from cooksillustrated.com
Roasted Beet Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts and Arugula for Two
Serves 3 to 6
Pay close attention to the pine nuts as they toast: their high fat content means that they can burn quickly. The beets and vinaigrette can be prepared up to a day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Toss the beets with the vinaigrette just before serving; otherwise the sharp vinaigrette will overpower the beets' subtle flavor.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound medium beets, tops and bottoms trimmed
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (not extra-virgin)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
3/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon minced shallot
1 1/2 quarts loosely packed arugula, stems trimmed (about 5 ounces)
1.Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss together the beets, cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl. Wrap each beet separately in aluminum foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Cook the beets until soft and easily pierced with a paring knife or skewer, about 1 hour. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them by rubbing them with a paper towel—the skin should slide right off. Cut each beet into 6 or 8 wedges.
2. Toast the pine nuts in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until light golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a small bowl and set aside.
3. Process the remaining olive oil, sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, mustard, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper in a blender until fully emulsified, 20 to 30 seconds. Stir in shallot and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss the beets with 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette in a medium bowl.
4. Toss the arugula with the remaining vinaigrette in a medium bowl. Divide the arugula equally among chilled salad plates and top with the beets. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and serve immediately.
Asparagus Omelet
Serves 2
When cooking the eggs, it is important to lift the edges of the omelet rather than push them toward the center.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed of tough ends and cut on bias into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/4 cups)
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 medium shallot, halved and sliced thin
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
5 large eggs
1 1/2 ounces Gruyère cheese, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
1. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add asparagus, pinch salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add shallot and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is lightly browned and tender, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Add lemon juice and toss to coat; transfer to bowl. While asparagus cooks, beat eggs and salt and pepper to taste with fork in small bowl until combined.
2. Wipe skillet clean with paper towel. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium-low heat; when foaming subsides, pour in eggs. Cook, without stirring, until eggs begin to set, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Using rubber spatula, lift edge of cooked egg, then tilt pan to one side so that uncooked egg runs underneath. Repeat process, working around pan edge. Using spatula, gently scrape uncooked egg toward rim of skillet, until top is just slightly wet. Entire process should take 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Let pan sit on heat without moving for 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat, sprinkle asparagus mixture in even layer over omelet, then sprinkle cheese evenly over asparagus. Cover and let stand until eggs no longer appear wet, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Return skillet to medium heat for 30 seconds. Using rubber spatula, loosen edges of omelet from skillet. Slide omelet halfway out of pan onto serving plate. Tilt pan so top of omelet folds over itself. Cut omelet in half; using large, thin spatula, transfer to individual plates and serve immediately.
from nytimes.com
Pasta With Double Sun-Dried Sauce
Time: 30 minutes
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, each cut in half (not in oil)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 dried chili
20 to 30 oil-cured olives, pitted
1 pound long pasta, like linguine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley leaves
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Mince 1/4 cup of the tomatoes.
2. Put oil in a large, deep skillet or casserole over medium heat and add garlic, chili, minced tomatoes and olives. As soon as mixture sizzles, lower heat a bit and continue to cook.
3. When water comes to a boil, add remaining tomatoes to it; simmer for a minute, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and add to skillet, along with about 1/2 cup water. Simmer while pasta cooks in same pot tomatoes were cooked in.
4. When pasta is tender, drain it, but leave it wet; reserve a little cooking liquid. Add pasta to skillet and toss with solids, adding a little reserved cooking liquid (or more olive oil) if needed. Add salt if necessary, a lot of black pepper, and serve, garnished with parsley.
Yield: At least 4 servings.
from latimes.com
Pasta with goat cheese, radicchio, kale and pine nuts
Total time: About 1 hour
Servings: 4
Note: You will need a 13-inch-wide roll of white parchment paper. (White is less brittle than unbleached brown parchment and cooks up to a lovely color.) Squid ink pasta (pictured) can be found at select Italian groceries, such as Bay Cities in Santa Monica.
Ingredients
1 pound thick-cut dry pasta, such as rigatoni (squid ink pasta works beautifully)
1/4 cup raw pine nuts
3 Tbsps. olive oil, plus extra for brushing parchment
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
2 cups thinly sliced radicchio (about 1/2 head)
2 cups thinly sliced green kale (about 1/2 bunch)
1/2 cup dry white wine
11 ounces (1 large log) fresh goat cheese
1 Tbsp. fresh minced flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest, from 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsps. freshly grated Parmesan
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until still quite al dente (there will be a layer of white in the center when you bite into it). Drain and set aside.
2. Sprinkle the pine nuts on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool.
3. In a large sauté pan, heat 3 Tbsps. of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the kale, radicchio and wine and stir until wilted, about 4 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, combine the goat cheese, kale-radicchio mixture, parsley, lemon zest and black pepper. Gently fold in the pasta until just barely combined and set aside.
5. Cut parchment paper into four (13-by-18-inch) rectangles. Fold each in half crosswise, then unfold the pieces and brush one half (near the center, not the edges) with olive oil. Divide the pasta mixture among the four pieces of paper, mounding it on the oiled half of the paper near the fold. Add 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan and 1 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts to the top of each mound.
6. Fold the unoiled half of the parchment over the top of the pasta mixture. Starting at one end, fold down a small (about one-half-by-2-inch triangle) section of the paper and keep folding in increments to seal the edges. Fold until you get to the end, then tuck under the last small fold so that the packet stays secured. Repeat with each packet.
7. Place all four folded packets on a large baking sheet and bake for 11 minutes, until the packets begin to brown around the edges and puff slightly in the middle. Transfer the packets to individual plates and slit open at the table.
Each serving: 841 calories; 35 grams protein; 93 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 36 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 40 mg. cholesterol; 392 mg. sodium.