red pepper and baked egg galettes.

The more I cook, the more I understand my style.  I love seasonal food that is full of flavor.  Sure there is something to be said for a simple baked potato with butter but I think that baked potato is made exceptionally better when you add in a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper or a dusting of smoked paprika.  Those bold flavors keep things exciting.   

Yotam Ottolenghi shares this sentiment.  It's why I own three of his cookbooks - he understands me and my need to use 10 different spices in every dish I make.  He wouldn't think I'm crazy for sprinkling zatar on just about everything instead he would encourage it.  

I've been flipping through his cookbooks a lot lately.  They've become my default starting place when it comes to figuring out what do with 4 pounds of cauliflower and leeks I couldn't leave behind.  Last weekend I bought as many red peppers as I could figuring it would probably be the last weekend for them.  I went home and roasted them and then wondered what exactly I should do with them beyond my standard roasted tomatoes + mozzarella tartines.  At that moment, I stumbled across this recipe.

This is about as simple as it gets.  It makes for a killer weekend breakfast though I would happily eat this for dinner with a peppery salad.  It's a satisfying kind of dish made all the better with the addition of (many) herbs and spices.  

Red Pepper and Baked Egg Galettes

Recipe adapted from Jerusalem 

The original recipe calls for roasting the onions and peppers together.  I took the slightly lazier approach of using my pre-roasted peppers and omitting the onions (we were short on time).  Truth be told, I think if I was to add onions in, they would be caramelized onions (because caramelized onions are the only way I will eat onions).

If you were making this as a to-go meal, I would swap the egg for some good feta.   

4 large red peppers

1 teaspoon cumin or zatar

1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon sumac

Salt and pepper to taste

Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

4 tablespoons sour cream or labnah

4 large eggs or 8 tablespoons crumbled feta

Set the oven to 400 degrees.   Place the peppers on a baking sheet and roast until blackened and collapsed, about 45 minutes.  Remove the peppers from the oven and place them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. When cool, peel the skin off the peppers and slice then flesh into 1/2 inch wide slices.  Season the peppers with the cumin or zatar, coriander, sumac, salt, and pepper, and half the parsley and cilantro.  Set aside. (Can be done 3 days ahead.  Store the peppers in the fridge in a plastic container.)

Turn the oven up to 425. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it reaches a 12x12 inch square. Cut into four 6 inch squares. Transfer to two parchment or silpat lined baking sheets and place them in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and spread 1 tablespoon sour cream or labnah on each of the pastry squares. Top each square with 1/4 of the pepper mixture spreading it out evenly, leaving the borders free, and leaving a shallow depression in the center for the egg, which will go in later.

Bake for 12 minutes or until the pastry begins to puff and brown. 

Remove from the oven and carefully crack in egg into the center of each galette.  Return the galette to the oven and continue to bake until the egg white is set, about 6 - 8 more minutes.  (Note - If using feta instead of egg, bake for a full 15 minutes and them sprinkle with cheese.  Continue to bake for another 3 - 5 minutes).  

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining herbs and additional salt and pepper.   Eat.   

caponata.

We've reached this point where I've started to realize that in just a few short weeks the tomatoes, corn, and zucchini that are currently ABUNDANT at the farmer's market, will be gone.

I am going to be so sad when they are gone.  

The plus side is right now we are experiencing that kind of epic weather that only ever exists during the first couple of weeks of September.  I live for this time of year.  When summer produce is still bountiful and things like turning on an oven doesn't break me out in a sweat.  I love being able to coerce new flavors out of summer ingredients through cooking and roasting and baking.  It allows the foods of summer to take on a whole new level of flavor.  

This caponata is the epitome of everything I want to eat right now. It's chock-full of all sorts of summer deliciousness (tomatoes! eggplant! zucchini!! peppers!) but when cooked together it takes on a whole new dimension.  Caponata is kind of like an Italian sweet and sour stew.  It's traditionally eaten as an anti-pasta (and I've been known to eat entire bowls of it like that) but it also makes for a great side to sausages or served over a bed of pasta. However you choose to eat it, you will find yourself returning for seconds.  

Caponata Modo Mio

Recipe adapted From Urban Italian

Serves 6 - 8

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced large
1 red pepper, diced large
1 yellow pepper, diced large
2 Japanese eggplants or 1 Italian eggplant, diced large
2 small or 1 large zucchini, diced large
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
½ cup raisins re-hydrated in 1 cup water

1 cup basic tomato sauce 

2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves 
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Basil for sprinkling

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onion, peppers, and eggplant. When the vegetables have softened a bit (about 5 minutes), add the zucchini. Season  with half the salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients together and continue to cook.

After ten 10 minutes, add the red pepper flakes and garlic. Cover and reduce the heat to medium, and let the steam roast the vegetables for 5 minutes.

Remove the raisins from the water and add to the pot with the tomato sauce.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, until vegetables are soft but not falling apart and the sauce is well incorporated.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, Add the fresh oregano and season with remaining salt and pepper. Mix in vinegar. Serve in a large bowl with pine nuts sprinkled on top.

roasted pepper and tomato panzanella.

As a 28 year old who before last week had never been on a business trip, it’s safe to say that I had slightly skewed expectations of the experience.  Somehow I convinced myself that it was a paid vacation (hotel rooms and expensed meals, hooray!) and then I went on one and realized a business trip involves you performing your same job in a different location which really is not as cool as it sounds. 

The part I hated the most was all the eating out.  I know that sounds far-fetched.  As someone who keeps notebooks filled with restaurants I hope to someday eat at, the idea of eating out every meal on someone else’s dime should be my dream.  But it wasn't because it loses the appeal of eating out (it’s suppose to be a special occasion thing!).  Not to mention there is something slightly lonely about eating by yourself (I missed my plate-cleaning partner in crime). 

I spent yesterday in the kitchen – cooking, baking, and on the couch catching up with the September issue of Bon Appetit (I needed a break from all the fall fashion reading I've been doing. Shocking, I know.).  I dog-eared most of the issue, there seemed to be something delicious on almost every page, but the dish that really caught my eye was the roasted pepper panzanella.  It said end of summer eating. It was also everything I wanted to eat after a week of eating in someone else’s kitchen.  

This dish is comforting yet exciting.  Healthy(ish) and deeply satisfying.  The flavors are bold and assertive (red wine vinegar wakes everything up) and those flavors pair perfectly with creamy cheese, sweet peppers, and earthy herbs.  The bread manages in a short period of time to soak up all the juices making it soft and flavorful. It's magical and perfect and it reminds of why I love eating in my own home.  And why I love cooking oh so much.  

Roasted Pepper and Tomato Panzanella

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 2 for dinner (with a little little left over for your lunch) or 4 - 6 for a appetizer portion  

So I played around with this recipe a little (because I can’t help myself sometimes) by adding in some roasted tomatoes,   swapping the buffalo mozzarella for burrata (because I always look for ways to add burrata to a dish), and finishing the dish with a flurry of torn basil.  This is end of summer eating at its finest. If you are anything like me and my other half, you will find yourself saying after your plate is cleared "that was really, really good".  

3 large red or orange (or a combination) bell peppers (about 1 ½ pounds)

3 medium-sized heirloom tomatoes, diced into 1 inch pieces  (tomatoes the size of small apple or peach)

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

¼ - ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons basil, torn into small pieces, divided

½ loaf country-style bread (about 12 ounces), torn into pieces or cut into cubes

1 – 2 ounces thinly sliced spicy salami (hot sopressata is perfect here)

1 ball of burrata or buffalo mozzarella (about 6 – 8 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment, place the peppers and the diced tomatoes.  Season the diced tomatoes with salt and pepper.  Cook the peppers and tomatoes about 25 – 30 minutes until the peppers are blackened in spots and blistered all over and the tomatoes are shriveled and caramelized in color.  Transfer peppers to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit 15 minutes.  Keep oven on.

In a large bowl, toss bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bake, tossing occasionally, until crisp on the outside but still chewy in the center 8-10 minutes.  Let croutons cool a couple of minutes. 

Remove the skins from the peppers with your fingers or the back of a butter knife.  Remove the seeds as well.  Cut the peppers into 1 inch strips. 

Place tomatoes in the bowl your tossed the bread in (saving dish-washing duty!) along with the peppers, garlic, vinegar, red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons basil, and the remaining oil.  Taste and season with salt and pepper. 

Add the cooled croutons to the bowl, along with the salumi.  Toss to combine.  Arrange the mixture on a platter with pieces of the cheese.  Top with remaining tablespoon of basil and a sprinkle of sea salt. 

farro, roasted pepper, and tomato salad.

I got it into my head this weekend that I needed to cook with farro, which means the boy and I went on a supermarket adventure looking for this grain, which we eventually found in the organic section of Shop Rite next to the rice.  I felt victorious for having located it and promptly brought it home.  (It should be noted that I am a girl who lacks patience, which means when I have an idea/thought/craving I can’t think of anything else.  I am like a dog with a cone on its head.)  The reason for my sudden infatuation with farro stemmed from this recipe that I saw in Plenty (my latest cookbook obsession).  Something about the simplicity of the dish spoke to me but I also felt that I could add some end of season produce into the dish to make it a little substantial ( because I look for every opportunity to add in more farmers market produce).  The farro gives a lovely nutty taste to the salad and it also provides some much needed crunchy texture to the red peppers and tomatoes.  The dressing is perfection – sweet and tangy with the perfect amount of spice.  I foresee farro salads becoming my lunch of choice. 

Farro, Roasted Pepper, and Tomato Salad

Recipe adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Farro is the better cooler sister to quinoa (or that's at least how I feel).  The texture is amazing and it tastes more substantial which I love. I planned on making this for lunch which means I wanted to bulk the dish up with some extra vegetables.  Cherry tomatoes and spinach were my extra vegetable add-ins but I imagine cucumbers or corn would also be lovely.   I also plan on making a more fall version with butternut squash which I will report back on! 

For the Dressing

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from about 1 medium lemon)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey (Mike’s Hot Honey is wonderful here)

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, plus more for garnish

½ garlic clove, minced

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

For the Farro Salad

1 cup farro

2 cups packed baby spinach

1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

2 roasted red peppers (homemade is best but jarred works as well), diced

10 black olives, pitted and quartered

1 tablepsoon fresh thyme

3 ounces goat cheese

For the dressing: Whisk together all of the ingredients and set aside. 

For the farro salad: Bring 2 ½ cups of water to boil over high heat.  Add the farro, reduce heat to a simmer and cover, cook according to directions on the package, anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.  When done, drain in a colander or sieve, rinse under cold water and the return the farro to the pot.  Add the spinach and cover for 5 minutes so the heat of the farro just barely wilts the spinach. 

Remove the lid from the pot and add the tomatoes, roasted red pepper, olives, thyme, goat cheese, and dressing. Toss gently and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with a sprinkle of paprika.

roasted red pepper and tomato tart.

We are nearing the final stretch of summer and I feel as if I have yet to accomplish everything I planned on doing and making.  I had visions of weekends spent hiking and swimming.  I thought most evenings would have been spent outdoors with friends - our bellies filled with crusty homemade bread and sparkling wine.  I envisioned subway trips to the outer boroughs where the boy and I would feast on cheap ethnic foods and bottles of cold beer.  Alas, I have not done all of these things which leaves me feeling as if the summer has escaped me but, I am making a conscious effort over the next couple of weeks to try and fulfill a couple more of my summer goals.   I have an ever-growing list of things I wanted to cook this summer one of them being a savory tart and this past weekend seemed like the perfect time to make it. 

Savory summer tarts are a wonderful thing.  They are sturdy enough to handle being transported on picnics and they can be filled with any variety of seasonal ingredients.  I love eating them for dinner with a side salad and a glass of rose.  For a while now I have had visions of a roasted red pepper tart and since red peppers finally appeared at the farmers market last week, it seemed like I had my opportunity make one.  I roasted the peppers until their skins were charred and then I removed the skins and cut the peppers into strips.  I decided on a crust that was made with olive oil instead of butter and that crust seemed like the perfect vehicle for a filling of ricotta and goat cheese, which I blended together with a plethora of herbs.  The filling was topped with the strips of red pepper and cherry tomatoes and the whole thing was baked until the tomatoes burst. The result was both beautiful and delicious.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Tart

Makes one 8 – 9 inch tart

This olive oil tart crust is my new favorite thing.  It is a cinch to make, tastes amazing and is the perfect vehicle for all sorts of vegetables.  I have a couple of other filling recipes in mind that I will happily share!

Crust

Recipe adopted from Chocolate and Zucchini

166 grams light whole wheat flour, or a 50/50 mix of all pupose and whole wheat flour

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

¾ teaspoon dried herbs

40 ml olive oil (or the oil of your choice)

80 ml cold water

Combine the flour, salt, and herbs in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the oil and mix with a fork.  Add the water, mix with a dorm until it is absorbed, then knead slightly until the dough comes together in a ball. 

Turn the ball out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Sprinkle a little flour on the ball of dough and on the rolling pin and roll the dough out into a circle large enough to fit your tart pan.  Turn the dough by 45 degrees every time you roll the pin and back, adding a little more flour underneath and on the dough when it seems on the verge of becoming too sticky.  Be quick to avoid overworking the dough. 

Transfer the dough carefully to a prepared pan and line it neatly.  Trim the excess dough, and place the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest. 

For the Filling

2 medium red bell peppers (you can use store bought peppers but not as good!)

1 cup whole milk ricotta

1 cup goat cheese

1 tablespoon chopped basil

2 teaspoons oregano

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

8 cherry tomatoes halved

For the peppers: Turn the oven to 400 degrees and place the peppers on a baking sheet.  Roast, turning occasionally, until the peppers blacken and blister on all sides, about 20 minutes.

Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a medium heatproof bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit until cool enough to handle and the skins easily peel away, about 30 minutes.

Remove and discard the skins, seeds, and membranes of the peppers. Slice into 1/2-inch-thick strips (you should have about 1 cup), transfer to a small bowl, and season with salt, pepper, and olive oil; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees if you turned if off after making the peppers (or lower it if you didn’t).

For the filling: Place the ricotta, goat cheese, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper in the clean bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Process until the mixture is smooth and combined, about 1 minute.

Remove your tart from the fridge and add the ricotta mixture to the shell, spreading it into an even layer.  Arrange the red pepper slices and tomato halves over the mixture.  Place the tart in the oven and bake until the tomatoes begin to burst and the cheese is golden brown about 20-25 minutes.  Remove the tart from the oven and cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.