Homemade Caesar Salad!

I love a good Caesar salad! Unfortunately, I find that good Caesar salads can be difficult to find–the vast majority of them at restaurants are bland, limp, lifeless and fall quite flat. There are a few exceptions to this rule–I find that Bistro Romano in Philadelphia makes an excellent one, and (naturally) there are a few good ones in New York. But sometimes, I just want a reliably delicious salad, so I turn to this recipe.

It's worth noting that I love salad, but hate making it. Most of the time I find it tedious and boring to make. This is not one of those salads–it's actually quite fun to make, and you can enlist your friends to help you dry and chop the romaine. I also enjoy the process of making the croutons for the salad, which, again is easy. If you don't want the bread or are gluten intolerant, I find that substituting tomatoes for croutons works beautifully (sometimes I do this anyway, or have tomatoes AND croutons...)

While a staple on Italian menus, Caesar salad was actually born in Tijuana, Mexico! Caesar Cardini, an Italian restaurateur with a flair for the dramatic, whisked these ingredients (he was out of a lot of things) table side and it caught on. Now Caesar salad is featured on menus coast to coast.

A few notes on my preparation of this classic: I really like a Caesar salad with a kick, and I like to use a full teaspoon of hot Dijon mustard. If you're not in the market for so much heat, then cut it back to a 1/2 teaspoon. Traditionally, a wooden bowl is used to mix the ingredients. I do not have a wooden bowl, so I use a stainless steel one. It still comes out perfectly.

Ingredients:
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of anchovy paste (or 2 anchovy fillets– use the paste)
1 teaspoon of smooth Dijon mustard (the fierier the better)
1 egg yoke (or 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise if you find the thought of an egg yoke abhorrent)
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of Parmesan cheese (I like Parmigiano–Reggiano or Grana Padano)
1 teaspoon of black pepper

Method:
1. In your bowl, muddle (or crush with a fork) the garlic and salt together–crush the garlic into tiny pieces. The salt will help break down the garlic a bit.

2. Add the anchovy paste and Dijon mustard, and incorporate into the garlic mixture.

3. Add the egg yoke and mix thoroughly.

4. Switch implements–grab a whisk! Whisk in the 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice, then drizzle in the olive oil while whisking.

5. Add 1/2 cup of of cheese to the bowl and whisk in it.

6. Add the black pepper.

7. Toss with croutons (recipe below) or chopped tomatoes and enjoy!

Croutons

Perhaps unsurprisingly, croutons are very easy to make–there's really no need to by those lumps of reincarnated stale bread in a bag. A sourdough boule is delicious, but I've use lots of varieties. I've even used a baguette once when I didn't have anything else, and the croutons were delicious.

Ingredients:
Bread
1 1/2 tablespoons of Olive oil (maybe a bit of butter)
Garlic powder
salt
pepper

Method:

1. Cut the bread into cubes–you can remove the crust or not–I never do (I think it has more personality)

2. Heat the oil and (if using) butter in a pan

3. Add the bread to the pan, toss garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. When the croutons are golden brown, serve!

Alternate Method:

Preheat the oven to 350, put the croutons on a half sheet pan, toss with seasoning and bake for 15 minutes or so, or until brown.

Ready to eat!

Roasted Vegetables with Basil and Balsamic

Everyone agrees that vegetables are good for you. Not everyone agrees that vegetables are delicious and flavorful. This is one of those recipes that can help dispell the myth that veggies can't be a showstopper.

I imagine this dish to be somewhere between a main dish and a salad-I like to use a lot of basil leaves for this. If your basil is too bitter, just cut the number back or use a different variety of basil.

The elements are simple-zucchini, yellow squash, and a red onion, but when assembled, they make a wonderful feast for the eyes and the tastebuds. Please just use this recipe as a blueprint, and feel free to change it to suit your larder or taste.

Ingredients

3 Zucchini

2 Yellow squash

1 red onion

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup Olive oil

1 cup of basil leaves

Good quality balsamic vinegar (or balsamic glaze)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees farenheit

2. Slice the zucchini and yellow squash into big (but still hearty) chunks-I cut the squash in half lengthwise and slice into 8ths.

3. Cut the onion in half, and cut each section into 8ths or simply slice. It is important not to dice the onion, as it will burn in the oven. 

4. Toss the veggies in the olive oil and tumble them onto a half sheet pan. Generously salt (2 teaspoons) and pepper (1 tablespoon) the vegetables.

5. Roast the vegetables for 45 minutes. If the squash express lots of water and won't brown, you can simply broil the vegetables for the last few minutes.

6. Tear half the basil leaves into a serving bowl. Add the veggies on top (and enjoy the wonderful scent of the hot veggies hitting the basil) and top with the remaining leaves. Drizzle the bowl with the balsamic.

7. Enjoy!

Penne alla vodka

I remember one of the first times I had penne alla vodka-it was shortly after I moved to New York to attend Manhattan School of Music. It was in a wonderful Italian restaurant uptown (now sadly closed) and was served with sausage. It was a cold winter night, and the fiery, sumptuous sauce really hit the spot.

The best news is that vodka sauce, while being a bit time consuming, is pretty easy to make! There are a lot of different versions, but this is one that works for me-I hope you, dear reader, will try it too-it's almost always a hit when I serve it, and I hope it will be for you too.

For this recipe, you need a saute pan that can go in the oven, and a blender.

Ingredients
1 pound of penne cooked in salted water.
1/3 cup of olive oil
2 medium yellow onions
5 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1 1/4 cups of vodka
2 28 oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes, juice drained
1/4 cup cream (optional)
1/4 cup Pasta cooking water
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Peel the onions and slice them in half, then roughly slice them. There is no need to dice them, since you will blend the sauce later-enjoy the low maintenance use of the onion here.
3. Heat the olive oil in the pan and saute the onion over a medium heat-cook gently and fairly slowly here, for about 5 minutes or so.
4. Turn the heat to mediu high and add the (again, roughly chopped) garlic, oregano and red pepper-the heat from the oil helps the flavors in the oregano bloom, and makes the red pepper boom.
5. Add the vodka, which will sizzle! Cook for two minutes or until it reduces a bit.
6. Mash the tomatoes by hand as you add them to the pan. Stir the sauce and then toss into the oven.
7. Cook the sauce in the oven for an hour. When you remove the sauce, blend it in the blender in a few batches.
8. Add the cream and some of the starchy water. The amounts are flexible-I want you to have the consistancy of sauce that you like-if it seems thick, then add some more water or cream.
9. Toss with cooked al dente penne noodles and garnish with parmesan cheese.

I've served the dish here in a very American way, all on one platter-sausage on the left, lightly sauteed broccoli rabe on the right.

Pizza with Zucchini Crust (Gluten free!)

This is really something special, if I do say so myself. It's a pizza with a crust that's made from shredded zucchini with cheese and baked to a crisp deliciousness. My little sister Caroline made this for me one night when we were making a variety of yummy pizzas, and I found this not only a good stand in for normal pizza dough, but almost preferable, as the cheese in the crust really makes for a nice crisp, savory taste.  I altered Caroline's recipe to use ground almond meal/flour, which has the additional benefit of lowering the carb count and makes it a great gluten-free pizza choice.

I use a food processor to grate the zucchini, but you could also use a box grater. The important thing is to dry the zucchini once it has been shredded-otherwise, the pizza crust won't be as deliciously crisp!

Ingredients
2 large zucchini
1/2 cup almond meal
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
Pinch of oregano
Salt
Garlic powder
Food Processor or box grater
Parchment paper or silicone baking mat

Pizza toppings (optional-dress your pizza as you see fit)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella
1.5 ounces of pepperoni
Mushrooms

Method:
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, use the grater attachment to grate the two zucchini. Place on a cutting board and cover with a towel, then place something large and heavy to encourage it to dry.

2.) After 5-8 minutes, toss the shredded zucchini in a bowl and add eggs, Parmesan, mozzarella, salt, oregano, garlic and almond meal and mix well.

3.) Spread the zucchini mixture onto parchment paper or silicone baking mat and bake for 30 minutes. It will start smelling REALLY good.

4.) Remove pizza from oven, and top with your favorite toppings. Bake for another 10-12 minutes.

5.) Eat greedily.

I don't have a pizza pan right now, but this gives you the general idea. It tastes amazing!

Zucchini and fennel gratin

This is one of those quick recipes that is often a hit-it's gooey, creamy, and can be as light or heavy as the need, one's mood, or inventory demands.  As is often the case with yummy, savory dishes, it all starts with a little olive oil and some sweet or Spanish onion. This recipe also uses zucchini, which is a perennial favorite. It's a gratin, and really you can make a gratin out of just about any vegetable-you can make a spinach gratin, a cauliflower gratin, and of course the famous potato version. It's a fun recipe to make, and employs a smallish version of a bechamel sauce and cheese.

  Another notable, ingredient that I use in this dish that's slightly off the beaten path is fennel. Often referred to as anise due to similar tastes, fennel is actually a different plant than anise. They both share a hint of licorice flavor, but this fades when it is cooked-it takes on a rounder, deeper flavor that I love.

Fennel!!

I've made this for my friend Cindy a number of times, but the fennel is a recent addition. I used to use just zucchini and onion, and give it the gratin treatment. The fennel can be left out, but if you've got the fennel on hand, or can pick some up at the store, I strongly recommend it. 

This recipe also uses a dash of nutmeg, but if you don't care for the taste, then by all means leave it out.

I went to make this one night only to find that I didn't have any cream, half and half or whole milk in the house, so I used almond milk instead. The slightly nutty taste of the almond milk really compliments the dish. If you were to use no butter or cheese, you could also make this if you or your friends are vegan. If you use almond milk or a lower fat milk, just know that you'll have to reduce it for a bit before it will be ready, whereas a version with half and half or cream will be ready almost instantly.  

As I stated earlier, this is a relatively quick and easy dish, but it is always a crowd pleaser. If you're feeling very decadent, you can top it with breadcrumbs before putting it under the broiler.

Gratins

Ingredients

1 medium or 1/2 large sweet or Spanish onion

1/2 a bulb of fennel

3 zucchini, sliced

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon of butter

1 tablespoon of flour

1 cup of milk, cream, half and half, almond milk or soy milk

Grated cheese such as Swiss, Gruyere, or Parmesan (optional)

Salt, pepper and thyme

Pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Method:

1. Turn the broiler on. In a saute pan, add the chopped onion and fennel, and cook slowly over medium low heat until mellow (the fennel will deepen in color after about 3 minutes.) 

2. Add the chopped zucchini and either cook until soft (medium heat) or slightly browned (medium high heat,) about 3-6 minutes. Add some salt and pepper, and thyme.

3. Add the butter, and once it has melted, add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes (otherwise there will be a raw flour taste.)

4. Add the milk, and bring the heat up a bit. When the sauce has thickened, grate in a bit of nutmeg (if using,) top with a bit of cheese (if using) and stir.

5. Top with breadcrumbs (if using) and place under the broiler for 4 minutes until browned and bubbly on top.

6. Eat greedily.

The gratin in the pan

Olive oil carrot cake

In my experience, suggesting the use of olive oil in a cake provokes two reactions: either the listener recoils in horror, or they've had cakes made with olive oil and they know how wonderful they can be. This cake is no exception, and it's invariably a hit whenever I make it. While I do use normal extra virgin olive oil in some of my cakes (later this spring I'll share my olive oil lemon rosemary cake) for this one I use a light and mild olive oil-the subtler background makes for a delicate flavor, while ensuring a soft (though sturdy) and moisture rich cake.

A caveat about this cake: grating your own carrots with a box grater (or the like) can be a pain in the neck, but it is absolutely worth it.

Grating the day away...a pound of carrots takes about 10 minutes. I know that's not a lot of time, but it is when you're grating something....

This isn't a difficult recipe, but the preliminaries (and, in fact, the baking) are a little time consuming. Don't make this one if you don't have about 90 minutes; if you want to make something quick for dessert, make some cookies.

Though you could easily omit nuts from this cake (I sometimes do) toasted pine nuts, walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts all do really well in this cake; use what you like (or what you have on hand.)  There is nothing wrong with using vanilla extract,  but if you also have some other liqueur, you can certainly substitute it. Frangelico, Amaretto or the like are very nice. 

I use a very normal cream cheese frosting-if you have a recipe that  you prefer, by all means use it. My portions here make a generous amount of frosting, but this is a big cake.

Ingredients

Cake:

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/3 cups light and mild olive oil

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or the like

2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup raisins (golden are nice, but regular is also fine)

1 cup chopped hazelnuts

1 pound carrots, grated

3/4 cup diced pineapple (I normally use pineapple from a can, but I do drain the juice)

For the frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted

Method:

1.) Prep cake pans with parchment paper, butter and a bit of flour. If you're not familiar with prepping cake pans a quick (albeit overly fussy) tutorial can be found here. 

2.) Preheat oven to 350.  Grate the carrots. Yes, the entire pound.

3.) In a mixer (or whisk by hand) mix the olive oil and sugar together for a few minutes, then add eggs and beat well, until a light yellow.  

4.) In another bowl sift flour, leavening, salt and cinnamon together. 

Sifting the day away. I think baking is positively therapeutic.

5.) Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and beat slowly just until incorporated. If you over beat the batter, it will become tough.

6.) Add hazelnuts (or any nuts) and raisins. 

7.) Add the carrots and pineapple and mix well. with a spatula.

Mmmm cake!

8.) Bake for about 45-50 minutes. Depending on the day, it may take a smidge longer. The cake is done when a knife comes out clean.

Frosting:

For the frosting, I find it much easier to use room temperature cream cheese and butter.  Sift the powdered/confectioner's sugar so you don't get lumps. You can use the suggested vanilla or add a little frangelico to echo the hazelnuts, or just stick to vanilla for a nice classic taste.  

1.) Mix the cream cheese and butter together.

2.) Add vanilla or liqueur

3.) Sift the confectioner's sugar and add it slowly-only add until you find it sweet enough-taste the frosting at 1/2 a pound, 3/4 and so forth-you need not use the entire pound of confectioner's sugar.

4.) Let the cakes cool, frost them, and eat greedily!

Arugula and Fennel Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil

Sometimes, a deftly underplayed hand can be just the ticket! I think that this is very much the case with this salad-it's so simple, I hesitate to call it a recipe. This is my Mother's favorite salad at the moment-we had something like it at my wedding last year at a local Italian restaurant, and this is my replica (I simplified the "dressing" a bit-I just use some lemon juice and olive oil.)

I think that if you were to add some toasted walnuts or pine nuts, you'd have something like a crouton as well, and it would make the salad a bit more filling.

Ingredients
2.5 ounces or about 2 cups of arugula
1 cup of thinly sliced fresh fennel
About 1/2 cup of shaved parmesan cheese (this is a great place for good cheese, like a parmigiano reggiano or grana padano)
The juice of 1/2 a medium, or 1 small lemon
Extra Virgin Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Black pepper
1/2 cup of toasted walnuts or pine nuts (optional)

Method:
1.) In a serving bowl, toss in the arugula, and scatter the sliced fennel and most of the shaved parmesan.
2.) If you're having nuts in your salad, lightly toast them in a pan. Walnuts won't be super fragrant, they create more of a delicate hazy smell when they are toasted. Pine nuts will darken a bit.
3.) Cut the lemon, and try to remove any seeds if you can. Squeeze half the lemon over the salad (or use all of it if you like.)
4.) Drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil, toss in the nuts, add pepper to taste, salt, and toss well.
5.) Garnish the top of the salad with the remaining parmesan.
6.) Eat! I hope you enjoy this refreshing and crisp salad as much as I do.

I already had started munching away by the time I remembered to take a photo-sorry!