RECIPE | new potato salad + lemon rosemary pine nut pesto

I am unable to follow recipes. I have an uncontrollable urge to try to improve any recipe I come across, even if it is my first time making something. Sometimes that gets me in trouble (most often in baking where ratios need to be adhered to), but other times it results in developing something that becomes a kitchen staple, like my chocolate peanut butter muffins or this lemon rosemary pine nut pesto. I first made this for my cooking club as part of the grilled pear and goat cheese crostini recipe in Ottolenghi's Plenty, but immediately felt the need to augment the plain pine nut, olive oil and garlic spread with lemon and rosemary. (A combination I have written about before.) The resulting pesto has so much more use than as just a simple crostini spread, pairing well with mushrooms, potatoes, pasta, and just about anything else that rosemary and lemon complement. Even better, this spread takes less than ten minutes to make, is comprised of kitchen pantry staples, and keeps in the refrigerator for a week.

Pesto or James Turrell installation?

LEMON ROSEMARY PINE NUT PESTO
Adapted from a recipe in Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

TASTING NOTES:
The pesto is also excellent as a spread for sandwiches, tossed with whole wheat pasta and brussels sprouts, or spooned over sautéed mushrooms /// You can substitute sage and other herbs for the rosemary.

INGREDIENTS:
70 grams (1/2 cup) pine nuts
1 garlic clove, peeled and coarsely chopped
8 tablespoons olive oil
zest of 1 organic, unwaxed lemon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary (or fresh sage)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serves: 12 one tablespoon servings
Time to table: 10 minutes
Equipment: food processor, Microplane or other fine grater

NEW POTATO & PEA SALAD WITH LEMON ROSEMARY PINE NUT PESTO

INGREDIENTS:
750 grams (about 1 lb 10 ounces) new potatoes, washed and gently scrubbed
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
juice of one lemon (optional)
200 grams (7 ounces) baby spinach (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the whole potatoes. Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, until almost tender. (Make the pesto while the potatoes are boiling.) Add the green peas and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the potatoes and peas are fully cooked. (You should be able to pierce a potato with a knife.) Drain the peas and potatoes and set aside. Quarter the potatoes and place in a large bowl with the peas and parsley. Toss the potatoes (and optional spinach) with half of the pine nut pesto, and season with additional salt and black pepper to taste. Squeeze over the remaining juice of the lemon used to make the pesto (optional) and serve warm or cold.

Serves: 4 as a side dish or as a salad with greens
Time to table: 45 minutes
Equipment: large pot, large bowl, sieve

CHIC EATS | the recipe index #1

This year I only made two resolutions: to start a cooking club, and to actually post to this blog. On Sunday I accomplished the first resolution when my boyfriend and I hosted the first edition of The Recipe Index. The idea behind the cooking club is that everyone cooks one dish from the same cookbook. We all have cookbooks lying around that we have never cooked out of, or from which we have only tried one or two recipes. This cooking club provides participants with the chance to taste a variety of recipes from one cookbook and an opportunity to experiment with cooking a new dish that they might not have tried on their own. It is also a good way to test out a cookbook before purchasing it.

Since it is January and most people are still clinging to more health-oriented resolutions, the first book selected was the vegetarian cookbook Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi. If anybody knows how to make vegetables exciting, it's Ottolenghi, and the recipes selected did not disappoint. Accompanied by sparkling water (and a little bit of white wine for those of us with less resolve) and a soundtrack provided by Blood Orange, the meal was a resounding success. No clear favourite recipe emerged, partially because the complementary nature of each dish (a benefit of cooking from the same cookbook) elevated the entire meal to more than the sum of its parts. No one at the table of dedicated omnivores noticed the lack of meat either, which is a testament to Ottolenghi's way with the vegetable. I am pretty sure Amazon already carries fewer copies of Plenty as a result of this dinner...

So if you are in your second week of a January detox and already regret the impact it has on your social life, consider taking a page from Ottolenghi's (cook)book and host a healthy dinner with friends. It is much more enjoyable than gulping down a green juice by yourself, guaranteed.

The Recipe Index Menu #1: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
Aubergine with Buttermilk Sauce & Pomegranate Seeds
Surprise (Potato) Tatin
Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Melted Taleggio
Lettuce Salad with Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Capers & Radishes
Grilled Pear Crostini with Pine Nut Spread & Goat Cheese

RECIPE | lamb chops with pomegranate, black olive, mint & feta salsa

This is a shockingly easy recipe to make to impress your meat-loving friends. The lamb is simply rubbed with lemon zest and ras el hanout, and the salsa comes together in minutes once you figure out how to seed the pomegranate. (Pro tip: If it is your first time, wear a ratty sweatshirt over your planned outfit when seeding the pomegranate to avoid the blood red juice from staining anything you love. An apron will not cut it.) The lamb is briefly grilled or broiled to keep it at a juicy medium-rare, and the gorgeous, festive salsa gets its complex taste from its assertively-flavoured components. Served with a vibrant spiced carrot purée, this dinner party-worthy dish comes together in less than an hour.


LAMB CHOPS WITH POMEGRANATE, DRIED BLACK OLIVE, MINT & FETA SALSA
Salsa adapted from Bon Appétit

INGREDIENTS:

For the lamb:
4 lamb rib or lamb loin chops (about 350 grams or 3/4 pound)
1 teaspoon ras el hanout
1 organic unwaxed lemon, zested

For the salsa:
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (from about 1/4 a pomegranate)
3 tablespoons dried black olives, pitted and chopped
juice of 1/2 small lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon each chopped parsley, mint, and green onions
3 tablespoons crumbled feta

DIRECTIONS:

For the salsa:

Mix all ingredients except feta cheese in a medium bowl and set aside until serving. Add the feta just before serving, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the lamb:

Rub the lamb chops with the lemon zest, ras el hanout, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat the broiler or grill. Grill the lamb chops for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until medium-rare. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute in the meat. Serve topped with pomegranate salsa.

Serves: 2
Active time: 20 minutes (mainly dealing with that pomegranate)
Time to table: 30 minutes

NOTES:
The lamb can be seasoned ahead of time and left to marinate for 2-4 hours. Just be sure to bring to room temperature before cooking. /// The salsa can be made ahead, but be aware that the feta becomes discoloured by the pomegranate and the black olives almost immediately. Add the feta at the last minute to prevent this. /// This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc. /// My favourite way to seed pomegranates is to simply quarter them, submerge them in a bowl of water, and remove the white membranes and pick out the seeds in the water. The membranes float to the top and can be discarded, and the seeds can be strained from the water. Other people have had success seeding pomegranates while simultaneously venting their anger, but I have not tried this method. /// If making the carrot purée as well, bring the carrots to a boil first, then go about making the pomegranate salsa and getting the rest of the ingredients ready. This will allow you to finish the complete dish in less than an hour.

RECIPE | light & flavourful spiced carrot purée

I rarely make the same thing twice (something I am actually trying to work on this year, in contrast to the more common resolution to add more variety to weeknight dinners), but I made this carrot purée three times in the same week at the request of my boyfriend. I came up with the idea when designing the dish I wanted to serve for Christmas, envisioning lamb chops sitting on a bed of something. Since I had a pomegranate-black olive-feta salsa planned for the lamb, carrots sounded like they would provide a beautiful colour contrast to the ruby (pomegranate), emerald (parsley & mint), and pearl (feta) colours of the salsa. (I must have this exhibition on my mind.) I did not expect this simple afterthought of a purée to turn out as well as it did, but it nearly stole the show. (The much less healthy chocolate-cardamom cake with spiced hazelnuts and orange crème fraîche was my favourite dish of the evening.) To the distress of my boyfriend, who wanted to keep the recipe private, the full recipe is below. Enjoy.

SPICED CARROT PURÉE

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound (450 grams) carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on your heat tolerance and the potency of your cayenne)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water + 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt (optional)
1/4 cup green onions

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then boil the carrots for 15-20 minutes, until completely tender. (A dinner knife should be able to cut through the carrot with ease.) Drain the carrots and place in a food processor with the remaining ingredients, salt and pepper. Purée until completely smooth, then adjust consistency by adding water and seasoning by adding salt, pepper, or spices to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature with grilled meats, pomegranate salsa, bulgar or couscous, and/or roasted aubergine (recipes to come), or use as a spread or dip as you would hummus.

Serves: 4 as a side
Active time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 35 minutes

NOTES:
The purée can be made the day before and kept covered and refrigerated. Serve cold or at room temperature. /// Roasted butternut squash could probably be substituted for the carrots.

RECIPE | buckwheat lemon poppyseed muffins with cacao nibs

If you do not like the taste of buckwheat or tend to avoid hearty baked goods, these lemon poppyseed muffins are not for you. They have nothing to do with the saccharine-sweet, cake-like lemon poppyseed muffins enclosed in Starbucks' glass cases worldwide. However, these substantial, lightly sweetened muffins with the rich flavours of buckwheat, cacao, and lemon are perfect for a healthy winter weekday breakfast for a whole grain lover like me.

I made these gluten-free muffins for breakfast on Christmas Day, when I could not fit anything larger in my stomach after a filling Christmas Eve feast of paella*, churros y chocolate, and plenty of Cava. The buttermilk produces a lighter crumb than you would expect from something so deeply coloured, and the cacao nibs and poppyseeds provide a pleasant contrasting crunch.

*Christmas Eve paella is a tradition in my family despite the fact that we are not Spanish and it is not a Spanish custom. It stems from our practice of eating various seafood dishes on Christmas Eve in the Italian tradition ("la festa dei sette pesci," or "la cena della vigilia," more accurately), but then again we are not Italian either...

BUCKWHEAT LEMON POPPYSEED MUFFINS WITH CACAO NIBS
Adapted from Martha Rose Schulman's recipe in The New York Times

TASTING NOTES:
The lemon flavour becomes more pronounced as the muffins sit, so you may want to zest just one lemon if you prefer a more subtle flavour /// I also make these with 1/4 cup chopped dried figs or dates, 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate, and orange zest instead of lemon

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cups buckwheat flour
3/4 cup gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup mild oil (I used canola oil)
1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 organic, unwaxed lemons, zested
2 tablespoons poppyseeds
1/4 cup cacao nibs
demerara sugar, to top muffins

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Lightly oil the muffin tin or use paper muffin cups to line the tin. Sift the dry ingredients together (flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Beat the eggs with the oil and honey, then beat in the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. (Use the measuring cup for the oil first, then the honey, so that the honey pours out easily.) Stir in the flour mixture, then the poppyseeds and cacao nibs. Divide the batter among the cups in a muffin tin, then sprinkle the tops with demerara sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until set and a toothpick comes out clean.

Serves: 12
Time to Table: 40 minutes
Equipment: 12 cup muffin tin, measuring cups, fine mesh sieve, electric mixer or whisk, two medium bowls, rubber spatula or wooden spoon

RECIPE | chocolate banana muffins for a sunday morning

After living in a flat with no oven for eight months, I have taken every opportunity to bake/roast/broil my meal in my new oven. Eggplant parmesan, baked pasta, broiled chicken, and roasted autumn vegetables have all recently made an appearance on the dinner table, and I do not anticipate a slowdown in this hearty comfort food with winter approaching. This morning, I made my go-to recipe for banana muffins for the first time this year, and greedily devoured two of them while still warm from the oven. They were unintentionally healthier than usual because I only had whole-grain flour on hand, but it just added an extra bit of crunch and nuttiness to the muffins.


CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS
From my cookbook

INGREDIENTS:
3 overripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup applesauce (which I only found at Whole Foods under the label "Apple Purée")
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (some/all can be subbed with whole-grain flour)
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
a little more than 1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup each of: chopped dark chocolate, walnut pieces, dried cranberries
flavourings of your choosing (orange zest, cinnamon, and cardamom are all excellent)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425°F (about 220°C). Combine the bananas, applesauce, egg, and vanilla extract in a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and flavourings together in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just blended.  Fold in chopped chocolate, nuts, and dried fruit. Spoon the batter into a greased muffin tin. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 11 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out with moist crumbs.

Serves: 12
Time to Table: 35 minutes

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