Apple and Fennel Salad with Salted Caramel Pecans

When I made this recipe recently, I actually wasn't so sure I wanted to try it.  Caramelized pecans and apples seem so autumn-centric to me...and I'm in full-time spring mode lately.  However, when spring comes, I tend to eat much lighter, skipping the "entrée" and eating the salads and side dishes as main meals.  So this recipe actually began to seem just right for how I like to eat in April.

I found this salad in a Donna Hay magazine quite some time ago; after scouring her website, I can't find the issue number anywhere so, alas, no direct link - I've looked all over the web.  But I didn't change anything - the recipe I'm sharing here is hers exactly.

Lastly, apologies for the photos, which were taken with my phone.  That said...not bad for my phone, right?

Apple and Fennel Salad with Salted Caramel Pecans
Recipe from Donna Hay

Serves 6

12 slices prosciutto
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup superfine (caster) sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (kosher salt is fine too)
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 small red apples, thinly sliced
4 bulbs baby fennel, thinly sliced (regular fennel is fine too; just use 2 large bulbs)

Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C). Place the prosciutto on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with maple syrup, and bake for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Set aside.

Place the pecans, sugar, water, and salt in a bowl and toss to coat.  Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.  Add the pecans and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally or until caramelized.  Set aside to cool.

Place the vinegar and oil in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Place the apple, fennel, prosciutto, and pecans in a bowl, drizzle with the dressing, and toss to coat.

NOTE: For presentation, I layered it.  Stack the apple slices, prosciutto, fennel; start again.  Add pecans on top and around plate as garnish.  I also saved some of the fennel fronds, chopped them, and sprinkled them on top last.  Finish with a fresh grind of pepper.

Eat, drink, and embrace lightness.

Spring!

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much for sticking with me while I was taking a short break!  Everything's fine with me - don't worry!  Now I'm back and better than ever.

New York has been experiencing record high temperatures lately, and the California Girl in me is just swooning with delight and heart-bursting joy.

Last night was "Girls' Night", which meant that Adam had a work thing to go to so it was just me and Bug for dinner.  Naturally, with temps in the high 70s, we decided that dinner on the rooftop deck was de rigueur.

I put together our favorites on a cutting board: smoky almonds, Manchego, salame, grapes, pears, apples, bread, and crackers.  I drank a glass of Cotes du Rhone; Bug drank ginger beer.  And as per usual, there wasn't another single person on the deck with us.  On the one hand, I can't believe that in our HUGE building there is no one - no one - who thought it would be a good idea to sit outside.  But on the other hand, I adore having the deck to ourselves.

It's been a crazy, maddening, wonderful, challenging, refreshing couple of weeks...but I'm slowly feeling like the universe is coming into balance again.  I'm not doing much in the way of menu planning or complicated cooking as of late.  But with a meal like this, who needs it?  You don't have to turn cartwheels and set things on fire to put a good meal on the table.  Bug and I sat together, sharing details about our day, debating who the murderer could be in The Westing Game, and giggling about a boy that has a crush on her in class.  That was the best part.  Gathering together to eat is just what made it possible.

Again, you have all been really supportive and wonderful - I love being here and I love sharing with you. Thanks for being a part of it.

More soon...I really do want to get back to cooking in the kitchen!

Eat, drink, and enjoy the change in season!

Pea Shoot Pesto

I've mentioned pea shoot pesto here before in the briefest of passing and, for that, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry because it is one of my absolute favorite things to eat in early summer.  I tripped upon a recipe in the New York Times back in May 2009 for the pesto; it sounded delicious but I dismissed it pretty quick.  I mean, where am I going to get pea shoots?

I shouldn't have dismissed it so quickly, of course.  The next time I was at Union Square, I found a stand with pea shoots.  I approached the purveyors and mentioned the article in the Times for pea shoot pesto.  Being the smart folks they are, they had a copy of the recipe and were able to tell me the exact amount of shoots I needed.

In 2010, pea shoot pesto was a regular feature at my table.

Here we are in 2011 and pea shoots are at the Union Square Greenmarket again.  Greener Pastures are the folks to talk to - you'll know them by the yellow school bus behind their stand.  They're known for their wheatgrass juice but I know them as my connection for pea shoots.

And wondering what the fuss is about with pea shoot pesto?  Sometimes I find that basil pesto can be overwhelming and overly rich.  Especially when paired with tomatoes - basil pesto can overpower the fantastic flavor of tomatoes in season.  Pea shoot pesto has a brightness and delicacy to it that I like infinitely better than its basil sister.  And pea shoot pesto is every bit as easy to make:

PEA SHOOT PESTO
from The New York Times


1/4 c. grated Parmesan
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 c. pine nuts
3 c. pea shoots
1/2 c. fresh cilantro leaves


In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast pine nuts, tossing occasionally until golden, about 3 minutes.


In a food processor or blender combine pea shoots, pine nuts, cilantro, Parmesan, garlic and salt.  Pulse until roughly chopped.  With motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil; blend until well combined.  Scrape pesto into a bowl.  Taste for seasoning.

There have been a few times when I've forgotten to buy cilantro so I omitted it from the recipe; I have to admit that I didn't miss it much.  So feel free to leave it out if you're cilantro-adverse.  Likewise, last time I made this, I used fresh green garlic (instead of the dried kind you get at the supermarket) and it was incredible.  I'd recommend it always in this recipe, but it's in season for a pretty short window so you'll likely have to forge ahead with regular garlic.

The NYT recipe pairs the pesto with pork chops, which sounds really amazing.  However, like a kid who eats all the cookie dough before making cookies, I've never gotten that far with this recipe.  I love to serve it on grilled bread (you know me and the grilled bread recipes!) with a few slivers of shaved Parmesan on top.  I also loved it with a slice of prosciutto over the pesto, and you can see in the (rather dark) photo above that I also topped it with a fried egg. Add a salad, a crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, and you have a light spring or summer meal.


Eat, drink, and experiment with pestos.

Roast Chicken

We went to the Union Square Greenmarket on Saturday, and I was so excited about the sun beating down that I  insisted Adam go do the shopping while I watched Bug on the playground, thus allowing my skin to darken from white to...something closer to off-white.  Adam brought back the bounty (sugar snap peas!  strawberries!  asparagus!) and announced that he also got a whole chicken from our favorite stand: Grazin' Angus Acres.  A whole chicken?  What?  We don't tend to eat chicken - it's dry and bland more often than not, it seems - but here's the story Adam told me:

He went to the Grazin' Angus guys to get the eggs and flap steak we love.  They told Adam about the chicken and, of course, he was dismissive.  Long story short, they all but challenged Adam to try it and even went so far as to say, "If you don't like our chicken, you won't like any chicken."  Big words.  But this is one of the joys of buying from a purveyor you know and trust: we knew that these guys weren't saying all this lightly and we have learned to trust both them and their products.  So Adam bought a chicken - all that was left was a rather large one that cost us a cool $37!  And they were holding it for us while Adam sat in the sun with me, relaying this story.  The Grazin' Angus guys also told Adam that all the chicken needed was salt and pepper on the skin.  If you have some gorgeous fresh herbs, stuff those in the cavity.  But that's all.

This is where I kind of lost it.  "Not even lemon?  You sure?  Because I have a le..."

"No, no lemon."

"Seriously?"

"Laura, I'm just telling you what the man said to me.  Ask him yourself when we pick up the bird."

Fine, I will, I thought.  So we pick up the chicken and he tells us that, ideally, you want a 500-degree oven for an hour and 15 minutes; this will create a lot of smoke so, if you're living in an apartment like us, then you can do 450-degrees for the same amount of time.  He confirmed salt and pepper on the outside.  And then I asked, "And in the cavity?"

"Herbs, maybe.  Rosemary is fine.  Just a small amount of thyme - thyme can overpower it."

"And what about lemon?  I have a le..."

"Don't you dare put lemon in my chicken!!!!"

I threw up my hands and begged for mercy, hoping he'd still let us walk away with his chicken (he did).  And our interaction ended with a promise that "you'll be spoiled by our chicken, just like we spoiled you with our eggs and beef!"

We got home and I cranked the oven to 500-degrees.  I knew it would smoke too much for our little 900-square foot apartment but I had to at least try, right?  I sprinkled the outside with kosher salt and fresh pepper, and I crammed the cavity full of rosemary.  I was soooo skeptical.  I wasn't a believer and had no trust.  So I put a ton of rosemary in that thing.

Then it was in the oven.  At 20 minutes, I had to take the battery out of our smoke alarm.  At 35 minutes, I turned the oven down to 450 degrees.  Adam told me the whole floor smelled like roast chicken.  You're welcome, neighbors.  At an hour and 15 minutes, it came out.  Easy as that.  And here's the result:

The verdict?  Outstanding.  The meat was so juicy, of course, but what struck me most was the sweetness.  I had never tasted chicken that was sweet...and flavorful with little help from me.  It was gorgeous.  And the juices had pooled up in the bottom of the platter so we dipped our bites in the juice, which took it up to a whole other level.  The only thing I might have done differently was add more salt and pepper before roasting but, really, I'm being nitpicky.  It was damn near perfect.

We ate it with raw sugar snap peas (from the Migliorelli Farm stand in Union Square) tossed in olive oil and flake salt:

And black-pepper Parmesan bread (from the Rock Hill Bakehouse stand) dipped in olive oil and course sea salt:

What an amazing Saturday meal!

And what about Bug?  Well, she liked the peas and she liked the bread.  We told her she had to at least try the chicken (which she normally won't touch).  When she asked for the wing, we were skeptical.  But what do you know...she ate the whole wing.  Then she at a leg.  In short, she loved it.  Do I think she'll be a chicken eater from now on?  Of course not.  I'm certain this was a fluke.  But between Bug eating the chicken and the Grazin' Angus Acres guys...clearly, I'm not always right.

Eat, drink, and happily admit defeat.

The Promise of Spring

The move to Manhattan is ON!  We'll be moving in a week - just one week! - but I'll do my  best to keep stopping by here.

Never for even a millisecond have I doubted this move - I'm so ready for the next adventure and new experiences.  That is...until I saw this this morning:

I planted garlic chives in the spring of 2009 and, as a complete surprise to me, they came back on their own last spring.  And here they are again.  And I have to leave them behind.

My friends in Queens, I know I'll see them again.  But my own herbs?  I'm not sure when I'll see those again.  I'm going to miss them...a lot.

Eat, drink, and transplant them?

Sympatico

Oh, you guys, today was goooorgeous. Just...wow. After a number of days of gray clouds and rain, the sun came out today and it was glorious. It wasn't humid and it wasn't too hot - just 70s and sunny. The kind of day when New Yorkers lay on benches, on walls, on anything horizontal and soak up the sun like lizards.

So imagine my unbridled joy when I realized that my menu planning for the week just happened to coincide with the weather: Ricotta Crostini with Cherry Tomatoes. With some grilled local asparagus. Can you imagine a better meal to celebrate a sunny day? And a sunny day so close to the weekend?!

I didn't follow the recipe exactly in this case - specifically, I didn't actually sauté the tomatoes. I just cut them up, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar, and put them on top of the grilled bread and ricotta. But start with the recipe above, which is exceptional as is, and feel free to experiment from there. This recipe also doesn't call for basil but, since I have some growing in my balcony herb garden, I added it.

You should also know that I'm in love with a wine. I know, I know. I'm in love with all wine, really. But thanks to my local wine shop - Wine Room of Forest Hills - I've discovered Carpineto. I fell in love with their rosé first - the label is beautiful, as is the color and the crisp fruitiness. But I also bought a bottle of the Dogajolo Toscano Bianco and it paired beautifully with the acidity of the tomatoes. It even matched the asparagus. A perfect way to bring in the weekend.

Eat, drink, and cheers to lucky menu planning!

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Weird blog post title, right? But it's relevant, I swear!

I had a phenomenal weekend. Amazing. And you know what? I didn't take a single photo. Part of me cursed about the fact that I "forgot" to document the whole thing...

...but then I was glad. Sometimes you don't need to make sure the whole thing is recorded. There are memories. There is an emotional high. I swear, this high will get me through the entire upcoming week.

It's hard to live on the other side of the country from my family - I struggle with it daily. It's hard to find that work-life-home balance that we're all striving for. It's hard to have the majority of our friends here be child-free...mostly because I worry that we're inconveniencing them with our child. And it's hard to develop your own community, your own inner circle, and your own chosen family in a place where you did not come from.

But today was one of those days. 58 degrees - the first REAL spring day we've had in NYC this year. We spontaneously invited anyone from our "adopted family" to join us for a picnic in Central Park. Totally last minute.

Friends showed up. Lillet was introduced to those who had never experienced it. Taleggio was enjoyed by all. Bug played aerobie with Adam and her adopted uncle. I forgot that the grass areas are still fenced off so we lounged on top of a large boulder. At one point I thought it looked like we were warming ourselves on the rock like lizards. In a good way. We talked food, movies, books...and lots in between.

So the revolution will not be televised. It will be live. The moment when I don't take a picture because I'm so in the moment. The instant where I realize and appreciate that we do have a family here. The millisecond where I feel that we are right where we need to be right now. I needed this day and it was given to me.

Eat, drink, and thank you to New York for all of this.

Note: the lyrics/poem can be found here. And infinite thank yous to Amy for the mix CD(s) that brought me this song. It spoke to me.

Come ON already!

Like most Northeasterners, I have HAD IT with all this snow and cold and gray and gloom. I want peaches, I want asparagus, I want a picnic, I want VITAMIN D! So in an homage to all things sun-related, I give you some hope for brighter things to come:

Eat, drink, and hang in there a little bit longer!

Note: The burrito/taco thing is my own creation - seared tuna, sour cream, cilantro, raw red peppers, cabbage, mashed avocado, and lime juice.

I'm not a saint!

Sooooo not local.  Yet soooo worth it!

Eat, drink, and welcome the change in seasons!

Joie de Vivre!

The First Strawberries of the Season!

(taken by my phone)

I don't always have time to...you know...cook

Sometimes it's all about having the free time...

And cava on the balcony...




















Ice cream and shortbread on a sunny day...




















And pizza delivered right to my door early on a spring evening...

Indulging in a classic

Have you ever felt so excited about a Friday night that you just didn’t know what to do with yourself? The world is about ready to burst into bloom and you have a weekend ahead of you, full of promise. I don’t have plans this weekend and I’m just tingling with the excitement of doing everything and nothing.

In our house, Friday night is “TV Dinner Night”. We usually ban eating meals in front of the TV, but we do allow it on Friday nights and have made a ritual of it. Naturally, my dinners reflect our change of venue. Tonight, I brought back an old favorite from my childhood: grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My dad used to make them all the time when I was a kid, and I have the fondest memories of eating them. Then I went through a binging-dieting phase from about 14 years old through 30 years old…and, sadly, never had a grilled PB&J during those years because, you know, peanut butter was evil. But no longer. Tonight I had my first grilled PB&J in 18 years…and it was every bit as satisfying and rich and pleasurable as I remember it.

And, no, I didn’t document it with a photo. Some moments really shouldn’t be interrupted by a clicking camera and worries about the lighting.

So I entreat all of you to indulge a bit this weekend with a forgotten classic from your childhood. Remember that the week starts fresh on Monday – get back on track then. For now, though, enjoy.