Shrimp with Orzo and Tomato

One of my favorite Greek meals is roast leg of lamb with manestra. For those who didn’t grow up in a Greek home, manestra is orzo that is cooked with tomatoes, garlic, and oregano. This is a dish that my mom makes for Greek holidays only and rarely makes a weeknight appearance. Last night, though, I had a craving for this delicious dish; since we are in lent- lamb was out of the question. After flipping through a couple of my Greek cookbooks, I came across a recipe for Shrimp with Orzo and Tomatoes in my How to Roast a Lamb cookbook by Michael Psilakis.

This recipe was easy to pull together for a Sunday dinner and completely satisfied my need for a warm manestra dish. I made a couple minor adjustments by using whole wheat orzo and omitting the Garlic Puree (I didn’t have time to make that part of the recipe this time, but will surely do it next time).

SHRIMP WITH ORZO AND TOMATO

16 U-15 shrimp, peeled
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1 ½ cups orzo [I used whole wheat orzo]
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
3 shallots, finely chopped
9 whole scallions, thickly sliced
½ cup water
3 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 ½ cups smooth tomato sauce or puree (or a good, store-bought marinara)
¼ cup Garlic Puree (recipe on pg 264 of How to Roast a Lamb ) [I omitted this]
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese, divided in half
6 cups baby spinach leaves (about 8 ounces)
Small handful torn fresh herbs, such as dill, mint, and/or parsley [use all three]
Extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 275 [degrees] F. Season the shrimp with kosher salt and pepper.

Cook the orzo according to instructions and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Reserve, keeping warm.

In a large, heavy soup pot, Dutch oven, or wok, warm the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over high heat. When the pot is very hot, add the garlic and shallots, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the scallions and shrimp, and sear for 30 seconds. Add the water, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and Garlic Puree. Cook for 2 minutes and remove the shrimp to the reserved orzo. Continue to reduce the liquid until the mixture has thickened (2 to 3 minutes), and season with salt and pepper.

Place a serving bowl in the preheated oven for 2 minutes to warm.

To the pot, add the orzo and shrimp, half of the feta, and the spinach, and toss to combine. As soon as the spinach has wilted (about 1 minute), transfer to the preheated bowl.

To finish, scatter the remaining feta, the fresh herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil over the top.

Krispy Kale

My mom turned me onto this snack a couple of months ago and it has become one of my favorite snacks and side dishes.  Roasting kale in a 400 degree oven produces crispy, chip-like leaves.   It’s perfect for when I’m craving something crispy and salty.  Though it seems too healthy to be that good, my roommates will testify that Krispy Kale is addicting.

I don’t have exact measurements for this recipe, but due to the very few ingredients and the simple instructions it’s very easy one to prepare. In the photo above I used purple kale, but green kale can be used as well.

1 bunch kale

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Pre-heat the oven to 400°

1. Tear the leaves off of the tough, center stem into pieces that are 2 ½- 3 inches long. Discard the tough stems.  
2. Rinse off any dirt or grit from the leaves.  Allow  to air dry to remove some of the excess water.
3. Place all of the kale on a rimmed baking sheet.
4. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the kale then sprinkle kosher salt evenly over the kale.  Toss the kale to coat the leaves and distribute the olive oil and salt.
5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the kale is as crisp as a chip.

Savory Bread Pudding

Tartine Bakery: I’m head over heels with this bakery and I’ve never even been there. When my sister moved into her tiny dorm room at business school, she, reluctantly, had to leave behind a large portion of her cookbook collection at home.  After she left for school, I waited a couple days, then thought “those cookbooks really shouldn’t go to waste just sitting on the shelves of her old room.”  So I decided to just borrow a couple of them.  One of the cookbooks I “checked out” from Katina was Tartine.

Tartine Bakery is a small bakery and cafe in San Francisco. The book is beautifully put together and has a long list of mouth watering desserts.  Some of the recipes include Brioche Bread Pudding, Pumpkin Tea Cakes, Banana Cream Pie, Cheddar Cheese Crackers… and the list goes on and on.  After I became thouroughly engrossed in this cookbook, my cousin Mary, coincidently, sent me an email saying that she had found the most beautiful bread book – and that she just had to buy two.  When I got to my office the next day,  the Tartine Bread cookbook was sitting on my desk! I didn’t even know they had published another cookbook.  So now I have 2 beautiful cookbooks from this bakery  and am obsessed with the place with out even visiting!

This Savory Bread Pudding comes from Tartine Bread cookbook. It was so easy to make and, as it says in the recipe header, “is nearly impossible to mess up… and It even souffles while it’s baking.”  One more great thing about this recipe: you can assemble this dish ahead of time and store it in the refrigertator. Just be sure to allow the dish to come to room temperature before baking.

I’ve included the original recipe below, but I made some adjustments due to the produce available in my refrigerator.  The recipe call for leeks, mushrooms, radicchio, and basic country bread but I substituted onions, garlic, arugula, and rosemary ciabatta bread. You can substitute any ingredients you like for the filling– just be sure to keep the ingredients and quantities of the custard the same (that is what makes this dish souffle)!

For the filling
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
½ c. dry white wine
Olive oil
2 lbs. assorted mushrooms (like chanterelles and porcini), stems trimmed and caps halved
1 head Treviso or other radicchio, leaves separated

For the custard
5 large eggs
½ tsp. salt
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
¼ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
2/3 c. grated Gruyere or cheddar cheese
3 oz. smoked ham, chopped

2 slices day-old Basic Country Bread (recipe in book), torn into large chunks
½ c. grated Gruyere or cheddar cheese

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute until soft, 6-8 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the wine evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is smoking, arrange the mushrooms cut-side down in the pan and cook without stirring until seared and caramelized, about 1 minute more. Stir the mushrooms, add the radicchio, and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Season to taste. Remove from heat.

3. Preheat the oven to 375º.

4. To make the custard, in a bowl, whisk the eggs and salt until well blended. Add the cream, milk, pepper, nutmeg, thyme, cheese, and ham, and whisk to combine.

5. Place the bread chunks in an 8-inch souffle dish and add the leeks, mushrooms, and radicchio. Pour in the custard so that it comes all the way to the rim. Sprinkle evenly with the grated cheese. Let stand 8-10 minutes until the custard saturates the bread.

6. Bake until the custard is no longer runny in the center, about 50 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

New Year’s Lemon Tart with a Gingersnap Crust

I arrived at my parents house early on New Year’s Day, to help my mom prepare her classic New Year’s Day Feast: roast leg of lamb, steamed cabbage, braised black eye peas, and more.  But when I got there, I realized she didn’t have any thing planned for dessert, so I made that my focus.

At all times, my mother’s kitchen is stocked with every baking staple from eggs, milk, and butter in the refrigerator  to flour, sugar, and baking powder in the pantry.    It’s pretty amazing.  With all of the basic ingredients at my fingertips, now all I had to do was decide what to make.  After evaluating the ingredients and produce available in “Maria’s Grocery Store,” I decided to make a Lemon Tart with a Gingersnap Crust.

A couple year’s ago, I made some gingersnaps with lemon frosting and I immediately became obsessed with the ginger and citrus combination.  So when I noticed my mom had some gingersnaps (I had brought her a box the  week before) AND she had a plethora of lemons on hand (as most Greeks do) … I knew this would be easy to pull together.  For the crust, I followed the guidelines on the graham cracker crumb box but subbed crushed gingersnaps in for half of the graham cracker crumbs- it came together in a snap(no pun intended). For the filling, I turned to my good friend David Lebovitz for help. His Tarte au Citron custard recipe was perfect.

Long story short,  this light and delicate lemon tart was a perfect sweet ending to a huge New Year’s Feast!

Gingersnap Crust

1/2 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs                                                                                              1/2 cup Gingersnap Crumbs                                                                                                           2 TBSP Sugar                                                                                                                                   1/4 cup Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Press crust firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 8″ – 9″ pie pan. 

Bake 8-9 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before filling.

Lemon Custard Filling

1/2 cup (125 ml) freshly-squeezed lemon juice
grated zest of one lemon                                                                                                              1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, salted or unsalted, cut into bits
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C.)

1. In a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan, heat the lemon juice, zest, sugar, and butter. Have a mesh strainer nearby.

2. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and the yolks.

3. When the butter is melted, whisk some of the warm lemon mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly, to warm them. Scrape the warmed eggs back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and almost begins to bubble around the edges.

4. Pour the lemon curd though a strainer directly into the pre-baked tart shell, scraping with a rubber spatula to press it through. {This step is VERY important, do not skip the straining}

5. Smooth the top of the tart and pop it in the oven for five minutes, just to set the curd.

6. Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing and serving.

I served my tart with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar and some unsweetened whipped cream.  Don’t sprinkle the powdered sugar on the tart until just before serving; the powdered sugar will melt into the curd and you won’t be able to see it!  This tart would also be great topped with some fresh berries.

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Ricotta

One of my favorite apps on my iPad is the Epicurious.com app. Epicurious.com is a website that has all of recipes that are published in Conde Nast magazines. This includes Bon Appetite, (the discontinued) Gourmet, Self, Cookie, and a couple other publications. Their iPad app is great for looking up recipes while I’m on the go. This morning, I knew I wanted eggs, but wanted something a little more luxurious that my usual scrambled or over easy eggs. I remembered seeing this simple recipe while flipping through my Epicurious app and it ended up being a great (and quick) item for brunch. These eggs are so creamy! 

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Ricotta and Chives

(Photo by Lisa Hubbard- published in Bon Appetite Magazine)

Ingredients:

4 large eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
4 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick slices whole grain bread or 8 whole grain baguette slices, lightly toasted and buttered
Whole chives (optional)

Procedure:

Whisk eggs, chopped chives, and 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel in medium bowl until well blended. Melt butter in heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. When foam subsides, add eggs and stir with heatproof silicone spatula until eggs are almost cooked but still runny in parts, tilting skillet and stirring with spatula to allow uncooked portion to flow underneath, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add ricotta and stir just until incorporated but clumps of cheese are still visible.

Arrange 2 toasts or 4 baguette slices on each of 2 plates. Spoon scrambled eggs atop toasts. Sprinkle with more fleur de sel and pepper. Garnish with whole chives, if desired.

Notes:

• The eggs cool very quickly onces the ricotta has been added to the scrambled eggs.  To deter this from happening, take the ricotta out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before using.  That way you won’t be adding ice cold cheese to warm eggs. 
• Use a whisk to scramble the eggs, but it helps to switch to a spatula once it is time to add the ricotta. This way the ricotta will stays in larger clumps.
• I skipped the butter and only used olive oil to scramble my eggs.

Italian Spinach with Garbanzo Beans and Golden Raisins

 

If you haven’t already noticed, I love cookbooks. I love the fact that you can read through them an learn about different types of cuisines, people, places, and cultures.  Every cookbook, just like a novel or an autobiography, has a story to tell.  One of the most interesting cookbooks that I have picked up lately, has been one of the most surprising.  In my uncle’s library of cookbooks, I found The Junior League of San Francisco’s 1999 Flavors of San Francisco cookbook. 

The cookbook highlights the many different styles of cooking and ingredients that make up San Francisco’s cuisine.  The recipes not only reflect the use of market driven and locally produced products, but the they also depict influences from Asia, Latin America, and Europe. 

In addition to the wonderful recipes from Junior League members, there are many chefs who contributed to the book; the forward is written by Alice Waters and throughout the cookbook there are tips from top chefs of the Bay Area including Hubert Keller,  Maria Helm, and Thomas Keller.  The editor of the cookbook even included suggested wine pairings for some of the recipes. It really is a neat cookbook.

The first recipe I have made is this Italian Spinach with Garbanzo Beans and Golden Raisins. I love this recipe with spinach, but use what ever you have on hand; in the photo above, I actually used kale.  If you like pine nuts, that would also be a great addition to this dish.

Enjoy!

ITALIAN SPINACH WITH GARBANZO BEANS AND GOLDEN RAISINS

2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/8 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 can (15 oz.) Garbanzo Beans, drained

8 cups Baby Spinach Leaves

1/3 cup Golden Raisins

1 tsp Salt

In a large pan or dutch oven over medium heat, saute garlic in olive oil until golden and fragrant.  Stir in red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds.  Add garbanzo beans and cook until they are heated through, about 3 minutes. 

Increase the heat to high and add spinach, raisins, and salt.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted.  Remove from pan onto the serving dish and drizzle with more olive oil.

Warm Goat Cheese Salad

My sister, Katina, once called me a “self-professed Francophile.”  If you know my sister, you will know that she was clearly making fun of me. Looking back, she proabaly started making fun of my love of France when I was 16 and made a Buche de Noel for my Greek family’s Christmas Eve party (mine looked better than the one in the wikipedia photo).  Either way, I do love Paris and I do love French cuisine… so if that makes me a Francophile, then I guess she’s right on.

After we graduated from the French Culinary Institute, Katina and I took a trip to Paris with our mother; We ate at countless fantastic restaurants and, in 10 days, absorbed everything about the cuisine and culture that we could. We even dined at the famous Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athenee and, yes, the food was absolutely amazing.  But, what I loved most about French dining, were the little brassieres and cafes that lined the Rue de St. Germain (Cafe de Flore is one of the classics).  Their menus have Salades, Quiches, Tartes, Omlettes, Breads, Pastries, and more.  I could eat in these cafes everyday!  

One of these cafe salades that has become somewhat iconic of French cuisine (and seems to be featured in every French restaurant in America) is the simple mixed greens salad with champagne vinaigrette and warm goat cheese.   Ina Garten’s “Barefoot in Paris, Easy French Food you Can Make at Home,” is a great cookbook and has a never fail recipe for this light dijon dressing and goat cheese costini.

Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

Green Salad Vinaigrette (recipe below)

4 slices Rustic Sourdough or Multi Grain Bread

4 oz. Goat Cheese, in log form

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Pre heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place bread on a baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil. Slice the goat cheese log into 4 equal portions (about 1/2″- 3/4″ thick).  Place a slice of goat cheese on the end of the bread and drizzle olive oil over the cheese.  Sprinkle kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper over each peice of goat cheese.   Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the bread is toasted and the cheese is warm.  [ This can also be done in a toaster oven.   The toasting time will vary, so just keep an eye on it].

Place salad greens in  a large bowl and toss with enough vinaigrette to moisten.  Divide the salad among 4 plates and place a slice of toasted bread with goat cheese on each plate. 

Montrachet is a good brand of goat cheese that is available at most grocery stores; if you have a specialty cheese store and can find the brand Coeure Chevre- it’s delicious.

  

 Green Salad Vinaigrette

3 TBSP Champagne Vinegar

1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

 [Ina's original recipe, includes 1 egg yolk, but I have omitted it for this recipe]

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.  While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified.  Taste the vinaigrette at this point and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Sun Dried Tomato and Walnut Pesto

I found this pesto recipe over two years ago in the New York Times dining section and finally made it for the first time today. The recipe comes from a Chef Jody Willliams of Gottino in NYC. I really loved this restaurant and wish I had gone there more often when I lived in NYC. Gottino is a tiny restaurant on Greenwich Avenue  with a golden wood interior  and a long bar down the center of the restaurant, where you watch your plates being assembled. You can smell the fresh herbs being sauteed, the bread being toasted, and sausage stuffed apples baking. It’s amazing! Here is the first of two recipes from Gottino, I hope to make the sausage stuffed apples soon!

Sun Dried Tomato and Walnut Crostini

1 cup Walnuts
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Garlic cloves, crushed
3 Sprigs of thyme, cleaned
Salt
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Sun Dried Tomatoes, minced
Rustic Bread, sliced, grilled or toasted

1. In a food processor, coarsely grind walnuts, cheese, garlic, thyme, and salt.
2. Place walnut and garlic mixture in a bowl and stir in extra virgin olive oil and the minced sun dried tomatoes.,

Serve with warm bread just off the grill.

Soup of Vine Ripe Tomatoes with Basil

Houston’s weather has been absolutely beautiful this week and I couldn’t think of a better way to welcome Fall, than with soup!  

While living in New York  I had the pleasure of attending a cooking class taught by Chef Daniel Humm.  He is the head chef of one of my favorite restaurants in the city, Eleven Madison Park. Of all the wonderful dishes he demonstrated, his tomato basil soup was my favorite dish of the night; it was delicious and so easy to make!   Below is Chef Daniel Humm’s original recipe, but if you are looking to cut out a little of the fat, substitute OLIVE OIL for the butter and WHOLE MILK for the cream. The result is still wonderful!

Soup of Vine Ripe Tomatoes with Basil

Serves 4

3   Tbsp Butter

1   Medium Shallot, minced

1   Tbsp Tomato Paste

8   Medium Sized Tomatoes, cored and roughly diced with the skin still on

1   Pinch Sugar

2   Cup Cream

4   Sprigs Basil

Salt, Pepper, and Tabasco to taste

1.  In a dutch oven (or a  large soup pot)  sweat shallots in butter over a medium flame until tender and translucent.  Stir tomato paste into the shallots and  allow the tomato paste to brown a little bit and caramelize on the bottom of the pan.   

2.  Add the chopped tomatoes to the pot and stir.   Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with your spoon to loosen any bits of shallot and tomato paste that have stuck to the bottom of the pan (these little bits are what will give your soup a very rich tomato taste).    Simmer the tomatoes until they begin to break down.

3.  Pour in cream and continue to cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. 

4.  Remove  pot from heat, add basil leaves, and cover; Allow to infuse for 10 minutes. 

5.  Remove sprigs of basil from the pot and discard.  Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor.  

6.  After pureeing, pass the soup through fine mesh sieve and pour it back into your pot. 

7.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Tabasco.

Tips from me:

- I used the tomatoes that are sold still on the vine.

- I used Amore brand tomato paste.  It comes in what resembles a toothpaste tube. If you can’t find this brand, many other brands will do just fine.

- After pureeing the soup,  I did not pass the soup through a fine mesh sieve. I like my tomato soup a little thick.

- Don’t forget to season your soup! It is very important to taste the soup after you have pureed it and add salt and pepper.  Then….taste it again and make sure you have added enough.

-  I like to garnish each bowl with whole basil leaves.

 - This soup goes great with  a Mixed Green Salad and Warm Goat Cheese Crostini (recipe coming soon).

Slow Roasted Salmon

This is one of my all time favorite fish recipes. It is so simple yet the result is absolutely succulent; the fish seems to literally melt in your mouth!

Slow Roasted Salmon
Serves 4

1       1 – 1 1/2 lb Wild Salmon Fillet, skin on
Fresh Herbs (thyme, marjoram, oregano, rosemary)
1      Lemon, sliced
¼    cup extra virgin olive oil
¼    teaspoon lemon zest
2      tablespoon lemon juice
Fresh ground pepper
Salt

Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees.

Oil a baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange fresh herbs and lemon slices on the bottom of the pan, reserving a few sprigs of herbs and lemon slices for garnish. Season boths sides of the whole salmon fillet with salt.  Place salmon right on top of the fresh herbs and lemons. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top of the fillet and then place in oven. Roast for 30 minutes.

While the fish roasts, make the vinaigrette. Place extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk. Add fresh ground pepper and salt to taste.

When the fish is ready, remove from oven. Gently remove the fish from the pan and place on a large platter, leaving the roasted herbs and lemons slices behind. Before pouring the vinaigrette over the top, stir it to equally distribute the seasonings. Pour vinaigrette over the fish and place extra fresh herbs and lemon slices on top.

Notes: When choosing a portion of fish, choose one that is not only thick, but uniformly thick so that it cooks evenly.