I Love You More Than Food

Category: Recipes

  • Heirloom Tomato Salad & Summer Minestrone Soup

    Heirloom Tomato Salad & Summer Minestrone Soup

    Heirloom Tomato Salad

    There is an amazing market down the street from where I’m living in San Francisco these days. Their produce can be viewed as “on its way out” or “perfectly prime.” I choose to focus on the latter and take advantage of rock bottom prices–a few days ago I found organic raspberries for $1.59, and they were gorgeous, tasty, and not freakishly large. They regularly have zucchini at such a low price that for one, I end up paying about 13 cents. They have whole packs of baby spinach twice the size of the ones at the regular grocery for $1.25. I am obsessed with the possibilities.

    Lately, they have had beautiful, beautiful heirloom tomatoes. I picked the best of them and made a simple salad, even slices of the different colors with Himalayan pink salt (flaked variety), fresh cracked pepper, good olive oil, a dash of good balsamic vinegar, and fresh basil julienned on top.

    Summer Minestrone Soup

    Then, I realized I had a tupperware full of  home made chicken stock left from the last time I made chicken & dumplings. I threw it in a big pot to melt, added some rinsed white beans from a can (it was last minute, or I’d have soaked dry ones), and started chopping into equal, small pieces a carrot, small zucchini, round yellow squash, half a Vidalia onion straight from Vidalia, Georgia (my grandma sends us these every year), some gorgeous green beans, and finally, removed the kernals from a fresh stock of white corn. If I recall, I also chopped up the remaining bits of tomatoes from the heirloom salad into small pieces and added them as well. I threw it all in some toasty olive oil and sauteed it with salt and pepper until it was soft but not squishy.  I reserved it to add to the soup when it was fully heated with the beans.

    Mixed Summer Vegetables for Minestrone

    What really made the soup delicious and different, though, aside from having such cheap, tasty, gorgeous produce from my neighborhood corner store, was that I took a hint from San Luis Obispo’s Buona Tavola Ristorante that I’ve known of for years: add a lump of pesto to the center of the bowl.

    I make a batch of pesto just about every week these days (the BF likes to eat it for lunch when I’m at work), and this time I had some that contained basil, olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh garlic, and almonds. It was perfect and brought the whole soup together into tasty, tasty deliciousness.

  • Spaghetti with Ligurian Pesto & Pan-Seared Rockfish

    Spaghetti with Ligurian Pesto & Pan-Seared Rockfish

    Spaghetti with Ligurian Pesto & Pan-Seared Rockfish

    For Two:
    140 grams spaghetti
    1 large bunch basil
    olive oil
    1/3rd cup pine nuts
    8 cloves garlic
    1 lemon
    1/2 lb Rockfish Fillet (or substitute sea bass or red snapper)
    salt
    pepper

    Start a large pot of water boiling, meanwhile using your food processor to combine washed basil, pine nuts, juice of one lemon, several tablespoons of olive oil and salt & pepper to taste to make the Ligurian-style pesto (basil grows like a weed in Liguria, and the Italian Riveria region is the origin of this now popular tapanade).

    When the water is ready for the spaghetti, add 2 T salt to the water. Add spaghetti, cook AL DENTE. The pasta should retail some stiffness when it is finished (when you roll it into a ball on a spoon, the last inch of the noodle should stick out defiantly).

    After adding the spaghetti to the pan, heat your non stick skillet to medium high, add olive oil, and then your lightly salt & peppered fish fillet. Cook most of the way with the top side down, then flip to finish.

    Drain the pasta, put back in the saucepot and add several tablespoons of your fresh pesto, mixing well. Serve in a ball (use a serving two-prong fork to roll it into one) in a soup or pasta bowl. Cut the fish fillet in half and serve on top with lemon slices.

    Wine: Vermentino from Liguria (hard to find! Will say “Cinque Terre” most likely), Sardegna, or Tuscany (in that order of preference), or a nice Sauvignon blanc or Pinot Grigio-Tocai blend.

  • Pork Tenderloin with Kumquats, Fresh Fava Beans & Polenta

    Pork Tenderloin with Kumquats, Fresh Fava Beans & Polenta

    For Two:
    1-1.5 cups kumquats, washed and halved from stem to bottom
    1 small pork tenderloin (~.7 lb)
    pine nuts
    1/3rd cup polenta (dry, bulk)
    1/3rd=1/2 lb fresh fava beans (weight before shelling)
    olive oil
    butter
    parmasean reggiano
    salt
    pepper

    Boil 3 cups water for the 1/3rd cup polenta. When simmering, add polenta and whisk frequently for 8-10 minutes ensuring it does not stick to the bottom. Alternatively, use chicken stock or other stock for more flavor.

    Heat a small sauce pan with water and bring to a boil; add 1 T salt and blanch the fresh fava beans for 2 minutes, remove from heat and add to ice water bath, use fingers to remove the outer membrane, and set aside the beans. They should be slightly firm and bright green.

    Meanwhile, heat large skillet on high, add olive oil and sear the pork tenderloin on all sides after seasoning it with salt & pepper. Set Aside to rest.

    Add kumquats and several tablespoons of pine nuts to the pan. Season with salt and a little pepper. Let kumquats become mostly soft or gain some color on medium heat. Cut the tenderloin into 1/2-3/4inch slices and return to pan to finish cooking. When the pork is about finished, you could add some minced tarragon or some whole sorrel leaves to wilt.

    Add 1-2 T butter and 1-2 T grated parmasean to the polenta, and stir to mix. Serve pork mixture on top of polenta, with fava beans around the sides.

  • Plantains with Wilted Spinach

    Plantains with Wilted Spinach

    Plantains with Wilted Spinach and Pancetta

    Plantains with Wilted Spinach and Pancetta

    For two:
    1/4lb pancetta, cubed
    1 plantain, ripe
    3 cups loose fresh spinach
    butter
    salt
    pepper

    In a skillet on high heat, fry the pancetta until mostly crisp. Add diagnoally sliced plantains and reduce heat to medium high, adding a tablespoon or so of butter. Add salt & pepper. Flip plantains after they’ve colored on one side. When they’re done, put the spinach on top and throw a lid of any size at least as big as the pan over the top, and turn off the heat. Let it sit about a minute, then toss all of it together and serve.

    We ate it up with some granola with milk and fresh strawberries, and delicious Blue Bottle coffee.

  • Spanish Chili Shrimp in Tomato Broth & Pan-Seared Chicken with Wilted Spinach

    Spanish Chili Shrimp in Tomato Broth & Pan-Seared Chicken with Wilted Spinach

    For two, Spanish Spicy Shrimp:

    10 shrimp–shell & de-vein them yourself
    8 slices baguette, toasted with raw garlic rubbed on them
    5 cloves garlic, minced coarsely
    1/2 cap san marzano tomatoes or package fresh cherry tomatoes (cut in 1/2)
    olive oil
    vegetable stock
    1/2 tsp thyme
    salt
    pepper
    chili flakes

    Two skillets: start one cold with olive oil & chili flakes (about 1/2 tsp), heat on low until chili flakes start to brown, strain and put the oil back in the pan to pan-fry the shrimp later. In the other skillet, sautee the garlic in the oil until beginning to color; add tomatoes, 1 tsp chili flakes, & thyme, and let simmer. When reduced and broken down, add vegetable stock until “minestrone” consistency.

    Heat chili oil to medium high, sautee shrimp. Serve shrimp on top of tomato “stew” with crotistin (toasted bread with raw garlic rubbed on) in a shallow bowl.

     

    Pan-Seared Chicken with Wilted Spinach

    1/3rd orange bell pepper, diced
    1 small shallot, minced
    1 large clove garlic, minced
    olive oil
    salt
    pepper
    spinach
    zest & juice of 1/2 lemon
    1 boneless chicken breast, skin on

    Preheat oven to 375. Use a oven-safe skillet for the chicken. Sautee on medium low bell pepper, shallot, and garlic in olive oil with salt & pepper. On high heat, with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a separate skillet, sear chicken skin-down (season skin with salt & pepper), until skin is golden. Turn over, move skillet to oven.

    When chicken is finished cooking (by sight; should become constrained on sides and generally thicker), remove from oven and place on cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add spinach to bell pepper mixture, and turn off heat. Zest the 1/2 lemon on top and add the juice. Put a lid on top of it and let it sit in the heat to wilt 70%.

    Slice chicken and serve on top of spinach mixture.

  • Italian Meatballs in Tomato Stew

    Italian Meatballs in Tomato Stew

    I had a hankering for meatballs a few days ago when I had very little in the house, so I ventured down the street (canvas bags in hand) to Andronico’s in North Berkeley to pick up my accoutrements.

    You will need:

    1/2 lb ground pork
    1/2 lb lean ground beef
    3 T fresh grated Parmesan-Reggiano
    1 egg
    Several T breadcrumbs (I like to make my own from stale baguette)
    Fresh Oregano (several sprigs)
    1 medium yellow onion
    1 shallot
    4 cloves garlic
    Chili pepper flakes
    salt & pepper
    a good 10 or 12 inch sautee pan

    Start by sauteeing 1/2 the onion, and half of shallot in the pan with olive oil after you’ve minced them. Keep the heat medium low or the shallot will burn. Mince the oregano, and add it to the pan when the shallot and onion are becoming translucent, add salt & pepper. When fully translucent and cooked, but not caramelized, add the mixture to a bowl and let cool a bit.

    Add the two meats into the bowl along with the egg, salt, and pepper. Add breadcrumbs as needed until you achieve a wet but not too wet mixture that will allow you to form the meat into balls. Form them into a golf-ball size and add olive oil to the pan you sauteed the onions in. Bring to high or medium high heat, add the meatballs and brown on each side. Don’t worry about cooking through. Once browned, set aside.

    Add a touch more olive oil to the pan, along with the garlic, rest of the shallot and the other half of onion. When translucent, add ~1 T dry thyme, salt, and pepper. Sautee until fragrant but not caramelized. Add 1 large can of San Marzano tomatoes, and 1-2 tsp. of chili pepper flakes. Cook until tomatoes break apart and form a sauce or stew consistency.

    Turn heat to medium low and add the meatballs, loosely covering with a large lid to keep steam in and cook the meatballs through.

    I like to serve it on spaghetti, or in small portions with a bit of bread.

    This recipe can be modified to make something like Spanish Albondigas. You would add more chili flakes to the sauce, use a higher proportion of pork for the meatballs, and you would add chicken stock to the “stew.”

  • Winter Garganelli (Pasta with spicy creamed tomato sauce & chicken)

    Winter Garganelli (Pasta with spicy creamed tomato sauce & chicken)

    Winter Garganelli con pollo - pasta with spicy tomato sauce and chicken

    I’m sick. We’re all sick. Everyone has the sniffles, the sore throat, the strange things coming from their lung. I’ve been working 7 days a week, and haven’t had much time to cook (though I have fit in a few mini dinner parties and even one real one that involved scallops with an orange vanilla cream sauce, and my mother’s recipe for pork & figs with balsamic reduction (very easy)), but because I’m ill I vowed last night to stay in and use what I had to make something nutritious, delicious, and expelling of all grossness inside (read: something spicy).

    First, chop half a slice of 1/4 inch thick pancetta into a dice. Throw it into a hot non-stick skillet at least 8 inches but hopefully more like 11 and let it get a little crispy. Add a boneless, skinless chicken breast cubed into small peices and turn the heat up, tossing frequently until the chicken is mostly done or just barely done.

    Pour in enough heavy cream to coat the bottom of the pan, add a bunch of fresh thyme leaves, let it come to a simmer and pour the mixture into something else and let it sit aside.

    Now put into the pan olive oil, half a shallot in a small dice, at least three garlic cloves or as many as you like coursely chopped on medium to medium low heat (remember my philosophy about cooking garlic slowly–it may smell good right away at high heat, but it will not taste nearly as complex or sweet as if you cook it on low heat for longer. Please also remember shallots have a high sugar content and will burn easily).

    Add about half a large can of san marzano D.O.P. tomatoes (reserve the rest in your fridge for something else), about two teaspoons of dried thyme (crushed between your fingers as you put it in), about a teaspoon of chili flakes, and a good amount of salt (another few teaspoons). Put the heat to medium low or low, and let this cook 15-30 minutes. When it’s almost done, start a huge pot of water boiling for the garganelli, meanwhile add the chicken and cream mixture to the tomato sauce.

    When the garganelli are almost done (you can substitute rigatoni but make sure its semola flour based), and the tomato and cream mixtures are heated and blended, add 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche to the sauce, turn the heat off, and grate a few tablespoons of piave and/or parmesean cheese in. Mix. Now add the pasta to the pan, toss to coat well, and serve (in my case, with kleenex on the side).

    Deliciousness.

  • Muffins with Fresh Blueberries

    Muffins with Fresh Blueberries

    When my roomate’s girlfriend came to visit from out of town and brought a gigantic thing of blueberries with her, I knew I had to make blueberry muffins. I first tried to procure my ex boyfriend’s mother’s recipe, but when I wasn’t able to get it searched for a good metric recipe. I normally dislike using recipes, but for baking feel that they are somewhat necessary for success.

    I realize many of you don’t have metric scales, but using one worked really well because I was able to adjust the recipe to the amount of blueberries I had. I’ve included a link to the original recipe which includes American measurements.

    Makes 12-15 muffins

    115 g unsalted butter
    250 g white sugar
    3 g salt
    2 eggs
    250 g all-purpose flour, divided
    7 g baking powder
    120 ml buttermilk (or whole milk, combination of half & half & other milk, etc)
    400 g fresh blueberries – rinsed, drained and patted dry

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.

    Cream salt, butter, and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until smooth. Add flour and baking powder together (reserving a few tablespoons of flour to coat the blueberries) through a sifter alternating with buttermilk (or milk/milk mixture-I used mostly half & half with a touch of 2%, as it’s what I had on hand). Stir until smooth.

    Crush 1/4th of the blueberries and mix in. Toss remaining blueberries in reserved flour and mix into batter.

    Fill paper lined cupcake pan with batter to top (but not overflowing) of liners. Top each muffin with a sprinkling of white sugar to help with color and texture.

    Bake for 25-30 minutes, until risen and pretty color on top, with only a healthy jiggle and not a “that’s still liquid in the center” jiggle. Let cool, remove from pan, enjoy.

    Original recipe from AllRecipes where you can find the US measurement version. The metric version can be easily adjusted for the weight of your blueberries by multiplying each measurement for proportion.

  • Crispy Zucchini Blossoms (Fried Zucchini Flowers)

    Crispy Zucchini Blossoms (Fried Zucchini Flowers)

    One of my favorite summertime ingrediants is zucchini flowers–they are relatively difficult to find in the US, but common in many parts of Italy. If you are lucky enough to be in the SF bay area, you may find them at farmer’s markets, and often Berkeley Bowl has them but admittedly they are never as large and fresh as overseas.

    At any rate, there are a few ways to prepare them, but before doing so you should always wash them in cool water (the easiest is to fill a small bowl and plunge them in and shake them around), and check the inside for worms (less of a problem in the US because they are often grown inside). Then, you can slice them and add to a simple broth-based pasta, or even a quesedilla with matsuke mushrooms, truffle oil, something like that–but not too much cheese or it will overwhelm their delicate flavor.

    For fried blossoms it’s important to wash them and dry them COMPLETELY before frying. The best thing to do is wash them a few hours before you need them, and let them sit out on towels in a cool, darker place so that they don’t wilt.

    You will need:

    zucchini blossoms (4-6 for appetizer for two people)
    pine nut oil, safflower oil, or other high temperature oil for frying
    flour
    salt
    spumante (Italian sparkling wine or other sparkling wine/champagne) or a full-flavored beer

    Start with about half a cup of flour in a medium or large bowl. Give it a heafty pinch of salt, and whisk it to combine. Pour in some beer/spumante/whatever. If you have to, use carbonated water, but the alcohol is best. Keep adding fluid and flour until the mixture is like pancake dough–somewhat thick but smooth and able to run.

    Heat your oil to medium high. make sure it’s hot enough before you start–you can test with a small amount of the batter, it should sizzle around the edges. You should use a sautee pan with high, squared off sides, we are not deep frying but are pan frying. The oil shouldn’t come up more than half-way. I like to wear long sleeves when I do this. Keep some tongs handy. Also, don’t be afraid to adjust the temperature as you fry. The cold batter WILL change the temperature of the oil and several minor adjustments up or down are probably necessary as you fry. You want to achieve an even color on all sides, but allow the batter that gets in the middle of the blossoms to cook.

    Allow the blossoms to cook mostly on one side, and then turn them over–similar to pancakes. They will take less time on the second side. Place them on paper towels when they are done frying, and be sure to SALT them. I like to serve them with a pepperoncini aeoli, or other mayo-based sauce. They are also good with pepperoncini jam or jelly.

    Zucchini BlossomsFried Zucchini Blossoms

  • Fusilli con Broccoli

    Fusilli con Broccoli

    This is a very simple and flavorful dish I like to fix on weeknights or as a mini-portion at a dinner party. It’s very dependent on the freshness and quality of the ingredients, like many Italian dishes. You will need a food processor or other pulverizing mechanism for this recipe.

    I like to use Eduardo’s pasta which is readily available in the bay area–it is the only one I really like if I am not going to make the pasta fresh myself, and because Fusilli is extruded and I don’t have the equipment, I generally buy it. (Eduardo’s comes in a clear package with blue and white writing–you can buy some of their pasta on amazon.com, but not the fusilli).

    For two dinner portions, you will need 1/2 a package (about 5 oz or 150 grams for moderate eaters) of Eduardo’s Fusilli (or other, inferior fusilli, unless you’re getting it from a local pasta maker, fresh) and the following:

    1 medium crown of broccoli, fresh
    olive oil
    parmesean reggiano (a block, not the pre-grated stuff)
    a few pine nuts
    nutmeg (just a shake or two’s worth)
    1/4 white or yellow onion
    1/4-1/2 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange)
    salt & pepper

    Boil a large pot of water (your pasta pot).

    While the water is attempting to boil, dice your onion & your bell pepper and add them to a sautee pan with a bit of olive oil (a few tablespoons) that is already hot. Let them get soft. Add them to the food processor (or a bowl for pulverizing with a wand, whatever you have).

    Sauteed onion & bell pepper

    When the water comes to a boil (while your onion & bell pepper are sauteeing), add a generous amount of salt. Add the broccoli crown, and blanch it until just barely cooked (DO NOT OVERCOOK). Remove it and throw it on a cutting board. Add your pasta to the water. Set a timer for 1-2 min less than the package says–you’re going to eat this al dente (“to the teeth”).

    Coursely chop the broccoli and add it to the food processor. Throw in a few pine nuts, a healthy amount of freshly grated parmesean, a couple of shakes of nutmeg, sea salt, fresh grated pepper. Your bell peppers & onions should already be in there, if they aren’t, add them now.

    Fusilli Con Broccoli

    Pulvarize your sauce. Add olive oil or water as necessary to achieve something that sticks together like a wet or loose pesto.

    Fusilli con Broccoli

    Your pasta should be about done by now, so strain it and throw it in a hot sautee pan, and add however much sauce you think you need to the pan, and toss it until it’s well coated. Serve, enjoy.