pan roasted asparagus with chimichurri.

Asparagus consumption is at an all time high in our apartment.  We are averaging a couple of pounds of week between the two of us and I don't expect this to stop until they are gone.  

We've been having them every which way - shredded on pizza, diced in tacos, and pan roasted which is perhaps my favorite way to eat them.   Pan roasting ensures you get charred, burnt bites while still keeping the asparagus pretty green and a little raw - it's the best of both worlds.   

This recipe takes those asparagus up a notch by pairing them with bright and tangy chimichurri.   Chimichurri is an raw herb sauce that is traditionally paired with meat but here it gets paired with tender asparagus, olives, and goat cheese.  It's pretty brilliant pairing and the epitome of spring eating.   

Pan Roasted Asparagus with Chimichurri
Recipe adapted from the NYTimes 

3 tablespoons finely chopped green garlic
½ cup finely chopped parsley or cilantro 
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 - 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon red wine or sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 pound pencil-thin asparagus, tough ends snapped off
4 ounces crumbled feta or a firm goat cheese 
Handful of olives
1/4 cup hazlenuts, toasted and chopped 
Crushed red pepper and sumac, to taste

Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. 

Make the chimichurri sauce: In a small bowl, stir together chopped green garlic, parsley or cilantro, oregano, olive oil (start off with 1/4 of a cup), vinegar and 2 tablespoons water.  If it looks thick, add a little more olive oil and water until the desired consistency.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle very lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt.

Transfer asparagus to hot cast-iron pan.   Let asparagus cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until nicely charred, with a few burnt and blistered spots. Asparagus cooked this way tastes best if slightly undercooked and still bright green.

Put cooked asparagus on a platter and spoon chimichurri sauce generously over spears. Top with crumbled feta, olives, and hazelnuts , then sprinkle with crushed red pepper and sumac.  Serve immediately.

creamy tahini and lemon aspragus soup.

Can we talk about how no one tells you how absolutely awful the home-buying process is?  How it's an endless sea of spending money, how it occupies all of your time and energy?  It's truly awful.  I keep reminding myself that there is a light at the end of this tunnel and that the whole thing will at some point be worth it by my god does it suck getting to that point.   

With the home search occupying what feels like every waking moment, I haven't had much opportunity to cook all of the spring things I want.  By the time I finally make it to the kitchen on a Tuesday evening, all I want to do is cook whatever will get dinner onto the table the quickest.  This means a lot of vegetable salads paired with cheese and crackers.  No one is complaining so I take that as a good thing.   

This soup, a departure from our almost daily salads,  falls into the quick and easy dinner meal.  It comes together in under 20 minutes, involves staple spring ingredients (i.e. asparagus and lemon), and tastes as if you slaved over an hour.   The tahini turns the soup impossibly silky smooth making it taste a lot more decadent then it really is.  

Creamy Tahini and Lemon-Asparagus Soup

Recipe from Dolly and Oatmeal

Makes 2 large servings or 4 small 

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch spring onions (or spring garlic), chopped (roughly 1 cup)

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 lb. asparagus, woody ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (preferably homemade!)

1/4 cup fresh chives

2 2-inch pieces lemon peels

1/4 cup tahini paste

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

sea salt & fresh pepper

Optional Garnishes 

Asparagus ribbons

Pea tendrils or baby greens

Tahini paste

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat.  Once hot, add the olive oil and onion or garlic, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft and translucent.  Add the garlic, stir and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the asparagus and cook for 1 minute, then add the broth, chives, and lemon peels.  Bring soup to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer and cook until the asparagus is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove soup from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

Carefully transfer soup to an upright blender, add the tahini paste and lemon juice.  Blend on high for 1 minute, until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust salt and/or lemon juice.

Return the soup back to the soup pot and bring to a simmer.  Garnish and serve hot. 

asparagus with miso butter.

This past weekend was one of those weekends where it felt as if New York had finally awoken from the deep slumber that was known as the epic-ly cold and awful winter of 2015.  Our neighborhood farmers market returned! Windows were opended! Rhubarb was procured!  And the first asparagus of 2015 were purchased and eaten with such abandon that you would have thought I had never eaten them before.   

Asparagus are a beautiful thing and while my preferred way of eating them will always and forever be shredded atop a white pizza - my close second preference involves roasting them until impossibly crisp with a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper.  I am capable of consuming almost an entire pound like that in under 5 minutes.  

But for the first of the season, I felt it was only necessary that I step-up my game.  And so these asparagus were not simply roasted, they were also coated in miso-butter which may be the greatest condiment that has ever existed.   Miso-butter makes everything it touches impossibly addicting, so it's safe to say these asparagus were gone quickly.  Thankfully asparagus season has only just begun.

Asparagus with Miso Butter

Recipe adapted from NYTimes

The original recipe suggests cooking these in a pan over high heat rather then roasting them.  I am going to try that method next, but I always find roasting easier - it is so hand's off!  I am including both sets of instructions here.  Also - your miso butter will look a little "smoother" then mine does in the picture - I waited a little long to toss them with the asparagus.  Still utterly delicious.   

Oh and if you want to make this a meal?  Put an egg on it.   

Serves 2 as a main for 4 as a starter 

3 tablespoons oil or rendered pork or bacon fat

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and peeled if necessary

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons not-too-salty miso, preferably white (if you use yellow take this down to 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon Mike’s Hot Honey

2 poached (or warm-bath-cooked) eggs (if you choose) 

If roasting the asparagus: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the asparagus on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with pepper (and a very very small amount of salt since the miso is salty).  Roast for about 20 minutes or until the asparagus are shriveled and blackened in spots. 

If cooking the asparagus via stove-top: Put oil or fat in skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add as much asparagus as will fit in a layer, add salt (small amount of salt!) and pepper to taste, and toss and stir until browned and shriveled, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, over low heat in a small saucepan, warm and whisk together miso and butter, so they combine, and butter softens but does not melt. Whisk in vinegar and keep warm. Warm a serving plate.

When asparagus is done, put some miso butter on bottom of serving plate. Blot excess fat from asparagus if you like, put on top of the miso butter (or you can be lazy like me and just pour the miso butter over the asparagus), and top with poached eggs (if you choose). Serve immediately.

spring burrata salad.

I plan on eating some variation of this salad at least once a week for the rest of the summer (and let's be honest here, I would eat a variation of this well into the fall).  Why you may ask?  First and foremost it's excellent and secondly because my new life motto is that burrata makes everything better (seriously everything).

Burrata turns a ho-hum salad into something special.  It turns it into a meal.  It turns it into a dish worthy of a dinner party.  (And such an easy dish at that!)

This version is inspired by a picture I saw on Instagram which is where a lot of my cooking inspiration comes from as of late.  Thinly sliced sugar snap peas, basil, and chopped asparagus are tossed with the simplest of ingredients - lemon juice, olive oil (the really good stuff), salt and pepper.  The preparation allows for the farmers market fresh produce to shine which in my humble opinion is the whole point of cooking with farmers market produce.  The burrata adds the requisite creaminess which is why this salad is so damm dreamy.  Best served with well toasted bread to sop up all the juices.





Spring Burrata Salad 

Serves 2

1/4 pound sugar snap peas, ends trimmed, blanched, and thinly sliced
1/4 pound asparagus, blanched and cut into 1 inch pieces
10 basil leaves roughly chopped
1/4 cup roasted pistachios, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for drizzling
Salt and pepper to taste
6 ounces of burrata

Place the sugar snap peas, asparagus, basil, and pistachios in a bowl.  Toss the vegetables with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.  

Tear the burrata into pieces and divide among two plates.  Top the burrata with the vegetables.  Drizzle the plate with additional olive oil, salt and pepper.  

spring pasta.

Our weeknight dinners are not always the most exciting things which is not something I care to admit since I do write a food blog. I want to be able to say that we eat dinner nightly at 8PM over candlelight in a spotless kitchen. In actuality, dinner is usually a mess, served closer to 8:30, and is usually a compilation of assorted odds and ends that I found in the fridge. Sometimes these hodge-podge meals are rather lack-luster and other times they are so brilliant that I find myself working to replicate them (like this pasta).  

This pasta stemmed from a search in the fridge for items languishing and what I discovered was half and half, ramps, and asparagus.  There were a lot of directions I could have gone with these ingredients, omelet! soup! but based on the fact that it was a cold, rainy evening, pasta seemed the most satisfying and logical. The ramps were sauteed in butter and then sorrel was thrown in along with the aforementioned half and half. The mixture was thickened and then seasoned with salt and pepper. Asparagus and gnocchi were added to the pan and tossed with the sauce and then showered with parmesan.  The dish was consumed close to 9 and served Indian style on the floor (we are still without stools, sue me) but it was so good I don't think anyone was complaining  

Spring Pasta

This is one of those dishes where the vegetables can easily be swapped depending on what's in season.  Kale would be lovely, spinach would be too, the key is to add as much green as possible.

Serves 4

4 ramps or green garlic, white and light green part minced, greens chopped and set aside 
2 cups sorrel, pea shoots, or arugula, chopped
3/4 pound asparagus, tough ends removed, and chopped into 1 inch pieces
16 ounces gnocchi
3/4 cup half and half (or if you are feeling indulgent, heavy cream)
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan on pecorino to taste (about 1/4 cup)

Cook asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water until bright green and crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Using tongs or a mesh strainer, transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool; drain. Keep the water on as you will cook the gnocchi in the same water.  

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.  When the butter is melted add the white and light green parts of the ramps or green garlic.  Cook for 1 minute or until it softens and begins to brown. Add the sorrel/pea shoots/arugula to the pan along with the green part of the ramps or green garlic and cook 30 seconds or until the begin to wilt.  Add the cream to the pan and stir to combine.  Allow the cream to cook for about 3 minutes or until it begins to thicken.

While the cream cooks, add the gnocchi to the pot and cook as directed on the package (should be about 3 minutes).  If the cream thickens before the pasta is done, simply turn off the heat.  When the gnocchi are done, use a mesh strainer to transfer them to the pan with the cream.  Add the asparagus to the pan and stir so everything is coated with the cream and greens.  Season with salt, pepper, and cheese.  Serve immediately with extra cheese on the side.  

#springishere.

Spring is here! Spring is here!  

Rhubarb and asparagus have made there epic return and I literally giddy about that.  I've been working on some recipes that incorporate those ingredients (but not together!) and I will be sharing them in the next couple of days, but until then, let's review some of my spring favorites (most notably shaved asparagus pizza which is still my favorite way to eat asparagus).  

Also to note! I made rhubarb jam again last night (because what else is there to do but make jam at 9pm on Sunday night) and dialed the sugar down to a generous 3/4 cup.  The smaller amount of sugar makes for a much better jam with the perfect amount of both tart and sweet.   




asparagus.
burrata with asparagus, pine nuts, and golden raisins.
shaved asparagus pizza.

rhubarb.
rhubarb strawberry pudding cake.
strawberry jam and rhubarb jam.
strawberry rhubarb pie.
yogurt panna cotta with roasted rhubarb compote and caramelized nuts.

shaved asparagus pizza is back.

Asparagus have arrived at the farmer's markets in droves and I have found myself consuming them at almost every meal.  They are wonderful in warm salads of diced eggs and crunchy croutons with a sherry vinaigrette    They are also superb when diced into bite size pieces and folded into scrambled eggs with goat cheese.  I also will always fall hard for roasted asparagus that require nothing more then a sprinkle of sea salt, fresh pepper, and olive oil.   While all of those are great there may be nothing better then eating them shredded atop (white) pizza.  I discussed the merits of this dish last year and if you didn't make it then I highly suggest you make it now while they are still in season.  This is beautiful dish (it always feels like the Jackson Pollack of food to me) with the mingling of sweet, salty, and spicy.  It's creamy and crunch and all around perfect.  I made it once this week and you can pretty much guarantee it will be made once a week until asparagus are gone.   Oh and the honey I tell you to sprinkle on top is completely necessary.  You can always use regular honey but as a super proponent (and it also being one of my most used ingredients) I highly recommend buying Mikes Hot Honey.  You will find yourself using it all the time.  

burrata with asparagus, pine nuts, and golden raisins.

Rather suddenly it has gotten very, very hot in New York.  While standing on the subway platform I feel like a cooked egg.  No amount of ice coffee can make me feel any cooler while I wait for the train.  I find the heat to be worse at the end of the day and by the time I get home all I want to do is lie down in our cool apartment and take a nap with a cold compress of my forehead.

The overbearing heat creates a challenging cooking environment - the idea of turning on the oven an unbearable thought.  However, eating raw veggies for the next three months doesn’t fulfill all my culinary desires.  With that being said, I’ve been looking for ways to incorporate a lot of the farmers market produce into a quick cooking dinner that doesn’t use the stove for longer then 10 minutes.  In addition, it needs be filling enough for the boyfriend - he can eat a lot and while I am happy with a few bites of food for dinner, he requires more then that.  A tall order perhaps, but I think it can be done.

I recently came across a dish for burrata and asparagus.  Reading the recipe made me feel as if I was in Italy eating outside under large olive trees.  I knew I had to make it.  With slices of toasted Italian bread drizzled with olive oil and double the amount of asparagus, it would be substantial enough for dinner.  I drizzled the whole dish with a little balsamic and some spicy honey (because really I haven’t come up with anything that it doesn’t taste good on) and had the perfect dinner for hot summer evenings. 

Burrata with Asparagus, Pine Nuts, and Golden Raisins

Adapted from Leite’s Culinaria

2 tablespoons golden raisins

¾ - 1 pound slender asparagus

2 tablespoons pine nuts

Salt and Pepper

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup fresh bread crumbs

1 ball of burrata (usually 6 – 8 oz in size)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Mikes Hot Honey

Soak the golden raisins in warm water to cover for at least 5 minutes.  Dain the fruit and pat dry.

Cut the woody ends from the asparagus and discard.  Cut the asparagus in 2 inch long pieces.  Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Add the asparagus to the water and cook until the spears are tender about 2 – 4 minutes. 

In a large skillet over low heat, warm the pine nuts until lightly toasted, shaking the pan occasionally.  Transfer the pine nuts to a plate to cool. 

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Add the bread crumbs and cook, shaking the pan vigorously, until the crumbs are light golden and crisp, about 1 minute.  Transfer to a plate to cool. 

Place burrata on a plate.  Strew the asparagus, pine nuts, and raisins around the plate.  Top with breadcrumbs. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and honey.  Sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked pepper. 

shaved asparagus pizza.

Yesterday, I turned 27.  (Am I now old!?)  I tend to get very pensive around my birthday.  I question everything - Are you where you want to be in life? What have you accomplished in the last year? - it gets exhausting.  So exhausting in fact that by the time the day rolls around all I want to do is take a nap (and eat cake - the only good thing about a birthday is eating cake, lots of cake).  

But yesterday I had a really good birthday.  Tyler took me to Per Se for lunch. It was extraordinary (a once in a lifetime kind of thing which is how I sold him on the idea).  I have never (and probably never will again) experience a meal quite like it.  I mean it said HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAITLIN on the top of our menus (which we got to keep), if that isn’t personal service then I don’t know what is (Thomas Keller you know how to make a girl feel special). 

The food itself was amazing.  But to me, the most amazing part of the whole thing was how beautiful everything looked.  Every dish that came out was simply put, a work of art.  We were both in awe.  You really do eat with your eyes first and in the case of Per Se, I ate beautiful things at first sight.  I also ate a lot of dessert which was the best part of the meal for me – when you think its over they bring you doughnuts and truffles and homemade fudge and macarons! As I said to Tyler, dessert at Per Se is my version of heaven. 

I still can’t stop thinking about how beautiful each dish was.  How carefully constructed everything was.  I am still in awe. It makes me want to cook more beautiful dishes which is how I stumbled upon the shaved asparagus pizza.  This pizza looks like abstract art and it tastes like spring. I am already planning on making it again and every time I do it will make me think of Per Se and how lucky I am.  (I am also lucky because I got to bring home chocolates from Per Se – they are sitting in my fridge, I give them until Wednesday.)

Shaved Asparagus Pizza

Adopted from Smitten Kitchen

I added ricotta to my pizza – I have a love affair with white pizza that dates back to my childhood and this felt like grown up white pizza.  I also added Mikes Hot Honey because I’ve pretty much decided it tastes good on anything and everything.

½ recipe of my favorite pizza dough

1/2 pound asparagus

1/3 cup grated Parmesan/Pecorino

1/3 pound ricotta

1/2 pound mozzarella, shredded

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Several grinds black pepper

Red pepper flakes

Mike's Hot Honey

Preheat your oven to the hottest temperature it goes - place your pizza stone inside and let it warm up - at least 45 minutes. 

Prepare asparagus: I found this part tricky - granted I was trying to check Facebook and shave them at the same time, may have something to do with it... Holding a single asparagus spear by its tough end, lay it flat on a cutting board and using a vegetable peeler, create long shavings of asparagus by drawing the peeler from the base to the top of the stalk. Repeat with remaining stalks and don't worry of some pieces are unevenly thick, the mixed textures make the pizza yummy.  Discard tough ends.  Toss peelings with olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a bowl.  

Assemble and bake pizza: Roll or stretch out your pizza dough to an 8-inch round.  Place dough on pizza stone (don't worry if it ends up oddly shaped, mine always ends up that way and I love it more when that happens!)  Sprinkle pizza dough with Parmesan/Pecorino then mozzarella, and dollop ricotta around the dough.  Pile asparagus on top.  Bake pizza for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are browned, the cheese is bubbly and the asparagus might by lightly charred.  Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with honey.  Repeat with the remaining dough.