Tag: Melissa Clark

Charlie Bird’s Farro Salad

On By lukephillaryhIn Veggie2 Comments
Charlie Bird Farro Salad recipe
A salad to celebrate spring

Charlie Bird is one of those New York restaurants. It’s been around for over ten years!! That’s a feat in New York. And it still manages to have a newfangled feel. Lots of fresh ingredients, incredibly inventive dishes. The food is delicious. But…Charlie Bird is one of those New York restaurants – small plates, not so small prices. Luke and I have been only once and it was when my parents were in town. Special dinner for a special occasion. Our lives and salaries don’t really warrant dinners at Charlie Bird. Prior to our dinner, having done my research, I knew the farro salad was a Charlie Bird favorite. But sitting down for dinner and perusing the menu, there were so many other amazing options. Farro, being a humble grain, just wasn’t all that appealing! I don’t regret this decision. Dinner was perfect. And thanks to Melissa Clark, we were able to replicate the farro salad at home. Though we could never claim that our version is as good as Charlie Bird’s, we both were able to enjoy very sizable portions!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup farro
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 2 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 TBS olive oil
  • juice of 1 small lemon (about 3 TBS)
  • about 1/3 cup shaved parm (you can use a vegetable peeler to shave)
  • 2 big handfuls of arugula
  • 1 cup parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup mint, roughly chopped
  • 3 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring farro, apple cider, water, salt and bay leaves to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender (it will still have a little bit of chew) and the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. If the liquid evaporates before the farro is done cooking, add a bit more water. Let farro cool and then discard the bay leaves.
  2. In a salad bowl, make the dressing. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Add cooled farro and cheese and mix well. This mixture can sit for a couple of hours at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge. When ready to eat, mix in the arugula, herbs, tomatoes, and radishes. Top with flaky sea salt, to taste.

Details: Serves 4-6. This is a hearty salad and can be eaten as a main course! Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side.

 

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

On By lukephillaryhIn Ode to NYTLeave a comment
Olive Oil Cake with blood orange Melissa Clark recipe
The perfect cake for dessert or breakfast 🙂

Citruses make the winter much more manageable. When December roles around, I’m always happily surprised to see lemon, orange, and mandarin dishes populate restaurant menus and appear on my favorite food blogs. They’re so cheerful and bright, I forget their best time is wintertime. Of all the citruses, the blood orange is an easy favorite. Tangy, sweet, and aesthetically delightful, its color adds a lovely pop to any plate. I’ve been intrigued by olive oil cake as it sounded like a dessert I could enjoy, without guilt, at all times of day. It is also incredibly easy to prepare. Our fav Melissa Clark provides the recipe for this cake. Don’t skip using good olive oil. It makes the cake more flavorful. And stock up on blood oranges! There’s no reason to be skimpy, they’re in season.

Ingredients:

  • butter (for greasing the pan)
  • 3-6 blood oranges (more if you’d like to make compote)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • approx. 2/3 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp honey (optional, for compote)
  • whipped cream (optional, for serving)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan (we used a 9-inch round pan, 8-by-8 square pan works well also). Grate zest of 2 oranges and place in bowl with sugar. Fully incorporate the zest and sugar, using your hands to rub the ingredients to ensure even distribution.
  2. Supreme 2-3 oranges (these you will mix into the batter, so supreme more if you like more fruit chunks). To do this, cut off the bottom and top of the orange so it can stand upright on your cutting board. Then, with a sharp knife, cut away peel and pith, following the curve of the fruit. Cut the orange into segments along its connective membrane and let fall into a bowl. Set aside.
  3. Squeeze juice of 1-2 oranges into a measuring cup. Add yogurt or buttermilk to measuring cup until you have a little less than 1 cup of liquid. Mix and then add to bowl of sugar, whisking to fully incorporate.  Whisk in eggs.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry to the wet ingredients, a bit at a time, whisking to incorporate. Switch to a spatula and then slowly add the olive oil. Fold into the batter and be mindful to incorporate before pouring in more. Fold in orange pieces. Pour batter into a pan.
  5. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a knife/toothpick inserted into cake’s center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool at room temperature until ready to serve. Tastes even more delicious when served with whipped cream and honey-blood orange compote.
  6. To make compote, supreme 3 more oranges and mix with 2 tsp of honey. Let sit for 5 minutes then stir once more.

Garlicky Lemony Anchovy Chicken

On By lukephillaryhIn Ode to NYTLeave a comment
Garlic lemon anchovy chicken thighs Melissa Clark recipe
THIS is your weeknight chicken recipe

We love Melissa Clark. And Melissa Clark loves lemon, anchovies, garlic, capers, and chile flakes. Though not all chronicled here, we’ve made enough of her recipes to know these are her go-to pantry ingredients (see Salmon with Anchovy Butter, Fried Lemon Pasta, Seared Lamb Chops). And when a couple, or all, of these elements are combined, they do make for an incredibly quick, simple, and flavorful dinner. This chicken dish is so easy to make it’s almost shockingly delicious. Boring old boneless, skinless chicken thighs are transformed into succulent, tangy, salty, addicting goodness. Enjoy with a hunk of bread to sop up all that amazing pan sauce and you’ll be overwhelmingly satisfied.

Checkout Melissa’s recipe for video instruction!

Ingredients:

  • 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 6 garlic cloves (5 smashed and peeled, 1 minced)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 5 anchovy fillets
  • 2 TBS drained capers
  • 1 large pinch chile flakes
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Season chicken thighs with salt n’ peppa.
  2. Prep garlic, anchovies, and capers. Heat a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, then add the oil, smashed garlic cloves, anchovies, capers, and chile flakes. Let cook for 3-5 minutes, until garlic has browned around the edges. Stir with a wooden spoon to break up the anchovies (they will disintegrate).
  3. Add the chicken thighs and cook until nicely browned on one side, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip the chicken, place the pan in the oven and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
  4. When chicken is done, remove from the oven. Transfer chicken to a plate and return the skillet to the stove on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and lemon juice and cook for 30 seconds. Return the chicken to the skillet and garnish with parsley.

Details: Serves 2-4 (maybe Luke and I were just really hungry but we each had at least 2 chicken thighs)

Panzanella with Mozz + Herbs

On By lukephillaryhIn Ode to NYTLeave a comment
Panzanella mozzarella cheese Melissa Clark recipe
Panzanella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh

There’s still time – tomato season isn’t over yet! This is a perfect end of summer salad. It combines some of our favorite seasonal ingredients, tomato, cucumber, and basil, with year-round essentials, namely cheese (mozzarella) and bread. On self-respecting nights, when we manage not to finish off a whole baguette, we let a portion go stale and make this delicious Tuscan bread salad the next evening for dinner.  Traditional panzanella calls for stale bread, uber ripe tomatoes, a dressing of olive oil and red wine vinegar, and sometimes onions and basil. This oomph-ed up version comes from our favorite lady Melissa Clark. The cucumber adds freshness and crunch and the mozzarella makes it a heartier salad, worthy of eating as a main meal instead of a side. Make sure to enjoy this salad before summer is officially over!

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 of a baguette or rustic loaf (preferably stale) cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 6 TBS olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tomatoes, use a mix of varieties and colors!
  • 6 oz mozzarella, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 shallots (or 1/2 red onion) thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated to a paste
  • 2 TBS red wine vinegar
  • 1 TBS chopped fresh oregano or thyme (or a combination)
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup Persian or English cucumber, cut into thin quarter pieces
  • 1/2 cup torn basil
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley
  • 1 TBS of capers, drained

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 425ºF. Spread bread pieces onto a baking sheet and toss with 2 TBS olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Bake until golden brown and dried out, about 7-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
  2. Cut tomatoes into pieces just a bit smaller than the bread cubes. Put them into a large bowl and then thinly slice the shallots lengthwise.
  3. Add the shallots into the bowl and use a microplane to grate 2 cloves of garlic into a paste. Along with the garlic paste, add 1 TBS vinegar, oregano or thyme, 1/4 tsp salt, and red pepper flakes.
  4. Cut up the mozzarella into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl, toss everything together and set aside.
  5. In a medium bowl, combine 1 TBS vinegar, mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, and black pepper. While continuously whisking, add 4 TBS olive oil one-by-one to the dressing. Stir in cucumbers, basil, and parsley.
  6. Add bread pieces, dressing, and capers to the large bowl and mix well. Let it sit and soak for at least 30 minutes, up to 6 hours. You can keep chilled in the fridge. Add extra oil, vinegar or salt if needed!

Notes: Serves 3-4 as a main meal, 6 as a side.

Hot Honey Shrimp

On By lukephillaryhIn Ode to NYT2 Comments
hot honey shrimp NYT Food recipe
Spicy, sweet, speedy – delicious!

Shrimp dishes are the ultimate quick and easy dinner for two. We make shrimp when we’re feeling lazy, haven’t done grocery shopping for the evening, and there’s a sale at Whole Foods. Yes, we shop at Whole Foods…occasionally. It’s a guilty pleasure. To cook our fancy, albeit discounted, shrimp we look to two of our favorite chefs for guidance. Mark Bittman’s Simplest Best Shrimp Dish and Melissa Clark’s Hot Honey Shrimp are delicious – impossible to screw up – recipes that use few ingredients and can be thrown together in a matter of minutes. While Mark’s dish had been our go-to for years, Melissa’s recently wooed us with her perfect mix of sweet and spicy. A side of rice is an absolute must for each. If you’re fully committed to making this one the the easiest dinner meals ever, stop by your local Chinese spot for a takeout box of white rice.

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 TBS honey
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • zest of 1 lime
  • 1/2 tsp finely grated ginger
  • 1 garlic cloves, grated (use Microplane or finely mince)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper
  • 1 pound cleaned, deveined shrimp (the larger the better!)
  • 2 TBS cold butter, cut into small cubes (1 per shrimp)
  • lime wedges, for garnish
  • 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced, for garnish
  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced, for garnish

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 450°F.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine honey, cayenne, lime zest, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss in shrimp and mix until coated.
  3. Arrange shrimp on a large rimmed baking sheet and place a lil’ cube of butter on each shrimp. Roast until shrimp is pink and firm, about 5 minutes. Garnish with lime juice, jalapeño, and scallion.

Details: Enjoy as dinner for 2 or an appetizer for a intimate get together.

Feta-Brined Roast Chicken à la Melissa Clark

On By lukephillaryhIn Ode to NYTLeave a comment
Brined roast chicken Melissa Clark recipe
The ~ perfect ~ sunday night dinner

Roasted chicken. It’s a classic dish. But what recipe to choose? It’s all over the web, in every cookbook. There’s a plethora of tips, an abundance of varieties. The options are endless! Luke and I initially made your typical roast chicken – lemon and garlic in the cavity, salt and pepper, yada yada yada. But then NYT Food posted a new Melissa Clark video – Feta-Brined Roast Chicken. Of course we had to try it. Melissa makes just a few modifications to the usual recipe. The result: a roast chicken with all its wonderful traditional characteristics, but a nuance of newfangled taste.

One important lesson we’ve learned from Melissa’s recipe:

Brining makes everything better!!

You’ll find that this recipe produces an especially moist and flavorful chicken with extra crispy skin.

Ingredients:

  • 1 3.5-4 lb whole chicken
  • 2 oz feta (plus about 2 oz more if you’d like to add to the pan drippings at the end of cooking)
  • 4-6 cups water
  • 2 tsp salt (brine) + 1 1/2 tsp salt (dry rub)
  • 1-2 TBS freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 TBS dried oregano
  • 2 large lemons
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

  1. Brine the chicken: Do this the night before serving or morning of (brine for at least 8 hours, up to 36 hours). In a blender, combine water, 2 tsp salt, and 2 oz feta and blend until smooth. But your chicken in an extra-large resealable plastic bag or container and cover with feta-brine.  Add extra water to fully submerge chicken if necessary.
  2. Prep chicken to cook: Remove chicken from the brine, pat dry, and let rest for about 1 hour so that it reaches room temperature.
  3. Make dry rub and dress chicken: Combine 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1-2 TBS black pepper (we tend towards 1 TBS), 2 TBS oregano, and zest of 2 lemons. Rub all over the bird and in the cavity.  Do not skimp on rub!! Cut one lemon into quarters and place into the cavity. Truss the chicken.
  4. Cook: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a large, oven proof skillet (cast iron pan) over high heat.  Once heated, add oil. Place chicken breast-side up (legs in the air!). Transfer entire pan to the oven.  Cook for 50 minutes – 1 hour, basting once or twice. To test if finished, pierce chicken with a knife.  If juices run clear the chicken is ready!*
  5. Remove chicken from oven.  Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing (check out this video for carving instruction). Add some feta and juice of 1 lemon to the pan drippings to make a simple sauce. Enjoy with a baguette and green salad!

Details: Serves 4 (Luke and I love using the leftovers for chicken salads).

*Note 1: Another way to test doneness is with a meat thermometer.  Chicken is finished when the internal temperature reaches 150 – 160°F.

To print the recipe, click here: Feta-Brined Roast Chicken

Salmon + Anchovy Butter

On By lukephillaryhIn Ode to NYT1 Comment
Salmon with anchovy butter Melissa Clark recipe
The salmon – nice and crispy!

Melissa Clark is one of our cooking idols. She’s just so likable in her NYT videos!! Luke proudly has run into her two times to and from Prospect Park (stalker…). This recipe is one of the first of Melissa’s that we tried out. It’s so simple and delicious it has become a staple. Make sure to get a baguette because as Melissa says, “Anchovy butter is good on EVERYTHING.” Very essential to spread some extra anchovy butter on a slice of bread.

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 TBS butter, softened
  • 4 anchovy fillets, minced
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt + pepper
  • 2-4 skin on salmon fillets (6-8 oz each, number depending on how many peeps you’re trying to feed! one fillet per person)
  • 2 TBS drained and dried capers
  • 1/2 lemon

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl (or mortar and pestle) mash together butter, anchovies, garlic, and salt and pepper.
  2. In a large oven proof skillet (cast iron pan!) melt half of anchovy butter. Add fish, skin side down.  Cook for 3 minutes over high heat to brown skin, spooning melted butter over the top of the fish.  Add capers to bottom of pan and transfer to oven.  Roast until fish is cooked through, 8-10 min.
  3. Remove pan from oven and add remaining butter to pan to melt.  Squeeze some lemon juice on top.  Garnish with parsley if you’d like!  And as mentioned above, a baguette is a nice edition to dip in the anchovy butter  – mmmmm!

Details:  As mentioned in ingredients, this recipe serves 2-4.  You can easily increase the portion size by cooking more fillets and mixing up a bit more butter!

To print the recipe, click here: Salmon + Anchovy butter