04/18/2016
Missed the first Lunch Club? No worries, I will be hosting another one in May (date to be released shortly). And in the meantime, here is the "newsletter" I emailed to all the guests afterwards, which summarizes the menu along with some links to recipes, further thoughts on preparations and ingredients, and cookbook recommendations. Enjoy!
Toasts: Chorizo and Aioli, Peas and Burrata
These recipes come from my first cookbook KEEPERS and are always my go-to for easy party hors d'oeuvres (and yes, I spell checked that word). The no-raw-egg aioli that goes with the chorizo is just a simple mixture of Hellman’s mayo with pressed or minced garlic cloves. The chorizo is the dried, cured, Spanish variety (not the fresh Mexican variety you find in the meat dept., although that is also delicious) that you can find at Shop Rite or Wegman’s, normally in the fancy cheese/prosciutto area. It is shelf-stable so no need to refrigerate, making it great in a pinch for serving with cocktails or mixing with scrambled eggs for a fast but special meal.
The peas can go over burrata (which is basically mozzarella cheese that has taken a fancy holiday) or Greek yogurt or creme fraiche…whatever you’d like.
Lots of fresh herbs—like flat-leaf parsley, dill, cilantro, mint, basil—are key, use scissors or kitchen sheers to snip them directly over the toast.
And day old crusty bread is your friend here, so don’t throw out that stale loaf! Just slice and toast in the oven at 350 for about 8 minutes.
Chicken with Oranges and Fennel
I wish I had come up with this gem of a recipe but alas, the master Yotam Ottolenghi gets all the credit. His cookbook are a must, but in particular Jerusalem, which is where this recipe comes from:
http://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Cookbook-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/1607743949/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460745429&sr=8-1&keywords=Jerusalem
Below is a link to the recipe if you don’t want to run out and get the book…although the Spinach Salad I made also comes from there so it’s kinda worth it.
I did make a few substitutes: Instead of the Arak liquor that’s called for, I used Pernod. Instead of clementines I used Valencia oranges I found at Shop Rite that I just think are tasting better right now than clementines (Always feel free to substitute! Ingredients have relatives and normally they’re interchangeable). And I used chicken thighs instead of pieces from a whole chicken because I think it makes for better serving, especially in a large group situation (I also think thighs are the tastiest and hard to screw up, as opposed to breasts/white meat, which will get dry on you in a jiffy). I can’t recommend this dish enough for your next dinner party because all of the work (which is minimal) you can do the night before, marinate it overnight, take out of the fridge about an hour before you’re ready to bake so it gets to room temperature, then put in the oven…45 minutes later it’s done! And the roasted fennel give you a veg so you don’t have to make one if you don’t feel like it.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/roasted-chicken-with-clementines-arak-51179661
Spinach Salad with Dates, Almonds, Pita Croutons
This has become one of my favorite salads of all time (see link to a recipe below). I had never thought of “pickling” dates until I tried this recipe, and now I literally crave them on a regular basis. As we discussed, you can get some great dates at Costco. I use them for this recipe (you have to take the pits out, but that’s easy, just slice in half and the pit slides right out), and any I don’t use go into smoothies with frozen bananas, almond milk, and a little lime juice. I also love that this salad uses regular old baby spinach.
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014942-baby-spinach-salad-with-dates-and-almonds
Roasted Chickpeas
I found this recipe in one of the new books put out by the site Food 52. This one in the series is titled VEGAN, here’s an interesting post from the author:
https://food52.com/blog/14188-how-writing-the-vegan-book-made-me-a-better-cook
Here’s the recipe: Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. Put 2 cups of cooked chickpeas (you can soak and cook dried chickpeas or just use canned, just make sure you pat them completely dry before using). In a medium bowl whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon freshly squeeze lemon juice. Add the chickpeas and toss to coat. Transfer to the baking sheet and spread out in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes, then stir. Bake for 15 more minutes, longer if you want them very crunchy (I did, about an extra 10 minutes). Use in salad, on grains, or as a snack. You can store in the fridge for up to a week (although I never refrigerate mine, I keep them in a sealed container on the counter and they are gone after a day or two).
Roasted Beets
This is pretty much the only way I make cooked beets (with the caveat that I often eat them raw as well, shredded in a food processor, tossed with vinaigrette, super delicious…there’s a recipe in KEEPERS!).
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and dry each beet, trip off the tops but leave about an inch or two (you don’t want to completely remove them or they will “bleed” out all the juices). Place each individual beet on a square of foil, season with salt and pepper and a nice drizzle of olive oil. Wrap tightly with foil (the beet will be steaming so you want to make sure to trap the hot air and juices…yes, again with the juices) and place on a baking sheet. Do this with any remaining beets. Roast for about 45 minutes until you can pierce all the way through with the point of a sharp knife (large ones may take closer to 50-60 minutes). Carefully unwrap the foil and then let cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skins with your hands and then cut into slices (this is where your hands will become all murder-y looking…but it’s worth it!). Place in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with vinegar of your choice and olive oil. You can store in a Tupperware in the fridge for a few days, tastes great over the above farro for a quickie-lunch. Top with crumbled goat cheese and chopped toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds if you want more of a complete dish.
*If you’re serving with the yogurt sauce, combine 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt (I kind of insist of using the full fat version here, but if you really want it to be less rich, 2% will do…just promise me not to use the 0% fat version…it’s too sad) with juice from 1/2 lime, a little honey, salt and pepper. Taste for seasonings, done.
Farro with Herbs
*This was what I call “a-no-recipe-recipe”. I bought the farro at Shop Rite and cooked it just like you would pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add 1 cup of farro (for 4 servings) and simmer for about 15 minutes. Scoop out a few and taste to make sure they're tender, if yes then drain in a colander.
Let the farro dry a bit in the colander and then place in a bowl. While still warm drizzle with olive oil, vinegar of your choice (I use sherry vinegar, bur red or white wine vinegar is fine too), and season with salt and pepper (it’s good to add all of these while the farro is warm because it will better absorb all the flavors). Add chopped herbs like parsley and toss to combine. Serve warm or place in the fridge and use for lunch all week. In the summer this is also great topped with chopped ripe tomatoes and cucumbers.
Lemon Gateau
Fact: I’m not a baker. But a good recipe will make even the untalented look good, and this cake is a good example of that. It’s getting added to my regular dessert rotation (a select but tasty group) because it works, it’s easy, uses just one mixing bowl, and I always have all the ingredients in my kitchen (butter, sugar, eggs, lemons, flour, baking powder…that’s it). I found the recipe in this cookbook, which I highly recommend because the photography is beautiful and has both sweet and savory recipes for all citrus:
http://www.amazon.com/Citrus-Sweet-Savory-Sun-Kissed-Recipes/dp/1607747677/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1460733634&sr=1-1&keywords=Citrus+cookbook
Last thoughts:
-Brown Rice Vinegar (I have found it at HMart, the terrific Asian supermarket in Edison, but they might have it at Whole Foods and also I’ve seen it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sempio-Brown-Vinegar-900ml-30-Ounce/dp/B004Q3WIPC/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1460748727&sr=8-2&keywords=brown+rice+vinegar)
-Cookbook I LOVE:
Really anything from Deborah Madison, but this book in particular has many terrific vegetable recipes, and it’s organized by ingredient so you can find a recipe with whatever you might bring home from the farmer’s market:
http://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Literacy-Gardening-Families-Deliciously-ebook/dp/B009FKTV7O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1460748926&sr=8-3&keywords=Deborah+Madison
