snapshot: garlic scape butter

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.

roasted cauliflower, smoked paprika and cheddar frittata

two confessions:

first. i've been in kind of a

weird place lately.

i'm not sure if it's extreme

exhaustion brought on

by this commute that i thought

i could handle, a hint

of unhappiness in one or two

aspects of my life or as i

suspect, a combination of both.

usually, when i feel off,

cooking helps me get back on track.

it gives me something to focus on,

something that i know i can handle

and something that i can at least

in some way, predict the final outcome of -

all unlike uncertain times in life.

but, lately, even the idea of cooking

feels daunting. i imagine a lot of

chopping, sauteing while having

to keep a watchful eye, leftovers

that i need to find a container for

and aching feet.

i'm not used to this and it scares

me that i'm losing the one

thing that i've always relied on.

if my interest in cooking,

in researching recipes,

in putting a homemade dinner

on the table every night

is wavering,

what's next?

so there's that.

and the second secret: i use cooking spray.

it is uncool for so many reasons.

it's a chemical that i'm spraying all over

my food. it's a weird-flavored thing that

i'm spraying all over my food. but,

really, to me it's necessary.

i grew up in a

home that used oil and butter sparingly,

cream, never. as an adult, i've reached

a compromise between the responsible

calorie-saving side and the culinary-trained

side, using a combination of olive oil and

spray while learning which recipes don't

actually need oil at all. it's something

that i've always been hesitant to write about.

what will other people think?

but, if i was able to admit to you that i'm

doubting myself in some ways, i think

it's only fair that i cop to buying the largest

cooking spray that the store carries.

go ahead, judge me.

in the meantime,

i'll tell you about this frittata.

for my birthday, in august,

my mom gave me two great cookbooks:

good to the grain and plenty.

i've read both cover to cover several

times, but as is my new attitude apparently,

it all seemed so involved, such a commitment,

but, still so pretty, so tempting.

i've been torn.

last week,

in need of comfort, something

that required a low skill level and

a recipe that used a lot of ingredients

i already had in the house,

i landed on the smoky frittata in plenty.

it was an odd choice for me.

egg dishes don't entirely thrill me -

they're always so...eggy.

but this one had

golden cauliflower,

smoked paprika,

dijon mustard -

all ingredients that could

easily sway to me to overlook

the eggs (i was the kid who in

a mexican restaurant, ordered

a dish she had never heard of, with

ingredients she was so-so about,

just because it came with guacamole).

and, even better:

i knew i could handle it.

i would roast the cauliflower instead

of boiling, then browning in a pan.

i certainly could handle whisking

together a bunch of things in a bowl

and i was pretty sure that i could

bake the puffy omelet without burning it,

making a mockery of my

years in the kitchen in the process.

it felt good to drive home from

work, distracting myself on the ride

with ideas for the dinner, ultimately

deciding to use two mini cast iron

skillets instead of one large one. it

was nice to have a plan,

to walk into the kitchen, set the oven

to 400˚f and set to work cutting

the cauliflower into small florets.

it was a relief to realize that even

though i may feel inadequate a lot

lately, i still remembered to adjust

the racks to the top and bottom of

the oven and to divide the florets

evenly among two baking sheets

coated with cooking spray to

ensure that they browned

and didn't steam.

and while they were in the oven,

i changed around the rest of the recipe,

opting to whisk together all of the

flavor components first so that i

could taste and adjust,

before stirring in the raw egg.

i reduced the creme fraiche,

added horseradish, eliminated the smoky

mozzarella, increased the cheddar,

forgot about the chives (oops)

and added a few grains of smoked

salt that i purchased in temecula.

i think that's it.

and when the cauliflower came

out of the oven - and we resisted

the urge to just eat them all, as is - i

divided them between the cast iron

skillets and poured in the egg mixture,

sure that i would have extra.

i didn't. and they were really cute.

they looked so tiny,

hanging out over the flame on the stove,

but after the full 12 minutes in the oven,

placed on two plates they looked

beautiful - and huge.

the forkfuls,

alongside an arugula and apple salad,

were comforting and reassuring -

a promise that even though i'm still

not so willing to face

the stove with the same tenacity

i have in the past,

when i finally grab a knife,

it will be ok.

roasted cauliflower, smoked paprika and cheddar frittata

adapted from plenty

i will admit that even though i loved the look of the small cast iron pans, they produced frittatas that were huge - for me (larry was fine with the size). i was able to eat about half before i decided that i had had enough. the good news was that the omelet held up surprisingly well and was a nice lunch the next day. while it's true that i changed many elements, i think i still was able to maintain the smoky, cheesy essence of the dish.

plenty is written for a british kitchen - celsius, grams, etc. i converted to the best of my ability in this recipe.

1 medium head cauliflower, cored

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons creme fraiche

2 heaping tablespoons dijon mustard

1 tablespoon prepared grated white horseradish

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated and divided

6 large eggs

one pinch large grain smoked salt, ground fine with a mortar and pestle (optional)

adjust racks to top and bottom thirds of oven. heat oven to 400˚f.

cut cauliflower into small-medium florets; place in bowl. drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to combine. transfer cauliflower to two foil-lined baking sheets coated with cooking spray. if cauliflower looks dry, drizzle with olive oil or coat with cooking spray.

roast cauliflower 20-25 minutes, flipping cauliflower once and rotating baking sheets from top rack to bottom, or until golden brown and tender.

reduce oven temperature to 375˚f. place one rack back in the center of the oven.

meanwhile, in bowl, whisk together creme fraiche, mustard, horseradish, smoked paprika and 2 ounces grated cheddar cheese. taste and adjust, if necessary. in separate bowl (i used the cauliflower bowl), whisk eggs. pour into creme fraiche mixture and whisk to completely combine. season with a touch of salt and pepper, if desired.

coat one 10" cast iron skillet or two 5" cast iron skillets with cooking spray. evenly divide cauliflower between the two skillets to mostly cover the bottom of the skillet (i had extra, but roasted cauliflower never lasts very long in this house, so i wasn't worried). carefully divide egg mixture between the two skillets.

set skillet(s) over flame(s) set to medium. let cook 5 minutes, or until the bottom begins to set.

place on baking sheet. sprinkle with remaining cheese and smoked salt, if using.

carefully transfer baking sheet to oven. bake 8-12 minutes, or until the mixture is completely set. let sit 2-3 minutes before serving.

sweet potato, lentil and goat cheese salad

i was still in summer mode

when i opened the main page

of epicurious and was greeted

by this salad.

derailed from my original path

(i think it was for prune plums),

i clicked through to fall recipes,

showed amazing patience

when it took three pages to find

and then landed, finally at

the very fall-inspired dish.

it was one of those moments,

much like when i first saw this pie,

that i knew i would be making

the salad very soon.

it wasn't going to fall into

the print and lose

or

mentally filed away piles,

but instead, cooked as soon as

it made a modicum of sense

to set our oven back to its

winter mode: roast.

this past weekend,

i ransacked the bulk section

at the store, coming away

with what i hoped was

3/4 cup of french green lentils

and then on sunday,

headed to the farmer's market

in search of a sugar pumpkin.

none. and at the store an hour

later? none again.

i toyed with the idea of using

butternut squash - the

recipe had even said it was

an option - but when i saw

sweet potatoes, i knew

that was the obvious answer.

we are huge fans and i had

a feeling that, for us,

the salad would turn out

even better this way.

plus, pumpkins are tricky

to cut, a pain to peel

and messy to seed.

yes, this was a much

better option.

if i had any hesitation about

this salad, it was this:

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint.

i think it's fair to say that

i am anti-mint.

i do not like

mint chocolate chip ice cream

and over the years

i've done a very good

job at avoiding mojitos.

yet, as i walked past the

herbs, i lingered,

clinging close to the feeling

that recipe developers don't

add random ingredients just

for the fun of it. i consulted

with larry who agreed

that i should give the mint

a chance.

(fyi, i still stand

my ground on

parsley,

celery

and fennel

regardless of what future

recipe they show up in.)

i fell in love with the salad

before our first bites.

when we returned home

from the store,

hours before,

i had boiled the lentils

and roasted the sweet potatoes,

setting them aside in bowls until

it was time for dinner.

the sweet potatoes were slightly

smoky and spicy

thanks to the

cumin,

smoked paprika

and

cayenne.

i rewarmed the cubes slightly just

before making the salad -

for me, something that's warm always

seems heartier than it would cold.

as i slivered the mint

and placed everything in the bowl,

i just had that feeling -

that rare, but exciting, feeling -

that this was going to really work

and become a new favorite

in our house.

i loved how step-by-step it was,

how most of the ingredients

carried very little guilt with them

and how,

when tossed together,

everything just looked so right.

i'll admit,

that even after committing to the mint,

doubt still lingered.

but the fresh herb added

a really unexpected touch,

and i found myself craving a piece

with each bite.

i really, genuinely liked the mint

(so much so that just wait and see

what i did with the rest of it

for the next night's dinner).

sweet potato, lentil and goat cheese salad

adapted from bon appetit magazine

the original recipe called for sprinkling the pumpkin (or in this case, sweet potato) with hot smoked paprika. you know we love our smoked paprika, but we only had sweet smoked and i could not bring myself to buy a hot smoked, too. instead, i added cayenne. also, the original recipe called for one cup of goat cheese, which for our two person purposes seemed like quite a bit, so i reduced that and used a very exacting, four or five extra large handfuls of arugula leaves.

3/4 cup French green lentils

2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cubed into 1" pieces

3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2-3 good shakes of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large handfuls baby arugula

3/4 log (4 ounce) goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

heat oven to 375˚f.

place lentils in small bowl. cover with cold water and soak 10 minutes; drain. (um, i didn't realize until i just wrote this that i completely missed this step. obviously, i was still ok. i think.)

bring large saucepot of water to a boil; add salt. place lentils in boiling water and cook 30 minutes, or until tender, but firm. drain lentils. rinse with cold water until cool, shaking strainer. drain completely.

in large bowl, combine cubed sweet potato, 2 tablespoons olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. transfer sweet potatoes to single layer on foil-lined baking sheet. roast 20 minutes; turn (drizzling with olive oil or spraying, if necessary) and cook 10-15 minutes more, or until tender. cool on baking sheet.

just before serving: reheat sweet potatoes, if desired, in 350˚f degree oven for 5-10 minutes, or just until warm (not hot). in bowl, combine arugula, mint, half of the goat cheese, sweet potatoes, lentils, red wine vinegar and remaining olive oil (the recipe also instructed to use leftover oil from the baking sheet to make the dressing - i did not have any, which is why i slightly increased the amounts of the vinegar and oil).

divide salad amongst bowls; top with remaining crumbled goat cheese. garnish with mint leaves.