Arugula Walnut Pesto

When Otis takes his nap I, like clockwork, head to the Serious Eats Photograzing page to see what's cooking (pun intended).  Recently I came across a beautiful photo for a Spring Salad by A Little Zaftig.  The blog title piqued my interest and I went to her site to check out her recipes.  It's a great blog.   I was curious to see who A Little Zaftig follows, so I checked out her blogroll and came across Cookie+Kate.  That's where I found this recipe for Arugula Walnut Pesto.
The pesto recipe was originally posted by Elise of SimplyRecipes.  You might recall that I made her mücver (zucchini) fritters a few weeks ago.  She's an extremely talented cook.
Anyway, this recipe is seasonal and the pesto pairs perfectly with fresh pasta and some parmesan shavings.  I like making sauces that don't require a lot of flame time because my teeny-tiny kitchen starts to heats up around this time of year. 
A note on garlic: This recipe uses roasted garlic which is a great way to keep the garlic flavor without the garlic-intensity that you can sometimes find in pesto.  

Arugula Walnut Pesto Recipe (Courtesy of Elise at Simply Recipes by way of Cookie+Kate)
Yields 1 heaping cup
Ingredients
2 cups of packed arugula leaves, stems removed
1/2 cup of shelled walnuts
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled (I went with 5 cloves)
1/2 garlic clove peeled and minced (I left this out)
1/2 teaspoon salt 
Directions
Brown 6 garlic cloves with their peels on in a skillet over medium high heat until the garlic is lightly browned in places, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan, cool, and remove the skins.
Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown.
Food processor method (the fast way): Combine the arugula, salt, walnuts, roasted and raw garlic into a food processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese OR
Mortar and pestle method (the slower way): Combine the nuts, salt and garlic in a mortar. With the pestle, grind until smooth. Add the cheese and olive oil, grind again until smooth. Finely chop the arugula and add it to the mortar. Grind up with the other ingredients until smooth.

Because the pesto is so dependent on the individual ingredients, and the strength of the ingredients depends on the season or variety, test it and add more of the ingredients to taste.  I ended up adding a pinch more salt and omitting the raw, minced (not roasted) garlic all together.
Serve with pasta, over freshly roasted potatoes, roasted tomatoes or as a sauce for pizza. 

Ina's Chilled Cucumber Soup

Memorial Day Weekend has been jam packed---and it's not even halfway over. Last night we went to the wedding of two very close friends. It was so much fun and I had an absolute blast. There was tons of dancing, and even though I'm 7 months pregnant with our second son, I got down on the dance floor. Seriously, down.  I managed to stave off the tears at the ceremony and chupah, but the tears started coming down (without abatement) during the groom's speech. They couldn't be stopped. There was so much laughing and crying (from laughing so hard)...it was just one of those wonderful nights and one terrific wedding.  
The bride was gorgeous, the reunion with old friends was wonderful, meeting friends-of-friends I had heard so much about was fantastic, the venue was beautiful (with stunning views of the NYC skyline), the drinks were flowing (many Manhattans for my husband; a small glass of champagne for me),  the food was great and don't get me started on the floral arrangements (to-die-for).  The night was truly wonderful.  

The wedding, which was still going on when we left well after midnight, was followed by a brunch this morning.  After rehashing the wedding, sharing stories about men in speedos and European vacations, we all wished the happy couple a bon voyage as they set out for a Mediterranean honeymoon.  

Now between the wedding, the brunch and a BBQ later this evening, I haven't been doing much cooking. But I do have to put something together for a Governor's Island picnic tomorrow. And I don't have a ton of time.
I decided to go with a chilled soup instead of something hot. It is, after all, over 90 degrees in NYC with humidity that must be like, 99 percent. I confess that I am not a meteorologist, but this feels like the hottest summer I have ever experienced. Shvitzfest, 2011 for sure.
This soup is so easy to make (all you need is a big bowl and a food processor) and it's big on flavor. The flavor of fresh dill, the sharp bite of red onions and the refreshing coolness of the cucumber meld together perfectly in the Greek yogurt. The fresh lemon juice (introduced just before serving) really makes the soup pop!
It's an easy solution for all your early summer picnics!  Enjoy. And have a wonderful holiday weekend. 


Chilled Cucumber Soup (Courtesy of Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics)
Serves 6

• 3 (7 ounce) containers Greek yogurt
• 1 cup half-and-half (I went with between 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup)
• 2 hothouse cucumbers, unpeeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion (I may go with 1/4 cup next time)
• 6 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt (start with 3)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
• Thin slices of lemon, halved, for garnish
• Fresh dill, for garnish

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yogurt, half-and-half, cucumbers, red onion, scallions, salt, and pepper. Transfer the mixture in batches to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the cucumbers are coarsely pureed and then pour into another bowl. Continue processing the soup until all of it is pureed. Fold in the dill, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until very cold.
Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice. Serve chilled, garnished with lemon, and fresh dill.
In the original recipe, Ina adds 3/4 cup of cooked, halved shrimp. I left it out.

5Pointz, Long Island City, Queens and Pizza Margherita

On the day the world was supposed to end (May 21, 2011), we decided to go to Queens.  I really wanted to check out 5Pointz-- a graffiti project on the facade of a 200,000 square foot factory building in Long Island City.   It's a cool spot and it's worth a visit.  The installation is about 2 blocks away from PS1, so you can make an 'art day' out of it.  

At 5Pointz, artists get permits to "tag" and paint- it's completely legal.  But the work is ephemeral.  Most work only lasts a few weeks before it is painted over.  The really good stuff lasts a bit longer.  Below are a few shots we took that day. 

Note:  I take all the photographs on this blog but there are some exceptions in this post.  My husband was designated "artistic director" and he took my favorite one of Otis from our outing.  Our friend Andrew also came along and he took the pictures of our growing family.  (Andrew is a very talented modern classical composer and he's working on a piece called Otis! How cool is that?!)

Since we were going to be in Queens, we decided a pilgrimage to Jackson Heights' Delhi Palace was in order.  After Indian buffet, the graffiti exhibit and a stop by McCarren Park playground, we came back home.  It was a nice New York City weekend and nothing would cap it off better than some homemade pizza.  I was craving a DiFara style pie but, not wanting to wait 2 plus hours, decided to make it myself by adapting a recipe I saw in Saveur. 

Here's a culinary tip for pizza that I caught on an Alton Brown show:  

When using high-quality, fresh mozzarella, slice the cheese into 1/4 inch rounds.  Place the cheese in between 2 paper towels.  Put a plate on top of the covered cheese and weigh it down for 20 minutes.  You can use a large can of tomatoes or some other canned product for the weight.  This will get the moisture out of the cheese so you don't have puddles on your pizza!   It's delicious! 

 

One of my favorite picture from our 5Pointz adventure.  Taken by my husband (MJB).

 

Courtesy of MJB

Courtesy of MJB

Courtesy of MJB.

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Pizza Margherita (Adapted from Saveur Magazine's adaptation of Tony Germignani's recipe for Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco)

Yields 2 11-inch personal pies

Ingredients

1 ball of dough (I purchased a ball of pizza dough from Union Market.   It was excellent.  Another good option-- your local pizza shop.  Many will sell you a ball of dough for a buck or two.)

Extra-virgin olive oil

San Marzano tomato sauce (recipe follows)

One large ball of mozzarella di buffala (it's expensive but worth it)

Basil leaves

salt and pepper

Directions

Remove dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.  Put a pizza stone on the lowest rack in the oven and heat oven to 500 degrees; heat for at least 40 minutes.  Working with 1 piece of dough at a time (I divided my ball into two), dust with flour; using your hands, stretch and shape dough into a 11-13 inch circle.  Transfer dough to a sheet of parchment paper or an oiled pizza mesh(I use the mesh).  Drizzle oil around rim of the dough.  Spoon about 1/2 cup tomato sauce onto dough leaving 1/2 - 3/4 inch border. (Original recipe had 1/4 cup of sauce on the dough.  I used more.)  Season with salt.

Arrange mozzarella di buffala evenly over pizza.  Drizzle pizza with more oil.

Using a pizza paddle or grasping the edges of the parchment paper, transfer pizza to pizza stone.  (I used a pizza paddle.)

Bake until golden brown, about 13 minutes.  Keep you eye on the pizza.  One Saveur commenter noted that his pizza was ready in 8 minutes.  Our oven took 12-13 minutes and it was perfect.

Slide pizza back onto the paddle and transfer to a work surface.  Top with basil, drizzle with more olive oil, if you like (and I do!), and put the pizza back on the stone for 1 minute.  Remove pizza from oven.  Slice.  

Repeat with remaining dough and toppings.  Reserve remaining sauce for another use, such as pasta. 

Basic Tomato Sauce (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, inspired by 101 Cookbooks)

Ingredients

2 tablespoon butter or olive oil

2 large shallots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 clove garlic, chopped
A couple glugs red wine
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
1 15-ounce can pureed tomatoes
A handful of julienned basil (optional)
Zest of one lemon (optional)

Directions

Melt butter in saucepan over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Add shallots, red pepper flakes, salt, and garlic sauteing them together for a few minutes until the shallots are translucent and beginning to color.  Add the red wine, letting it sizzle and cook down slightly, then the whole and pureed tomatoes. Breaking the whole tomatoes up with a wooden spoon, let the sauce simmer for a few minutes.  Season to taste.  I used an immersion blender to puree the sauce, but if you like a thicker texture, leave it as is. 

Martha's Linguine with Asparagus and Egg

For those of you who regularly read Sparrows & Spatulas you might recall that four of us recently started a 'Dinner Club.'  The ball was in my court for the first meal and I prepared:
Starter soup: Heidi Swanson's Cauliflower Soup with Mustard Croutons
Side dish: Heidi Swanson's Wild Rice Casserole
Main dish: Spanakopita with Tzatziki Sauce
Dessert: Our guests brought an Almond Cake from Sweet Melissa in Cobble Hill. Yum. 
The second installation of the 'Dinner Club' was last weekend and my best friend and his husband (my friend too) were in charge of the menu. They really out did themselves and the meal was delicious!
We settled on a Saturday dinner-- early bird, 5:30 p.m. That's pretty much how I roll these days unless I am entertaining at my place. Otis really has to be in his crib by 9. And, not wanting to rush dinner conversation and eating, we all decided it was better to get an early start.
While my son was distracted by chasing an adorable elderly cat named Claudia (she's fine being publicly identified), we sat down to a lovely decorated table with great chairs (I'm having home decor envy in case you can't tell). We dined on linguine pasta, blanched asparagus and a fried egg. Brian served the dish with a side of absolutely amazing hollandaise sauce. Few things go better with asparagus than hollandaise! And you really can't go wrong when you pair pasta with a runny egg. Brian also prepared a citrus-herbed garbanzo bean side dish which had really great flavor. For dessert I brought the Lemon Yogurt Cake with Lemon Glaze (blogged about here). 
Wondering what we did to quench our thirst? Homemade (and I believe an original recipe) of Fresh Berry Limeade. It was a great way to spend the evening.

Here are a few notes and adaptations on this recipe:
1. The market I went to didn't have thin or "pencil" asparagus so I bought regular (thick) asparagus. A few days later I saw the kind I was looking for...I should have waited. I think that the high quality, uber thin, seasonal asparagus is the way to go with this recipe.
2. You can use dry pasta but I think fresh pasta is a better choice. It cooks quickly and tastes better.
3. Salt and pepper are important seasonings in this dish. Actually, they are the only seasonings, so be generous with your pinches.
4. Brian fried an egg, sunny-side up, in butter instead of poaching it. I think both work. Be sure to keep the yolk runny.
5. A side of hollandaise sauce really compliments the dish. The original recipe didn't have it. I would definitely add it. I typed up a simple recipe for hollandaise from "The Joy of Cooking."
I'm looking forward to our third meal together. I've been flipping through back copies of Saveur Magazine in search of the perfect recipes. Feel free to submit suggestions in the comments section :)
Until then, Bon Appetit!

Martha's Linguine with Asparagus and Egg (Courtesy of Martha Stewart, Brian's adaptations are listed above.)

• Ingredients
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3/4 pound linguine or fettuccine (I like fresh pasta for this recipe and I would go with linguine.  Fettuccine is too thick.) 
• 1 large bunch thin asparagus (1 pound), ends trimmed, halved lengthwise
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1/2 ounce), plus more for serving (optional)
• 4 large eggs

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions, adding the asparagus in the last minute of cooking. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid; drain pasta and asparagus and return to pot along with butter and Parmesan. Toss until butter is melted, adding enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta.
2. While pasta is cooking, in a large straight-sided skillet, heat 2 inches water over medium until a few bubbles rise to the top. Crack each egg into a small bowl and gently pour into skillet. Cook until whites are set and yolks are runny, 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  (See adaptation above.)
3. To serve, divide pasta among four bowls, top each serving with an egg, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan if desired.

   

   

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   Hollandaise Sauce (Courtesy of The Joy of Cooking)

   Yields 1 cup
   Place in the top of a double boiler or in a large stainless-steel bowl set up as a double boiler:
   3 large egg yolks
   1 1/2 tablespoons cold water
   Off the heat, whisk the egg mixture until it becomes light and frothy. Place the top of the double boiler or the bowl over- not in- barely simmering water and continue to whisk until the eggs are thickened, 2-4 minutes, being careful not to let the eggs get too hot (or they will scramble). Remove the pan or bowl from over the water and whisk to slightly cool mixture.
   Whisking constantly, very slowly add 1/2 cup warm (not hot) clarified butter, 1069
   Whisk in:
   1 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
   Salt and ground white pepper to taste
   If the sauce is too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water. Serve immediately or keep the sauce warm for up to 30 minutes by placing bowl in warm water.

A Perfect Marriage: Mücver Fritters with Tzatziki Sauce

I've been having a wee-little craving for fritters, patties, latkes if you will.  Cauliflower and cumin fritters, quinoa patties and curried sweet potato latkes have already been featured on Sparrows and Spatulas.  Here is one more patty to add to the growing repertoire: zucchini fritters!  Zucchini, a summer squash, peaks between May and July, and I've seen them around the market recently.    
In Turkey these are called Mücver.  Across the Aegean Sea in Greece they are known by a more cumbersome name,  Kolokithokeftedes (say that five times fast!).  Wherever you are from and whatever you call them, these are simple to make and they are delicious.  The patties contain zucchini, flour, eggs, dill, salt, scallions and cheese.  They can be paired with roasted potatoes or a small salad.  You can also serve them as an appetizer.  Whenever we have a surplus of zucchinis in our CSA share I make these for dinner.  
Wanna make these babies pop?  Just top them with a dollop of tzatziki, which is a Greek yogurt sauce with cucumber, garlic, salt, pepper and sometimes dill and lemon juice (recipe follows).
My other favorite use for zucchini: zucchini and basil soup. 

Mücver Fritters (Adapted from Everyday Food by way of  Elise at Simply Recipes)

Yields about 8 medium-large fritters

Ingredients

1 lb of zucchini (about 2 medium sized), coarsely grated (I go with finely grated)

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

1 large egg

2 scallions, finely chopped

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup grape seed oil or olive oil (I used a lot less. It's just for frying so I did a light pan fry.)

Optional: I add about 2-3 tablespoons of grumbled feta (I don't think the Turks put Feta in their fritters so this may change the patties to Kolokithokoftedes.)

Sour cream or plain yoghurt (I pair it with a Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows)

Directions

1 Salt the zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Try to remove the excess moisture from the zucchini by either squeezing the liquid out with a potato ricer, or by squeezing with paper towels. (Original recipe: putting the zucchini in a colander set in the sink and let it drain for 10 minutes after salting it. I grate the zucchini, place it in a bowl and use a cheese cloth to remove excess moisture.)

2 Whisk egg in a large bowl; add the zucchini, flour, scallions, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix to combine well.  Add feta (optional but highly recommended by yours truly). 

3 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook fritters in two batches. Drop six mounds of batter (2-3 Tbsp each) into the skillet. Flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, until browned, 4-6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve immediately, with sour cream or plain yogurt on the side.  

My preference: Whip up some tzatziki and use some seasonal cucumbers. 

Tzatziki: Greek Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce (Adapted from Kayln's Kitchen)  

Yields about 3 1/2 cups. You can easily halve this recipe.

Ingredients

3 cups Greek Yogurt

juice of one lemon (about 3 T)

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced

about 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers

1 T finely chopped fresh dill 

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.) Slice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel. (I sometimes skip this step because I don't mind a tzatziki that is more liquidy.)

In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time lets flavors meld together.)

This will keep for a few days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.

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On a totally unrelated note, look what started to sprout this morning! My herb garden is starting to come together... albeit slowly...