arugula with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette and fresh mootz
HEIRLOOM GAZPACHO SALAD WITH GRILLED BREAD AND CRAB
winter salad of watercress, fennel, and asian pear
haricots verts and baby greens with fingerlings and pesto vinaigrette
SUMMER SWEET CORN WITH JALAPEÑO AND HERB BUTTER
pink grapefruit and avocado salad with grapefruit reduction
HOWEVER-MANY-BEAN AND CRUNCHY-VEG SALAD WITH MUSTARDY VINAIGRETTE
wiggly rice noodle and herb salad with sweet shrimp
SPICY CUCUMBER AND PINEAPPLE SALAD
grilled green beans with harissa
ROASTED SUNCHOKES WITH MUSHROOMS AND ROSEMARY
honey-glazed baby root vegetables with greens
ROASTED BEET AND ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH QUADRELLO AND GARLIC VINAIGRETTE
heirloom beans with pork, soffritto, and smoke
NUT-ROASTED BRUSSELS AND BROCCOLI
ROASTED RADICCHIO WITH BALSAMIC AND GARLIC
DUCK FAT POTATOES WITH PARSLEY AND LEMON
SERVES 4
THE WORD “FRESH” is thrown around so much by food companies these days that its true meaning can be lost—until you have an experience like this: Years ago, my friend Scott Omelianuk took me to his (as he pronounces it) Eye-talian deli, Vito’s, on Washington Street in Hoboken, New Jersey, and bought a pound of mozzarella. The cheese had been made that afternoon, as it’s made all day, every day, and had never been refrigerated. Eat, Scott instructed. I ate. And as many Caprese salads as I’d enjoyed in my days, never had I tasted such milky sweetness in a fresh mootz. Before flying back home to Chicago, where I lived at the time, I bought another blob of the stuff, and ate half of it on the plane. This simple salad celebrates that kind of mootz, which pairs so nicely with the tangy sweetness of dried tomatoes and the bite of arugula.
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and quartered
½ teaspoon thyme leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup peppery extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups arugula
8 ounces freshest available mozzarella (do not refrigerate)
1 Chop the tomatoes coarsely and put them in a small bowl with the vinegar to rehydrate, 15 minutes. Dump the tomatoes and vinegar into the bowl of a food processor with the garlic, thyme, and salt. Run the processor and add the oil slowly in a thin stream through the feed tube to emulsify the vinaigrette.
2 In a large bowl, toss the arugula with the tomato vinaigrette. Divide the greens among 4 plates. Top with lumps of the cheese, and serve.
These days I get my mootz fix at Greene Grape Provisions in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Seek out the freshest in your neck of the woods. (If you can’t find any, bring some back from your next vacation to New York, Hoboken, or any of the number of great Little Italys across America, but remember to buy extra: some to eat on the plane and some to make this dish.)
Heirloom Gazpacho Salad with Grilled Bread and Crab
SERVES 4 AS AN ENTRÉE
THE FLAVORS OF gazpacho are the perfect distillation of sunshine and heat: sweet, tangy, spicy. For me, they are summer. One of my favorite days of the year, by far: the day the heirloom tomatoes finally show up at my farmers’ market in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park. I buy green zebras, Italian hearts, black princes—invariably way too many—and run home to make Caprese salads, panzanellas, uncooked tomato sauce for pasta, and of course, the famous cold soup of Spain, usually slurping it down before there’s any time for chilling.
Then, this past summer, I had a eureka moment (or should I say, a “D’oh!”): why was I chilling a soup made of tomatoes, which suppresses their sweetness? Why use a machine to liquefy vegetables that are at their peak flavor and texture? Worst, why buy expensive heirlooms and then eliminate the ability to differentiate their wildly different tastes and colors?
And so a gazpacho salad was born.
4 (1-inch-thick) diagonal slices baguette or other crusty bread
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
3 medium garlic cloves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2½ pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
4 radishes, shaved paper thin
¼ medium red onion, sliced paper thin
½ yellow bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup cilantro or tarragon leaves, chopped
¼ cup basil leaves, rolled and sliced into thin slivers
2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco
4 large red leaf lettuce leaves
Up to 1 pound lump crabmeat, optional
1 Preheat a grill, grill pan, or broiler to high.
2 Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and grill until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Cut 1 of the garlic cloves in half and rub one side of each toast with the garlic. Sprinkle the toasts with salt, cut into 1-inch squares, and set aside.
3 Slice the tomatoes into bite-size chunks and place them in a large bowl, taking care to catch any juices on the cutting board and direct them into a small bowl. Add the cucumber, radishes, onion, and bell pepper to the tomatoes.
4 To make the vinaigrette, chop the remaining 2 garlic cloves, then add 1½ teaspoons salt, and mash into a paste with a sturdy fork. Add to the small bowl with the reserved tomato juices along with the vinegar, cilantro, basil, and hot sauce. Then, whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a thin stream to combine.
5 To assemble, place 1 leaf of red leaf lettuce on each of 4 plates. Add the croutons to the tomato mixture, drizzle with vinaigrette, and toss gently so as not to break up the tomatoes. Taste for seasoning, add salt if needed, and divide the mixture in unruly piles on the plates. Put the crabmeat in the empty tomato bowl and toss very gently to absorb the remaining dressing. Divide among the plates, give thanks that February is far, far away, and serve.
The crabmeat is completely optional—it could just as easily be seared tuna, marinated tofu, or fresh mozzarella—and simply serves to make the salad a great lunch entrée. If opting for crab, pick over it and remove any shell fragments but do remember to handle it carefully to preserve the large, sweet chunks.
THE CUTTING BOARD CONUNDRUM
SERVES 4 GENEROUSLY OR 6 AS A SIDE SALAD
I’VE ALWAYS THOUGHT grocery stores should display posters telling you which fruits and vegetables are in season and at their best. Of course, supermarkets would never do that, because they want people in Wisconsin to buy tomatoes and cantaloupes even when it’s February. Instead, make a salad with foods that are good in winter: these. A lively Asian vinaigrette with lemongrass and a hint of nutty sesame is perfect against the sweet, crunchy pear.
1 small fennel bulb, tops removed
1 small Asian pear
2 bunches of watercress, tough stems removed (4 generous cups)
1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced tender lemongrass stalk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
A grind or two of fresh black pepper
1 Thinly slice the fennel and Asian pear using a mandoline or sharp knife. Put in a large bowl along with the watercress and shallot.
2 In a small bowl, whisk together the ginger, lemongrass, lime juice, rice vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad, and toss to combine.
Asian pears look like tan apples and share the crunch of an apple but have a lovely, floral sweetness that is unmistakably pear flavor. They are juicy and refreshing and play nicely in salads with bright vinaigrettes.
SERVES 4
A LOT OF PEOPLE think of herbs mainly as flavorings to add to their cooking, but here they play a starring role. Not only does this simple salad pack a powerful wallop of bright, fresh, green flavor, its vivid aromas are fantastic on the table. Meanwhile, mâche (pronounced “mosh”) is a truly great, incredibly tender green, and is now available in most better grocery stores. If you can’t find it in yours, just use baby romaine, mesclun, or another flavorful green for your base, because that’s what those greens are here: the backup singers.
4 cups mâche or mixed baby greens
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ cup basil leaves
¼ cup strong fresh herbs, such as chives, chervil, tarragon, or dill
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup slivered almonds or pine nuts, toasted
1 In a large bowl, combine the greens, parsley, basil, and other herbs. Put the vinegar in a small bowl, and, whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a thin stream. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
2 Dress the salad with the vinaigrette, tossing to coat the leaves. Sprinkle the nuts on top, and serve.
Many professional chefs like to garnish a meat, fish, or pasta dish with tiny versions of herb salads like this one—a great touch. If you’re using this that way, go for a higher proportion of the strong herbs, or even use only herbs.
SERVES 4
AS MUCH AS I like pesto, incorporating it into a vinaigrette laid bare a shortcoming: it lacks acidity. A little tang from white wine vinegar makes it even yummier. It also makes an excellent dressing for French green beans and creamy, golden fingerling potatoes, which just seem to need to be together.
You could bang out the pesto in a food processor, but grinding it the old-school way into a paste (hence “pesto,” of course) in a mortar and pestle is fast and fun; it also seems to inform your dish with a history, a soulfulness from everything you ever mashed in that battered, fragrant bowl. I use a Mexican molcajete, carved from volcanic stone.
PESTO VINAIGRETTE
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped shallot
½ cup packed basil leaves
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1½ tablespoons Champagne or other white wine vinegar
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
SALAD
½ small red onion, sliced paper thin
4 (½-inch) slices baguette
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced in half
Kosher salt
½ pound fingerling potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ pound haricots verts, cut into 2-inch lengths
2 good handfuls of baby greens
1 Make the pesto: Combine the pine nuts, garlic, and shallot in a mortar and grind into a paste. Add the basil leaves, and grind them into the mix. Stir in the Parmesan, vinegar, and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
2 Make the salad: In a small bowl, soak the onion in ice water to reduce the sharpness.
3 Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil and toast on both sides until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Rub each on one side with the garlic clove, sprinkle with salt, and cut into 1-inch croutons.
4 In a large bowl, prepare an ice bath, and place a colander in the sink. In a medium saucepan filled halfway with water, bring the water to a boil and season well with salt. Add the potatoes and cook for 6 minutes. Add the beans to the potatoes, and continue cooking until both the beans and potatoes are tender but not too soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in the colander, then plunge the colander into the ice bath to stop the cooking.
5 To serve, toss the greens with some of the vinaigrette, then divide among 4 plates. Toss the beans and potatoes with vinaigrette, and divide over the greens. Drain the onion, pat dry with paper towels, and sprinkle over the salads along with the croutons. Serve at once.
SERVES 4
LIKE TOMATOES, SWEET CORN is one of those summer-only treats made all the more special by its ephemera. You can grill it, nuke it, steam or boil it, as you like—they all work well. I prefer the grill. And while presenting corn on the cob is certainly beautiful and fun, I like to do the work for my friends and shave off the kernels; this also makes it much easier to get other flavors into the mix. Plus, the serving of corn you get from a single cob is not enough, in my view. For four people, I want six to eight cobs.
8 ears of corn
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ jalapeño chile, or more to taste, seeded and chopped
1 Preheat a grill or grill pan to high.
2 Pull the husks back on the ears of corn, but keep them attached. Remove the silks with a firm scrub brush under running water. Pat the corn dry with kitchen towels, and brush it with the olive oil. Replace the husks, place the ears on the grill, and cook, turning onto all sides, until the kernels are tender and husks are blackened, 10 to 12 minutes.
3 While the corn cooks, in a small bowl, mix together the butter, garlic, salt, and jalapeño.
4 Use a sharp knife or “corn zipper” to remove the corn kernels, reserving any sweet liquid that collects on the cutting board, and transfer them to a large bowl. Toss the kernels and any reserved juices with the jalapeño butter, taste for heat and seasoning, and keep warm until ready to serve.
You can, of course, serve this on the cob, with the husks on, which makes for a beautiful presentation (and keeps the corn warm longer). Put the butter in small ramekins and serve alongside.
Pink Grapefruit and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit Reduction
SERVES 4
THE TECHNIQUE OF simmering liquids such as wine and stock to concentrate their flavors is a simple and crucial one, and you see it in many dishes. But I only recently came across the idea of reducing citrus juice for a salad dressing. Herewith, how to make grapefruit taste more like grapefruit, a lovely foil to the creamy avocado and crispy Boston lettuce.
2 to 3 large pink grapefruits, as needed
2 ripe Hass avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 large or 2 small heads of Boston lettuce, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 Slice off the tops and bottoms of 2 of the grapefruits, removing the peel and pith and just the tiniest bit of flesh. Work your way around each fruit, doing the same, so that you are left with 2 peeled, pith-free grapefruits. Over a glass measuring cup, slide a paring knife between the grapefruit membranes to release the citrus segments; put them in a large bowl. Squeeze the membranes in the cup to get out every bit of juice. You need 1 cup juice; if you don’t have a cup of juice, squeeze enough of the additional grapefruit to produce the right amount.
2 Pour the grapefruit juice into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until there is about ¼ cup left; this will take 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
3 Add the avocado and lettuce to the grapefruit segments.
4 In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, and reduced grapefruit juice. In a slow stream add the olive oil, whisking all the time, until the dressing is emulsified. Mix in the salt, pepper, and chives and toss gently with the grapefruit, avocado, and lettuce. Serve right away.
SERVES 8 TO 10 AS A SIDE DISH
I MAKE THIS salad all summer long, a little differently each time, depending on what’s ripe. It’s easy-breezy, fresh, colorful, and crispy. And it’s a great example of the kind of room-temperature dish that to me defines summer picnic life; almost everything on the table is served room temp (except meats) and family style, with a scoop and a smile. Here, I’ve opted for two kinds of beans; it’s just as good with one. Or three.
2 garlic cloves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup red wine or cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups 1-inch-sliced yellow wax beans
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 celery ribs with leaves, coarsely chopped
3 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
½ medium red onion or 1 big shallot, chopped
1 tomato, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped
Kernels cut from 2 ears of sweet, in-season corn
1 To make the vinaigrette, chop the garlic, add ½ teaspoon salt, and then mash into a paste with a fork. Scrape into a medium bowl and add the vinegar and mustard. Whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a thin stream until emulsified.
2 In a medium saucepan, heat an inch of water to boiling, add 1 tablespoon salt, and add the wax beans. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or to your desired doneness, tasting after 2 minutes to check. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
3 In a large bowl, toss the wax and black beans, celery, carrots, bell pepper, onion, tomato, jalapeño, and corn with the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or chill, if desired; this salad is great either way.
When it’s hot out and I want to keep effort to a bare minimum, I don’t emulsify the dressing first. I just dump the vinaigrette ingredients on top of the salad and toss—and it turns out fine.
SERVES 20
These proportions yield enough for a pretty good-sized group; make it a day ahead and refrigerate if you’d like.
Make a double recipe of the mustardy vinaigrette, opposite, and stir in ⅓ cup chopped tarragon leaves. Cut 1 (12-ounce) package duck bacon (such as that sold by D’Artagnan) into ½-inch dice. In a Dutch oven over medium-low heat, fry the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, and reserve. Add 1 chopped medium red onion to the bacon fat along with 2 chopped celery ribs, and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add 1½ pounds dried black-eyed peas, water or chicken stock to cover by an inch, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until just tender, 20 to 30 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the peas are barely covered by water. Do not overcook; better for the peas to be slightly crunchy than mushy. When the peas are al dente, drain and cool. Add the bacon and about three-quarters of the dressing, adding more to taste. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and serve.
Wiggly Rice Noodle and Herb Salad with Sweet Shrimp
SERVES 4 AS A LIGHT ENTRÉE, 6 TO 8 AS AN APPETIZER
THE CONCEPT OF cooking Italian pasta until it’s just al dente—“to the tooth”—is widely known. Here, a rapid-cooking technique is also used to preserve the texture of those very thin Asian rice noodles labeled “rice stick.” You drop a pouf of these translucent noodles into hot water, steep them for a few minutes, and they quickly puff up and turn a pretty white. But rice noodles behave differently than wheat; there’s a jolliness to them, a bouncy, springy wiggliness, both in the way they move when you handle them and in the way they chew. For me, it’s that perfect chewiness that defines this noodle’s character. Also, rice stick is a wonderful sponge for flavor, instantly absorbing the tangy, nutty, earthy flavors of this dressing.
1 cup snow peas
2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 scallions (white and green parts)
4 ounces thin rice-stick noodles
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fish sauce
1½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
½ cup chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce, or more to taste
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Fill a large saucepan with salted water, and bring to a boil. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Add the snow peas to the boiling water, cook for 1 minute, and remove with a slotted spoon to the ice bath to cool. Repeat with the carrots. Thinly slice the peas, and cut the carrots into similarly sized matchsticks. Cut the scallions into 1½-inch sections and then thinly slice lengthwise into matchsticks.
2 Keep the pan of water on the stove but turn off the heat underneath it. Add the noodles and let steep in the hot water for 5 minutes, then drain well, and put in a large bowl.
3 Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the shrimp, sugar, 2 teaspoons of the lime juice, 1 teaspoon of the fish sauce, ½ teaspoon of the sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon of the cilantro.
4 Add the snow peas, carrots, scallion, mint, and remaining ½ cup cilantro to the rice noodles.
5 In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce, remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil, the Sriracha, and honey. Pour over the noodles and toss to combine.
6 Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Swirl the vegetable oil around the pan (it will smoke a little until you add the shrimp) and quickly add the shrimp and any marinade. Cook the shrimp until pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Add the noodles and stir to mix in the shrimp, or let the shrimp cool, mix into the noodles, and serve the dish at room temperature.
SERVES 6 TO 8 AS A SIDE DISH
CUCUMBER AND PINEAPPLE—you wouldn’t think, would you? This salad is always a hit with our crowd. It leans Asian, so it’s a nice accompaniment to many foods from that corner of the world. I particularly like it for a cookout, where its sweet-and-sour nature works well with the sweetness and smoke of grilled, sauced meats. It’s great with my barbecued ribs.
⅔ cup unseasoned rice vinegar (or, in a pinch, white vinegar)
⅔ cup sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1½ cups bite-size chunks of fresh pineapple
1 hothouse cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded with a small spoon, and sliced ¼ inch thick
½ yellow bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
2 shallots, sliced paper-thin
½ to 1 jalapeño chile, to taste, seeded and finely diced
¼ cup cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 Heat the vinegar, ½ cup water, the sugar, and salt in a saucepan over high heat until the sugar and salt dissolve. Cool the mixture to room temperature and then stir in the lemon zest.
2 Combine the pineapple, cucumber, bell pepper, shallots, jalapeño, and cilantro in a plastic storage container with a lid and pour the dressing over. Add the sesame seeds and toss to coat. Marinate, refrigerated, for at least 1 hour for the flavors to blend, or up to 4. Serve cold or at room temperature with a slotted spoon.
Grilled Green Beans with Harissa
SERVES 4
MOST FOODS ARE improved by an introduction to charcoal and smoke, and that includes those that hang from beanstalks. The only trick is not losing half of your green beans to the fire, a job made easier with one of those mesh cages for grilling smaller foods. Me, I just do my best to keep them perpendicular to the grates, and I have my average casualties down to about three beans. A quick toss in a vinaigrette spiked with spicy North African chile paste, aka harissa, really livens things up; in a pinch, you could use the same amount of Sriracha, or just Tabasco with a chopped garlic clove. Or, if you prefer, skip the heat—these are still really good.
Kosher salt
1 pound green beans, trimmed
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon harissa
1 Preheat a grill or large grill pan to high.
2 Prepare a large bowl of ice water; set aside. Fill a large saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Season the water generously with salt. Add the beans and blanch until just crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain, and plunge the beans into the ice water for 2 minutes to stop the cooking. Drain the beans and pat dry with kitchen towels.
3 Put the beans in a large bowl and toss with the vegetable oil. Using tongs, arrange in a single layer on the grill and cook until lightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes.
4 Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, harissa, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the warm beans, toss, and serve warm or at room temperature.
SERVES 6 AS A SIDE DISH
SUNCHOKES, ALSO CALLED Jerusalem artichokes, are neither artichokes nor Israeli. And, as they are actually the root of a plant, it’s hard to argue that they have much relationship to the sun. They are, however, a tuber from a species related to sunflowers, which starts to explain one of those names. More important than any of this: they are absolutely delicious, something like a cross between a potato, an artichoke, a water chestnut, and a turnip, but better. They’re a little starchy when raw, but slightly sweet and nutty when roasted. Great for a puree. Here, they dovetail beautifully with earthy mushrooms and piney rosemary.
1 pound sunchokes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ pound mushrooms, such as cremini, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Select a 2-quart (or so) oven-safe gratin dish with a lid; then place the dish—but not the lid—in the oven, and preheat it to 450°F.
2 Scrub but do not peel the sunchokes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Immediately toss with the olive oil to prevent discoloration. Season with ½ teaspoon of the salt.
3 Wearing oven mitts, remove the dish from the oven, carefully add the sunchokes (reserving the bowl and leftover olive oil), which will sizzle excitingly, and 2 tablespoons hot tap water. Cover, and return to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes.
4 While the sunchokes cook, toss the mushrooms in the oil remaining in the bowl, and season with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Wearing oven mitts, remove the hot dish once again from the oven, and add the mushrooms, rosemary, and butter. Stir to combine, leave the dish uncovered, and roast the veggies until tender and easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 10 minutes.
Honey-Glazed Baby Root Vegetables with Greens
SERVES 4 TO 6
I WAS WAITING in line at our farmers’ market when the farmhand asked the woman in front of me, “Want me to cut the tops off those beets?” I almost leaped into one of those slow-motion movie moments to stop him: “Nooooo!” It’s bad enough that supermarkets whack off the tops of beets, celery, turnips, radishes—all edible, all delicious—and waste them. But an organic farmer at a local market? He should be passing out recipe ideas for those greens! I consoled myself with the fantasy that the farmhand had such a strong addiction to beet tops that he hoarded them in bushels for himself. Then, the next week, I gave him this recipe.
1 pound baby golden beets or turnips, greens attached
1 pound radishes, greens attached
3 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons thyme leaves, plus some whole sprigs for garnish
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Wash the beets and radishes, and peel the beets (wear rubber gloves if you don’t want to stain your hands). Cut radishes in half lengthwise, taking care to leave some greens attached to each root piece, and cut beets lengthwise until they are the same size as the radishes. Put the veggies in a sauté pan with a lid, add the garlic and olive oil, and toss to coat. Add ¾ cup water, the thyme leaves, honey, and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, shaking the skillet occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and pierced easily with the tip of a knife, 12 to 15 minutes.
2 Transfer the vegetables to a serving platter, draping the soft greens around the roots in pleasing swirls. Bring the cooking liquid back to a boil, remove from the heat, and swirl in the butter. Pour the sauce over the vegetables, garnish with sprigs of thyme, and serve.
The secret here is in finding small, baby veggies, or carefully cutting them all to the same small size lengthwise without cutting off the stems. Shoot for about half the size of a golf ball. If you detach a few greens, it doesn’t matter. Cook ’em anyway!
SERVES 4
THIS BEAUTIFUL SALAD uses the beet greens as well as the root. (If you can’t find beets with greens on, you can use Swiss chard.) Soft, slightly funky Quadrello cheese, made from raw buffalo milk, pairs beautifully with the earthy sweetness of the beets, though you could certainly substitute Taleggio or another soft, washed-rind cheese.
4 medium beets with greens attached, well scrubbed
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled, cut in half
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 medium asparagus spears
Pinch of sugar
3½ teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 ounces Quadrello cheese, cut into 4 pieces
1 Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2 Cut the greens from the beets. Remove and discard the stems, and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
3 Put the beets and garlic on a piece of foil in a small roasting pan. Drizzle with some olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring the foil up around the beets to cover, and roast until tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
4 While the beets roast, heat an ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and then the asparagus, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until the asparagus are browned and lightly cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
5 When the beets are done, remove from the oven and slip off the skins while still warm. Cut into bite-size pieces.
6 Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skins onto a cutting board. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt, a couple grinds of black pepper, and the sugar, and mash into a paste with a fork. Put the garlic paste in a small bowl, add the vinegar, and then whisk in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a thin stream until emulsified. Taste, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
7 In a sauté pan set over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Leaving some moisture on the greens after washing, toss them into the pan, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes.
8 Arrange 4 asparagus spears on each of 4 plates. Toss the greens with half of the vinaigrette, and then place atop the asparagus. Gently toss the beets in the remaining vinaigrette, and divide among the plates on top of the greens. Add a piece of cheese to each plate, and serve.
CLEARING THE AIR
Heirloom Beans with Pork, Soffritto, and Smoke
SERVES 10 TO 12 AS A SIDE DISH
I USUALLY COOK beans with soffritto and a smoked ham hock, flavors that beautifully complement their creamy sweetness. The goal: most of the beans should retain their shape and be tender but not mushy; however, some of them should break up and impart creaminess to their liquid, known in the South as pot likker. For more thickness, stick an immersion blender into your finished beans and puree a little, or just do some smooshing with a potato masher or spoon. I like black beans, pintos, red beans, cannellini, black-eyed peas, and flageolets. Sometimes I add spices such as cumin or cayenne; other times not. Sometimes, a cup of diced tomatoes. Not today.
1 pound dried beans
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons chili or chile powder, optional
1 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
¼ teaspoon cayenne or 1 chopped seeded jalapeño chile
1 smoked ham hock (preferably) or 3 slices smoked bacon or ham, diced
3 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together with cotton string
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, to taste
1 Rinse and pick over the beans, discarding any small stones or other debris. If you have time, put the beans in a bowl, cover with water by 2 or 3 inches, and soak for up to 6 hours. If not, just plan on simmering them a little longer.
2 In a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat, warm the oil, and then cook the onion, celery, and carrot until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and, if using, chili powder, cumin, and/or cayenne, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans, ham hock, thyme, and water to cover the beans by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and simmer for 30 minutes.
3 After an hour, spoon out a few beans and taste for tenderness. Keep cooking and testing as needed, checking at least every 15 minutes, as things speed up toward the end of the process. Add small amounts of hot water, if needed. When the beans are tender and the liquid is creamy and thickened, they’re ready. Remove the bay leaf. If you want thicker liquid, hit the mixture briefly with the immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper as needed before serving.
Serve these on their own, as a bed for roasted meat or poultry, or (best of all) over cooked brown or white rice.
For an easy bean soup, just add more water or stock at the end of the process, being sure to adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper; you can serve as is, or puree the soup and pass it through a strainer (see opposite) for a more refined result.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SOFFRITTO
Nut-Roasted Brussels and Broccoli
SERVES 6 TO 8
IT SEEMS ALMOST every time I’m describing something delicious, from toast to cheese to beer, I’m using the word “nutty.” In this simple dish, two vegetables that already take on pronounced nutty qualities when roasted come together with (what else?) nuts, both for flavor and a bit of crunch. Blanching and shocking are extra steps—you could, of course, just roast the vegetables and call it a day—but don’t. Blanching locks in vivid green color that will otherwise fade in the oven.
⅓ cup almonds
Kosher salt
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 pound broccoli florets, trimmed to the size of a Brussels sprout
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 Preheat oven to 450°F.
2 Put the almonds in a food processor and pulse several times; you want a mix of large chunks for crunch and finely ground nuts that will cling to the vegetables.
3 In a large pot, bring 2 inches of water to a boil and season generously with salt. In a large bowl, prepare an ice bath. Add the Brussels sprouts to the boiling water, bring back to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes. Quickly drain in a strainer, and then plunge the strainer into the ice bath to chill for 2 minutes. Drain well.
4 Heat a large, cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet over medium-high for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil and then the vegetables, nudging the sprouts cut side down to encourage browning. Toss in the almonds. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast until the vegetables are tender and golden brown with a little bit of char on the edges, 5 to 7 minutes.
5 Add ½ teaspoon salt, and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the lemon zest, and serve in the skillet.
SERVES 6 AS A LIGHT ENTRÉE OR 8 AS A SIDE DISH
THIS IS A peak-of-summer southern French classic, and a great way to showcase tomatoes and zucchini when they’re abundant. Besides height-of-season produce, the key to the success of this dish is draining some of the vegetable juices so the gratin isn’t watery.
1 pound zucchini, sliced crosswise into ¼-inch rounds
1 pound yellow squash, sliced crosswise into ¼-inch rounds
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1½ pounds medium heirloom tomatoes, preferably a mix of red and yellow, sliced into ¼-inch slices
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dried coarse bread crumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Put the zucchini and squash in a large bowl, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt, tossing a couple of times as you sprinkle, so all pieces get seasoned. Dump onto a large cooling rack over kitchen towels (or straight onto the towels), and let drain 45 minutes. Press the top with additional towels to dry the surface.
2 Meanwhile, arrange the tomato slices in one layer on kitchen towels and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt; let sit for 30 minutes. With additional towels, lightly press on the tomatoes to remove more juice.
3 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan or large gratin dish with the butter.
4 In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over low heat, add the onion and remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and cook until soft and golden, 25 minutes.
5 In the gratin dish, layer the zucchini and squash, sprinkling with half of the thyme, half of the garlic, and 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread the onions evenly over the squash, and then layer the tomatoes, overlapping slightly, to cover. Sprinkle with the remaining garlic, thyme, and 1½ tablespoons olive oil. Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes.
6 In a medium bowl, blend the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Remove the pan from the oven, and increase the oven temperature to 450°F. Sprinkle the veggies with the Parmesan topping. Return the gratin to the oven and bake until the top is browned, up to 10 minutes, and serve.
To make this vegan, leave out the Parmesan and grease the dish with olive oil.
Roasted Radicchio with Balsamic and Garlic
SERVES 4 AS A SIDE DISH
BITTER ITALIAN CHICORY tossed in sweet vinegar and roasted it ’til it’s burned? Sign me up! I think foods with a certain controlled bitter quality are wonderful, and radicchio responds really well to the oven (and the grill, too). The inner leaves get tender, while the outer ones begin to burn at the edges, creating a delicate crispiness. Meanwhile, balsamic vinegars (especially aged ones) are every bit as much about sweetness as they are about tang, and that property intensifies in the heat of the oven, balancing the dish. Bonus points: this dish is gorgeous—I want to wallpaper my dining room with the photo spread on the previous pages—costs pennies, is perfect to prep ahead, and couldn’t be easier.
1 large round head radicchio
4 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2 Remove the outer leaves from the radicchio. From the top, cut into quarters. In a large bowl, toss the radicchio wedges in 4 teaspoons of the olive oil to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet, cut sides up.
3 Chop the garlic on a cutting board. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and sugar, and, using a fork, mash into a paste. Scoop the garlic paste into a small bowl and mix in the balsamic. Whisking continuously, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a thin drizzle, and then add the thyme. Spoon evenly over the radicchio.
4 Roast the radicchio until tender on the inside and browned—even slightly charred—on the outside, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve quickly.
SERVES 4
CHEF AARÓN SANCHEZ, one of my beloved Chopped compadres, comes from a culture that knows a little about rice. So when he told me on set that his restaurants have always baked theirs, rather than prepping it on the stovetop or in rice cookers, my ears perked up. The advantages are many, among them, the pot never boils over, the tendency to peek midway is reduced, and rice never burns on the bottom of the pan. In the main, though, it’s just simpler to let your oven keep things at a precise temperature than it is to do so yourself up top.
Whenever you’re using a pan in the oven, don’t forget the oven mitts, please. And after taking a hot pan out of the oven, immediately slip a mitt over the handle.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1½ cups long-grain white rice or short- or medium-grain brown rice
1 Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2 In a medium ovenproof saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, bring 2½ cups water to a boil and add the oil and salt. Stir in the rice, cover, and transfer to the oven. Bake until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the water, about 18 minutes for white rice or 1 hour for brown. Let rest a moment, stir, and serve.
This recipe works with white or brown rice. I particularly like basmati—it smells like popcorn!
For more flavor and aroma:
• Substitute homemade chicken stock for water
• Add ½ teaspoon crushed saffron
• Add ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• Add 5 cardamom pods
• Add 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary or thyme leaves before baking, or 1 teaspoon chopped dill, parsley, or cilantro leaves after
Duck Fat Potatoes with Parsley and Lemon
SERVES 4 TO 6
THE FRENCH HAVE KNOWN this forever, whereas here, in the beautiful States, it just became the next big thing: there is nothing more wonderful you can do to potatoes than to cook them in duck fat. Where do I get duck fat, you ask? Cook a single Moulard duck breast half, and you’ll easily render off a cup and a half. Strain out the brown bits, and you can store the fat almost indefinitely in the fridge. And don’t feel guilty—you’re using only a tiny bit.
1½ pounds fingerling potatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
3 tablespoons duck fat, melted
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2 In a mixing bowl, toss the fingerlings, duck fat, salt, and pepper to coat. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast until the cut sides of the potatoes are golden and crispy, 25 to 30 minutes.
3 Transfer to a serving bowl, and mix in the parsley, lemon zest, and juice. Serve hot.
SERVES 4 TO 6
IN THIS GROWN-UP version of nature’s perfect food, the Cheddar is the backbone, unctuous and sharp, while the salty-crunchy aged Gouda plays beautifully with its noble Italian cousin, Parmesan. Brown it well and crisp it up. Lots of cheese and just a bit of cream; that’s the way I like it.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried macaroni elbows, ziti, or penne
1¼ to 1½ cups fresh bread crumbs
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 bay leaf
8 ounces aged Gouda, finely grated (about 2 cups)
6 ounces Cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1½ cups)
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
2 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until almost cooked through, 7 to 11 minutes, depending on the pasta. You want the noodles just underdone, because they will be seeing more heat.
3 Meanwhile, put the bread crumbs in a bowl and stir in the parsley, garlic, and oil.
4 Drain the pasta very well in a colander and set aside. Heat the pot over low heat, add the butter, and let it melt. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute until the mixture bubbles. Turn the heat to medium. Gradually add the milk in a fine stream, whisking all the time, and then the cream; the sauce will thicken as it comes to a simmer. Then add the nutmeg and bay leaf, and simmer, stirring constantly, particularly at the edges of the pot to keep the flour from burning, for 10 minutes to cook out the flour taste. Remove the bay leaf.
5 Add the cheeses and stir to melt them. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the pasta and mix well to combine. Spoon into a buttered 9 × 13-inch or 2-quart gratin dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture. Bake until warmed through, bubbly, and lightly browned on the top, 20 to 25 minutes.
A good rule of thumb when cooking pasta: 2½ teaspoons kosher salt per quart of water or, as my chef pal Alex Guarnaschelli says, until it tastes like the ocean. Salted water takes longer to boil, so season after your water is heated.
Aged Gouda is a very different cheese from the soft, mellow stuff wrapped in red wax. It’s harder, crumbly, and much more flavorful; it’s orange and filled with little salty enzyme crystals similar in texture to Parmigiano-Reggiano that give it a little crunch when you bite into it. It’s one of my favorites.
A six-inch piece of baguette or a couple of slices of white bread, given a whirl in the food processor, should do the trick for the fresh bread crumbs. Don’t bother to remove the crust.
SERVES 6
PUREES OF ROOT VEGETABLES are such a lovely foundation for meat, poultry, and fish dishes—there’s nothing like having something lush, soft, and rich alongside crispy chicken skin or the charred crust of a steak. All due respect to potatoes, there are several vegetables that do purees even better, notably celery root (aka celeriac). It’s a homely veggie until it’s cooked and whipped up, at which point it boasts a glossy silkiness that potatoes never get without a ton of cream. Top these off with whiskey onions—caramelized onions finished with a little sweet, smoky bourbon—and you’re gonna get some rave reviews.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium white or yellow onions, thinly sliced (2 cups), plus 1 small white or yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
¼ cup bourbon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon thyme leaves or 1 bay leaf
2½ pounds celery root (about 2 large), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil, and add the sliced onions. Cook, stirring often, until caramelized and deeply golden-brown, but not burned, about 25 minutes. Add the bourbon, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
2 In a large saucepan, bring to a boil the milk and 3 cups water. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the thyme or bay leaf, and the celery root, potato, and onion chunks. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid in case the puree needs to be thinned (though it probably won’t need to be). Discard the bay leaf if using.
3 Combine the celery root mixture with the butter in a food processor and puree. The mixture should be soft and silky, but able to hold a soft peak. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and spoon into a warm serving dish. Top with the caramelized onions, and serve.
