We’re in the thick of it in the north east. You know you’ve reached the dead of winter when a 40-degree day feels downright balmy. But here we are, so let’s make the best of it by keeping our ovens on for hours and making this slow-roasted tomato and burrata winter caprese.
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Soup season is upon us. With temperatures entering frigid territory, now is the time to make this Broccoli and Cheddar Soup with Garlicky Croutons.
Can I let you in on a secret? On the whole, a big old bowl of soup doesn’t typically excite me.
While I’m oversimplifying the process a bit here, to make soup, you put a bunch of stuff in a pot and let it do its thing. Each ingredient gently imparts its flavor on its neighbor. Components like vegetables, legumes and grains soften until they can be slurped up with a spoon in one homogeneous gulp.
Yawn.
Who wants to eat something where the first bite tastes exactly like the last? While I know the answer to this question is “many people,” I crave distinct flavors and competing textures in every bite.
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With all the buzz around grain bowls over the last few years, I’ve gotten away from making grain salads. But what is a grain bowl after all than a grain salad with its parts disassembled?
One could certainly argue that grain salads are better. In fact, I might be arguing it? When you mix ingredients, flavors meld. Every bite has a little bit of this and that without you having to gather ingredients from around your plate.
There are also times when photo ready grain bowls just aren’t practical. Are you a new parent, cradling a baby in your arms while trying to shovel something nourishing into your mouth? Are you eating while driving your kids to soccer practice or doing work at your computer? Do you want to prep something ahead to easily pull from the fridge throughout the week? Grain bowls are pretty but they take work to assemble and eat. Of course, the ideal is to mindfully dine at our kitchen tables with no distractions but that is not always practical. Enter, the grain salad.
Continue reading “FARRO, CHARRED BROCCOLI AND CASTELVETRANO OLIVE SALAD”
I have a real love affair going on with full fat Greek yogurt. Yes, I like it like everyone else with granola and fruit or blended into smoothies, but my favorite way to enjoy it is in savory preparations.
I spoon a thick layer of it across the bottom of a platter and heap atop highly seasoned roasted vegetables like eggplant or the Romanesco here; a fresh salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and plenty of mint; dressed grains, or simple olive-oil fried eggs dusted with smoked paprika. The smooth Greek yogurt has a way of both carrying and mellowing out flavors. It adds richness to whatever you put with it, making it feel decadent and filling. Continue reading “ROASTED ROMANESCO WITH PICKLED SHALLOT, CILANTRO AND GREEK YOGURT”
These steam-then-roasted sweet potatoes are my latest obsession. They take less than five minutes to prep, do their thing in the oven for a little under an hour, and are equally delicious served just as-is or all dressed up as I am showing you here.
The potato cooking method itself comes from Nik Sharma in his cookbook The Flavor Equation. After halving your sweet potatoes lengthwise, you spread or dollop the flesh side with butter and seasoning, place them on a sheet pan flesh side up then seal the pan tightly with tin foil. You then stick them in the oven to steam-roast for about 25 minutes before uncovering, flipping and returning them to the oven for another 25 minutes or so. The flesh side browns and crisps and the potatoes become more concentrated in flavor. Moist and crisp? This method makes that possible.