NYT Cooking: Crispy Halloumi with Tomatoes and Beans

 

See the recipe here. 

• Olive oil, as needed
• 1pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more for serving  
• 1 teaspoon honey, plus more for serving
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans
• 1(8-ounce) block halloumi, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices (available at Trader Joe's)

1. Step 1

   Set broiler to high heat, with a rack positioned in the upper third of the oven, 3 to 4 inches from the heat source.

2. Step 2

   In a large, ovenproof pan (I used a Le Creuset pot) over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil with the tomatoes, garlic, parsley (which I left out), honey and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes soften and release their juices, about 10 minutes.

3. Step 3

4. Stir in the beans and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat.

5. 

6. Step 4

   Arrange the halloumi slices on top of the tomato-bean mixture in the pan. Transfer the pan to the oven. Broil until the halloumi is golden and crispy on top, about 5 minutes, depending on the oven’s broiler strength. (Broiling is essential. Without it, the hallomi will just be brick-like.)

7. 

8. I served this on top of left-over white rice. Quick, sort-of-healthy May dinner.

9. 8/10

10. 
    

One-pot pasta with mushrooms and leeks

Another NYT recipe, another one-pot recipe

Time saver: I saw that Trader Joe's has now sells peeled garlic cloves, so I got those.

The lemon juice did what it was supposed to do (deglaze the pan, or rather Dutch oven), but it also added a sour note I could have done without.

4 cups of liquid was just enough to cook the pasta. 

Here's the finished dish, it looked pretty, and the ricotta made it creamy and less sour.

Alas, for once, this was a recipe that looked better than it tasted. Perhaps it was the broth I used, perhaps it was the lemon juice, but I'm not sure I tasted 'umami,' rather, it tasted a little sour (but the ricotta, once mixed with the pasta, balanced it out nicely). 

7/10

Sheetpan feta with chickpeas, tomatoes, and mushrooms (NYT Cooking)

 Time for another sheetpan recipe. I picked one from the NYT again. I did my shopping at Trader Joe's. Simple ingredients, simple preparation. It all came together quickly.

In a spread of Greek appetizers, or meze, there’s often a warm feta dish like bouyiourdi (baked feta with tomato and hot peppers) or a saganaki (fried cheese). This recipe combines elements of these two classic appetizers into a sheet-pan meal. Softened feta provides a salty, creamy counterpoint to sweet, juicy tomatoes and chickpeas that are sticky from honey and spicy from dried chile. Try this version, then riff wildly: Switch out tomatoes for mini peppers, olives, dates or cauliflower. Swap the hot honey for anchovies, harissa, smoked paprika or turmeric. Eat with pita, grains, salad greens, hummus or yogurt.

 

First, the chickpeas. Roasting them made them less mealy, though not quite crispy. 

As for cheese, though the recipe advises against using feta made from cows' milk, that's what I did. I'm not a big fain of sheep feta. The cows' milk feta (from Trader Joe's) worked just fine. 

 Here's what I put into the oven. I added mushrooms in addition to the tomatoes and left out the tomatoes in one corner of the sheet (my daughter doesn't like tomatoes). It worked just fine. Here's the dish after the bake.

And everything arranged on a plate with some  yogurt and pita chips. It made for a lovely low-effort summer dinner. 8/10.

Sheet-Pan Gnocchi With Mushrooms and Spinach (NYT Cooking)

I love this one-pot dish, where the pasta is just cooked right in the pan, together with the ingredients for the sauce. Can you do something similar with gnocchi? Let's try it out. Here's the link to the NYT Cooking recipe. 

"This sheet-pan dinner is inspired by classic steakhouse sides: roasted mushrooms, creamy horseradish-mustard sauce, wilted spinach and roasted potatoes. Well, kind of. Instead of whole potatoes, this recipe uses store-bought gnocchi, a superspeedy stand-in that takes on the fun combination of browned and chewy when roasted. This dish is hearty enough to be a full meal, though it’d also make a great side to braised beans, roast chicken, a seared pork chop and, of course, steak."

Ingredients arranged on a baking sheet. 

I left out the spinach (not a favorite with my daughter) as well as the horseradish in the sauce (not a big fan myself). We were almost running out of olive oil, so, to coat everything on the sheet, I used olive oil cooking spray. 

 

 And done!

 

Running joke in my family: Instead of eating dishes with a side of salad or greens, I put them on a 'spinach bed.' Worked like a charm for this dish. 

Feeds 3 not super hungry people. Verdict: 8/10, worthy to be repeated.

Ingredients:

1. 1pound mixed mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster, maitake or cremini, trimmed and quartered (or cut into 1-inch pieces, if large)
2. 1(12- to 18-ounce) package shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi
3. 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
4. 4scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths
5. 1large shallot, thinly sliced
6. Kosher salt and black pepper
7. 5ounces baby spinach (about 5 packed cups)
8. 2tablespoons Dijon mustard
9. 2tablespoons prepared horseradish
10. 1teaspoon honey
11. 1tablespoon unsalted butter

PREPARATION

• Step 1Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, toss together the mushrooms, gnocchi, 5 tablespoons olive oil, scallions and shallot. Season with salt and pepper, shake into an even layer, and roast without stirring until the gnocchi and mushrooms are golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the spinach and remaining tablespoon of oil, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Spread in an even layer, then return to the oven to roast until the spinach is tender, another 5 to 7 minutes.
• Step 2 Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the mustard, horseradish and honey until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
• Step 3Add the butter and half the sauce to the sheet pan, and stir until melted and glazy. Eat with the remaining sauce on the side.

Asparagus Fritatta

 Today I made a recipe from Smitten Kitchen: Asparagus Frittata. The great thing about this recipe is that you don't need to cook or stir fry the asparagus first. It's an all-in-one recipe, and it turned out great. It served three of us for dinner (not 6, as stated in the recipe).

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound asparagus, cleaned, not trimmed
• 8 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk or cream
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal [I substituted chives]
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled (to taste)

Prepare the asparagus: No need to snap off the tough ends of your asparagus. Lay a single stalk on its side on a cutting board. Holding onto the tough end, use a vegetable peeler to peel ribbons away from the tough end (and your hand) right through the soft tip. Discard the tough ends once you’re done peeling. [I really liked this method!]

 

Heat your broiler.

Vigorously beat your eggs with the milk or cream, plus salt and pepper until well-combined. Stir in scallions [I used chives]. Gently add asparagus peels, just swishing the egg mixture over them.

 

Heat your skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Let it heat fully, then swish it around so it goes up the sides of the pan. Pour in asparagus and egg mixture, nudging the asparagus around so it mostly stays level with the eggs. Crumble goat cheese over, to taste. Cook gently (lowering the heat to medium-low if needed) for about 5 minutes, until the edges are set and brown but it’s still loose and eggy on top. Transfer skillet to the broiler and cook for another 1 to 3 minutes, keeping a close eye on it, until eggs are set on top.

Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges, or longer if you’d like to eat it at room temperature.

Verdict: Easy to make and delicious. Tastes good hot or lukewarm or even cold. Could easily go into a lunchbox. 10/10

Dumpling making class

We made dumplings tonight! Following a recipe by chef Monique Lu and as part of an anti-hate online event ("Dump the Hate") organized by a local deli and meal kit service.

We got a meal kit with everything we needed and simply followed the Zoom workshop. It all started with using the food processor to prepare the filling (mushrooms, red onion, ginger, spring onions, cilantro, vegan "chick'n"). Then we learned different ways to fold the dumplings. (I liked the crescent shape best.)

As stated in the recipe, we fried the dumplings in a non-stick pan until they were a golden brown at the bottom.

Our mealkit hat everything we needed for a spicy dipping sauce. 

We dipped, we munched, we were very happy. 

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Dinner in One: Pasta with butternut squash and rosemary brown butter

 With the little cooking I do, not to mention my NYT subscription, there is no reason for me to buy a cook book. But recently  I came across Melissa Clark's "Dinner in One. Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals" at the local bookstore and thought that perhaps I'd cook more if I have a book with recipes at hand. 

Attempt #1: Cavatelli (I used different pasta) with butternut squash, ricotta (I used 5% yogurt), and rosemary brown butter.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• thinly slided large shallot (I picked up a packet of diced onions at Trader Joe's, used about 1/3)
• one pound butternut squash, peeled, trimmed, and cut into small cubes (again, I picked up chopped butternut squash at Trader Joe's -- such a time saver)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 12 ounces pasta (pasta is cooked with butternut squash, it's best if they both have the same cooking time, so pick some kind of sturdy pasta)
• 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta (I used 1 container of Fage 5% Greek yogurt instead --  my family finds ricotta grainy)
• 1/2 cup chopped herbs, including mint (I used 1/4 cup of mint only)
• grated lemon zest
• grated parmesan cheese (I think the dish is fine without it)

You cook all of this in a large skillet, ideally one with a lid.

Step one: melt butter over medium heat, cook until foam subsides (3-4 mins)

Step 2: stir in shallots/onions, cook for 2 mins; add squash and rosemary, salt, pepper, cook for another 5-7 minutes (squash begins to soften)

Step 3: add 3 1/4 cups of water and bring to a biol. Stir in pasta and reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until pasta has absorbed the water (add more if necessary) and is al dente. Recipe says this will take 18-25 minutes, but it took less (perhaps 12-14 minutes). Squash should be soft by the end. I ended up halving some of the cubes to speed up that process.

 Step 4: remove from heat, stir in ricotta (or yogurt), mint, and lemon zest. Serve sprinkled with more herbs and generous heap of grated cheese (which I thought could be left out, but who doesn't like melted cheese?).

Voilà!

Verdict: 8/10

Easy to make (especially if you buy pre-chopped squash, but don't take shortcuts on the mint), quite delicious, and includes a pound of veggies.