Recipes you should know volume 5
All the recipes from the past month that didn't make it to my newsletter
Hi, friends. Late Feb and early March were full of that in-between-season deliciousness. The comforts of winter with glimpses of springy zing. There was a cozy but super easy cauliflower soup with a za’atar drizzle, a sweet meets savory veggie noodle salad loaded with herbs and chicken, and a tomato recipe that will show you how to make the most of out-of-season tomatoes when you’re craving summer. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
(And if you have suggestions for recipes you want to see here, on Instagram, or in my regular weekly newsletter, email me or leave a comment!)
Confit Tomato Lentil Salad
If you are a lentil salad hater, this just might be the recipe to convert you. It starts by confiting tomatoes, which is a process that involves immersing your tomatoes in olive oil and baking them low and slow in the oven until they’re almost bursting. This is one of my favorite ways to cook tomatoes year-round but especially in the winter, because it can bring out the sweetness in even the saddest out-of-season tomato. The oil the tomatoes cooks in serves as our dressing, and the addition of herbs and parm are giving the salad pizza vibes. I’m obsessed.
For the confit tomatoes:
12 oz grape or cherry tomatoes
1 cup+ olive oil
3 garlic cloves
Salt
Aleppo pepper
Put your tomatoes in a small oven-safe baking dish and pour in enough olive oil to cover them. Add in garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of Aleppo pepper. Bake at 250 for at least two hours, until the tomatoes get very soft and tender and look like they’re starting to deflate. Remove from oven and let cool.
For the salad:
1 cup dry lentils
1 garlic clove
1/2 packed cup each mint and basil
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
Lots of parmesan cheese
Confit tomatoes
Confit tomato oil
1 tbsp each red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar
To cook the lentils, rinse, add to a small pot, and cover with water. Add in a sprinkle of salt and your garlic cloves and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until they are tender and to your liking (less time for slightly crunchier lentils, more for softer ones).
Drain lentils and allow to cool.
Once lentils and confit tomatoes are cooled, add to a bowl with herbs (I leave the leaves whole or tear the big ones in half) and as much parm as you’d like. Add in a healthy drizzle of the confit tomato oil along with your vinegars and a big pinch of salt. Toss to combine and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Oysters with Spicy Cilantro Mignonette
This is not my mignonette recipe, but I just gotta share it with you. On Valentine’s Day we picked up oysters from Fish King here in Glendale and I found this recipe for a spicy cilantro mignonette courtesy of Hog Island Oyster Co. in the Bay. It calls for jalapeño, and cilantro, and — the real kickers in my opinion — both seasoned and unseasoned rice vinegar. The result is unlike any mignonette I’ve ever had. If you partake in oysters at home, you absolutely must try it next time. Linking it here!!
Creamy Caramelized Onion, Cauliflower, & White Bean Soup with Za’atar Drizzle
Cauliflower soup, but make it luxurious (and easy enough for a weeknight). Caramelizing the onion adds so much depth and a bit of sweetness to the soup, while the white beans add some really velvety body. Don’t skimp on the za’atar drizzle or the homemade croutons — they make it!
For the soup:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large head cauliflower, cut into two-inch chunks (I use the whole thing — florets, stems, leaves, and all! It all gets blended up anyways and less waste is always a good thing)
1 can cannelini beans, drained
Enough broth, stock, and/or water to cover everything (~5-6 cups)
1/3 cup cream
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add your onion along with a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is lightly caramelized. This should take around 15 minutes, give or take. Turn the heat down if it is browning too quickly or starting to burn, and add a little more olive oil if at any point it starts to look dry.
Once caramelized, add in your garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Next, add in cauliflower and white beans, along with whatever liquids you’re using. Being to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until cauliflower is fork tender, about 10 minutes.
In batches, transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender. (Note you should NOT add anything super hot to a blender because it will expand and explode so let it cool and work in very small batches). Once bonded, stir in cream and add lots of freshly cracked black pepper and more salt if necessary. Heat through if you cooled it to blend.
For the drizzle:
2 tbsp za’atar
3 tbsp olive oil
Whisk together.
For the croutons:
Your preferred bread, torn into small bite-sized chunks
Enough olive oil to lightly coat everything
Salt
Toss bread with olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Bake at 425 until golden and crispy, about 4-7 min depending on your oven.
Za’atar Chickpea and Garlic Labneh Toast
This is one of my current hyperfixation meals. I love it for breakfast, a light lunch, or a snack, and have even made it with cottage cheese instead of labneh to up the protein and make it a touch more filling. No measurements here, just taste and adjust as you like.
For the chickpeas:
Rinsed and drained chickpeas
Za’atar
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Mix together chickpeas, a spoonful or two of za’atar, some lemon juice, and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust if needed.
For the labneh:
Labneh
Garlic
Salt
Spoon some labneh into a bowl, then grate in garlic (start with half a clove and work your way up). Sprinkle in some salt, mix, adjust for seasoning.
For assembly:
1 slice of your favorite bread, toasted (I like sourdough here)
Spread the labneh on the toast, then top with chickpeas. Drizzle on more olive oil if you’d like!
Cucumber, Zucchini, and Carrot Noodle Salad
Remember zoodles? I’m not super into subbing veggies for carbs but I am into making noodles out of veggies to create cold, crunchy, refreshing salads. This one has chicken, jalapeños, and lots of herbs, too, along with a beyond yummy Asian-inspired vinaigrette. It’s best fresh but the leftovers aren’t bad either, in case you want to make a big batch for lunch for a couple days. You’ll need a julienne peeler for this one — I’ve had mine for going on 10 years. Worth it, imo!
For the salad:
1 large English cucumbers
2 medium zucchini
2 large or 4-5 small carrots (you want about equal amounts of each veggie, so size up or down depending on how much salad you need!)
1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 cup mint leaves, torn
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (omit or reduce depending on how spicy you’re feeling)
3 cups cooked shredded chicken
Lay your cucumbers down on their side, then use your julienne peeler to peel noodles. Repeat with carrots and zucchini. Add these to a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients, and toss with dressing.
For the dressing:
1/4 cup toasted Sesame oil
1 tbsp Seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp Unseasoned rice vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 inch ginger (about 1 tsp) grated
Add all ingredients to a jar with a lid and shake shake shake. Or alternatively, add all ingredients but the sesame oil to a bowl, whisk, then continuously whisk as you drizzle in the sesame oil.
A Very Good Winter Snack Plate
Threw this together recently and was obsessed with the flavor combos — not a recipe, but definitely worth sharing! Salty, sweet, crunchy. Will be making this on repeat until the pears are no longer in season.
A few slices/chunks of parmesan cheese (the good stuff)
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh cracked black pepper
Baguette
Good butter
Maldon salt
A ripe pear
Roasted hazelnuts
Drizzle cheese with some EVOO and a few grinds of pepper. Spread butter on baguette and sprinkle with Maldon salt. Eat with pears and hazelnuts.
Creamy Parmesan Fennel, Leek, and Potato Soup with Guanciale and Lemony Breadcrumbs
Another puréed soup! I’m very into them lately. This one is a spin on a classic potato leek, but with fennel added in as well as lots and lots of parmesan cheese. It starts by rendering some guanciale, which we’ll then use as a topping when serving. That savory guanciale flavor penetrates the whole soup, giving it a really lush taste, and the lemon zest in the breadcrumbs is such a nice pop of brightness.
For the soup:
1 leek
2 heads of fennel
5 garlic cloves
3 medium potatoes, cubed
3 oz guanciale, cut into small cubes
4-5 cups broth
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (or more! measure with your heart)
1/3 cup cream
For the breadcrumbs:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
zest of 1 lemon
To start, prep your veg. Thinly slice your leek, then rinse under cool water to remove any dirt stuck between layers. Pat dry. Cut the stems off of your fennel bulbs, then slice into quarters. Roughly chop each quarter into 1-inch pieces (you don’t have to be precious about the size here — everything is getting blended up soon).
Wash and peel your potatoes, then cut into 1-inch cubes. Roughly chop your garlic.
Grab your saucepan or small pot and heat over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add in your guanciale. Cook, stirring every so often, until guanciale is crisp and the fat has rendered. Turn the heat down if it appears to burn. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving all of the fat behind. That’s going to be our cooking oil.
Add in your leeks and fennel, along with a healthy pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veg have started to brown around the edges and are beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. If the fennel and leeks look like they're browning too quickly, turn the heat down. If they begin to look dry, add in a splash of olive oil.
Toss in your roughly chopped garlic and cook just until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add in your potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
Transfer to a blender and blend in batches until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender for this step.
Return to the pan and stir in parmesan cheese and cream, along with lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
To make breadcrumbs, take your Cristel Mini Frying Pan and heat over medium-low heat. Add in 1 tbsp of olive oil and heat until shimmering, then add in your breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring constantly, until they're golden brown and toasted, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add in your lemon zest and a pinch of salt.
To serve, top each bowl of soup with a few spoonfuls of breadcrumbs and the reserved guanciale. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Everything you post looks amazing! I think I could drink a cilantro mignonette
Hi! Amazing recipes😍 For the confit tomatoes, is it 250 C or 250 F ? thank you🫶🏻