
 

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Makes 8 three- to four-inch pancakes

 

2 cups very well packed grated sweet potato (that's about 1 pound)

1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

about 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

about 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil such as grapeseed

sour cream for garnish

 

1. In a mixing bowl, combine sweet potato, bread crumbs, egg, cinnamon, and salt together well. Let mixture rest for a few minutes while you preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
   
2.  When the skillet is hot, add about half the butter and cooking oil. 
    
3. Place 1/4 cup of well-packed sweet potato mixture into the skillet, pressing down to form roughly a 3- to 4-inch pancake. Continue forming pancakes in the skillet, leaving an inch or so of space around each one. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until latkes have browned and are cooked through and crispy on the outside.
   
   
   
4. Continue with additional batches, using the remaining butter and oil.
   
   
5. Serve hot or keep warm in a 200F oven until serving time.