In A Nutshell

This recipe was inspired by Claudia Roden's beautiful cookbook  Arabesque ; it is so flavorful and is lovely with za'atar flatbread or pita. We are having a Middle Eastern cooking theme this March in conjunction with our friends Mike & Jackie (fantastic cooks, btw!!!) so it's been fun to try some different things. The plan is to get together after we are fully vaccinated and cook our favorites together. Tomorrow... homemade harissa! 1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced (roughly 1/2" dice) Evoo 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 1 t sugar 2 pints cherry tomatoes 1 1/2 T pomegranate molasses 14 oz. can chickpeas, drained chopped parsley Preheat oven to 425º; toss tomatoes and eggplant onto a rimmed baking half sheet pan and drizzle generously with olive oil. Salt and pepper as well- don't be stingy. Roast for 20-23 minutes or until everything looks nicely roasted and charred. Meanwhile in a large saucepan, heat the garlic and 1 T EVOO just until the garlic starts to...

The recipe comes from Saveur magazine; it was featured in an article about Georgian (the country, not the state) cuisine. The beets are absolutely delicious! I made a few little changes (namely roasting  peeled, cubed beets as well as using less oil and butter than the original recipe suggested). 4 medium beets, peeled and cubed in 1 1/2” chunks (roughly- don’t get the ruler out!) Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling on beets 1 T butter 1 T EVOO 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced 1/2 cup dried tart cherries (I used Montmorency tart cherries) 1 T lemon juice 2 T chopped cilantro 1 T chopped parsley  Preheat the oven to 400º; place the beets in a ceramic roasting dish and drizzle with EVOO; season with salt and pepper and cover with foil tightly. Roast for about 45 minutes and then remove the foil and continue roasting for another 15-30 minutes. Check on them after 15 to see if they are getting soft as well a...

My nephew Liam made this for our family reunion “tapas” night; I don’t think he had ever made a galette before but he dazzled us with his skills—it was absolutely delicious. The recipe originates from Taste of Home but he subbed in Gruyere cheese for the Pecorino. I have tried numerous different tomato tart recipes this summer but this one and the previously published  tomato tart  are my two favorites. This one in particular because of the simplicity and ease. 1 cup flour 1 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed 1/2 cup sour cream 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 3 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated In a food processor, pulse the flour, baking powder and salt a couple times to mix. Add the cubes of butter and pulse until this resembles coarse meal. Remove the mixture to a bowl and stir in the sour cream with a fork; gather into a disc and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425º; if you have a pizza stone, all the better! ...

Tomato season is glorious! I can’t get enough of the luscious garden tomatoes; like the rays of the summer sun, I just want to soak them up, revel in them and try to store away the joy they bring in order to conjure the memory during the darkest, gloomiest part of winter. I have 12 tomato plants this year and it has been fun growing some unusual varieties: Peach, Big Rainbow, German Green, Pink Brandywine as well as the standards. For this tart, I used the classic Beefsteak tomato. The reddest red with a pure tomato flavor. The recipe originates (with some adjustments) from Midwest Living magazine (June 2005); it is a classic to love and cherish. A note about the piecrust: I have tried so many different recipes, methods and techniques but in the end I love my own (very easy) recipe the most. I have been making this pretty successfully since high school and I’ve found that I only run into trouble when I try to deviate. Having said this, you can use your own recipe, one from ...

This is somewhat modified from a Food & Wine recipe. You won't believe how delicious this is---like a really awesome mac n' cheese! 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into 1" florets extra virgin olive oil Preheat the oven to 425º. On a rimmed baking sheet spread the cauliflower in one layer and drizzle with EVOO; sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes or so until nicely browned. 2 T butter 2 T EVOO 1 small onion, finely diced 2 cloves of garlic, minced or 1 t garlic powder 1/2 cup white wine 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan (6 oz.) 8 oz. stracchino (crescenza) cheese (I can only find this at Target) 1 lb orecchiete or shells 1/4 cup bread crumbs (or more if you like) Get a large pot of salted water going and preheat the oven to 450º. In a large skillet, melt the butter in the EVOO and sauté the onion and garlic, if using, until softened and lightly browned. Add the wine and boil until m...

 This recipe comes from Food Network Magazine- one of those Thanksgiving special publications. I made this two ways: one with rice and one with cauliflower rice to make it lower carb. Both were totally delicious. If you use cauliflower rice, buy the frozen bag (already riced) and using a tea towel, squeeze as much water out of it as humanly possible. If you have leftover cooked chicken, you can add that as well. 2 small acorn squash, halved and seeded olive oil for drizzling the squash 2 T butter 2 T flour 2 cups milk 1 cup ( very generous 1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese plus more for topping 1/2 t garlic powder 1/2 t onion powder 2 cups cooked rice (use a rice medley) or cauliflower rice 1- 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry. Preheat oven to 425º; on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle the acorn squash, cut side up, with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 35 minutes or until soft when pierced with a k...

Cauliflower rice is all the rage and with good reason! It's a delicious low-carb substitute for rice and believe me when I say, you won't miss the real stuff (this coming from someone who has never much liked the taste or smell of cauliflower). I really think of it as a vehicle for sopping up sauce or cheese or whatever delicious stuff you have on/in it! This is a variation of a Neelys recipe from Food Network. The key to keeping this from being a watery mess is to wring it out until you can't feel your hands. There is no other way.... sorry. 3 bags of frozen riced cauliflower, thawed (these are 12oz. bags from Trader Joe's) 1 small onion, minced 2 T butter 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 1/2 to 1 cup cream (this depends upon your dedication to the wringing process) 2 eggs 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus extra for the top 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley salt and pepper pinch of cayenne Preheat the oven to 375º. In a s...

 This is adapted from Food & Wine; you can either make the hummus and pizza dough from scratch or purchase those already prepared. Simple yet delicious. 1 lb pizza dough hummus (about 1 cup) shredded parmesan or ricotta salata for the top (I forgot that...) mixed greens, baby spinach, arugula vinaigrette For the vinaigrette : 3 T Champagne vinegar 1 T Dijon mustard 1/4 cup plus 1 T EVOO Whisk all ingredients and toss the greens with some vinaigrette. Preheat oven to 450º. Divide dough into 2 pieces and stretch out into an oval; bake on parchment paper for about 10-15 minutes until puffed and lightly browned. Spread a layer of hummus on each oval and top with lettuce.

This is a grain salad for olive lovers. Although I'll admit I was skeptical of the outcome, the combination of flavors is very good- don't leave out the walnuts-- they really make the salad! This recipe hinges on using your absolute favorite olives in the world (in my case, the spicy olives from the Whole Foods olive bar). I did not have golden raisins, so I can't in good faith vouch for that particular ingredient but I would guess that they would enhance the salad even further. Adapted from Food and Wine magazine. 1 1/4 cups farro, cooked according to package directions and cooled 1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted 2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped olives of your choice 4 scallions, chopped chopped chives 2 T golden raisins 1/2 t crushed red pepper 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 3 T lemon juice 1 T honey salt and pepper shaved Pecorino cheese, for serving (I forgot to do this) Combine the EVOO, CRP, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the remaini...

Delicious and healthy.... what more can I say? I used tangerine balsamic vinegar from The Olive Tap; if you can't find an orange balsamic vinegar, use regular and add grated zest from either an orange or a tangerine or clementine. 4 cups very finely chopped kale 1 small red onion, halved and sliced thinly dried cherries orange or clementine segments shredded parmesan cheese chopped toasted hazelnuts 1/4 cup tangerine balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil hearty pinch of salt freshly ground pepper 1/2 t honey 1/2 t dijon mustard Mix vinegar, EVOO, salt, pepper, honey and dijon in a large bowl with a whisk. Add the red onion and let it macerate while you are preparing the remaining ingredients. Add everything else except the cheese and the hazelnuts; let sit for about 20 minutes to soften. Add the nuts and cheese right before serving.

This recipe is slightly adapted from a long-ago issue of Midwest Living magazine; I used tomatoes from my parents' garden-- you can see the vibrant color and the taste of a home grown tomato is unparalleled. My brother recently told me that the most awesome (and truly foolproof) pie crust he has ever made came from Cook's Illustrated so I decided to try it out. He was totally right! CI has one of these irritating web sites where they actually expect you to PAY in order to use it!!! The nerve! Here is a link to the pie crust recipe ; you won't get the lengthy scientific explanation with the free version but you can trust that they've spent countless hours building humidity chambers to get this recipe right. 1 unbaked pie crust (1/2 recipe for a 9" pie)-- be sure to leave out the sugar for a savory tart; needless to say, I have a spare pie crust in the fridge because I didn't think of that the first time around..... 6 oz. shredded provolone or mozzarella c...

This is very fresh, very good with garden tomatoes and garden cucumbers (thanks Mom!). Comes from Rachel Ray magazine. 1 cup quinoa, rinsed 1/4 cup lemon juice 3 T EVOO 1/2 t allspice salt and pepper 1 diced and seeded cucumber 1 cup chopped garden tomatoes 1 large bunch parsley, washed well and finely chopped 5 radishes, small diced 4 green onions, sliced Cook quinoa in salted boiling water for 12 minutes; drain and cool somewhat (I'm never patient enough to wait until it's completely cool) . In a salad bowl whisk the lemon juice with the EVOO, allspice and plenty of salt and pepper. Add the remaining ingredients. This salad is really best eaten the day it's made.

This is another variation in the caprese salad series; it's a great starter and I feel could be eaten as a meal itself with a nice crusty bread. Very delicious and very easy. eggplant tomatoes, sliced buffalo mozzarella (available at Costco or use regular fresh mozzarella), sliced extra-virgin olive oil Maldon sea salt Using a paring knife, cut some narrow strips of skin off of the eggplant lenghtwise (to create a striped pattern). Cut into 3/4" slices and brush both sides with EVOO; sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Grill using a grill pan over high heat for about 5 minutes per side. Let cool to room temp.  Layer the eggplant, mozzarella and tomatoes and drizzle with EVOO. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

I can't even believe how much I LOVED this dish-- it's a fresh to death explosion of delicious flavor. It makes a great entree (throw a fried egg on top to make it more substantial) or can be a loving companion to grilled salmon (in my case, tandoori salmon ). The recipe calls for ordinary curry powder but I can't stand the stuff so I used tandoori spice (a premixed version). I will also give you a recipe for tandoori spice if you would prefer to make it yourself. If you like curry powder, still use the tandoori spice because I like that better. Best of all, the entire recipe, start to finish, takes about a total of 10 minutes! What could be better??? 3 T canola oil 1 small red or white onion, sliced 2 T finely chopped fresh ginger 1 T tandoori spice 1 t garam masala 1/8 t cayenne pepper 1 1/4 t salt 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen fire-roasted (do not drain) 8 oz. baby spinach 1/4 c chopped cilantro ...

I'm not super crazy about green beans- except when my mom makes them; my antidote to the problem of not liking certain vegetables is to roast them- anything tastes pretty good roasted with olive oil. This wound up being a really delicious salad and side dish. You could easily add other vegetables to it or make it a substantial course by adding leftover grilled chicken or a can of tuna. 1 14 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 lbs green beans (I used French green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces- although I was too lazy to do that) 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling 2 T chopped fresh chives 2 T capers, drained or rinsed if packed in salt zest of 1 lemon 2 T lemon juice 1/2 t kosher salt freshly ground pepper 1/2 t Aleppo pepper flakes Drizzle the green beans with some EVOO and roast in a 425º oven for about 25 minutes; alternatively you can steam them or saute them. Just cook them somehow! Put the chickpeas and green beans in a bowl....

This is a very fresh, easy and healthy salad; it is a good accompaniment to any grilled meat or fish. 2 medium zucchini, ends cut off 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 T extra-virgin olive oil toasted, chopped hazelnuts shaved Manchego or Parmesan cheese Maldon sea salt Whisk the lemon juice and EVOO in a little bowl. Shave strips of zucchini lengthwise using a potato peeler (this gets difficult as you get near the end). Toss the zucchini strips with the dressing mixture; sprinkle with sea salt flakes, shaved cheese and hazelnuts.

This is such a nice summer sandwich; the pesto recipe is adapted from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis . I like that it's a little less garlicky than other pesto recipes. For the pesto: 3 scant cups basil leaves 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts 1 garlic clove zest of 1/2 lemon juice of 1/2 lemon 1/2 t salt freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup grated parmesan cheese Process the first 7 ingredients until finely chopped; add the EVOO in a steady stream while the machine is running and then pulse in the cheese. For the sandwich : pesto fresh mozzarella good tomatoes (garden or heirloom) arugula baguette or ciabatta Spread a layer of pesto on the bread, to taste. Layer the remaining ingredients. I'm thinking you could unvegetarian it by adding a little bacon or prosciutto but it's quite delicious as is. We ate these with a supremely delicious drink made of rosé wine that my sister-in-law Jennifer made.

This is adapted from Fine Cooking magazine; I like to serve the avocado alongside the salad so that it doesn't get all muddled and mushy in there. You can add leftover grilled chicken and make it an entree salad. 6 ears corn, grilled (grill for about 12 minutes, turning occasionally) and cooled 1/2 red onion, finely diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1-15 1/2 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained chopped cilantro, to taste 2 to 3 oz. queso fresco, grated (to taste) 6 T extra virgin olive oil 2 T cider vinegar 1 T lime juice 1 t salt freshly ground pepper sliced avocado Whisk the EVOO, cider vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the diced red onion and let it mellow. Meanwhile, cut the corn off the cob; add to the dressing along with the remaining ingredients. Slice some avocado alongside if desired.

This salad comes from Food & Wine magazine; you need a flat grill pan with holes in it in order to grill the onions and broccoli. If you don't have that, you can always roast the broccoli in the oven at a high temperature until it's nice and charred along with the onion. This salad is best eaten the same day as the tomatoes do not age well in the refrigerator. You can, however, grill the broccoli and onion the day before to get a head start. 2 large heads of broccoli (about 2 lbs), cut into pieces 1 large red onion, cut crosswise into thick slices 1 lb tomatoes, cut into 1" chunks (I used the brown tomatoes from the store since there are no garden tomatoes yet and these seem to have the most flavor) 2 T extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling over the broccoli and red onion 2 1/2 T red wine vinegar kosher salt and pepper grated or shaved ricotta salata (or any other grated or shaved cheese you like) Heat your grill; drizzle the onions and broccoli w...

We have a pizzeria in my home town of Homewood called Aurelio's that serves the absolute best spinach calabrese ever! The dough tastes almost like a pastry it's so tender. I do not believe that it is possible to duplicate it at home however, this attempt was delicious even so. I think I had the filling right but I will continue to try different methods with the dough to see if I can get it closer to the real thing. My mom has made several really awesome spinach calzones over the years, but she never uses a recipe so it's almost as impossible to duplicate hers as it is Aurelio's. She did give me the tip to marinate the spinach rather than saute it which turned out perfect. Early in the day : 8 oz. fresh baby spinach 3 T extra-virgin olive oil pinch of crushed red pepper 1 t garlic powder (granulated garlic is what I have- is that the same thing as powder?) salt and pepper Toss all this together and let it sit on the counter. It will wilt as the day goes on. ...