PESTO!

Just in case you have basil coming out of your ears or your farm share and you don’t already have a pesto recipe… Here’s how I make PESTO!. I haven’t actually measured out my pesto ingredients in years, so when I made it this week, it was a fun exercise to measure, record, and compare to the recipe my mom gave me years ago, when I left for college. Another fun part of digging out my recipe was discovering that my Aunt Elly taught my mother to make pesto via a note written on the card. A food processor or blender makes this a dream. But making PESTO! can be done via mortar and pestle as well. In fact, that’s how it got its name. 2 cups fresh basil leaves (gently packed if you’re serious about measuring, or two big handfuls) ¼ cup pine nuts ½ cup fresh parmigiano reggiano cut into small pieces (or grated if you’re making it by hand) 2-4 cloves of garlic ½ cup olive oil 1 + teaspoons sea salt extra parm and pine nuts for garnish 1 pound spaghetti Put a big pot of salted water on the stove to boil. Wash and dry the … Continue reading

Ottolenghi Fave: Grilled Zucchini and Basil Salad

One of the most inspirational cookbooks I’ve purchased in the past few years was Ottolenghi’s Plenty and one of my favorite recipes in the whole gorgeous book is An Ottolenghi Fave: Grilled Zucchini and Basil Salad. I love to make it deep in the Summer as an alternative to Caprese. Plenty is a vegetarian cookbook full of gorgeous vegetable centered dishes. I’ve enjoyed many of the recipes or used them as inspiration to create my own veggie-centric dishes. I have to say, the only downside is some of the recipes do seem particularly well-tested, but in terms of brilliant ideas, Plenty can’t be beat. And this particular recipe is perfect and ready to go, especially in the summer. The genius of this Ottolenghi Fave: Grilled Zucchini and Basil Salad is recognizing that basil is so delicious and abundant in July and August that there’s no reason to use it as an herb or an adornment. Skip the lettuce altogether and eat more basil in my Ottolenghi Fave: Grilled Zucchini and Basil Salad. It doesn’t hurt to add a special cheese like the pepper laced pecorino I have pictured above and lots of crunchy toasted hazelnuts. If you have the luxury … Continue reading

Chicken, Veggie and Quinoa Bowl

My dear friend Molly recently asked for this recipe.  She likes to eat at Protein Bar in Chicago for quick, healthy lunches; her favorite is their Healthy Parm and she wanted advice on how to make it at home. While I’ve never been myself, next time I’m in Chicago, I hope to stop in and see how this dish stacks up against its inspiration. To stay true to Molly’s request, I kept the grilled chicken, but I’m sure it would be equally good with grilled shrimp. Marc and I have been eating it with toasted chickpeas and pine nuts to keep it vegetarian. I make the tomatoes and caponata in bulk on Sundays and then we can eat it for lunches or quick weeknight dinners until it runs out. Hint: it never makes it until Friday. Molly, this one’s for you! Caponata Roasted tomatoes 8 boneless skinless thighs or breasts (I like the dark meat) ½ pound parmigiano reggiano, grana padano, piave or other hard, salty, nutty Italian cheese (when I use cheese as a garnish like this, I buy just a little and use the really good, somewhat expensive stuff- it’s the big flavor of the dish) quinoa Marinade: … Continue reading