Bagna Cauda

Crudités platters tend to bore me. Quite honestly I can't imagine anyone getting very excited over sticks of supermarket vegetables and "white dip," not to mention that serving raw cruciferous vegetables should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. Don't get me wrong, fresh veggies are a welcome addition to any party table but let's be honest, that same old, sorry tray just isn't bringing it.
 
Then about a month ago I was planning a dinner party that took on a Northern Italian theme. Instead of serving the usual green salad after the entree, I thought it would be fun to start the meal with bagna cauda, a Piedmontese crudités platter. I had read about it multiple times and thought that if anything could change my crudités attitude, it was this.
 
Bagna cauda literally means "warm bath." Garlic and anchovies are slowly warmed in olive oil until the salty fish dissolves and the oil is completely infused with flavor. It is then served in a dish over a candle (think fondue) with an assortment of raw and cooked vegetables for dipping. Although cardoons (a vegetable resembling celery but tasting of artichoke) and Jerusalem artichokes are traditional accompaniments, pretty much any seasonal produce can be used. 

In the Piedmont region of Italy, this fragrant dish was traditionally served as a warming snack in late Autumn and early winter to the chilled vineyard workers out pruning the vines. It tastes best, according to experts, with the new season's wine and a convivial atmosphere.
 
By the way, I now adore crudités platters.

Bagna Cauda
Some recipes emphasize the olive oil while others call for larger proportions of butter. This preparation uses both in a wonderful balance but can be tweaked to personal taste.
 
3/4 cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, finely minced 
One 2-ounce can oil-packed anchovy fillets (about 12 fillets), chopped
3 tablespoons butter
Salt, if needed
Assortment of raw and blanched vegetables for dipping

In a small saucepan heat the olive oil, garlic and anchovies over medium-low for 6-8 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the anchovies have dissolved and the mixture looks muddy. Add the butter and whisk until melted. Taste and sprinkle in a bit of salt if necessary. Pour into a serving dish, ideally one that fits over a flame (but not necessary) and serve with crudites.

Ricotta Spinach Pesto Pasta

My mom is an extraordinary cook so, naturally, I look forward to my trips home. This past July was one of those times. Per usual, I packed at the eleventh hour, got little to no sleep and showed up on the east coast like death warmed over. Mom, being the nurturing type that she is, made sure to have a light meal ready. Enter this pasta dish.

Originally printed in the August 2004 issue of Cuisine at Home, this is admittedly the type of recipe I would overlook. Pasta? Pesto? Been there, done that. But this one is a touch different. 

In addition to the usual suspects, this particular pesto contains fresh spinach, lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice. It's then tossed with hot pasta, corn and green beans (yes, corn and green beans! Crazy!) and a healthy dose of ricotta cheese. And for a little acid, the whole shebang is topped with vinegared tomatoes. The result? A protein- and fiber-packed flavor explosion. It's really addictive, and even tastes delicious cold (read: packs great for lunch the next day).

Pasta with Vegetables and Ricotta Spinach Pesto Recipe
Any type of pasta can be used here (I used brown rice fusilli). If you don’t have any nuts on hand, they can easily be omitted from the pesto. Adapted from Cuisine at Home|August 2004.

For the pesto:
2 cups fresh spinach, tightly packed
1 cup fresh basil, tightly packed 
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
1/4 cup pine nuts, almonds or walnuts, toasted
2 tablespoons lemon zest 
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons kosher salt 
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

12 oz. dry pasta of choice (I like fusilli with all its crevices)
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups green beans, fresh or frozen (if fresh, trimmed and cut in half)
2 cups ricotta cheese

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (or regular tomatoes seeded and diced)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Place all of the pesto ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. 

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions. If you’re using frozen corn and green beans, add them to the pasta during the last minute of cooking. If using fresh, add them 2-3 minutes before the pasta is finished. Drain.
 
Place the ricotta cheese in the bottom of a large pasta bowl; season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the pasta, vegetables and spinach pesto; toss well.
 
In a mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes with the white wine vinegar, olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Spoon on top of the pasta. Garnish the entire dish with shaved Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Stock Options

One thing a pantry shouldn't be without is stock. I always have a few cartons on hand for a quick potato leek soup, creamy risotto, or one of my favorite wintertime dishes, Italian beans and greens. All of these come together in a snap with the magic of store-bought broth. But lately I'm feeling haunted by the army of vegetable skins and nubs I throw away without a second thought. Oh sure, I've heard the merits of homemade stock and even encouraged others to have a crack at it. But I never managed to do it myself. For someone who tries to live sustainably and prefers making everything from scratch, I'm quite a hypocrite, aren't I?

This pretense has gone on long enough. About a month ago I was scrubbing and peeling a sizable amount of vegetables when the thought hit me: why not throw the scraps into a Ziploc bag and freeze them until I'm ready to give this homemade stock thing a whirl? Well folks, today is that day.

So I unearthed my gigantic stock pot and began sauteing a mirepoix (onions, celery and carrots). My frozen treasures came next. There were potato and carrot peelings, fennel fronds, mushroom stems, leek greens, turnip ends, Swiss chard stalks, onion skins and leftover celery root. Could it really be this easy? Whole peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic cloves, salt and a generous handful of parsley were added for good measure followed by cold water to cover. My work was done. Now it was up to the stove to patiently turn that motley crew of scraps into liquid bliss.

And did it ever. The apartment filled with the unmistakable aroma of a grandmother's kitchen - anything smelling this good was surely a favorable sign. After straining out the vegetables, I was left with a rich, savory, brown broth, which is waiting patiently in the freezer for its unveiling. I'm thinking miso soup might be first on the docket.

I was so charmed by this experience that I'm ready to tackle homemade chicken stock. And fish bone broth (I've been wanting to make an incredibly indulgent cream of scallop soup for quite some time).

Watch out, I'm just getting started.

Roasted Roots

It's April in Seattle. This means a few tantalizing, sunny days sandwiched between 25 days of umbrellas and rain boots. This year, just for kicks, Mother Nature decided to play a cruel joke on us sun-starved Seattleites: she let it snow on April 1st. Ha ha, good one. Now I get April Fool's.

As long as this chilly, damp weather remains, I'll continue craving me some stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. Luckily yesterday, I had a beautiful assortment of farmers market root vegetables to play with: tiny potatoes, yellow baby carrots, celery root, turnips and garlic. A few minutes of peeling and chopping, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of salt and pepper and a nice roast in the hot oven is all it took to turn that crunchy produce into sweet, caramelized heaven.

Simple dishes like this warm my soul and make me hopeful of what's to come.

Go ahead Mother Nature, bring it.

Roasted Roots
Simple oven roasting imparts an intensified, concentrated sweetness to root vegetables. Roast with a few sprigs of sturdy herbs (like rosemary) or toss with soft, leafy herbs (like parsley) after vegetables are cooked.

2 lbs root vegetables of choice, washed, peeled (if desired) and chopped
Whole garlic cloves, skin on
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a shallow, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place vegetables on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Spread to a single layer and roast in oven 40-50 minutes or until vegetables are tender, golden brown and beginning to caramelize. Be sure to stir once or twice during roasting.

*Serving ideas: roasted roots taste scrumptious alone, on pizza, in soups, as a sandwich filling with goat cheese or tossed with pasta.