2 1/2 cups/600 ml Flash-Sautéed Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce, heated
Two 6-oz/170-g cans good-quality tuna packed in oil, drained and flaked
1/2 cup/55 g pitted green olives such as Lucques or Castelvetrano
1 tbsp rinsed capers
1/4 cup/10 g chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or other fresh herbs as you like
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, stir, and cook until just shy of al dente (about 1 minute less than the package instructions). Just before the pasta is ready, scoop out about ½ cup/120 ml of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
Return the pasta to the pot over medium heat. Add the tomato sauce and toss to coat evenly. Fold in the tuna, olives, and capers, and then fold in a few spoonfuls of reserved pasta water to create a nice saucy consistency.
Divide the pasta among warmed pasta bowls and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve right away.
Flash-Sautéed Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp minced, seeded jalapeño, serrano, or other fresh hot chile or pepperoncino
Kosher salt
5 cups/800 g ripe cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved if large
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp lightly packed finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed
3 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, basil, mint, or a mixture
1 tsp unsalted butter
In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chile and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring often, until soft and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until they begin to burst and release their juice, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so, then stir in the lemon zest and juice. Remove the pan from the heat, add the parsley and butter, and swirl the pan to blend them into the sauce. Taste and balance the seasoning with salt and lemon juice if needed. Serve right away.
Storage: This sauce loses its vibrancy after a few hours, so use it as soon as possible after making it.
Quick Change: Add 1 tbsp drained capers or chopped, pitted green olives with the garlic.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
CHILE OIL
¼ cup calabrian chiles (drained)
1 cup olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Saffron Yellow Pepper Sauce
pinch of saffron
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic (chopped)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 yellow bell peppers (roasted until soft, peeled, seeded and chopped)
1 teaspoon clover honey
1 cup blended olive/canola oil
Fried Baby Artichokes
6 baby artichokes, trimmed (halved or quartered depending on how big)
canola oil
kosher salt
Heat the oil in a 15-inch paella pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. In a medium bowl, add the cooked rice and mushrooms and mix to combine. Add the rice mixture to the hot oil and press into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Press down with heat-proof rubber spatula until the bottom begins to turn golden brown and crispy.
Add the kale on. Make 4 shallow wells in the top of paella and crack 1 egg into each well. Cover paella pan with aluminum foil or another large pan. Cook paella over medium heat until egg whites are just set, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.
Top the paella with fried artichokes, lemon zest and drizzle with chile oil and saffron sauce. Serve straight from the pan.
For the Cooked Rice: heat the oil in a large high-sided sauté pan or medium Dutch oven. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced.
Add 2 cups of the stock and cook until reduced then begin adding 1 cup of stock at a time and cook, stirring constantly, until the cook is al dente, about 30 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
For the Sautéed Mushrooms: heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and dry, season with salt and pepper.
For the Mushroom Stock: heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add cremini mushrooms, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, salt, and 8 cups cold water, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 30 minutes longer.
Strain stock into a clean saucepan and keep warm over low heat (you should have about 7 cups).
For the Sautéed Kale: heat oil in large sauté pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the kale and cook until crisp tender, add garlic, salt and pepper and cook until just cooked through, about 6 minutes.
For the Calabrian Chile Oil: (Yields approximately ½ cup) combine chiles and oil in a food processor and process until smooth, season with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Transfer to a nice cruet.
For the Saffron Yellow Pepper Sauce: combine the saffron, vinegar, garlic, mustard and salt and pepper in a blender and let sit for 5 minutes; blend until smooth
With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified; add the honey and blend for a few seconds longer. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper or vinegar, if needed. Transfer to a squeeze bottle.
For Fried Baby Artichokes: heat oil in a high sided pan to 350ºF. Fry the artichokes until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and season with salt.
Tips:
– The best part of paella is the crust on the bottom called the soccarat. The goal is to achieve a crispy, browned crust all the way around the bottom of the paella pan. Monitor heat and rotate the pan to prevent burning and even browning!
– Use store-bought mushroom stock for a short-cut!
Combine the carrots, onion, cabbage, garlic, chicken stock, olive oil, thyme, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper in a stock pot over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer and cook until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Add potatoes and cook until done. Serve
1 large head cauliflower, sliced lengthwise through the core into 4 ‘steaks’
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste salt and ground black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place cauliflower steaks on the prepared baking sheet.
Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl. Brush 1/2 of the olive oil mixture over the tops of the cauliflower steaks.
Roast cauliflower steaks in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Gently turn over each steak and brush with remaining olive oil mixture. Continue roasting until tender and golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Sprinkle with parsley and serve
6 cups cooked cannellini or other white beans—either canned or cooked from 2 cups dried (recommended)
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 cup homemade broth or water (or 1 1 cup veggie stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Thick grilled or toasted slices of crusty bread (optional)
Put the oil and chopped garlic in a soup pot and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the garlic, stirring it, until is becomes colored a very pale gold.
Add the drained cooked or canned beans, a pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Cover and simmer gently for 5 to 6 minutes.
Take about 1/2 cup of beans from the pot and puree them through a food mill back into the pot, together with all the broth. Alternately, use a blender, loosening with a bit of the broth. Simmer for another 5 to 6 minutes, taste, and correct for salt and pepper. Swirl in the chopped parsley, and turn off the heat.
Ladle over the grilled bread slices into individual soup bowls. Serves 4 to 6
Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
3/4 pound linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.
Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
parsley for color
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350°.
Saute first 3 ingredients in olive oil until tender. Combine zucchini mixture, rice, sour cream, cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and eggs in a bowl; stir gently. Spoon zucchini mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
dmv note: I halved the recipe, used yellow squash and cubed brie it was quite tasty.