Faux-Pesto Pasta and Braised Carrots

Summer is officially here, and eventully you'll be able to see it in the recipes I post; but for now I find myself a little back-logged with a few amazing meals from the past month or so. That includes the pasta and carrots that are the star of today's post; I'm sneaking it in as a last farewell to Spring. Thanks to my weekly farm box, our fridge is always well-stocked with assorted veggies, but lately I'm having a hard time finding the motivation to go to the store for meat alone. On these veggie-heavy but meat-free nights I've found myself relying more and more on poached eggs - atop either a salad or pasta - to make it a real meal. This particular night the farm had provided me with some last-of-the-season kale, spring onions, green garlic, asparagus, and some gorgeous and deliciously sweet young carrots.



Did you know that so-called "baby" carrots sold in stores are actually just regular carrots that have been peeled, shaved into "baby" carrot shapes and then - usually - dipped in a chlorine solution to prevent them from turning white? Carrots naturally turn white after being peeled, and producers avoid this by using a chlorine solution; they claim it's safe, but personally I think it's simpler and safer to just eat REGULAR CARROTS, especially since most of the nutrients lie near the skin layer. Fake baby carrots began as a way to use carrots that were "too twisted and ugly" to sell in stores; this in itself is just crazy to me. What kind of society have we become where we won't accept a perfectly delicious but uniquely-shaped carrot? It's craziness, but it doesn't surprise me. Most people have distanced themselves so entirely from food production that they probably think of carrots as being generated in a factory, like jelly beans and potato chips. Thus we have sterilized cookie-cutter "baby carrots" that always look and taste the same; devoid of character, only blandly sweet, and likely bathed in chlorine. There. I've had my say; now back to the recipe!


so called "baby" carrots

These carrots were heavenly, before and after cooking, and quite a few fell victim to our bellies while still in the raw. I already had linguine, pine nuts, red wine and eggs on hand, so some sort of comforting, broken-down pesto pasta seemed likely; and braising as a means of cooking the carrots and kale seemed totally appropriate. The poached egg and broiled asparagus kept the dish feeling Spring-ish; all in all, this was one of my favorite pasta dishes I've ever made.



Braised Kale:

1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves chopped into thin 1/2 inch strips
2 large bulbs green garlic or 2-3 cloves regular garlic, finely chopped
2-3 TB's olive oil
3-4 TB's red wine
1/4 wedge of fresh lemon juice

Heat oil over medium heat; add garlic, cook 1 minute, add kale. Add red wine and lemon, season with salt and pepper, turn heat down to medium low and cook for 10-15 min, until softened and red wine cooked away.

Caramelized Onions:

6-8 spring onions (bulb only) or 1 red, yellow or white onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 TB's olive oil
2 TB's butter

Heat oil on medium-low, add butter. Once melted, add onions, continue to cook, stirring every few minutes, for 45 min to an hour. If onions start browning quickly, turn heat down. You can add more butter or oil at any point if too dry, to avoid burning. Onions should be soft, cooked down, and only slightly caramel-colored at the end.

Poached Eggs:

Fill a large pan with about 2-3 inches of water, bring to boil. Place individual eggs in individual small bowls or dishes. When everything else is ready, turn off the heat, slide the eggs gently into the hot - but no longer boiling - water, and let sit/poach for 3 min. Remove eggs with slotted spoon, place on top of pasta.



Faux-Pesto Pasta:

1/2 to 3/4 package of linguine, cooked according to package in salted water right before serving; do not overcook! Pasta should still have a slight bite to it (al-dente).
braised kale: see recipe above
caramelized onions: see recipe above
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in frying pan over medium heat (watch them closely or they'll burn!)
2 TB chopped fresh parsley
poached eggs (one for everyone!); see recipe above
freshly grated parmesan

Combine pasta, kale, caramelized onions, pine nuts, grated parmesan and parsley. Add a little olive oil if too dry, season with salt and pepper if necessary.




Braised Carrots:

1 bunch (10-12) young/small carrots (not "baby" carrots), peeled; if your carrots are longer than 6 in, cut in half
2 TB butter
2 TB olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 TB chopped fresh thyme

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat; add butter. Once butter is melted, add carrots, cook for 10 min, stirring occasionally. Turn head to medium-low, add red wine and more butter or oil if necessary; season with salt and pepper, add thyme. Cook for another 20-30 min, or until carrots are glazed and slightly softened; carrots should be easily bitten through without being mushy. You want them to still have some pep! Serve with pasta.

For the asparagus, follow this recipe. Serve on the side.


**Happy Cooking**

Mother's Day 2010

This year Mother's Day involved some firsts: shucking my first oysters, playing on my mom's Wii-Fit for the first time, and making my first dessert from the Momofuku cookbook. But for dinner I stuck to something I knew; my own version of Momofuku's Asian soup, which I've written about before. This soup is just so dang good, and I must say, it was even better this time 'round. For one thing, I used white (instead of red) miso, which was milder and mixed well with the smoky bacon. And I used shitake mushrooms, which added more of a punch than the oyster mushrooms I had used previously. But really the main difference was the chicken.



This time, instead of simply roasting the chicken I combined and truncated two recipes from the Momofuku cookbook; I used (more-or-less) the cooking techniques from their "Chicken and Egg" recipe, and the sauce (the "octo vin" I've highlighted in a previous post) from their recipe for fried chicken. The premise was this; cook chicken legs rather slowly at a low temperature in bacon fat (which gives a slightly smoky flavor) and octo vin sauce until succulent, chill for several hours, then crisp them up by browning deeply over fairly high heat. Basically you're making tender chicken confit and then giving it a darkly crisped skin afterward. The cool thing is you can make the chicken confit and chill it (in its fat!) in the refrigerator for as long as you want, allowing you to get the longest part of the cooking over with well in advance - hours or even days before you need it. Then, when you're ready, you can crisp the chicken up and serve, either in soup, by itself, or over rice like the "Chicken and Egg" recipe from the cookbook.



Chicken a la Momofuku
Adapted from Momofuku cookbook

4 whole chicken legs, thighs and or breasts, w/ skin (bone-in or boneless)
bacon grease (save in jar every time you cook bacon; that way it's not going to waste, plus it's an extremely good flavoring agent and it will last a long time. Or use olive oil, if absolutely necessary)
Octo Vinaigrette
water
1 cup salt
1 cup sugar

Combine the water, sugar and salt in container large enough to hold the chicken. Submerge the chicken in the brine, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, no more than 6.

Make Octo Vinaigrette.

Remove chicken, discard brine. Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Warm bacon fat in microwave or slowly on stove-top, until liquefied.

Pack chicken into oven-proof dish; pour bacon fat into pan until chicken more-or-less submerged and coated thoroughly. (You could also use olive oil, and then throw on a few strips of bacon to achieve the smokiness) Cook in oven for about 50 minutes, or until tender. Remove pan from oven, cool to room temperature, and chill - in the fat - for as long as needed.

When you're ready for the chicken, heat over the stove or in a low degree oven until the fat has just liquefied. Then heat a skillet over medium high heat; add the chicken, skin-side down, and brown deeply, anywhere from 4 to 8 min. You can also use a bacon press or other heavy device to press them, which aids the browning.

Either serve as is, or carve into large pieces, keeping the skin.

Enjoy!

But what would mother's day be without dessert? Particularly a dessert using something she loves - rhubarb - in a new and interesting way? This recipe is a new take on strawberry shortcake, from the Momofuku cookbook. The shortcakes are almost like cookies, and the sweet-salty balance is quirky and delicious. But my favorite part was their recipe for whipped cream, which uses sour cream and confectioner's (powdered) sugar, giving it a nice tangy-ness. The slightly salty cookies and and tangy whipped cream kept the dish from being too sweet; I could easily have eaten it for breakfast, on one of those indulgent-kind-of mornings.

The rhubarb recipe I used was from the blog Orangette; she roasts her rhubarb with white wine and vanilla bean. I didn't have vanilla bean, and I kind of guessed on the quantity of rhubarb; so I ended up needing to add a lot more sugar than I did initially. Rhubarb can be stubborn in it's sourness. I added honey too, to avoid over doing it on the granulated sugar. But once the rhubarb was just sweet enough and mixed with macerated strawberries, it was scrumptious.





Strawberry-Rhubarb Shortcakes
Adapted from Momofuku cookbook and Orangette

Shortcakes

1 large egg
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tb salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
12 tb unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup shortening, lard, or additional butter (I used butter)
1/2 cup of confectioner's (powdered) sugar

Crack the egg into large measuring bowl and whisk thoroughly; discard half the egg. Pour in enough cream to make the mixture come to 1/2 a cup. Stir briefly, chill.

Combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the butter, shortening, lard, etc., mix in until the batter is gravelly, with pea-sized lumps everywhere (no more than 4 minutes).

Pour the cream mixture in slowly, stirring constantly. Do this for as short as possible, until the liquid is barely absorbed; do not overmix. Let the dough rest 10 minutes.

Scoop the batter into balls of 2 tb or so (you should have about 8), line them up on baking sheet, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 min.


Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the confectioner's sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll each ball in sugar to coat lightly, place on baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 min. The cakes will spread, then rise, and they will have a slightly cracked looking surface. They should be nice and golden in color; overbaked is almost preferable to underbaked with these puppies. If their centers fall when you remove them, bake for another minute or so.

Fruit

Make roasted rhubarb from Orangette's recipe; add sugar or honey if necessary, but keep in mind you'll be adding sugar strawberries as well.



Make macerated strawberries: combine 4 cups hulled and washed strawberries with 1/4 cup sugar (I used a little less sugar and found it adequate).



Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
pinch of salt

Combine the cream, sour cream, sugar and salt in large bowl and whisk with electric mixer until medium peaks form. (Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for several hours)

Combine all components, preferably when shortbread is warm out of the oven.



Enjoy!

A Surplus of Eggs

I have a confession to make; until last Sunday, I had never made anything in the quiche/frittata family, at least not on my own. My eggs are normally scrambled, fried, or in an omelet, and I'm really good at making them those ways! I always thought quiches and frittatas sounded like a lot more work. Also, I've certainly consumed my share of dried out or rubbery baked egg dishes, so I haven't necessarily been longing to try my own.



But peering into my refrigerator this past Sunday, it became very apparent that I had a surplus of eggs. Two almost-full cartons, in fact, and there was no way we were getting through all of those by way of scrambled eggs and omelets. I also had various accoutrements that happened to sound very good with eggs; prosciutto, spring onions, green garlic, asparagus, lots of cheese, and even a little milk! After verifying that the standard method is "pour it in a pan and stick it in the oven," I set about preparing the various ingredients. I eyeballed the amounts, used ALL 23 eggs, and after 45 minutes in the oven it was puffed and golden and gorgeous. I still love all my usual egg preparations, but honestly the pride I felt pulling this out of the oven was so much greater...I felt bad-ass!

It held up beautifully as leftovers - good thing, since it took us 3 days to finish it - but I definitely recommend reheating in the oven/toaster oven versus the microwave, which can make it rubbery. My only negative observation was that all the good "stuff" in it rose to the top during cooking, so there was a layer of just egg at the very bottom. This wasn't a big deal, but makes me wonder about proportions...maybe more "stuff" and less egg next time!




Asparagus Frittata

23 eggs (this was a very large frittata; you may want to halve this recipe!)
1/4 cup 2% milk or cream
several cups fontina cheese, grated
1-2 cups prosciutto, sliced into thin strips
1 bunch asparagus, cut on a bias into 1 inch pieces
1-2 cups spring or white onions, chopped
1/2 cup green garlic, chopped
2-3 TB parsley, finely chopped
plenty of grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 365 degrees (you can do 350 if your frittata is smaller)

Boil large pot of water. Add asparagus, remove after 2 min. Should be just turning bright green and still rather crisp. Plunge into ice bath/cold water to stop the cooking process.

Heat 2 TB oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, cook 5 minutes until softened. Remove. Add prosciutto to pan, cook 5-10 min or until slightly crisp. Remove.



Beat eggs together, season with salt and pepper, add parsley. Add grated cheese, asparagus, onions, garlic and prosciutto.



Grease baking pan with butter. Pour egg mixture into pan, sprinkle with more parsley and grated parmesan cheese.



Bake for 30-45 minutes, depending on size and oven temperature. Frittata should be puffed and golden; middle should be set. Test with toothpick; it should come out clean.



I served mine with avocado and a simple salad of frisee lettuce, red wine vinegar and olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper. Yum!



~Happy Eating~

Two Parties & LOTS of Asparagus

Every few months or so we get to have dinner at my godfather's house in San Francisco. We are soooo lucky, not just because they are amazing people, but because my godfather's husband, Robert, is - among other things - an absolute genius in the kitchen (and has taught me much of what I know!) This month we were lucky enough to have two dinner parties in a row, one for Easter and the next for my godfather's birthday party the following weekend. Other than the amazing wine, friends, and food in general, the parties had two things in common: delicious pork... and friggin' HUGE asparagus. Easter was fairly low-key with about 10 people and a fabulous meal of roasted rack of pork, lasagna with gruyere cheese, and gigantic broiled asparagus, topped off by my mom's rhubarb & apple pie. Everything was delicious; in fact during dinner we couldn't seem to talk about anything but the food!

















The birthday party the following weekend had a guest list of closer to 50 people, and enough food to feed twice that number. And everything was gigantic. There was an enormous pile (I'm talking like 20 lbs) of jumbo prawns, a mountain of giant asparagus, and then the meat...the biggest pork loin I've ever seen rolled up with herbs and spices and encased completely in pork belly. It was a monster of a roast, intended for the spit on their super-sized non-gas grill. My boyfriend is the BBQ master at these events, and managed to get the thing skewered and rotating; but after the first hour the amount of grease that thing generated was just too much for it, and a nasty little grease fire followed. The roast -a bit charred on the outside but otherwise no worse for wear - had to be transferred to an oven; luckily they have two, because Beth and I were already using one to roast shrimp and asparagus in seemingly never-ending batches. Everything was divine, from the prawns - which tasted like lobster - to the intensely-juicy pork, right down to the gorgeous cakes (made by the very talented Jasmine Rae). But when all was said and done, I came away from both events with an extreme case of asparagus-fervor.













In case you didn't know, the tenderness of asparagus has nothing to do with its size and everything to do with how long ago it was plucked from the ground. In fact, the thicker the diameter the better the quality! There are probably a bunch of things you didn't know about asparagus; for instance, were you aware that there are only two vegetables - asparagus and rhubarb - that will produce for more than one season? No need to replant these guys every year, which is a good thing since it takes asparagus beds 3 years to actually start producing asparagus. During that time they develop strong, fibrous root systems; after that they can produce for up to 15 years, so I'd say it's definitely worth the wait! Asparagus spears shoot up out of the ground at a rather alarming rate; under ideal conditions they can grow 10 inches in a 24 hour period. Once they pop their heads out of the grown you have to keep a close watch on them and pick them before they go from this...



...to this...



...to this!



Yes, asparagus grows into tall, willowy, tree-like ferns with red berries, practically unrecognizable from the original spears. You wouldn't know it from most grocery stores in California, but asparagus also has a very short growing season. In most climates it's only available for a few short months in the spring. So if you buy asparagus in November and wonder why it's extremely tough and stringy, it probably had to travel a great distance to get to you; or it's simply been sitting around for a few weeks. The fresher the asparagus, the easier it is to chew.

One last tidbit before I move on to the actual cooking: asparagus comes in three different colors, green, purple and white. But the "white" asparagus is actually no different gene-wise from green asparagus. For white asparagus, mulch is piled high over the emerging spears so that they never see the light of day; without light, they cannot produce CO2, thus their whiteness. Now, on to more important matters...

You may have been taught to snap asparagus ends off; it's true that the spears have a spot where the tougher end will easily snap off. But for the big, beautiful specimens we had at both parties, it seemed extremely wasteful to snap off a third of the stalk. Instead, we shaved down the ends using a vegetable peeler. This helps the stalk to cook evenly and avoids any stringy toughness at the thick end, and at the same time lets you use the entire stalk! Keep in mind, asparagus does not need to be limp and squishy in order to be tender. Properly cooked, it should be just tender enough to bite through easily.

On Easter, we simply doused the asparagus in olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and lemon zest, and broiled it for 5-10 minutes. For the birthday party, we took it a bit further. We broiled them the same way, but then topped them with slow-poached eggs, a light vinaigrette, and a fancy yummy coarse caper salt (you could mimic this using regular poached eggs and a coarse sea salt). I'd say it was fairly fabulous.

Huge Broiled Asparagus with Slow-Poached Eggs

1 bunch (or more) large asparagus (green or purple or both), thick ends shaved and the very ends cut off
slow or regular poached eggs (5 eggs per bunch of asparagus)
simple balsamic vinaigrette dressing
coarse salt
several TB's of olive oil

Turn oven to broil.

Refer to this link to slow poach eggs. Or, simply poach eggs, using the freshest eggs possible.

Brush prepped asparagus with plenty of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil asparagus for 5-10 minutes, or until just fork tender and ever-so-slightly beginning to brown. Place asparagus in serving dish. Top with poached eggs, sprinkle liberally with vinaigrette, and top with coarse salt. Enjoy!

(Unfortunately I have zero photos of the finished asparagus, prawns or pork...we were just too busy at that point!)

Be Vewwy Vewwy Quiet...

I was browsing the mushroom selection at Far West Fungi a few weeks back when I saw them: morels! I've been waiting to cook them ever since I read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; she and her family go hunting for them on their farm in Virginia. Until now I had never cooked nor tasted them. I should have just left it at morels, to give them the focus they needed, to really showcase them for this first experience. But I got carried away when I saw the fiddlehead ferns - another item I had never tasted nor prepared - and I started envisioning a truly 'woodsy' dinner...I was thinking along the lines of game hen or quail or some other wildish fowl from my local butcher.



But alas, when I arrived at my butcher later that evening there was no wild fowl to be had. There WAS, however, an item I had never seen there before: rabbit! WHOLE rabbit - without the head, of course - set back behind the free-range chickens. I started wracking my brains for anything I knew about cooking rabbit...I'd only eaten it once, and couldn't recall what the experience was like. I'm a little squeamish about the idea of eating them, perhaps because I have owned several pet rabbits and the idea is just strange and a little wrong to me. But my butcher only sells meat and fish obtained from sustainable and humane - and mostly organic - sources, so I trusted that this rabbit had led a good life, however brief. I also have come to believe that as long as you have respect and on some level a relationship with the meat you are eating, you can feel okay...I mean, we are omnivores; the important thing is to not abuse in any way the right to eat other living beings. When I purchase organic meat from sources I can trust, I rest easier knowing that the animal was treated properly and is being appreciated fully even after death.

Plus, I mean C'MON, it seemed to fit perfectly with my "woodsy" theme, and my boyfriend - having lived in Scotland, where apparently "mangy" little rabbits run rampant like squirrels or gophers - was quite encouraging. I knew they aren't the easiest thing to cook, but I had the whole night ahead of me. I asked my butcher for some tips, and wound up opting out of having him butcher it for me. A little while later, there I stood with this bright pink skinless carcass-the-exact-size-of-my-adorable-cat in front of me on the butcher block, desperately wondering what I had got myself into since every recipe I found called for butchering the thing into pieces and A) I did not have a roasting pan big enough to cook it whole, B) I did not have enough TIME to cook it whole, and C) the knife I thought was quite sharp failed to slice through rabbit bone in ANY WAY like the one the guy in the youtube video used. And I was more than a little freaked out when my adorable cat sidled up to the butcher block, demonstrating just how uncannily the thing resembled her in size and shape, sans head and fur. But my mom and my boyfriend were looking on, so this needed to get done. I ended up cleaving the thing with an extremely dull but rather intense-looking machete-like knife. My 'audience' expressed amazement when I managed to hit the same exact spot twice in a row; it really wasn't too difficult, although I doubt my butchering skills would stand up to professional scrutiny!



Once butchered, I used a few online recipes for reference and arrived at my own strategy. It's very easy, and the results were outstanding, beyond what I could have hoped for considering my lack of skills, time and knowledge about this particular meat. I've always heard that rabbit can be tough, but apparently not THIS rabbit, when cooked in broth and white wine and cream. It tasted like supremely tender roast chicken with a hint of what I guess has to be called "gaminess," but which I prefer to call the wild.



The funny thing is, the morels that started this whole thing wound up engulfed by a huge mass of too much, too-dense, farro-flour-based pasta; after cooking the mushrooms beautifully in wine and cream and butter, they were almost nonexistent amongst all that starch. The sauce - cooked with morels and consisting of cream, white wine, and goat cheese added at the very end - was delicious, but only helped to overpower the mushrooms. I blame my lapse in judgment on that wascally wabbit. It stole the limelight, and thus my attention. Luckily the next day I turned the pasta into a rich baked dish with goat, parmesan and white cheddar cheeses, which completely saved it. Still, it was a shame to have abused such marvelous little fungi; next time I won't be so easily distracted.



Braised Rabbit

one rabbit, butchered into 6 pieces
several cups of chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
1/4-1/2 cup cream
2-3 shallots, chopped
2-3 TB olive oil
chopped parsley
black truffle salt (totally optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat.

Season rabbit pieces well with salt and pepper. Brown in hot pan for about 5 min a side, until deeply browned. Place in large, high-sided oven-proof dish.

In same pan, saute shallots 2 min (add butter or oil if too dry). Add wine, turn heat up to medium high, scraping up brown bits. Cook for 2-3 min more.

Pour wine/shallot mixture over rabbit, add broth and cream to dish until rabbit is 3/4 of the way submerged in liquid. Top with salt & pepper and some parsley, and sprinkle on a little truffle salt if desired.

Braise in oven for 1-1.5 hours, until deeply golden brown and tender enough to shred easily off the bone. Remove from liquid, let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Pour off liquid into hot saute pan, turn up heat relatively high and reduce, about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.



Serve rabbit with your choice of veggies and starch, top with a little of the sauce.




Don't be afraid to try this! It's not that difficult. Just take care that you purchase your rabbit from a responsible and humane source!


*Happy Eating*

Angela's 2nd Annual Spring Feast

You know how my past few posts have been focusing on Spring? Well, it's officially here. On Saturday David and I attended - for the second year in a row - a brunch/luncheon/feast at my friend Angela's house celebrating the first official day of Spring. The day was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and the doggies (Boston Terriers named Jasper and Kona) were especially cute!


Jasper


Kona

Angela made a scrumptious baked cauliflower gratin, her husband grilled some particularly flavorful and juicy tri-tip, and another friend brought yummy bruschetta.





My contributions included 1) lox-style smoked salmon with a soft cow's milk cheese called Le Roule on baguette slices, topped with green onions and parsley, 2) melt-in-your-mouth asparagus with goat cheese on baguette slices, topped with fried capers, 3) new potato salad with fresh peas, asparagus, and radishes, and 4) lemon pudding with lemon curd for dessert! I already included a link to the pudding recipe in a previous post, but I guess I'll just have to include it again because it is JUST SO GOOD. Beth helped me make a triple batch the night before the feast; tripling it meant longer 'whisking' time, but it was well worth it.



New Potato Salad with Fresh Peas, Asparagus and Radishes
Inspired by recipe from Epicurious.com

Vinaigrette:

1/8 cup Champagne vinegar
1/8 rice vinegar
1/2 small shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp honey
1 TB Dijon mustard
2/3 cup olive oil
1 TB fresh lemon juice
salt & pepper



Salad:

1 lb fingerling and/or baby red potatoes
3/4 lb English peas shelled and/or Sugar Snap peas, ends trimmed
1 - 2 bunches of asparagus, fat ends snapped off, chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
3-4 bulbs spring onions, chopped
3 TB chopped parsley
1 small jar capers, drained
plenty of parmigiano-reggiano, shaved or grated
salt and pepper

Cook potatoes in salted boiling water for 10-20 minutes depending on size. They should be just tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Set aside.



Cook peas for 2-3 minutes, or until just tender, in same boiling water. Remove from water, immediately put them in bowl of ice water. Drain and set aside.

Cook asparagus in same water, 3-4 minutes, until just tender. Remove and immediately put in bowl of ice water. Drain and set aside.



Fry capers in 1 TB oil over medium heat.

Toss potatoes with other veggies and the vinaigrette. If eating this dish right away, you can add the other ingredients to the potatoes while they're still warm, but if saving for a brunch, I would suggest cooling the potatoes completely before adding the other ingredients, otherwise the green veggies will continue to cook a little and everything will get a bit soggy!

Season to taste. Top with parmigiano-reggiano.

1/4 cup Champagne vinegar

1 small shallot, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tuna-Asparagus-and-New-Potato-Salad-with-Chive-Vinaigrette-and-Fried-Capers-352094#ixzz0jDNwCs6r

Lemon Pudding with Lemon Curd
From Epicurious.com

For Lemon Pudding

1 TB cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup half-and-half
2 TB fresh lemon juice
1 TB unsalted butter

For Lemon Curd

1/2 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
3 jumbo egg yolks
2 TB unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Make lemon pudding:

Whisk together cornstarch, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, then whisk in half-and-half until smooth. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in lemon juice and butter, then transfer pudding to a metal bowl. Set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir frequently until cold, about 10 minutes. Transfer pudding, covered, to refrigerator (reserve ice water).

Make lemon curd:

Whisk together zest, lemon juice, sugar, and yolks in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 4 minutes.

Force lemon curd through a fine-mesh sieve into another metal bowl, scraping bottom of sieve, then transfer to ice bath and stir frequently until cold. Cover surface of curd with wax paper and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serve pudding with a dollop of lemon curd on top (notice how it resembles an egg!). Soooo springy!


Jasper and Angela