Thai Tofu Quinoa Bowls

April 1, 2013 by

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Before you go telling me you don’t like tofu- hear me out! I myself am not a huge fan of tofu. The texture has always been kind of off putting to me and I’m not dependent on it for protein, so I hardly ever buy it or eat that much of it. But a few weeks back I came across this method of baking tofu that allows you to make it really crispy. The process is super simple, just some extra draining (similar to strained yogurt( and a solid bake time are all that’s needed. I’m a huge fan of it in this Thai quinoa bowl. Yes you could totally do chicken or even scrambled egg, but I love the crunch of the tofu nuggets against the rest of the ingredients. That and it soaks up this addictive sauce really well. The other great thing is that this dish works just as well hot as it does cold- making it the perfect thing to have on hand for healthy lunches throughout the week!

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Thai Tofu Quinoa Bowls adapted from How Sweet It Is

For the quinoa:

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 package extra firm tofu ( 15 oz), diced
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 2/3 cup chopped scallions
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon Srircha
  • 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoon creamy peanut butter
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 lime, juice
  • 1  teaspoon grated ginger

30 Minutes Before Cooking: Drain and rinse the block of tofu. Wrap it in a clean dish towel (or paper towels), and place it on a rimmed dinner plate. Place another plate on top and weight it down with something heavy, like a can of tomatoes or a heavy skillet, to press out some of the excess liquid. Let sit 15 – 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Toss the tofu, soy sauce, and sesame oil in bowl. Place the tofu in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes tossing every ten minutes to crisp the tofu on all sides.

Toast the quinoa: Place a medium sized saucepan on medium low heat. Add in the dry quinoa and toast for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and nutty in scent. Add in the broth, lower heat slightly, cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff quinoa with a fork once cooked, and set aside.

Make the sauce: Place the peanut butter in the bowl first and throw in the microwave for 10 seconds to melt slightly. Add in remaining ingredients and whisk well to combine. Set aside.

Toast the almonds: Place the almonds, sesame seeds, and vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Cook or medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the almonds are a deep golden brown.

Toss together the quinoa, vegetables and herbs, tofu, and 3/4 of the nut mixture. Pour over the sauce and toss well to combine. Spoon into bowls, top with remaining nuts, extra lime and Sriracha if desired. Can be stored in fridge up to one week.

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Linguine with Butter, Pecorino, Arugula, and Black Pepper

March 11, 2013 by

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Oooooh the sun. Did it come out where you are this weekend? It finally showed its face on the East Coast, and made the last two days about 100x better. Winter can make me so grumpy!

This pasta has spring written all over it. Spring and Thursday night. Here’s what I’m thinking- this Thursday night you come home after work, pour yourself a drink (preferably a glass of Verdejo),  and revel in the fact that it’s only one more day til the weekend. Then start leisurely making this pasta. Begin by pulling out your butter, setting a big pot of water to boil, chopping your arugula, and grating your cheese. Use your pasta water boiling time to prep the ingredients, and your pasta cooking time to tidy up the kitchen so you can eat and then reeeelax. I upped the ante on the arugula in this recipe to pack in more veggies, and if you’re feeling the need to make it even healthier, you could certainly use whole wheat pasta. I’m crazy about arugula, so an arugula salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil would, in my mind, be the perfect thing to serve alongside! A pretty perfect weeknight, don’t you think?

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Linguine with Butter, Pecorino, Arugula, and Black Pepper adapted from Everyday Italian
Serves 4

  • 1 pound linguine
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups very finely grated Pecorino Romano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups coarsely chopped arugula, packed

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the linguine and cook until it is al dente, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Immediately toss the hot pasta in a large bowl with the butter to coat. While tossing the linguine, gradually sprinkle the cheese, pepper, and enough of the reserved cooking liquid evenly over the linguine to moisten. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt. Serve immediately

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Ina’s Beef Short Ribs

February 25, 2013 by

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Let’s discuss cooking meat. It’s kind of tricky, no? I would say I didn’t really get a little good at cooking meat until the last few years. I’m still not great at knowing when a steak is cooked to perfection, and don’t even get me started on fish. A little different than meat, but still, really daunting for me to cook. But the one method I always come back to because I find it not quite as scary when it comes to cooking to protein, is roasting.  I have nailed my roast chicken techniques, and I have to say I’m pretty good when it comes to short ribs.

If you’ve never made beef short ribs before, Ina’s recipe is a great place to start. There’s quite a bit of chopping involved, but the overall process is really straight forward and approachable. The other kind of amazing thing about short ribs is that they can be made a day ahead- and they’re actually kind of better that way. Prep them the day before and just reheat slowly over the stove 30 minutes or so before you’re ready to serve dinner. Whip up a big batch of buttermilk mashed potatoes or creamy polenta to go with and you have the ultimate comfort meal.

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Beef Short Ribs slightly adapted from Ina Garten

  • 3 lbs beef short ribs
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup good olive oil
  • 2 leeks, cleaned and large-diced, white part only
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion (2 onions)
  • 4 cups large-diced celery (6 large stalks)
  • 2 carrots, peeled and large-diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 (750-ml) bottle Cotes du Rhone or other dry red wine
  • Fresh rosemary sprigs
  • Fresh thyme sprigs
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 6 cups beef stock

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the short ribs on a sheet pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven and add the leek, onion, celery and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and wine, bring to a boil and cook over high heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the rosemary and thyme together with kitchen twine and add to the pot.

Place the roasted ribs on top of the vegetables in the Dutch oven and add the brown sugar and beef stock. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Carefully remove the short ribs from the pot and set aside. Discard the herbs and skim the excess fat. Cook the vegetables and sauce over medium heat for 20 minutes, until reduced. Put the ribs back into the pot and heat through. Serve with the vegetables and sauce.

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My Family’s Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup

November 18, 2012 by

Happy Sunday! I know I normally don’t pop in on the on this day, but I’ve received a bunch of requests for the specific recipes my family uses on Thanksgiving,  so I thought I’d put together a roundup up for you! Some dishes I’ve got direct links to, and others are more just tips and guidance, but I’ve tried to provide as much detail as possible. Here goes:

  • The Turkey: Definitely something my mom does by memory, but her signature techniques include both covering the bird in butter and wedging small pats of butter under the skin, coating the bird liberally in salt and pepper, and covering the breasts in tin foil so they stay moist through the cooking process,  and removing the foil an hour or so before the bird’s done so the skin gets crispy.
  • Stuffing: For as long as I can remember, we’ve been making the cornbread, sausage, and apple stuffing from The Silver Palate cookbook. A few modifications to the recipe: use fresh herbs (a quarter cup of each), add in diced celery and cook with the apple and onion, and leave out the pecans.
  • Mashed Potatoes: Similar to the turkey, we just sort of wing it as we go- but our potatoes always includes and head of roasted garlic and cream cheese. That second addition comes from The Pioneer Woman- it’s a must!
  • Sweet Potatoes: For years we made these Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Maple All-Spice Butter from Bon Appétit, which are delicious, but in the last few years we’ve mixed up what we’ve done with sweet potatoes. These year we’re making these Vanilla Bean Whipped Sweet Potatoes from Food & Wine.
  • Cranberry Sauce: For years we’ve been making this Piquant Cranberry Sauce from Bon Appétit. It’s got great punch and can be made 3 days in advance. This is so good and easy!
  • Corn Pudding: Every year our family friend Lisa brings the most comforting and delicious corn pudding. It’s one of myfavorite dishes on our table! I don’t have the exact recipe, but this one seems pretty similar.
  • Creamed Onions: This is a very traditional dish in our house- something I’ve come to love simply for that reason. That’s another recipe that’s tucked inside an old cookbook, but this recipe looks pretty similar, minus the bread crumbs and baking at the end.
  • Thanksgiving Salads: Gotta have some greens! I love a big salad at Thanksgiving to help cut through all the heaviness. This year I’m actually going to be making this Tuscan Kale Salad, but in previous years I’ve made this Brussels Sprouts and Apple Slaw with Mustard Dressing. This Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Pineapple, Avocado, and Sea Salt Roasted Cashew Salad would also be amazing! And if you don’t make these on Thanksgiving- definitely get them in this winter.

I’ll share dessert recipes tomorrow- including a new apple pie with a delicious twist that I’ll be making this year (catch a sneak peak here!). Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Potato Image Credit

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Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese

November 5, 2012 by

Well, by last Friday evening- Friday’s post become pretty obselete. As you probably all know by now, the NYC marathon ended up being cancelled. There was a lot of controversy around this decision, but all that aside, the most incredible thing to me was the action the decision to not hold the race inspired. Thousands of runners headed to Staten Island on Sunday to help clean up and deliver supplies to one of the worst hit areas in all of Hurricane Sandy. Thousands of other runners decided to still run the entire marathon or a portion of it in Central Park. This photo is one of the few bright spots in an extremely devastating week.

I have felt a lot of guilt these past few days. We never lost power and were barely without internet, and yet just miles away in Brooklyn and other parts of New York and New Jersey people’s entire lives have been demolished. It brings tears to my eyes. The whole experience has also made me realize how easy it is to disregard the tragedy that surrounds us. I definitely didn’t feel the way I do now when Katrina hit. It’s a lot harder to ignore natural disaster when it’s literally in your backyard. The whole experience has been really sobering and made me so incredibly thankful for everything I have.

Along with donating to a couple organizations, I’m planning to volunteer this week. If you’re not so close to the NYC area though, I definitely encourage you to donate whatever you can. There are so many places to donate, but Jenna of Sweet Fine Day created a very comprehensive list which allows you to make general donations, or send funds to specific neighborhoods.

Ok guys, thanks for listening. I’m looking forward to a brighter week. On the plus side- this mac and cheese filled with butternut squash is insane! This was my first foray into folding vegetables into cheese sauce and I have to say, I was more than pleasantly surprised. This stuff is definitely as satisfying as your traditional mac and cheese, and the Sriracha is a must if you have it on hand. Here’s to a great week!

Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese adapted from Always Order Dessert

  • 1 lb small shells (or any other short cut pasta)
  • 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 4 sage leaves (optional)
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 pound grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup grated parm
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp ground mustard
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 T Sriracha (optional)

Place the squash, chicken broth, and sage leaves in a heavy bottomed pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until fork tender. Once cooked, reserve 1 cup of the chicken broth (or more if you like). Drain the squash. Using a Cuisinart or blender, purée the squash, sage, and chicken broth in batches until smooth.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta until just al dente- about 8 minutes.

Return the puréed squash to the heavy bottom pot. Stir in the heavy cream spices, and Sriracha and set to medium low heat. Once warm, add in the cheese and whisk until fully combined. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add directly to the cheese sauce. Toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

 

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Sweet & Spicy Sausage Bolognese

November 1, 2012 by

Guys, I have to tell you something. I don’t love cooking dinner during the week. I’m usually not home or ready to start cooking until 7:30, and really I just want to pull something homemade out of the fridge, reheat it, throw together a quick veggie or salad, and sit down to eat. But on Sundays? Give me a full Sunday to nest and cook and I am in heaven. I love spending hours in the kitchen prepping multiple dishes and meals to eat throughout the week. While making this sauce this past Sunday, I also had a homemade batch of hummus in the works, as well as an apple and cabbage slaw (a salad that only gets better in the fridge). The directions outlined below describe what to do if you’re serving the pasta right away, but you could also make the sauce ahead and add it to each plate of pasta throughout the week. I love a traditional bolognese, but this sausage one has quickly become my favorite. The seasonings in the sausage give the overall sauce such a deep (and ok, salty) flavor. You could even forego the pasta and serve it with some big slices of rustic bread. Enjoy!

More pasta recipes: A more traditional bolognese, and for non meat eaters- the best Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper pasta) you’ve ever had!

Sweet & Spicy Sausage Bolognese

makes enough sauce for 1lb of pasta

  • olive oil
  • 1 lb pasta, linguine or spaghetti preferred
  • 3 links of Italian sausage (2 spicy links, 1 sweet), casings removed and sausage broken up
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 5 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 28 oz can puréed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 cup grated parmesan plus more for serving

Make the sauce: Set a heavy bottomed pot over medium low heat and coat with olive oil. Add in the onions and celery and let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the carrot, and let cook for another 10-15 minutes until the onions are translucent and vegetables are soft. Add in garlic and stir, cooking for an additional minute or two until garlic is soft and fragrant. Add in crumbled sausage, increase heat to medium, and cook stirring consistently and breaking up the sausage until it’s no longer pink. Add in white wine and cook until wine has reduced by half. Add in the puréed tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes over medium low heat until sauce has thickened. Once done, turn off heat and stir in the heavy cream.

While the sauce is finishing, set a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta, add to pot with sauce. Toss gently for 2-3 minutes, coating the noodles. Sprinkle in 1 cup of parmesan cheese and continue to toss until fully combined. Serve pasta immediately with extra cheese on the side.

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The Perfect Roast Chicken for Fall

September 17, 2012 by

I think a really good roast chicken is one of the more under appreciated dishes when one thinks of fall comfort foods. To me, there’s nothing better than a juicy bird,  creamy mashed potatoes, and simple salad of mixed greens. Everyone should have a solid roast chicken recipe up their sleeve, and this one I’m sharing today has come to be my favorite. Naturally, it’s from Ina.  The roasting method is pretty standard, but it’s the simple sauce she creates from the pan juices, wine, and chicken stock right after the bird comes out of the oven that makes her recipe so insanely good. Your dinner guests will be blown away- promise!

Ps: Creamy mashed potatoes with my go to secret ingredient to go with.

Jeffrey’s Roast Chicken from Barefoot Contessa “How Easy is that?”

Serves 4

  • 1 (4-5 pound) roasting chicken
  • 2 lemons, cut into quarts
  • 1 whole head of garlic cut in half crosswise
  • 2 spanish onions, peeled and thickly sliced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • salt
  • pepper
  • olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425°.

Remove and discard the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken and pat dry- make sure it’s completely dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Place the garlic and 2 lemon quarters inside the chicken.  At this point you can either truss the chicken (I follow this video), or you can just tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under the bird. If you don’t have kitchen twine, you can also use thread or floss. It’s also not a disaster if you can’t do this- you can cook the bird as is.

Place the chicken in a small roasting pan (I use a 9×13″ Pyrex dish). Brush the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. The bird should look speckled! In a medium size bowl, toss together the onions and lemons with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Place the onion and lemon mixture around the bird.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thy.  Move the chicken to a platter, leaving the lemon and onions in the pan (some of them may be a bit charred- that’s ok). Cover the chicken with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes while you make the sauce.

Place the roasting pan on top of the stove over medium heat. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits. Add the stock and sprinkle on the flour, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the sauce has deceased by roughly half.

Carve the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and spoon sauce over. Serve immediately.

11 Comments

Weeknight Simplicity: One Pot Chili

September 10, 2012 by

Since dinner in our home last week included highlights like scrambled eggs and tuna melts, I figured I needed to get my act together and prep some more ‘real’ dinners this week. I’m in a bit of a count down mode as I prep for our trip to Italy (we leave a week from Friday!), so it means our schedules are more packed than usual- which means less time for making substantial dinners. So yesterday afternoon I carved out a little time to whip up this pot of chili. Something about a dish only requiring one pot makes cooking feel so much easier. The whole thing comes together in about an hour and I’ve even built in time for you to clean the kitchen in the process!! Isn’t that exciting?? I thought so. Have a great Monday!

Ps: Been to Rome or Capri? Have restaurant or site seeing recommendations? Please send them my way!

One Pot Chili

Serves 4-6

  • 2 T vegetable oil
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 14 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 3 T tomato paste
  • 1 medium red onion, minced
  • 2 jalapeños, minced, seeds and ribbing included
  • spice mixture: 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 5 shakes worcestershire sauce
  • juice of 1 lime
  • half a can of beer
  • hot sauce to taste
  • cheddar cheese, chives, pickled jalapeños, and sour cream for serving

Set a large heavy bottomed pot to medium low heat. Put the oil the pot. While it’s heating, dice up your onion. Throw in the onion. While the onion begins to cook, dice up your jalapeños and throw those in. Let those sauté, stirring occasionally, until they’re nice about soft- about 10 minutes. While they’re cooking, measure out your spices and clean your chopping station!

Once cooked, stir in the spices, raise the heat to medium, and throw in your ground beef. Sprinkle the beef with the salt and begin to break it up using a wooden spoon. Keeping breaking it up occasionally and then letting it cook until the beef is cooked through.  During your breaks prep your beans and tomatoes!

Once the beef is cooking, add in the beans, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir well to combine, lower heat to medium low, and let it cook. While it’s cooking, get out your lime, worcestershire sauce, beer, and hot sauce. Add all those ingredients in- the hot sauce should be to your taste, and let it continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes. While it’s simmering, clean up your kitchen, set the table, get out your toppings, and get ready to eat! Or store the chili in the fridge and eat it throughout the week.

 

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Pulled Chicken Tacos

August 27, 2012 by

I dream of the day I can make a true red or green chili sauce, or an actual molé. Until then, I’ll continue on in my faux Mexican food state. And besides, who can resist tacos, in any form?

When we spent the weekend in Rocky Point a few weeks back, and feasted on some of the best tacos of my life, I was reminded that it had been ages since I made tacos at home.  I don’t like to have to do a lot of work when it comes to tacos and the whole dry meat, pre-shredded cheese, and chopped up iceberg thing doesn’t really do it for me. So I came up with these- a super flavorful and hearty taco filling that fulfills that meaty craving but with the addition of black beans, corn straight from the cob, a ton of spices, and a little cream cheese and shredded jack  folded in to bring it all together. Confession- the filling is delicious, but I really just use my tacos as a vehicle to eat pickled jalapeños and sour cream (as if that wasn’t clear from these photos). Get on it!

Pulled Chicken Tacos

Makes 12 tacos

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 large chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • kernels from 2 cobs of corn
  • 3 jalapeños, minced (ribbing and seeds removed on just one if you like it spicy!)
  • 1 spanish onion, diced
  • 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 4 tablespoons cream cheese
  • 1 cup shredded jack cheese
  • 10 tacos shells
  • more cheese, hot sauce, pickled jalapenos, and sour cream for serving

Poach the chicken: Place the chicken in a large pot, cover by one inch with water or chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower to barely a simmer, and simmer- partially covered, for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, and let rest in water for 5 more minute. Remove from water, let cool, and shred into small pieces.

Set a large heavy bottomed pot to medium heat. Add in the vegetable oil and onion and sauté until slightly softened. Add in the garlic, jalapeños, and spices, and sauté until onions and jalapeños are very soft, stirring occasionally (total cooking time will be 15-20 minutes) . Stir in the beans, corn, tomatoes, the cilantro and chicken and cook until heated through and bubbling slightly. Fold in the cream cheese and jack cheese and remove from the heat.

Prepare taco shells according to package directions. Fill tacos shells with meat and desired toppings. Meat will last up to 5 days and fridge and can be frozen up to 1 month.

5 Comments

Weekend in Rocky Point

August 13, 2012 by

Hello! And happy Monday. We had such a glorious weekend. On Friday afternoon, we hopped in the car with our friends Nick and Aliza and headed out to Rocky Point Long Island to spend the weekend with another set of friends, Alicia and Ricky. Aliza, Alicia, and I grew up together, and by some miracle have ended up with significant others that have just as much fun hanging out as we do. Does anyone else feel like that can be kind of rare? In any event, the weekend was so fun and exactly what I needed. We went swimming, visited vineyards on the North Fork, and ate and cooked like kings. Freshly shucked oysters, hot cuban sandwiches, and BLT tacos we’re all in the mix. Not to mention all the food we made at home. I have two dishes from the weekend outlined below- super simple recipes for stovetop clams and a zucchini salad. Enjoy!

Ps: Sorry for our lack of Saturday posting this week. We had to make some last minute adjustments but we’ll be back on track this Saturday!

Stovetop Clams courtesy of Alicia
Makes 4 main course servings

  • 2 dozen rock clams, scrubbed and well cleaned
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 1/2 quarts water
  • melted better for serving
Pour 2 1/2 quarts water in a large pot and set over medium high heat. If you don’t have a pot big enough to fit all the clams, cook them into two batches.
Add the salt, lemon zest, wine, and garlic to the water and bring to a light boil/ heavy simmer. Layer in the clams until they’re completely submerged, cover, and cook until the shells have opened. Serve immediately with draw butter on the side.
Shaved Zucchini Salad  courtesy of Kate 
Makes 6 side servings
  • 3 medium or 2 large zucchini, shaved lengthwise into ribbons
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • shaved parm to top
Place the zucchini ribbons in a large bowl. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the zucchini and toss gently. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and lemon juice if it needs a bit more bite. Top with shaved parm. Serve immediately.

 

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