Tag: Thyme

Walnut Pesto

On By lukephillaryhIn Hillary's DishesLeave a comment
Walnut pesto Buvette recipe
Maybe better than OG pesto…

I learned something new while preparing to write this post. I learned that Jody Williams has another restaurant in the West Village. A restaurant that somehow I had never heard of (whaaaat). I knew about Buvette, which has previously inspired some home cooked meals, and Via Carota, her collaboration with Rita Sodi. Somehow I missed Gottino, the oldest of the bunch and quite possibly the most understated. It has a cute patio and a long spacious bar. It looks very appetizing compared to the squished “bistro” seating I’ve endured at Buvette, all for the sake of their delicious tartinettes.

There are few foods items I enjoy more than tartinettes (also known as crostinis) – a crusty piece of toast topped with a creative combination of cheese, meat, and/or vegetables. This walnut pesto is one such creation and comes originally from Gottino, but is now served at Buvette as well. Having it at Buvette for the first time, I knew I would love it forever. The rendition Luke and I make at home is very nearly as good. If I could I would eat this for dinner often – several large spoonfuls on crispy toasts with just a simple mixed green salad. Unfortunately, Luke doesn’t consider walnut pesto tartinettes substantial enough for dinner. I encourage you to enjoy walnut pesto for lunch, happy hour, dinner, maybe even breakfast. Our recipe comes from Deb Perelman. I also love this succinct recipe writeup from The New York Times in 2008, which omits ingredient measurements. Jody Williams has been serving walnut pesto for nearly ten years! That is the strongest endorsement of this recipe’s deliciousness.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup shelled walnuts (optional: toast and let cool)
  • 1/4 cup grated parm
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed or grated
  • fresh thyme (strip a few sprigs and give ’em rough chop)
  • salt, to taste
  • splash of red wine or sherry vinegar
  •  1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 TBS minced sun dried tomato (oil packed or dry will work, if using oil packed can go a little lighter on the olive oil)
  • sliced baguette

Directions:

  1. Using a mortar and pestle or food processor, grind walnuts, cheese, garlic, thyme, salt, and vinegar. Stir in olive oil and tomatoes.
  2. Toast your baguette slices (cut fairly thin, 1/2 inch or so). Heap a generous spoonful of pesto onto your warm slices and enjoy immediately.
  3. Pesto can be stored at room temp for up to a week.

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.

French Tomato Tart

On By lukephillaryhIn VeggieLeave a comment
Tomato Tart David Lebovitz recipe
Tomatoes and the tart! Perfect for a picnic.

Luke’s dad Scott is a masterful tomato grower. In a small community garden plot in Philadelphia Scott has harvested many pounds of tomatoes, a combination of varieties he carefully selects – Speckled Peach, Amish Paste, Marmande, Golden Honey Bunch are a few of his favorite. He’s truly perfected the science of tomato growing, even conducting taste tests. In past summers, Luke and I have had the privilege of enjoying Scott’s tomato bounty, making oodles of bruschetta, homemade tomato sauce, Caprese salad – gustatorily transporting ourselves to Italy. This year, in accordance with fairness and good governance, Scott’s community plot has been ceded to another gardener. And sadly, without Scott’s crop, Luke and I have completely forgotten to enjoy any of summer’s tomatoes! Thankfully, that changed this weekend. We selected three beautiful farmer’s market tomatoes and journeyed from Italy to France. This fresh, bright tomato tart makes a perfect summer lunch or light dinner. Bring to the park for a Provençal picnic!

Recipe courtesy of David Lebovitz – a classic food blogger, but new favorite!

Ingredients  – Dough:

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 9 TBS chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2-3 TBS ice water

Ingredients – Tart filling:

  • 2-3 TBS dijon mustard
  • 2-3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into slices
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 2 TBS minced fresh herbs (thyme, chives, tarragon)
  • 6 oz goat cheese, cut into rounds
  • salt & pepper, to taste

Directions – Dough:

  1. Tart dough: Mix flour in salt in a medium sized bowl. Add the butter and use your hands or pastry blender, to break in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
  2. Mix the egg with 2 TBS of cold water. Make a well in the center of the dough and add the beaten egg mixture. Stir the mixture with your hands until the dough holds together. If it’s not coming together easily, add an additional TBS of water.
  3. Form dough into a ball and transfer onto a big sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap in plastic and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate for an hour (or up to 24 hours).
  4. Remove dough from fridge and let thaw out slightly. On a lightly floured service using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough. Rotate the dough and add more flour to surface, as needed, to ensure dough doesn’t stick. Roll out dough so that is large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a 9-inch or 10-inch removable tart pan.
  5. Transfer the dough to your tart pan and press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of your pan.

Directions – Filling:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Spread an even layer of mustard over the bottom of the tart pan and let sit for a minute or so to soak in.
  3. Arrange the sliced tomatoes in a single layer (a little overlap is ok). Sprinkle with 1 TBS of fresh herbs and drizzle with olive oil. Top with salt and a freshly ground black pepper.
  4. Arrange the goat cheese slices on top and sprinkling with remaining herbs.
  5. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, until the cheese is nicely browned around the edges. Let cool for ten minutes, then enjoy! Perfect for a summer lunch.

Details: Makes 1 9-inch or 10-inch tart

Parm Broth

On By lukephillaryhIn Hillary's Dishes2 Comments
Parmesan broth for soup
Just a few ingredients yields a rich broth

The impetus for concocting this recipe was an Instagram post, and if I remember correctly, it was  post by Bon Appétit. Upon seeing the photo in my feed, I immediately thought to myself “YES, what a great way to use all those leftover Parmesan rinds Luke and I are always having to throw away.” Ingenious cooking for the WIN. I saw this post back in January, during the height of soup making season, and have been saving Parmesan rinds in our freezer since then. So finally last weekend, before we head into consistently nice Springtime weather, Luke and I spent our Sunday afternoon simmering some Parm broth. It perfumed our lil’ apartment with a cheesy fragrance…mmmmm. The result: a rich and versatile broth that can be used to enhance flavor in soup, pasta, and bean dishes.

Ingredients:

  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
  • 1 bunch thyme
  • 3-5 parsley sprigs
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 lb Parmesan rinds (we used around 10 rinds of varying sizes)

Directions:

  1. In a large pot or dutch oven heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook onion, garlic, thyme, parsley, and peppercorns, stirring often, until garlic has browned, about 5 minutes. Add wine and bring to a simmer. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes, scraping up any brown bits.
  2. Add 8 cups water and Parmesan rinds. Bring to a boil and the reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours. You will have to stir occasionally to prevent cheese from sticking to the bottom of your pot.
  3. After 2 hours, strain your broth through a fine-mesh sieve (we used a colander and cheese cloth) into a large bowl.

Details: Yields about 4 cups of broth.

Bâtons + Soft Boiled Egg

On By lukephillaryhIn Hillary's Dishes1 Comment
Soft Boiled Egg with batons Buvette
In action!

In college, a classic dining hall meal was breakfast for dinner. Freshman year brinner was an occasion. What could be better than eggs, pancakes, and a giant platter of bacon? Unsurprisingly, brinner always turned out to be a little lackluster.  Watery eggs, chewy pancakes.  And though the bacon was actually perfectly crispy, a self-respecting person can only allow themselves to consume so much bacon. After freshman year I moved out of the dorms and said goodbye to dining hall food, but not to brinner. Because making breakfast for dinner allowed for some cheap, quick, and very satisfying meals. And because breakfast food is delicious. When we’re feeling lazy about making a weekday dinner, Luke and I will whip up some bacon, cheesy eggs, wrap em up in a tortilla, squirt some sriracha on top and voilà – dinner! This recipe is a bit more special. It comes from the Buvette cookbook (fav brunch spot for all the NYC betches) and puts a little fancy flair on a breakfast meal that I imagine many cute French children enjoying. Dip these crunchy bâtons into a gooey soft boiled egg and enjoy! A delicious dinner (or brunch) without the 2 hour wait.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 rustic loaf of bread (boule) ~ making 16 bâtons
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • handful grated parm
  • 1-2 tsp fresh (or dried) thyme *it using dried, use closer to 1 tsp
  • 8 slices prosciutto, cut in half lengthwise
  • as many eggs as you like!! (serves 4-6)
  • salt & pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Making the bâtons: Cut your bread loaf into 4 slices, cutting from the middle of the bread to have wider, evenly sized slices.  Cut each slice into 4 long bâtons, aim for about middle finger size, 1/2 inch thickness.  Place bâtons on a baking sheet in one layer and bake 5-10 minutes, turning once or twice to ensure all sides are golden brown.
  3. Adding the flare: Remove baking sheet from the oven, drizzle bâtons with oil olive to evenly cover and scatter with parm and thyme.  Wrap each bâton with a strip of prosciutto and then place back on the baking sheet.  Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
  4. Eggs: Meanwhile, boil a pot of water (enough to cover however many eggs you’d like to boil).  Once boiling, add the eggs *gently* and cook for 3 1/2 minutes.  Remove (again, gently!) and run over with cold water.
  5. Get your egg set up in its stand, crank and peel the egg shell and puncture! Dip your bâton to soak up all that yolk-y goodness!  This is an action packed meal.

Details: As mentioned in the ingredients, this recipe can serve up to six (doing the math, that’s about 3 bâtons per person) but Luke and I could easily eat up to 8 bâtons each.  They’re addicting!!

Some notes:

  • This meal is excellent with a simple side salad of greens, tossed with a vinaigrette dressing.
  • If you don’t have egg stands, as they are a somewhat unusual and niche kitchen accessory, you can peel the shell of the egg as you would with a hard boiled egg.  It’s a bit tricky, but doable.  Arrange 4 or so bâtons on a plate and place your unpeeled soft boiled egg on top and then break.  You can use your bâtons to soak up the yolk-y mess.
  • Deb also has a delicious looking bâtons recipe  on Smitten Kitchen. YUM.

To print the recipe, click here: Bâtons + Soft Boiled Egg

Roasted Cauliflower + Parsnip Soup

On By lukephillaryhIn VeggieLeave a comment
Roasted Cauliflower Parsnip Soup
The Soup and Spread

This soup is THICK. And delicious. Beware: without the olive oil and thyme garnish, it could be mistaken for a bowl of hummus.  If you bring leftovers to the office for lunch, don’t be surprised if a coworker tries to dip a carrot.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 2 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 shallots, peeled and quartered
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 2 TBS minced fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dried thyme)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • salt + pepper
  • plenty of olive oil to coat veggies
  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
  2. Spread cauliflower, parsnips, shallots, and garlic on a baking sheet.  Cover with oil and spices and give a good mix to evenly coat.
  3. Roast vegetables for 30 minutes, making sure to toss veggies at least once or twice.
  4. While veggies are cooking, warm stock in a soup pot over low heat.
  5. Remove veggies from oven.  Blend in batches with stock in a blender or add veggies to soup pan and blend with a hand blender.  Make sure to blend until smooth, should take 3-5 minutes.  Add more stock if necessary to thin.
  6. If in a blender, add mix back to pot.  Add heavy cream, stir into soup, and bring back to a simmer.
  7. Serve with a garnish of olive oil and fresh thyme.

Details: Serves 4 (but we’re usually only 2)

To print the recipe, click here: Roasted Cauliflower + Parsnip Soup