Roasted Apricot,Pork Belly Buratta Panzanella
recipe and photo adapted from PowerHouse Productions
I thought it would be a smokey idea. Instead of standing over a hot flame in mid summers heat stirring your tomatoes every 10 minutes, why not go to the grill instead? Summer equals grilling and light fair. The last thing you want to eat in hot weather is something super rich and heavy. But! There’s still a way to make so much use of those tomatoes that grow wildly all summer long. If you like those little bits of charred tomato skin sprinkled throughout your food then I think this is the right fit for you! Charring the tomatoes give it edge and allows you to kind of think outside of the box. Lemon zest and cojita cheese sprinkled over the pasta offer that kind of punch that a tomato sauce variation needs! Check out this recipe below!
Gather The Goods
1 Loaf Ciabotta Bread, cubed into 1 inch pieces
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Salt to taste
3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup white wine vinegar
5 apricots, halved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup maple syrup (optional)
1/4 pound pork belly, small dice
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup basil, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced into a paste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 medium sized Buratta, quartered
baby basil leaves for garnish
Make It
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl toss together the bread, garlic and onion powder, salt, and olive oil. Make sure you taste the bread before baking to make sure it has the perfect flavor! Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until lightly golden brown.
In a small sauce pan reduce the white wine vinegar by half. This will help concentrate the flavor which results in a sweeter dressing!
Turn a saute pan or cast iron skillet to medium high heat and start to melt butter. Once it starts to sizzle add the apricots face down and sear until caramelized and soft. Transfer the apricots to a food processor and puree along with the maple syrup. Add a pinch of salt to enhance the sweet and tangy flavors. Whisk the apricot into the white wine vinegar and set aside.
In the same pan as the apricots, render the pork belly over low heat until golden and crispy. With a slotted spoon remove the bacon from the fat and set aside, reserving the bacon fat for the dressing.
Mix the basil, garlic, and paprika together in a bowl and add the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Toss the tomatoes into the mixture and set aside.
Toss the bread cubes into the apricot vinaigrette. Pour the pork fat over top and taste for seasonings adding more or less of each however desired.
Assemble the salad with the bread, tomatoes, buratta, and pork belly. There is no method to this madness, just make it beautiful and presentable!
Season the buratta with a pinch of kosher or maldon salt and drizzle with pork fat. Serve happily with a few basil leaves for garnish!
***The “croutons” or bread cubes should not be too crunchy, but if you over bake them let them soak in the dressing a little bit longer before serving!
Pink Peppercorn Pasta
This pasta is simple, it’s amazing and it’s feminine- which I love! It’s my take on cacio e pepe but with different cheese, different “peppercorns” (that are actually dried berries), and seasoned pasta water! I would love for you to get in on this one because it’s fabulously delicious. I made this for Mother’s Day since my mom loves cacio e pepe and she loves all things pink. It felt like the right thing to do! I used Benedetto Cavalieri’s Spaghettoni pasta which is fairly traditional for this Roman-style dish. The game changer was the Sicilian Incanestrato cheese which is hard, aged cheese like parmesan or pecorino, but a whole lot better!!! Is that possible and did I actually admit to this? YES.
I discovered this cheese at a small Italian market on the upper east side but I can’t imagine it’s not sold elsewhere?! And the pink peppercorn berries took a little hunting but I am in love now! The seasoned pasta water adds another level of flavor. Other than salting your water to taste the equivalent of the black sea I think cooking pasta in brothy water with the addition of aromatics accentuates the flavor so much more.
Gather The Goods
10 garlic cloves, smashed
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
Salt to taste
1 pound Benedetto Cavalieri Spaghettoni Pasta
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons pink peppercorns, coarsely ground
3 cups Sicilian Incanestrato cheese
1 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
Make it
1. In a a large sauce pot add 1.5- 2 gallons of water, salt to taste (should taste like the ocean), garlic, and onions. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer and cook for about a half hour. With a slotted spoon remove the aromatics and bring the mixture back to a boil.
2. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (very al dente)! The pasta should hold it’s shape quite well and have a really nice bite! Reserve 1-2 cups of starchy pasta water before draining.
3. In a large saute pan, melt the butter and once it begins to sizzle add the peppercorns to toast slightly. Add in the pasta water and half of the cheese and whisk until combined and the cheese has melted.
4. Add the pasta and toss gently folding in more cheese. Cook on very low heat until the pasta has a glossy cheesy coating of sauce. Add more pasta water if necessary.
5. Swirl the Pink Peppercorn Pasta into a deep bowl or onto a large plate and sprinkle with peppercorns and more cheese!
Creamy Tubettini
Tubettini Rigate: I grew up eating bowls of ancini di pepe or tubettini in soup with lots of cheese and chicken broth. Because tubettini are so tiny, like a grain of rice, I thought why not make it as if you are cooking risotto? It’s so dreamy and creamy with the mascarpone cheese and crumbled pecorino Romano. I drizzled egg yolk on top instead of olive oil, but please add both if you like the extra richness!
Yield: 4 servings
Total Time: 30 minutes
Gather the Goods
olive oil
2 cups dried Benedetto Cavalieri Tubettini Rigate Pasta
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/2 cups chicken stock
Salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon brine from pepperdew peppers
1 cup mascarpone
1 cup pecorino Romano, grated plus more for the top
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
2 egg yolks
Make It
In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, sweat the garlic in olive oil until aromatic.
Add the pasta and stir for about one minute. The pasta should start to smell toasty!
Start by pouring in the chicken stock, one cup at a time just as you would when making risotto. Season with salt.This will help cook the pasta slowly, but also continue to pull the starch out at the same time.
The stock should bubble gently and the pasta may begin to stick, so continue to stir. This will continue for about 15-20 minutes until the pasta is al dente and the pasta is super creamy.
(Taste as you go!! Even if this means tasting the pasta raw, you must taste)
Pour in the secret ingredient- Sweet vinegar from the picked peppadew. It helps cut the richness of the starch, but also adds a hint of acidic sweetness.
Remove pan from heat and fold in the mascarpone and the pecorino Romano.
Mix half of the egg yolks with parsley and leave the other half plain. Drizzle each egg yolk (with the parsley and without) around the top of the pasta.
I love the way the green and yellow swirl together on the top of the pasta. PLUS the egg yolk is super rich and a great alternative from olive oil or butter. But, heck! Add that too if you like.
Absolutely, eat this right away, because the pasta will begin to absorb the liquid and it won’t be as creamy!!!
Coconutty Tumeric Spagetti
Gather The Goods
1 pound spaghetti- preferably Di Cecco
kosher or sea salt to taste
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons turmeric
1- 13.5 ounce can organic coconut milk
1 cup mini broccoli florets
1/2 cup parsley, torn
Parmesan Reggiano for shaving
Make It
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (salt to your preference). Add the spaghetti and stir. Cook until al dente- there should be some bite to it! Drain and reserve about 1/2 cup of liquid.
In a separate pan melt the butter and add in turmeric. Toast the turmeric until it becomes a slight nutty yellow, then pour in the coconut milk, pasta water and stir.
Toss the spaghetti and the mini broccoli florets into the coconut milk and turmeric mixture.
Serve the pasta with parsley and shaved Parmesan Reggiano.
Why so?- The water from cooking the pasta has lots of starch so it helps create a thick, velvety sauce!
Blood Orange Soaked Cornbread
As an after school snack in grade school, my grandmother used to bring over corn muffin tops for her and I to snack on. She loves them! We would toast and smear with butter. So so delicious, even right from the local grocers bakery. So while I believe that we should treat ourselves to something different and calorie filled every so often, it was in my best interest to make fried chicken and test out a new cornbread recipe this weekend. Cornbread could either be really tasty or quite dry and boring, and I have had it both ways.
So here is my proposition. Savory cornbread is best for a dinner of greasy, buttery, tender and juicy fried chicken. You can sop up the leftover juices on your plate with cornbread! In my opinion cornbread is at its best the day of too. After a day it gets super cold and firm unless you toast it, but then you run risk of drying it out. I do believe that day old cornbread is the perfect model for some simple syrup action! Turn a savory carb into a sweeter treat.
A fried chicken side turns itself into an after dinner tea cake.
GATHER THE GOODS
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup walnut milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups medium- grind cornmeal
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
SYRUPED & GLAZED
2 cups filtered water
1 cup sugar such as coconut
2 teaspoons Harney and Sons Blood Orange Tea
MAKE IT
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a small pot, and let cool.
In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, buttermilk, walnut milk, and slowly stream in the butter.
In a another medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
With a wooden spoon or spatula, make a well in the center of the dry ingredient mix and stream in the liquid, mixing simultaneously. Do not over- mix.
Take the cast iron pan out of the oven, brush it one tablespoon of butter and pour in the batter.
Bake the cornbread for about 20-25 minutes or until firm to touch. Remove from the cornbread from the oven, and let cool completely.
MAKE THE SIMPLE SYRUP. In a small sauce pot bring filtered water up to 212 degrees. Add in the tea leaves and steep for about 3 to 4 minutes off heat. Remove the tea leaves, set aside a 1/4 cup of tea, and add sugar into the rest to dissolve.
Brush the simple syrup onto the cornbread. The cornbread should be fairly porous, so the syrup will run through.
MAKE THE GLAZE. In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and no more than 2 tablespoons of the tea. The consistency should coat the back of the spoon creating slow drips.
Cut the cornbread into desired shapes and glaze. Eat with a delicious cup of Blood Orange Tea!
It’s citrus season baby! And I love my citrus. So. I have turned my day old cornbread into a sweet blood orange soaked cake. And! I glazed it with a mixture of powdered sugar and Harney and Sons Blood Orange tea. I garnished it with a beautiful spiral of orange peel that I coated in sugar and fried in olive oil!
I always look forward to my next meal- gratefully so- and I think this is a nice treat to pack for lunch during the work day. A sweet pick me up, and hopefully it doesn’t knock you out ;)
Berry Young Tea Granita
Gather The Goods
1 Cup water
2 T loose tea leaves
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
Make It
1. Steep the tea in hot water until a bright fuchsia color develops. Let cool
2. Add all ingredients to a blender, including the tea leaves and blend until smooth.
3. Strain the liquid and pour into a metal pan. Place in the freezer for about 45 minutes to an hour.
4. Scrape and put the mixture back in the freezer for another hour. It should be completely frozen and slushy after two hours.
Grapefruit Crush
Yield: 2
Gather The Goods
1 C Fresh Squeezed grapefruit or grapefruit juice
2 T Lime Simple Syrup
0.5 oz Rum
8 Mint leaves
Crushed Ice
----------------
Lime Simple Syrup
1 c sugar
1 cup lime juice
Rinds of squeezed limes
Make it
1. Make the simple syrup and let cool.
2. Use a small brush to paint on the simple syrup before dipping in the sugar. Note: you can create the same design I did or you can simply dip the rim for a classic look.
3. Pour in the grapefruit, simple syrup, and rum.
4. Muddle the mint until it forms into a paste. Use a spoon to add it into the drink and stir.
Japanese Horchata
Gather the Goods
2 cups water
2 tablespoons Genmaicha loose leaf tea
1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons sushi rice
3/4 cup coconut milk
2- 3 tablespoons honey
Make it
1. Bring water to 190 degrees and add the loose Genmaicha tea leaves. Let steep for 1-3 minutes. Let tea cool down before adding rice.
2. When tea has cooled, add raw sushi rice and blend in blender until course. Let sit for 2 - 3 hours and strain liquid through sieve leaving rice bits behind.
3. While liquid is sitting, fry 2 tablespoons of sushi rice in hot oil until they pop into mini kernels. Transfer to paper towel to soak up any leftover oil. Set aside.
4. After a few hours, blend honey and coconut milk into tea liquid until smooth and frothy.
5. Add ice cube and kernels to the Genmaicha Horchata and drink through a straw in a sassy tall glass.
MAKE AHEAD
Make Genmaicha tea ice cubes to add to horchata so they don't dilute the drink! Make tea as you would above and pour hot into prepared ice trays. You can purchase cube rubber ice trays at any home goods store.
Meyer Lemon and bubbly Lime Margarita
gather the goods
For Rim:
Honey
sugar
Simple Syrup:
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C water
Yield: 2
2 oz. Tequila
1/4 C Meyer Lemon, fresh squeezed
1/4 C Lime, fresh squeezed
2 T simple syrup
splash of seltzer
make it
1. Coat a margarita glass rim with honey and dip in sugar.
2. In a Boston shaker add ice, tequila, lemon, lime, and syrup. Strain the liquid from the ice and pour into glass. Add a splash of seltzer.
3. Serve straight up with a lime slice!
A Spiced Chicken Feast with Baba Ghanoush
Grilled Cumin Chicken
4 chicken breast, pounded thin
1 tablespoon cumin
salt and pepper
1/8 cup feta cheese
lemon to squeeze (optional)
1. Coat chicken breast in cumin and grill until cooked through.
2. Sprinkle with feta and squeeze with lemon juice if desired.
Sweet Potato Mash
1 pound sweet potato, sliced 1 inch thick
nutmeg (to your liking)
cinnamon (to your liking)
1/4 C red wine (Port or other cooking wine)
sour cream
1. Roast seasoned slices at 400 degrees with skin on.
2. Mash with fork, folding skin into the mixture and place in saute pan. Once pan is hot add red wine and stir to infuse.
3. After the wine has evaporated, remove and swirl
sour cream into the potato.
Baba Ghanoush
2 eggplant, cut in half
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon lemon juice
oil to bind (olive/ veg)
salt
1. Season eggplant and roast at 400 degrees flesh side down until golden and soft.
2. Cool, scoop out the filling, and puree with other ingredients until smooth.
Raw Pickled Onions
1 red onion, slice to 1/4 inch
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1. cut onions and toss with liquid.
2. Let rest for half hour and use right away or save for later! The longer it sits the better the flavor will be.
Olive Oil Roasted Peppers
4 orange and yellow bell peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
2 sprigs thyme
salt to tast
1. Roast peppers on grill or over an open flame until the skin burns and blisters.
2. Remove, place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam skin.
3. Peel peppers, julienne, and toss in oil and thyme.
Pan Roasted Chickpeas
1 can chickpeas
1 teaspoon cumin
1 sprig rosemary, chopped fine
salt to taste
1. Drain chickpeas and add olive oil to hot saute pan and roast with cumin until golden and dry. You'll notice the dryness when a few start to crack.
My Godmother's Sponge Cake
Yield: 2- 9inch round cakes
Total Time: 1.5 hours
gather the goods
2 1/4 C all purpose flour
1 1/2 C Sugar
1/2 C Vegetable Oil
3/4 C Orange Juice ***
9 Eggs separated
1/4 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Lemon Extract (optional)
make it
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate the egg yolks from the whites and beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until soft- to medium peaks form and set aside.
2. Sift all the dry ingredients together and with the mixer running on medium slowly stream in the oil and orange juice until a smooth consistency is reached. Add the egg yolks one at a time until fully incorporated.
3. Add the extracts, mix, and turn off the mixer. Fold in the egg whites (starting from the middle center, out and repeat) in three additions being careful not to deflate the eggs. You want to make sure that there are no whites showing in the batter!
4. Although some bakers tap their cakes before baking, do not do this! You want as many air bubbles as possible for that spongy texture! Bake the cake on the bottom shelf of the oven until lightly golden and springy, about 1 hour.
6. Immediately Invert the cake to prevent deflation and cool before icing!
If you want to fill and assemble the cake as I did, see link below for Bon Appetite's...
Sfogliatella Ricci
gather the goods
Yield: 15-20 mini sfogliatella
Total Time: 12+ hours
500g Manitoba flour
200g water
20g honey
10g salt
150g pork fat
1. Melt honey with water.
2. Melt salt with other half of water.
3. Mix in the mixer with a dough hook for at least 10 minutes at low speed.
4. Make a ball and grease with lard. Wrap in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.
***best result is to let rest for 12 hours.
5. Roll dough through a pasta machine or sheeter.
6. Continue rolling the dough until very thin an long. Should almost be see through and fragile.
7. Once it gets too long to hold, roll onto a rolling pin. Do not place the rolling pin on the table as it will seal the layers together.
***best is to use a rolling pin with a rolling body.
8. Hold the rolling pin with dough between on two stands.
9. Brush melted pork fat on the first layer and start rolling up the end. Pull, stretch, and tug under the dough as you roll.
10. Pull, stretch, and tug under the dough as you roll.
11. Make a log 25 cm long and 6 cm wide.
Make it
150 gr semolino (semola)
400 ml milk
15 gr butter
pinch of salt
250 gr sugar
1 orange, zested
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
millefiori water; few drops
1 egg
100 gr small brunoise of candied orange and citrus
1. Boil milk, butter, and salt. Add semolino in a slow stream. Cool down and put in the mixer.
2. Add egg and mix. Then add all ingredients to combine. Let cool.
3. Cut the dough into 1 cm thick slices, flatten by hand and cool down again.
4. Make the shape of a bell and fill each one with the semolina filling.
5. Place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in pre- heated oven for about 7 minutes at 200 C. Then rotate pastry and lower the oven temp and continue baking at 170 C for about 15 minutes. Should be golden brown on the bottom and top.
Recipe adapted from Chef Odette Fada
Raviolo di Uovo
Make it
300 gr “00” flour
3 eggs
Pinch of salt
FILLING
½ cup sautéed spinach ( sauté spinach in butter with minced shallots)
½ cup ricotta
3 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
5 large eggs - seperated
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
White pepper, freshly ground
Pinch of salt
2 ounces white truffle
3 ½ oz butter
Gather the Goods
1. Prepare the pasta dough on the table mixing the white flour with the eggs and salt. Roll very thin and cut 8 circles at 4” diameter.
2. Finely chop the spinach. In a bowl mix thoroughly the spinach with the ricotta, half of the Parmigiana and egg. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
3. Place 4 circles of the pasta dough on a sheet of waxed paper. Pipe equal portions of the ricotta-spinach mixture into rings, being sure to create a large hole for the egg yolk.
4. Separate the yolks from the whites of the remaining 4 eggs. Carefully place 1 egg yolk and ½ of its white in the indentation. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Brush the edges of the pasta circles with a little cold water, cover with the remaining 4 circles of pasta and press together to seal, eliminating as much air as possible from the inside.
6. Bring a pot of water to the boil, add 2 tbs. coarse sea salt and carefully ease the ravioli into the water. Cook for 2 minutes.
7. While the raviolo are cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan over high heat and cook just until the butter takes on a light brown color.
8. Drain the ravioli and place them on 4 individual heated plates. Sprinkle with shaved white truffles and the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano then pour the browned butter over the raviolo.
Recipe adapted from Chef Odette Fada
Mákos Téska
When I met Sarah Copeland's family, I found out her husband Andras was from Hungary. There were a few things I got to try while working with Sarah this fall, that were Hungarian. But, one of those things was not Lasagne ai Semi di Papavero (Italian) or Mákos Tészta (Hungarian) which both translate to Papparadelle with poppy seeds. I remember Sarah telling me about this pasta that Andras grew up eating with sugar, poppy seeds, and cheese and I nearly curled up in a ball. I said something along the lines of "that hurts my Italian heart," because honestly pasta, sugar, and cheese?! It's almost offensive to me. And well, to my greatest surprise the Italians are known for eating it too, but only in Friuli Venezia Giulia. I was so excited to make this and try it too (although I really had my doubts). It's something you must try, at least once. And if I thought I never would ever do it, then you must try Papparadelle with Poppy Seeds and Sugar.
Yield: 6 portions
gather the goods
00 flour 500 gr
5 eggs
butter 100 gr + more if needed
sugar 20 gr
poppy seeds 20 gr + more if needed
salt
make it
1. Make a pasta dough with flour, eggs and salt. Knead until smooth and elastic then wrap in plastic and let it rest 30 minutes.
2.Roll out the pasta 1 mm thick and cut larger and shorter than pappardelle. About 2 inches wide and 6 inches long.
3. Let the pasta dry on a flour dusted wooden board .
6. Crush the poppy seeds and mix them with sugar.
7. Melt butter in a pan until it becomes golden brown. Remove from fire and add the poppy seeds.
8. Bring water to boil, add salt, and cook the pasta to al dente. Mix pasta into the butter and poppy seed mixture .***This dish is good with a sprinkle of cheese like Grana Padano or percorino.
*Recipe adapted from Chef Odette Fada
So Simple Ravioli
So it's not uncommon for me to have a hankering for pasta in some sort of way. In this instance, I decided to go the extra mile and make homemade ravioli. It is not often that I do it at home, but when I do... there are no regrets! This is a simple, yet tasteful filling, because as my mother always says "keep it simple" to really savor the quality of a product. Recipe to follow.
gather the goods
*** Rule of thumb for pasta dough: 1 egg to 1 cup flour. Double the recipe as needed. This ratio makes about 1# of dough.
1 egg
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 T Kosher Salt
1 T EVOO
In a mixer with a dough hook attachment add flour and turn on low.
As the mixer works the flour, add the egg, salt, and EVOO.
If the mix is too dry add enough cold water to bring together. This should not be too sticky, however. ***Pasta dough should always be crumbly and dry before the intense kneading begins! It should also appear tough, so as it rests the gluten softens.
Knead the dough for about ten minutes until the texture appears soft.
Let dough rest no less than 25 to 30 minutes before using.
FILLING
2 cups Ricotta
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 Cup Parmesan Reggiano
Kosher Salt and Cracked Black Pepper to Taste
Mix ingredients together and put into a piping bag.
make it
Egg wash: 1 egg mixed with 1 tsp water
1.When dough and filling are made, begin to portion pieces of the pasta dough. Keep covered with plastic wrap.
2. With a hand roller or Kitchen Aid Attachment, roll pasta dough out in increments of 2. My roller starts on 1 and goes up to 8. I rolled my dough to a thinness of 8.
3. You can pipe filling onto sheets and fold over or you can use a ravioli mold. Make sure you brush egg wash onto all edges and corners.
4. Freeze until ready to use.
Juniper Sunset
make it
1.5 oz. Tanqueray Gin
½ oz. Aperol
2 fl oz Blood orange
4 fl oz tonic water
¾ oz Rhubarb simple syrup
1 stalk rhubarb
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
Rhubarb sugar to coat rim
1 stalk rhubarb from syrup
1-2 T sugar
gather the goods
Measure equal parts sugar and water and place into a pot.
Peel the rhubarb and slice paper thin. Place both the skin and rhubarb into the pot. Let the mixture come to a boil until the sugar has dissolved; strain and cool syrup.
After removing rhubarb from the pot let dry in a dehydrator or 200-degree oven. Grind in spice grinder with sugar.
Dip the rocks glass into the rhubarb sugar so there is enough to coat the rim.
Pour gin, aperol, simple syrup, and orange juice into Boston shaker with ice, and shake until emulsified. Pour mixture into rocks glass leaving ice behind.
Add the tonic water and stir.