Recipe Creation: Cherry Tomato + Avocado Quinoa + Fried Egg

I often struggle to get a nice dinner on the table when I am just cooking for myself. Now that I have a little one crawling around, I usually alternate between throwing avocado or almond butter on toast and calling it a day.  However, this dish is just as perfect for one as it would be for many and it only takes minutes to prepare.  Just adjust the quantities based on how many mouths you are feeding.  I make the quinoa in advance and then throw in whatever I happen to be in the mood for.  Tonight I had fresh cherry tomatoes and avocado on hand so I sliced them up and threw on a handful of thyme along with the sautéed onions. Depending on your mood and appetite, you can top it all with a fried egg and crumbled goat cheese.   Enjoy!

Serves 1 (or many more)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• 6 cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• crumbled goat cheese
• 1 egg
• olive oil
• sea salt

Directions:

-Heat olive oil in a medium sized skillet and add the onions.

-Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and barely brown (about 15 minutes).

-Then add the cooked quinoa, tomatoes and thyme to the pan.

-Add a splash of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and stir.

-Remove from heat once the quinoa is warm and transfer to a plate.

-Add a splash more olive oil and fry an egg.

-Top the quinoa with a fried egg and some crumbled goat cheese. 

Restaurant (Re)creation: Terzo's Roasted Salmon with Farro, White Corn + Cherry Tomatoes

I always love dining at Terzo, but on my most recent visit, I had one dish in particular that I could not stop thinking about.  It was a perfectly roasted salmon over a bed of sweet corn, tomatoes and farro.  It was mild, buttery, and disappeared within minutes.  I looked across the table at my friend, Courtney, and she said, "you must recreate this."  You ask and you shall receive!  Luckily, I was able to find a great recipe from Bon Appétit to use as a starting point.  Then I swapped out the couscous for farro, and added sautéed white corn.  Though this dish does have a few moving pieces going on at once, it's a relatively simple one-dish meal and is both healthy and totally delicious.  Plus, you'll have plenty of corn and tomato farro for leftovers the next day.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

For yogurt raita:

• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp. chopped dill
• 1 tbsp. chives
• 1/2 tbsp. lemon zest

For salmon:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 bunch dill fronds
• 1/4 bunch thyme sprigs
• 1 lb. wild king salmon
• Kosher salt
• 4 oz. cherry tomatoes

For farro:

• 8 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp. za'atar
• 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
• 2 ears white corn, cut off cob
• 1 cup farro
• Kosher salt

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 325 F and begin mixing the yogurt raita ingredients in a small bowl.

-Next, pour 2 tbsp. olive oil in a small roasting pan and top with a bed of herbs.

-Place salmon on the herbs and drizzle with the remaining oil.

-Season with salt, top with tomatoes, and roast in the oven for 25 minutes.

-Meanwhile, sauté the corn in 1/2 tbsp. butter and remove from heat.

-Mix the tomatoes, parsley, za'atar, corn, 1 tbsp. oil and salt in a medium sized bowl.

-Bring a pot of salted water to boil, add farro, and cook for 20 minutes.

-Drain farro, transfer to a large bowl, and stir in the remaining oil and butter.  

-Add the tomato and corn mixture to the farro and season with salt.

-Check the salmon and broil for 1-2 additional minutes, or until tender. 

-Cut the salmon and serve on mounds of farro topped with a generous dollop of raita.

Terzo

3011 Steiner Street

San Francisco, CA

(415) 441-3200

www.terzosf.com

Recipe Creation: Perfect Herb Roasted Chicken

I made this chicken for Christmas dinner and it was a total hit.  Chicken can get a bad rap for being boring or dry and this recipe is neither!  The preparation is pretty straightforward and foolproof, yet it looks and tastes surprisingly impressive.  The key is in the basting- it keeps the bird nice and juicy and makes the skin ultra crispy.  This is a perfect staple to have in your back pocket.  Serve with roasted root vegetables and a kale salad and you have yourself a perfect winter meal!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4-5 lb organic whole chicken
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt & ground pepper
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 peeled yellow onion
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 3 sprigs thyme

Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
-Wash and dry the chicken and rub all sides with olive oil.
-Place the chicken breast side up on a roasting dish.
-Season the inside and outside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
-Stuff the cavity with the lemon & onion and a sprig each of rosemary and thyme.
-Next, pull the leaves off the remaining rosemary and thyme sprigs.
-Carefully push your fingers under the chicken skin to loosen and make a pocket.
-Put the remaining herbs under the chicken skin and distribute evenly.
-Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, basting every 1/2 hour with the juices in the pan.
-Remove chicken when the skin is nice and crispy and the thermometer reaches 180 F.
-Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, then transfer to a platter.
-Pour 1/2 cup boiling water into the roasting pan & loosen any brown bits with a spoon.
-Pour the rich juices from the pan into a gravy boat and serve alongside the chicken.

Recipe Creation: "Truffalo" Wings + Truffle Ranch Sauce

These were inspired by a wings competition (and yes, they did win a trophy) and now I make them on a regular basis.  I mean, what could be better than truffle chicken wings with three kinds of truffle? Especially when you can call them Truffalo Wings! Leave it to me to add a little class to football season ; )

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken wings
• l lemon, juiced
• 1/2 tbsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp truffle salt
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup grated truffle pecorino
• 1 tbsp black truffle oil
• 1/3 cup ranch dressing

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 500 degree F and line a large baking sheet with tin foil.
-Toss the wings with the lemon juice in a large bowl.
-Then add the garlic powder, ground pepper, truffle salt, thyme, and cayenne.
-Next add the melted butter and stir thoroughly so the seasoning is evenly distributed.
-Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, then flip the wings and rotate the sheet.
-Bake for another 10 minutes, or until wings are browned and cooked through.
-Remove from oven and top with truffle pecorino.
-Whisk the ranch dressing with 1 tbsp truffle oil.
-Enjoy immediately and serve with the truffle ranch dipping sauce.

Restaurant (Re)creation: Zuni's Roasted Chicken + Bread Salad

Zuni Cafe is a San Francisco institution and their roasted chicken is hands-down the most popular item on the menu.  The dish serves two and takes about an hour to an hour an a half to arrive, but it is fabulous and definitely worth the wait.  This recipe is based on an adapted version of the original from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers.  The original recipe is wonderful, but very wordy and time-consuming.  This adaptation should save some time, and if done right, should be equally mouthwatering and enjoyable. You can serve the chicken with the bread salad recipe below or you can swap it out and serve it with the brussels sprout and butternut squash panzanella salad from my prior post.  Either will be delicious.  Let me know how it turns out ; )

Serves 2-4

Ingredients for chicken:

• 1 small chicken (2 3/4 to 3 1/2 pounds)
• 4 tender sprigs of Thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• A little water

Ingredients for bread salad:

• 8 ounces torn peasant-style bread (crusts removed)
• 6 to 8 tablespoons mild-tasting olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon dried currents, soaked in 1 tbsp each of red wine vinegar & warm water
• 2 tablepsoons pine nuts
• 2-3 garlic cloves, slivered
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions
• 2 handfuls of arugula

Directions:

Day 1

-Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken.  Wash the chicken and dry thoroughly.

-Gently slide a finger under the skin of each breast and create two small pockets.  Do the same under the skin of each thigh.  Stick a sprig of thyme in each of the 4 pockets.

-Season both sides of the chicken thoroughly with salt and pepper.

-Cover the chicken and put it in the refrigerator overnight (seasoning the chicken a day before makes it more flavorful and moist- its worth it).

Day 2

-Preheat oven to 475 F.  Place a 10 to 12-inch skillet with an all-metal handle over medium heat on the stove.  Wipe the chicken dry and place in the skillet, breast side up (the pan should sizzle).

-Next, place the the skillet in the oven and let it brown for about 30 minutes.  The skin should begin to blister.

-Meanwhile, toss torn bread pieces (about 2-inch chunks) in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lightly coating them.  Place them in a baking dish in the oven on a rack below the chicken and cook for about 10 minutes, or until brown, then remove from heat. (If you want to toast your pine nuts, you can place the pine nuts in the with the torn bread chunks, but watch them closely because they burn quickly.) 

-Turn the bird over and roast for another 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the bird.  Then flip back over so the breast side is up and recrisp for another 5-10 minutes.

-Remove the chicken from the oven once it is crisp and browned.

-Turn off the oven and set the chicken on a plate to cool.  Pour the fat from the skillet, leaving the lean drippings behind.  Add about a tablespoon of water to the drippings and warm them over medium heat to soften any hard drippings.

-Combine 1/4 cup of olive oil with white wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss half of this vinaigrette with the torn bread in a medium sized bowl.

-Meanwhile, heat some olive oil over medium-low heat in a small skillet and add the garlic and scallion slivers.  Stir constantly until softened, but not browned.  Remove from heat and toss with the bread.  You can add the drained currants and the pine nuts to the bread salad at this time as well.

-Place the bread salad in an oven-safe dish and warm in the oven while you finish preparing the chicken.

-While the bread salad is warming, tear the chicken into pieces, some large and some small.  Make sure to include the crispy pieces of skin (its the best part).

-Remove the bread salad from the oven and place on a platter over a handful or two of arugula.  Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette and a spoonful or two of pan drippings over the salad, mixing well.  Top the bread salad with crispy pieces of chicken.

Heaven.


Zuni Cafe
1658 Market Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 552-2522
www.zunicafe.com

Recipe (Re)creation: Crispy Low-Sodium Sweet Potato Wedges with Lemon-Chive Yogurt Dip

I developed this recipe for a LOVE YOUR HEART RECIPE RALLY that a friend of mine does annually.  Her blog, SODIUM GIRL, is totally inspirational and full of mouthwatering low-sodium dishes. This recipe rally was particularly challenging for me because I happen to LOVE salt. However, many people (and their bodies) do not love salt and obviously need to find other flavor boosters to make up for the absence of salt.  That is where herbs and spices enter the picture!  I usually cook with herbs and spices anyways, but if you kick them up a notch, you don't even miss the salt.  I promise.

Our recipe rally mission was to take a typically salty, crave-worthy dish and create a low-sodium version of it.  I chose sweet potato wedges since they are a current obsession of mine and I wanted to see if I, the lover of salt, would still like a salt-free version.  After seasoning the sweet potatoes with different combinations of herbs and spices (and doing a lot of taste testing- thank you husband!), I decided on not one, but two different versions that I just had to include.  One is a hot and spicy version, and one is a mixed herb version.   The cooling yogurt dip is also low-sodium and pairs beautifully with those savory little sweet potato wedges.  So easy, breezy, and totally low-so (haha, and no one will even know).

Serves 6, as a side

Ingredients:

For sweet potato wedges:

3-4 medium sized sweet potatoes, unpeeled
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp chili flakes
2 springs of rosemary, stems removed and chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1/2 tbsp dried (or fresh) oregano
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp corn starch
Olive oil

For yogurt dip:

1/2 cup greek yogurt (Fage 2%)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Slice sweet potatoes in even wedges (about 8 wedges per potato).

Generously brush each wedge with olive oil and a little sugar and a little corn starch (it helps them caramelize and get crispy).

Put the spices on one plate and the mixed herbs on another.

Rub half of the wedges (individually) in the spices and half of the wedges in the herb mixture.

Make sure that each wedge has ample spices or herbs covering it.

Place wedges on a baking sheet and spread out evenly.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then take the sheet out, rotate the wedges and return them to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until they start to brown.

Reduce the oven temperature to 200 degree F and bake for another 5 minutes, or until crispy.  Remove from oven to cool.

Meanwhile, scoop the yogurt into a small bowl and mix with lemon juice and most of the chives.  Garnish the top with the remaining chives.

Serve the sweet potato wedges with the lemon-chive yogurt dip.

Who knew low-so could taste so good?

Recipe (Re)creation: Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Sautéed Corn and Mushrooms

~ From top: close-up of the finished (re)creation, corn and mushroom sauté cooking,
plated corn and mushrooms sauté topped with bacon wrapped scallops ~

This bacon wrapped scallop (re)creation is loosely based on this recipe by Tyler Florence.  It is INCREDIBLY easy and has become one of my weeknight staples.  I use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon, but you can use either.  I also serve the scallops over sautéed mushrooms and corn because those happen to be two of my very favorite foods.  I typically eat this dish as a main course, but if you can find small-medium sized scallops they would make a great passed appetizer (without the corn and mushroom sauté).  Either way, you can't go wrong!

Serving size: 2

Ingredients:

6 medium/large scallops
3-4 strips turkey bacon, sliced in half lengthwise
3 ears of corn, cut off the cob
1 cup sliced white mushrooms
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
6 toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat broiler.

Wrap each scallop with 1/2 slice bacon and secure with a toothpick.  Place scallops in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside until oven is pre-heated.

Meanwhile, heat 1-2 tbsps in a large skillet.  Cook the mushrooms until tender.  Then add the corn and thyme and cook on low.  Remove from heat after 10 minutes.

Place scallops in the oven and cook 13-15 minutes, turning once.  Remove scallops from the broiler once the bacon is slightly crispy.

Scoop equal portions of the corn and mushroom sauté onto two plates and top with 3 scallops each.

Enjoy!

Recipe (Re)creation: Roasted Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce

~ From top: roasted eggplant,
close-up of (re)creation, finished and plated (re)creation ~

This is another recipe (re)creation from the Plenty cookbook, which has become a staple in my kitchen.  I highly recommend the cookbook- so many great recipes to choose from!  This recipe is incredibly easy and looks absolutely beautiful (almost too beautiful to eat).  Its a great starter that you can make for yourself any weeknight.  Its also sure to impress if you make it for a dinner party.  The elegant combination of the tender eggplant, creamy sauce, and garnish of pomegranate seeds is pretty ingenious.   Thank you chef Ottolenghi for creating this one!

Serves 4-5 as a starter

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp thyme leaves, plus a few whole sprigs to garnish

Maldon sea salt & black pepper

1 pomegranate

1 tsp za'atar (or dried oregano)

8 tbsp buttermilk

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 small garlic clove, crushed

pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise and make 4 cuts in the flesh of the eggplant in the shape of a diamond.  

Place the eggplant slices, cut-side up, on a baking sheet.  Brush them with olive oil and keep on brushing more oil on until the eggplant absorbs most of the oil.

Sprinkle the eggplant with thyme leaves and salt and pepper and roast for 35-40 minutes (or until flesh is soft and nicely browned).

Meanwhile cut the pomegranate and break it apart, releasing the seeds into a bowl.  Remove any bits of white skin from the pomegranate seeds.  

To make the sauce: whisk together all of the ingredients and keep cold until needed.

Serve each eggplant slice with a generous drizzle of buttermilk sauce, and garnish with za'atar, thyme and pomegranate seeds.  Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Enjoy!

Recipe (Re)creation: Mushroom Ragout with Poached Egg

~ From Top: Sautéed Mushrooms,
My Mushroom Ragout (Re)creation, Close-up ~

This recipe was not inspired by a restaurant, but rather by a wonderful cookbook that a dear friend recommended.  The cookbook is called Plenty and is written by London Chef Yotam Ottolenghi.  The cookbook is vegetarian (and I am not), but the dishes are savory enough that you don't even miss the meat.  I altered Ottolenghi's recipe by using chicken eggs rather than duck eggs, sage instead of parsley, vegetable stock (rather than the homemade version) and topped the dish with shredded parmesan.  Its the perfect cold-weather comfort food.  Enjoy!

Serving size: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 lb mixed mushrooms (oyster, cremini, shitake, etc)
• 1/2 lb sourdough bread, crusts removed
• 4 1/2 tbsps olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 2-4 eggs, depending on appetite ; )
• Vinegar, for poaching
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsps chopped tarragon
• 2 tbsps chopped sage
• Salt & pepper 

Directions:

-Soak dried porcini in 1 cup water and set aside for 30 minutes.

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and toss with 2 tbsps olive oil, crushed garlic and salt.

-Place bread on a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes, or until they start to brown.

-Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and heat on medium-high heat.

-Add mushrooms in batches, cooking for 2 minutes on each side, then remove and set aside when the mushrooms start to brown (add more olive oil as necessary).

-Pour white wine & vegetable broth into the same skillet.  

-Next, lift the porcini out of its soaking water (squeezing to remove excess water) and set aside with the other mushrooms.

-Pour the porcini water into the skillet with the broth & wine and add thyme and salt.

-Simmer the broth until it has reduced to about 1 cup (20 minutes) and remove from heat and set aside.

-To poach the eggs, fill a small saucepan with just enough water to cover an egg, add a splash of vinegar and bring to a boil.

-Crack an egg into a small cup and carefully pour into the boiling water.

-Immediately remove the pan from heat and let the egg "poach" for 5 minutes.

-Lift the egg out of the pan and place in a bowl of warm water.

-Repeat this process for each egg and once all the eggs are poached, dry them on a paper towel.

-Reheat the broth and add the mushrooms, sour cream, most of the chopped herbs and salt and pepper.

-Once the mushroom mixture is hot, divide the bread croutons on two plates and spoon the mushrooms ragout over the croutons evenly. 

-Top with 1-2 poaches eggs, the remaining herbs, and some freshly shaved parmesan to top it all off.

~Simply divine~