Balsamic-Glazed Carrots with Lentils, Herbs and Goat Cheese

Little did I know when I moved into my new flat that it would be dangerously close to Ottolenghi, one of my new favorite places to go for brunch or to get takeaway from. They have the most appealing spread of baked goods and salads displayed in their window, and I have rarely walked out of there without dropping 20 quid on various treats. This salad is inspired by one I tried there a few weeks ago. I put everything on a bed of wild rocket, but if you do so be sure to dress the rocket so that the salad is not too dry. This dish can be served warm or cold, and is good with the addition of walnuts as well.

Ingredients:

• lentils, rinsed and drained
• butter (I used goat's milk butter because it's all I had on hand -- don't judge!)
• carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch batons
• honey
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• herbs (I used a mix of dill, parsley, oregano, and lemon thyme)
• goat cheese
• wild rocket (optional)
• walnuts (optional)

Steps:

1.  Cook the lentils in salted water according to package instructions. (I boiled them for 10 minutes, then simmered them for 20 minutes before draining the liquid.) Set aside. 
2. Heat the butter in a saucepan and sauté the carrots for 6 minutes. Add the honey, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and cook another 5 minutes, until slightly caramelized and tender.  (I used equal parts butter, honey and balsamic vinegar - about 3 T each for approximately 1 pound of carrots.)
3. While the carrots are cooking, toss the lentils with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, additional salt and pepper to taste, then mix in the fresh herbs. Dress rocket in the same manner, if using.
4. To assemble, place the rocket on a plate, top with the lentils, carrots, crumbled goat cheese, and walnuts (if using), then drizzle with additional balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 

Serving size varies

Garlic and Paprika Braised Green Beans with Fried Eggs

Having just moved to a small studio in London with a kitchen the size of my old bathroom and no dishwasher (for the first time ever!), I am going to be posting more simple recipes that do not require a lot of equipment, counter space, or clean up time. This dish fits the bill perfectly: green beans are braised with a garlicky olive oil and smoked paprika, then topped with eggs fried in the same pan with the addition of extra olive oil and paprika. This comes together in about 15 minutes if the green beans are already trimmed.

Ingredients:

• olive oil (I used lemon infused olive oil)
• garlic
• smoked paprika
• green beans
• 2-3 eggs
• parmesan cheese (Manchego or another Spanish cheese would probably be better suited to this dish if you have any on hand)
• bread, for serving

Steps:

1. Sauté the garlic in hot olive oil for a few minutes, then add the green beans, salt, black pepper, and paprika and sauté for 2-3 minutes until slightly browned. Add water (and/or white wine, if you wish) to partially cover the beans, then cover and braise for 5-7 minutes, until to your desired tenderness. 
2. Once the beans are done, transfer them to a serving platter or plate with the sauce (there should not be much liquid). Add more olive oil and paprika to the pan and fry the eggs, covered, for about 2 minutes until the whites are cooked and the yolks are still runny. 
3. Place the eggs on the green beans, top with shaved cheese, and serve with crusty bread.

Serves 1

Thomas Keller's Roast Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

 

Ingredients:

• 1 (2½ - 3 lb) chicken
• 1 lb fingerling or marble potatoes
• olive oil
• fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic
• whole grain mustard

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 450˚F
2. Bring the chicken to room temperature before roasting and dry THOROUGHLY with paper towels, inside and out
3. Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper, and stuff it with the garlic and thyme sprigs
4. Truss the chicken
5. Season liberally with 1 T of salt, and black pepper
6. Roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes
7. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before serving
8. Serve sprinkled with thyme and with mustard on the side

While the chicken is resting:

1. Increase the oven temperature to 500˚F
2. Toss the potatoes with chicken drippings from the roasting pan, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme
3. Roast 20 - 30 minutes (depending on size of potatoes)

Salad with Steak, Blue Cheese, Walnuts, Dried Cranberries, and Raspberry Dressing

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb flank steak, seasoned and marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 5 oz salad mix
• Raspberry dressing, to taste

Steps:

1. Grill the steak until medium rare and let rest 5-10 minutes
2. Mix remaining ingredients together and toss salad with dressing to taste
3. Thinly slice the steak and place on salad
4. Sprinkle with additional blue cheese if desired

Serves 2

Linguine with Lobster, Spicy Cherry Tomato Sauce, and Mint

Inspired by a recipe from The Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb linguine
• 2 spiny lobster tails, cooked and chopped
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• red chili flakes, to taste
• About 1/4 cup mint, sliced

Steps:

1. Cook linguine in a pot of boiling salted water until just short of al dente
2. While bringing water to a boil, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until softened, then add wine and boil until reduced
3. Add halved tomatoes, chili flakes, S&P, and mint, and simmer until reduced to a sauce-like consistency
4. Add pasta and lobster to sauce and cook until pasta is al dente
5. Adjust seasoning and add mint as necessary

Serves 2

My pizza dough + a chanterelle feast!

Anyone who knows me is well aware that pizza is one of my favorite foods. Not the cheesy, stuffed crust, over-the-top American pizza, but the thin, crispy, blistered Italian pizza with minimal toppings and maximum taste. I try to make pizza every week, and do my best to replicate the wood-fired pizzas I crave with my pizza stone and my oven turned up to 550°F. After trying dozens of recipes in high school and tweaking them over the years, I’ve found a dough recipe that works consistently well and has become my staple.

As far as toppings go, I tend to be more creative. While I love a traditional pizza margherita, lately I have been inspired by one of my favorite restaurants, Pizzeria Mozza, to create more unusual pizzas, such as this pizza with chanterelles, leeks and prosciutto. Chanterelles are my favorite mushrooms (I’m part Finnish, what can I say?) and it is very hard to find good ones in Southern California. I was shocked the other day when I found a package of the gorgeous orange mushrooms at a Costco of all places! Intrigued, I had to take a box home with me. The mushrooms were delicious—not quite as good as what they have in Finland and Sweden, but definitely the best chanterelles I’ve had in the states. If you find chanterelles the next time you’re at Costco, I’d recommend taking a box home with you!



Basic Pizza Dough

Makes 2-4 pizzas, enough for 4 servings

Note: I use a pizza stone to get the best results, but you could also use a regular baking sheet. If you use the latter, set it on the middle rack of the oven so that the bottom of the pizza doesn’t burn. You could also complete steps 1-4 and freeze the dough for later use. Just thaw the dough the day you want to use it and proceed from step 5 on.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
• 1 cup water, divided
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ cup whole wheat flour, barley flour, or rye flour
• 2 - 2 ½ cups all purpose or bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Steps:

1. Heat 1/3 cup of the water until just warmer than body temperature (I use the microwave). Mix in the sugar and stir to dissolve. Stir in the yeast and let sit until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
2. Mix the ½ cup of whole wheat flour, 2 cups of the white flour, and salt in the mixing bowl of a KitchenAid or in a large bowl. Add the remaining 2/3 cup water, olive oil, and yeast mixture to the bowl. Mix using the dough hook of a KitchenAid or knead by hand until the dough comes together, adding a little bit of flour at a time if needed. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl with a towel and set the dough aside to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size. (Note: In cooler weather, I like to turn on the oven briefly just to warm it up a bit, turn it off and stick the dough in there to rise for the first 20-30 minutes. The warmth helps the dough rise. Make sure to take out the dough before preheating the oven though!)
3. Stick a pizza stone (if you have one) on the lowest rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 550°F or as hot as it will go. It will take at least 30 minutes for the oven to heat up, so plan accordingly.
4. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and put it on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 2-4 pieces, depending on how large you want your pizza to be, and leave to rest for 10 minutes, covered with the towel.
5. Make sure all of your toppings are ready and accessible. Pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a small bowl and get out a pastry brush or a small spoon.
6. Roll out one pizza dough at a time to about ¼ inch thickness. Take the pizza stone out of the oven and place the pizza dough directly on it. Working quickly, brush the edges with olive oil (or drizzle the oil over with a spoon) and sprinkle with coarse or flaky salt. Place the toppings on the pizza and stick the stone back in the oven. Bake the pizza for 6-10 minutes, until the cheese is browned and the crust is crispy.
7. Just before the pizza is finished, roll out the next pizza dough. Then when you pull out the finished pizza and the stone, you can quickly transfer the cooked pizza to a cutting board and place the pizza dough on the stone and repeat the process until all of the pizzas are finished.

To make the topping, I sautéed 1 pound of chanterelles (after cleaning them and slicing the large pieces in half lengthwise) in butter over medium heat until all the liquid they released was gone and they were soft and browned, about 10 minutes. I sautéed sliced leeks in a separate pan until softened, and seasoned both the leeks and the chanterelles with salt and pepper. I scattered the leeks, chanterelles, prosciutto and fresh mozzarella over the pizza. If you can’t find chanterelles, any mushroom would work for this dish, such as crimini, oyster, portabella, or even simple button mushrooms. The mushrooms and leeks would also be good over pasta or in risotto with parmesan or truffled cheese.