Roasted Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Here is a gourmet salad if ever there was one. It's perfect for winter, hosting seasonal ingredients that are easy to find at the farmers market or your local supermarket right now. It's healthy. And it's incredibly tasty. What more could you ask for?

I'll tell you what you could ask for. Roasted fruit. Pears, to be specific. Who ever said salad had to be cold? A bed of beautifully peppery arugula and mixed baby lettuces, tossed in a spicy pomegranate dressing, is oh-so-welcoming to that warm-from-the-oven pear. If you know what's good for you, you'll make this as soon as possible. I made it tonight for my husband and mother-in-law, and we were all very pleased! I was particularly pleased to see the empty plates at the end of it.

If you're not familiar with agave syrup, you can find it in most natural foods stores and even some supermarkets. It comes from the same plant tequila comes from, and is an all-natural sweetener that is great to have around. It's a lot like honey, but honey would be too sweet and thick for this recipe.

Roasted Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Adapted from Eating Well Magazine
serves 3

INGREDIENTS:











3 small ripe but firm pears (I used D'Anjou)
2 teaspoons agave syrup
3 tablespoons unsweetened pomegranate juice
1 1/2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons EVOO
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 tablespoon minced shallot
pinch of sea salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon of adobo sauce (from chipotles in adobo), OR pinch ground chipotle chile
pinch of ground cloves
2 cups baby arugula
1 cup mixed baby lettuces

DIRECTIONS:

1. The pears: Preheat oven to 350. Slice the base off each pear to make it stand upright. Remove cores from the base if desired. Place pears on a baking sheet and brush them with agave syrup. Roast until browned and tender, 30 to 45 minutes. (Mine took about 40). Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

2. The dressing: Combine pomegranate juice, vinegar, EVOO, brown sugar, orange zest, shallot, salt, pepper, adobo and cloves in a glass jar or other seal-able receptacle and shake vigorously to combine and emulsify. Alternatively, puree in a blender.

3. The assembly: Toss arugula and lettuce with the dressing in a large bowl and divide among three plates. Top each bed of greens with a pear and serve.

I can't speak highly enough of this dish. I truly believe that a great salad involves skill that most people don't appreciate. Give this one a go and you'll feel pretty damn proud.

Rustic Jam Shortbread Tart

One hurdle I have yet to overcome in my quest to become a great cook is home made pastry. I love to bake, and I'm pretty good at it if you must know. But pie crust and tart shells are something I have yet to attempt. Maybe it's easy. Maybe if I try it I'll find that I'm a natural. But I have found the recipe that is a baby-step on the way to home made pastry. A tart crust that's actually a cookie? Now that sounds like something I can do. And Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the author of this recipe, promises that if you learn to make this shortbread crust, "any pie crust will fall at your feet." So I had to try this one.

This tart is just begging to be eaten with a cup of tea. It's the perfect middle ground between a cookie and a pie. It's very thin, it crumbles in your mouth, it tastes lemony and almondy and all-around heavenly. I made this for my mother-in-law, who is coming over tomorrow, but I can't promise there will be any left tomorrow....

One note - make sure you use good quality jam. No rubbishy stuff. No "jelly." The jam is the star of the show, so make it good. I used a blackberry preserves from Fresh & Easy that my parents gave us for our anniversary. It's perfect. The author recommends tart cherry or wild blueberry jam. I'm willing to try it with every type of jam under the sun, if it means I get to make this and eat it again.

Rustic Jam Shortbread Tart
from The Splendid Table's "How to Eat Supper"
makes one 9-inch tart

INGREDIENTS:

zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup whole almonds
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/4 cup sugar
generous pinch of salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 chunks
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup good quality jam

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter a 9-inch round silver-colored cake or tart pan.

2. Turn on the food processor and then drop in the lemon zest and almonds, and grind them fine. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides, and add the flour, sugar, salt, butter, egg yolk, and almond extract. Pulse until all ingredients are blended and starting to come together in small clumps that look like clusters of peas.

3. Turn the pastry out into the pan. With your hands, pat it out to evenly cover the bottom. Nudge the edges to make a 1/2-inch rim around the sides of the pan. Don't worry if it doesn't look perfect.

4. Bake the crust in the center of the oven (I'd recommend putting the tart pan on a cookie sheet) for 13 to 16 minutes (I needed the full 16), or until edges are golden and the center is starting to color. The rim will sink down a little, which is fine.

5. Remove from the oven, and turn the heat up to 500. Carefully spread the jam (a pastry brush works well here) over the tart, and immediately return to the oven, even if it's not up to 500 yet. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until jam is bubbly.

6. Cool the tart on a rack, slice into wedges, and serve. Serve warm (but not hot).

Eat it and go ahead and try not to go for a second slice...I'm going to get mine now. And I'm one step closer to making real pastry crust...

Enjoy!

Sardinian Spaghetti

Many of my happier food-related memories from childhood involve spaghetti in some kind of red sauce. (Home? The Wassermans' house? IHOP?) I know I'm not alone. As a child, I can't say that I was able to discern a home-made sauce from a jar sauce. But now that I make it myself, I can. I'm not saying jar sauce is no good, and I do still like to keep some on hand for home-made pizza or a pasta night of the lazy persuasion. But home-made spaghetti sauce has a little heart that jar sauce doesn't have. I don't have a favorite, go-to spaghetti sauce recipe just yet. But for another variation, I turned tonight, as I so often do, to my friend Rachael.

You can always count on Rachael Ray for a hearty Italian meal that is easy for a weeknight. It's kind of her specialty. This one comes from her magazine, and is definitely worth trying. It's simple, it's tasty, and it's "different" enough that you won't feel like it's just plain old spaghetti with sauce from a jar. The sauce is easy and fairly quick, but with fresh herbs that add a little "wow" factor, not to mention the star of the show: Italian sausage.

Sweet Italian sausage is one of those mysterious ingredients that I didn't even know existed until recently. It's that super fragrant and flavorful sausage that occasionally appears on pizza or in other Italian dishes. And I love it. I especially love that you can find it in your regular supermarket, and that they often have chicken and turkey varieties so you can feel a little better about eating it (health-wise, I mean). It's becoming more of a regular in my kitchen, and it is particularly great in a sauce like this one, filled with fresh herbs, a hint of spiciness, and rich tomatoes.

This is comfort food, Italian style, without anything of the guilt-inducing variety.

Sardinian Spaghetti
Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray
serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon EVOO
1 pound uncooked sweet chicken Italian sausages, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 28-ounce can unsalted whole peeled tomatoes, drained, halved, and 1/4 cup of juice reserved
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of saffron threads
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
salt
1/4 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup grated parmesan

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat EVOO in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes. Push to one side of the skillet and increase heat to high. Add tomatoes, stirring to break them up a bit, and cook until the oil in the pan turns red and tomatoes are starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir sausage and tomatoes together.

2. Add garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and saffron, and stir. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add parsley, basil, and salt to taste. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil while the mixture above is cooking. Salt it. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

4. Add cooked spaghetti to the skillet, along with the cooking liquid and reserved tomato juice. (Note: if the sauce is still very liquidy at this point, then don't add the tomato juice). Toss together and cook for about 3 minutes. Top with cheese and serve.

Enjoy!

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

We had a few days of abnormally warm weather, but we're back to cold January nights. Enter my favorite cast member of the food pyramid, soup. (Okay, so maybe soup never got its own spot on the food pyramid, but if you ask me, it deserves one). Today I decided to try a soup that I've not only never cooked before, but I've never even eaten it before. Yet it always intrigued me.

We're talking potato-leek soup, people. It's French, it's classy, it's simple. And leave it to the Barefoot Contessa to think of a great way to make it extra flavorful and delicious - roast the vegetables first. I'm seeing this in more and more soup recipes, and I have to say it's pure genius. We all know that the best way to draw out incredible flavor from any vegetable is to toss it around in some EVOO, salt and pepper, and roast it in the oven. So why not do it to veggies before you puree them for soup? It's logical. And it's genius.

This soup warms the cockles of your heart, as my grandmother used to say. And it features my new favorite allium, the leek. I went to my farmers market on Sunday and picked up the most incredible-looking leeks I've ever seen. They were about a mile long.

The smell of the leeks and potatoes roasting has filled our entire home with a deliciously tantalizing smell. This is what winter smells like, my friends.

Roasted Potato Leek Soup
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa's "Back to Basics"
serves 4

INGREDIENTS:



the leeks and potatoes are taking a cool bath together.






1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
2 tablespoons EVOO
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 generous handfuls of baby arugula
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons skim milk
4 ounces creme fraiche
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Combine potatoes and leeks in a shallow roasting pan in a single layer. Toss with EVOO, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 40-45 minutes, tossing occasionally so they cook evenly, until very tender. Add the arugula and toss. Roast for an additional 4 minutes, until arugula is wilted. Remove pan from oven and place on the stove.

2. Over low heat, add the wine and 1/2 cup of the broth, stirring and scraping up any crispy bits in the roasting pan. Cook a couple of minutes.

3. In batches, transfer the roasted vegetables and liquid to a food processor. Add additional broth to each batch provide more liquid, and puree. After you puree each batch, put it in a large pot or Dutch oven. When all the veggies are pureed, you should have used about half of the broth. Add the rest of the broth to the pot along with milk, creme fraiche, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.

4. When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently and whisk in the parmesan. Serve hot.

Like I said, I'm no expert on potato-leek soup, but I have a feeling that after having it this way I'll never want to eat it the "regular" way. There is a depth of flavor that can only come from roasting and caramelizing the vegetables. If you have some crusty sourdough laying around I think it would go great with this soup! Enjoy.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Pasta salad used to be a go-to dish for me when asked to bring something to a party. In fact, it still is. But I've gotten a lot more creative over the years with what I put in it. This one is sort of a medley of many of my favorite pasta salad accoutrements, and they all join together in a beautiful Mediterranean theme.

Serve room temperature or cold - either way it's delightful and low maintenance. Orzo is a great pasta choice for this dish, but I didn't have any on hand (don't get me started on the Great Orzo Shortage of 2008, which has apparently continued into 2009) so I went with trusty old rotini. Any short-cut pasta will work.

So go ahead, whip it up and take it to a pot luck, or just have it for dinner at home. That's what we're going to do tonight.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup short-cut pasta (preferably whole wheat), only 1/4 cup if using orzo
salt
2 tablespoons EVOO
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
juice of 1 lemon
1 medium tomato, diced
1/4 cup diced cucumber
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup loosely-packed parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 cup loosely-packed basil leaves, chopped
fresh ground pepper
handful of good quality olives

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and salt it. Cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions.

2. While pasta is cooking, combine EVOO, red wine vinegar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a bowl. When the pasta is done, drain it and toss it in that very same bowl. Let sit for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, pepper to taste, and top it with the olives. Serve as is, or cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.

It's as easy as pie. And a lot healthier. Enjoy!

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

Frozen puff pastry sheets are just about the best culinary invention of all time. You can whip up impressive appetizers or desserts in a marginal amount of time, compared to what you'd have to go through if you made the pastry yourself (a feat I have yet to attempt, and probably never will since frozen puff pastry is out there, calling my name!) The inspiration for this recipe came from Ina Garten's latest cookbook, Back to Basics. And it really is that - basic. Yet incredibly delicious.

The recipe is listed as a "lunch" option - and I chose to make it alongside a green salad to make it dinner. However, in future I think I would make smaller versions of this and call them appetizers. They are a bit too daunting in their full size, and rather rich. I think making them small, say biscuit-cutter size, would be perfect. But you can decide - they make a pretty satisfying meal full-sized.

I know not everyone likes goat cheese and caramelized onions (my husband is such a person, so I made his with sun-dried tomatoes and pepperoni) so feel free to substitute whatever toppings strike your fancy. I do have to say the caramelized onions are incredible, and tangy goat cheese is the perfect complement. But hey, if you want to be different, be different.

I should also note that an earthquake hit while I was preparing these, and the epicenter was one mile from where we live. I don't really have a point in mentioning that, but just thought I would let you know that I managed to produce a successful dinner even while the house shook around me. Nuff said.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa, "Back to Basics"
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (1/2 package)
EVOO
1 medium-large onion, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
2 ounces goat cheese (chevre)
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 tablespoons basil leaves, sliced into chiffonade
1 ounce fresh parmesan, shaved with a vegetable peeler

DIRECTIONS:

1. The pastry: unfold on a lightly floured surface and roll out until it is very thin, but thick enough to pick up without tearing. You should end up with a square sheet about 10" x 10". Cut into four squares to make four tarts, two per person (or use a biscuit cutter to make small rounds).

2. The onions: Heat about 1 tablespoon EVOO in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Sautee for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are limp and very little moisture remains. Add a pinch of salt, pepper to taste, wine, and thyme and cook an additional 10 minutes, until wine is absorbed/evaporated and onions are slightly browned. Remove from heat.

3. The assembly: Score a 1/4-inch wide border around each piece of pastry, and prick with a fork inside the border you just created. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon grated parmesan on each square. Place a quarter of the onion mixture on each square within the scored edge. Crumble the goat cheese over each pile of the onion. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush lightly with olive oil (or spray with olive oil spray). Sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper, and top with the shaved parmesan.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and puffy. Serve warm.

It feels a little bit decadent, more like party food than regular dinner (that's where the salad comes to the rescue and makes you feel less guilty). But it's fun, it's different, and by all means don't open a bottle of wine just for the tablespoon and a half that's in the recipe - the wine will go nicely alongside dinner.

Enjoy!

Tarragon Chicken with Buttery Leeks

Another recent acquisition of mine, of the cookbook variety, is The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper. (I've recently become addicted to The Splendid Table's radio podcasts - it's total food geek heaven). It's an utterly gorgeous book filled with so many recipes that I can't wait to try. This is the first. I'm pleased with how it came out, though it is a soft-spoken type of recipe. Elegant and understated. We're talking white wine, not red.

This dish is not something that will utterly wow you, but it does sneak up on you with its velvety smooth sauce. The leek is a creature I have only just begun to tackle, and I have to say, I think we'll be revisiting the leek often. It's a great alternative to scallions, with a much more gentle flavor that won't leave you with horrible breath all night.

I served it on a simple bed of cous cous, which was the perfect base as it soaked up the extra sauce and took on the flavor quite nicely. I was going to suggest other sides to try with it, but honestly I can't think of a better partner for this meal than cous cous. Let me know if you have another idea for this one.

Tarragon Chicken with Buttery Leeks
from The Splendid Table's "How to Eat Supper"
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup thin-sliced leeks, white and light green parts only (1 small leek, cleaned)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4 pounds)
kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon coarse-chopped fresh tarragon leaves

DIRECTIONS:








There's that French oven again....


1. Place the leeks in a pan or large skillet with the chicken broth and 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook at a gentle boil over medium heat until the leeks are tender, and the broth has reduced so that the leeks are no longer completely submerged, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and place on top of the simmering leeks. Spoon some of the leeks over the chicken, and cover the pan tightly. Reduce heat to low. After about 8 minutes, turn the chicken over and cover again. After a total of about 12 minutes, check the chicken for doneness. Do not overcook!

3. When chicken is cooked, transfer it to a warm plate. Increase the heat under the leeks to high, and stir in lemon juice, remaining tablespoon of butter, and the tarragon. Cook until butter melts, and season to taste.

4. Pour leek sauce over chicken and serve.

Enjoy!