Asparagi al Forno

Devine! I almost ate the whole plate myself.

1 1/2 lbs asparagus
1/2 c olive oil, separated
1/2 tbsp sea salt or other coarse salt
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp capers
1 egg, boiled with the white and yolk separated and chopped
1 scallion, sliced thinly

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Remove the tough/woody ends of the asparagus, then toss the remaining stalks with sea salt and 1/4c. of the olive oil. Spread the asparagus on a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes. While the asparagus is roasting combine the remaining 1/4c. olive oil, vinegar, capers, egg white, and scallion with a whisk. Remove the asparagus from the oven, place it on serving plate, pour the vinaigrette over, and sprinkle it with the chopped yolk. Serve warm.

Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs

I made this for a dinner party the other night and it was so great for both kids and adults. Full of fresh ingredients, it's a perfect summer pasta dish! Not a cheap dish, but worth it for the flavors and healthy ingredients.

NOTE: I tried substituting chopped sausage without the skin and it was so good and easier than making the meatballs!

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 1 pound orecchiette pasta
• 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 3/4 cup grated Romano
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock, hot
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 8 ounces bocconcini mozzarella, halved
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, and the salt and pepper. Add the chicken and gently stir to combine.

Using a melon baller (or a teaspoon measure), form the chicken mixture into 3/4-inch pieces. With damp hands, roll the chicken pieces into mini meatballs.

In a large (14-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook without moving until brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs over and brown the other side, about 2 minutes longer. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes are soft and meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and add the Parmesan. Toss to lightly coat orecchiette, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Add the meatball mixture, mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup of the basil. Gently toss to combine. Garnish with the chopped basil.

Green Vegetable Risotto

Somehow, all my weekend cooking ended up green, and not in any shade that photographs well. An otherwise very good lentil-based curry turned a yellow-ish green with shreds of cabbage adding to the overall effect. And I tried my hand (for the first time!) at a risotto but fell short of the pearly white dish I was going for. I think I would have been better off using homemade vegetable stock, or at least watering down my store-bought variety. It gave the rice a slightly yellow shade, offset by the green vegetables. The risotto was particularly good though, so here's the recipe without an accompanying picture ;-)

INGREDIENTS (serves 6):

300 g of Arborio rice (or other types of rice appropriate for risotto)
1 litre of vegetable stock
80 g of butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 glass of white wine
100 g of green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
100 g of peas, fresh or frozen
100 g of asparagus, frozen, cut into 1-inch pieces
parsley, chopped
100 g of Parmesan cheese, grated
oil
pepper

PREPARATION:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add olive oil and stir in onion and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until just golden. Add garlic and stir about 2 more minutes.

Add rice while still stirring. Continue stirring and add white wine. Once all the wine has been absorbed or has evaporated, add the vegetables and cover with broth. Stir and let simmer in a soft murmur (no boiling waters) until the liquid has been absorbed. Gradually add water or stock about 1/4 cup at a time. Continue stirring. As liquid is absorbed add another 1/4 cup. Continue stirring and adding stock or water until mixture reaches desired consistency and rice is tender.

When the rice is ready, mix in pepper, butter and Parmesan cheese. Add parsley and serve.

The recipe comes from marmiton.org. It's not hard but it's extremely time consuming, so this is not good on a day when you are in a rush! Count on being at the stove almost an hour, stirring the rice while it cooks.

Pretty Pink Beet Soup

I picked up the recipe card for this soup in a lovely organic store in Notting Hill on my trip to London this week. Perfect coincidence, as there were beets and leeks in the fridge at home. I made the soup yesterday and we had it chilled today for lunch. I didn't think the kids would eat it easily, but Margot loved it and although Edgar had to be coaxed to try it, he added bread crumbs and ended up finishing it all.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

450 g / 1 lb beets, cooked, skinned and diced

2 onions, chopped

1 leek, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

grated rind of one lemon

1.25 litres / 2 pints vegetable stock

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 glass red wine (optional - I didn't add any)

a pinch of nutmeg

a fresh bouquet garni (optional - I didn't have any)

salt and pepper

creme fraiche and chopped chives to serve

PREPARATION:

Saute the onion in the olive oil in a large pan until soft but not brown. Add the beets, nutmeg, lemon rind, bouquet garni and stock, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Add the wine, vinegar and sugar and simmer another 15 minutes. Taste to judge you have a good balance of sweet and tart.

Remove bouquet garni. Puree soup in a food processor or blender until perfectly smooth, using a sieve if necessary, then return to the saucepan and add seasoning. To serve, either re-heat carefully avoiding boiling, or chill. Add a generous dollop of creme fraiche and chopped chives on the surface of each bowl.

Caramelized Shallots and Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chops

Amazingly easy and tasty recipe from epicurious.com that I adapted slightly to reduce the fat, sodium and sugar content. It's a great recipe for a weeknight like tonight! We had the beautifully glazed pork chops with broccoli. The leftovers will be the kids' lunch tomorrow.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

4 (3/4-inch-thick) center-cut pork chops (about 2 lb total)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 oz small shallots (about 8), quartered and peeled, leaving root ends intact
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
up to 1/4 cup of vegetable stock


PREPARATION:

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook pork along with shallots, turning pork over once and stirring shallots occasionally, until pork is browned and shallots are golden brown and tender, 5 - 8 minutes depending on the cut of meat. Transfer pork to a plate and add vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper to shallots in skillet. Cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved and liquid is thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Add vegetable stock as necessary if sauce is thickening too quickly.

Reduce heat to moderate, then return pork along with any juices accumulated on plate to skillet and turn to coat with sauce. Cook, turning over once, until pork is just cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes total. Transfer pork to a platter and boil sauce until thickened and syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour sauce over pork.

Branzino with Parsleyed Potatoes

This was dinner for the family tonight. Branzino is really sea bass, in a slightly less oily version according to the fishmonger at Fairway. He gutted and scaled the fish, which was super helpful. It was delicious, even the children were licking their fingers.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4 small appetites):

2 whole Branzinos, gutted and scaled
2 lemons, one sliced and the other for juicing
olive oil
fresh thyme
12 - 14 small potatoes
1 tbsp butter
parsley
sea salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

Set the fish in an oiled dish. Tuck lemon slices and thyme into the cavities. Make several slashes on top of the fish and sprinkle with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Slide the fish as close to the broiler as you can get it until the skin begins to char, then move it about 12-inches away and lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Continue cooking for 15 minutes. You'll see the fish in the slashes turn opaque and you'll know it's done. Add lots of lemon juice.

While the fish is in the oven, boil or steam the potatoes. Toss with butter, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Rutabaga "Batons"

I had never tasted rutabaga before I started cooking baby food for Edgar and quickly ran out of "yellow" options beyond sweet potatoes and squash. It has an incredible taste that goes great with chicken or turkey. I don't use it a lot, but it's a nice change when I happen upon it at the store.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6):

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large rutabaga, thoroughly peeled and cut into 1-inch thick, 3-inch long "batons"
salt and freshly ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 lemon
1 orange

PREPARATION:

In a skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the rutabaga and season with salt and pepper. Add the nutmeg and cinnamon, the juice from half of the lemon, juice from the whole orange, and stir. Allow the rutabaga to cook gently until it starts to become translucent and tender when pierced with the tip of a small knife, 10 to 15 minutes, if not longer.