friday night pizza with onion confit

Posted on March 22, 2013 by hilary924

growing up, fridays were always take-out pizza night. a night to relax the rules, rent a movie, and laze about on the sofa. no vegetables required. the whole of the weekend just stretching out ahead of you, full of promise.

this is a slightly more grown-up pie than the little cesar's extra pepperoni. but it hits all the right notes, salty and sweet toppings, chewy and crispy crust.

making the pizza yourself is just as easy as ordering take-out – i promise. especially if you ditch the overly complicated dough recipe in the baking with julia cookbook. i tried it – and i tried to be fair.

but, ugh. kneading. rising. if i was faced with that everytime i wanted homemade pizza, i'd just buy the very very good dough from trader joe's.

people. it is so simple. flour. salt. yeast. this recipe uses sugar, but there's really no need. mix in the morning while your coffee is brewing. cover, and it'll be perfect and ready for you when you get home.

add toppings. bake. enjoy. capiche?

i won't pretend that onion confit is a friday night activity. it's time intense, but worth it to get the onions simmered down to a jam-like consistency. sweet with a hint of acid from a splash of red wine. a perfect complement to a scattering of blue cheese crumbles.

try that on a sunday, recapture a bit of the beginning of the weekend indulgence. i won't tell.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia's Pizza with Onion Confit

Like I said, there are easy pizza dough recipes that do just as well – or better – than the one in the book and don't require multiple steps. So, I'm just going to link to my favorite. Jim Leahy. The man knows his dough. To read more, go to Tuesdays with Dorie or Boy Can Bake.

Pizza Dough

Notes for the linked recipe – you can use less yeast if you give the dough all day to rise. You don't need to bother with the sugar.

Onion Confit

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 medium onions (about 2 ¹/₂ pounds total), peeled, halved, and sliced ¹/₈to ¹/₄ inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sugar
Fresh thyme sprigs or leaves to taste
1 ¹/₄ to 1 ¹/₂ cups red wine
¹/₄ cup red wine vinegar

Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet and stir in the onions. Season with salt and pepper, stir, cover the pan, and cook the onions over low heat until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the onions, stir, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the thyme, 1 ¹/₄ cups red wine, the vinegar, and a tablespoon or two of the creme de cassis, if you want to use it. Stir well and cook the mixture over the lowest possible heat, stirring from time to time, for about 1 hour, until just about all the liquid has evaporated. If the liquid has cooked off in half an hour or less, add a bit more wine. Turn the onions out onto a flat plate and let them cool to room temperature.

The onions can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. They should be brought to room temperature before they’re spread on the pizza.

Pulling it all Together

Dough
Onion Confit – relatively cool
Blue cheese or goat cheese crumbles
Any other topping your little heart could desire

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, fit the rack with a baking stone or quarry tiles, leaving a border of at least 1 inch free all around and preheat the oven to 475^o F. Rub a baker’s peel with cornmeal and set aside until needed.

Shaping the Dough Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (snip off a small piece of dough to save for the Mixed-Starter Bread if you want) and divide it into two pieces. You’ll probably have to bake the pizzas one at a time, so keep one piece covered while you work with the other. If you do not want to make two pizzas at this time, wrap one piece of dough tightly in plastic and store it in the refrigerator, where it will keep for a day or two, or wrap it airtight and freeze for up to a month. Thaw frozen dough, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator. Bring the chilled dough to cool room temperature before shaping. Shape the dough into a ball and then flatten it into a disk. To form the pizza, you can either turn and stretch the dough, stopping to allow the dough to rest for a few minutes if it springs back readily, or roll it out with a rolling pin. Either way, work the dough until it is about ¹/₄ inch thick (you can make it a little thinner if you prefer) and transfer it to the peel.

Topping and Baking Top with half the cooled onion confit and any or all of the optional ingredients, or the topping of your choice, leaving a 1-inch border around the rim of the pizza, and slide the pizza into the oven. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the topping is bubbling and the uncovered rim is puffed and beautifully golden. Repeat with the remaining dough and topping.

farro with squash and kale

Posted on February 20, 2013 by hilary924

we need to do something nice for ourselves. something healthy. something full of leafy greens.

it is a bit of a selfish request, you see. i'm on a couch coughing my lungs up, surrounded by lozenge wrappers and half drunk cups of mint tea. i have a really divine fudgy brownie recipe, but it'll wait for later.

this is not exactly a quick weeknight recipe. the three elements need to be cooked separately – the kale blanched, the squash roasted, and the farro is slowly simmered risotto-style. aka: lots of stirring.

but when the dish comes together, it is magically greater than the sum of its delicious parts.

cooking the farro slowly, first by toasting the grains and then slowly adding chicken broth, results in a deeply nutty and meaty flavor. the grains stay al dente, with a nice firm bite. but the broth reduces down to an almost creamy sauce. it perfectly coats the kale.

this all works because farro has the same starch as arborio rice. you get the same unctious mouth feel (how awful is that phrase!) but with a bit of whole grain goodness. unless you're not into that type of thing. i think farro might be a good grain? it's ancient, which i think is good.

ugh. nevermind, don't ask me. i've already got enough research projects for my cold-medicine-addled brain to manage.

what i do know? try to find the pearled farro. it won't take as long to cook. plus it sounds special.

i used acorn squash here, as called for by the original recipe. but i'd bet you could open one of those super handy dandy packets of pre-cubed butternut and save yourself a few minutes of cursing as the vegetable peeler is gummed up yet again with squash skin as you're fruitlessly digging it into the narrow little acorn squash furrows.

does anyone know a better way to peel acorn squash? or was acorn squash really only meant to be halved, filled with butter and brown sugar and roasted? shall we leave the peeling and cubing for the slightly more ergonomically-inclined butternut squash? yes? good. glad we settled that.

either way you go, this is a really lovely comfort food. hearty and satisfying without being heavy. easily made vegan if you are so inclined. but also lovely with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese for those of us who like a little indulgence.

i'm feeling better already.

Farro with Squash and Kale

From Epicurious. Delicious as a side for a simple roasted chicken, or a main for meatless Mondays.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small acorn squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2" cubes OR about a half a medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2" cubes
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1/2 bunch red Russian or other kale (about 5 ounces), center stems removed, leaves torn
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup farro
1/4 cup diced white onion
1 small garlic clove, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock mixed with 2 cups water, warmed
finely grated Parmesan, to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan. Add squash, season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, turning squash every 10 minutes, until tender, 30–35 minutes.

Cook kale in a large pot of boiling salted water until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool; drain.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add farro; toss to coat. Roast in oven until toasted, stirring once, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; wipe out skillet.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; stir until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add wine; increase heat to high. Stir until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add farro and 1/2 cup warm stock mixture. Stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Continue cooking, adding broth by 1/2 cupfuls, stirring and allowing broth to be absorbed between additions, until farro is tender. This will take between 30 and 45 minutes – maybe up to an hour. I can usually tell when it is time to add more broth when you can drag your wooden spoon across the bottom of pan and the little liquid left stays parted for a few seconds.

Add kale, squash; stir gently until vegetables are heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

twd: baking with julia: oasis naan

Posted on June 5, 2012 by hilary924

sometimes, i feel like fine dining is totally wasted on me when i would be perfectly happy just consuming the bread basket. sometimes (see friday night, to the somm's horror) a loaf of good crusty bread is dinner. add butter, cheese, maybe some honey. call it a day.

since the somm was in town and would prefer not to consume only carbohydrates, i decided to go ahead and try a few new indian recipes to go with the naan.

there was a half-hearted attempt to find friends to come share the mountain of food, but it ended up just being us.

no complaining here.

more easy chicken masala, caramelized cumin-roasted carrots, green bean, corn and coconut stir fry and raita for me.

every one of those recipes was easy and super delicious. light, and summery, not what you might think of when you think indian food, and worth sharing … or keeping to yourself.

but back to that naan. this recipe did not turn out the way i expected naan – which is usually soft, and chewy, and little charred. instead, i got a yeasted, crispy flatbread.

i tried baking them two ways: on my pizza pan that has lots of little holes that encourage crispness, and on the back of a cookie sheet, as recommended by the cookbook. no real noticable difference.

the problem was probably too much flour in the dough, which was necessary since the recipe called for TEN WHOLE MINUTES of hand kneading. which i handled like a champ, thanks to my fabulously gay drill sergeant of a weights class instructor. no master courvoisier, i wasn't whining. i just think a traditional naan dough should be wetter. and maybe involve yogurt.

while i don't think these were really naan-enough, and i probably won't make them again because my go-to bread recipe involves no physical exertion whatsoever . . . the bread was tasty and eargerly consumed by both the somm and myself. and just as good smothered in raita as butter. the big crystals of salt made them reminiscent of pretzels.

which are still so totally on my summer bucket list.

for links to the recipe, visit tuesdays with dorie.

lamb tagine with preserved lemons & figs

Posted on January 31, 2012 by hilary924

dinner parties are SERIOUS BUSINESS in manchego's kitchen. they really, truly, are the time for both my and the somm's type a personalities to shine. slash terrorize our friends and loved ones. the sum of what we (or is that just me!) want to do always exceeds what is reasonable . . . or even feasible.

water spots on the glasses? the horror!

fewer than 6 to 7 homemade dishes? i must be slacking!

i kid you not. slider night featured two types of burgers, homemade buns and mayonnaise. i only didn't make the ketchup, because why mess with heinz? one year, i lovingly recreated the entire gourmet tomato feast. the bruschetta alone had about five subrecipes.

the food - i hope – is generally good. but, i've come to realize that while i'm having fun, this is not always relaxing for our (many) guests. i am frantic, wild-eyed in the kitchen, which is mostly a sea of dirty dishes. the somm tries to get everyone inebriated so they can't tell dinner's half an hour behind schedule. friends hover at the kitchen's periphery asking if they can help, but fearing to come too close.

but i think i've broken the streak. the solution? take a full week off work before said dinner party!

just kidding. sort of.

said time off did give me time to put together some lovely flower arrangements. to get the shopping and some of the ingredient prep out of the way. and to sufficiently ruminate about the flavor of homemade ice cream (you see, i'm not completely cured . . . but that recipe is for next time).

but mostly, i think this dinner party was much calmer thanks to the make ahead lamb tagine.

a tagine is a stew/braise with moroccan flavors and spices. this one is loaded up with lamb!

i am not sure if this photo adequately captures the insane amount of lamb that was browned and on it's way to melt in your mouth deliciousness a good 30 hours before go time.

my tagine is also loaded up with chickpeas for a one-two protein punch. lamb is such a rich, strong flavor, i thought the chickpeas helped lighten and mellow it out. tagines are easily made vegetarian if that's your thing – think mostly chickpeas with more veggies or even potatoes.

meet the supporting cast:

plus some dried figs. apricots would also work. or prunes? go for it.

this was my first time cooking with preserved lemons, and they added such wonderful pops of tangy, salty flavor. olives are often added to tagines for similar effect, and you know i love me some olives, but i thought the lemons were surprising and perfect.

stews are great dinner party food – or cook once on sunday for the week food – because the flavor just gets better over time. and it reduces the running-around-like-a-chicken-with-its-head-cut-off effect it has on hostesses.

the one hitch was that since i wasn't cooking like crazy, i maybe had a cocktail too many to remember we'd planned to give salad it's own whole course to itself.

the tagine survived a warming period in the oven just fine, and with a salad like that who wouldn't mind the wait? perfect pink cara cara oranges on a bed of arugula with feta and olives. it hit all the right notes – sweet, savory, salty, and bitter. i stole the idea from this recipe . . . the dressing was fantastic.

i also roasted a big mess of root vegetables, but they all turned fushia from the beets. not photogenic. not that parsnips are particularly photogenic to begin with, as they resemble bulbous albino carrots. anyway, they and the cumin vinaigrette tasted sweet and smoky and divine, inspiration here.

Garnished with some bright cilantro over a bed of couscous, and you've got yourself a hearty, filling and completely satisfying winter dinner.

Lamb Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Figs

Adapted from Epicurious - Serves 8

Note: Ras-el-hanout is a blend of spices that is often used in Moroccan cooking. It means "top of the shelf" and usually represented a blend of the best spices offered by a spice shop. Like Indian curry, there are many different ways to blend. You can buy it in specialty shops, or put together your own blend from relatively common ingredients like cinnamon, ginger, cumin and turmeric. Here's one blend - feel free to tinker with the proportions based on flavors you like or what you have in your kitchen.

4 lbs lamb shoulder, in 1 inch dice
1 to 1.5 large onions diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 tbsp Ras-el-Hanout
1.5 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 can diced tomatoes with juices
2 – 3 cups low-salt chicken stock
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (I feel I should get credit for not making these from dried)
1/2 cup dried figs, quartered
1 preserved lemon, rind only, diced

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or other large (not-nonstick) skillet with lid. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper and brown in batches. Lamb should sizzle at it hits the oil, but only take a few minutes to brown. Each batch should only be one layer of lamb in the pot to allow each piece to brown and develop the fond – the brown sticky bits on the bottom of the pot that'll add amazing caramelized meat flavor to the dish. Keep adding oil as you need to to keep the fond and meet from burning instead of browning. Transfer all browned lamb to a bowl, set aside.

Add more oil if needed and saute onion until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, spices and ginger and saute for a minute or so until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and lamb with any juices at the bottom of the bowl and bring to a boil. Add about 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock and bring back to a boil.

Allow to simmer until the lamb is falling apart, about 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally and adding more chicken broth if it reduces down to a thicker stew than you'd like. Add the chickpeas and simmer for about 15 minutes, then add the figs and preserved lemons and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Tagine can be served now over couscous with a sprinkle of cilantro – but it might be even better the next day!

life-changing zucchini soup

Posted on July 25, 2011 by hilary924

perhaps you are asking yourself, why on god's green earth would anyone be making soup – and we are talking hot soup here, not chilled refreshing gazpacho – not only in the middle of summer, but in the middle of the worst heat wave this country has seen in a long, long time?

well, i didn't leave the house yesterday. the somm and i cranked up the ac, lowered the blinds, settled our tushes into the couch and took shelter.

i didn't even go to the gym. its getting serious.

but back to the soup. a friend sent me the recipe. i thanked her. i was close to moving on. i'm not a soup person. my mom – she is all about the soup. soup just doesn't always get it done for me.

then my friend sent a one sentence email: the zucchini soup will change your life.

talk about getting serious. i'm in!

we're going to start with some onions.

diced onion is going to get up close and personal with more butter and olive oil than i usually use (sorry honey!) and some thyme and bay. i took a picture, frankly it didn't look as appetizing as it smelled. butter. mmm.

add your chunked zucchini and chicken stock. i used some homemade stock from the freezer. the sommelier came that much closer to finding the ice cream sandwiches.

once it's all cooked up together, you blend it up. you know, in your blender. or use one of those fancy immersion blender wands. i don't have one, although some kind person did buy me one for my wedding. i had registered for it and everything. i thought it might inspire me to make soup. i had visions of sharing soup recipes with my mother. then it arrived and i looked at it and realized that, really, i'm not a soup person. i returned it and put the money towards filling out my pots and pans set. my sincere apologies. but seriously, i'm using the hell out of those pots and pans.

soup therapy session over! time for the croutons! you're going to need lots of basil.

i keep mine in a vase. with my flowers.

god, i love the woman who sells the flowers at my farmers market. she puts basil IN THE ARRANGEMENTS sometimes. purple basil – do you see it back there? love. it. so does manchego. check him out surveying his domain.

moments after this photo was taken, he started gnawing on the flower arrangements.

anyway. i saved the basil from the gatito. and let me pass along this advice: do not skip the croutons. they are buttery, basily cubes of goodness.

let them get all brown and toasty.

so good. i am that much closer to being a soup person.

and mom – you should try this soup. here's the recipe!

Zucchini Soup with Basil Croutons

from Food & Wine Magazine

SOUP

3 tbs butter
3 tbs olive oil
3 celery ribs, peeled and diced (I didn't have celery. I didn't miss it.)
1 medium onion, minced (I may have subbed extra onion for the missing celery. But I can never tell what a "medium" onion is supposed to be.)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp chopped thyme leaves
1 1/2 lb zucchini (F&W said to use little guys, I used two big dudes. Eh.)
3 cups chicken stock
Salt & Pepper
More basil

In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the celery, onion, bay leaf and thyme and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 20 minutes. Increase the heat to moderate. Stir in the zucchini and stock, season with salt and pepper and simmer the soup until the zucchini is soft, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.

CROUTONS

2 tbs butter
1/3 cup basil leaves, finely chopped
2 cups-ish country bread, cut into 1/2 ince dice
Salt & Pepper

In a large skillet, melt the butter over moderately high heat. Stir in the chopped basil, then add the bread cubes and toss to coat with the butter. Season the bread cubes with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, or until the bread cubes are lightly toasted and crispy. Transfer to a plate.

ALL TOGETHER NOW

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. This is important – soup expand when it gets hot and blended. Leave a little air hole at the top of your blender. Enough for steam, not enough to splatter soup everywhere. You'll be sad.

Return the soup to the saucepan and reheat gently. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the croutons and basil leaves and serve.

freestyle ratatouille

Posted on July 21, 2011 by hilary924

there are two veggie dishes that just scream summer to me. they are also two dishes that are super fun to say. ratatouille! succotash!

today, we're talking ratatouille.

everyone in america now knows what ratatouille is thanks to this adorable mouse.

both ratatouille and succotash make excellent use of the veggies that are at their prime in summer. for ratatouille, this means tomatoes. eggplants. squash. sweet peppers. basil and other herbs.

you can't really see it, but there's a super pretty purple and white striped eggplant in that pile. remember when that pile was bigger?

there's that eggplant! and a very uncharacteristically curious cat.

some people (ahem julia child) have lots of rules about ratatouille. sauteing the various vegetable separately to maintain their vegetal integrity. that just sounds like a lot of cleaning for this servantless chef. and while thomas keller's perfectly composed little dish of ratatouille for said movie looked delectable, i just can't be bothered on a weeknight. i like my ratatouille peasant style, stewy and infused with the taste of summer.

so, here goes some freestyle ratatouille. i'm not even going to give you a real recipe. first. chop your veggies. you know what you like. i like more tomato than sweet pepper. i like lots of garlic and a nice big onion. i like a 1:1ish ratio of eggplant and zucchini.

heat some oil. sweat out your onions. add your garlic. add your tomatoes. let it hang out and get a little mushy. then add your eggplant and zucchini. hit it with some salt and pepper, and some chopped herbs – i like basil and thyme. cover and let it melt together. melt it at much as you like. want your veggies to have a bit of bite? add them in stages. or be all julia child and sear them in a separate pan and then add to your tomato. i won't judge. too much.

this is what last night's ratatouille looked like:

don't judge these knife skills. it's all going to come together. what will bring it together? red wine vinegar.

there are a couple of things that i've learned that have made me a better cook. 1) salt your food. think you've added enough? add another pinch. do it. 2) acid. acid does amazing things for food. a squeeze of lemon, a squirt of vinegar, will brighten up most dishes. professional chefs know how to use acid. home cooks usually don't. red wine vinegar will bring your ratatouille together.

but, a little goat cheese wouldn't hurt. some more basil. maybe some french bread? red wine?

yum.

and what's better than a plate of ratatouille? ratatouille on pizza.

whole wheat crust, mozzarella, more of that goat cheese, maybe some chicken sausage. layer on some more summer veggies.

(please note that the farmer's market was not harmed in the addition of vegetables to this pizza, they were kindly donated by friends who then helped consume the results. unlike my sad underacheivers, their deck garden is going gangbusters. something about watering and fertilizing? sigh.)

bake it up.

mmm. need to feel more virtuous? add some kale salad. dinner's on!

Ratatouille

Saute onions and garlic. Add chopped tomatoes. Add chopped eggplant, zucchini, bell pepers, basil and thyme. Simmer until it reaches the desired consistency. Add a few splashes of red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Maybe some red pepper flakes if you're feeling spicy.

Pizza Dough

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar (or honey!)
1 tsp yeast.
1 cup cold water

Mix flours, salt, sugar, and yeast. Add cold water and stir/knead until it forms a ball and comes away from the sides of the bowl. Oil a clean bowl. Let the dough hang out in the oiled bowl, tightly covered. At least 2-4 hours, but all day is good too if you're like me and can't wait to eat until 10 pm on a work night and thus must make dough in the morning as a part of a losing battle to being on time for work. When you get home, knead it a couple of times with more flour, then let it rest under a clean dish towel. This recipe makes a LOT of dough. But whatever you don't use will keep in the fridge for a day or two.

Kale Salad

This one is just chopped kale with a TON of feta and a simple dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. It was inspired by the marginally fancier Dinner: A Love Story recipe here.

s is for scape

Posted on June 22, 2011 by hilary924

normally, i'm not one to go for the funky at the farmer's market. kohlrabi? not so much. kale? tame to the rest of the world, but only just entering my regular vegetable rotation.

this is what i buy.

oh, wait. this is a food post. but, i mean . . . how gorg are these flowers! there is one stand at my farmers market that makes the most beautiful bouquets. they totally get my color palette.

anyway, back to business. check these out.

funky little wax beans. they go great with these:

i did not grow these. my cherry tomato plant thus far is barren. i blame the home depot. that is another story.

also, do you use a tomato knife? my husband, aka the sommelier, aka my knife enabler, bought one for me. it works really well. plus it's red! and it has a nifty sheath. which is a great word. sheath.

green beans (or squiggly little yellow wax beans) + cherry tomatoes + feta + vinaigrette = one of my favorite parts of summer.

but, garlic scapes. many lovely bloggers i drool over have been all over making scape pesto. and isn't pesto just like vinaigrette on steroids?

plus, how cool are scapes?

did you know they are the top bits of garlic?

i threw about a cup of scape, cut into 2 inch segments, into the food processor. with about a third of a cup of walnuts.

add lots of parmesan. maybe a 1/3 cup olive oil. most recipes i saw call for a lot more olive oil. but i live with a health nut. i didn't tell him about the parmesan. instead, i subbed in juice of one lemon.

action shot!

plus salt and pepper. and, i would recommend some basil. the scape needs some help mellowing out. i ended up adding a splash of cream (REALLY don't tell the health nut husband). and more parmesan.

toss the pesto with blanched beans and halved cherry tomatoes. couldn't be simpler.

yummy!

and, possibly even better the next day. or, you know, three days later tossed with mesculen for lunch at work. that's how i roll.

plus, there was extra pesto. so i rubbed it all over a chicken. i got it up under the skin. then i roasted it.

hello, lover.

but, isn't there something slightly inappropriate looking about a roast chicken? or at least, this roast chicken. it looks like it needs to be trussed. but i am too lazy to truss. i had a cooking instructor once sit a chicken up and made it dance and wave to us. it was a little disturbing. not to mention that we followed that the "meet your chicken" moment was followed by a "debone your chicken" moment.

moral of the story? don't get too attached. chicken is just too yummy. especially when infused with garlicy pestoy goodness.

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 cup scapes, chopped into 2 inch pieces
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 to 3/4 cup olive oil, to taste
1 lemon, juiced
1/4+ cup shredded parmesan
salt and pepper
splash cream, optional
1/2 cup basil

In a food processor, grind scapes, walnuts and basil (if using). Add olive oil and lemon juice until creamy. Transfer to bowl. Stir in parmesan and salt and petter. Taste. If garlic overwhelms your senses and you love it, you're done. If garlic overwhelms your senses and you chug a diet coke, add cream until you can deal.

Manchego's Kitchen

it's his kitchen. i just cook here.

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