Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns
½ cup sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
1 T. salt
1 tsp. red pepper flake
Rind of 1 orange peel
6 each black peppercorns
½ pound fiddlehead ferns, cleaned, trimmed and blanched for 1 minute
Two days before making dish, boil first six ingredients for pickle liquid. Cool. Pour over blanched fiddleheads. Chill.
Preserved Lemon Cilantro- & Scallion Pesto
⅓ cup pepita (pumpkin) seeds or sesame seeds
1 T. chopped preserved lemon, seeds removed
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. chopped garlic
¼ tsp. fine sea salt, plus more
2 bunches scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths (2 C.)
1 bunch cilantro including stems, cut into 1-inch lengths (2 C.)
6 T. vegetable oil
2 T. soy sauce, plus more
Heat the seeds in a small pan over medium-low heat and toss every couple of minutes until toasted and light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes for pepitas. Transfer to a shallow dish to cool. If using a mortar and pestle, pound the preserved lemon with the pepitas, garlic and salt until roughly smashed. Add the scallions and cilantro and pound into a coarse paste, then stir in the oil and soy sauce. If using a food processor, pulse the pepitas, garlic and salt to coarsely grind. Add the scallion and cilantro and pulse into a coarse paste, scraping the bowl as needed. With the machine running, add the oil and soy sauce. Stir in more oil for a runnier sauce if desired, then season to taste with soy and salt.
Roasted Mushroom Cream Pizza Sauce
2 (8-ounce / 225-g) containers button mushrooms (make sure they’re clean, dudes— dust any dirt off with a paper towel)
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Toss the mushrooms with the olive oil, a couple of fat pinches of salt, and five turns on your pepper grinder. Spread them out on a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until they lose their water and wrinkle a bit. Place the mushrooms with their juices, rosemary, onion, and cream in a food processor or blender. Purée until there are no big chunks or pieces, but don’t go too far or you’ll have butter. It should be smooth and spreadable. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. This will keep in fridge about 5 days
Garlic Confit in Olive Oil
1 C. garlic cloves, peeled
1 dried bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh mint
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
3 peppercorns
1 C. extra virgin olive oil
Place a small saucepan on low heat and add peeled garlic, bay leaf, mint, salt, and peppercorns. Cover garlic with olive oil and simmer. Cook on low until garlic is soft and golden, but not browned, approximately 30 to 45 minutes. If garlic burns, you must discard entire batch of garlic and oil and start again. Once golden, remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer garlic and olive oil into a sterilized jar, and seal tightly with the lid. Refrigerate up to one week.
Browned Butter
To make brown butter (also called beurre noisette), simply start by melting unsalted butter over medium heat. Use a pan with a light-colored bottom so you can keep track of the color as the butter begins to brown. Swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is cooking evenly. As the butter melts, it will begin to foam. The color will progress from yellow to tan to a toasty-brown. Once you smell a nutty aroma, take the pan off the heat and transfer the browned butter to a heat-proof bowl to cool. The milk solids cook fast and you’ll see them settle on the bottom of the pan like the dregs in a bottle of wine. When you transfer the brown butter to a new container, you can leave as much of this sediment in the pan as possible. You can also strain the butter through a fine meshed strainer or cheese cloth to remove all the particles. Now, I like the slightly burnt taste that these solids give to the butter…so try it both ways to see what you like. It’s easy enough to brown just what you need for your recipe, but you can also brown large batches of butter at a single time. It keeps for quite a while in the fridge, or you can freeze it in ice cube trays. You can use brown butter in just about any recipe that calls for butter, including cookies, cakes, or sauces. I love spooning a little bit over pasta, fish dishes, or even steamed vegetables. It also makes an excellent spread for dinner rolls when whipped together with regular butter.
Fig Chutney
Yields approximately 3 C.
1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced small
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 C. fresh figs, roughly chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked off stems
Water to cover
Salt
Pepper
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add the sliced onion, sweating them until softened. Deglaze with red wine, then add balsamic vinegar, sugar, and figs. Simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Fold in thyme leaves about 2 minutes before finished cooking. Cool. Process in food processor until smooth. Adjust with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and water if needed. Store in refrigerator, but let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Will keep for 2 weeks.
Guacamole with Preserved Lemon
2 avocados
1 preserved lemon, finely chopped
1 T. brine from preserved lemons
1 T. diced onion (if desired)
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 pinch smoked paprika
1 pinch cayenne pepper (if desired)
Blend all ingredients by hand or in a food processor until smooth. Serve with tortilla chips or with toasted pita wedges
Cinnamon Vanilla Sunflower Butter
2 cups / 225 g raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup / 60 ml sunflower oil, divided
1/2 tsp. fine grain sea salt, plus more as needed
2 T. vanilla bean paste (or seeds scraped from 2 plump vanilla beans)
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
zest of 1/2 a lemon, or to taste
Toast the sunflower seeds in a 325F / 165C oven, on a rimmed baking sheet, until fragrant and golden. You’ll want to stir them once or twice along the way to ensure even roasting. Let cool for ten minutes. Puree the seeds in a food processor along with 1 T. sunflower oil, and the sea salt (if using). As the motor runs drizzle in another 2 T. of sunflower oil. Scrape down the sides once or twice along the way, you’re aiming for an even, creamy consistency, and it may take some time. Once the mixture starts to look smooth, add the vanilla paste and cinnamon, and pulse to incorporate. At this point, evaluate the consistency, if your sunflower seed butter is on the thick side, drizzle in the remaining T. of oil while the processor is running. Taste, and add more salt if needed (and the lemon zest. if using), as well. Makes about 1 1/2 cup
Grandma’s Long-Cooked Tomato Gravy
1/2 cup olive oil
12 cup finely minced garlic
3 pounds onions, peeled and finely minced
3 medium-large carrots, peeled and finely minced
3 large stalks celery, finely minced
5 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes
4 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
1 cup shredded fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
2 T. dried oregano
Sugar
12 cups water
5 pounds beef bones (I like to use some marrow bones)
5 pounds meaty pork bones (I like to use about a pound of pig’s feet as part of the mix)
1/2 pound piece of rind from pecorino Romano cheese
Place the olive oil in a very large stockpot over high heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and saute, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes. Pour the tomatoes and their juices into the stockpot. Add the tomato paste, basil, and oregano. Taste for sweetness; if the sauce seems a little tart, adjust with sugar (I usually add about 1 T.). Add water. Bring sauce to a simmer. Add the beef bones, pork bones, and pecorino Romano rind. Stir well. Keep sauce at an active simmer for 3¥2 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. The sauce is done when it’s medium-thick but runny, and when you like the balance of tomato and meat flavors. If it’s too thin at 4 hours, raise the heat and reduce the sauce a bit. When the sauce is done, let it rest in the pot until it cools off slightly. Then remove most of the dark red oil swimming on top. Discard. Place the sauce in a large roasting pan. You may need several roasting pans, or you may need to do this in a few batches. When the sauce is cool enough, run your hands through the sauce, picking out and discarding any bones that you find. Use the sauce immediately, or freeze for future use.