not lazy. rustic.

caper and scallion cream cheese-stuffed bagels

2012-01-16T22:30:00.002-05:00

i'll tell you this story and then,

i think you'll have an accurate picture

of me, who i am in the kitchen and,

probably, who i am in life.

picture me, on new year's day,

10:55 am, crouched down on the floor,

staring into my oven,

watching these bagels bake,

begging them not to be failure -

considering that i had invited

other people to eat breakfast

in ten minutes and was still in

my pajamas -

begging them to not lose their

cool and to please, please, please,

just brown without letting their

scallion and caper-laced

cream cheese centers

burst out from the sides.

and then,

one minute away from the 20-minute mark

of the 20 to 30 minute baking time,

i watched as one bagel -

the troublemaker,

the instigator,

the up-to-no-good bagel

as i now think of him -

oozed cream cheese out

its side.

i was pissed.

***

the best present larry gave me

for chanukah, was one i didn't even

know i wanted: milk,

the new cookbook from christina tosi

and momofuku milk bar.

i couldn't stop reading it.

every night that week, i pulled it onto my bed,

and eventually, read the entire thing

from david chang's forward to the bonus recipe

for crack pie.

the recipes are unique.

playful. childlike.

packed with technique

and a. lot. of steps. a lot.

after deciding i had a good handle on the book,

i realized i also

had high hopes of making three

recipes in the first week.

two - the banana cake and the corn

cookies - i was forced to skip,

after searching all around new jersey

for two hard to find ingredients

(banana extract and just corn,

respectively).

the third was the bagel bombs.

a bagel, made from a simple dough,

filled with frozen balls of cream cheese,

topped with poppy seeds

sesame seeds

kosher salt

dried onion

and baked until golden brown.

after i realized that three-quarters

of our new year's eve party would be

sleeping over, and we'd be adding two more

for brunch, it seemed

like the perfect time to experiment

with a recipe that serves eight.

so, on new year's eve,

while making appetizers,

and the boca negra,

we prepared the dough,

made the cream cheese filling

and stirred together the

seeded topping.

the only thing was this:

the dough was kind of funky.

it was wet and not interested in

coming together.

i mixed a little longer.

i added more flour.

against my better judgement,

i poured it into a bowl and decided

to let it rise to see what would happen.

and then, an hour later,

when the dough had risen,

but was still sticky and unmanageable,

i realized i had two choices:

abandon the bagel bombs

start over.

and, probably because at this point,

i needed to provide brunch and,

maybe because i had already made

all the other components,

i surprised myself by choosing

to redo the dough.

i measured everything again.

i remixed the dough.

and while i couldn't tell you

that we had a perfect ball

at the end of the mixing,

it was closer than we were ever going

to get with the first batch.

so, i turned the mixer speed up a bit,

beat for an extra two minutes,

and dumped the dough into the bowl.

after the mixture had risen,

i covered the bowl, placed it in the fridge,

and decided that i better make

a frittata, too.

the next morning,

while everyone was still waking up,

i chided myself for throwing two parties

within 12 hours of each other, then pulled

the dough out of the fridge to allow it to come

to room temperature. i prepared the ingredients

for this frittata.

by the time i was ready to get started,

i had an audience.

and let me tell you, that was the wrong

time to be on display.

my eight equal pieces, stretched out into

2 - 3-inch round discs, looked like this:

i was so grateful for the frittata.

and, for the strawberries waiting in the fridge.

as my sisters read me the directions,

i topped each piece with the cream cheese balls,

rolled the dough around them and was pleasantly

surprised when somehow,

they looked like this:

i brushed the balls with egg wash,

sprinkled all over with the everything bagel mix,

and asked the rounds for not the first or last time,

to please, please, please

not let me down.

***

now, i was torn.

the bagels were not deeply golden brown

as they were supposed to be,

but we were at the 22 minute mark

and five of the bagels were leaking.

i gave it two more minutes,

and then i couldn't take any more.

i had one perfect bagel left.

after i had taken the time to mix together

cream cheese,

scallions,

fried capers,

black pepper

and sugar,

then shape them into balls and freeze them

the day before,

i couldn't handle the thought of

all but one of my guests receiving empty bagels.

i pulled them out from the oven,

tried fruitlessly to gently tuck the cream cheese

back into the bread as instructed,

and realized that these were magic bagels

that spouted cream cheese, but were somehow,

sans culprit hole.

but then, when we sat down to eat,

everyone with a bagel and a slice of frittata on

their plate, i was thankful for a small miracle,

(and generously-sized cream cheese balls):

when torn open,

all the bagels were still stuffed.

there was enough, as my sister's fiance said,

to tear the top half off and dip it

into the cream cheese as you ate.

breakfast was not a bust.

the bagel bombs -

warm,

doughy

salty

and heavily

seeded -

were a hit.

that's why, when i walked into the kitchen,

and saw the parchment paper, just sitting there,

holding seven splotches of cream cheese,

i tried really hard to no longer

be pissed.

caper and scallion cream cheese-stuffed bagels

adapted from christina tosi and momofuku milk bar

there are several components to the recipe, broken down below. every piece can be made a couple days ahead of time, but the bagels need to be assembled the day that you are baking and serving. tosi says they are best served warm, but can be reheated later on or the next day. i didn't have leftovers to prove that theory.

1/2 dough recipe

fried caper and scallion cream cheese filling

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon water

everything bagel topping

heat oven to 350˚f. line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

punch down dough; flatten the dough on a smooth and dry countertop. use dough cutter to divide dough into 8 pieces; using your fingers, gently stretch dough into a round, approximately 2-3" wide (note: i'd aim for three inches, if possible.)

top with one frozen ball cream cheese filling. bring edges of dough together around the ball and pinch together; gently roll dough between the palms of your hands until your dough resembles a ball shape. check to make sure that holes have not formed and all the cream cheese is enclosed. arrange 4-inches apart on prepared baking sheet. repeat with remaining dough and cream cheese balls.

in small bowl, whisk the egg and water. brush each ball with egg wash mixture. sprinkle top and sides generously with everything bagel topping.

bake 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

wrap remaining bagels in plastic and store in the fridge for up to three days.

regarding the cream cheese explosion, this is the exact note in the book:

"while in the oven, the bombs will become a deep golden brown and a few may have cream cheese explosions. continue baking until you see this happen! not to worry - serve them as is or use your fingers to tuck the cream cheese back inside the bagel bomb."

the dough

this is the recipe that tosi calls the mother dough. she uses it for several other recipes in the book. yes, i had trouble with it, but i don't know what my problem was and ultimately, the bagels turned out great, so i'm giving you tosi's recipe, as is.

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (550 grams)

1 tablespoon kosher salt (12 grams)

1/2 packet or 1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast (3.5 grams)

1 3/4 cups water, at room temperature (370 grams)

grapeseed oil

in bowl of stand mixer, using the dough hook in your hand like a wooden spoon, stir together flour, salt and yeast. add the water in a steady stream, continuing to stir and mixing for 1 minute, until the mixture has come together.

attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. place the bowl in the mixer. on the lowest setting, mix dough 3 minutes, or until the dough is a ball, is smoother and is more cohesive. mix for 4 minutes more, still on the lowest speed. the dough should look like a wet ball and should bounce back softly when pressed.

brush large bowl with grapeseed oil; add the dough. cover with plastic wrap; let sit at room temperature 45 minutes to rise.

use to make bagel bombs; cover and put in the fridge or freeze for up to one week.

fried caper and scallion cream cheese

in milk, the mixture is made with scallions and thick cut bacon. much to larry's disappointment, i decided that i really wanted these to be vegetarian and crowd-friendly. so, using their recipe as a jumping off point, i tinkered to create a fried caper and scallion cream cheese - something i've been thinking about since eating, what i'm pretty sure was fried caper cream cheese under smoked salmon at a local breakfast spot. it was good, but i'm not sure it was worth the work or the oil, once frozen and baked. i'd probably just add plain capers next time.

1/4 cup olive oil

1 heaping tablespoon capers, dried well

7 ounces cream cheese, softened

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

in small skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil until shimmering. add one caper. when the caper begins to sizzle, add remaining capers. let cook 45 seconds to 1 minutes, or until the capers open and begin to look like flowers. using slotted spoon, transfer capers to paper towel-lined plate and let cool. reserve caper oil.

in bowl of stand mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese 1 minute, or until smooth. add 2 teaspoons olive oil from capers. beat 20 seconds, or until combined. add scallions, capers, sugar and salt; beat 20 seconds, or until combined.

divide cream cheese into 8 equal balls; place on aluminum foil-lined small sheet pan. freeze 1-3 hours, or until completely frozen. use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in freezer for up to 1 month.

everything bagel topping

i know how ridiculous this sounds, but once i started making the different components, this mixture was what i was most excited about. i've always had a soft spot for everything bagels and it made my day to realize that i could make the topping and use it for anything i so desired (i'm thinking fish).

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (3 grams)

1 tablespoon white sesame seeds (6 grams)

2 teaspoons black sesame seeds (4 grams)

2 teaspoons poppy seeds (4 grams)

1 tablespoon dried onion flakes (4 grams)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder (2 grams)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (1 gram)

in small airtight container, stir together all ingredients. use immediately or use, ideally, within 6 months.

boca negra

2012-01-02T22:15:00.002-05:00

2011 was a trying year for my family.

we flitted - or dashed - from family

emergency to family emergency and

spent our time in rest, figuring out

how to handle the situations that kept

smacking us in the face, contemplating

our next moves and crossing our fingers

that the worst was behind us.

needless to say, 2012 is a welcome change.

this is a year we have hung our hats on -

and as i write that, i realize,

my goodness, that's a lot of pressure on

a new year.

but, i think it can handle it -

after all, we have a wedding in july, not

to mention a family bond that's thickened

over the past 12 months and seeds of proof

that things are starting to turn around.

to kick it off with every ounce of

this-year-damn-well-better-be-good we

could muster, we had dinner and watched

the ball drop together, at our house.

larry and i cooked all day on

new year's eve, making appetizers,

prepping eight dungeness crabs for

drowning and roasting in a garlicky

orange sauce, getting ready for

new year's day breakfast (which i

can't wait to tell you about) and,

making this cake.

even though i had, for months,

thought that this new year's was

important to spend together, i hadn't

given the menu much thought. i had

channeled back to this new year's eve

and my mom's birthday and remembered

that crabs are always good for celebrations

and for a crowd. but, i wasn't really sure

if i would be able to get 8 of them, so somewhere

inside, i was thinking lasagna. but i found the crabs

and kind of, sorta, not really figured out the appetizers

as i shopped and saw what was in store.

but, the dessert. i hadn't really thought about that at all.

the day we went grocery shopping,

i quickly searched a few blogs.

then, i thought that i was tired, we had

to leave, we didn't have time for endless hours

of searching. so, i went to dorie greenspan's

web site and scanned the desserts for something

decadent, something celebratory, something...without

a million steps or layers of frosting or 20 bowls.

and, then i found boca negra,

with which a quick read and a glance at the reviews,

i was pretty sure was my dessert.

i asked larry if we owned bourbon -

he countered with maker's mark.

and then, i looked more closely.

things jumped out at me:

six ingredients

made in the food processor

30 minutes exactly.

i added 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate to

our shopping list (and 12 more white chocolate

for the accompanying cream), and didn't look back.

that night - the night before new year's eve -

i made the white chocolate bourbon cream,

in about 5 minutes. boiling heavy cream whirled

together in the blender with the chocolate,

bourbon was added and the whole thing,

thick and fluid and pretty dreamy in flavor,

went into the fridge.

the next day, i was a little more nervous.

after a more careful perusal of the reviews,

i realized that some people had wound up

with a molten cake (instead of the rich,

fudgy texture they were expecting) and that

the cake had to be baked in a water bath.

and.

there was flipping.

of a hot, precious, delicate cake.

twice.

oh whatever.

it was for a new year.

so, when i woke up,

before even sipping my first sip of coffee,

i lined the bottom of my sheet pan

with parchment paper and then realized,

as i often do, that the eggs and butter

needed to be at room temperature.

so, i set them all aside, asked larry to chop

the chocolate and busied myself

making other appetizers.

45 minutes later, i came back to it all.

the chocolate was in the food processor.

the butter was cut into 10 pieces.

the eggs were cracked into a measuring

cup. the flour was measured.

i brought bourbon and sugar to a boil,

added it to the chocolate and processed

for about 15 seconds, until the chocolate

inside was no longer bouncing inside

and making noise. as the processor ran,

i added the butter, one piece at a time,

then poured in eggs, again one by one.

after the flour was in, we ran it a few

seconds more and had a very dark batter.

i transferred the batter to the cake plan

and placed it in the roasting pan. then,

i foolishly forgot the trick for adding water

to a roasting pan (but, didn't forget to tell

you, below), and instead, added it using the sink.

it went in the oven and i begged the cake

to please show me a thin, crackly top layer

when the 30 minutes were up, so that i didn't

have to use my own judgement to decide

if the cake was finished or not.

and, it did!

but, then, the unmolding.

and the hot flipping.

twice.

i gently placed a layer of plastic wrap on

top of the cake, as instructed. i topped the

whole thing with a large plate. i held my

breath and flipped. so far so good.

i shimmied the cake plate off and smiled.

i was staring at an empty pan, a whole cake.

and then, i flipped once more, onto the

serving plate. the cake landed slightly askew,

but it was on the plate.

it was safe.

the recipe said the cake could be served

warm or at room temperature, but there was a note

that it could also be served cold, if you're

a fan of fudge. i liked that idea.

but, by that point, our fridge was filled with

bottles of prosecco, sparkling cider, 8 dungeness crabs,

a bowl of proofed dough and many, many

other things. this cake, on its pedestal cake

stand, was destined to be served room temp.

the white chocolate cream!

i almost forgot about it,

that night, and just now, too.

i remembered to check on it,

late afternoon. it was still stunning in

flavor, and satiny in texture, but also,

hard, like the ganache filling on a truffle,

that had spent a day in the fridge.

i would still serve it,

but i can't say that i understood it.

that night,

when the ridiculous amount of appetizers

that we all made had been eaten,

and the crabs cracked,

toasts to a better year, made,

and all of us full,

we sat around our coffee table in the living room,

set the television to dick clark

and pulled out a freshly bought box of apples to apples.

i looked at the clock. it was 11:30 and frankly,

none of us needed cake. or prosecco.

we left the bubbly in the fridge.

but at 11:50,

i pulled the cake from the counter,

sat it in the living room and we ate,

teeny, tiny slivers, of seriously fudgy,

room temperature cake, dotted with

thick white chocolate-bourbon cream.

we toasted in spirit and kissed

each other happy near year, while

giggling over the most recent

apples to apples play.

and that was it.

it was 2012.

we had made the decision to

make '11 end much better

than it had lived.

we laughed.

we ate a messy dinner.

some of us swore we

remembered all the words

to certain 90's rap songs and

some us used pandora to make

them prove it.

we ate cake.

and, for all of that,

we were thankful.

boca negra

adapted from lora brody via dorie greenspan via seriouseats.com

this is a serious cake for serious chocolate lovers. (interestingly enough, that's not me - but, still, i can appreciate it.) it's fudgy, fudgy, fudgy and while the recipe says that it serves 12, we managed to get eight wedges out of just over a quarter of the cake. yes, they were tiny (it was 11:50 at night. we were full.), but it was enough. it is worth noting, however, that even though this cake is rich and dense, it cuts beautifully.

i'm including the recipe for the white chocolate cream, below. it's definitely an interesting addition and, the bourbon nicely unites the two, but i think you could whip some whipped cream with a few drops of bourbon and still be happy.

below, are the directions for making the cake using the food processor. if you prefer to make it by hand (good for you!), or you do not own a food processor, the directions are here.

and, one last thing. we can now tell you that at room temperature, this cake is soft, supple and chocolate almost like a warmed chocolate bar. when chilled, it really is like a piece of fudge, which is how larry preferred it. i think that i've liked this cake the best when removed from the fridge and given 20 minutes to sit before serving.

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/2 cup bourbon

2 sticks (8 ounces each) unsalted butter, at room temperature

5 eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

place rack in center of oven. heat oven to 350˚f. lightly butter a 9-inch round baking pan. line bottom of pan with parchment paper. lightly butter parchment paper; set aside.

(here's how i do it, as shown in pictures, above: i fold a piece of parchment in half, twice. then, i fold the paper, corner to corner to form a triangle. i do that a second time, too. then i place the point in the center of the pan, and mark the spot that the paper hits the inside edge of the pan. cut the remaining paper off, at that mark, in a slightly rounded fashion. when you unfold the triangle, you should have a round that fits in the pan. see how mine was a little too big and went up the sides? sometimes that doesn't matter. this time, it did and resulted in creases in the cake. i would try to avoid that.)

place chopped chocolate in bowl of food processor. in saucepot over medium heat, bring sugar and bourbon to a boil, stirring occasionally. add to chocolate; run processor 15 seconds, or until mixture is smooth. it may look cool and harder than you think it should at this point - don't worry.

with processor running, add butter, one piece at a time, making sure it mixes into the mixture before adding the next piece. add eggs, one at a time, again making sure that the egg is absorbed into the batter before continuing. (i like to crack all eggs into a liquid measuring cup and then pour them, one at a time into the mixture.)

add flour and process 10 seconds.

transfer batter to prepared pan. place cake pan inside roasting pan. place in oven and, using a pitcher, carefully fill roasting pan with water. (you want the water to come up 1" on the cake pan.) bake exactly 30 minutes (the cake should have a thin, crackly-looking top crust).

remove the roasting pan from the oven. carefully remove the cake pan from the roasting pan. i used larry, a spatula and a silicone, waterproof oven mitt - i'm sure there's an easier, more graceful way. wipe cake pan dry. carefully and gently, cover cake surface with plastic wrap. place large flat plate over cake pan; flip over and place plate on work surface. carefully remove cake pan from cake; peel off parchment. place cake plate over cake; carefully flip cake and remove top cake.

serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

white chocolate bourbon cream

as i said, this mixture is more of a scoopable ball of chocolate than an accompanying cream, but it is interesting and i think it would be fun to use for other desserts. it does need to be made one day ahead of time.

12 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup bourbon

place white chocolate in blender. in small saucepot, bring heavy cream to a simmer (small bubbles should form around the sides of the saucepot). pour cream into blender. run blender 1 minutes, or until mixture is smooth. add bourbon; blend to combine. transfer to container. chill 1 day before serving.

tackling latkes: sweet potato-scallion & potato, onion and apple

2011-12-20T11:50:00.001-05:00

i've never made latkes before,

for the purpose of chanukah.

for my culinary school graduation,

i decided that one of my dishes for the

grand buffet, was going to be beet latkes.

when i was done shredding them,

the table,

my apron,

my hands,

the floor and the counters,

were stained red and i was already

over the project. by then, my chef

had convinced me that they could

be served at room temperature, so

that i did not have to struggle with

a la minute preparations - in retrospect,

that part was probably for the best - and

he had an idea that they should be served

over a bed of sliced, raw golden beets.

my memory of that day is this:

while others had the idea to create appetizers,

like, little savory cheesecake bites, cut into

precious squares, i just had to create not only

one, but three dishes, that involved persnickety,

time consuming steps. after making

teeny tiny chocolate tarts and lobster, corn

and chive shot glasses, i spent all afternoon

frying 150 beet pancakes, only to have the

people who ate them, complain that:

1) their fingers were stained

2) they were kind of cold and

3) they didn't realize the raw beets were for

pretty, not for eating.

i was over latkes.

but, then, this year, for chanukah,

i wanted back in.

i want to start making dishes that have

tradition to them and holiday memories

attached. i want to own a portion of the

jewish meals that my family will serve

year after year. i want to, one day, not

be shocked when i'm responsible for

producing an entire holiday meal

on my own.

my mom was thrilled.

my sisters were happy to still

have latkes.

i was kind of scared.

i was worried that i wouldn't

work quickly enough and that the

potatoes would brown. i was worried

that i wouldn't be a good enough

squeezer and that the latkes wouldn't

turn golden, because they'd be too

waterlogged. i was worried my family,

upon eating their first latke,

would turn to my mother, with pleading

in their eyes, and silently beg her to take

back latke making duties next year.

all of these fears - and the fact that i had to

work the day of our chanukah dinner (held

this past weekend, thanks my work schedule

this week) - convinced me to make the latkes a week

early, and pop them in the freezer, to give me

time to fix any mistakes.

i decided to make two latkes:

sweet potato latkes

from gourmet, that i've

been looking at for years

and

melissa clark's apple potato latkes,

featured one week earlier in

the new york times.

and then,

this happened:

(except for the facts that

-i confirmed that i have

a hot [and cold spot] on my burner

-i made myself cook in a freezing cold kitchen

with the windows open to eliminate the frying

smell from the start [didn't work]

-i should have followed my instinct and squeezed

the sweet potatoes before frying, even though the

recipe didn't instruct for that to happen

-it took me all afternoon to make the latkes

-i may have [literally] frozen my husband out of the kitchen,

and then demanded that he come back to help me

squeeze the potatoes, apples and onions quickly,

before making him help me find room in our jam-packed

freezer for 60 latkes)

the whole thing actually went ok.

sure, i've learned you can always squeeze a little bit

more, to really make sure all the liquid is out.

and yes, i'm now more willing to accept that

the first batch of latkes are kind of like the first pancake,

and will never go that well.

but, the latkes tasted like latkes.

in spite of my best efforts, the house smelled

like chanukah.

and this past saturday,

we reheated the latkes

at my mom's, until they were

crisp-on-the-outside,

creamy-on-the-inside.

i watched my family carefully -

no one seemed to be sending

out smoke signals for help.

they ate every single one,

erasing my

beet latke nightmare memories,

in the process.

sweet potato-scallion latkes

adapted from gourmet magazine

this recipe was very basic, and a couple reviewers had complained that they were bland. so, after grating the sweet potatoes, i stirred in a few healthy dashes of cayenne, cumin and coriander, which i think i actually was able to taste, subtly, in the finished product. i did not measure - i just shook in spices, until it felt right. as i said above, the recipe did not call for squeezing liquid out of the potatoes, but i think that was a mistake. i spent the whole time i was making these, trying not to notice the liquid pooling at the bottom. and, i doubled the scallions, but i think i could have tripled them (below, i've written as i made them - doubled).

i also made the decision to double this recipe, which was the right decision. the original recipe was supposed to make 28, but doubling it, i got 30. sure, maybe some of mine were big, but i don't think they were that big. below, is the doubled recipe.

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 bunch scallions, trimmed, cleaned and finely chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

ground cayenne

ground cumin

ground coriander

3/4-1 cup vegetable oil

in large bowl, stir together eggs, scallions, salt and pepper; set aside.

using box grater or grating attachment on the food processor, grate sweet potatoes; transfer to a dish towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. add grated sweet potatoes; sprinkle with flour and a couple healthy shakes each cayenne, cumin and coriander. stir to combine.

in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat 3/4 cup oil until hot, but not smoking. Working in batches of 4, spoon 2-3 tablespoons sweet potato mixture into skillet. flatten using back of a slotted spoon (i actually used the 1/4 cup metal measuring cup i was using). reduce heat to medium and cook 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown on each side, turning once. transfer to paper towel-lined plate or sheet pan. add remaining oil to skillet, if necessary.

to freeze: let cool completely. freeze in single layer 2-4 hours. transfer frozen latkes to a freezer safe resealable bag or container. to reheat: heat oven to 400˚f. heat latkes 10-15 minutes, or until hot and sizzling, turning once.

potato, onion and apple latkes

adapted from the new york times

for this recipe, i did something that i never do: i just trusted the recipe. i decided to make it the second i saw melissa clark tweet about it, i didn't bother to research if anyone else made it and i just went for it. it was kind of refreshing. i also doubled this recipe and made the latkes, larger than instructed, but somehow, got exactly the right number (36).

i think that my apples were small, and as i result, i didn't really taste that much apple, but i don't mind, and i would still try them again the same way. i used 4 onions, because they were tiny. also: because i was so nervous about making sure that the apples and potatoes, didn't brown, i asked larry to help me and we turned it into a very fast multi-step process. instead of shredding the onions, potatoes and apples at the same time, i shredded the onions first, squeezed them and then added them to the bowl with the eggs. then, i asked larry to shred and squeeze the apples while i peeled, shredded and squeezed the potatoes. we did not have anything brown, and i recommend it, but if you're cooking alone, there's probably no reason for my crazy version of operation shred and squeeze. (i also realize that my method added work, but it relieved stress, so i consider it a wash.)

here's what i didn't do: i didn't make the cinnamon sour cream that went with it (i'm not really sure why), and since i was making this recipe second, i opted to just keep using vegetable oil, instead of the olive oil.

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoons black pepper

2 medium yellow onions, peeled

4 golden delicious apples

2 large russet potatoes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

vegetable or olive oil for frying

in large bowl, stir together eggs, salt and pepper; set aside.

using box grater or grater attachment on the food processor, grate onion. place onion in strainer; press on onion to release liquid. transfer onion to dish towel; squeeze out remaining liquid. transfer to bowl with egg mixture.

peel and core apples; grate apples. repeat straining and squeezing. transfer to bowl with onions; stir to combine. peel potatoes; repeat shredding and squeezing. sprinkle with flour and baking powder; stir to combine.

in large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1/4-inch oil, until hot, but not smoking. in batches of four or five, drop 3 tablespoons of latke mixture into skillet; press to flatten. cook 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown, turning once. transfer to paper towel-lined sheet pan.

lima bean puree

2011-12-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

hi. it's me.

you may remember me,

but just in case...

my name is brooke.

i cook and take pictures

of what i've cooked

and write about what i've

cooked and taken pictures of...

when i have time.

and even though cooking,

taking pictures and writing

rank very high on several lists:

(-things i'd prefer to be doing,

-things i love doing,

-things i'm often thinking about doing),

they also fall high on

another list:

-things i often need to ignore to make

way for life and work.

but, i refuse to give up on this little

blog-that-could, um, maybe-can.

and, i hope you don't either.

because even though it's taken me

almost three months to tell you about

this lima bean puree, i've thought

of it often and have been writing this

post in my head for almost as long.

larry and i spent our september wedding

anniversary in new orleans. while that might

sound romantic or sweet or well-planned,

it was none of those things. ok, wait. that's not fair.

let me start over.

we spent the summer trying to find one week

to go on vacation. but, suddenly,

it was almost the end of august

and we had not gone away, nor had we found a

week that would work. i looked and saw one free

five day period - starting tuesday afternoon,

that we could run somewhere, anywhere.

i also realized that this was it - if i held out for a

full week, i'd be waiting until after the first of the

year. we found a place with reasonable

fares and jumped into a half-assed vacation, feet first.

and during that time, we recognized that somehow,

our anniversary

fell during that 5 day period. suddenly,

we were going away for our anniversary.

we made many reservations - determined

not to miss out on the barbecued shrimp at Mr. B's,

the incredible steal of a lunch at restaurant august,

the cochon at cochon - but, still, none for the evening

of our anniversary. i researched, trying not to be

ridiculously indulgent, trying to take the night

seriously. and, then, i found mila.

it was a small menu, which ordinarily turns me

off, but everything seemed just right. so, i read

a few reviews, made reservations and knew

that if the meal was a bust, we would probably

still be a little full from lunch, anyway.

the dinner was lovely.

we enjoyed a gorgeously arranged salad featuring

frisee and cornbread croutons and heirloom

tomatoes and large crystals of sea salt.

they brought us out celebratory glasses of

champagne, that we never would have thought

to order on our own, and i ate a pasta dish that

was decent, if not sorely in need of a squeeze

of lemon.

but, what i fixated on that evening,

and what i continued to talk about in the same

breath as those barbecued shrimp when we got

home, was the lima bean puree that they served

in a little cast iron skillet,

alongside cornbread and sweet potato biscuits,

when we first sat down.

it was so simple.

warm lima beans blended into silkiness,

and lightly flavored with...i had no idea.

i preach that i love crazy combinations and

bold impressions. but, this puree was

neither and i couldn't get enough of

the subtle mystery flavor.

i asked the waiter - who was more than

happy to talk to us after learning that we

were from new jersey, too.

he came back and gave me this:

the lima beans were steamed.

they were then pureed with a pepper vinegar.

hmmm.

that was not it.

i talked about the puree on the walk back

to the hotel, on the plane ride home and

in the grocery store when i bought a bag

of dried lima beans to begin operation recreation.

i researched the recipe and found nothing.

i thought about calling the restaurant, but

let's be honest - i chickened out.

and, then i decided that i had to get started

or kiss my lima bean puree-obsession, goodbye.

for attempt number one, i decided to use

hot chile peppers. i'm not sure why - the puree

wasn't even slightly spicy. but, i really cannot

stand the flavor of bell peppers and i was pretty

sure that if they used them to make the

vinegar, i would have been able to taste it.

yet, i was pretty sure i was barking up the wrong

tree with the fresnos.

i cut the peppers into 1/2" pieces,

crushed a couple large cloves of garlic and

tossed both into white distilled vinegar.

the next day, i simmered the soaked beans

until they were ultra tender and then transferred

them, still warm into the food processor.

(was that a mistake? would limas get pasty like

potatoes? should i have been using a masher?)

and even though it seemed like it was too simple,

i didn't have any other jumping points.

so, i poured in a few tablespoons of the limas'

cooking liquid, a couple of the very spicy vinegar

and a couple of olive oil. i blended with my eyes

half closed and when the mixture seemed smooth,

i gave it a taste. it was...close. very close.

i added another tablespoon of the spicy vinegar,

and then one more for good measure, sprinkled

in a few more pinches of salt and blended again.

oh my goodness.

i did it.

first try.

blind guessing.

completely confused about the crazy spicy vinegar

that gave the lima beans a touch of mystery.

but, here it was, in my food processor.

hot and craving

a sweet potato biscuit.

i made larry - who i think enjoyed the puree

a normal amount the first time - try it.

he confirmed it tasted like mila's.

i was shocked. still am, if you can't tell.

and, then i realized:

no pictures. it had never even occurred to

me to take out the camera for what i assumed

would be a non-event. that was the beginning of october.

it took me until two sundays ago to make them

again, to serve alongside a turkey meatloaf and

shredded lemony brussels sprouts.

i was worried that i wouldn't like it as much.

that i wouldn't be able to get it right again,

that the flavor wouldn't ring true or stand out.

but, from the moment that i tested one lima bean

to make sure it was tender enough to blend, i knew

we'd be ok. better than ok.

i still loved it - subtle, unexpected,

but somehow just right.

just like our anniversary trip this year.

lima bean puree

(kind of adapted from mila's)

i have to warn you one last time, this puree will not knock you over with its uniqueness or its shocking lingering flavor. but, it is a lovely mixture to serve with the intention of slathering on warm bread, or served alongside chicken, fish, or as we did on this night, meatloaf. also - know this: this puree will probably not be your best friend at a dinner party. while, you can keep it in the food processor covered for quite a while, if you try to serve it too early, it does form a bit of a crust on top, as it did at mila.

i reserved extra lima bean cooking liquid and stirred into leftovers the next night before reheating. the flavor and texture were pretty spot-on from the night before.

puree

1 bag (16 ounces) dried lima beans, picked over

1/4-1/3 cup spicy vinegar (recipe below)

3-5 tablespoons lima bean cooking liquid

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

place lima beans in large bowl; cover with at least 3 inches cold water. stir to make sure all beans are submerged. let sit 6-8 hours (you can put them under water before you leave for work and make the puree when you get home).

drain beans. place soaked lima beans in large saucepot; cover with at least two inches water. bring to a boil; reduce heat to a bare simmer and let cook 45 minutes-1 hour, or until beans are very tender, skimming off foam as necessary. (to test beans, halve bean and look: you don't want the center to be any darker than the center. if the bean is the same color all the way through, it's a good sign you're ready to go. then taste it. there shouldn't be any resistance. but, for your most sure-on bet, use this trick i learned from anne burrell: after the first one is tender, check four more. if all five are soft and cooked through, it's time).

before draining beans, ladle out a cupful of cooking liquid. drain beans; let lima sit 10 minutes. transfer beans to bowl of food processor; add 1/4 cup spicy vinegar, 3 tablespoons cooking liquid and olive oil. process 30 seconds, or until smooth. taste; and adjust seasoning, adding more vinegar if the puree tastes too flat or more cooking liquid to smooth it out; season with salt and pepper. blend again, tasting and adjusting as necessary.

fresno pepper and garlic vinegar

5 large fresno chile peppers

3-4 large cloves garlic

1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar

cut peppers into 1/2" pieces. smash garlic with back of knife. transfer peppers and garlic to glass jar or container; cover with vinegar and stir to combine. let sit at least one day before using. (note: the next day, the vinegar will be extremely spicy. that's ok - don't let it stop you from using it in the puree.)

masala-laced carrot macaroons

2011-09-26T21:20:00.000-04:00

i've probably told this story before,

but i can't find it anywhere on this blog,

so i'll just write about it and apologize

if you've heard this 3-second tale before.

it was senior year of college and i was

sitting in the living room of my college apartment,

talking about how i'm always looking for something

that's different, something that you don't see

coming and going, just something. (to be honest,

i remember that part, but i have no idea what i

was talking about.) my friend turned to me and said,

brooke, sometimes there's nothing wrong

with a plain potato chip. (note: i know we weren't

talking about food.)

i know what he was saying.

sometimes life is not about being different.

sometimes it's about the familiar.

it's about the classics.

the thing is, i never want a plain potato chip.

it's plain. i've seen it before. it offers me very little.

i always want the chip that's coated with

craziness.

and so when i buy a cookbook,

i want one that offers me something new.

yes, i want to one day make

chocolate chip cookies

and

brownies that are classic,

but so good that my kids constantly wish

they're eating mine when snacking on someone

else's (am i nuts? yes.).

but, for now, i want the crazy. i want the recipes

that make me look at food and ingredients

differently, while resulting in desserts that are

surprising and unforgettable

(they should taste good, too).

this, it should be noted, is my philosophy

when finding a restaurant, too, which is why

it takes so long for us to find a place to

eat dinner and why it takes me hours

to research places to eat while on vacation.

surprisingly, when i decided to take home

alice medrich's newish book,

chewy

gooey

crispy

crunchy,

it was for both reasons:

this book is full of the classics

and it offers really interesting twists

on recognizable recipes.

still, the first one that i decided i had to make,

spicy carrot masala meringues, fell into the second

category. they looked pretty simple, but

provided several things that i love:

carrots (reminiscent of my favorite cake, carrot),

garam masala (a new love)

and shredded coconut.

i think - if you are glancing quickly and in a rush -

you might look past this recipe.

it involves grinding almonds,

shredding carrots,

giving the recipe 10 minutes to hydrate,

stirring while set in simmering water,

and ultimately, baking.

but, thanks to my food processor and

a decent mise en place,

i think it took me less than 30 minutes

to get these cookies in the oven.

and, then, i let them be,

worrying about the next thing that

i was making, when really, i should

have focused on making sure these

teeny bundles didn't burn their

bottoms in the oven.

so of course, they got a little too

dark underneath. and i got a little

angry. but then i calmed down and

tried one. and here's what i learned

from these cookies:

1) the carrots really taste like carrots.

while that might sound like a charlie

and the chocolate factory rip off,

i was really surprised to find that i could

taste the strands of carrots in a very different

way than you can when the veggies are

baked into a cake. i'm not a huge carrot lover,

so my first bite worried me, but i persevered.

2) you really can taste the garam masala.

i - someone who wants to jam pack everything

she eats with spice and flavor - worried that

1 teaspoon wouldn't be enough to make an

impression, but i was wrong. the spice comes

after and lingers, slightly spicy, cinnamon-laced

and faintly indian-influenced. (i would say the spice

was most pronounced on the second day and decreased

in intensity on each day forward.)

3) they were a little bit sticky, which is something

i'm not crazy about. i did find that the ones that were

closer to burnt on the bottoms were slightly less

sticky, which made me think that my oven might

need to be adjusted. but, i digress.

4) my family, when offered slightly weird cookies -

with carrots and indian spices woven throughout -

at the same time as brownies, will eat an equal

amount of both. and, i'm pretty sure that at least

some of them, if given a choice,

would reach for a plain potato chip.

masala-laced carrot macaroons

adapted from chewy gooey crispy crunchy by alice medrich

this is how i tackled the recipe: i ground the almonds in the food processor, then transferred them to a bowl. next, i used the shredder attachment on the food processor to shred the carrots into the bowl, which i did not bother wiping clean of almonds, since they were ultimately going into the same bowl anyway. the only thing i struggled with with these cookies was how long i really needed to stir the mixture over boiling water. the recipe said 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture had thickened slightly. i went for the full 7 and the mixture did seem thicker, but when it came time to scoop them into the cookie sheet, the ingredients did not hold together, instead, functioning like separates, coated in something wet. i placed the bowl back over the simmering water and stirred until the mixture was scoopable and was able to form something closer to a batter that kept its shape.

ok, i will tell you this. i read this recipe about 10 times before and while making it. and just now, when i went to type it out, i realized it says, "set the bowl directly in a wide skillet of barely simmering water." that's not what i did. instead, i read "set the bowl directly in" as "place the bowl over a double boiler." most likely, that was where i went wrong. below, i'll write as intended.

also, the recipe called for (a generous 1/4 teaspoon of) lemon zest, but i'm never crazy about lemon in baked goods - save for lemon bars - so i omitted it.

3/4 cup whole almonds

2-3 carrots, peeled

2 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon garam masala (alice also offers that you could use cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut

position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. heat oven to 325˚f.

in food processor, pulse almonds 10 times, or until chopped (you're looking for almonds that are both large chopped and finely chopped). set aside.

on box grater or using shredder attachment on your food processor, grate carrots. measure 1 1/3 cups lightly packed carrot (reserve remaining for another use).

in medium stainless steel bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy. stir in sugar, garam masala and salt. stir in carrots, coconut and almonds. set aside 10 minutes, to hydrate the mixture.

bring a large wide skillet of water to a very low simmer; place bowl in skillet. cook 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture is very hot and the liquid turns from opaque to translucent, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom.

use 1 heaping teaspoon measure to drop cookies on two parchment-lined baking sheets. bake 20-25 minutes, or until the cookies are deep golden on the bottom (check by turning up the corner of the parchment paper), rotating the pans top to bottom and left to right midway through baking.

place pans on cooling racks and cool completely. remove from parchment paper and store cookies, loosely covered, 3-4 days.

green smoothie

2011-09-06T19:10:00.008-04:00

while we all hold on

(for dear life, sometimes)

to who we are,

i think it's fair to say we become products

of our environment. for me, that means a lot

of things - like lately, my (slight)

obsession with green smoothies.

i had never heard of green smoothies -

much less imagined myself drinking, craving

and researching twists on them - before about

a year and a half ago. one of my coworkers brought

in a smoothie everyday, filled with lots of visible

kale. other people started drinking them. a lot

of people started talking about them. and i kept

thinking, one day, i'll get up the nerve to make one.

i kept it in my head for over a year.

people still drank them, but they didn't talk about

them quite as much. then, in april, i switched jobs

and boom: green smoothies. in my face. all the time.

again. ok, i will make them.

but, i didn't.

until one day, in the middle of may,

i realized that i had almost all of the ingredients

in the house for this one, the smoothie i'm

most commonly faced with. i prepped everything

the night before - i chopped kale, measured spinach,

diced strawberries and sliced dates, even sprinkling

some flax seed in for good measure. the next morning,

i blended the whole thing with a ripe banana and

coconut water, the only acceptable beverage in the house,

and blended. the results were faintly flecked, but overall,

smooth. the mixture, like everyone said,

tasted like bananas. it was pretty good.

for the next few weeks, we set up shop every night.

after dinner, larry would try to clean the kitchen,

and i, as i am apt to do -

stemming kale, hulling strawberries - would

recreate a mess next to him.

the next morning, when larry got up for work,

he would pour a couple cups of coconut milk

(which we found we liked better than the coconut

water when not using a crazy ripe banana) into

the container, add a banana and blend for 2 minutes

before dividing amongst our shiny new smoothie cups.

(mine's the orange!)

his would leave with him. mine would go in the fridge,

ready and waiting for me to fly downstairs, always one

minute later than my 7:20 deadline, and grab it out

of the fridge. it was great - i loved my breakfast,

i felt good about my breakfast and larry was into it, too.

but, then, as i am also apt to do, i got bored.

i wanted to try new things.

so i played around - trying almond milk,

blueberries, mixed berries, no kale, no spinach,

adding ice cubes and more.

i learned this: mixed berries have never been my thing.

but, also, this: i love green smoothies. love 'em.

there aren't many i haven't liked.

but, there's one that has stood out as my favorite.

the one that i wish i could drink every day.

but, i don't because, for many reasons,

it's more of a special

occasion green smoothie.

i can't believe i just wrote that.

this one

doesn't have kale or bananas.

it sometimes uses dates, sometimes agave.

when they're in the house, i add blueberries.

lately, i've been tossing in cubes of melon.

here's what it always features:

baby spinach

an apple or a pear

a couple splashes of almond milk

ice cubes

and a generous half of an avocado.

i haven't been able to decide if i like

apples better than pears. i'm sad that i

discovered the delicious addition of melon

so close to the end of melon season. i'm

very happy that i realized i only need a small

amount of almond milk - just enough to blend

the mess into a cohesive frosty drink - to make

me happy. but, i've made one decision, that i haven't

wavered from since beginning.

i don't measure.

i can't.

early in the morning,

when i need to leave for work and i've

sacrificed my hair time for smoothie time,

the last thing i want to deal with

are measuring cups. honestly,

it annoys me that i have to deal with

a knife and a cutting board. and, by now, i've

gotten pretty good at making a smoothie

that tastes pretty much the same every day.

so, here's what i do. approximately.

i start by placing a huge handful of

baby spinach in the container.

this fills up about half the blender.

then, i large chop an unpeeled apple* or pear,

using all of a small piece of fruit,

or three-quarters of a large piece.

that goes into the blender, too,

pressing down on the spinach.

then, i add about ten cubes of melon,

or a small handful of blueberries.

i spoon in a generous half of ripe avocado**

(and, by this i mean, that when i "halve" the fruit,

i make sure to cut a bigger section for the smoothie)

then, i drizzle in a squeeze or two of agave

(or three chopped pitted dates).

i add two or three splashes of almond milk,

just enough so that i can see about 1/3-inch

of milk on the bottom of the blender.

and, then, before setting the blender to puree,

i top everything with two small

handfuls of large ice cubes.

usually it takes a good 20-30 seconds for

the mixture to start blending. if things don't start

to take shape at that point, i turn the blender off and shake

the container a couple times. if that still doesn't

help everything mix together, i add a little bit

more almond milk. and once everything is combining,

i let the blender run for at least a minute or two, or until

everything is cohesive and smooth.

on the rare days that i've gotten it together

to make my smoothie before i start getting ready,

i've learned that, surprisingly, this mixture

keeps - covered and in the fridge - for at least

a couple hours.

and that's it.

it's green.

it's satisfying.

it makes people ask questions.

(what are you drinking? why are you drinking that?

spinach? avocado? did you lose a bet?)

but, mostly. it makes me immensely happy.***

*you may notice that the apple i used on the day i took pictures was a granny smith. they looked really shiny and beautiful in the store, but i don't recommend using them. they make the smoothies more tart that i like and it would take quite a bit of sweetener to balance it all out.

**don't get me wrong. a fair half of an avocado makes a really good smoothie. but, using a little more than half ensures that the entire thing tastes faintly of avocado. and in my opinion, what's the point of using a good, but expensive and fatty fruit if you're not going to be able to taste it?

***on friday, i made three smoothies - one for me and one for each of my sisters - as a road trip "treat" to drink on the way to our grandmother's house. they drank theirs, but i'm not sure they'd be able to say that these smoothies made them immensely happy. one of my sisters said it took her three sips to realize she liked it, but she came around. i do think they'd say they like them just fine.

thai melon salad

2011-08-24T21:26:00.001-04:00

last week, larry and i had a really

lovely day. it was the day after my

birthday and we both took off from

work. i drank coffee in bed and, later,

we ate lunch outside, very close

to the ocean. we bought fig vinegar

from an olive oil shop and sat on the

boardwalk with our legs dangling over

the sand. we went to see the help,

which i've been hoping to see in the theatre,

since finishing the book last november.

in between the beach and the movies,

we stopped at the book store, where i was

given a really great gift: unlimited time

to look through as many cookbooks as i

wanted. and, truthfully, that's quite a gift.

as much as i love cookbooks, i rarely buy

them. and when, i do, it's a specific book

that i've had my eye on for a while. rarely,

do i just plant myself in front

of the shelves and read.

ultimately, i left with three - two baking

books that, it turns out, i actually had wanted,

but had forgotten about,

and a third, cooking in the moment

by andrea reusing.

to be honest, i keep picking up and putting down

the last one. i would decide that i was not

going to keep it and then i'd turn one last page

and see a recipe, like the one for

black sesame sauce.

in that case, i read the recipe twice

and thought, ok, i know

how to make this. as i shut the book,

i noticed a page reading

garlic and crab fried rice.

this happened several times.

ultimately, it was the kale panini and

salt preserved chilies that cinched

my decision.

that night, i got back in bed and read

cooking in the moment from cover to cover.

and, in spite of my curiosity about the

recipes above, i knew that the first dish i

would be making was the

spicy melon salad with peanuts and mint.

it uses fish sauce. and a lot of it.

need i say more?

and, then, you should have seen me the next

day, standing at the grocery store, staring at

the melons, trying to channel my melon

knowledge. is it the santa claus melon that's

really sweet or is it the canary? are any melons

really dark orange? or yellow? what will happen

if i add watermelon? will the color run?

ultimately, i was lucky.

a melon expert - or at least he seemed

that way to me - helped me pick three

small, sweet flavorful globes. he was spot

on. (except when the next day i realized

that i somehow had two green-fleshed melons,

but i'm very over it.)

after a search for my melon baller -

a tool i'm pretty sure i haven't used since

culinary school - i cracked open the melons

on sunday, prepared to make a cooling

summer salad for a hot summer night.

except it was sunday.

when there was lightening.

and thunder.

and rainstorms that made me fear

for our basement.

so, i scooped melons for a cool evening.

and, that's ok, too.

the melons were incredibly sweet,

floral and juicy. i pulled small

and large balls from

all three:

the honeydew,

the crenshaw and

the galia.

(as for the remaining melon in

each half, i used a spoon to separate

them from their skins, put all three

into the same container and have

been adding the pieces and sweet

juice to my smoothies in the morning.

it's been a nice change.)

i whisked together the juice of two limes,

a few glugs from a new bottle of fish sauce -

i forgot how powerful a brand new bottle

could be - a squeeze of agave and an

unfortunately, mild, chopped

red fresno chile pepper.

the dressing was powerful.

slightly spicy, slightly sweet,

tangy and salty. i tossed it over

the melons, took a premature bite

and knew that i would love this dish.

simplified, it reminded me of a

sweet green papaya salad.

the recipe said to let it the mixture

sit for at least 45 minutes or up to

several hours. we went for three.

before serving, i topped it with

shreds of mint and salted peanuts

and we dug in.

the marinating liquid is

unbelievably bold.

but, the melons, when picked up with

a fork, instead of scooped,

gave a significantly more subtle delivery.

i don't know how many fruit salads are eaten

with a spoon,

but it would be a shame to leave all that

limey-fish sauciness on the bottom

of the bowl.

team spoon. all the way.

regardless.

this salad slash side dish slash

potential dessert is everything i look

for in a recipe.

it's different, so it won't see itself

coming and going. but, more importantly,

it's sweet and salty and soft and crunchy.

it's slightly spicy and kind of tangy

and would be perfect on

a hot night spent outside.

it was a recipe that gave me

reassurance. it made me feel justified

about buying the cookbook. and, about

making larry amuse himself in the bookstore

while i dealt with my indecisiveness.

and, it made me find my melon baller.

worth it all around.

thai melon salad

adapted from cooking in the moment

i followed this recipe pretty closely. the only real changes were using agave instead of sugar and using a serrano chile pepper and a red fresno chile pepper, because neither were very spicy. with a spicy pepper, i would have stuck to one. i also chose not to measure the peanuts - just grabbed a handful and chopped.

i agree that this salad should only sit for a couple hours. by the next day, the melons had expelled a lot of their own liquid and mellowed the flavor of the dish significantly.

2-3 assorted melons

2 large, juicy limes, juiced

1/4 cup fish sauce

1 tablespoon agave

1 spicy chile pepper, chopped

10 mint leaves

1 small handful roasted and salted peanuts

halve melons. using melon baller, scoop melon into balls, transferring to a measuring cup as you scoop. measure 4 cups melon. transfer melons to mixing bowl.

in liquid measuring cup, measure 1/4 cup lime juice. whisk in fish sauce, agave and chile pepper. pour lime juice mixture over melons; toss to combine. cover; chill 45 minutes, or up to several hours.

when ready to serve, rip mint leaves into smaller pieces. chop peanuts.

using a slotted spoon, transfer melon to serving platter or bowls. top with spoonfuls of marinade. garnish with mint and chopped peanuts.

for love. and peanut butter pie.

2011-08-11T18:56:00.010-04:00

over six years ago,

we were visiting colleen and christian

when i got the kind of call you

never want to get. not ever.

and not in the house of your

friend's boyfriend, no matter how wonderful

they are. it was my mother,

telling me that my ex-boyfriend - the

ex-boyfriend, who i dated for six years,

starting one month into our freshman

year of college - had died. we hadn't

spoken since one month after our

break up. to me - to everyone - the horrible

accident came out of nowhere.

had we still been a couple, i'm not

sure how i would have managed. if i'm being

honest, i still don't think i've fully recovered.

from that phone call.

from his accident.

from knowing that even though we would never have

been remembering together anymore,

i am now the only one who can know our memories.

to say that i was an immense worrier before

his death, would be fair. i have always been

fearful of things large and small.

but after that, everything was elevated.

i dream about him, about trying to stop him from

stepping into an elevator or leaving the room.

when i wake up, i panic for my family.

when i haven't heard from or can't reach

my mom,

my dad,

my sisters,

my grandmother,

larry,

i hate myself for it, but i obsess over the worst.

i hate myself for allowing myself to think things

that are not doing anyone any good.

my mind is set to catastrophe.

on monday morning,

the first thing that i saw were three

tweets, in a row, with the message that

a food blogger had lost her husband

unexpectedly to a heart attack the day before.

i follow jennifer perillo on twitter.

i read her blog.

i've known her as an active member of food52.

the closest i've ever been to her, was making

her homemade manicotti for larry last winter.

but, when i saw the tweet, i was unable to focus

on anything else. i drove to work shaken and

all day my mind wandered back to jennie and

her two daughters. when larry got home from work,

i tried to tell him what happened

and shocked both of us

when i started crying uncontrollably.

when i calmed, i hugged him. hard.

then, i told him about jennie and her

two young daughters and how we really don't

know each other, but through her tweets,

i knew about her date nights and that i've

been meaning to try her lentil-ricotta meatballs

and that the hardest thing for me - and i've come

to find out, others - to see, was that her last tweet

before she lost her husband, was about canning

marinara and getting ready for their vacation

to cape cod in 13 days. i felt for jennie in a way

that i did not know i could feel for someone

who i did not personally know.

jennie posted last week,

talking about her husband in a way i believe

few of us would have the courage to do. and,

in a time when i think many of us who know

her peripherally, felt helpless, jennie asked for

us to make her husband, mikey's, favorite dessert,

a peanut butter pie, on friday, to honor

him and those who we love the most in our lives.

and, so i did.

i made the recipe exactly as it was

written. i tried not to sweat it when my crust

crumbled a little into the melted chocolate

layer, knowing that was not the point. the point

was that even on friday, five days later, jennie, her

husband and her daughters were still on the forefront

of my mind and, because, my family was even closer. i

made it for the people who i love and have loved.

and, i served it to my family tonight.

i told them the story of our dessert and

about the hundreds of food bloggers who came together

to make peanut butter pies for our families, and in

our hearts, for a family who many of us do not know.

as we ate, i showed them this video

that has brought me to tears each

time i've watched it. and, we talked about showing

the people that you love, that you love them, always.

for the pie recipe, to see more about the

amazing food community that rallied or

to learn more about jennifer's strength,

visit in jennie's kitchen.

tomorrow, i'm making a peanut butter pie

2011-08-11T14:04:00.004-04:00

and, you can, too.

here's why.

grilled calamari and nectarine salad

2011-07-31T23:30:00.001-04:00

i'm pretty sure it's not cool to admit,

but i love my reality tv. and even less cool

to admit: i'm a fan of the food network.

are there food celebrities who i cannot stand?

yes.

are there recipes that make me

stand up and yell at the tv, accusing the

chefs of misleading the not-so-knife-savvy

that they can chop two onions and 3 cloves

of garlic in the time that it takes a tablespoon

of olive oil to warm itself?

yes.

are there times

that larry has to listen to 5 minutes of my

amazement that a chef will cut an avocado

and then tell us to use it as a garnish when

the stew will not be ready to be served for thirty minutes?

yes!

but, i'm still a fan of the food network.

i love that they've been a huge part of the

cooking movement, inspiring people to

get back to the kitchen, or more likely,

getting them into the kitchen for the first time.

i believe in a network that makes food fun

and cooking less of a chore and is trying,

very slowly, but surely to offer up a bit

of diversity, in the dishes and the chefs

they are offering.

and, i loved when they bit the bullet

and offered up their form of reality tv,

several years ago, with the

next food network star. i have watched

every season, and often - as is very unusual

with most reality television - my early

pick has won. (fingers crossed that the

streak continues - susie and jeff,

i'm pulling for you two.)

last year was no exception.

i loved aarti from the beginning,

as much for her fun personality

as my recent interest in indian food.

and, she herself was a food

blogger. the day after she won,

my mom texted me and said,

already scheduled the dvr to record

aarti's first show!

while i'll admit that it's rare,

these days that i'm watching tv on saturday

mornings, i'm thrilled when i am home and

am able to turn on the tv in time to catch

an episode. i always learn something or

get an idea for my own food.

and last weekend, when i caught less

than 5 minutes of her show before having

to run out to meet my family for breakfast,

that was all it took to decide what i was

making for dinner the following night.

she was pulling nectarine wedges off

a grill pan and adding them

to a bed of lemony greens, along with

garlicky squid. it was the kind of salad

i would have ordered without a second thought

on any day in a restaurant.

but, knowing that it had been nearly 100

degrees for days and that the last thing

either of us really wanted to do was

serious sunday night-cooking, this salad

seemed inevitable. in the best possible way.

while we have a grill that we use regularly,

we really wouldn't have wanted to head outside. i was so glad that

the recipe actually said to use a grill pan. sometimes,

i need a little pat on the back, a little that's-ok. and right

there, telling me that i could use a grill pan, that i didn't have

to go through the trouble of threading the teeny squid

onto soaked skewers and cook the nectarines in a basket,

that made the recipe extra appealing.

and here's the funny thing: when i cook a dish

for the first time, i obsess about it until

it's on the plate in front of me. i think about

what it will taste like, what it will look like,

if i should change the chives to scallions or

use almonds instead of pine nuts. i think about

it as i'm cooking it and still, i find myself making

changes even when i should be finished

and am one second away from

tossing it into a bowl.

but, with this recipe, there was none of that.

ok, maybe it's more fair to say there was very little

of that. i guess the truths are this:

the salad looked good.

i guess, as it turns out, i trust aarti

(i've yet to see her cut an avocado too early).

none of the ingredients were so tempting to mess with.

so, i bought the squid.

(coolest thing: the store divided the squid between

two trays: bodies and tentacles so i was able to ask

for a 50/50 ratio). i picked up two nectarines.

i grabbed arugula, a lemon and a few very juicy limes.

and that was it. the rest i had at home.

i prepared the ingredients, staying pretty close to

recipe with just a few tiny alterations. first -

and it pains me to say this - i had a lot of trouble

reading the recipe. several times, the recipe writer

in me wanted to stop, rewrite the recipe and then

make it. so, ultimately, i think i made everything

the way that it was intended, but i can't be sure.

also, there was this: the recipe called for

a couple pinches of a couple different spices and

when it comes to seasoning, i always believe

in going (carefully) bolder. and, because

we were eating this as our meal,

i added an extra nectarine.

but, i don't want you to think that i have any

complaints: we loved this salad. it was garlicky

and citrus-laced and, even with the extra spice,

still delicately kissed with garam masala.

but, all of the flavors managed to share the spotlight

without competing. the nectarines were really

amazing on the grill and the calamari, cooked

exactly as instructed, were tender and lightly

charred and easily the centerpiece of the dish.

it was the kind of summer salad, that as i was

eating it, i was thinking about the next time

i could make it. and it's the kind of dish, that

as i was writing this, larry came up and said,

that was really good. i hope we can make it again.

it's the reason that i refuse to apologize for

my love of the food network and my love of reality

tv. without either, i never would have found

aarti party. or, this salad. or, these recipes:

spicy baked onions rings

spaghetti with turkey meatballs

whole grain pasta with spinach and goat cheese

mediterranean squid stew with pearl onions, artichokes and olives

rosemary focaccia

grilled calamari and nectarine salad

adapted from aarti party

as i said, i made a few changes to this recipe, but nothing major: i upped the number of nectarines from 1 to 2 and i used a good amount of garam masala compared to what was called for, in the marinade. a couple changes that i may make next time: i was not sure how necessary the lemon juice was (it's tossed with arugula), because i thought that the lime-garlic marinade was substantial enough to carry the dish. i'm including it below, so that you can make the decision. i also, loved (loved, loved) the tentacles and i may be 100% tentacles the next time around.

ok, when i just went to write up this recipe, it turns out that i may have left out the cumin. honestly, i don't remember putting it in, but i know that i read everything several times before i started cooking, so maybe i did? (i'm sure this is instilling a lot of trust.) i'm not putting it the ingredient list because i really don't think i used it, but if you want to add it in, use 1/2 teaspoon.

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 juicy limes, halved

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for grilling

2 generous pinches tumeric

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

2-3 pinches red chile flakes

kosher salt and ground black pepper

2 large firm, but ripe, nectarines, pitted and cut into 6ths

1 pound baby squid, cleaned (tubes and tentacles) and patted dry

4 really large handfuls arugula, washed and dried

1/2 lemon, juiced

on cutting board, very finely chop garlic; sprinkle generously with kosher salt. let sit 5 minutes; using the back of your knife, mash the garlic to form a paste. place garlic in the bowl; juice the lime into the bowl. add the cumin (if using), tumeric, garam masala and red pepper flakes; whisk in the olive oil. season with salt and pepper.

transfer 3 tablespoons garlic marinade to small mixing bowl; add squid, tossing to coat. set aside.

heat grill pan over high heat. drizzle nectarines lightly with olive oil.

place nectarines on grill; cook 1 minute on each side, or until grill marks appear. (for me, by the time i put all of the nectarines down, it was time to turn the first ones.) transfer nectarines to plate.

make sure that the grill pan is still very, very hot. remove the squid from the marinade, letting the excess marinade drip off (discard any marinade remaining in that bowl). place squid on the grill, one piece at a time. cook 6 minutes, turning once. (if you are worried that the squid is overcooking as i was, here's 2 tricks, one from aarti, one from me. from aarti: if the squid sticks, it's not ready. give it 30 more seconds. from me: take one off the grill pan and taste it.)

remove the squid from the marinade. using a sharp knife, cut bodies into rings. toss hot tentacles and rings with the remaining garlic marinade.

toss the arugula with the lemon juice. divide among plates; top with grilled nectarines, grilled squid and the marinade mixture, if desired.

snapshot: garlic scape butter

2011-07-24T17:39:00.000-04:00

in a new job,

whether you've started with a

brand new business or are doing

the same thing in the same company

in a different place, like me, you're

always trying to find your way.

and that has definitely been me.

i've noticed that, i'm a bit different -

in several good ways, and some that

i'm working on. like this: i'm quieter.

i'm still getting to know everyone and

they're still getting to know the real me.

so, a few weeks ago, i think some people

had a shocking moment when i freaked out

(freaked!) after realizing that garlic scapes

were available and that i could buy as many

as i wanted for a very reasonable price.

it's true. when i was finished talking in a

run-on sentence about the tenafly farmer's market

and garlic scape pesto and looking everywhere for

more, i realized that i was not just having a conversation,

i was talking kind of loudly. and there was this,

somehow, i had gone from sitting to standing.

(clearly, if people want to get to know me,

they should wave an unusual piece of produce in

front of my face and watch what happens.)

when i got the scapes home, though, they sat

in the fridge for a while (ok, if you want the truth

there are still some in there. yes, i'm hanging my

head in shame.) i wanted to do something different

with them this time, but i could not figure out

what or how. then, i was driving home, thinking about

making garlic bread, and just like that:

garlic scape butter (and in turn, garlic scape bread)

popped into my head.

when i got inside, i pulled my

made up ingredients

out of the fridge

before even taking my pocketbook

off my shoulder.

i cut 4 garlic scapes into 2-inch pieces

and placed them into the bowl of the food processor;

i pulsed 5 or 10 times, until they were in tiny pieces,

before adding 1/4 cup of pecorino romano,

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, a couple generous pinches

of smoked paprika and 1 stick unsalted butter,

cut into large chunks. i let the food processor run

until everything was sort of smooth.

and i tasted it.

garlicky was an understatement. but, there was

no turning back at this point. i sprinkled in a touch

of kosher salt, whirled it around a few more times

and decided that i was committed.

so far, i've only spread it on lemon juice-drizzled,

bread and grilled it until it was nice and melty, which

i think is how this butter shines. i'm also sure i would

love it tossed with hot pasta, a bit of lemon and feta or

maybe used as a base for eggs, sunnyside-up.

i won't lie: it does need something

to temper its intense flavor.

but, as it goes with anything you're overly devoted to,

i've come to love this butter with bite. that doesn't mean

that if i made this again, or you were making it at home,

i'd be embarrassed to use only 3 garlic scapes.

that wouldn't make us wimps or shrinking violets.

it would just make us a bit...less in-your-face.

and, that's ok.

pickled cherries (times two)

2011-07-15T17:20:00.012-04:00

i have never been a cherry person.

growing up, while all the other

kids were reaching for cherry

ice pops,

lollipops,

candies,

i held back because i always

knew the sour apple or grape

that i was hoping for was not

in danger of disappearing.

(oddly enough,

i had a conversation with my

sister this week about her

similar dislike of cherry starbursts.)

it wasn't until i was older

that i really understood that cherries -

fleetingly available, expensive, messy to eat cherries -

are lovely and fruity and offer the

very best of summer.

i hold true to my original belief -

i'm still not one for cherry flavored things.

but, apparently, i kind of love cherries.

last week, i, as many people i know,

came into a huge lot of cherries. i was torn

between eating them immediately or saving

and playing. ultimately, thanks to my work

schedule, i opted for the latter.

after a brief conversation with larry,

he asked if cherries could be pickled.

magic words. i recently told someone that

if i don't know what to do with a vegetable

lately, i pickle it or pesto it. i was not feeling

cherry pesto, and i was totally into making

the already tart cherries, ultra tangy.

i researched recipes and decided on something

i'm often guilty of - talking myself into making

something that i have a very good reason not to

make. (it requires a skill i don't think i can handle,

i can't find something that is vital to the recipe, but

make it anyway, or the worst

- and the culprit this time - convincing

myself that an ingredient i don't care for will be

delicious when utilized in this particular capacity.)

i haven't had five spice powder for years.

the last time i tasted it,

the mixture had been used to jazz up a sauce

for chicken. i wasn't crazy about. it was the star anise.

i'm just not a licorice person - hence my major issue

with fennel, anise and several other things.

but since then, i've sampled it in other dishes that

had not been so bad: larry's pho from mo pho,

a seafood dish on vacation, a dessert that's kind

of foggy in my memory.

when i saw a recipe that involved star anise,

i remembered the richness of the pho and i

decided to take a chance.

pickling the cherries was easy. larry poked

holes in their flesh as i mixed together the

brine of cinnamon sticks, star anise, black

peppercorns, red wine vinegar and brown sugar.

as it boiled, the house smelled delicious.

i poured the mixture over the cherries and let

them sit. an hour later, before leaving for

the evening, i sampled one. it reminded me of

something. when we returned home, i had a second

and it hit me: it tasted like medicine. and now

i had a whole big batch of medicinal cherries.

as i tried to go to sleep that night, my mind

wandered back and forth: why can't i sleep?

why did i think the star anise was a good idea?

why didn't i just go with a flavor profile

that i knew i liked? wasn't pickling cherries

risky enough? i will never be able to wake

up in the morning. i should have made them spicy!

the next night, i surveyed the chiles at the market.

i was not feeling jalapenos or serranos - and if i

had been, i have a stockpile in a pot on our deck (yay

for keeping something alive!) - nor, was i into

the other options. as i placed the habanero

into a bag, i was pretty sure i was crazy and

seriously sadistic when it came to these cherries.

at home, i tossed together the habanero, now

halved, cinnamon sticks, white

wine vinegar, palm sugar, left over

from the sriracha, and salt. i boiled the mixture

together and poked the cherries

(smarter this time - i used only a portion of my

remaining quantity). this time i notice that

when you poke holes in the cherries,

they make a mess. when the mixture

had boiled for a couple minutes and cooled

slightly, i poured it on top of the fruits

and while i was scared of the spice, i already

knew this batch was a winner.

the other ones? they're ok.

in fact, i can see how someone who

is not me would really enjoy them.

but, the spicy cherries? they're the ones

i regret not making more of - and sadly,

that's now what's on my mind late at night

when i really should be asleep.

pickled cherries (times two)

i'm including both recipes because i know that just because the first version is not my favorite, it doesn't mean it can't be yours. in both recipes, i poked the cherries about four times with a fork, a trick i learned from the internet. this makes it easier for the brine to infiltrate the cherries and helps the cherries to release their own juices into the brine.

star anise, black peppercorn and brown sugar pickled cherries

adapted from shesimmers.com

i played around a lot with this recipe, changing the peppercorns, opting for brown sugar (and less of it) and eliminating the bay leaf and the fennel seeds, just to name a few. i also halved the amount of cherries, used two-thirds of the vinegar and did not reduce the brine.

2 cups red wine vinegar

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons granulated brown sugar

3 cinnamon sticks or 1 large cinnamon stick, broken into 3 pieces

2 pieces star anise

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 1/4 pounds cherries

in small saucepot, combine vinegar, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise and kosher salt. rub the peppercorns between your hands as you add the to the pot. over high heat, bring to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer 5 minutes. remove from heat; let cool 10 minutes.

meanwhile, using fork, poke cherries 4 times. place in bowl. pour slightly cooled brine mixture over cherries, pressing on cherries to make sure they're all under the brine. let sit at room temperature 2 hours. cover bowl tightly or transfer to a cleaned glass jar with lids. chill in fridge.

habanero, cinnamon and palm sugar pickled cherries

i will not lie - these are spicy. but, they were nowhere near as spicy as i feared they would be when i opted to use the habanero. i used one very long cinnamon stick, which i think is equivilant to about 3 normal size cinnamon sticks. this is the same amount i used for the first cherries, but because i used a lot less vinegar, the cinnamon was significantly more prominent. and, opted for palm sugar, because i had it in the fridge, but i'm sure you could use whichever sugar you have in the house. oh, and one last thing, i used two cups of cherries, but i'm pretty sure i could have used at least 1/2 cup more, if not a full cup for the amount of brine i had.

these cherries were great in a salad with arugula, pickled onions and goat cheese.

1 1/3 cups white wine vinegar

3 cinnamon sticks or 1 very long cinnamon stick, broken into three pieces

1 habanero pepper, halved

1/4 cup palm sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 packed cups cherries

in small saucepot, combine vinegar, cinnamon sticks, habanero pepper, palm sugar and kosher salt. bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. let cool 10 minutes.

meanwhile, using fork, poke each cherry 4 times. place cherries in a medium bowl. top with slightly cooled brine mixture, shaking slightly to make sure all the cherries are under the brine. let sit at least 2 hours at room temperature. transfer to a clean glass jar or cover bowl tightly. store in fridge.

orecchiette with arugula-caper pesto, roasted tomatoes and pistachio breadcrumbs

2011-07-10T21:17:00.001-04:00

there are times that i

think - even as i'm cooking,

even as i'm taking pictures -

that this is not a recipe worth

sharing with you. it's too

traditional, too thrown together

on a weeknight, too convoluted,

too unphotogenic, too...uninteresting.

but, i continue to cook the ingredients.

i continue to take pictures.

and usually, when it's all over and larry's

doing the dishes, i think yep, that was fine,

but, that was a dinner that was just for us:

no one will ever know about it.

but, other times, i take a bite,

still agreeing with my original

sentiment - that it's boring, simple,

fussy - but, also:

worth sharing.

and still, after all that, i almost

didn't write about this dish.

it's pasta with pesto, after all.

but, it was really good.

the arugula pesto, which should

have been bitter, was rounded out

with briny capers and roasted pistachios.

the kalamata olives added pockets of

saltiness and the roasted tomatoes

were bursting with garlicky sweetness.

they all came together thanks to the

toasted panko, pistachio and lemon zest

topping, which was sprinkled on

before serving.

and, i think, as i'm telling you about it,

that this pasta sounds both

expected and complicated.

but it's neither and it came together

quite quickly.

here's how:

i tossed some pistachios and panko

into the food processor, whirled them

around for a bit and then set them into

a pan over medium heat.

while one eye watched the

breadcrumbs, i pulsed the rest of the

nuts with garlic and cheese, pulsed in

arugula and capers and smoothed the

whole thing out with droplets of olive oil.

and, if we hadn't had a near oven fire - thanks

to a drippy packet of roasted garlic over the weekend -

here's what i would have done first:

i would have placed grape tomatoes in a dish,

with cloves of skin-on garlic,

olive oil, salt and pepper. i would have given

everything a good shake and then popped

them in the oven for about 4o minutes,

until their skins had burst,

the juice at the bottom was bubbly

and the garlic was tender.

but, we did have an incident that involved

a lot of smoke and so, instead, of starting with

that, i waited until larry came home from work

and very kindly gave the oven floor a scrub.

while they cooked, the breadcrumbs sat,

the flavors of the pesto melded together and

the pasta cooked. once they were out of the oven,

everything came together in less than five minutes.

so that was it.

kind of traditional.

kind of seemingly fussy.

kind of enjoyable.

hope you don't mind me sharing.

orecchiette with arugula-caper pesto, roasted tomatoes and pistachio breadcrumbs

there are a couple items of note in this recipe. first, the pistachios that i used were already roasted, so i was pretty careful when i toasted them with the breadcrumbs. however, if they had not been, i would have toasted the 1/3 cup i used for the pesto. secondly, i used the saltiness of the capers to mellow the bitterness of arugula (i didn't want a repeat version of this one). but, because i had a lot of arugula, i tossed some leaves into the pasta before mixing. this definitely ups the bitter quotient, so if that's not for you, don't feel that you need to add the extra arugula. and as with all pestos, feel free to mix and match the nuts or hard cheeses that you use.

2 cups grape tomatoes

5 large cloves garlic, (3 cloves unpeeled), divided

1/4 cup, plus 1/3 cup shelled pistachios, divided

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 lemon

olive oil (1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon, plus about 1/3 cup for pesto)

1/3 cup grated pecorino romano

2 packed cups baby arugula, plus one or two extra handfuls, divided

3 tablespoons caper brine

3 tablespoons capers

1 box (16 ounces) orecchiette

1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives

heat oven to 375˚f. in small dish (i used an 8 x 8 ceramic dish), combine tomatoes, unpeeled garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste. shake to coat tomatoes and garlic. bake 35-40 minutes, or until tomato skins have split and garlic is soft. when cool enough to handle, peel garlic (the cloves should slip out of their skin) and coarsely chop or mash; set aside.

in bowl of food processor, combine 1/4 cup pistachios and panko; pulse 10 times, or until pistachios are ground into tiny pebbles. in small skillet over medium heat, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil. add breadcrumb mixture and cook 3-4 minutes, or until golden and fragrant, stirring often. transfer mixture to a bowl; season with salt and pepper. using a grater, zest lemon over breadcrumbs; stir to combine and set aside.

wipe out bowl of food processor. in bowl, combine remaining peeled garlic, pecorino romano cheese and remaining pistachios; pulse 5 times or until coarsely combined. add 2 cups arugula arugula and capers; pulse again to combine. with motor running, very slowly drizzle in oil, until the mixture is a lighter shade of green, smooth and fluid (this usually takes about 1/3 cup, but could take up to 1/2 cup). set aside.

before tomatoes are finished roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook pasta according to the directions on the box, reserving 1 1/2 cups hot pasta water 2 minutes before draining pasta.

place the same pot you cooked the pasta in over medium heat; add about half the water and half the pesto. stir to combine. if the sauce seems overly watery, add a bit more pesto. if using, add the arugula leaves. add the pasta, the kalamata olives, the cooked tomatoes, the roasted garlic and any juices from the baking dish; toss gently to combine, adding additional pesto, if desired, and more of the pasta cooking water if the mixture seems too dry.

divide pasta among plates or bowls; sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture.

salt and vinegar potatoes

2011-06-12T18:13:00.004-04:00

sometimes i see a recipe and i'm

instantly angry at myself for not

thinking of it first.

that's how i felt over a year ago

when i saw

grilled salt & vinegar potatoes

on 101 cookbooks, just under

a year ago. it just seemed so

obvious - but really was it?

i'm embarrassed to admit it,

but even though, at the magazine,

we constantly infused potatoes

with everything from garlic and rosemary

to lemon, before mashing,

i never made the leap to slices.

or to liquid infusing.

or to recreating a potato chip.

but, i'm getting ahead of myself.

i like salt and vinegar potato chips.

when it comes to potato chips are

they my absolute? no. but, i enjoy

the occasional puckered torture.

when i saw this recipe, it just seemed

so smart. and, as is my new,

lease on life - pretty easy.

(not to say that i'm always taking

the simple way out. for some reason,

that i cannot explain, i spent most of last

week preparing fish tacos -

just for larry and i - for days.

on sunday, i shopped for the ingredients.

monday, before meeting my family

for dinner, i pickled the red onions.

tuesday, when i got home from work,

i broiled tomatillos, an onion, cloves

of garlic and a jalapeno

before throwing them into the

food processor with lime, cilantro and

scallions for salsa.

the next night (taco night),

i made a lime crema, then

marinated and cooked the fish.

so that's ok, but sometimes chopping an onion

and garlic and opening a can of tomatoes

for a crazy quick marinara

is just too much.

it's ok - i don't always understand me either.)

anyway, the potatoes.

they looked very fast and hard to mess up.

it was a very hot night and

i loved that they could be mostly prepped ahead

of time and then, only cooked for only 10 minutes on the

grill. and, i loved that the recipe

was made from very simple ingredients:

waxy potatoes,

white vinegar,

olive oil,

salt and pepper.

and here's what you have to do.

you slice the potatoes pretty thin,

and place them into a saucepot, already

filled with 2 whopping cups of vinegar.

once that mixture has been brought to

a boil, let them briefly simmer

and then turn off the heat.

after that? you walk away for 30 minutes to

cook something else. or if you're like me,

decide that all this hard work has earned

you the right to watch an episode of gilmore

girls that you've probably seen before.

when the time is up,

you drain the potatoes. again, if you're like me,

this is when you freak out, thinking that it is such

a waste to just throw out all that vinegar. but

then you remember that it's all potato starchy

and that if you're going to use it, this is probably

your only chance. so, you drain the potatoes over

a bowl, pour the vinegar back into the saucepot

and bring the whole thing to a boil. you're not

sure what you're going to do with the reduced

mixture - or with a house that smells of vinegar -

but at least you were not wasteful.

so then, you toss the potatoes with

olive oil, salt and pepper, taking care not to

crush them (and again, if you're like me,

this is the part you will be most afraid of,

but, i promise, you will be ok.)

next you'll throw the slices

(actually, maybe you'd

be better off carefully placing them -

i'm sad to say i lost a couple)

on the grill. cover and cook for

a few minutes before flipping

and repeating. and then,

sprinkle with salt. or if you're like me,

sprinkle them with

the sriracha salt you had to make

(but actually had no plans to actually use).

oh, and i almost forgot.

serve that reduced down vinegar on the side,

for dipping. maybe you'll be the only one

who feels like you need that extra kick.

maybe you'll be the only one who wants

to add a little torture. but, at least you

weren't wasteful.

salt and vinegar potatoes

adapted from 101 cookbooks

i really enjoyed these potatoes - they were a great side dish to a pretty bad main course (we're not talking about that, though) and they were fun. i think i probably could have simmered them for an extra minute or two and maybe grilled them for a minute less. but, nonetheless, they were good. and we enjoyed them.

2 cups white vinegar

1 pound waxy potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt or kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

sriracha salt or additional salt of your choosing

pour vinegar into medium saucepot. using sharp knife, cut potatoes into 1/4" slices, adding them to the vinegar as you cut, to prevent them from browning. make sure that the potatoes are completely submerged in the vinegar.

set saucepot on stove; bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, or until they are just fork tender. turn off heat and let potatoes sit 30 minutes. drain potatoes. (as i said above, at this point, i drained about a cup of vinegar into a bowl, returned it to the saucepot and boiled for about 15 minutes, or until reduced and slightly thicker. i used it as a very (obviously) vinegary dipping sauce. not necessary, but i liked the extra tang it gave to the potatoes.)

place potatoes in bowl; add olive oil, salt and pepper. toss to coat.

heat grill to medium-high. grill potatoes covered, 6-10 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown and marked on both sides. remove from grill; sprinkle with salt or sriracha salt.