Pesto 101

Pesto is a great weapon to have up your culinary sleeve. It is remarkably easy, so long as you are able to ascertain which flavors go together. Contrary to popular belief, pesto is not always basil + pine nuts + EVOO + parmesan. There are endless varieties. You can introduce any leafy herb or greens to just about any nut, so long as the flavors are complimentary.

Here I've created a pretty basic pesto that will satisfy pesto traditionalists, but has a little added twist in the form of fresh tarragon. So check out the fresh herbs at your market - whatever smells good to you, buy it. Pick up some nuts that you think will go with it (arugula and almonds, spinach and walnuts, cilantro and pistachios, etc. etc.), and chances are the rest of the ingredients are already in your pantry and refrigerator. Break out the food processor and presto!

I kept this pesto fairly thick so that I could serve it over fresh mozzarella on some beautiful rosemary bread slices. If you want to use it for pasta, feel free to add a little more olive oil or some of the starchy cooking liquid from your pasta to thin it out a bit.

This recipe only makes about 1/3 cup of pesto - so multiply as you see fit.

Pesto 101
serves 1-2, depending on how much you like pesto!

INGREDIENTS:









1 1/2 tablespoons of pine nuts
generous fistful of fresh basil leaves (about 10-12 leaves), torn
2 tablespoons (approximately) fresh tarragon leaves
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1-2 tablespoons EVOO
salt and pepper to taste

1. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, shaking the skillet occasionally so they don't burn. When they start to smell fragrant and take on a golden-brown hue, turn off the heat. Let cool a few minutes.

2. Break out the food processor and put in the basil, tarragon, garlic, and parmesan. Process until ground into a sort of dry paste. With the processor still running, stream in the olive oil until the desired consistency is achieved.

3. Season with salt and pepper, and serve however you like - on bread, on pasta, with veggies, on pizza....you name it.

Enjoy!

Jerk Chicken with Cool Salsa

I'm afraid I can't call this meal a complete and utter success. I don't think it's the recipe's fault, mostly because it's Ellie Krieger's recipe and she hasn't failed me yet. I promised you that I'd bring you more of her this week, and here she is. But I think the flaws in this meal were my fault. (I guess this blog couldn't be filled entirely with successes, could it?) And they were twofold. I'll get to that in a moment. Point is I am still sharing this recipe because I think it has great potential, and could be delicious if executed properly.

This is a refreshing and mildly spicy recipe that is remarkably healthy. The first flaw on my part - the "cool salsa" is supposed to be "cool pineapple salsa," but I dropped the ball and didn't realize the pineapple in my fridge had gone bad and needed to be sacrificed. (Do you see any pineapple in the picture? If you do, you're imagining it.) So I just doubled the amount of cucumber and made it a cucumber salsa (and lo and behold, it was fantastic!) I'm giving you the true version of the recipe, pineapple and all, since I really do think the pineapple is there for a reason. But by all means, if you're not a fan of pineapple, or you can't find fresh, I can vouch for the cucumber salsa as being truly delicious and reminiscent of a mojito.

The second (and bigger) flaw was that I found the sauce a little bitter, and I can't pinpoint what the cause was. I think the garlic I used might be a little old, which tends to make things taste bitter. I'd recommend you use very fresh garlic. The other possible cause might have been the lime juice that was added to the sauce - to be on the safe side, follow the directions carefully and only add the lime juice when the sauce is done and you're about to add the chicken and turn off the heat. I cheated and added it earlier, which means it cooked a bit and perhaps that was a problem.

Finally, I can't promise this is an authentic jerk sauce. But authentic or no, you'll still feel like you're on vacation somewhere at least vaguely tropical. Especially if you remember to buy pineapple. Try it and see if you can do it better than I did.


Jerk Chicken with Cool (Pineapple) Salsa
Adapted from Ellie Krieger's "The Food You Crave"
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup finely diced fresh pineapple
1/4 cup seeded and finely diced English cucumber
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 3/4 pound), pounded between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/2 inch thickness
1/2 cup chopped scallions, green and white parts (about 3 scallions)
1 serrano chile, seeded and finely minced
1 small clove of garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the salsa: in a small bowl, whisk together honey and lime juice. Add the pineapple, cucumber, and mint, and toss to combine.

2. Cook the chicken: heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked just through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

3. Make the sauce: Add the remaining oil to the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the scallions, serrano chile, garlic, ginger, allspice, and thyme and cook for 30 seconds. Add the broth and soy sauce and cook until the liquid reduces by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lime juice at the last possible moment. Return the chicken to the pan and coat well with the sauce. Turn off the heat.

4. Serve the chicken topped with the sauce and the pineapple salsa on the side. I'd recommend adding rice, cous cous, or some other grain to round out the plate.

Enjoy!

Thai Beef Salad with Mango

We don't often eat beef in our house, mainly for environmental reasons. In fact for about six months now I've limited my beef intake (whether at home or in restaurants) to just once a month, as I find it more justifiable from a sustainability perspective. When I do eat beef, this is exactly the sort of dish I like to have. In fact I ordered a very similar dish to this one at Houston's a while back and loved it. Every bite was crammed with intense flavors - lime, chile, mango, cilantro, and more.

I found an unnecessarily complicated recipe for Thai Beef Salad in the new Williams-Sonoma cookbook and decided to adjust it to make it a bit more user-friendly. And now I'm sharing it with you! The dressing is incredibly flavorful without overpowering the taste of the beef and mango - a pretty great replica of the salad from Houston's, if I may toot my own horn. If you don't eat beef at all (hats off to you) then feel free to substitute fish, chicken, or tofu.


Thai Beef Salad with Mango
Adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup coconut milk
2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed and kept divided
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 pound flank steak
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro stems
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
fresh ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (approximately 1 medium-sized lime)
3/4 teaspoon minced lemongrass or lemongrass paste
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 mango, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/2 head of red-leaf lettuce, or a bag of baby salad greens

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare the marinade for the steak: stir coconut milk, one clove of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and the minced cilantro leaves in a large bowl. Add the flank steak and turn to coat well. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

2. Prepare the salad dressing: in a food processor, combine the chile, remaining garlic clove, cilantro stems, mint, pepper, lime juice, remaining brown sugar, and lemongrass. Process until there are no significant chunks. With the processor running, stream in the canola oil. Put dressing in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate.

3. Cook the steak: Preheat oven to 400. Preheat a stovetop grill pan over high heat, or prepare outdoor grill. Remove steak from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade. Place the steak on the grill and sear, turning once, until brown on both sides, 5-6 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer steak to a rimmed baking sheet. Place in the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes (depending on how well done you like your steak). Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes.

4. Slice steak into thin strips and pour any juices released during slicing into the dressing. Add the beef, mangoes, and scallions to the dressing and toss to coat. Serve over lettuce leaves.

The flavors were beautiful. My monthly beef was well spent on this meal! Enjoy.

Green Goddess Dressing

I have always been intrigued by green goddess dressing, mostly because of the name. But I had never eaten it until I made it this evening. And the name is quite appropriate. I can't say I felt like a goddess after eating it, but it tasted like maybe it was made by a goddess. And since I made it, I guess that means I'm contradicting myself. Perhaps I am a goddess after all.

But back to the dressing. I'd like to introduce you to my favorite food network chef of all, Ellie Krieger. Who, you ask? She is certainly one of the lesser known stars from the network. She is a nutritionist, and she makes genuinely healthy, delicious food. So far my track record for Ellie Krieger recipes is pretty flawless. Don't worry, you'll be seeing her again - in fact, later this week - and for more than just salad dressing.

So here is a refreshing, silky, slightly creamy, brightly flavored and colored dressing to drizzle (or pour) over tomatoes, cucumber, or a mixed green salad. Break out the food processor or blender and enjoy.

Green Goddess Dressing
Adapted from Ellie Krieger's "The Food You Crave"
serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:











1 small ripe avocado, peeled
3/4 cup skim buttermilk
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh tarragon
1 scallion (white and green parts), coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend or process until smooth.

2. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Yum!

Baked Gnocchi

I have to give the disclaimer right away that this is not a low-calorie meal. I never claimed to be helping anyone with their new year's resolutions. This meal is, however, filled with complex carbs (good thing), protein (good thing) and iron (also a good thing). So you might be able to justify the calories and the fat with the above. I did adjust the recipe to make it far less fattening than the original, but I wasn't about to remove all the tastiness. Anyway, it's delicious and comforting. And that's what counts.

It's like a grown-up mac and cheese, only instead of macaroni we're talking about gnocchi - delightful little pillows of potato that are so underrated that someone should be arrested. Luckily we have Giada De Laurentiis to help introduce them to us in an extremely approachable way. If you choose to make the gnocchi from scratch, be my guest. (Mark Bittman has a great-sounding recipe in his How to Cook Everything Vegetarian book). I bought my gnocchi at the store.

Also, if you don't like goat cheese (!) you might substitute some other flavorful cheese, such as aged white cheddar or maybe even smoked mozzarella.

Baked Gnocchi
Adapted from Everyday Pasta by Giada de Laurentiis
serves 4

INGREDIENTS:











1 package potato gnocchi
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups skim or low fat milk
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken (or veggie) broth
1/8 cup all purpose flour (I used whole wheat as usual)
pinch of salt
freshly ground pepper
pinch of grated nutmeg
5 ounces baby spinach
1 1/2 ounces fresh goat cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place gnocchi in a lightly greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together cream, milk, broth, and flour over medium heat. Continue whisking until the sauce is simmering and thickened, about 5 minutes.

3. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, and stir to combine. Add spinach and toss to coat in the cream. Pour the cream and spinach mixture over the gnocchi evenly, spreading the spinach out to cover all the potato dumplings.

4. Crumble goat cheese over the spinach. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake until the top is golden in places, about 30 minutes.

The result is gooey, rich and amazing. And the spinach helps to offset the creaminess so you can actually tell yourself you're eating something with nutrients in it. (Although that was the only part my husband didn't like....)

Enjoy!

Chicken with Veggies in Cider Sauce

I found this recipe in the premiere issue of the new Food Network Magazine (a magazine made for people just like me, who watch FN obsessively as if it might go off the air tomorrow). I felt it needed a green vegetable to balance it out, so I added brussels sprouts. They are one of those vegetables that I have only recently come to appreciate, and I'd recommend that you try them in this dish and see if you might discover a new respect for them. I think the trick is to slice them before you cook them - somehow it makes a huge difference.

The result is a tasty, well-balanced meal with a hint of apple cider vinegar kick that brings the whole package together. And the pan gravy is, well, it's pan gravy! How can you go wrong? To me pan gravy just screams of home-made goodness. Somehow it makes me about 8 times more proud of a dish I make if it involves pan gravy. I can't really explain it. Try it and see.

Chicken with Veggies in Cider Sauce
Adapted from the Food Network Magazine
Serves 3

INGREDIENTS:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
all-purpose flour sprinkled on a plate, for dredging
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 large onion, or 1 large shallot, cut into large pieces
1 sweet apple, cored and cut into large pieces
8-10 brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced into thirds lengthwise
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. Add oil to the pan. Place chicken in the skillet smooth-side down and cook until golden, about 5 minutes per side (it won't be cooked through). Transfer to a baking dish and bake until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, add onion, apple, and brussels sprouts to the skillet, along with a little vegetable oil if the pan is dry, and increase the heat to high. Cook, tossing, until the onion has wilted slightly, apple is golden brown, and brussels sprouts are slightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add the vinegar and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Let the mixture boil about 1 minute, then add chicken broth. Return to boil and cook until broth reduces by half. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and whisk in the butter until completely melted. Toss the vegetables around in the sauce.

3. Remove chicken from oven, cut each breast in half or into thirds, depending on size. Divide the chicken among plates and spoon the vegetable mixture and gravy over each pieces of chicken (or next to it if you're serving someone who doesn't like things mixed together).

Enjoy!

Chocolate Bread Pudding

What is that strange, yet somehow alluring picture, you ask? And do I want to eat it or do I want to run away? You want to eat it. Trust me.

I had been accumulating ends and bits of bread over the past few weeks - loaves that were beyond their peak of freshness so we decided to buy more and I held onto the old ones, thinking I'd use them for bread crumbs - only at this point I'd have a lifetime supply of bread crumbs. The only solution was bread pudding - a dessert I associate with my childhood and with England, but which is now becoming increasingly trendy in Los Angeles restaurants; I can only assume the same is happening everywhere.

I wanted to make a bread pudding that was a bit more special, something worthy of serving on new year's eve to my friends, my husband and myself. The only answer had to be chocolate. So I sought out a chocolate bread pudding, and lo and behold, Martha Stewart came to the rescue yet again.

Chocolate Bread Pudding
Adapted from Martha Stewart's New Classics
serves 6-8, depending on generosity of portions

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 or 5 slices, 1/4 inch thick, of leftover, good quality white bread or brioche, crusts removed
3 extra large eggs
2 extra large egg yolks
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups skim or low fat milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (60-70% cocoa)
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling on top

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spread the softened butter on one side of each slice of bread. Cut the bread slices into thirds or halves, depending how big it is, so each piece is approximately three inches by three inches. You can estimate here, don't get out your ruler.

2. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the cream, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, whisking to combine well.

3. Sprinkle the chocolate over the bottom of a 9-by-9 inch (or equivalent) baking dish. Arrange the bread, buttered side up, with slices overlapping just slightly, on the chocolate. There should just be one layer of bread. Pour the custard over the bread, pressing down with your fingers to make sure the bread soaks it up. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour to allow the custard to soak into the bread completely.

4. Take the bread pudding out of the fridge while you preheat the oven to 350. Place the pudding dish into a roasting pan, and pour warm water into the roasting pan (not onto the bread pudding!!) so that the water comes halfway up the sides of the pudding dish. Bake about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until custard is set and bread puffs up slightly.

5. Let cool at least 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve.

It is incredibly delicious. The chocolate is a beautiful addition to this comforting, french toast-esque dessert. I would recommend getting really good quality chocolate.

Enjoy!