Hi, ummm…you look cute today. Your make-up looks pretty. And those lunges are paying off ’cause your legs are lookin’ maaaad tight.

First week of summer got me in a good mood, what can I say?

Summer does a weird thing to me. All I seem to make during these months are popsicles, variety of ice creams and salads. I dunno…I guess whenever temperatures start to rise, eating outside  with friends just sounds better. Or I just eat cereal in my air-conditioned apartment with socks on. I dig socks year-around

But sometimes I need a legit dinner/lunch. I mean, don’t we all?! We can’t eat popsicles for dinner ALL the time. 

This lasagna? Super legit. There’s chard (how pretty is raw chard?! good gracious), a creamy-not-too-heavy bechamel, spicy sausage (hi, kick of spice!) and lemon slices that give it that taste of summer we’re all craving.

Cooking confession!!!

Sometimes I’m super late the game. Like, I just discovered unsalted butter. Pathetic.

I only tried meatloaf a few years ago. This is true. And sad.

And, these no-boil lasagna noodles are totally new-to-me. They make making lasagna waaay easier, eliminating an entire step, which in these summer months are very appreciated!

More time to spend drinking pink wine outside! Yay for summer!

Lemon, Chard and Spicy Sausage Lasagna

Recipe tweaked from Martha Stewart

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3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

4 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard (about 1 bunch)

3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 lemon, very thinly sliced

6 no-boil lasagna noodles, preferably Barilla

Melt butter in a saucepan over high heat. Stir in flour; cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk in 3/4 cup cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in chard.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook sausage in a skillet over high heat, breaking up pieces, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

Cover lemon slices with cold water by 3 inches in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon.

Spread 1/4 cup sauce in an 8-inch square nonreactive baking dish. Top with 2 noodles, half the sausage, and 1 cup sauce. Repeat. Top with a layer of lemons, 2 noodles, then remaining sauce and lemons. Bake, covered with parchment-lined foil, for 27 minutes.

Remove from oven. Heat broiler. Uncover lasagna; top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Broil until bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes.

I’m a little excited about Spring, can’t you tell?!

Also, aren’t Spring showers so much more glamorous in theory.

In our dreams, there’s brightly colored tulips dripping with rain drops, yellow Hunter rainboots, super cute umbrelleas–but it never goes that way, does it?

Instead there’s matted-hair-that-was-just-rained-on, water seeping through shoes reaching socks (ew!), and just overall not cuteness.

That’s why when LA decided to be gross and rainy this weekend, I figured it might be a good idea to make the sprightliest thing I could figure out.

Let’s talk blood oranges. Scary name, pretty insides.

They look totally normal on the outside, but inside they’re a stunner.  I like to think of them as the supermodel of the orange variety.

I think of food in really strange ways. Sorry!!

This drink utilizes a bunch of blood oranges (they were on sale!) and a bunch of lemons. I bought that little hand juicer for $2–super awesome. World Market.

I took two measuring cups, and went to town. Pretty easy, except my hands look like I murdered someone after juicing all of them.

Also, since pulp makes me wanna vom, I ran the blood orange and lemon juice through a sieve. Then added water and some simple syrup. If you love pulp then congratulations, less work for you.

I recommend this. I like to put spins on things to give things a little extra specialness. Two things that would make this super special: sparkling water, instead of flat. Note: This only works if you’re serving it right away, or else it’ll just get flat.

And to spice it up I juiced a small piece of ginger and added it at the last second. It’s like this added punch of spiciness. You can do this too, if you like. I recommend it.

Go Spring!!

Blood Orange Lemonade

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Recipe adapted from Danny Boome

Simple Syrup:

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup water

Lemonade:

1 cup fresh blood orange juice, 6 to 7 oranges

1 cup fresh lemon juice, 4 to 5  lemons

3 cups water

1/2 blood orange for garnish

Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Ginger (optional)

In a medium saucepan heat sugar and water for about 5 minutes until all the sugar is dissolved and it becomes a syrup consistency. Set aside to cool slightly.

Juice blood oranges and lemons in separate measuring cups. In a pitcher, add the blood orange juice, lemon juice, water, and simple syrup. If you don’t like pulp then just place a sieve over the pitcher and run it through that.  Pour over ice and serve with blood orange slices and mint as garnish.

If you want it with a kick, then juice a piece of ginger and add it. Highly recommend.

Stays good in the fridge for 3 days.

Let’s talk snacks!

You know how all those diets say “eat four-five small meals a day.”  Umm…I can’t cook that often. I have a job. I like to see my friends. I don’t have a dishwasher. I have to curl my hair. These are all reasons why I can’t cook five times a day. Sorry, diets.

BUT I do love snacks, especially ones that take five minutes to put together.

WARNING: I have no idea if theses are “healthy,” but I do know they taste good, and are sorta healthy. Or at least I think so.

The first one is Avocado on Toast. Super easy and delicious.

All you’ll need is a half of an avocado, bread lightly toasted, a little crushed red pepper, salt and pepper, dash of olive oil and a squirt of lemon.  Done.  Delicious.

Second awesome snack of the day.  Perfectly boiled egg on a buttered whole wheat english muffin topped with a little salt and pepper. Easy! Fast! Cute!

This is my favorite. I love protein shakes, but I also love my morning coffee. This is hybrid of the two.

I present to you: Coffee Banana Protein Shake.

Some cooled coffee, scoop of whey protein powder, couple ice cubes, dash of vanilla extract and a half of a banana. That simple!

This isn’t a snack, but more of a way to force myself to drink more water. We all need to do this, right?

Just some filtered water with the latest winter citrus: sliced meyer lemon and a tangelo. And cucumber for some added freshness. It’s like the water you get at a spa.

What are you snacking on?

I have a confession.

I gained weight during the holiday season. Like, can’t-fit-in-pretty-dresses type weight gain.  This is not okay. I’m determined to be a girl who can fit into pretty dresses. Or maybe I should just wear bigger dresses? Whatever. You get what I mean, right?

So now I’m on a cliché “bad” food break. It’s gonna be hard. To ease myself into this tough transition, I figured baking a cake would be an awesome idea.

Before you flip out and call me crazy, let me explain.  This cake is “healthy.”  It has NO butter. My normal self would typically have nothing to do with a cake without butter, but tight zippers and waistbands made me give this cake a chance.

And guess what? Best idea #1 of 2011.

Let’s talk cake details, shall we?!

This cake has a whole lot of egg whites–12 to be exact–and good amount of lemon zest, which results in awesome lightness and a mouthful of zing. Me likeee.

And since we’re all a little sleepy from the holiday hecticness, I’m happy to report that this cake is easy peasy to whip up and to top it all off, it’s a one-bowl-cake (sorta) so there’s not a ton of clean-up.  Lovely.

The only sort of lame thing about Angel Food Cake (besides the cooling time), is that you need the right pan. I repeat, you MUST have an Angel Food Cake pan. I’ve heard of some people being successful with a bundt pan, but I didn’t want to risk it. I wanted cake.

But, I’m happy to report that my dad found the one pictured for $9 at Sur La Table last week! It was totally worth it.

And since this pan didn’t have legs, I cooled it by suspending it on a sort of empty bottle of wine. Snazzy, no?!

My favorite part of this cake, by far, was the icing. It’s not your typical buttercream. It’s a lemon flavored, snappy whipped cream icing. Amazing.

This is the time when I convince you (and myself) that the icing was “healthy,” but I simply can’t. There’s nothing healthy about it. It has sugar, lemon juice, a dash of flour and a whole lot of heavy whipping cream.

Sorry, dresses. I tried.

Lemony Angel Food Cake

Recipe by Martha Stewart

The Cake:

1 cup sifted cake flour (not self-rising)

1 1/2 cups sugar

12 large egg whites

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon Cream:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cake flour (not self-rising)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in lower third of oven. Sift flour and 1/2 cup sugar into a bowl.

Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Add lemon zest and juice, cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt; continue whisking until soft peaks form, about 2 1/2 minutes. With mixer running, gradually add remaining cup sugar.

Increase speed to medium-high; continue whisking until firm, not stiff, peaks form, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle whites with 1/3 of the flour-sugar mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold to combine. Sprinkle remaining flour-sugar mixture over whites in 2 additions; gently fold to combine.

Transfer batter to a 10-inch angel food cake pan with legs. Gently run a knife through the center of the batter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

Remove pan from oven, and invert onto its cooling legs (if your tube pan doesn’t have legs, invert it over the neck of a wine, or similarly shaped, bottle to cool); let cool, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Run a knife around the inner and outer edges of cake to remove. Invert onto a serving platter. (Use a knife to separate cake from bottom of pan.) Let cool on a wire rack. Unfrosted cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Make the lemon cream: Prepare an ice-water bath. Whisk lemon juice, sugar, flour, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; whisk constantly for 1 minute, until it thickens. Transfer to a heatproof bowl set in ice-water bath to cool completely, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, whisk cream and lemon zest with a mixer on medium speed until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently fold whipped cream into juice mixture in thirds. Refrigerate lemon cream, up to overnight.

Is anyone else having as busy of a holiday season as I am? I’ve traveled from coast to coast, been all over the state of North Carolina and have seen more family and friends than I did at my wedding. I’m hitting that point where all I want to do is relax and enjoy the remainder of my vacation with a tasty cocktail in my hand. Preferably a cocktail that’s easy to make. If it comes in a pitcher that would be pretty cool too. Sangria, anyone?

Sangria is really, really easy to make. It’s also really fun to play around with. If you have some leftover fruit you need to use, or a couple cups of fruit juice you want out of the fridge, or your friends gave you 2 bottles of cabernet when you only drink pinot noir, sangria is the answer.

First, you start off with two bottles of wine. Some people will tell you to use  something sweet like a moscato or something light and fruity like a pinot noir. I disagree completely. I like a more full bodied wine such as a cabernet or shiraz. If I’m using white I tend to lean toward chardonnay or a sauvignon blanc. My theory is that the purpose of the wine is to add flavor, so use something that will come through all the other fruits. Otherwise this is just alcoholic fruit juice, although even I’ll admit that’s not necessarily a bad thing. if you want to sweeten sangria, just use some old-fashioned sugar.

You’re gonna need a whole mess of fruit. In the South “a whole mess” is a very technical term, although, I’m not entirely confident I can translate it. What you see here in this photo is roughly what you want for one batch of sangria. You also need fruit juice – about 1 cup of juice for 2 bottles of wine. I used apple juice for this recipe, but this is where the fun comes in. Try playing around with stuff like peach nectar, pomegranate or pineapple juice.

Now it’s time to add in your fruit. Here’s another place to get creative., but you need to take into account the color of your wine here. For red wine, you can almost add anything, but I like to throw in some berries and oranges since those flavors really compliment red wines. Keep in mind that if you add berries to white wine it might muddle the color of the sangria. Things like apples, grapes, peaches or kiwi tend to go better with the white wine and come out with a prettier presentation.

Lemons and limes are nearly mandatory regardless of what type of wine you use. You’ll see a lot of recipes that call for lemon lime soda. I guess in a pinch this will work fine, although I will argue until I’m blue in the face that real fruit will taste better. Just trust me on this one.

I also like to add a liquer to sangria just to give a little kick. Although I’m using a pretty basic triple sec in this recipe, I strongly recommend going with a Cointreau or some other higher-quality fruity liquer for flavor. The above photo is the result of cooking away from home and on a bank account that has been drained from Christmas shopping- it still turned out quite delicious anyway.

If you’re making a red sangria, you must, must, must, MUST add cinnamon sticks. I also added cloves cause I had some on hand, but really all you need are cinnamon sticks. If you can, add these to the serving glasses when you’re done. “Too much cinnamon” is a phrase I have NEVER heard when someone is drinking red sangria. If I had heard it I probably would have started to ignore the person immediately since I don’t associate with crazy people.

Once you’ve combined everything in a big pitcher it’s time to stir in some sugar. Here’s the thing – you can always add more sugar later, so start slow. I would start off with half the amount of sugar the recipe calls for, let it sit for 2 hours, stir, and then taste. If you want more, add it. If you’re like me and don’t like super-sweet sangria, you might be okay right where it is.

The other key to sangria is to let it marinate a while. Eight hours is good, overnight is even better. This is one reason why I think sangria is an awesome party drink – you can make it the day before and then have it chilled and waiting in the fridge when people come over. Also, I think people assume there’s some sort of magic involved with making good sangria, when it couldn’t be easier.

Trust me, although there are certain ingredients I prefer over others, it is going to be really hard to use these guidelines and end up with a bad sangria.

It might even be impossible.

If you tell me you managed to make a bad sangria, I probably won’t believe you, FYI.

Basic Red Sangria

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2 750ml bottles red wine
1 cup apple juice
2 oranges, each cut into 8 wedges
2 cups chopped strawberries
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
2/3 cup triple sec or orange-flavored liquer
½ cup sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves

Combine all of the ingredients together in a large pitcher. Allow to chill for 8 hours or overnight. Remove cloves and cinnamon sticks (you can put the cinnamon sticks in serving glasses if you want). Serve over ice and enjoy!

I learned a few things this weekend.

1.) Eggs Benedict should be against the law. I’m convinced of it. I mean, the whole dish is just butter, eggs and bread.  Amazing.

2.) Making Hollandaise sauce the “right way” will make you whisk to the point where your arm might fall off.

3.) Losing an arm is worth it.

For three consecutive Saturdays I went to my favorite brunch spot and got this dish; Eggs Benedict with Portobello Mushrooms.  But, this past Saturday I was 3,000 miles away, so I tried to make it.

Can I be honest?

Making hollandaise sauce made me kinda angry. I tried (and then failed), my dad tried (and then failed) and since my dad refuses to give up, he watched four youtube videos about hollandaise, read three different cookbooks and then finally reached amazing, buttery success..

You’re gonna need to start by making clarified butter.

Super easy. No big deal. Just melt the butter and then skin off the white stuff.  It’ll start looking like this:

And then it’ll turn into this:

Then you’ll whip up your eggs yolks (in a double-boiler over simmering water) until they’re pale, frothy, and thick.

And then you’ll add the clarified butter and keep whisking. Intense arm work-out in your future.

It’ll end up looking like this:

At this point you wanna add the lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper. Yum!

You can apparently use a blender so your arm doesn’t fall off. I’m curious. If you know about this method, share the knowledge!

Instead of an English muffin, I swapped it out for my dad’s freshly baked French bread.  Duh.  No-brainer.

I then sauteed up some portobello mushrooms that I sliced horizontally. Just a little olive oil and salt and pepper. I then set it aside on super low, just to keep it warm while I poached the eggs.

At this point, I had the bread sliced (and in the toaster), and portobello mushrooms and hollandaise sauce keeping warm.

I poached some eggs. Sorry I don’t have pictures.  I’m actually not super talented when it comes to poaching eggs and it requires every bit of my concentration.

I use the vinegar method.  The whirlpool is just plain scary.  Quickly moving boiling water is scawie.

I toasted the slices of French bread and topped each slice with a portobello mushroom.

I added the poached egg.

And then the first tablespoon of hollandaise sauce.

Sinful. Ridiculous.  Luscious.  Illegal.  All words that apply to hollandaise sauce.

My mom added sauce to the second one.

Pretty.  Buttery.  Cute.

And then we ate ALL of it.

Portobello Eggs Benedict

Hollandaise recipe From The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine, FCI Cookbook

Yields 4 servings

(This book is awesome!)

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Hollandaise Sauce:

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

2 tablespoons (30 militers) of water

14 tablespoons of clarified butter, warm (200 militers)

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Salt to taste

Cayenne to taste

Eggs Benedict:

8 large eggs

8 pieces of French bread (or English muffins)

2 portobello mushrooms

Hollandaise Directions:

Prepare your mise en place.

Place the egg yolks and water in a heatproof bowl and whisk them together.

Fill saucepan large enough to hold the bowl with water and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a low simmer.

Place the bowl over the simmering water, taking care that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the simmering water. (This system is called a double-boiler system.)

Immediately begin whisking the egg yolk mixture and continue whisking for about 3 minutes or until it thickens and becomes quite thick and airy.  This light, frothy mixture is known as sabayon.  Great care must be taken when whisking the sabayon over the simmering water, as if it gets too hot, the eggs will scramble and the sauce will not be salvageable.

Remove the mixture from the heat and add the warm clarified butter in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.  Start this process slowly so that an emulsion begins to form; the sauce will break if the butter is added too quickly.

If the sauce gets too thick, carefully think it with a few drops warm water to achieve the proper consistency.

Season the sauce with the lemon juice and salt and cayenne to taste, stirring to combine.  If not serving immediately, keep warm, uncovered over 120F water, taking care that the sauce does not overheat, or it will break.

Eggs Benedict Directions:

Next saute up the slices of portobello mushrooms and set aside.  Then slice up some French bread or English muffins and get ready for toasting.

Fill a medium-pot with water and place over high-heat. When it reaches just before boiling, add a tablespoon of vinegar and slowly add one egg. With a spatula nudge the egg whites closer to their yolk. Let it sit for about 3-4 minutes, or until the egg whites are completely cooked. Remove and place in a small bowl of water.  This will stop the cooking and also wash off the vinegar.

Then toast up your bread and begin plating. Place the bread down first, add the portobello mushroom, poached egg and then add a tablespoon (or more) of hollandaise sauce.

Repeat and repeat.

I find this strange enjoyment with ringing myself up at the grocery store’s self-checkout.  I love pressing the touchscreen, looking up produce numbers, and scanning each product’s bar code. After thinking about it for a bit, I realized it all goes back with my ambitions as a kid to be on Supermarket Sweep.  Do you remember that show? Oh my, how I wanted to wear one of those brightly-colored sweatshirts! And those gigantic name tags! Oh and my strategy. Umm…can we talk about the strategy that went into that game? Everyone knows that you go for the most expensive stuff in the store first. Like the turkeys or hams. And then you grab all the over-the-counter drugs, and then you move to the cereals or liters of soda. Man, they really need to bring that show back. It’s so 1990 in the most awesome way possible.

I think at first glance this pizza looks like it’s fancy. If you were on Supermarket Sweep–and it was pre-made–it’s probably the thing you’d think you should grab for, but in actuality this pizza cost me about $8 to make. All it takes is 2 lemons, some creme fraiche, smoked salmon, and some homemade pizza dough. It’s an impressive looking pizza and it tastes nothing like I’ve ever had before. It would seem that slicing up a lemon, putting it on a pizza and cooking it would be weird. Because, um, you’re eating a whole slice of lemon.  But when the lemons are sliced this thinly, they’re seamless, and their slight bitterness is actually an attribute to the pizza.  And plus, you have the creme fraiche that sort of downplays it and paired with smoked salmon, it’s a total winner.  I’m going to be eating this pizza all summer long.

{In my opinion, there’s nothing better than cooking pizza on a stone, but the good ones can cost upwards of $50. An amazing alternative (via my Dad) is picking up two clay tiles (from Lowes or Home Depot), which will run you around $2 a piece, and placing them in your oven side-by-side. Put the pizza on parchment–like I have above–and put it directly on the hot clay tiles. It’ll give you the same result: a perfectly cooked crust, at a fraction of the cost.}

Lemon Pizza

Serves 8 as an appetizer

Recipe by Christopher Idone via The Wednesday Chef

The original recipe called for salmon caviar, but since I’m not a huge fan, I opted to go with smoked salmon.  Go with what you think is best!

12 ounces prepared pizza dough (I used Deb’s recipe for a really simple, fool-proof pizza dough)

2-3 lemons, ends trimmed and discarded, sliced paper thin, seeds removed

Freshly ground black pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup creme fraiche

4 ounces smoked salmon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and roll dough out to roughly 12 inches in diameter and very thing – about 1/6-inch thick. Place on a greased sheet pan, or heat a pizza stone in the oven. Cover surface of dough with lemon slices, overlapping them very slightly. Sprinkle with pepper and olive oil. Transfer pizza to hot pizza stone or place the sheet pan in the oven.

Bake until dough is brown and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. If the lemons brown too quickly, cover the surface of the dough with foil until dough is cooked through.

Remove the pizza from the oven and let cool. Spread creme fraiche over the surface and dot with caviar (or in my case, smoked salmon). Cut into wedges and serve.

I have an issue with rice pudding. It’s not that I don’t love it. I do. A lot. My issue is that I always seem to convince myself that this is somehow a “healthy” dessert. I mean, it’s rice, right? How can rice be bad for you? This explains why in the past I have ordered rice pudding for breakfast, ignoring the looks of my friends when they realize my early morning meal will be coming from the dessert menu.

So yeah, it’s sort of an issue. Especially when I realize I’ve convinced myself that I’ve made a smart choice even though I’m spooning sugar and milk into my mouth at an unhealthy rate. However, I found a solution to my problem with this recipe. I’m not gonna lie, it still has some sugar, but A LOT LESS than most rice pudding recipes. And, this has brown rice instead of white rice, and soy milk instead of  whole milk. And it has blueberries. Fresh, juicy blueberries. So, with just a little sugar and lots of nutrition, I finally have a rice pudding that I can eat for breakfast. Well…that I can eat for breakfast and not feel bad about.

 

Brown Rice Pudding with Blueberries

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A huge bonus to this recipe is that it gives you something to do with cooked rice leftover from dinner. If you want to cut down on the cooking time leave out 1/2 cup of milk, although that might affect the creaminess of the final dish. You can also used dried fruit instead of fresh, but I would add it in at the beginning of the cooking process instead of the end.

2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups low fat milk or soy milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh blueberries

In a medium saucepan combine rice, milk, sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon. Cook for 15-20 minutes stirring frequently until the pudding is thick and creamy. Remove from heat and add blueberries, stirring gently to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature. Eat in a big bowl with a spoon and feel happy about the decision you’ve made.

Let’s talk risotto.  Risotto and I have an awkward history. A few Christmases ago, I thought it’d be a fantastic idea to add risotto to our Feast of the Seven Fishes menu. As I was prepping, cooking and juggling five dishes, I started the risotto and between ladling chicken stock in the pot and doing random other things, I totally overcooked it, and it turned into a dry, rubbery, gross mess.  Once I realized I messed up the one dish I was most excited about, I had a breakdown.  A total kitchen breakdown.  My lovely family felt so bad about my breakdown that they ate the gross risotto anyway….as they laughed, of course.  So needless to say, me + risotto = not friends. BUT, me + pasta, risotto style = BFF.  I’ll explain…

There aren’t many recipes that totally transform the way I eat. I mean, I try a lot of stuff and methods to cooking things, but rarely do I ever make a recipe over and over again.  This recipe totally did it for me. It’s the one recipe I repeat at least once a week. Why? It’s super adaptable.  Literally you can put anything you want in it.  Have some scraps from a rotisserie chicken in the fridge? This is the recipe for you.  Have some extra vegetables without a purpose?  Their home is in this dish.  Have that awkward amount of cheese (ricotta, marscapone, etc)?  Put it in this thing. It’s also quick, but at the same time I wouldn’t feel shy about serving this to guests. Basically, it’s a huuuuge step up from the sometimes bowl of cereal I have for dinner.

I’m sure a lot of people might say that cooking pasta in a pot of boiling water is way easier, and it is, but the flavor isn’t as great.  Since the pasta “drinks” the stock, the flavor is richer and a bit creamier, sans cheese. 

Lastly, say you have no vegetables, no cool chicken, then all is good.   Pasta cooked in chicken stock (or vegetable) with a little salt, pepper and grated cheese = very cool meal.  If I could give any college kid a recipe, it’d be this one for sure.

Spring Pasta, Risotto Style

Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman

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Since it’s Spring (!!) I decided that a lemon pasta would be great. I added these cremini mushrooms, lemon zest, lemon juice and halved a few heirloom cherry tomatoes.  I’ve made this dish a lot with various ingredients, but this combination is by far my favorite

Yields 2 servings

4 tablespoons of olive oil, and more as needed

1 shallot (or small onion), chopped

1 tablespoon of garlic, minced

2 cups of cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced

1/2 pound cut pasta like penne gemelli, or long pasta broken into bits

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper (or add to taste)

3-4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (I used chicken stock)

1/2 cup of dry white wine or water (I used water)

1 lemon

zest of half of a lemon

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

Chopped fresh parsley

Freshly grated parmesan

Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. When hot, add shallot, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms soften and begin to brown on edges, about 10 minutes. Add remaining olive oil and then add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy and coated with oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Add a little salt and pepper, then wine (or water). Stir and let liquid bubble away.  Note: if you’re using a chicken stock that is high in salt, then I’d add the salt toward the end.

Ladle stock into skillet 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring after each addition and every minute or so. When liquid is just about evaporated, add more. Mixture should be neither soupy nor dry. Keep heat at medium and stir frequently.  Add lemon zest and lemon juice.

Begin tasting pasta 10 minutes after you add it; you want it to be tender but with a tiny bit of crunch. When pasta is about 2 to 3 minutes away from being done, add tomatoes and stir to combine.  Taste, adjust seasoning, garnish with parsley and Parmesan if using, and serve.

I realized something about myself today.  Olive oil is my thing.

When I was 12 or 13, I received a spa cookbook for my birthday and became hooked on mixing up oatmeal masks, honey hair treatments and avocado masks.  Why my 12 year old self needed any sort of facial mask is another story.  But  I think I just liked the idea of cracking eggs in my hair and slapping oatmeal on my face; it seemed so neat and kinda retro. Now, the thought of slathering avocado all over my face sounds sort of weird, and plus, I’d probably just end up eating it anyway, which is even weirder. I know.

Anyway, I didn’t think much of it when I picked this pound cake out of a book of 200 or so recipes. Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake? I’m there. Sooo there. I then went to get ready for the day and grabbed my olive oil face wash and then put on this olive oil body lotion. And then I stopped. Whoa…I umm…really like olive oil. I guess I’m not so far off from my 12 year old self.  I still put food on my face thinking it’ll make me pretty. Hmmm…interesting.

And my obsession with olive oil doesn’t stop with lotions. I love fish poached in olive oil, salmon especially. These olive oil pancakes still  have my heart.  I also wouldn’t dare fry up an egg in anything but olive oil.  Not sure what to say. Olive oil is my thing.

Wanna know what’s not my thing? Measuring with my eyes.  When I first read over this recipe I noticed the 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf measurement. I grabbed my pound cake pan out of the cupboard and sort of shrugged off the idea of it not being the right size. I figured it’d work out just fine. Wrong.  Dead wrong.

When I realized my flub, I ran to the store and was sort of bummed when they didn’t have a real pan.  My inner snob doubted the ability of the foil pan, but the cake came out perfect. It was moist, and delicious with a strong hint of olive oil and a whole lot of lemon flavor.  Olive oil won’t ever let you down.

Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake with Glaze

Recipe by Karen Demasco from The Craft of Baking

Print this recipe!

The olive oil flavor wasn’t as pronounced as I would’ve liked it to be, so I think next time, instead of using a medium grade–which is what I used–I’ll use a higher quality oil.

Makes one 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 – inch loaf

Cake:

Unsalted butter, softened, for the pan
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, strained
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoons Demerara sugar (I happened to have this in my pantry, but if you don’t, not a big deal)

Glaze:

1 cup of powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons of milk

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the bottom of 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, butter the pan and the paper.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring it to a simmer.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon zest. Set the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water and whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Transfer the bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium speed until the mixture thickens, is pale yellow, and forms ribbons when the whisk is lifted, 5 to 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, milk, and lemon juice. When the egg mixture has thickened, slowly drizzle in the oil mixture with the machine running. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture, and mix just to combine. Drizzle in the butter and mix just to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the Demerara sugar.  Bake, rotating the pan once after 40 minutes, until the top of the cake is golden, the center bounces back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean about 50 minutes. Unmold the cake from the loaf pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack.  While still warm, prepare the glaze.  Mix the water with powdered sugar until completely combined, without lumps.  You might need to play with the consistency a bit to get it to your liking. Pour over the pound cake and let it dry, which should be fairly quickly. Once at room temperature, eat away!