They say you eat first with your eyes. I love the contrast of these ingredients: black pumpernickel baguette, salty Manchego, sweet-tart orange-tangerine marmalade, crunchy hazelnuts, and black Himalayan salt. Not only do the orange and black provide the required spooky contrast, but the salty and sweet flavors play against each other for a really surprising and triumphant combination. Happy Halloween!
Serious Eater Michael Natkin of the vegetarian blog Herbivoracious drops by every Wednesday to share a delicious recipe to expand our vegetarian repertoire.
[Photographs: Michael Natkin]
I typically serve polenta one of two ways—fresh from the pot or cooled, sliced, and grilled. But for today's dish, I pre-stuffed it with a mixture of spicy greens and Caciocavallo cheese so the oven and broiler could do the work of the grill. The beauty of this recipe is it can all be made ahead, and you can work on the greens while the polenta is simmering.
Italians rarely serve greens lightly sauteed. They tend to like them fully hammered. Here we cook them down with garlic, chili flakes, and red wine. The chard stems are sliced thin and thrown into the saute.
The mixture of beet greens and chardworks great, but feel free to substitute kale, collard greens, mustard greens or any other greens you fancy. I served the polenta with roasted beets, then made a sauce from the liquid left over from cooking the greens reduced with saba (also known as mosto cotto, or the cooked grape syrup rendered in the first step of balsamic vinegar production).
I've long been on a search for a great macaroni and cheese recipe, so it was a thrill to see a version on Food 52 from someone I trust. Jennifer Hess of Last Night's Dinner, who I think is an inventive and smart cook, tweeted about her entry, and I put it at the top of my list. I love how her blog chronicles culinary inventions springing from what's in her pantry, freezer, and local market haul. She's the kind of cook you want to emulate, someone who can think on her feet, which I really admire. I knew that a recipe for something as serious as macaroni and cheese was sure to be perfect.
It was. Though the idea behind this recipe is common—boiled pasta mixed into a bechamel sauce and baked—the execution here is dead on. And, best of all, the whole thing cooks in a single skillet (plus a pot for boiling the pasta). It comes out of the oven brown and bubbling, with a subtle sharpness from the cheddar, nuttiness from the gruyère, and a wonderful savory roundness from the Parmesan/Pecorino tag team. This one is going into my rotation, as long as nobody who I'm eating with minds butter, heavy cream, and a heckuva lot of cheese. Hess does recommend a nice salad or sautéed greens, which is good advice.
Who is Lucy Dobson? She's a friend of the terrific and very funny cookbook and children's book writer Ann Hodgman. This recipe is from Hodgman's Beat That! Cookbook. Here's what Hodgman has to say about cheese souffle:
Now what's the main problem with cheese souffle? Besides the fact that it falls, I mean? I put it to you that the main problem is those stupid beaten egg whites. Not only do you have to treat them like the spoiled babies they are, but they also muffle the cheese flavor so terribly! Why bother making orthodox cheese souffle at all, when all you'll end up with is a sunken pile of baked fluff?
Pretty funny stuff. And there's lots more where that came from in Beat That! and its companion volume, Beat This!
The question of what to do with piles of zucchini always arises in the month of August, when tubular green squash is busting out all over place. I try hard not to be tempted into buying any at the farmers' market because inevitable gifts of zucchini seem to arrive on our doorstep in waves, from friends who are both proud to display their advanced gardening skills and anxious to unload their bumper crop onto seemingly vegetable-deficient apartment dwellers. Muffins, check; bread, check; cake, check; casserole, check...it can get a bit monotonous without a tasty pasta recipe in the lineup.
My first encounter with a version of this dish was three years ago, in a small trattoria in the Umbrian town of Orvieto. The combination of zucchini and Gorgonzola sounded a little odd when the waiter explained it to us as the day's special dish, but the steaming plate that was placed in front of me a few minutes later was nothing short of heavenly. I was shocked at how understated the flavor of the cheese was, and after a long, languid lunch, the chef-owner ended his shift by sharing a glass of wine with me and explaining his recipe.
Because the memory of that day is so sweet, this pasta has become one of my favorite comfort dishes, great for a night alone with a bowl of carbs and a glass of wine on the sofa. But the unexpectedly soft, subtle flavors and pretty green color make it a standout for a company supper, too.
What is a cheese strata? Well, I found and adapted this recipe in the classic American Century Bookbook, so I'll let the terrifically talented author Jean Anderson describe it for you: "buttered slices of bread layered into a casserole with grated cheddar and topped with beaten eggs and milk." Need I say more?
If you have ever eaten Indian food, chances are that you have had saag paneer. It's one of my favorite dishes—spiced, creamy spinach with chunks of a fresh cheese known as paneer. Paneer is so mild that it can easily be mistaken for tofu, but it has a pleasantly chewy texture that reminds you that it is in fact cheese.
Paneer can be purchased or easily made at home. All you have to do is heat a gallon of whole milk until almost boiling, add the juice of a lemon or two, and remove from the heat. Stir for a bit, and the milk will separate into curds and whey. Strain through cheese cloth, weight and press for an hour or so, and you have paneer.
Monica Bhide makes a great appetizer by pairing mild, creamy paneer with a sweet and spicy chutney in her recipe for Paneer with Orange-Apricot Chutney from Modern Spice. If you cannot find fresh apricots, Bhide recommends substituting 1 1/2 cups fresh mango in its place.
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Modern Spice to give away this week. Enter to win here »
I'm going to make this Frittata with Spinach and Cheese, adapted from Mario Batali's encyclopedic Molto Italiano, for Vicky's family today. Why not? It's perfect Mother's Day fare. It looks great, all golden brown and bubbly; it tastes great, all tangy and grassy; and it seems both healthy and hearty, with its combination of spinach and two cheeses.
Oh, yeah, one more thing. This frittata fulfills the one essential Mother's Day brunch food function: Kids and moms and grandmoms will all find it seriously delicious.
This week, I am making the ultimate multitasker: a dish that can be served as lunch, as an appetizer, as a cheese course, or as a dessert. The sweet firmness of the pears, the piquant creaminess of the Roquefort, the earthy crunch of the walnuts, and the sweet stick of the Sauternes syrup make this a dish for all seasons, a perennial trooper you can trot out when you want to feed someone, appear refined, and not lift a finger.
We all know the French are not shy about cheese, and Roquefort is a real ringer. It is a blue sheep's milk cheese from the town of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. Legend has it that a shepherd left his lunch in a cave when he ran after a beautiful girl in the distance (it must be a French legend if it involves stinky cheese and hot romantic pursuit), and when he came back his regular old cheese had majestically transformed with age into Roquefort. As far as blue cheeses go, it is creamier than most with a terrific bite. As far as mold goes, it is the most important discovery after penicillin.
Wheels of Pecorino-Romano. Photograph from shansby on Flickr
Rick Tramonto's Pecorino custard with tomato sauce is a bread pudding with a difference (or two.) First, it's a savory appetizer, not a dessert. Second, the custard-soaked cubes of bread we associate with the dish are puréed before baking to give a silky, uniform texture.
Served with good marinara sauce and toasted bread for dipping, the full-flavored budino, or Italian pudding, is a luxurious way to kick off a dinner party. To make sure your meal goes off without a hitch, choose a young Pecorino that's not overly firm, which will prevent the cheese from turning grainy when it melts.
Win 'Osteria'
In addition to excerpting a recipe each day this week, we're giving away five (5) copies of Osteria. Enter to win here »
Cheese. Bacon. Potato. Three of the most beautiful words in the English language, all put to very good use by Patricia Wells in this recipe for a cheese and bacon potato cake adapted from her fantastic book Simply French: Patricia Wells Presents the Cuisine of Joel Robuchon. Wells calls for clarified butter, but regular butter will do just fine. Softly scrambled eggs are the perfect accompaniment for this wonderful creation.
Delicate and airy, frico tacos are lace doilies of cooled, melted cheese. There's a brief window between removing it from the hot pan and setting it down to cool where a frico can be molded into any shape you choose. Here, Martha Stewart uses taco-shaped frico as a receptacle for lamb's leaf lettuce, but I've often made larger frico bowls, using a muffin tin as a mold, for use as an edible vessel for peppery arugula salad.
I had my first green enchilada experience at a friend's house in Brooklyn. He was actually from New Mexico and used to make a huge batch every weekend for anyone who happened to stop by the apartment. But he made them unlike any enchilada I'd ever had. Instead of rolling them up and baking them with loads of meat, he just stacked them on a plate layered with cheese and tomatillo sauce. Instead of the heavy, orange-cheese covered ones that I grew up on in the Midwest, these were bright and acidic. I'd always have two plates' worth.
Now back in the Midwest, it was harder to reconstruct this memory than I had anticipated. Nearly all the green enchilada recipes contained chicken in some integral way. So first I had to track down a green sauce, which I finally found in Bon Appétit. Then it was just a matter of stacking the tortillas, layering on some sauce, and sprinkling on a little cheese. You can melt the cheese in an oven, which will take 15 minutes or so, or you can do what I did and just zap it in the microwave for about a minute. That way you can have seconds in a flash.
Normally, I wouldn't excerpt a recipe that calls for a specific pan in an unusual shape or size. Nothing is more frustrating then getting all excited to bake, say, a spicy gingerbread, only to discover that it requires six mini kugelhopf pans. But this Red Pepper Cheesecake, excepted from Giada's Kitchen, sounded too good to pass up. You'll need a 4 1/2-inch springform pan. If you don't already have one, they are fairly cheap and available at any kitchen supply store. Plus, I promise you will use it again—mini springforms are great for times you want to halve a standard cake recipe.
While this cheesecake is topped with sweet apricot jam, it is actually a savory dish. It makes a great appetizer for cocktail parties when served with homemade pita chips topped with nothing more than a drizzle of olive oil and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.
In addition to excerpting a recipe from Giada's Kitchen each day this week, we're giving away five copies. Enter to win here.
Take advantage of late summer's bounty and prepare this Raw Zucchini Salad with Green Olives, Mint, and Pecorino, adapted from A16 Food + Wine by Nate Appleman and Shelley Lindgren. Plenty of good olive oil and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice add velvety and tart flavors sure to please even those who are wary of raw food.
Pair this verdant salad with a bottle of crisp, green-tinted Verdeca. The grape is extensively grown in southern Puglia and is one of the primary components of vermouth.
In addition to excerpting a recipe each day this week we're giving away five (5) copies of A16 Food + Wine. Enter to win here.
There is only one ingredient that can improve on the superb combination of beef and red wine: blue cheese. For these blue cheese sirloin burgers with red wine-onion jam, excerpted from Bobby Flay's Grill It!, Bobby recommends using Cabrales, a Spanish cheese usually made from pure cow's milk (sometimes it is blended with sheep and goat milk) and aged for months in limestone caves. If you’re local cheesemonger doesn’t carry Cabrales, Stilton, Maytag, or Roquefort would work well, too.
Don't skimp on the mustard—it's the crowning touch.
In addition to excerpting a recipe each day this week, we’re also giving away five (5) copies of Grill It! Enter to win here.
I currently hail from Astoria, NY, where it's impossible to take a step without hitting a Greek restaurant. It didn't take me long to find an affinity to the cuisine indigenous to my neighborhood, and after being a resident for six years and counting, there have been more than a few extraordinary discoveries.
But none get me quite as much as halloumi, a salty hard cheese made of goat and sheep's milk that comes to life when grilled or pan fried. After cooked, I usually enjoy this cheese with a dash of lemon juice or stuffed in a pita with tzatziki and all the toppings, but I heard that Cypriots particularly like halloumi with watermelon--and that idea had "perfect summer salad" written all over it.
There really isn't much to grilling halloumi, just slice and slap it on a hot grill until it blisters, then it's done. It's best while still warm, so I made sure to have the watermelon cut, tossed with chiffonades of fresh mint, before heading to the grill with the cheese.
One of the easiest dishes to prepare when you are dining alone is a big salad. Take out a mixing bowl, whisk up some dressing, and rummage through the fridge to see what ingredients inspire you. Since you're not sharing, there’s no need for a plate. Simply toss and enjoy!
Todays Cook the Book recipe, excerpted from Serves One, is for Warm Spinach, Orzo, and Pistachio Salad. The hot orzo wilts the fresh spinach ever so slightly, while the pistachios and red onion add crunch. Feta cheese is the perfect finishing touch. But don't feel like you have to follow this recipe exactly—it's perfect for playing around with. For a heartier dish cut back on the spinach and add more orzo, substitute pecans for the pistachios, or gorgonzola for the feta.
In addition to excerpting a recipe each day, we’re giving away five copies of Serves One. Enter to win here.
Going through the list of All-American grilling items for Fourth of July, I was coming up short with ground not already covered. Ribs, chicken, sausage, and, to a lesser extent, hamburgers have all had their day in the sun. So if it wasn't going to be something different, it was going to be something bigger, because that's the American way. I went to the butcher and let the patriot in me pick out the largest slab of beef, a 1 1/2" thick porterhouse, brought it home and grilled it up, then topped it off with a blue cheese butter (that's a red, white, and blue steak for those of you keeping track).
The thick porterhouse presented a grilling challenge to get it perfectly medium rare without charring the outside. To get this cut right I had to build a two zone fire, with a all the coals stacked up on one side of the charcoal grate, keeping the other side empty. This allowed me to sear the steak to perfection on each side, then move it over to cooler area of the grill to finish up without the worry of burning. A steak this beautiful did not need anything to make it better, but the blue cheese butter added a tang that complemented the beef without overpowering it, creating a pleasing layer of depth to the meal. At the end of this gluttonous feast I felt like a perfectly grilled, over sized piece beef is something we can all stand behind, making us proud to be and American, or at the very least, an extremely full American.
Manhattan's très chic West Village restaurant, The Waverly Inn, has a $55 version of macaroni and cheese on the menu made with shaved fresh truffles. Much has been blogged about the tremendous price, but everyone seems to be in agreement that the taste is fabulous.
If you don't live in New York, or if, like me, your budget is more Annie's than outrageous, why not try making a similar dish at home? Today's Cook the Book recipe, excerpted from Top Chef: The Cookbook, is for Truffle and Cognac Cream Macaroni and Cheese. To follow the recipe exactly you'll have to splurge on the Perigord black truffles, but you could also omit them—the cognac and sherry add a healthy dose of extravagance on their own.
This week we're giving away copies of Top Chef: The Cookbook. Click here for a chance to add it to your collection.
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