Chopped Mediterranean Salad

This recipe falls into the category of “whatever was on hand”, and turned out to be a hit! I had initially planned on making a simple green salad with olives, tomatoes and sweet onion to go with last weekend’s Polenta Lasagne, so I picked up a box of organic greens a few days before. A few minutes before the lasagne was due to exit the oven, I grabbed the salad fixins out of the refrigerator and set myself up for assembly. Let me just say, there is no disappointment worse in the kitchen than opening what you suspect to be perfect good produce only to find it is RUINED. Sad panda face. The greens were beyond salvage- slimy, limp and in the throes of decomposition. Being someone who doesn’t like to waste food, I reluctantly pitched the greens in questions and set about finding a suitable side dish on the fly.

With the other ingredients ready to play, I pilfered the fridge and windowsill for a couple of additions to bulk up the salad, and ended up with a very refreshing, crisp chopped salad that gave a great play of cool to the piping hot lasagne. The portions made enough for 3-4 sides and can be easily doubled. The salad would be best with super fresh produce, however the use of a light dressing and the fine chop on all the vegetables can help mask the lack of farm fresh vegetables in the off season. It’s also incredibly easy to throw together for a quick lunch or weeknight meal side or as an appetizer topping for bruschetta.

Chopped Mediterranean Salad

- 3 Plum tomatoes, chopped
- ½ English cucumber, chopped
- ¼ Vidalia onion, chopped
- 4 Kalamata Olives, chopped
- 4 Greek green olives, chopped
- 1/3 Cup crumbled feta
- Handful flat leaf Italian parsley, rough chopped
- 5-6 Basil leaves, chiffonade
- 3-4 Tblspns olive oil
- ½(ish) Tblspn balsamic or red wine vinegar
- Wedge of lemon
- Sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper

Comine all ingredients in a wide, low bowl and toss well to coat with olive oil & vinegar. Season to taste with salt & pepper, squeeze lemon over and toss again to incorporate. Allow to rest for 15 or so minutes before serving to allow vegetables time to marinate. Cover any leftovers tightly with plastic wrap & refrigerate. Salad will lose brightness after a day or two in the fridge, but is still very tasty!

If making ahead, combine all vegetables and herbs, but hold off on adding in oil & vinegar (this mixture can be made a day in advance if needed). Add o&v 15-30 minutes before serving, season with salt, pepper & lemon, and serve.

Curry Roasted Cauliflower with Crispy Chickpeas

I started messing around with different cauliflower recipes a couple of years ago, but the two I continue to go back two are either mashed (a favorite in Kyle’s family) or roasted. Roasted cauliflower is so simple and is ready quickly, which makes it perfect for any weeknight or a quick snack. Normally I just break apart a head a cauliflower, toss with a little salt, pepper and olive oil and roast off in the oven for half an hour or so. I love the way it gets crispy, but retains most of its shape, and is great for dipping. I’ve been on a curry kick for the past year or so, and I’ll usually make a quick curry dipping sauce (as in spicy curry powder and mayo or sour cream) to go alongside.

While tooling around on Epicurious I stumbled over a recipe for Spice-Roasted Chickpeas that really spoke to me. I am a huge fan of chickpeas in almost any application. My one grievance is on occasion they tend to get really soggy if out on a salad bar. I love the creamy texture of hummus, and the crunch of roasted wasabi peas, and spice roasted garbanzos sounded like the perfect middleman.

I started thinking about ways to roast the chickpeas and cauliflower together, and the end result was a mutant dish with so much flavor, I had to restrain myself from not eating it all in one sitting. Mixing the curry powder in with the oil gave the dish a lovely bright color, and helped spread the seasoning evenly over all components. The pine nuts were a last minute gamble, and I loved the secondary crunch they brought in addition to the chickpeas.

I ended up serving this alongside some outstanding striped bass Ky provided for dinner with a friend, and the combination was a knockout. Kyle had originally told me we had might have a last minute addition to dinner, and concerned that we wouldn’t have enough of the side, I par boiled off a couple of red potatoes and tossed in with the cauliflower-chickpea mixture (I had roasted it off the night before with plans to heat before dinner), and it was a great addition and budget friendly way to stretch the dish. I will for sure be making this on a pretty regular basis- no lie, I have the fixins in the apartment now, and plan on whipping it up over the weekend. My only point of caution would be to make sure that your chickpeas are as dry as humanly possible- drained in a colander after rinsing and pressed between two kitchen towels seemed to do the trick. Just make sure you have a good size batch made up, as it will develop legs quickly!

Curry Roasted Cauliflower with Crispy Chickpeas (morphed from here and here on Epicurious)

- 2 lbs. Cauliflower, stemmed & broken into florets
- 15oz. can Chickpeas, rinsed, drained & well dried
- ¼ - ½ Cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tspn. Cayenne pepper
- 2 Cloves garlic, well minced
- 4 tbspn. Pine nuts
- 3(ish) tbspns. Spicy curry powder
- 2 tspn. Hungarian hot paprika (optional)
- Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
- Handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, mix olive oil, pine nuts, garlic & all spices until well combined. Toss cauliflower & chickpeas with oil to coat and season with salt & pepper to taste. Spread evenly onto high lipped sheet pan in one layer. Roast off in oven for 35-25 minutes, until cauliflower is well browned & chickpeas are crispy. Stir occasionally throughout roasting time. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes & transfer to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve warm or at room temperature. Great as a side, over greens or as a snack.

German Potato Salad

(yep, camera still out of comission- thanks again Crackberry)

Some days, you just need a little bacon grease.

On the whole, I pride myself on doing my best to eat well and keep my desire to indulge in check. I actually enjoy a good workout, run or long walk with Kyle. But some days you just have to tell the health nut on your shoulder to take a hike.

Due to the offshore effects of one of the recent tropical storms, Ky’s ship ended up back at the docks for a few days last week while they waited for a better weather window. I was happy to have a couple of extra days with him, as we are on the cusp of deciding where to request for his next assignment. It is a big deal not only for his career, but the future of mine as well (more to come on that later). It’s a pretty big topic to take on, deciding where you want to spend the next three years of your life, and such big choices need big, comforting flavors. Our go-to on a cold night has always been German food. Very early on in my kitchen adventures, I used to make a casserole similar to this dish, and the potato salad recipe has been evolving over the past 20 years or so as a result.

Growing up, Kyle spent many hours helping out at a close family friend’s restaurant in downtown Brunswick, Richard’s. Richard himself is from Germany, and his dishes are beyond comforting. While helping out, the boys were always given a bite to eat, which commonly came in the form of stewed red cabbage, since there were at least a couple of them underfoot, and cabbage was inexpensive. From this, Ky has a wonderful stewed red cabbage recipe that I absolutely love, and am still working on convincing him to write down so I can post it. It’s such a perfect cold night dish, and it only gets better if left to come together overnight.

When we lived in Annapolis, there was a wonderful German restaurant we would sneak away to down in Edgewater called The Old Stein Inn. The beers were cold, the food thoughtfully made, and if you caught it on a warm summer night, there would be a live accordion player strolling through the beer garden out back (and you would gladly shell out $10 for her CD after a couple of pints!). Through all of these various experiences with some of our favorite German haunts, we’ve thrown together our own little routine for our German night- both of us standing over our respective bubbling pots, sautéing onions, having a beer or two while we talk and cook, the whole apartment smelling like apple cider vinegar and bacon- pure heaven.

It goes without saying that this is probably not a menu that you would want to eat everyday while trying to be health-conscious. But that’s what makes it all the more special- a compilation of dishes that are not only delicious, but spark memories of past dining experiences, and bring a little comfort at exactly the time when you need it.

(Footnote: the discussion was awesome, we are a united front on our hopeful next destination, and updates soon to follow when we get confirmation!)

Hot German Potato Salad

-6-8 Large red skinned potatoes (I used Irish Reds), cleaned, halved and sliced into even ½ circles
- 4-5 Slices thick cut bacon, diced
- ¼ Sweet Vidalia onion, diced
- ¼ +/- Cup all purpose flour
- ¼ +/- Cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ (ish) Cup water
- Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper
-Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

In a large Dutch oven, heat salted water & cook potatoes until just fork tender, about 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of slices. Drain in colander & set aside. Wipe out Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Once to temp, add in diced bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon & drain on paper towels. Turn heat down to medium-low and add onions to bacon grease, cooking until translucent, about 10 minutes. Season onions lightly with salt & pepper. Add in enough flour to make a moderately thick roux (about the consistency of heavy cake batter), and continue cooking another 5-7 minutes, until flour has cooked out, turned golden brown and thickened a bit more. Add in cider vinegar a little at a time to loosen the roux, use a little more or less than called for, depending on consistency, and use water to thin to consistency of hollandaise sauce (overuse of vinegar can overpower the salad). Stir in potatoes, parsley & reserved bacon until potatoes are well coated. Serve while still warm. Salad can be made up to an hour or two in advance and be kept covered in a low set oven. Stir well before serving, and add bacon just before serving to keep crisp. This salad is best friends with a couple of good quality brauts, a little whole grain mustard, a pile of kraut and a pile of buttered spaetzle, and good friends should never be separated...

A Lovely Spring Sunday

(I would like to state that this is probably the least attractive food photo I have posted to date. It goes without saying that I do not claim to be photo whiz, but I can confirm that the dish was delicious!)

Last weekend, Kyle’s mother came for a visit while on her way down to Georgia for a pearl show she was participating in. Before her arrival, Kyle and I had spent the day outside enjoying the beautiful weather out on Ocean Drive- we went for a jog, watched the kite fliers and he taught me how to take sun sights with a sextant. Before we headed out, we had made a trip to the grocery store to pick up dinner supplies so we wouldn’t be scrambling at the last minute. It had finally felt like spring for the majority of the weekend (after what seemed like an eternity of rain in Newport!), so I didn’t want to make anything too heavy or weighty after a day of enjoying the weather. I had also had a craving for veal and thought a Picatta with braised zucchini and mushroom risotto would be ideal. It was a cinch to throw together (the veal cutlets were thin and cooked quickly while the zucchini braised) and was a great light supper for a spring Sunday. There was plenty to feed four (although it was only three of us that night), and the leftovers were just as good. I’m leaving the risotto recipe out, as I’ve posted a few before, and you can really substitute any starch you like in place: a pilaf with pine nuts, wide noodles or whipped potatoes. Kyle was crazy about the zucchini, and I will definitely be making that again soon! I would recommend starting the zucchini about 25 minutes before you start the veal, as it take a bit longer to braise than it will take to make the Picatta. Additionally, this picatta technique works well for chicken (cooking time is understandably longer) or any firm whitefish.

Veal Picatta with Braised Zucchini

For the Zucchini:

-4 Medium zucchini, well cleaned with stems removed
- ½ Large sweet onion
- ¾ Cup chicken stock
-2-3 Tblspns olive oil
-2 Sprigs fresh Thyme
-Sea salt & cracked black pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees with rack in middle position. Split cleaned zucchini in half lengthwise, and then again width wise. Slice each quarter into ¼” strips. Slice onion into similar size pieces. Toss zucchini and onion with olive oil, salt & pepper (to taste), thyme and chicken stock until evenly coated. Place in oven covered & cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove cover, still & cook for an additional 10-12 minutes uncovered. Can be left in a warm oven until ready to serve.


For the Veal:

-1-1 ½ lbs. Veal cutlets, pounded thin
- 1 Cup flour
- 2 Tblspns capers
- Zest of ½ lemon
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ Lemon, thinly sliced
- ½- ¾ Cup white wine (I used Sauv Blanc, as that’s what we were drinking)
-1 Cup chicken stock
-2 Cloves garlic, minced
-3 Tblspns chopped flat leaf parsley
-Olive oil
-Sea salt & cracked black pepper

In a shallow bowl or paper bag, mix flour with salt and pepper to taste and ½ of the lemon zest (I prefer the bag method, as it gives you even flour coating and is easily disposed of). Add in veal pieces one at a time and shake to coat well after each addition. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. When oil is to temp, remove veal from four mixture, shake over bag to remove excess flour and sear off for 2-3 minutes per side. Cooking in batches is best, so as to not crowd cutlets and ensure even browning. Keep a watchful eye for overcooking- veal can get tough quite quickly, and burning the flour will render it unable to be used for the sauce! Remove cooked cutlets from pan and place on a wire rack set on a cookie sheet in a warm oven (zucchini can keep warm as mentioned above). Repeat process for all cutlets. Once veal has been cooked, add in wine to de-glaze pan. Add in garlic, chicken stock, lemon juice, capers, reserved lemon zest, parsley, and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until sauce comes together and reduces a bit. Settle veal cutlets over starch, top with a couple of slices of fresh lemon, and spoon warm sauce over veal. Garnish with additional chopped flat leaf parsley if desired.

Girl's Night In

Now that I’ve gotten the ball rolling, it’s time to tackle a couple of other backlogged recipes, and after the previous seafood recipe, I thought something a little meatier would be perfect! Continuing on with the theme of casual entertaining over the past month, the weekend before we hosted Brandon and Ugne, my mom came to visit for a girl’s weekend. We had a fabulous time as it was “just us chickens” (since Kyle was out to sea), and we were able to enjoy all of the girly fun that the lads usually roll their eyes at. She drove down Friday afternoon, relaxed in our apartment until I got out of work, and it wasn’t long before we had a spread of cheeses and wine out while I cooked. It had been a while since I had really cooked for her, and it was a beyond enjoyable evening. We also came to the very wise decision that from here on out, all of our girl’s weekends would be kicked off with champagne- brilliant!

I had wanted to do something special for her, and remembered from years ago that she loved petite lamb chops (commonly referred to as “lamb lollipops” on many menus) and knew it would be the perfect meal. I did a simple preparation, searing them in a hot, heavy pan with olive oil and a little butter (calorie count was not an issue, thank you!), and finished the sauce with garlic while the lamb rested. I served the chops over a mushroom and spinach orzo “risotto”. We enjoyed a perfect meal, amazing company, and plenty of reminiscing to boot- which I’m sure was helped along by the wine!

It was so great to be able to have my mom here for a weekend, and show her around our new town. The weather was better than it had been in months, and we drove all over town, oogling the mansions and taking in as much fresh salt air as we could handle. The weekend was topped off by what I would rate as a near-perfect brunch at Café Zelda’s (http://www.cafezelda.com) before she headed back to Maine. There’s nothing like cooking for family and making new memories to make a new place really feel like home…

Petite Lamb Chops in Garlic Sherry Butter with Mushroom & Spinach Orzo “Risotto”

This menu easily feeds two as a good sized main course, with plenty of orzo leftover for lunch the next day (a personal favorite of mine!), or double the lamb instructions and have a perfect meal for four.

For the Orzo:

- 1 cup orzo pasta (dry measurement), prepared as instructed on packaging

- 1 large shallot, minced

- 6-7 crimini mushrooms, sliced

- 9oz. fresh baby spinach

- 2 tablspns dry white wine (optional)

- ½ to ¾ cup half & half

- ½ cup of fresh grated parmesan

- 2 tblspns fresh grated lemon zest

- Olive oil

- Sea salt & fresh black pepper

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Introduce shallots and sweat in oil, about 2 minutes while stirring. Add in mushrooms and stir to coat (you may need to add a bit more olive oil, your call) and sauté another 2-3 minutes. Stir in cooked orzo and continue cooking over medium to medium-low heat until orzo is heated through (like standard risotto, be sure to keep the orzo moving so it doesn’t clump up or stick to the bottom of the pot). Add in wine (if using) and half & half and stir well. Add in fresh spinach and continue to stir until spinach begins to wilt and incorporate into dish. Stir in fresh parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste. At this point, the dish can be covered and left in a warm oven while you prepare the lamb. Just before plating and serving, remove orzo from the oven and stir in lemon zest. Depending on how long the orzo has been in the oven, you may want to stir in a bit more half & half so that the consistency is light.

For the Lamb:

-6 petite lamb chops with bone in (3 per person, depending on their size)

-Sea salt & cracked pepper

-2 tblspns good quality salted butter (I’m a fan of Kate’s of Maine)

-2-3 tblspns olive oil

-3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced

-2-3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

*And now for the great meat preparation debate: The is a long, drawn out, ongoing battle within the food community in regards to allowing meats to come up/close to room temperature before cooking. The argument for is that it produces a more tender final meat, with a better probability of searing juices in. The argument against is, of course, possible bacteria and contamination with a side of food borne illness. I will let you be the judge of how to approach, but will say that I prefer to live on the edge and let my meat come up to temp before firing. I know, I’m a dangerous woman. In addition, my cooking times are for a rare, to med-rare final product. These chops are very small, and cook very quickly. For me, a barely med-rare lamb is the best showcase of its natural flavor. Please adjust cooking times to your desired level of doneness/the thickness of the chops you are working with.

Pat meat dry with a kitchen towel to ensure seasoning will adhere and surface will brown beautifully. Liberally season the upright facing side of the chop. In a large cast iron skillet, heat butter and oil over high heat until very hot. Place chops seasoning side down in the pan, and don’t move around (a note of caution: you are introducing the lamb to a VERY HOT pan, and as such, splatter is more than likely inevitable. Please, be careful!). If they are fussed about in the pan, you won’t get the gorgeously browned final product. Season the now exposed side of the chop with salt and pepper. After about a minute and a half, turn the chops, making sure to follow the same order as when you put them in the pan for a uniform cooking on all chops. After another minute and a half, remove chops from pan and let rest on a cutting board under a little tin foil. Turn off heat under pan, and add in minced garlic, stirring frequently to avoid burning (if you’re working on an electric stovetop, you can pretty much remove the pan from the burner, there will be enough residual heat to cook the garlic in the pan), and add in sherry vinegar. Cook another minute or two more, until slightly reduced.

To Plate:

On a warm plate, place a serving of the risotto, and arrange the lamb chops on top, with exposed bone facing up. Spoon the garlic pan sauce over the chop and garnish with chopped Italian flat leaf parsley. Best enjoyed with great conversation, classic old soul music, and an ample supply of your favorite libations.

Dinner for a Comfortable One

As mentioned in my previous post, my husband spends a fair amount of time out to sea for his job (and occasionally "finds" some wonderful fresh fish filets all cleaned and ready to go on the dock. Strange, I know). As a result, I have gotten very good (and very comfortable) with cooking for myself. A lot of times, I'll make a large portion of something and eat off of it for a while, as with the Curried Vegetable Soup. Other times, I just really want to treat myself, which is exactly what I did last Friday. For the first time in the three months since moving to Newport, I had job interviews during the day. That's right multiple people were interested in employing me. Ok, so maybe it was only two, but it's better than a kick in the teeth. After a week of working on my fitness, eating well and preparing for said interviews, I wanted deliciousness. I wanted RED MEAT and CHEESE and WINE. And that's exactly what I had. And I could not have been happier with the end result, and even had the self restraint to not take down the whole steak in one sitting. The great part about this beautifully simple meal is that it can be completely adjusted for as many portions as you need, whether it be one or ten. Although, I have to admit, there's something really satisfying about treating just yourself to one really beautiful meal that suits just your personal taste, and not being embarrassed to eat it in your sweatpants. Go ahead- no one's there to judge you...

Perfect Steak with Pommes Anna and Sauteed Spinach with Crispy Shallots

* A quick note about Pommes Anna: This is probably my favorite application of potatoes to date for it's beautiful simplicity. It's amazing that four unassuming ingredients can come together and make something so unbelievable, it takes every ounce of restraint I have not to eat the whole pan! I'm not even going to try to lie: I made these on Friday night, and Sunday night I made a second batch. No. Shame. One of life's great pleasures is pulling apart these lovely crispy potato layers and savoring at your leisure!

For the ingredients:

-2-3 Small red potatoes, washed and cleaned

-3 Tablespoons of salted butter

-3 Tablespoons white truffle oil

-1-2 Teaspoons ground thyme

Heat butter, truffle oil and ground thyme in a small cast iron skillet over low heat until blended together, and pour into a small bowl. Don't worry about any left in bottom of skillet, it'll be the base layer of flavor for the potatoes. Carefully slice potatoes into very thin rounds (think thick cut potato chip slices). In bottom of the skillet, layer potato slices in a concentric circle, and fill in middle with any small slices. Using a pastry brush, generously brush each layer with truffle-butter mixture. Season layer with good sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Repeat with rest of potato slices, and season top layer with salt & pepper. Make a round out of tin foil, place on top of potatoes and press down firmly. Weigh down top with large heavy can or dish of similar size. Set aside for 30 or so minutes. The starch in the potatoes will seep into the layers and form a cake. These steps can all be done ahead of time if prepping other elements of meal. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove weight and cook on upper-middle rack for 20 minutes with foil cover. Boost temp to 450 and bake for an additional 20 minutes uncovered. To finish potatoes, broil under med-high setting watching carefully for perfect browning and crispy texture. If you're feeling extra decadent, sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan before broiling for an outstanding crust.

Sauteed Spinach with Crispy Shallots

-3 Tablespoons good olive oil

-2 Tablespoons champagne vinegar

-1 Tablespoon lemon zest

-Fresh white pepper

-1 Shallot, finely minced

-1 Bag fresh spinach, washed and dried

Heat oil in a deep skillet or wok over medium high heat. Saute minced shallots in oil, making sure to keep shallots moving, and keep a close eye on their browning. Shallots are done when they reach a lovely golden brown and have a nice crunch (shallots can go from amazing to toast quickly, so stay on them!). Remove shallots with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel to drain. Turn down heat a bit, and begin to introduce (hi there) spinach into oil, moving quickly. Once spinach begins to wilt, add in champagne vinegar and white pepper and mix well. Just before serving, zest lemon over spinach, toss in crispy shallots and serve immediately.

Perfect Steak

There is no way that I could claim to have a perfect steak recipe, as there are so many factors to making a perfect steak, the most important of which is the chef's personal taste. With that in mind, I will share what I think to be a beautiful and simple steak recipe. I prefer a cut with with a lot of flavor and depth, which is why my go to for marbling and juicy finish is the rib eye. Season the steak with salt and pepper on both side and put aside to rest and let come up to room temperature. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of butter in a good skillet (cast iron is always a fan favorite in my house) until well melted over medium high heat, and a bit of smoke is produced. Sear tempered steak in hot pan for four or so minutes on each side (or whatever time for your desired level of doneness) basting exposed side with melted butter. Flip and repeat on other side. Steak can be served as is, or if you're really looking to knock it out of the park, top steak with large chunks of Gorgonzola, and melt to a bubbling crust under your broiler, which can conveniently coincide with the final step of Pommes Anna. Pull steak out of oven, plate and rest for a few minutes, pour a glass of wine, pair the steak up with the Pommes Anna and spinach and enjoy a lovely private meal.