Roasted Pepperonata

Posted on July 28, 2011 by fjbnyc

This is my take on a traditional tuscan tomato and pepper stew.  This stew is usually simmered in a pot for an hour or so, until the peppers and tomatoes practically melt into each other.

Roasting the vegetables concentrates their flavor and results in a drier dish with more texture than the stewed version (not that there’s anything wrong with the stewed version).  The peppers take on a smokey flavor from roasting on their own for a while before adding the tomatoes.

Although this dish takes the same amount of time to cook as the stewed version, it is a nice variation to have in the summer with other grilled meats or fish–it goes well with almost anything from the grill.

Roasted Pepperonata

serves 3 – 4

6 red peppers, cut into 1″ wide strips

4 ripe plum tomatoes, cut lengthwise into 1″ wide wedges

4 tbls olive oil

2 tbls pitted nicoise olives

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbl chives for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss peppers with olive oil, salt and pepper and begin roasting in 2 separate pans, so that the peppers have plenty of room around them in the pan.  This will begin to caramelize them.

After roasting for about 20 minutes, combine the peppers in one tray and add tomatoes. Sprinkle on a bit more salt and continue roasting for another half-hour.  Add olives and roast for another 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with chives and serve.

 

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Pasta with Andouille, Shrimp and Arugula

Posted on July 27, 2011 by fjbnyc

Cured sausage with shellfish is a wonderful combination (think of a Spanish paella) and since I have some andouille sausage in the freezer, I know it will be great with fresh shrimp with garlic and olive oil.  To add a bright green note to the dish, I’ve added some chopped arugula.  The arugula wilts into the hot pasta and adds its lemony bite to the fatty rich flavors of the sausage and shrimp.  Some toasted garlic and lots of olive oil give the dish a deep satisfying flavor and texture.

This is a quick, simple dish that can easily be ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta. Because it has a generous amount of greens in it, it can serve as a one-dish meal in itself.

Pasta with Andouille, Shrimp and Arugula

serves 4

1 lb dried fettucine

1 lb shrimp, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces

1 link cured andouille sausage, cut into 1/4″ slices

4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

4 tbls  olive oil

2 tbls fresh chopped parsley

1/2 c white wine

2 bunches arugula, cleaned and sliced crosswise into 1/2″ ribbons

While pasta is boiling, in a broad skillet over low heat, brown the andouille and garlic together until the garlic is just beginning to color.

Add the shrimp and saute for about 3 – 4 minutes.  Turn up heat, add white wine and reduce for a minute.  Sprinkle with parsley and set aside until pasta is almost cooked.

When pasta is about a minute shy of done,  add arugula to the skillet and turn heat to high.

Top with hot pasta, a half-cup of pasta cooking water and a drizzle of olive oil.  Toss and saute for about  30 seconds.  Serve with plenty of grated parmiggiano.

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Frittata of Broccoli di Rapa and Chorizo

Posted on July 26, 2011 by fjbnyc

My neighbor, Beppi, taught me about frittata with broccoli di rapa.  For some reason, I never thought to combine broccoli di rapa with eggs, although now, it makes perfect sense.  I have some leftover cooked broccoli, and in addition, I have one piece of chorizo in the freezer and this is the perfect dish in which to use it–what’s better than bitter greens and salty cured sausage?

In addition, I have some great side dishes leftover from my grilled swordfish meal the other night–potatoes with green sauce and oyster mushrooms with red peppers–all served at room temperature.

Frittata of Broccoli di Rapa and Chorizo

serves 4

1 bunch of broccoli di rapa, chopped, blanched, drained and sauteed with garlic and olive oil.

1 chorizo sausage, sliced thinly

4 eggs

2 tbls cream or half and half

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tbls olive oil.

In an 8″ nonstick skillet on low heat, render the chorizo in 1 tablespoon oil for about 5 minutes (if you’ve frozen it, simply slice it with a heavy knife right from the freezer and saute with oil–it will thaw instantly).

Add pre-cooked broccoli di rapa and continue sauteing.

 In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and salt and pepper.  Pour into skillet with broccoli and chorizo and stir for about 30 seconds, then let set over lowest flame  for about 8 minutes.

Slide plate underneath and flip onto plate, then slide back into skillet and continue cooking on opposite side until golden brown.

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Salade Nicoise

Posted on July 26, 2011 by fjbnyc

This is a summertime favorite.  The ingredients for this salad trickle into the farmstands at various times during the summer, but they’re all in by late July–green beans, potatoes, tomatoes and lettuce.

This is the PERFECT dish for summer entertaining–you can prepare all of the ingredients ahead and assemble the plates at the last minute.  It’s colorful, impressive, and substantial enough to be a late night supper with some great bread.

The big question is whether to buy fresh tuna and cook it ahead, or to use good imported canned tuna in olive oil.  I often will make my own olive oil poached tuna  or simply grilled tuna for this salad.  In the south of France, however, the authentic salade Nicoise is made with good olive-oil packed canned tuna.  Tonight, I’ve decided to go with the imported tuna from Spain (in a jar).

The green beans must be blanched and drained ahead of time.  For fresh baby green beans, boil only for about 3 to 4 minutes in heavily salted water (helps keep them green), then drain and shock in cold water.

Potatoes (yukon golds) must be peeled, sliced and dropped into the same heavily salted, boiling water for about 7 to 9 minutes (until slighty soft but not mushy).

Then dress the potatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil until ready to use.  Toss them gently (with your fingers or a wooden spoon) to prevent breaking and set aside (better to leave them at room temperature rather than the fridge until you’re ready to serve the salad).

The eggs must be boiled and cooled (see my foolproof method of boiling eggs in my recent Cobb Salad post).

You can use lettuce or more assertive greens such as arugula, but right now, my farm stand is brimming over with irresistable oak leaf lettuce–my favorite variety of lettuce.  I’ve mixed red and green oak leaf for this salad.

The dressing for this salad can vary–you can use a lemon/oil dressing or add a touch of mustard for a true french vinaigrette, but since I’m Italian, my preferred method of dressing this salad is with red wine vinegar and olive oil.  I find lemon juice a bit timid for the assertive ingredients in this salad.

Simply toss the lettuce with the oil, vinegar and salt, and begin arranging ingredients on top and around it.  Make sure to start with an abundant pile of greens as your base, since the greens shrink and wilt under the weight of the ingredients, and it’s nice to savor the flavor of the oily greens themselves after the other ingredients have been eaten.

Salade Nicoise

serves 4

4 medium heads of oak leaf lettuce (or whatever variety you choose)

1 pint cherry tomatoes

4 boiled eggs

1 lb baby green beans, blanched, shocked and cooled

2 large yukon gold potatoes, sliced boiled, then dressed with salt and oil

1/4 c pitted nicoise olives

8 – 10 anchovies packed in olive oil

12 oz. imported tuna packed in olive oil

1 tbl re wine vinegar

2 tbls extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste.

Dress greens with vinegar and oil, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Arrange remaining ingredients on and around the greens and serve.

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Grilled Swordfish with Black Olive Tapenade

Posted on July 24, 2011 by fjbnyc

This is one of those dishes that reminds me of the Mediterranean in summer.  Swordfish is a bit tricky to cook properly–it’s one of those fish that should be cooked through, not medium rare (too rubbery), but not overcooked (too dry).  The best way to grill it is on ultra-high heat for about 3 – 4 minutes per side, depending on the strength of your grill.  Let it rest for a few minutes and continue cooking through.

I like to start my swordfish (as I do my tuna) with a little marinade an hour or so ahead of cooking:  simply rub with oil, thyme, a few chili flakes and lemon zest.

Just before grilling,  I season both sides generously with salt.   After they’re grilled, while still sizzling hot, I top them with a touch of black olive tapenade, laced with lemon zest and olive oil.

Tonight, I’m serving the fish with boiled yukon gold potatoes, dressed with my green sauce from the other evening–the sauce has stayed beautifully green in the fridge.

In addition, I’ve made oyster mushrooms with red pepper.  A nice pile of fresh local salad greens dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar rounds out the plate.

Grilled Swordfish with Black Olive Tapenade

serves 2

2 swordfish steaks, skin removed, totaling 1 lb

zest of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp chili flakes

1/2 tsp fresh thyme

4 tbls black olive tapenade

2 tbls olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

An hour prior to grilling, rub fish with the thyme, chili flakes, half the olive oil and half the lemon zest.  Let rest at room temperature until grilling.  Just before grilling, coat each side of the fish generously with salt.

While grilling, combine tapenade with 1 tbl olive oil and the remaining lemon zest.

Grill fish on high heat for approximately 3 minutes per side, until cooked through.  Let rest at least 5 minutes, then top with tapenade mixture.

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Oyster Mushrooms with Red Pepper

Posted on July 24, 2011 by fjbnyc

You may know already what a big fan of oyster mushrooms I am (see oyster mushrooms with mint).  They are meaty, easy to clean, inexpensive, and deeply, exotically flavorful. Right now, red peppers are in season and are at their sweetest (and cheapest).  I’ve bought a bunch to add to my oyster mushrooms to add a little sweet smokiness to them.

To prepare oyster mushrooms for cooking, simply remove the chunky tough bottoms from them and pull the leaves into separate, smaller pieces.

Tonight, I’ve chosen to add thyme to the mushrooms instead of mint, since thyme is a natural with woodsy, earthy flavors.

The entire preparation takes about 10 minutes from start to finish, depending on the strength of your burner and size of your skillet.  Just remember to use enough oil and salt, and use a large enough skillet to allow the water to cook off the mushrooms as quickly as possible, lest they boil and turn hard and rubbery instead of brown and crispy.

Oyster Mushrooms with Red Peppers

serves 3 – 4

1 – 1/2 lbs oyster mushrooms, bases removed, leaves torn into 1″ – 2″ pieces

4 cloves garlic, sliced

2 large red peppers, cut into 1″ dice

4 tbls olive oil

1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped a bit too release aroma

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. fresh chopped chives

In a large skillet, brown garlic and red peppers for about 5 to 8 minutes, until garlic is golden and peppers are beginning to caramelize.

Turn heat to high and add mushrooms.  Saute, tossing and stirring every minute or so, for about 10 minutes, or until mushrooms are golden.

Great as a leftover served at room temperature.

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Pasta al’Amatriciana (My Way)

Posted on July 23, 2011 by fjbnyc

I recently re-read an old favorite cookbook of mine “Red, White and Greens” by Faith Willinger, an expat American cookbook writer who lives in Italy (whom I met while working in the kitchen at Po Restaurant) that good pancetta is impossible to find in this country (granted this book was written over ten years ago), but I wonder if she would still say the same today.

She did however, have praise for conventional American salt pork–found in almost any supermarket.  She said that this product was the closest approximation of cured pork belly found in Italy.  I remembered that my neighbor Beppi always uses it in his potato leek soup, and decided to try it on my pasta.

The salt pork in my supermarket looked especially meaty and red today, so I was inspired to try it.

I peeled the skin off the pork and diced it into lardons.

Then I rendered the pork and added pureed fresh grape tomatoes–nothing else.  I conspicuously omitted onions because the tomatoes were so sweet and I wanted to have no extraneous flavors other than cured pork and tomatoes.

The results were a huge success–I must admit I prefer this to pancetta any day of the week.  It has a subtle porkier flavor than pancetta–more like guanciale (cured pork jowl), but cleaner and not as gamey.

Try this sauce on spaghetti and sprinkle on plenty of pecorino romano cheese and black pepper at the table–I promise you you’ll be instantly transported to Rome!

Pasta al’Amatriciana (My Way)

serves 3 – 4

1 lb spaghetti

1/4 lb salt pork, skin removed, diced into 1/2″ lardons

2 tbls olive oil

1 pint grape tomatoes

salt and black pepper

grated pecorino romano for sprinkling

In a skillet large enough to hold the pasta, on low heat, slowly render the cubes of salt pork in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

In the food processor, puree the grape tomatoes until they are finely processed but not completely liquified.

Add the tomatoes to the salt pork and simmer on low for about 20 minutes, while you boil the water and cook the spaghetti.  After 20 minutes, the sauce should have thickened and turned from orange to red.

Combine spaghetti with sauce and add pasta cooking water and drizzle with olive oil.

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Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

Posted on July 21, 2011 by fjbnyc

This dish is one of those one-pot wonders that is so simple and easy, it can be made and served as an elegant dinner all by itself.  It’s particularly good tonight because both broccoli and garlic are fresh and local. 

I’m not an excessive garlic-user, and in fact, I usually push aside the garlic on my plate in favor of just tasting its essence, rather than eating it on its own.  The fact is that most garlic has been sitting on supermarket (even fine produce markets’) shelves for a long time.  There is a world of difference between newer garlic and old, sprouting garlic. In this case, I bought the garlic from the farm where it was grown and the cloves are plump and snowwhite all the way through.  Tonight, I’m eating the garlic.

This dish begins with dicing boneless, skinless chicken thighs (chicken sausage is great as well), then browning in a skillet with garlic.  The blanched broccoli is added and sauteed with the chicken and garlic, and all is tossed with pasta and plenty of extra-virgin olive oil.  Grated pecorino is great sprinkled on top as well. 

Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

serves 4

1 lb  dried fusilli bucati

1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, diced into 1″ cubes

1 bunch broccoli florets

4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

1/4 tsp dried rosemary (or a small sprig of fresh, to be discarded prior to serving)

1 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

chili flakes (optional)

grated pecorino romano for sprinkling

In a broad skillet, saute chicken 4 tbls olive oil until lightly golden.  Add garlic and rosemary and continue sauteing until garlic is golden.

Boil broccoli for a minute in salted water, then drain.  Boil pasta in same water.  Add blanched broccoli to the skillet, along with chicken broth.  Simmer uncovered on low until pasta is cooked.  Add pasta to skillet and drizzle with remaining olive oil.  Serve with plenty of grated pecorino.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Beet, Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Posted on July 20, 2011 by fjbnyc

Since I made sauteed beet greens the other evening, I had also roasted the beets themselves and kept them in the fridge.  When I arrived home this evening, I found one of my neighbor Beppi’s bags hanging on my back door with the first of this season’s cucumbers from his garden. 

Cucumbers and beets are a great combination–the bright and crispy cucumber against the sweet and earthy beet.  I like to peel the cucumbers, cut them in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with a spoon, then slice them into half-moon slices.  Eliminating the seeds helps prevent your salad from becoming waterlogged.  All that’s needed is oil, vinegar and salt. 

This was the perfect salad to accompany my grilled filet mignons.  Instead of putting a bit of feta or goat cheese on the beet salad, I decided to place a slab of bleu cheese (which I had leftover from my cobb salad) right on top of the sizzling steak (think of a burger with bleu cheese only much more luxurious!)

Beet, Tomato and Cucumber Salad

serves 4

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (I used yellow, which were sweetest at my farm stand)

8 medium beets, roasted (see my golden beet and goat cheese salad)

3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced into half-moon slices approx. 1/4″ thick

1 tbl extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsps red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Toss vegetables with oil, vinegar and salt.  Serve immediately.

 

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Cobb Salad

Posted on July 19, 2011 by fjbnyc

Although there’s nothing Italian about a Cobb Salad, it’s what I’m in the mood for today.  On some hot summer days after coming off the beach, the only thing that will satisfy is a large cool composed salad and some bread.

Not that this salad doesn’t require any cooking–it requires cooking of chicken breasts (I like to grill them), boiling eggs and rendering bacon.  However, almost all of these components can be made ahead and served chilled or at room temperature.   The only ingredients that require last-minute handling are the bacon (must be served hot or warm) and the avocado, which must be peeled and sliced at the last minute or it will discolor.

A word about boiling eggs–I like the yolks of my boiled eggs to be bright yellow and slightly underdone.  If you boil eggs too hard or long, the yolks will have that dark green border, which I find inelegant.  My method of boiling eggs is foolproof for avoiding the green.  Simply place eggs in a small pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil and allow to boil for about 30 seconds.  Turn off heat, cover and leave pot on the warm burner for 8 minutes.  Refresh with cold water until eggs are cool to the touch.  Peel and serve.

Cobb Salad

serves 4

1 lb arugula and watercress leaves combined

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved or 3 beefsteak tomatoes, cut in chunks

4 boiled eggs

4 pieces grilled chicken breast, sliced

2 avocados, sliced

1/4 lb bacon cubes, partially rendered, still warm

4 oz. blue cheese

2 tbls extra-virgin olive oil

1 – 1/2 tbl red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Dress greens with oil and vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste. Mound greens on individual plates.  Arrange other ingredients on top and around.

 

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