Spinach and Sheep's-Milk Ricotta Gnocchi with Asiago

When we moved back to New York, after living in New Orleans for 6 years, we lived in a small apartment on Carroll Street in Park Slope.  I liked the close proximity to Prospect Park and was excited about the neighborhood restaurants.  In addition to Al di La and Rose Water, Convivium Osteria was high on my "go-to" list.  I eventually went and it did not disappoint.  
Convivium is part Italian, part Spanish and part Portuguese and it's all parts delicious.  As a vegetarian I was happy to see an entrée on the menu that wasn't pasta.  These spinach and sheep's-milk ricotta gnocchi with Asiago cheese are rich little dumplings that hit the spot.  You only need about 7 or 8 per portion.  Also, since there aren't a lot of ingredients in this dish, it really is important to buy the highest quality of cheese and produce you can find.  As they say in Lisboa, Bom apetite!

Spinach and Sheep's Milk Ricotta Gnocchi with Asiago (Convivium Osteria, by way of The New Brooklyn Cookbook)
Makes 32 Gnocchi
For the gnocchi:
1 1/2 pounds of organic spinach, stems removed, coarsley chopped (I used small leaf)
1 cup (1/2 pound) sheep's-milk ricotta or well-drained whole-milk ricotta*
2 large eggs, lightly beaten 
1/4 cup unseasoned fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided (1/4 for the gnocchi and 1/2 for dredging) 
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 teaspoon coarse salt
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese, plus (quite a bit) more for garnish
1 1/2 cups of whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
* If using whole-milk ricotta, wrap the ricotta in a cheesecloth, gather into a ball, tie and drain over a bowl in the refrigerator overnight.


Directions:
1. To prepare the gnocchi: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the spinach and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until tender but not mushy.  Drain in a colander and use the back of a wooden spoon to force out any excess water.  Wrap the spinach in a clean dish towel and wring out any remaining water.  Spread the spinach on a dry surface.  When it is no longer steaming, transfer it to a large bowl.  Add the ricotta and mix with a fork until well combined.  Add the eggs, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup flour, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and salt.  Mix until smooth.
2. Place 1/2 cup flour in a shallow dish, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment (I used wax paper) and lightly flour the parchment.  Using two tablespoons, shape the mixture into ovals.  Dredge the gnocchi in flour to coat, then tap off any excess.  Place the gnocchi on the baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3.  When you are ready to cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  While the water is coming to a boil, prepare the sauce.  Combine the Asiago, milk and heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.
4.  Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the saucepan with the sauce.  Gently toss to coat, cooking for 30 seconds.  Divide the gnocchi and sauce among the bowls and garnish with additional Asiago. 

Winter Warmth: Mushroom Barley Soup

Mushroom Barley Soup with Parsley and Grated Pecorino Romano

Goodbye 2010. Hello 2011. Hope you are all having a happy new year. I am excited about some of my new resolutions-- nothing too ambitious and all very manageable. Other than the regular self-improvement stuff (no need to post), this year I want to:

* work on my technical photography skills (take a class) and learn photoshop
* expand my culinary horizons- work on Vietnamese, Indian, Mexican, Thai and Sichuan
* lead at least two historic walking tours
* read one book every three weeks
* learn how to grill in our new outdoor space

Now for those of you wondering why there haven't been any new posts recently, well, we moved...the day of the massive blizzard. It was a mess. There was little time for homemade apps, soups or sauces. And I wasn't sure where our camera was anyway. I am happy to report that we have been reunited with all of our things that were stranded for more than a week in Prospect Heights. Hooray.

Though many of our belongings have been unpacked, we still haven't dug out our car and I haven't made my weekly Fairway run. You can imagine, then, how excited I was when Yana invited us over for dinner (we are neighbors). We had some fantastic eats, including spicy samosas and lentil donuts. But the best part of the meal was her mushroom barley soup topped with fresh parsley and grated pecorino. It's the perfect winter-weather-stuck-indoors sort of meal. With Yana's permission I am posting her recipe today. This is a real treat because Yana is my first 'guest blogger.'

So without further delay, here is Yana in her own words... 

Mushroom-Barley Soup Topped with Parsley and Grated Pecorino Romano
Ingredients
2-3 ounces of dried porcini mushrooms
A few tablespoons of olive oil
3 medium onions
3 ribs of celery
4 medium carrots
6 cloves of garlic
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Handful of fresh parsley
2-3 tablespoons of tomato puree
8 cups of water or vegetable stock, or a combination
1 1/2 cups of barley
Fresh parsley and grated pecorino for garnish

We'll be moving soon, so I want to cook all the little bits and pieces that are in my fridge and cupboard so I don't need to move them! I was digging around in the bottom shelf of my pantry today and found a bag of dried porcini mushrooms from one of E's favorite places, the Atlantic Spice Company. I also had some barley and soup veggies in the fridge, so I was set.

The last time I cooked barley, I made a red wine and mushroom risotto and it was a bit of a disgrace! Basically, I wasted a lot of food and no one wanted to eat it. So I decided to do a bit of research and check out a few different recipes to find something truly lovely. I wasn't disappointed!

First, I used about 2-3 ounces of dried porchini mushrooms. This looked like about 1 cup of fried mushrooms, loosely packed. I soaked them in 2 cups of boiling water. We will use this water later, so don't pour it away!

In a large stock pot, I heated a bit of olive oil and lightly sauteed 3 medium onions, 3 ribs of celery, 4 medium carrots, 6 cloves of garlic with a hefty pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. I cooked it over a medium heat with the lid on till the veggies were slightly caramelized. I added a handful of parsley, chopped and stirred, then moved the veggies to the sides of the pot and dumped about 2-3 T of tomato puree in, and let it cook a bit. Brought the heat up to medium high, and mixed all together and let it cook a few minutes.

After the mushrooms have soaked for about 30 minutes, pour off the liquid through a sieve. Maybe use a cheesecloth or paper towel, as gritty bits tend to come off. Chop the mushrooms finely.

As the veggie and tomato paste mixture has been cooking a few minutes and getting super delicious, add the mushroom liquid. Bring it to a boil and mix well. Use an immersion blender to puree all the bits and make it thick and delicious, then add the chopped mushrooms. Add about 8 cups of water or stock. I used water and a bit of stock concentrate, better than beef bullion, veggie style. Add 1.5 cups of barley, bring to boil and cook at a low boil for 60-90 minutes, depending on how you like your barley. Add salt to taste.

Serve with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and I grated a bit of pecorino romano cheese on top.

Nothing "Beets" This Salad: Five Leaves Beets with Blood Oranges, Arugula and Macadamia Nuts

On Saturday night I went to Saul for a close friend's "surprise" birthday party. (I put the word surprise in quotations because it was blown the day of the event.) The conversation was great, we dined for over 3 1/2 hours and the food was delicious. I had an incredibly flavorful beet salad for my first course. The salad contained heirloom beets, honey crisp apple, fennel, toasted hazelnuts and was dressed with a golden apple vinegar vinaigrette. It was great. I got inspired to try a unique beet salad of my own and this recipe (below) immediately came to mind. 
Five Leaves in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, puts a unique spin on the ubiquitous beet-and-goat-cheese salad.  This recipe substitutes goat's milk yogurt dressing for goat cheese and adds arugula, toasted macadamia nuts and sliced blood oranges. Delish! This recipe was featured in The New Brooklyn Cookbook- my new cookbook which contains recipes from Brooklyn's brightest culinary stars. (Mentioned in this post.) It has more steps than your typical salad, but it has more flavor too. The beet vinaigrette is so wonderful I might make it on it's own if I am crunched for time (and happen to have half a roasted beet lying around).   I make this salad when my entree is simple to assemble/cook or only needs to be reheated (i.e. Martha's Macaroni and Cheese). 

In addition to being delicious, this recipe also helps me with one of my most recent resolutions. Namely, eating very colorful foods that are rich with antioxidants. Of course this was much easier to do when it was CSA-season. Now that we are entering the duldrums of winter I need to remind myself to go with bright, high-impact fruits and vegetables. Check.

Goat's milk yogurt dressing with honey, orange zest, honey and a pinch of cayenne.

Roasted Beet and Blood Orange Salad with Arugula, Macadamia Nuts, and Goat's Milk Yogurt Dressing (From Five Leaves Restaurant)
Serves 4 to 6

For the beets
3 medium red beets, about 4 ounces each, stems and root ends removed
2 medium golden beets, about 4 ounces each, stems and root ends removed
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 fresh rosemary sprig
2 garlic heads, broken into cloves, skins on, lightly crushed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups coarse salt, plus more to taste
For the yogurt dressing
6 ounces goats milk yogurt
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon honey
Pinch of cayenne pepper
For the vinaigrette

2 shallots, peeled
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad
1/2 cup whole macadamia nuts
6 ounces baby arugula, about 4 cups
3 blood oranges (about 1 pound), peeled and sliced into rounds
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the beets and pat them dry. In a large bowl, toss the beets with the herbs, garlic, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Cover the bottom of a square baking pan with the two cups salt. Set the beets, herbs and garlic on top of the salt, cover the dish with foil, and bake until the beets are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 75 minutes.
Set the pan aside to allow the beets to cool, then peel the beets and cut them into wedges, reserving half of 1 red beet for the vinaigrette.  Keep the red beets and golden beets separate or their colors will bleed together.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

To make the yogurt dressing: Combine the yogurt, zest, honey, and cayenne in a small bowl. Set aside.
To make the vinaigrette: In a blender or food processor, puree the shallots and the roasted red beet half with the vinegar and mustard. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow stream, blending until emulsified.

Place the macadamia nuts in a shallow baking dish in a single layer. Bake for three to five minutes, shaking the pan once halfway through to evenly brown.  Allow to cool slightly, then roughly chop.

Combine the red and yellow beets with half the yogurt mixture in a medium bowl and toss to coat. In another bowl, toss the arugula with the beet vinaigrette to coat.


To serve, divide the beets and blood orange slices among the four to six plates, top with the arugula, and garnish with the macadamias and a drizzle of the remaining yogurt dressing.

Ina's French Toast Bread Pudding

Two weeks ago I got a text from my good friend Kathryn of Cooking Inside the Box. She wanted to know if I had any plans for Monday, December 6th. I texted back that as long as Matt (my husband) could watch Otis (my son), I was free as a bird. She wrote back, "Great. I have a surprise for you. Casual dress, no need for the heels." I tried to figure out what the surprise was and begged Matt to tell me. No go, he's really good at keeping confidences.

Fast forward to the end of the week. I was walking back from the Brooklyn Children's Museum with my friend Charlotta (Swedish Chokladbollar/ Chocolate Balls). We were talking about single ingredients that make dishes pop. I referred to a Barefoot Contessa episode where Ina was talking about the relationship between chicken and tarragon, chocolate and espresso, and how just a pinch of certain ingredient make others pop. Kinda like the espresso in Charlotta's Swedish chocolate ball recipe.  Anyway, Charlotta said, "You know, Ina is going to be signing books in the city on Monday." And I was like, "Aw man, I wish I could go, but I have plans...it's a surprise...wait a minute..."  I put it together. Well, it was still a great surprise!  

The lines at the Crate & Barrel on 59th and Madison were very, very long. Lucky for me, Kat was able to hold down a spot (after purchase of Ina's new book How Easy Is That?). And then we met Ina. In person! I told her that she was a huge inspiration, that I started a food blog because of her and that she has totally transformed my life in the kitchen. I told her that I grew up in a non-cooking household (though now my mom cooks a lot).  She asked me, "What do people eat for dinner in a non-cooking household?"  I replied, "frozen blintzes, of course!"  Laughter filled the room.  It was a spectacular moment. 

This is a recipe from How Easy Is That?  

FRENCH TOAST BREAD PUDDING (Courtesy of Ina Garten)
Serves 8

1 challah loaf, sliced 3/4 inch thick.  I made 10 slices.
(Note:If challah is fresh, not stale, slice and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees)

8 extra-large eggs

5 cups half-and-half or milk (I used 1 cup half-and-half  and 4 cups milk)

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Confectioners' sugar and pure maple syrup for serving

* Next time I may add some cinnamon!



Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange to bread into two layers in a 9x13x2-inch baking dish, cutting the bread to fit the dish.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, honey, orange zest, vanilla and salt.  Pour the mixture over the bread and press the bread down.  Allow to soak for 10 minutes.

Place the baking dish in a larger roasting pan and add enough very hot tap water to the roasting pan to come an inch up the side of the baking dish.  Cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil, tenting so the foil doesn't touch the pudding.  Make two slashes in the foil to allow steam to escape.  Bake for 45 minutes, remove the aluminum foil, and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes, until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set.  Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

With a small sieve, dust lightly with confectioners' sugar and serve hot in squares with maple syrup on the side.

How easy is that?

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

Espresso and chocolate go so well together. Add bananas to the mix and you are talking about the most wonderful triumvirate of flavor.  
This recipe for Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins is from the Baked Cookbook (which I've mentioned quite a bit recently).  These little treats are an excellent way to start your day and a great way to turn those over-ripe bananas into something more delicious than compost mush.
Note:  Instant espresso powder is not the same as ground espresso - it dissolves instantly in hot water.

BANANA ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS (Courtesy of Baked)
1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (I usually go with Ghiradelli.)
Yield: 12 muffins (Halving the recipe is simple, except for the egg part...)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.  (I take a paper towel and use the remaining melted butter from the saucepan to grease the muffin pan.)
In a medium bowl, stir together bananas, sugar, butter, milk and egg.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda and salt.  Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips.
Fill each cup about three-quarters full.  Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Move the muffin pan to the cooling rack, and let cool for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, remove the muffins from the pan and let them finish cooling on the cooling rack.
Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Enjoy!