Colorful cooking between Provence and New York.
You can scroll the shelf using ← and → keys
Salt crusted beets
March 1, 2013
— 14 Comments
I was talking to someone the other day about food blogs and building stories, and how many of our journeys, even if they take place all across the world, are strangely similar.
Same as you, I find familiar stories compelling and addictive – be it moving as a student to Paris, following your heart to Berlin, or trying to connect to your grandparents through their old recipe notes.
So many of my experiences of moving, living in different countries, growing up as a ‘third culture kid‘ shaped me and inspired my love of food.
But I think the major difference for me is that instead of cooking to recapture memories, I cooked to create new ones.
Still, there are times when I crave familiar flavors, and these beets are a modern take of something so very Russian that I grew up with – enjoy!
Tips: Use coarse sea salt if you can. If you like a smoky flavor, feel free to mix in some smoked salt as well, but keep it light.
Salt crusted beets
You’ll need:
- 4 red beets, trimmed and scrubbed, but unpeeled
- 1 cup coarse sea salt (or 3/4 cup regular sea salt + 1/4 smoked applewood sea salt)
- zest of 1 meyer lemon
- 1/3 t smoked paprika flakes
- about 1/4 cup olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare the salt mixture – it will serve as both a ‘rub’ and a casing for the beets.
On a foil-lined baking sheet, combine lemon zest, salt(s), and paprika flakes, and mix well with you hands to combine.
2. Place the beets on the baking sheet - right on the salt mixture – and drizzle with olive oil so they are glistening. Rub and pack salt mix around and on top of the beets.
3. Roast for about 2 hours until soft and tender. Break the salt casing, peel, and slice roughly.
Serve simply topped with good olive oil, a balsamic glaze, or a favorite yogurt dressing.
Roasted eggplant with tahini and meyer lemon dressing
February 25, 2013
— 20 Comments
Oh, Mondays. They still manage to sneak up on us after a fun-filled weekend {mine included a hot chocolate festival, a lovely dinner or two, and an avant garde production of Much Ado About Nothing}.
Ease into the week with this lovely meatless Monday meal – the roasted eggplant is perfectly soft and the tahini-lemon dressing recalls flavors of Mediterranean summers. What I wouldn’t give to be dipping my toes into the Med right now..!
Tips: A lot of you asked me about black garlic after the last post so, I thought I would elaborate briefly here. Despite its striking color, the garlic is fermented in a completely natural process, which takes about a month and lends it the unique sweet and vinegar-y flavor. More on the technique: here. The garlic is fairly soft, so mincing or mixing it into dressings is easy!
Roasted eggplant with tahini and meyer lemon dressing
You’ll need:
- 1 eggplant, trimmed and halved
- 1 T tahini
- juice of one meyer lemon
- 1/2 t meyer lemon zest
- 3 cloves black garlic, minced
- salt, pepper,
- olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 425F. With a sharp pairing knife, score the eggplant several times cross-wise. Lay eggplant halves on a large piece of aluminum foil, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place right on the rack in the oven and roast for about an hour, rotating halfway through.
2. In the meantime, make the dressing. Whisk together tahini, lemon zest, and lemon juice, then slowly add about a tablespoon of olive oil – maybe a little bit more depending on the thickness of your tahini – until you get a nice emulsion. Whisk in the garlic, taste, and season to taste.
3. Serve eggplant warm, with a spoonful of dressing right on top.
Butternut squash hummus
February 21, 2013
— 22 Comments
One of my recent favorite things has been pumpkin hummus – I think I have waxed poetic about my favorite version at Back Forty West here before – it is such a comforting dish, full of autumnal flavors.
I’ve been experimenting with my own version (while consuming a lot of the above pumpkin hummus at lunch, but no one needs to know exactly how much!) and here it is. I love it, and I hope you will too.
Tips: I used black garlic for its sweeter, milder flavor. If you can’t find it, just roast a couple of cloves of regular garlic. Roasting the butternut squash until it’s nice and brown really deepens the flavor.
Butternut squash hummus
(makes about 4 cups)
You’ll need:
- 1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped
- 1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup olive oil + more for roasting squash
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 2 cloves black garlic
- 1 t pink peppercorns
- 1/3 t cinnamon
- 1/3 t nutmeg
- 1/2 t za’tar
- salt, pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Sprinkle butternut squash with olive oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, za’tar, salt and pepper and spread evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes until lightly browned. Let cool.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Process until smooth, then add pink peppercorns, salt (to taste) and butternut squash and process to combine.
3. Serve topped with a bit of olive oil and chopped cilantro and accompanied by flatbread of homemade pita chips.
Roasted cauliflower with saffron yogurt
February 19, 2013
— 12 Comments
This dish is a perfect marriage of the flavors of comfort foods, such as cauliflower cheese, and the sunny brightness of saffron.
It makes me reminisce about dusky summer evenings and eating outside, with the steam rising gently from your plate while you wait for it to cool and sip a strawberry lemonade…
Tips: I like to roast the cauliflower whole. However, if you have purchased it in florets, that’s perfectly fine too, just make sure each one is well-seasoned before placing on the baking sheet. If you happen to not like cumin – as subtle as it is here – feel free to omit it and substitute more fenugreek or something entirely different instead – like a smoky sea salt and espelette pepper.
If you like this dish, I know you’ll also love: Roasted cauliflower with za’tar.
Roasted cauliflower with saffron yogurt
You’ll need:
- one small head cauliflower (I used a green variety, but any is great), trimmed
- 5 T nonfat Greek yogurt (I am partial to Oikos for both taste and texture)
- 1 t saffron threads
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 fenugreek
- olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place cauliflower in the middle of the baking sheet. Rub with plenty of olive oil, salt, cumin, and fenugreek.
2. Roast for about 30 minutes uncovered, then wrap in foil and roast for 30-35 more minutes.
3. In the meantime, make the yogurt dressing: in a small bowl, combine 2 T of hot water with saffron threads, let steep and cool slightly. Mix in yogurt and season with plenty of salt, to taste. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
4. Serve warm, with saffron yogurt on the side.
Homemade granola
February 17, 2013
— 17 Comments
I hosted a lovely brunch get-together yesterday, with a simple, delicious menu that included freshly baked granola.
Wholesome, full of crunchy and sweet and salty flavors, it’s positively addictive.
Tips: I served the granola with greek yogurt, laced with fresh lemon curd and honey, but it is equally delicious with some almond milk and fresh berries.
Hope everyone is having a beautiful, brisk weekend!
Homemade granola
You’ll need:
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 3 T sunflower seeds
- 3 T sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup dark maple syrup
- 1 T raw sugar
- 1/2 t fleur de sel
- 1/2 t nutmeg
- 1/2 cup salted almonds, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup red walnuts, roughly chopped
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. In a bowl, combine all of the above ingredients.Spread evenly on the baking sheet.
3. Bake the granola, ‘raking’ it with a fork every 10-15 minutes, for about 40 minutes until golden-brown.
4. Let cool as the granola crisps up.
Postcard from New York
February 15, 2013
— 2 Comments
Just a quick note to say that I was so happy to attend the inaugural Food, Education, and Policy conference at Teachers’ College at Columbia University yesterday.
There are so many challenges ahead of us, in terms of better nutrition, food justice, and ‘food deserts’ but it was invigorating to have policy-makers, educators, philanthropists, and activists come together with different communities to discuss practical strategies for long-term change.
And look at the beautiful, healthy breakfast we were served! : )
I live-blogged the event over on twitter, if you are interesting in joining in the conversation.
Cumin and orange glazed carrots
February 13, 2013
— 10 Comments
Let’s put some more sunny, bright vegetables on the dinner table on this chilly and overcast day {let me know if you are somewhere where it is neither cold nor overcast, so that we can all be envious!}.
This carrot dish is so transportive – the exotic, warming flavors of orange, cumin, and lime take you far, far away with every bite.
Tips: For ease and evenness of cooking, I like to use small or even “baby”carrots in this dish as a little cheat. If you do not have cara cara oranges – I was able to order some while waiting for my plane in Florida 
– you can use always use regular oranges, the juicier the better.
Cumin and orange glazed carrots
You’ll need:
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 T raw sugar
- 6-7 cara cara orange segments
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup cara cara orange juice
- 1 t ground cumin
- 1/2 t cumin seeds
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups baby carrots
- pinch of salt and pepper
1. Heat oil in a deep saucepan over modern heat, add cumin seeds and ground cumin and stir in. Cook, until fragrant, for a minute or two.
2. Add carrots, water, the orange and lime juice, sugar, orange segments, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover carrots with a round of parchment paper – as if you were poaching pears – reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Check on the carrots from time to time, stirring occasionally. The glaze should thicken, most of liquid evaporated, and the carrots should be just fork tender. Serve warm or cooled.
s&h is part of a new campaign!
February 11, 2013
— 6 Comments
Some exciting news to share – I have partnered with IBM to be part of their My Smarter Commerce campaign.
Throughout this spring, I’ll be paying a little more attention to the technology I use everyday to blog, cook, network, or collaborate. It’s such an essential part of our each and every day – can we really imagine not asking someone a quick ingredient question on twitter, or confirming dinner plans through a group text, or not posting pictures of delicious desserts on instagram? (I am, by the way, a complete instagram addict, I’ll be the first to admit).
I’ve always said that one of my favorite things about s&h is the interactive element – be it right here in comments on the blog itself, or on the fb page or twitter, I’m loving getting to know all of you more through your posts, pictures, and our conversations.
IBM will be aggregating all of the interactions and conversations surrounding #mysmartercommerce in the next few months, spreading them further across their own social channels, and, ultimately, using them to help inform brands and consumers.
I’m excited to be part of the IBM “Think Tank” and hope you’ll chime in with your thoughts, tweets, and opinions.
And when I’m not right here, you can always find me on Facebook and twitter!
#spon: I have been invited by IBM to share my honest thoughts and experiences around Smarter Commerce, and as part of this collaboration, IBM may provide me with product, access, content or other forms of remuneration. All opinions are expressly my own.
Roasted kumquat and apricot chutney
February 7, 2013
— 14 Comments
Your whole house will smell a little exotic, warm, and delicious while you are making this chutney.
Roasting the kumquats really brings out their deeper citrusy flavor.
Serve this chutney as a fresh accompaniment to a cheese plate or with lean meats and poultry.
Roasted kumquat and apricot chutney
You’ll need:
- 1 pint kumquats, sliced and de-seeded
- 1/4 cup dried apricots
- 2 slices meyer lemon + 3 T fresh lemon juice
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- 1 T sugar
- 1 T honey
- 1/2 t nutmeg
- 1/3 t red pepper flakes
- 1/3 t paprika
- pinch of salt
1. Roast kumquats first – preheat oven to 350F, layer sliced kumquats on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook until browned and fragrant.
2. In a deep saucepan, combine kumquats, dried apricots, lemon slices, lemon juice, vinegar, and the rest of the spices.
3. Cover and cook on low heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat, stir, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Let cool uncovered, then chill.
Postcard from San Francisco
February 5, 2013
— 11 Comments
I have been loving interesting flavored hummuses recently (particularly the pumpkin hummus at Back Forty West and a beet one I have been recipe testing), and this butternut squash hummus, topped with curried yogurt and cilantro puree, at Bar Tartine in San Francisco takes the prize.
Setting a very high brunch standard for 2013 with tons of delicious goodies this weekend. Still dreaming of the smoked potatoes with ramp mayo.
