Tomato and Roasted Lemon Salad from "Plenty More"

Throughout my life, I've always surprised people by claiming the yellow lemon Starburst to be my favorite. While the general population would emphatically select pink (which is the worst, in my opinion) or red (which was cherry, not fruit punch, a heated topic of debate just last night), I would gladly scoop up all of the leftover lemons and feel like I'm the best Starburst partner in the world. I never really understood why my taste preferences were so "different." And then, when I got older, I found (and still find) myself continuously ordering one of my favorite cocktails: Caipirinha, Pisco Sour, Daiquiri, Mojito. The common ingredient? Lots of citrusy lime. So I came to the conclusion, I am a true lime and lemon lover.

And for all my fellow lemon lovers, here is a fantastically unique salad recipe for you. And for those not classified as lemon enthusiasts, you will still find this fabulous with perhaps a scaled down quantity of lemon. To put this into perspective, for a recipe that "serves four," we're looking at two full medium lemons...rind and all. But, of course, Ottolenghi know's his lemons and how to make consuming a full lemon a natural experience, void of the sour patch pucker.

The secret? Slice thin (a must - make sure you have a good, sharp knife), boil/blanch, and roast. Who would have thought?

The blanched lemon slices are tossed with olive oil, salt, sugar and sage before mellowing out in the oven for 20 minutes. After this process, you no longer have you traditional lemon that you may reserve for squeezing into a glass of water or for zesting up your salad dressing. Now that lemon has transformed into an almost rich and tangy ingredient that adds both depth and understated brightness to a dish full of fresh and juicy ingredients.

Tomatoes are still in season and I'm doing my best to soak up their summer sweetness. The "brown" ones tend to be my favorite but I love buying the mixed varieties for added color and flavor variety.

Mix the fresh tomatoes and rich, roasted lemons together, add a fresh layer of herbs and some pungency of sliced red onions (again, thin is key) and you've got a relatively easy and refreshing summer dish that travels and keeps quite well!

Tomato and Roasted Lemon Salad
p. 54 in Plenty More
serves four

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions, halved crosswise, seeds removed, and cut into paper-thin slices (9 oz/260 g)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp superfine sugar
• 8 sage leaves, finely shredded
• 2 2/3 cups/400 g baby tomatoes, yellow or red or a mixture of both, halved
• scant 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/3 cup/10 g flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup/15 g mint leaves
• seeds of 1 small pomegranate (2/3 cups/120 g)
• 1 1/2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (note: Whole Foods was out so I made my own using Alton Brown's simple method found here - just use pomegranate juice, lemon and sugar and cook down)
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup/50 g)
• salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F/170 C.
2. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, add the lemon slices, and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain well, place the lemon in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the sugar and the sage. Gently mix and then spread the lemon mixture out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, until the lemons have dried out a little. Remove and set aside to cool.
3. In a bowl, combined the tomatoes, allspice, parsley, mint, pomegranate seeds, pomegranate molasses, onion, the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and some freshly ground pepper. Add the lemon slices, stir gently, and serve.

We served this with a simple pan-fried fish and quinoa. The fish was Onaga which is a Hawaiian Red Snapper and came highly recommended by the guy at the fish department at Eately. We were not disappointed. It was flakey and meaty and sweet and perfectly cooked (thanks to Derek). That, served with a bright Rose wine was a beautiful Sunday night meal that bright and satisfying.

Fig Salad from "Plenty More"

When figs are in season and I'm popping one of those fresh and sweet treats in my mouth - I feel like a queen. There is an air of luxury surrounding the fabulous fruit and when they are at their peak, there is nothing better. Their season is short, from about late June to September - so when you see them in the store, treat yourself - even if the price tag seems a bit steep. Or, if you are really lucky, you can find a friend that has a  fig tree or grow them yourself - now that's what I call luxury.

I was at my parent's place a few weeks back and found out that, among all of the other produce that they have in their garden, they have a fig tree as well! I can't tell you how many fresh figs I ate over those 24 hours. Probably an unhealthy amount. But when I had just paid about 3 dollars for 6 figs a few days prior, I felt like a kid in a candy store just popping the figs off the tree and right into my mouth - at no charge.

While we all can enjoy this fabulous fruit in dried form throughout the year, there is no comparison to its fresh, most natural self. And the best way to eat them to enjoy their pure fabulousness is raw.

This salad from Plenty More accentuates the perfection of the raw fig by placing it alongside a mixture of fresh, bitter, sweet and nutty ingredients. I couldn't stop eating it.

The base for the salad is not your typical selection of greens. Here we essentially have two "bitter" green in the radicchio and watercress plus the added brightness of fresh basil (another summer love of mine).  While radicchio and watercress can sometimes be a bit daunting due to the bitterness/peppery-nature of the leaf, they work so well here to balance out the natural sweetness that is built into the complementary salad ingredients. They have enough backbone to stand up to the figs and roasted, caramelized onions, while adding in their own unique flavor and texture to the perfectly composed salad.

I added in some sliced pluot as well when I realized I didn't have quite as many figs as the recipe called for. And while I can say that the pluot also went really well with the salad, adding its own delicate sweetness with a hint of tartness in the skin, and if you wanted to, you could simply substitute the figs for something akin to a pluot, if figs are available, treat yourself. Motto of the month.

This salad was, to me, perfection in every bite. If I were you, I'd go out to the store right away and pick up some figs so you can see what I'm talking about.

Fig Salad
p.16 in Plenty More
serves four

Ingredients:

• 2 small red onions (7 oz/200 g)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup/50 g hazelnuts, with skin
• 2 oz/60 g radicchio leaves (about 7), coarsely torn
• 1 1/3 cups/40 g basil leaves
• 1 1/3 cups/40 g watercress leaves
• 6 large ripe figs (10 1/2 oz/300 g)
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F/220 C.
2. Peel the onions, halve lengthwise, and cut each half into wedges 1 1/4 inches/3 cm wide. Mix together the wedges with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the olive oil, a pinch of salt, and some black pepper and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking, until the onions are soft and golden and turning crispy in parts. Remove and set aside to cool before pulling the onions apart with your hands into bite-size chunks.
3. Turn down the oven temperature to 325 F/160 C. Scatter the hazelnuts in a small roasting pan and toast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and, when cool enough to handle, roughly crush with the flat side of a large knife.
4. Assemble the salad on 4 individual plates. Mix the radicchio, basil, and watercress together and place a few on the bottom of each plate. Cut each fig lengthwise into 4 or 6 pieces. Place a few fig pieces and some roasted onion on the leaves. Top with more leaves and continue with the remaining fig and onion. You want to build up the salad into a small pyramid.
5. In a small cup, whisk together the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the vinegar, and cinnamon with a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Drizzle this over the salad, finish with the hazelnuts, and serve.

Spring Salad from "Plenty More"

In my last post, I talked about the importance of eating nourishing and satisfying - particularly when life speeds up its pace on you. If that dish, the Rice Noodles with Green Onions and Edamame was step in the right direction, this dish, is ALL IN.

You can just tell from the abundance of green that it is packed full of amazing nutrients and the beautiful bounty that the warmer weather provides. Technically called a 'Spring' salad (and I did happen to make this before the official kick off to Summer), the recipe highlights vegetables at the peak of their freshness.

• Asparagus: In Season February to June - peak month: April
• Spinach: Available all year round but at its peak in Spring: April-June
• Fava Beans: Late Spring - Summer
• Green Beans: Available year round but peak in May-September

For those of you less familiar with fava beans, they are odd looking and incredibly deceiving in size. They probably think it is funny how many layers they make us humans peel off in order to get to the true "meat" of the bean.

Don't try biting into that large bean - you will forever dislike this beautiful produce.

Even if you try eating the beans shown above, you won't be very happy as you'll quickly find it difficult to swallow the casing that covers the final bean product. It's like a sunflower seed, they are horrible if you try to eat the shell. But the seed naturally slips out from the shell (if you do it right) so you can then enjoy the small but satisfying seed. Same story here with these favas. Trust me, there is true deliciousness if you have the patience to peel the layers.

Blanching the favas aids the separation of the casing from the bean. Here you see the final product, mixed in with some edamame. Looks like the size of the favas were deceiving to me as well as I didn't pick up enough! (Note: edamame was a fabulous addition).

Spring Salad
p. 28 in Plenty More
serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 10 asparagus spears (12 oz/350 g - or 1 bunch), trimmed and each spear sliced on a sharp diagonal into 3 or 4 thin pieces
• 7 oz/200 g haricots verts (or green beans), trimmed 
• 2 3/4 cups/300 g shelled fresh or frozen fava beans (note: I used half fava half edamame)
• 1 2/3 cups/50 g baby spinach leaves
• 1 banana shallot, or 2 regular shallots, very thinly sliced (1/2 cup/50 g)
• 1 red chile, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp/10 g mixed black and white sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp nigella seeds (I couldn't find those so used cumin seeds)
• salt

Directions:

1. Bring a large pan of water to a boil, add the asparagus, and blanch for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the asparagus to a bowl of ice-cold water. Add the haricots verts to the boiling water and blanch for 5 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to transfer them to the bowl with the asparagus, drain both, and then set aside to dry. Add the fava bans to the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water, and then remove and discard the skins by pressing each bean gently between your finger and thumb.
2. Place both beans and the asparagus in a large bowl. Add the spinach, shallot, chile, oils, lemon juice, sesame seeds, nigella seeds, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir gently and serve at once.

I love leftovers! Though I have to say, this salad, because it is dressed, is best fresh!

Rice Noodles with Green Onions and Edamame from "Plenty More"

My goodness, how time flies when you are having fun and working long days. That was my June. It was quite possibly, the busiest time of my life. I had a lot of excitement to look forward to - two weddings and a bachelorette/bridal shower weekend (all a flight away). I also had a massive workload that I had to push through at the same time. So it was certainly mentally and physically taxing but I did my best to maintain my sanity by adhering to a healthy(ish) diet and keeping exercise a priority. It's amazing how your mind can be so bogged down and "stressed" but just a short break of physical exertion can bring an incredible level of clarity.

Staying nourished is also key in a time of stress. And by using the term "nourish" I do not mean "full" from a satiation perspective, but rather, "full' of the right nutrients to keep your body running at close to 100% percent.

This recipe, from "Plenty More" fits the bill on providing a fantastic balance of essential nutrients and some level of comfort with the noodle base. It is also naturally gluten free - hurrah.

Think of this as a refreshing pasta dish with a subtle Asian flair. It would be wonderful for a picnic as it is served at room temperature or cold.

Rice noodles provide the base and a good bit of the heft of the dish. Though rice noodles aren't inherently a health food - there are worse ways to do pasta. And with the mix-ins, the rice noodles take on the role of the vessel for serving up the rest of the healthy spring veggies.

I was a bit weary about the quantity of green onions that the recipe called for. I'm used to using them more as a garnish or in lesser quantities for cooking. Here, green onions are one of the stars. And they weren't overpowering. Ottolenghi surprised me again.

The dish has a beautiful mix of summer flavors (cilantro and lime) with the umami factor of Asian cuisine (sesame oil and rice vinegar). The nutrition powerhouse, edamame, also is prominently featured in the well-balanced dish. Did you know that a cup of edamame has at least 6% of all of the daily recommended vitamins except for Vitamin D? It is low in fat and calories and high in protein and nutrients. So if you were feeling a little bit bad about the rice noodles - here's the redeeming ingredient.

I think this is best served as a side dish or topped with a protein (tofu would be delicious). The dish itself may get a bit boring if it was your only dinner dish. Lunch is another story though.

We served this with a beautifully cooked piece of salmon. It was refreshing and satisfying. And leftovers were fabulous as well.

Rice Noodles with Green Onions and Edamame
p. 57 in Plenty More
serves 4

Globe Artichoke and Mozzarella with Candied Lemon from "Plenty More"

Over the past few months, I have truly found inspiration in the kitchen through Chef Yotam Ottolenghi's amazing collection of recipes in Plenty More. I still find myself flipping through the pages of the book, stopping at new inspirations that I get excited to try. I'm particularly excited for when summertime rolls around because he has so many fabulous recipes that highlight fresh produce from green beans to tomatoes to zucchini. Ah - how fun it will be once those ingredients start showing up (in decent form) in the grocery store. 

However, even now there are some lovely ingredients that are in their peak. Artichokes are one of them - in season from March to May so now is the time to take full advantage of these interesting and delicious vegetables. My typical artichoke experience is a simple steamed whole artichoke served with melted butter for dipping. It's a great appetizer and a fun one at that - taking each leaf and scraping off what little "meat" you can find on each leaf. And unlike many things in life where you find disappointment once you have "reached the end" - the artichoke gives you a pleasant surprise by saving the best part for last - the heart. Ah a fresh artichoke heart is worlds better than anything you can find canned at your local grocery store. It is a bundle of pure, soft, almost creamy bliss. The heart is what is featured in my latest creation from Plenty More: Globe Artichoke and Mozzarella with Candied Lemon.

Who would even think to put these beautiful flavors together? I typically don't use Mozzarella in my salads unless it is paired with tomato and basil. And candied lemon? Well I've never made that so that's a new one for me. But it's basically what hooked me on this recipe as I am a sucker for anything lemon.

With my ingredients laid out in anticipation of joining forces to create a beautiful dish, I stopped to take a moment and appreciate the sunset, one of the most amazing natural inspirations.

Even in the middle of the big city, one can find inspiration in a moment of silent appreciation of natural beauty in the world.

*big sigh*

Now onto the artichokes. I wonder how the experience was for the first person that tried to eat an artichoke. They do not overtly scream "food" with the tough leaves and sharp "hairs." They are certainly not something you would want to just sink your teeth in - I don't think you'd get very far.

In order to properly "trim" an artichoke - you basically have to dissect it. The outer leaves have to be removed. The stem needs to be trimmed. The sharp "hairs' need to be removed. All steps taken to get to the real goods - the heart.

A thing of beauty - but still not ready to be eaten at this stage!

Once trimmed, the small remaining heart joins forces with lemon, onion and thyme to infuse a brightness into the heart during the cooking process.

The candied lemon adds a deeper complexity of lemon flavor to the overall dish. The artichoke is infused with lemon but the candied lemon peel adds a deep, sweet yet zesty note that goes beautifully with the dish.

Orange and Date Salad from "Plenty More"

I admittedly have been slacking on posting delicious meals, recipes or wines. And I wish I could say that there have been a lot of fabulous creations coming out of my kitchen. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. Work and travel have made it difficult for me to spend time at home, in the kitchen, and sharing fabulous creations. It's a bummer when work gets in the way of play!

Luckily a holiday popped up on the calendar and was able to take me out of my cooking/posting rut. Thanks Easter. I could play on shared concept of "revival" but focusing on the food is probably more PC.

Growing up, Easter tradition involved a spiral-sliced ham and JELL-O Easter eggs. Certainly there were more dishes in the mix but these are the two staples that I recall consistently showing up on our dinner table. I was always in charge of making the JELL-O eggs which were basically JELL-O Jigglers that were shaped liked Easter eggs  - just another example of the Sugermeyer family letting dessert creep onto the dinner table.

Nowadays, JELL-O eggs no longer show up at Easter time. Instead, Derek and I look forward to our new "grown-up" Easter tradition: Lamb.

To me, the basic flavor of lamb has a touch sweetness and a hint of warm spices. These nuances make the protein a beautiful fit for a Moroccan inspired meal - a beautiful mixture of fresh herbs and warm spices. So think holidays (spices) meet summer (fresh herbs). It's a beautiful marriage.

In the spirit of freshness, I went looking for a complimentary dish that incorporated these Moroccan inspired flavored but swayed heavier on the "fresh" than on the "warm." Ottolenghi with his inspired Plenty More cookbook did not disappoint me. To no surprise, he has several dishes that are heavy on the herbs and artfully incorporate unique spices and textures.

My selection to compliment the Easter lamb meal was: Orange and Date Salad

From the name alone you get a burst of freshness and acidity from the orange paired with a deeply sweet and chewy date. Add in a myriad of fresh herbs - cilantro, mint, parsley - and a spice-forward dressing and you have a complex yet fresh compliment for a lamb dinner.

Orange and Date Salad 
page 23 in Plenty More
serves 4

Ingredients:

• 5 medium oranges (2 1/4 lb/1 kg in total; about 3 cups/500 g after peeling and slicing)
• 3 large Medjool dates, pitted and quartered lengthwise (2 oz/60 g)
• 4 oz/120 g radishes, sliced paper-thin
• 1/3 small red onion, very thinly sliced into rings (1/3 cup/30 g)
• 3 cups/60 g arugula
• 1 oz/30 g Lollo Rosso lettuce (2-3 leaves), torn into 1 1/4-inch/3-cm pieces
• 1 cup/15 g cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup/15 g flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup/15 g mint leaves, coarsely torn

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp orange blossom water
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt and black pepper
• (optional) 1.5 tsp honey

Directions:

1. To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, orange blossom water, cinnamon, and fennel seeds. Add the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a generous grind of pepper and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
2. Using a small, sharp serrated knife, slice off the top and tail of each orange. Cut down the sides of each orange, following its natural curve, to remove the skin and white pith. Cut crosswise into slices 1/4 inch/5 mm thick and remove the seeds.
3. Put the oranges, dates, radishes, onion, arugula, lettuce, cilantro, parsley, and mint in a large salad bowl. Stir the dressing and pour it over the salad. Gently stir everything together, pile into a large but shallow bowl, and serve.

Tips:

• If you can't find Lollo Rosso lettuce, you can use any mild leaf lettuce such as red-leaf (that's what I used)
• Orange blossom water is often found in the international aisles or near the baking/sweetener section. It has an incredibly perfume-like scent which will likely appear familiar to you even though you've likely never purchased or individually consumed the ingredient. If you can't find it - just use some orange juice and zest with a touch of honey.
• I found the dressing to be a bit too heavy on the spices without a needed balance. I added a touch of honey and that did the trick.
• When segmenting the oranges, do so over a bowl so you save the juices. You don't want the juices sitting in the greens of the salad but they are a nice addition to the dish. So separate the "fallen juice" from the orange segments and add the orange juice to the dressing. Then dress the salad to taste but I'd go on the light side for this with all of the delicate herbs - you don't want a soggy salad.

Rice Salad with Nuts and Sour Cherries from "Plenty More"

Prior to purchasing Plenty More, I did a bit of due diligence in reading reviews to make sure that I knew just what I was getting into for my New Year's challenge. Of course, most were raving reviews which is to be expected based on Ottolenghi's previous publications. However, I was warned that many recipes included and intimidating number of ingredients (or type of ingredient) and that several dishes were quite complex. Well, this was one of them.

The general recipe is relatively easy in that you have a bunch of delicious ingredients and mix them all together to create a beautiful combination of flavors and textures. The difficulty comes in the sheer number of ingredients and the preparation of each individual ingredient. So this seemingly "one pot (bow) meal" is actually several pots before you get to the final bowl.

Still - was it worth all of the attention to detail cooking and preparing each individual ingredient??

Absolutely. Could you get away with condensing the recipe a bit (say - use one grain instead of three)? Sure.

Let's talk about these grains.

Uncooked basmati rice

Cooked basmati rice (came out perfectly - follow the recipe!)

Separate preparation of uncooked wild rice