Cauliflower Soup with Scallops

Last year around this time I had an absolutely delectable soup at a Talula's Table dinner, and have had savory memories of it from time to time since. When designing my Christmas eve dinner my mind wandered back to it, and I decided to finally take a stab at recapturing that cauliflowery deliciousness. I was inspired by this recipe on Epicurious and after adapting it to suit my tastes (and budget!), am extremely pleased with the end result. This is one voluptuous soup. 

Cauliflower Soup with Scallops

Makes 4-6 servings

*1 scant tablespoon butter

*EVOO

*1 small shallot, minced

*1 garlic clove, minced

*1 medium head cauliflower

*Equal parts chicken stock and water, about 3ish cups of each

*1/4 cup cream

*1 thumbnail size piece of Parmesan rind (or just a piece cut from a wedge)

*S&P (white pepper, if you don't want to blemish the ivory surface of the soup!)

*3-4 bay scallops or 1 sea scallop per serving

Carve the core out of the cauliflower and break the head into small florets. In a pot melt butter over medium heat and drizzle with a dribble of evoo. Sweat the shallot for a few minutes, add the garlic and continue to saute for a few minutes more. Add the cauliflower, then just barely cover with water & chicken stock (around 3-3 1/2 cups of each). Throw in the piece of Parmesan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes with the pot partially covered. When the cauliflower is totally tender, puree everything with an immersion blender and add the cream. Season with salt & white pepper to taste. Pass the soup through a fine mesh sieve to achieve that smooth silky consistency.

Meanwhile, prep the scallops – trim the muscle if necessary and dry the scallops thoroughly. Season with S&P. Heat a skillet over high heat, add a small slick of evoo and sear scallops briefly on both sides, about a minute total for bay scallops and a minute and a half per side for sea scallops. Serve soup in shallow bowls and garnish with the scallops.

Eggs in Purgatory

Sometimes weekend cooking involves elaborate, time-consuming productions, but sometimes it involves ransacking the fridge in a bleary haze for leftovers to repurpose. However, subsisting on leftovers is fine by me when the leftovers in question include a largesse of Sunday Gravy. Eggs in Purgatory, a dish of jiggly eggs poached in a smimmering tomato sauce, is a ridiculously simple and satisfying brunch, lunch or dinner that'll serve the dual purpose of hearty nourishment, as well as a use for any leftover red stuff, either from the aforementioned Sunday Gravy, or even a half-empty jar of store-bought marinara. Served up over toast points, it can't be beat for a quick mid-Saturday meal, or for that matter, a meal for any other time during the week when you can't bring yourself to expend any more effort than cracking eggs.

Eggs in Purgatory
Makes 2 servings

*3-4 cups tasty, rich tomato sauce
*4 organic eggs
*Freshly grated Parm-Reg
*Toast points

Add the sauce to a modestly sized saucepan. Bring to a burble over medium and make little depressions in the sauce for each egg you're using, then crack the eggs one by one in a small cup and slip into each of the depressions. Spoon some sauce around to cover the majority of the eggs. Cover, leaving the lid cracked just a touch, and cook for about 7 minutes until the whites are set but the yolk is still a little runny. Scoop the eggs out and serve with extra sauce over toast points, dusting liberally with freshly grated Parm. Alternately, you can bake the eggs in sauce at 350 for about 16-18 minutes, results of which pictured above. Between you and me, I prefer the eggs simmered but the tasty end result doesn't make for the most pleasant of pictures!

Steak Au (Sichuan) Poivre

Everyone has their favorite steak prep method, and mine happens to be au poivre. That addictive peppery crust just cannot be beat. I tend to overload my peppercorn mix with Sichuan peppercorns, which add a fun tingle and exotic flicker to the classic dish. I also tend to deglaze the pan with whatever stout I'm swigging, which is not a particularly Sichuanese tradition (or even a French one) so if you'd prefer to stick with the usual bourbon, cognac or brandy etc, that's fine. This latest occasion I happened to be drinking Bell's Cherry Stout, which made for an exceptionally tasty deglazer!

Sichuan Steak Au Poivre
Makes 2 servings

*1 well-marbled strip steak cut about an inch thick, around 10 oz
*2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns + 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
*Kosher salt
*1 teaspoon chili oil or EVOO
*2 tablespoons butter at room temperature, divided

*1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
*3 tablespoons stout beer (or bourbon)
*1/2 cup beef stock - I boil down a cup of beef stock until it is reduced by half
*1 scant teaspoon light soy sauce

About 30 minutes before you are ready to cook the steak, take it out of the fridge to temper the meat. Trim the steak if necessary and cut into two pieces. Coarsely crack the peppercorns. Sprinkle each side of the steaks with salt, then press each side into the cracked peppercorns, encrusting the steaks lightly or heavily as you prefer.

Heat the butter in a cast iron skillet over high heat and drizzle with the oil. When the surface is hot, lay the peppered steaks in. Sear for about 2 minutes per side; press with your finger to test for the springiness that indicates rare and then cook to your desired doneness and transfer to a warm platter, tenting loosely with foil.

Lower heat to the other side of the dial, take the skillet off the heat and add the shallots to the pan. Saute briefly, scraping at the drippings with a wooden spoon, and put the skillet back over the burner. Add the stout to deglaze, then add the stock and soy sauce. Adjusting the heat, bring the liquid back to a boil and cook to thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning. Finally, add the last tablespoon of butter, swirling it around in the pan until it melts and incorporates, then spoon the sauce over the steaks.

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Pepitas and Sage Butter

It's a scenario I face frequently - my pal Michael G, culinary genius, will post a picture of some scrumptious-looking foodstuff he created and I am compelled to make it myself as soon as humanly possible. Recently he posted an perfectly executed autumnal scene of pumpkin gnocchi tossed with roasted seasonal vegetables that set me slavering away at first glance, and after securing the recipe from him I set to work. My first attempt was...fine. Having never made gnocchi from scratch I was thrown by certain aspects of the process, like how sticky the dough would be for one, but I managed to make something edible. Subsequent attempts saw the pumpkiny pillows perfected. I love the idea of tossing the gnocchi with roasted veg, a la Michael G, but I ultimately prefer a more simple prep with browned, nutty butter, crisped sage and toasted pepitas. Serve as you like, but if you go the pepitas route, you'll want to make extra because they are an addictive crunchy treat. Goes without saying that you'll wanna make extra gnocchi too - I've had very good experiences with freezing them, so double away!

Dapper Owl plate from Rachel Kozlowski for West Elm

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Pepitas, Browned Butter & Sage
Makes 3 servings

 Adapted from the aforementioned Michael G!

*1 cup pure pumpkin puree

*2 tablespoons finely grated Parm-Reg, plus extra for serving
*1 cup flour

*1 egg yolk

*Pinch of sea salt
*Pinch of pepper
*Small pinch of nutmeg

*4 tablespoons butter

*1 smashed clove garlic

*8 leaves of fresh sage, some slivered 

*2-3 tablespoons roasted pepitas

Set your pumpkin puree in a fine mesh sieve to drain for about 30 minutes to an hour. To roast the pepitas, toss with olive oil and S&P and roast at 325 until browned. I tossed them again when done with a pinch of allspice.

Put a large pot of water on to boil (or two, which will cut down on time). In a wide saucepan, start to melt the butter over medium-low, throwing the garlic clove in as it cooks. Combine the flour and the grated cheese along with pinches of seasonings in a small food processor and blitz until everything is very fine. Combine the pumpkin and the yolk in a bowl, then add the flour in parts, working everything together with just your floured fingertips. Do not overwork! You don't need every last speck of flour worked into the dough, which, as I alluded to above, will be quite sticky. Flour your work surface and your hands and divide the dough into 3-4 pieces. Roll each blob into a long rope of about a finger's thickness, and cut the rope into 1/2 inch pieces with a floured blade or pastry scraper and place on floured wax paper. You can get fancy and roll them down the tine of a fork or a gnocchi board to get nice-looking ridges, or you can leave them shaped as is. Cook them in batches in the rapidly boiling water until all the gnocchi float, about a minute or two. You don't want to overcrowd the pot, which is why I advocate for the two-pots-of-water decision.

Meanwhile, raise the heat for the butter and as it deepens in color, throw in the sage leaves. Take out the garlic clove, season the butter with S&P, and as the gnocchi rise to the top of the boiling water, remove with a skimmer and toss into the sage butter sauce to sear lightly before serving. Dust each portion with freshly grated Parm-Reg and speckle with the pepitas.


*To freeze, simply drop the cut gnocchi onto a cookie sheet that has been covered with floured parchment paper, pop in the freezer, and bag when frozen through. Do not thaw when ready to prepare, just simply toss into the roiling water*

Sopa de Ajo

So, all you have in the kitchen is a half-empty bottle of oil, a can of chicken stock, a knob of brown bread, a flaking head of garlic, and some eggs hiding in far-flung corners of the carton? Maybe some smidgens of spices left in the cupboard? Don't exhale a dusty sigh of destitution, you have all the makings of a delicious dinner right in front of you! Sopa de ajo, or garlic soup, was created by penurious Spanish peasants who had to make do with only meager scraps of sustenance, such as water, oil, garlic, eggs, and yesterday's bread (traditional recipes don't even include chicken stock!). Although, for origins in such a humble array of ingredients, you'd fancy yourself a king eating a bowl of sopa de ajo (or, at least a baron). It's an intensely nourishing and warming soup, and when you break the poached egg and let the yolk swirl with the garlicky broth, the whole experience gets transcendentally rich and silky. It becomes something you crave even if the pantry's stocked full of caviar and truffles and such.

My personal recommendation for maximum enjoyment is to put on Les Blank's documentary short Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers as the soup is simmering, and as your desire for the stinking rose reaches fever pitch, dive into your finished soup!

Sopa de Ajo
Makes 2 large servings

Personal recipe with guidance from Rick Bayless' recipe 

*Scant 1/2 cup olive oil
*1 head garlic, cloves peeled and roughly chopped (at LEAST 20 cloves)
*2 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
*2 cups water
*2-3 slices of crusty brown bread, with or without crusts removed
*2 eggs
*1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
*S&P
*Chopped cilantro or parsley to garnish (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 325. Heat the oil in a small heavy pot over medium-low. Add garlic, reduce heat and stir frequently for 20 minutes. Manage the heat so that the garlic simmers but doesn't brown. Once soft, drain the garlic and transfer to a larger pot, reserving the oil. In the larger pot, add the broth, water and paprika and simmer on medium-low. Season to taste. Meanwhile, cut the bread into cubes and toast in the oven for about 20 minutes, stirring a few times. Drizzle with some of the garlic oil, toss to coat, and return to the oven to cook for 5 more minutes. While the croutons are finishing up, poach the eggs. To serve, dish out the soup, add a poached egg to each bowl, and garnish with the croutons and some chopped cilantro.

*Especially good when you want to stave off a cold, or are in the throes of one - garlic is superhealthy*

Mixed Greens with Black Grapes, Hazelnuts & Manchego

Local, seasonal grapes were on sale at the store the other day, and I could not help but buy a bursting bagful of some very alluring black specimens. Besides nibbling them straight from the woody stems hedonist-style, which is my preferred method of dispatching grapes, I decided to showcase some of the juicy glaucous orbs by nestling them in a bed of green. A simple balsamic and oil emulsion, some shaved Manchego, and a smattering of toasted hazelnuts completed the scene to make a very tasty and exceedingly simple meal, pleasing to both the eye and mouth. A great late-August-grape-harvest salad!
 

Mixed Greens with Black Grapes, Hazelnuts & Manchego
Makes 1 serving

*1 teaspoon very good quality balsamic vinegar
*1 tablespoon of your finest EVOO
*Pinches of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste 
*3 handfuls mixed greens ( I used a spring lettuce mix and some watercress)
*Decent-size sprig's worth of black grapes, some halved
*Shaved Manchego cheese
*1 tablespoon crushed hazelnuts, lightly toasted

Emulsify the oil and vinegar with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle over the greens and toss. Arrange the grapes, cheese shavings and nuts as it suits you.

Egg, Squash Blossom & Cheese Breakfast Quesadillas

We have a magical squash plant in our front yard. I didn't plant it, my husband didn't plant it, nor did our neighbors - it just appeared one day and immediately started taking over. I can only imagine that some autumnal decoration was tossed aside into the bushes and forgotten, once upon a time. I'm watching it eagerly to see if we'll actually get any squash out of it, but in the meantime I've been enjoying its blossoms! It's more for novelty's sake that I've been working with them, but they do have a delicate squashy flavor that is quite pleasant. Plus, it's just plain fun to eat flowers. This quesadilla might not showcase the blossom front and center, but they work perfectly well with the other ingredients, and it makes for a very tasty and filling breakfast (brunch, really!)

Egg, Squash Blossom & Cheese Breakfast Quesadillas
Makes 1 quesadilla

*1 teaspoon butter
*EVOO
*1/2 of a small onion, thinly sliced and roughly chopped
*1 clove garlic, minced
*Petals from 4-5 squash blossoms
*2 eggs
*1 large flour tortilla
*3/4-1 cup shredded melting cheese (I used bagged Mex blend; it was a lazy morning)
*2 basil leaves, chiffonaded
*S&P

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and drizzle the pat with a little oil. Add the onions and saute until translucent, and then add the garlic. Sprinkle with salt and saute another few minutes before adding in the blossoms, sauteing until they wilt. Spoon the mixture into a bowl along with the basil and set aside. Pour the eggs into the pan, scrambling until fluffy, with S&P to taste. Add the eggs to the blossom mixture when done. Meanwhile, lightly brush a tortilla with a little butter or oil and set it, greased side down, in a skillet that will accommodate it (preferably cast iron). Sprinkle a heaping half-cup of shredded cheese around the tortilla and as it melts, spoon the egg and blossom mix over one half of the tortilla. Add a little more cheese to the top of the filling, and then fold the tortilla over. Press down with a spatula and cover. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, then cut and enjoy! I had mine with avocado and salsa verde, and it was delicious.

Quick Peanut Butter-Banana Ice Cream

I've posted uses for overripe bananas a few times already, but this is now far and away my favorite method of using up those speckled stragglers squirreled away in my freezer. I've used frozen bananas to add oomph to smoothies for ages, but I'd never tried to blitz them on their own until the other day when I wanted to make some cool and delicious treat, only to find I was out of dairy (save a couple cans of condensed milk). After some experimentation with the sweetened condensed milk and some peanut butter (and lots of scraping down the sides of my blender), I achieved my goal, and how! I'm shocked at just how well this mimicked ice cream with a solid custard base, in both mouthfeel and scoopability. I credit that to the higher levels of sugar in the overripe bananas as well as the addition of sweetened condensed milk. Whatever the sorcery, it made for a scrumptious, easy (and mildly healthier!) dessert.

Quick Peanut Butter-Banana Ice Cream
Makes about cup and a half, or 3 servings

*2 frozen bananas, peeled and sliced
*2 tablespoons peanut butter (I used chunky-style for some textural fun, but feel free to use smooth)
*1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

Blitz it all together in your most powerful blender or food processor. My blender isn't the greatest, so there's a fair deal of scraping I have to do to get it all to blend properly, but if you have something top shelf like Vitamix, this should be a snap. Once it's getting...for lack of a better word, goopy, scrape it out into a container, press a round of Saran-wrap on top to prevent ice crystals from forming, lid it and pop into the freezer to harden again until you're ready to serve.

Note: Some googling turned up plenty of other delicious additives - must try Nutella next time!

Roasted Garlic & Cannellini Bean Dip with Basil Oil

With all the office gatherings, potlucks, picnics, porch parties and BBQs that come along with summer, I thought I'd share my cheapest, quickest and easiest, yet still terrifically tasty, recipe for a perfect please-'em-all offering to bring along to any of the above. It's great in a pinch when I remember I have to make something a little too late to devote hours to my favorite potluck dish, baked lentils (the recipe for which, eventually, I'll post to the blog!). This dip is delicious, dirt-cheap to make, will appease nearly any dietary restrictions, and is easily doubled (or tripled, etc). You can even nix the pretty basil oil topping if you're really pressed for time.

A note about the garlic: I am gonzo for garlic, so I put 4-5 cloves into my dip if it's just for me and my garlic lovin' spouse/friends/family. However, if this dip is making its way towards an office function, or set in front of a group of people I don't know that well, I usually tone it down to 2 or 3 so there's just a hint of garlic, not an all-out assault (the way I like it). Find your happy medium!

Roasted Garlic & Cannellini Bean Dip with Basil Oil
Makes about 2 cups - approx. enough for 10-12 people in a potluck setting

*1 15oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
*2-5 cloves garlic
*Juice + 1 teaspoon zest from one lemon
*Scant 1/4 cup evoo
*A pinch of dried oregano
*S&P

Basil Oil

*Equal amounts of basil & evoo (I usually go with 1/4 packed cup to 1/4 cup)

Rub the unpeeled garlic with a little oil, wrap in foil and toss in a 400 degree oven to roast for about 30-40 minutes - I suggest popping in a few extra cloves while you're at it, because the temptation to slather some roasted garlic all over toasty bread when it's done will be too great to resist. While the garlic is roasting, puree the basil and olive oil in a small food processor, and then pop into a mason jar and set in the fridge. No need to rinse the processor, just toss all the dip ingredients in it when the garlic is done. Pulse everything until pureed, and season with S&P to taste. Refrigerate until you're ready to serve, and then drizzle some of the basil oil over top. Any leftover oil can be re-purposed in myriad ways.

Blackened Shrimp Salad with Buttermilk Vinaigrette

The other day I stopped at my beloved local dairy farm, Baily's, to pick up a little pint of buttermilk for weekend pancake dreams. No pints to be found, but the avuncular Mr. Baily sent me packing with a quart for the same price. So, saddled with a largess of buttermilk (a problem anyone should like to face!) I noodled around on chowhound for ideas, and came across the notion of a buttermilk dressing. Instantly I imagined it luxuriously poured over a spinach salad, and the rest came together from there. The buttermilk made for a very tasty, pleasantly sour and tart vinaigrette, which mingled well with the smoky and piquant flavors of blackened seafood. I'm kind of in love with this salad.

Blackened Shrimp Salad
Makes 2 entree size salads or 4 side salads

*8 oz fresh spinach
*A couple slices of stale crusty bread
*1 ear corn, shucked, washed and kernels cut off cob
*A handful of thinly sliced red onion crescents
*10-12 shrimp, shelled and deveined
*2-3 tablespoons blackening spices (you may find my mix recipe here)
*High smoke point oil
*Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme

Buttermilk Vinaigrette
Loosely adapted from Frank Stitts' Southern Table
Makes about 1/2 cup

*1 tablespoon cider vinegar

*1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

*1 teaspoon minced shallot

*1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

*1/2 teaspoon minced thyme leaves

*1/4 cup buttermilk

*1 heaping tablespoon sour cream

*1 tablespoon evoo
*S&P

Wash and dry the spinach, and prep the croutons. Remove the crusts and then cut the bread into modestly sized cubes. Toss with some sea salt, pepper and olive oil and bake at 300 for about 10-15 mins, flipping once. Meanwhile, toss the shrimp with the blackening spices and set aside while you prepare the vinaigrette.

Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, minced shallot, zest, thyme and pinches of S&P and slowly whisk in the buttermilk and sour cream. When combined, slowly emulsify the evoo within and season to taste. Set aside and heat a cast iron skillet over medium high. When it starts to smoke add a glug of canola oil, swirl around, and then set the shrimp in. Blacken about a minute and a half per side or until cooked through. Beware - there will be smoke! Make sure your exhaust fan is on high or you've got some windows open in the joint.

Throw the spinach, red onions, corn, shrimp, and croutons together, fleck with thyme leaves and then drizzle the dish with the vinaigrette. Freshly cracked pepper and some grains of sea salt to complete.