week knight: cheesy broccoli

this is one of my flavorite new week knight meals. a week knight is an easy dish that saves you if you didn't plan, and just have 30 minutes before bedtime and two ingredients in the fridge. in this case the two ingredients are broccoli and some leftover cheese (of any sort). parmesan, cheddar, Beecher's...you really can't go wrong. i originally made this broccoli as a side dish to lemon chicken pasta, although, in all honestly, the broccoli was so tasty that I snacked until I had eaten the whole broccoli batch before anything else was done cooking. so now, i cut out the middle man and go straight for the good stuff. think of this as a hot salad covered in crispy melted cheese and tangy lemon juice, with just enough substance to be the whole meal deal. if you've been on the hunt for a new, go-to week knight, this is it. adapted from this bon appetit contributor who says, "This Cheesy, Crispy Broccoli Skillet Might Be the Best Thing I’ve Ever Made." believe her. and believe me. who knew stovetop broccoli could turn into a dream come true??? don't delay, make it this week knight and don't ever look back.  plus because it's veg, you'll feel great about this choice being a meatless mainstay for Monday or any day of the week.  for short you can call this dish brocco cheese, broccoli deligh, broccoli d or broccoli deeze or BD or just b-deeze. you know b? you know b-deeze? 

if you're not convinced it can work as a standalone meal, some other thought starters to get you acquainted:
-add on top of any of your favorite pasta dishes for some green (mixed into TJ's pappardelle with roast chicken & parm)
-put atop your adult mac n cheese
-stir into your fave soup for some char and cheesiness (I added to plain matzo ball soup & it was fab)
-serve as a side dish to any favorite meal

the skillet in all of it's glory.

broccoli d in matzo ball soup

broccoli d with beecher's mac & chicken

broccoli d with pappardelle & bolognese

Broccoli Delight / Broccoli D / Broccoli Deeze / BDeeze

Recipe (adapted from Cheesy Broccoli Skillet)

1 lb broccoli (precut florets or floreted broccoli heads)

8 cloves garlic (chopped)

olive oil

a lemon

salt to taste (probably a handful)

crushed red pepper flakes

Add a generous coating of olive oil to a preheated cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, then add the broccoli (try to arrange the cut sides down), season with salt and chili flakes. Let cook, undisturbed, until the undersides are dark brown and the florets are bright green, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic. Toss everything around and let the broccoli cook a few minutes longer, until the new undersides take on some color and the stems are crisp-tender, another 5 minutes or so (but taste one to find out). 

While that's happening, crumble about 4 ounces of cheddar (or your other favorite melting cheese) into ½” pieces, then sprinkle them over the broccoli. The cheese will immediately melt and some will start to drip down into the spots between the florets and onto the hot surface of the pan. Whatever lands there will bubble and brown into cheese sheets. The rest of the cheese will softly melt onto the florets without getting crispy, and that’s just what you want. One cheese, two textures.

Christmas Candies: Salted Whiskey Caramels, Seafoam & Salted Honey Chocolate Bark

bourbon caramels & seafoam candy

salted honey & chocolate bark

SALTED BOURBON CARAMELS (from Bon Appetit)

INGREDIENTS
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons bourbon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

INSTRUCTIONS
Lightly coat an 8x8” baking pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2” overhang on 2 sides; spray parchment.

Bring sugar, corn syrup, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture turns a deep amber color, 8–10 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and whisk in sweetened condensed milk and butter (mixture will bubble vigorously) until smooth. Fit pan with thermometer and return to medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until thermometer registers 240°.
Remove from heat and whisk in bourbon and kosher salt. Pour into prepared pan; let cool. Sprinkle caramel with sea salt, cut into ¾” pieces, and wrap individually in parchment paper.

DO AHEAD: Caramels can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store wrapped tightly in plastic in airtight container at room temperature.


SEAFOAM

INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1 Cup Dark Corn Syrup

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine sugar, corn syrup and vinegar over medium heat, stirring until sugar melts.
2. Cook without stirring until very brittle . Remove from heat.
3. Stir baking soda in completely and quickly.
4. Pour onto well greased large pan (cookie sheet) when hard, break into pieces and coat with chocolate or other coating.


SALTED HONEY & CHOCOLATE BARK (Recipe from Bon Appetit)

INGREDIENTS
12 oz. saltine or Ritz crackers
1 cup sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
½ cup dried tart cherries or sweetened dried cranberries
2 tablespoons coffee beans, crushed
¼ cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons roasted cacao nibs
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°. Using your hands, coarsely crumble crackers onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toast in oven until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and let crackers cool.

Meanwhile, heat sugar, honey, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Fit saucepan with thermometer and cook, whisking frequently, until thermometer registers 300°, 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda (mixture will bubble vigorously). Quickly pour mixture over crackers, spreading to coat evenly. Let cool completely.

Drizzle chocolate over cooled crackers; immediately top with cherries, coffee beans, hazelnuts, and cacao nibs and sprinkle with salt. Chill until chocolate is hardened, at least 10 minutes. Break bark into pieces.

DO AHEAD: Bark can be made 3 days ahead. Wrap tightly and keep chilled.

Superfood Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 carrots

2 beets

2 apples

(Shred all of the above in food processor with grating attachment, or you can slice all of the above thinly using a mandolin)

1 bunch broccoli (finely chop florets)

1-2 bunches kale (chopped finely)
1/4 cup roasted & salted sunflower seeds (shelled)
1 avocado, cut into cubes

Dressing:

Juice of 2 lemons

6 finely chopped garlic cloves

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

Thai Quinoa Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

Thai Quinoa Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

Ingredients

• ¾ cup uncooked quinoa

• 1-2 cups shredded red cabbage

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• ½ red onion, diced

• 1 cup shredded carrots

• ½ cup chopped cilantro

• ¼ cup diced green onions

• ½ cup cashew halves or peanuts(honey or dry roasted are good)

• Fresh lime, for a bit of tang

• For the dressing:

• ¼ cup all natural peanut butter

• 1 shallot, chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 1 tablespoon honey (use agave if vegan)

• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

To cook quinoa: Rinse quinoa with cold water in mesh strainer. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Add in quinoa and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the water. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; place in large bowl and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. You should have a little over 2 cups of quinoa.
To make dressing: Add peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, shallot, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, and both sesame and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. 
Next fold in red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, and cilantro into the quinoa. Garnish with cashews and green onions. Serve chilled or at room temperature with lime wedges if desired.

ligurian focaccia

this focaccia was reminiscent of what is served in cinque terre. before walking the five towns, we filled our backpacks with each flavor of focaccia from the bakery and off we went on the day's journey by the sea. for this batch, i tried half red onion and half large-flaked sea salt.

the rising dough.

ligurian focaccia (red onion & sea salt)

cinque terre.

LIGURIAN FOCACCIA
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast / 7 gram or 1/4 oz. packet
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (optional)

Place yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Cover with warm water and stir.  Let stand 10 minutes, until the yeast has developed.  You'll know if the yeast is ready when the top of the mixture turns foamy.  Add the olive oil to the yeast mixture and stir. Combine salt and flour.  Slowly stir in yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. Knead the dough 2-3 minutes on a floured work surface.  Shape the dough into a ball and place into an oiled bowl.  Cover with a towel and leave to rise for 2 hours in a warm spot. 

Lightly oil a cookie sheet.  Once dough has risen for the full two hours, roll out the dough on your oiled cookie sheet.  Pat dough slightly into desired shape.  Use the handle end of a wooden spoon to poke dough in rows (prevents bubbling), pokes should be 2-3 inches apart.  Let rise for another hour and bake in a 450 degree oven for 15-25 minutes.

holy hot basil

delicious with a runny fried egg on top. excellent for dinner parties, total cooking time is ~7 minutes.

holy hot basil
[neua pat bai grapao]

10 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
8 bird's eye chilies, chopped
pinch of salt
1/2 cup fish sauce
2 tbsp white sugar
1/4 cup stock or water
2 large handfuls of holy basil
ground pork or chopped beef
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs

Serve w/ steamed thai sticky rice [thai glutinous rice]

Preparation
Coarsely chop garlics with chilies & salt.
Heat a oiled wok over high heat, add in 2 tbsp vegetable oil, fry two eggs until just cooked & yolks still runny, spoon oil over the top to ensure top is cooked well. Lift eggs out & set aside.

Add remaining 2 tbsp of oil to wok.  Once oil is hot, add in garlic, chili & salt mixture.  Stir fry quickly, don't allow the garlic to brown.  Add in the beef or pork and stir fry until just cooked through.  Add in the fish sauce, fish sauce & sugar to your taste.  Add stock or water and simmer quickly.  Add in the holy basil, once wilted remove dish from heat.  

Serve with thai sticky rice & top holy hot basil dish with one fried egg.  

claussen cousins

my love affair with Claussen Kosher Dills goes way back. my Aunt Janelle is to thank for introducing me to these and she is, quite possibly, the pickle fairy. the day i had my first Claussen KD was a fabulous day in my little Laura life. i was about 5 years old, and was hanging out with Alonna, i snapped straight into that tangy vinegared delight and I never once looked back. 

between '89 and '93 if you had asked Alonna or I, we would have both placed Claussen pickles on our top-three foods list. Her other top contenders were 1. ice cream and 2. popcorn. The best part is that we used to fight over who got the biggest pickle.  funny? yes. a joke? no.

pickles 

claussen cousins

pickles part deux 

budding pickle enthusiasts + fair hair

the claussen clones were super easy to make, crispy and delicious. of course, i'll always still keep a jar of the real thing in the fridge.

CLAUSSEN DILL PICKLE CLONES
1 lb cucumbers
1/3 cup minced onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/2 cup fresh dill
1 1/2 quarts water
2 cups cider vinegar
1/2 cup canning salt


Slice cucumbers lengthwise into quarters; add to sterilized jars along with the dill. Boil liquids and seasonings to dissolve the salt & then cool the mixture. Pour over pickles and seal lids and refrigerate.They can keep for up to a year.