Posting on Small Bites These Days!

I've been spending most of my days writing up my blog posts for Seasonal Chef on Small Bites. This week I created a couple of ramp-a-licious dishes you simply must try out.

Travel over to Small Bites to read my latest story about Ramps being the Harbinger of Spring.


Using ramps I created two dishes:

Pickled Ramps with Vegetables

and Ramp Pesto Pasta with Charred Tomatoes.

For the Month of May you can find me demoing at the Chappaqua Farmers Market on May 4th and at the Bronxville Farmers Market on May 11th.

Buon Appetito!

Cecina, a special flatbread from Italy

Working on this post brought back many wonderful memories of my time in Italy. I lived there for six months between the Fall of 2007 and Spring of 2008, as part of my culinary training. The road to cooking full time is a question I am asked frequently at demos and during cooking classes.

Lange Valley, Piedmonte

Most of my adult life up until 2007 was working in retail management and then human resources. I started off as a dancer just out of college, but me plus thousands of other dancers in NYC did not equal steady work. About a year and half after graduating I got a Christmas temp job at Macy's and my path changed. After working my way (slightly) up the ladder there I jumped to Banana Republic and then to Tiffany's. The Tiffany job lead me to Michigan were I was running a small store. It was challenging times for the auto industry back then (when isn't it?) and after the store downsized I decided a move back to NYC was the sensible thing to do. I landed pretty quickly at Brooks Brothers in the Human Resource department and worked my way through all of the disciplines: labor relations (my favorite), training, and compensation. From there a jump to Sony Corporation I thought would be were I would stay for a long time (I loved the company); however, after September 11th I found myself downsized once again. Short stints with a software company and a now defunct hospital as Vice President of HR lead me to my final human resource position (nearly 22 years later) as head of human resources for the handbag line Le Sportsac. I pretty much thought I found my dream job once again, but between the intensity of consolidating their manufacturing off shore while the company was sold to a large conglomerate, trying to fit the square peg into the round hole of the new owner, plus my own emotional roller coaster of a perinatal loss very late in our pregnancy, I decided in the spring of 2007 I was done.

Polenta sulla Spinatora (Polenta on a Board with Wild Boar Ragu)

Cooking is a thread that has run through the course of my life since I was 13 or 14. Even as a little baby (I've been told) I was mesmerized by things in the kitchen. When I was old enough to reach the stove I wanted to cook. I cooked all through High School for my family, in college for my apartment mates and beyond. Never, ever complaining that it was a chore. I truly loved it. (still do!) When Larry and I began living together I started doing my epic dinner parties for our very close friends, sit down as everyone was eating surveying the table of food I created listening to our friends, contently realizing that my life is pretty freaking awesome.

Slow Food Headquarters in Bra, Italy

So back in 2007 being completely burnt out and disillusioned with my career, which by the way had pretty much hit the pinnacle, I found myself looking at the world of food from a different lens.  Initially it was just going to be a few summer classes to reenergize myself, then head back to a new corporate job - but that's not exactly what happened. I signed on to, at the time, a relatively new program at the International Culinary Center and within a matter of months I left Le Sportsac and found myself on a plane for Italy. A new path spread out in front of me. It was hard being away from Larry, Elinor, my family and friends, but in the end so worth all the sacrifice. I blogged about my time in Italy which helped me feel closer to everyone while I was away. I can say with great resolve that I am happier now that I have ever been with my career. I cook all the time, I teach recreational cooking classes at Tarry Market and privately, I cater and I write. I have lots of balls in the air all the time, and I love it.

Cinque Terre, Italy

When the idea of a flatbread story came up I remembered eating something in Italy that was quite tasty with Larry, on one of his visits. We were in Liguria, on the coast, one of the Cinque Terre towns. Honestly I can't remember which, as we hit all five. In any case, the dish  was called Farinata di Ceci. Translated it means "made of chick pea flour."  It originated in Genova and traveled outwards from there. You might also find it called "Cecina" or "Socca" depending on which village you come to.

I wanted to recreate this interesting dish for you and went on a search for recipes. I'll be honest and say it did take me a couple of tries, and the final version, which turned out perfectly, was right on my cookbook shelf! As I searched I found many recipes and version mostly in Italian and metric; however, I found the best and simplest one in Mark Bittman's book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

You basically whisk water into the flour along with some salt, pepper and olive oil. Let it hang out on the counter for a few hours.

In my trial and error I found the perfect size pan for this recipe is a 12" non-stick pizza pan easily found at the grocery store. The one I got at Stop and Shop was about $6.00.

In Mark's recipe he suggests rosemary and onions, but I went for just thyme. This dish can be eaten plain or topped with just about anything you can think of. I made this dish for the Small Bites Blogger Dinner a few weeks ago. We each brought a dish and Liz shared several of the recipes in her post. I wanted to make it a little more robust, so I topped it with butternut squash which I simply tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted for 10 minutes at 450. After it cooled I drizzled it with Vincotto, which I love using.

After my cecina is finished cooking I brushed a little vincotto over the top, and broiled for a few minutes.

I was thinking that this dish needed one other thing to pull it together  so a quick check of the 'fridge yielded a bunch of rainbow chard which I quickly made into a pesto.

This is my finished dish, but you can really just eat these plain or with a nice grating of Parmigianno cheese. They are delicious with just about any topping.

The next time you are in the mood for a snack or appetizer that is just a little bit different and completely Italian give this a try ... I think you will really like it!

Buon appetito!!

Cecina (slightly adapted from a Mark Bittman recipe)
Serves 4-6

1 cup of chick pea flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, roughly chopped

Place flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and slow whisk in 1 1/2 cups of warm water. Once it’s all combined whisk in the oil. Cover the bowl with a towel and set on the counter for a while … up to 12 hours if you choose. 

Preheat the oven to 45o degrees and spray a non-stick 12” pizza pan with vegetable spray. Just before pouring the batter into the pan whisk in the thyme, and scraping up any flour that has settled to the bottom of the bowl. I found it easier to place the pan in the oven and then carefully pour the batter in, it’s a little less messy. 

Bake for about 10-15 minutes. The flatbread should be slighlty firm to the touch. Remove from oven and turn on the boiler. Brush the cecina with a little vincotto and place under the broiler for a couple of minutes. 

Cool slightly and carefully remove from the pan to a rack. When it’s cool enough to handle cut in wedges and serve plain or with any topping you desire.
 

Chard Pesto
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

½ cup pine nuts, toasted and cooled
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 bunch of Rainbow Chard, roughly chopped
1 -2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ cup grated Pecorino-Romano chees
1 Lemon, zested and juiced
Kosher Salt and Freshly Grated Black Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Place the pine nuts, chard and garlic in a food processor. Pulse 5 or 6 times to break it all up.  Add the cheese, lemon and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. With the machine running slowly drizzle the olive oil in until the pesto comes together and is the consistency you like; about ½ to ¾ cup. Taste again for seasoning.

Cooks note: If you end up with leftovers freeze it in an ice cube tray and place in a zip lock bag.

With Rosh Hashanah just around the corner I was thinking it might be interesting for me to tie a traditional dish to my post this week. Let me first say that I am not Jewish, but have attended a fair amount of seders in my lifetime thanks in part to some wonderful friends and family members. After a quick call to my friend Peter Green I almost immediately settled on the idea of re-imagining the dish Tzimmes. The main ingredient of this dish is carrot, and right now the Farmers Markets are teeming with them. Bright big and beautiful white, red and orange taproots.

Carrots have made an appearances in a few of my previous posts: as part of my CSA box and also a supporting character for my Fabulous Fava recipe.

As I noodled around the internet  this week reading about carrots I found a few interesting tidbits I thought would be fun to pass along. I was fascinated to read that unlike most vegetables carrots are so much better for you if you cook them. Eating them raw is still nutritous, but cooking added more nutrients nearly 10 fold!

Carrots were first cultivated for medicinal purposes and then for eating. It seems from some accounts this glorious food originated in the Middle East and traveled off to the Mediterranean. Carrots are high in Beta-Carotene and Vitamins A (for vision), C & K. They are low in sodium and carbohydrates, high in fiber and have zero fat or cholesterol.

One trivia website I read said that eating 3 carrots can give you enough energy to walk 3 miles. (Really? Perhaps I need to try that!) Another bit of information I found said that the high level of Potassium found in carrots can help keep muscle cramps to a minimum while working out. Definitely something I need to keep in mind when doing Pilates!

Let's get back to the topic at hand: cooking up this magnificent SUPER food! Boiling is definitely an option. These little "Thumbalina's" above took no time at all. After a quick peel I blanched them for about 4-5 minutes in boiling salted water. These little gems are so delicious and sweet. Perfect on their own, or tossed with a little olive oil and white wine vinegar.

A quick pan roast is always an easy way to cook them too. Simply peel and toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size. Just before serving sprinkle with a little more olive oil and lemon to brighten them up, plus a pinch or two of salt and pepper.

The tops are completely edible as well. You want to look for healthy bright leaves. Remove them from the taproot and give them a really good wash in cool running water and then place the ends in a glass of water to perk up the stems and leaves. I made a quick pesto out of these leaves and mixed  it to pasta with some cooked carrots. (Recipe is below.) A really nice alternative to the typical basil pesto.

This week my creativity was out of control, thanks in part to a trip to the Chappaqua Farmers Market. I knew that I needed honey and carrots for my dish, so maybe I would find a few other things. I picked up my carrots at the Madura Farm table and right next to them I got my jar of honey from Honey Locust Farm House. I love the Chappaqua market, it sits on an open lawn in front of St. Mary's Church, on South Greeley Street. You can basically stand anywhere in that space and survey the vendors. Directly across from from Honey Locust I saw my favorite nut vendor Tierra Farm and zipped over to that table. They have the most delicious nuts and nut butters. As soon as I saw the Agave Ginger Cashews it started to come together in my mind: I would do a glaze of honey and ginger on the carrots and then top them with the crushed nuts. As I started to walk back to the car I passed the Newgate Farm table and spotted some early parsnips. I could not resist!

While I was driving home I remembered that Tzimmes is traditionally made with carrots and dried fruit, so I needed to figure out the fruit part. hmm ... what could I do instead? As luck would have it the Rye Brook Farmers Market was in full swing, so I made a quick stop before getting home. Madura Farm also has a table there and they had some early apples. Specifically Asian pear-apples. Perfect!

Basically my creative cooking ritual is this: after a good wash I lay all my ingredients on the cutting board, step back and think. Next I open my crazy spice cabinet and start pulling things out. Initially I went for the star anise, an idea from Peter, but the coriander seeds were in front of them. Hmm ... maybe even better? Last, I needed an acid and lemon it was.

My recipe is below, but basically I made a marinade of fresh ginger, lemon zest and juice, honey and oil. After a good toss I topped the carrots and parsnips with the crushed coriander seeds and roasted them for 15 minutes in the oven.

For the last 5 minutes I added the sliced pear-apples.

After letting them cool a little I gave them a gentle toss to make sure everything was mixed and topped with the crushed nuts. Bellissimo!

I was riding the wave of creativity and thought "why not try this as a soup?" I'm crazy for soups, as you probably have already figured out. How could I go wrong with all these great ingredients? My recipe is below, but basically all I added to what I was using was an onion and vegetable stock. Once everything was soft I simply pureed it with my immersion (stick) blender and added a little fat free half and half to give it a little more body. (That of course is completely optional!)

I hope you enjoy this new take on a traditional dish and to all my friends and family who celebrate the holiday L'shanah tovah!

Just a quick reminder before heading down to the recipes .... stop by the Chappaqua Farmers Market on Saturday September 15 for a taste of my take on Tzimmes. I will be there from 10:00 until Noon. I also have some new classes coming up at Tarry Market. Check this link for September cooking classes.

Buon Appetitio!

Carrot Pesto Pasta
Serves 6-8

1 lb bag of baby carrots, quartered length-wise
1 lb box of your favorite pasta
Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
4 cups of carrot tops, cleaned and roughly chopped
2 scallions, about 1/4 cup, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the carrots for 2 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon to an ice bath.

Add the pasta to the pot and cook following the package instructions to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking place the carrot tops, scallion, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to a food processor and puree for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and add the cheese. With the processor running slowly drizzle in the oil until the pesto comes together and is creamy. Taste for seasoning.

Drain the carrots and set aside. Once the pasta is done drain that, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. In a large bowl mix the pasta, pesto and carrots. Use the pasta water, a little at a time, to loosen up the pesto. Serve with additional cheese.

Chef Maria's version of Tzimmes
Serves 6-8

1 lb of carrots
10 oz of parsnip, about 2 medium
Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
2 teaspoons of fresh ginger, grated on a micr0plane
1 heaping tablespoon of honey
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds, crushed
1/2 lb Asian pear-apples, sliced 1/4"
Tierra Nuts Agave Ginger Cashews

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Peel and slice the carrots and parsnips. the shape is entirely up to you, but I did mine about 1/2" thick and 3" long. The goal is to have them the same size so they cook at the same rate. Place on a rimmed cookie sheet.

In a small bowl mix the lemon, ginger, honey, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine thoroughly. Toss the carrots and parsnips with the marinade. Place the coriander seeds in a small plastic bag and roughly crush them with the back of a skillet. Take car to not pulverize them, you want them to be a little chunky.

Sprinkle the crushed seeds over the veggies and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile cut the apple in slices 
slightly thinner than the veggies. After 15 minutes add the apples to the pan and toss with the back of a spatula. 
Roast another 5 minutes to soften the apples.

Remove from oven an allow to cool slightly on  the pan. Place the carrot, parsnip and  apples in a serving bowl and top with 1/4-1/2 cup of roughly chopped cashews and serve.

Gingered Carrot-Parnsip Soup
Makes 1 1/2 quarts

1 small onion, about 1 cup, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
6 oz parsnip, 1 medium, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed, crushed
1 heaping tablespoon honey
32 oz carton vegetable stock
1 medium Asian pear-apple peeled and cut into 1/4 " cubes
1 cup fat free Half and Half, optional
Tierra Nuts Agave Ginger Cashews

In a small stock pot, over medium heat, saute the onion with 1 tablespoon of oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the ginger, lemon, coriander, honey and stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and falling apart.

Remove from the heat and uncover, allowing it to cool for about 15 minutes. Puree with with a blender until smooth. Add the Half and Half if desired and blend well. Add the apples.

To serve place the warmed soup in a bowl and top with roughly chopped ginger cashews.

Garlic Scapes

Garlic Scapes, or “scape” for short, is another really cool ingredients you can typically find in the late spring and early summer at the Farmers Market. If you love garlic – then this is the ingredient for you!

Scapes are the long twisty tendril that grow above hardneck garlic. There are several varieties of garlic that are divided into basically two categories: hardneck and softneck. Hardnecks have a hard stalk running through the center and the cloves are circled around it. Softneck has no stalk and the cloves are tightly packed around each other. What you generally find in the grocery store are the soft neck varieties. Hardnecks are what yield the scape and usually are found at the farmers market.

Scapes are harvested when the plant is young so the bulb will grower bigger. These curly tendrils are smooth and dense to the touch, and have a sharp garlicky bite in flavor. Scapes contain a fair amount of protein, vitamin C and calcium. They are a versatile ingredient to work with: you can eat them raw, grilled or combined into something. The most typical application is making them into a pesto.

After doing a bit of research I decided to go ahead and do a pesto for you .. but of course put my own spin on it! Most articles and recipes I came across talked about using the scapes in their raw state. I wondered how the flavor would change after I grilled them? The result, after getting a nice char, was a beautiful mellowing of their sharpness with a hint of smokiness.

This pesto (recipe below) can be used a couple of different ways: first, you can spread a little on a crisp slice of bread and top with some grilled squash for an appetizer; or you can add it to your favorite pasta.

But wait! Last night I ended up making another dish. I saved a couple of tendrils to add to our dinner salad, but had another idea: what about hummus? After spotting a half bag of edamame beans in my freezer I wondered how that would taste.  Edamame are young soy beans harvested when they are still green. They are packed with protein, fiber and a just a small amount are nutritionally a big bang for the buck. I always keep a bag on hand to toss in to pasta or over a salad.

The only ingredient you may not have on hand readily would be lemon balm. I happen to have it growing in my backyard. Lemon balm comes from the mint family and grows like crazy. The next time you are at a nursery or at the Home Depot flower department look for it and bring it home. You can easily grow it in a pot on the patio. It’s flavor is a revelation: herbaceous and lemony. I love adding it to anything that I want to extend a lemony flavor-note. If you don’t have lemon balm you could easily add cilantro, which would work well with the cumin in the recipe. I think a nice herb kick sets this dish over the top.

If you are in the neighborhood, you will find me at the  Hastings Farmers Market on Saturday (June 9) morning. I’ll be working up these great scapes there! Please stop by and say hi.

Garlic scapes: if you’ve always wondered about this whimsical ingredient and never knew what to do with them, I hope these two recipes will change your mind.

Buon Appetito!

Maria’s Garlic Scape Pesto
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

½ cup blanched slivered almonds, toasted and cooled
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 oz garlic scapes, cut in 3 or 4 big pieces
½ cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
1 Lemon, zested and juiced
Kosher Salt and Freshly Grated Black Pepper

Toss the scapes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and place in a hot grill pan. Cook until slightly charred and soft. Remove and cool. Place the scapes and their juices in a food processor with ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and whiz until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides and add almonds, lemon zest, juice and cheese; processing after each addition. With the processor running slowly drizzle the olive oil in until the pesto comes together and is the consistency you like; about ½ to ¾ cup. Taste for seasoning.

This super easy pesto has a nice refreshing bite to it … and works perfectly with pasta or even spread over a little toasted bread with grilled veggies.

Cooks note: If you end up with leftovers freeze it in an ice cube tray and place in a zip lock bag.

Edamame and Garlic Scape Hummus
Makes about 3 cups

1/2 cup garlic scapes, about 2 tendrils
2 cups frozen edamame
1 lemon juiced and zested
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
Kosher salt and freshly grated black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon balm, finely chopped (optional)

Rinse the beans and set in a glass bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 2 minutes. Remove paper towel and allow to cool.

Roughly chop the scapes and place in a food processor. Add the cooled edamame, lemon juice, zest, cumin, coriander and 1 teaspoon of salt. Process until you have a thick paste. With the machine running slowly add the olive oil and then the water until you get the consistency you like in a hummus.

Taste for seasoning and add the chopped lemon balm if desired.