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Category Archives: Recipes
I can’t believe it’s already Friday! We have been running here and there all week long as we prepare to hand our house and cat over to our family while we head out on a road trip. It’s been a long time since we had a proper family vacation and the timing couldn’t be better. All four of us need a break!
In between running errands we have been spending a lot of time in our backyard. The garden is starting to burst with veggies: lettuces, radishes, chard, herbs, and spinach. It’s a bit sad to leave when everything is almost ready to harvest but I have no doubt that our visiting family will take full advantage of the back yard bounty. The girls have been spending the evening hours blowing bubbles, attempting to hula hoop, over-watering their strawberries, “helping” Kyle mow the lawn, and throwing paper airplanes around.
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We’ve been eating healthy and juicing a lot the past couple of weeks, cutting back on coffee, and, thanks to the garden, eating tons of wonderful salads. It’s still cool enough that Kyle’s been baking his sourdough on the weekends, too. Since it’s Friday we whittled our way down to the ends of the bread and the last of the harvested veggies. This afternoon I threw together the simplest salad. I shredded up some bitter, bold radicchio, whisked up my favorite Ceasar salad dressing, and sautéed the cut up remains of Kyle’s bread in some olive oil that I spiked with sweet paprika. Tossed all together while the croutons were still warm with lots of salty Parmesan cheese and a palmful of kale microgreens, this salad was the perfect afternoon lunch. A couple of soft-boiled eggs or a handful of shredded chicken breast would be a welcome addition if you were wanting to add some protein.
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SHREDDED RADICCHIO SALAD WITH PAPRIKA CROUTONS, MICROGREENS, AND PARMESAN
Ingredients.
3 cups radicchio, thinly sliced into ribbons
palmful microgreens
two slices sourdough bread, cubed
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Dressing.
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, very finely minced or grated with a microplane
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions.
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon, anchovy paste, garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Heat 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the paprika and the cubed bread, toss often until the bread is bright from the paprika and golden from the heat. Transfer the croutons to a paper towel lined plate using tongs. Season with a pinch of salt.
In a large bowl toss the radicchio together with the warm croutons, microgreens, and Parmesan. Plate, drizzle with dressing, and finish with a bit of fresh pepper.
Serves 2.
PRINTABLE RECIPE.
SHREDDED RADICCHIO SALAD WITH PAPRIKA CROUTONS, MICROGREENS, AND PARMESAN
I love the way that seemingly complex things can seem simple under the right lens, approach, or perspective. If you’ve been reading this blog for any period of time, you know how I feel about simplifying. There are always bags for donation piled in the front end of the garage, yet I never seem to be able to really, truly simplify. I’ve always suspected that the root of the issue is having too much stuff, but no matter how much I get rid of there is still clutter, mess, and disorganization.
You can imagine my excitement upon ordering The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I’m in the middle of reading it and applying the method to my own belongings before moving on to the kids’ belongings, and Kyle is going to apply it to his things too. I have filled several bags full of clothes and boxes of books for donation. I’ve dumped loads of papers in the recycle and I just recycled all my old back issues of Vogue. There’s a small part of me that loved having all those old issues of Vogue, but the reality of it in a cluttered home is much less “Carrie Bradshaw cute”, and way more “Carrie Bradshaw neurotic”.
If any of you have read the book you’ll see I’m only part of the way through the process. I am trying to take it one day at a time and not go overboard (something I have a tendency to do) and try to do it all at once… and also trying to be okay with the fact that in the meantime our house is inarguably a disaster! I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how our physical environment reflects our emotional life and visa versa. Meaning that if we tend to feel scattered, frazzled, and overwhelmed that our space will not only reflect that feeling, but contribute to it. The way we feel and the space in which we live are intrinsically linked together. My friend Amanda recently wrote a post about how keeping a tidy house helps her with her anxiety. This gives me a more clear and motivated reasons to really, truly simplify.
I also love having a project, especially when things are hard, which they have been. Having something to chip away at helps me stay more centered and focused on something that I have some control. There’s an element of cooking that is centering and focused too, which is probably why I love it so much.
In cooking, just like in tidying, things that seem complicated can really be the simplest of things. Whipping up tart, silky mayonnaise seems like a daunting prospect but in actuality it’s a simply a matter of whisking the right ingredients in in the right order. Making earthy, deep stock from scratch can sound overwhelming but it’s actually just a matter of throwing a few things into a pot, covering them with cold water and letting them simmer away. Making fresh pasta can appear to be complicated, but it is really flour and eggs pulled together, left to rest, rolled out, and cut.
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The same goes for complicated sounded meals like Braised Endive Tartines with Prosciutto and Lemon Ricotta. Just the word “tartine” can sound complicated, but it’s really just fancy toast. Braising is one of the simplest forms of cooking. Watery, crisp, bitter endives are quickly chopped and sautéed before being doused with heavy cream and popped into the oven until they have completely surrendered and are soft, caramelized, fragrant and densely rich.
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Crisp, buttery toasts are smeared with ricotta that’s riddled with vibrant flecks of lemon zest, topped with salty, ribbon-thin prosciutto, and then piled with the creamy endives. I love to serve these toasts with bitter arugula that’s been tossed in a simple Lemon and Tarragon dressing. The bold salad flavors cut through the richness of the tartines and also help brighten them up.
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BRAISED ENDIVE TARTINES WITH PROSCIUTTO AND LEMON RICOTTA
Ingredients.
6 cups trimmed and sliced endive
12 slices prosciutto, very thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
pinch nutmeg
1 cup ricotta
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
2” sprig fresh tarragon, plus 1 tablespoon minced for the salad dressing
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for the toasts
6-8 slices crusty french bread, sliced
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
about 4 cups arugula
Directions.
Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in oven-safe pan over medium heat. Sauté the endives for 3-5 minutes, until they have sweated off a bit of moisture and wilted a little. Turn off the heat before adding the butter, cream, nutmeg, and a bit of salt and pepper. Toss in the sprig of tarragon. Stir together and transfer to the oven.
Bake for 1 hour, remove from the oven, stir it together, and return it to the oven for another 30-45 minutes, until the cream is thickened and the top is a deep golden brown. Remove the endives from the oven, stir them together, and allow them to cool a bit while you prepare your bread, ricotta, and arugula salad.
In a small bowl whisk together the ricotta and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Butter your slices of bread and place it, buttered side up, on a baking sheet. Pop them under the oven broiler for a few minutes until they are lightly golden and fragrant.
To assemble the toasts, smear each slice of bread with a thick layer of lemon ricotta, top with a little prosciutto and the endives.
For the arugula salad whisk together the lemon juice, the minced tarragon, and continue whisking while drizzling in about 1/2 cup olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss some of the dressing with the arugula.
Plate the toast along with a bit of salad, drizzle a bit of the excess dressing over the toasts if desired, and enjoy immediately.
Serves 4.
PRINTABLE RECIPE.
BRAISED ENDIVE TARTINES WITH PROSCIUTTO AND LEMON RICOTTA
Last week was unpredictable, busy, fun and exhausting. For some reason Lulu and I was a real klutzes which added to the unpredictable tone of the week. We woke up on Saturday morning to a filthy house. I spent the week grocery shopping (I dropped and broke some eggs), working on a recipe for a magazine, cooking wonderful dishes from My Paris Kitchen, picking up silly toys for our upcoming road trip at the dollar store (where Lulu knocked over a display of puzzles), replying to photography emails, and attempting to be a great mom, wife, and housekeeper.
In all the business, the housekeeping was the first thing to go… as evidence by the popcorn and banana chips scattered all over the living room for on Saturday morning. Nothing says, “Time to clean up!”, like a banana chip stuck to your sock at 7am. But instead of cleaning we decided to have fun and clean on Sunday instead. We took the kids to a fun, interactive museum (where I knocked over a wooden balance puzzle), and went out to a local brewery for lunch (where Lulu dumped a big glass of water directly into my lap). Sometimes the answer is simple: having fun > than cleaning. We got around to cleaning eventually and are starting off this week with a very tidy, cozy house.
My plan for this week is to keep things simple and tidy so as to swing the pendulum back away from work and over to the mom/wife/housekeeper side of things. After cooking elaborate meals this past week, I’ve opted to keep this upcoming weeks’ menu as simple as possible. I love picking up the crispest, freshest vegetables at the store and creating an easy lunch from them. My favorite way to serve them is to simply clean, dry, and trim them, lay them on a parchment lined tray and whip up a couple simple dips and set them on the table. It’s nice to have a simple, light lunch as I tend to make more elaborate, richer dinners.
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PINThere are so many wonderful options for raw vegetables that branch out from the boring broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrot spread. I opt for fun, colorful raw bok choy, radishes, endives, thinly sliced beets, fennel, snap peas, radishes, radicchio, and carrots. Sometimes, I’ll grab a bunch of asparagus, toss them in olive oil, and pop them under the broiler for a few minutes. As for the dips, I’ll often use what I have on hand in the fridge: a bit of harissa whipped into mayonnaise to create a quick “aioli”, or blend some scallion and herbs together with a palmful of capers, sour cream, and buttermilk for a bright, salty dip. If you find yourself with leftover, sliced vegetables and dip they can be transformed into a salad with some torn lettuce and a couple of halved hard boiled eggs, few rounds of crips pancetta, a handful of fresh herbs, and a simple vinaigrette! The idea is to keep it simple and have fun. At least that’s my plan for this week.
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CRUDITES WITH HARISSA AIOLI AND CAPER BUTTERMILK DIP
Ingredients.*
1 golden beet, washed, peeled, and very thinly sliced
1-2 small bunches baby bok choy, trimmed, and washed
1-2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias
center celery stalks, trimmed and cleaned
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cleaned, and very thinly sliced
a handful of asparagus, washed and trimmed
*use any variety of vegetables you wish! Other great options: peas, endives, snap peas, radishes, radicchio, etc.
Directions.
If you’re using anything like asparagus, toss it on a baking sheet with olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt and fresh pepper, and pop it under the broiler for a few minutes until it brightens and crisps.
Simply plate all of your veggies on a parchment lined tray along with the dips.
Harissa Aioli Ingredients.
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2-1 tablespoon harissa paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt (if needed)
Directions.
In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise and harissa, starting with less and add more depending on the spiciness of your paste. Then, while whisking continuous, drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and season with salt if needed.
Caper Buttermilk Dip Ingredients.
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 Italian flat leaf parsley
1-2 scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped
Directions.
Toss all of the dip ingredients into a small food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl.
PRINTABLE RECIPE.
CRUDITES WITH HARISSA AIOLI AND CAPER BUTTERMILK DIP
You know someone really loves you when they are willing to put their life on the line, day after day, for you. Every morning this week at 5:45am Kyle has been risking life and limb for me. He gets up at 5:30am, gets the coffee steeping, and no doubt steels himself for potential battle, before he walks softly back into our bedroom and wakes me up.
The terror of waking me from deep sleep is not a new one. When I was younger, my sister used to wake me up by flinging pillows at me from a safe distance, presumably with a safe exit strategy in mind, so I didn’t hit her. I don’t remember any of this, of course. And I recently heard a family legend that my Aunt Sue, my mom’s youngest sister, was awakened by their mother who would throw breakfast items at her sleeping form to avoid physical injury.
What, you might be thinking, could be so important that my wonderful husband would risk his life to wake me up at such a wretched hour? I have been exercising in the mornings. Before coffee, before my eyes are even properly open, I have been exercising. I am a fairly consistent exerciser. As consistent as a mom of two young kids with no childcare can be. Meaning I have the goal of getting a work out in every day during their naps. However, sometimes I have to prioritize: eating lunch, tidying up, prepping dinner, taking a shower, or eating Hot Dates with Olive Oil and Salt while watching an episode of Gilmore Girls. Then, of course there are the times when one of the girls skips a nap. When it’s all added up, I end up getting a workout in once, maybe twice a week.
Between my temperamental back, and my temperamental anxiety, I really need daily exercise. I recently had the realization that the only way I’m going to get more hours in the day is if I add one myself. And the only place to add one? In the morning. But, knowing how much I loathe alarms, Kyle bravely volunteered to wake me up each morning. He gamely puts up with my grumbles and glares and lets me steal nips of his coffee between lunges. He doesn’t know it yet, but soon he’s good man.
To reward his goodness, I’ve been cooking up wonderful food and snacks for our family this week. With all the exercise going on, and the excitement of getting the garden planned out and the new raised beds in place, I’ve been making quick, healthy snacks in the afternoons inspired by the vegetables that will soon be creeping up through our soil. One of my favorite, simplest recipes is for Kale Chips with Lemon Zest and Flake Salt. There are many, many recipes “out there” for Kale Chips, and mine is pretty basic. Except for the sprinkling of fragrant lemon zest and the squeeze of bright lemon juice, there’s nothing extraordinary about them. That being said, I can easily devour a bowlful of them by myself, not that my kids let that happen.
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Kale Chips are quick and easy to make, simply tossed with glossy olive oil, they are roasted until the kale crisps up and the edges of the torn leaves begin to brown and contract. Once pulled from the oven they are quickly showered with lemon, flake salt, and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper, and equally as quickly, they are devoured. They melt in your mouth. They are crisp and salty and vegetal and bright. They inspire me to over-plant kale in our freshly turned garden beds.
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KALE CHIPS WITH LEMON ZEST AND FLAKE SALT
Ingredients.
1 bunch of kale
extra virgin olive oil
flake salt
freshly ground black pepper
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
zest of 1/2 lemon zest
Directions.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and thoroughly dry the kale. Strip it from the stalk into large pieces. Spread into a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until each piece is lightly coated. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt, and a few turns of fresh pepper. Bake, tossing every few minutes, until kale has crisped up and the edges are a bit brown, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven and transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with lemon zest, a bit more flake salt, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. Enjoy immediately.
PRINTABLE RECIPE.
KALE CHIPS WITH LEMON ZEST AND FLAKE SALT
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