Spaghetti with Tapenade Beet Greens and Shaved Beet and Parmesan Salad

July 27, 2011 in Pasta, Salad, Vegetables | Permalink

This is a very quick and economical meal that uses both parts of the beet. You should start with a beautiful bunch of beets. You will get best results from using Chiogga beets, that I have used here, or golden beets – the red ones make everything red. Choose beets that have fresh leafy greens.

The greens in the pasta sauce are made yummy by the magical mediterranean flavours of anchovies, capers, garlic and olives. I keep these ingredients on hand all the times, because I know I can use them to enhance the flavours of any vegetable or protein in a wide variety of ways. If you follow this blog you will see I use these ingredients a LOT.

The crunchy, earthy sweetness of raw beets balance perfectly with the parmesan and capers. This salad is also goes well beside any protein or with soup for a light lunch.

Serves 4

Shaved Beet and Parmesan Salad

5 medium beets

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp or more capers, rinsed.

2/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese (do this with a peeler)

salt

pepper

Peel the beets and slice very thin with a mandolin or shave with a peeler.

Toss the beets with the lemon juice in a small bowl, and let marinate 20-30. Drain the lemon juice from the beets and toss them with the capers and Parmesan. Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and pour over the beets.

 

Spaghetti with Tapenade Beet Greens

3 tbsp good quality bread crumbs

greens from 5 beets

400 grams spaghetti or linguine

3 tbsp olive oil

4 anchovies filets, finely chopped

2tbsp capers, finely chopped

2/3 cup Kalamata olives, finely chopped

Set a large pot of well salted water to boil and preheat the oven to 150 F. Spread the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, shaking the pan every few minutes.

Wash and steam the greens until tender, 5-10 minutes. Drain well, squeezing out most of the liquid and chop roughly..

Drop the pasta in boiling water.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the garlic. Just as it starts to brown stir in the anchovies, lower the heat a bit, and cook for a couple of minutes mashing the anchovies with a fork until they dissolve.

Raise the heat back to medium, add the beet greens, and saute for 2-3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the chopped capers and olives, and cover.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce and toasted breadcrumbs.

 

 

 

 

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Oh Noooooo!!!

May 22, 2011 in Lunch | Permalink

My blog blew up.

Due to some very unfortunate technical issue my blog needs to be reconstructed from scratch. Ugh!

I will try to have all the recipes and posts back up by the end of the week.

Shaved Asparagus Salad with an Egg

May 15, 2011 in Eggs, Vegetables | Permalink

 

Pretty huh? A perfect egg in it’s nest of Spring’s first asparagus. These ones are grown on here on Salt Spring and they were probably picked that morning. As soon as I bought my (expensive) little bundle I started fantasizing about the shaved asparagus and Parmesan salad that was such an addiction last season. When the idea of it serving it with a medium boiled egg and some anchovy came to me, I did a little dance (I was home by then). It is truly a sublime combination.

Blanching the shaved asparagus in salted water for a minute or two gives the shaved asparagus a gorgeous bright green colour and maximizes the flavour and texture. It should be firm but not crunchy. I like asparagus prepared this way so much that I feel if I did it any other way, I’d be wasting it. Choose big fat ones so they are easy to shave.

I won’t gush too much again about the glorious farm stand eggs I get here, but look at the colour of those yolks! There is a technique in this recipe that produces perfect medium boiled eggs every time. If you’ve looked at any other of my recipes you might have guessed that I like anchovies, and they really seem to belong here. If you really can’t do them, strips of prosciutto would also work well.

I got so excited about photographing and tasting this little springtime gem it that I forgot to dress it before shooting. Only when I took my first bite did I realize, and by then I had ruined the plating. Just imagine it drizzled with golden mustardy dressing.

Shaved Asparagus Salad with an Egg

1/8 tsp minced garlic
salt
Dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil

4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
11/2 – 2 lb thick asparagus
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and cut into
matchsticks

Prepare the dressing. Mince the garlic with a few pinches of salt. Press down and scrape towards you with the side of your knife until it forms a paste. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic paste, mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Place the eggs in a pot of cold water, cover, and bring to a boil. As soon as the water starts boiling, remove from the heat and let sit for 6 minutes. When the time is up, drain the hot water from the pot and fill with cold water. Allow the eggs to cool for a few minutes and remove from water. Peel them and slice in half lengthwise. If possible, save this last step until just before serving so the eggs stay a bit warm.

Put some salted water on to boil for steaming the asparagus taking the time for the water to heat up to prep it. Remove the hard but ends. Holding a vegetable peeler at a 45 degree angle and starting about 2 inches from the base, shave the stalks rotating them slightly after every couple of cuts. Steam the shavings for 2 minutes until wilted and bright green. Strain and rinse with cold water. When it cools a bit, very gently squeeze out the extra liquid by hand.

In a mixing bowl, toss the Parmesan and asparagus shavings together. Compose the salad by making individual nests of this mixture with a sliced egg in the middle. Garnish the egg slices with anchovy strips and drizzle the whole thing with dressing.

Artichoke and Nettle Frittata

April 17, 2011 in Eggs, Vegetables | Permalink

These have been long weeks of household sickness, not blogging, and eating a lot of nettles.  Harvesting them from a patch in front of my cabin has been pure spring bliss. I love foraging. I’ve been making souffles with them for the first time, but I don’t think that recipe is ready for prime time yet. Steamed nettles with olive oil and capers is also a new simple way I’ve been enjoying them but my most exciting discovery has been how well they compliment artichokes in a frittata.

Even if you have to content yourself with mediocre supermarket artichokes, as I do, you’ll find nettles will greatly enhance their flavour, and they add a needed brightness to the grayish green of the artichokes. Artichokes are one of the only vegetables I buy non-organic and that’s just because I have no choice – I can’t live without them. I dream of the market stalls in Italy full of gorgeous purple ones with their long stalks and vicious spikes, tender enough to eat raw dipped in olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper.

I am writing this late in the nettle season, so if you are fortunate enough to have some growing close by, get out there and pick some soon. If you do not have access to nettles, I encourage you to try this recipe with just the artichokes and a bit of parsley sauteed with the garlic and artichoke slices. In my opinion, artichoke frittatas stand above the rest… except the ones with shaved fresh truffles.

Artichoke and Nettle Frittata

2 artichokes
1 lemon
1 tsp garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb nettles
salt
fresh ground pepper
4 eggs
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp grape seed oil (or other vegetable oil)

Trim the artichokes and place in a bowl of water and lemon juice. If you are unsure how trim an artichoke, there is an excellent illustrated guide at here.  Cut the trimmed artichokes into quarters and and then into very thin slices returning them to the lemon water as you go. Make sure to rub the cut edges often with the lemon to keep avoid discolouration.

Saute the garlic over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. then drain and add the artichokes. Cook for a few more minutes stirring and coating the slices with oil. Pour in 1/3 cup water, cover the pan, and cook at a low simmer for 15-20 minutes until the artichokes are tender. If there is liquid left when they are done, raise the heat and boil it off. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

While the artichokes are cooking, wash the nettles in three changes of water and place in a pot with 1 cup of water and a few pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes until soft. Drain, let cool squeeze out excess liquid and chop.

Heat the oil and butter in a medium sized cast iron or stainless steel frying pan over medium heat. In a bowl big enough for all the ingredients, beat the eggs and cheese until combined then stir in the artichokes and nettles. Season with salt and pepper. When the butter foam subsides, pour in the frittata mixture and turn the heat to medium-low.

Turn on the broiler. when the frittata has set on the bottom, but before it browns, place the pan under the broiler leaving the over door halfway open. If the handle of your pan is plastic, just face the handle out and not directly under the element and it will be fine. It should only take less than a minute until the top sets and it is done. Serve with a salad for a lovely light meal. .

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Braised Lamb Shanks with Artichokes, Olives and Polenta

April 15, 2011 in Meat, Vegetables | Permalink

This weekend I decided to try out some more of that fantastic Farrias Farm grass fed lamb. This time – the shank. When I realized that I’d forgotten to put the cannelinni beans to soak that I was going to use for my braised lamb, I flipped through some cookbooks to get some other ideas. I found a recipe for Lamb and Artichoke stew in one of Marcella Hazan books that I decided to adapt. It sounded like a great combination and would be perfect served on a bed of golden polenta. Don’t let making polenta scare you; it’s easy, and the stirring can happen while you are doing other things in the kitchen. For me, there is nothing better with braised meat.

Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables. I’ve loved them from a very young age when my mother would steam them whole and serve them with lemon butter for fancy dinners. My years in Italy opened up a world of artichokes previously unknown to me. There I found beautiful purple ones sold with their long stems still attached, miniature ones, and ones that were especially good when eaten raw. I didn’t even know you could eat them raw, or that you could trim them down to just the edible part and cook them many different ways. Unfortunately the artichokes in Canada aren’t that wonderful, are almost impossible to get organic, and are expensive. When tallying the cost of the artichokes, don’t forget that this dish uses an economical cut of meat. and is very, very delicious.

This is now my favorite lamb stew.

Braised Lamb Shanks with Artichokes Olives and Polenta

Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 lamb shanks

3 tbsp chopped onions

3 tbsp garlic

3/4 cup white wine

1 tsp fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried

salt and pepper

3 tbsp tomato paste dissolved in 3/4 cup water

1 lemon (juice and zest)

4 fresh artichokes

3 tbsp chopped Kalamata olives

for the polenta:

3 cups water

1 cup polenta

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tbsp butter

In a heavy bottomed saucepan that can later accommodate the shanks, saute the onions with the oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the garlic, give a couple of stirs, then add the lamb and brown on all sides. Add the wine, oregano, salt and pepper, allow to boil for a minute, then add the tomato paste and water mixture. Turn the heat to minimum, cover, and cook for 1 hour, turning the shanks 3 or 4 times. The liquid should barely be bubbling.

In the meantime, trim the artichokes, cut into 1/2 inch wedges and place in a bowl of water and lemon juice . When the lamb has cooked for an an hour, transfer the shanks to a cutting board, take the meat off the bone and cut into chunks. Return the meat to the pot along with the artichokes, raise the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the artichokes are tender. Add the olives about 5 minutes before every thing is done.

I suggest starting the polenta just after you’ve added the artichokes to the stew.

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil, and add the polenta and salt. Turn the heat to low and cook, stirring avery couple of minutes with a long wooden spoon, for 30 minutes. Off the heat and stir in the butter.

Spread the polenta on the plates or a platter, pour the stew on top, and finish with grated lemon zest.

 

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Lemon and Parsley Chicken – Spicy Swiss Chard – Potato and Shallot Mash

February 12, 2011 in Meat, Vegetables | Permalink

My friend Clare asked me for a recipe for chicken breasts, saying that she is tired of the usual things she does with them. I’m sure many of you feel the same way. Personally, I make this recipe almost every time I have chicken, and I’ve been making it like this for 30 years. This recipe based on one of the first Marcella Hazan recipes I ever tried. After making it hundreds of times, it has mutated into a version with more lemon and parsley, and the added step of dredging the chicken in flour before frying.

The key to this dish is in Marcella’s thin slicing technique and fast cooking. The result is very tender and delicate.  In the summer, if I find a gorgeous bunch of dill at the market, I’ll use that instead of the parsley. It gives the dish a whole new character and asks for more summery vegetables to be served with it.

I made this for my parents when they came to visit a few months ago and they loved it. My mom asked what was in it, and after I told her, she said it sounded like more than that. A great dish is more than the sum of it’s parts. Simple recipes, to taste their best, call for high quality ingredients. Get the best quality meat you can. For me this means organic, or even better, from a local farm. It’s not hard for me to spend a bit more on meat because I only eat it once or twice a week.

Cooked greens and mashed potatoes go naturally with this chicken. I decided to do chard, my favorite, and spice it up with a bit with chili and capers – it turned out perfectly. I also thought I’d do something a little different with the mash. That didn’t turn out so well…

I was inspired by all the beautiful root vegetables at the farm stand, so I bought some rutabaga and parsnips along with my potatoes, intending to make a mixed root vegetable mash. After I started smelling the vegetables as they were steaming, I decided the rutabaga was too sweet and overpowering and that what I really wanted was just mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, the potatoes from the farm stand were waxy instead of floury and my mashed potatoes ended up pretty gluey. I hate when that happens, but part of cooking is making mistakes. Don’t worry, if you buy a good starchy potato and use a light touch while mashing, this way of preparing them is delicious.

serves 4

Lemon and Parsley Chicken

3 chicken breasts

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp butter

1/3 cup flour (for dredging)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Skin the chicken breasts, separate the tenderloin, remove the white tendon, and set aside. Press the breast down firmly with the palm of your hand, and with a very sharp, thin bladed knife, slice the chicken horizontally into two of three thin slices. Put your eyes level with the cutting board to make sure you’re slicing straight across.

Heat the oil and 2 tbsp of the butter in a heavy bottomed skillet on medium high until very hot. Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour (do not do this until just before frying) and fry in batches until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate when done. They should only take a minute or two on on each side. After removing the last batch, turn the heat down to medium, add the parsley, stir for 1 minute, then add the lemon juice. Stir the lemon juice for 2 minutes until reduced a bit, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any cooking residue. Turn off the heat, swirl in the remaining tablespoon of butter, and return the chicken to the pan with it’s juices. Season with salt and pepper, and turn the chicken pieces in the sauce until well coated.

Spicy Swiss Chard

2 bunches swiss chard

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/8 tsp dried chili, minced with seeds removed

2 tbsp capers

salt

Wash the chard well, remove the leaves from the stalks, and tear into medium sized pieces. Steam until tender. In a saucepan that can later accommodate the greens, saute the chili in the olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the chard and mix well, cooking for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in the capers and a few squirts of lemon juice. Season with salt and serve warm or at room temperature.

Potato and Shallot Mash

2 lb Russet or Idaho potato

3 tbsp butter

1/4 cup chopped shallots

1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper

Boil potatoes with their skins on until tender. Let cool and peel.

Saute the shallots in the butter over med-high heat. When they have browned a bit,

turn the heat to low, add the milk and potatoes and mash. Season with salt and pepper.

 

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Potato and Fennel Salad

December 28, 2010 in Lunch, Salad, Vegetables | Permalink

I took this dish to a potluck and it got such a good reaction that I decided to post the recipe. This is a potato salad I’ve been making for decades that has gradually refined itself into this version. It makes a nice change for those used to a mayonnaise based potato salad.

To make it special, I thought I’d go to one of my favorite Island farm stands to get the potatoes. Bonacre farms is an amazing spot and has a great winter harvest. I’d already been to my egg stand the other day, and I had the rest of my familiar staples on hand. The fennel was organic from California via the supermarket.

If you can’t get fennel, don’t let that stop you from making this – it’s still delicious without it!

Potato and Fennel Salad with Olive Oil and Lemon Dressing

1 1/2 lb potatoes

2 eggs

1 fennel bulb, sliced crosswise very thinly.

1/3 sup chopped olives

2 tbsp chopped capers

3 tbsp chopped fennel fronds

1tbsp olive oil

For the dressing:

1/8 tsp garlic

1/8 tsp salt

1 anchovy fillet

1 tbsp lemon juice

4 tbsp olive oil

pepper

 

Boil the potatoes, in their skins, for 20-30 minutes until done. Drain and let cool a bit.

While the potatoes are cooking, place the eggs in a pot of cold water. Cover, bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and let stand for 11 minutes. Drain and let rest in cool water.

While the eggs are cooking, mince and mash the garlic, salt and anchovy fillet together to to form a paste. Mash with the side of a wide bladed knife.

In a salad bowl, whisk together the paste, lemon juice, pepper, and 4 tbsp olive oil. Stir in the capers and olives.

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks and toss with the dressing; they should still be warm. Peel and chop the eggs. When the potatoes have cooled almost to room temperature, add the fennel, fronds, and another tablespoon of oil. Taste for seasoning and serve.

 

 

 

 

 

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Sage and Anchovy Fritters

December 27, 2010 in Antipasti | Permalink

I was reminded of these little morsels when I came across them in Jamie Oliver’s “Cook with Jamie”. I remember having stuffed, fried sage at parties in Florence. It’s a classic Tuscan antipasto, and one that begs for a cold glass of white wine – it’s a good thing you’ll need some for this recipe. Prosecco would be even better, especially since we’re approaching that time of year. There’s something really winter festive about these.

Jamie’s batter seemed a bit complex to me, so I decided to try a variation on a batter that Marcella Hazan uses to coat fried zucchini. It consists of only flour and water, but here I’ve substituted half the water for white wine; it works really well.

I strongly suggest grape seed oil for frying anything. It is light and has a very low smoking point and purported health benefits. It is also not genetically modified like canola or corn. It’s what the Italians use.

If you really, really can’t bring yourself to like anchovies, you can replace them with a sliver of fresh mozzarella; or do half and half. Soaking them in milk beforehand helps tone down the saltiness.

This recipe makes two dozen but I suggest you make as many as you can – they are highly addictive.

Sage and Anchovy Fritters

vegetable oil for frying (I recommend grape seed oil)

48 large sage leaves

8 anchovy fillets, soaked for 1/2 an hour in milk and cut into thirds

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup white wine or Prosecco

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 lemon

Put a large skillet on med-high heat and pour in 1/4 inch of oil. Wash the sage and set to drain on a cloth or paper towel.

In a small bowl, gradually add the wine and water to the flour and salt while whisking with a fork. It should be smooth with the density of wallpaper paste. Add more water or flour as needed to achieve this consistency.

Sandwich an anchovy piece between two leaves and press down firmly to seal. Set them all up like this.

By now the oil should be hot. Dip each sage sandwich in the batter, coating them thickly and evenly. Fry in batches without crowding the pan, turning when browned. Drain on a rack or paper towel. Toss with salt and a squeeze of lemon.

 

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