Roasted Cumin Carrots with Pine Nuts

Last week I took a pleasant walk with Rachel to Grand Army Plaza to retrieve some giant peaches, and along the way got seduced by a bundle of multi-colored carrots. The last time I tried purple carrots was in LA, where I mistakenly peeled them, not knowing any better, making them look like boring regular carrots. Since then, I've learned a thing or two and acquired a special vegetable scrubby brush just for the express purpose of not having to peel the color away from my root veg.

The peaches were left in the fridge while I roasted up the beauties, not a speck of dirt left on them after Andy (who once took a food hygiene course for his job) scrubbed the hell out of them. 

I had a strong memory of a cumin roasted carrot dish my sister-in-law Meredith had prepared over a year ago.  However after checking in with her, she didn't remember it very well and referred me to the person who had given her the recipe, who was Rachel (of the walk to the market at the start of this post) who also just vaguely remembered such a thing.  Poor carrots.  In the end, I winged it. I roasted the carrots on high heat with generous amounts of cumin, salt, pepper, and olive oil, and a scattering of pine nuts. I thought I had recalled something about carrots and avocado, so topped the warm veg with buttery green slices, though the finished result of the carrots were so sweetly delectable they could easily do without the addition. And yet, most everything seems better topped with avocado.    

Roasted Cumin Carrots with Pine Nuts

large bunch of baby carrots (18-20 carrots)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 heaping tsp cumin powder (or toasted cumin seeds, bashed in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder)

salt and pepper

1 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)
1/2 ripe avocado, sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut tops off from carrots and scrub them very well with a stiff vegetable brush, then dry completely with a kitchen towel. If carrots are different sizes, half lengthwise larger carrots so they are somewhat uniform. Place in roasting pan large enough for carrots to sit in single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and then rub oil over carrots with your hands to make sure all are entirely covered. Sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper, then toss in pine nuts. Roast on high heat for 30 minutes until tender, golden brown and slightly crisped around edges. If using, once you plate the carrots, place 2-3 wedges of avocado atop each mound of carrots and sprinkle with parsley or cilantro.  

Peach Blackberry Crumble

Peaches and blackberries are, hands down, my favorite summertime combination for any of the crumble/cobbler/crisp variations. The sticky sweet peaches of July and August seem to call out for a tart bite to offset the sugary peaches and the color of melting black berries paired up with peaches is just so satisfying. 


After inumerous attempts at the blanch-in-boiling-water-and-peel method of removing the peel from peaches, I've taken lately to just peeling them with old trusty OXO veg peeler. This seems to work just fine for most peaches, save the over-ripe, and saves me the headache of reading the instructions "slip the skins from the peaches" in a rage of anger, and cooking the outside half-centimeter of the peach itself. 

This recipe is another from Ina Garten, who seems to have a knack with butter and summertime fruit. Typically I prefer oat and nut inspired crisps, thinking it marginally healthier than the butter-flour-sugar mixture here.  However I'm trying to branch out from the norm and teach myself some new standards this summer, plus I realize not everyone has the deep love of oats that I do. 

Peach Blackberry Crumble
Adapted from Ina Garten 


2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6 large or 8 small to medium sized), peeled and cut into thick wedges (about 6 pieces per peach)
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated or raw sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 cup frozen or fresh blackberries


Crumble: 
1 cup flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 lb (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl combine peach wedges, lemon zest and juice, flour and sugar and mix, then carefully fold in blackberries and place everything in a large casserole dish. (I used one that is approximately 11 x 7 inches and 2 inches deep.)


For the crumble, whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon. Add butter and using either a pastry cutter, two knives, the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, combine until butter is pea sized. Rub the mixture together with fingers until it is in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit.  Bake for 45 minutes until the tops are browned and crisp and juices are bubbly.  Let cool till just warm/room temperature and serve with ice cream, heavy cream, whipped cream, or creme fraiche. 


*If you reheat for later, it is best to do so in the oven otherwise the crumble with be mushy.  

Tomatoes with Bacon and Basil

During my vegetarian years, an ex-boyfriend commented on how his "veg friends", while they didn't miss much in the realm of meat, constantly bemoaned the sacrifice of bacon in their diets. I found this a little eye-rolling, as most of my "veg friends" and myself at that time, didn't give much thought to the greasy slabs or feel deprived in any way for the lack of them.  

That said, I can see his point to a certain extent. Bacon, no matter how many soy substitutes are created to replicate its flavor, is unique. The smokey, crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth greasiness oddly goes well with any number of accompanyments. Any Top Chef viewer has seen any number of chefs integrate it into dessert (from ice cream to creme anglaise), it also is a famous, classic breakfast side to French Toast (drizzled with syrup), eggs, biscuits, you name it. On the main course side, it adds complex flavor to braises and stews and also goes nicely with veggie sides.  

This recipe is a "deconstructed" BLT of sorts, minus the lettuce. It is a great showcase for the ripe-as-berries Tomatoes showing off in gardens and groceries alike. Combined with the side of spiced up mayo, and a hunk of toasty bread this makes a satisfying, simple weekday dinner.

Tomatoes with Bacon and Basil

Adapted from Laurent Tourondel, Food and Wine

4 Ripe medium sized Tomatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
6 slices bacon
Handful of basil (approximately 8 large leaves), torn or chopped roughly
1/2 chopped shallot (optional)

1 tbsp Red wine or sherry vinegar

3 tbsp Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Spicy Mayonaise

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tbs mustard

1/4 tsp Curry Powder

1/2 tsp Cajun Spice mix

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 small clove of garlic, minced

Crusty bread for serving. 

Preheat the oven to 450°. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes, basil, onion, olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Place parchment or wax paper on a baking sheet and arrange the bacon slices in a single layer . Bake the bacon in the upper third of the oven for 15 minutes, until golden and crisp. Let cool on paper towels, then break into small pieces.

In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the mustard, curry powder, Cajun spice mix, lemon juice, garlic and hot sauce.

Sprinkle the bacon over the tomato salad and serve the mayonnaise and bread on the side.

Biscuits

Some mornings just call for biscuits. Alas, living in New York, fluffy, layered biscuits are a rarity. I can't recall the last time I saw biscuits on a brunch menu anywhere near Brooklyn, and so recently I went looking for a place where I could find some down home comfort. Suffice to say, in the end it seemed easier to make them myself. 

Happily they couldn't be easier to mix up on a lazy Sunday morning. In the time it took Andy to get the paper, my biscuits were rising up in the oven, and with a pot of coffee, a pan of freshly sizzling bacon and that leftover jam we had a leisurely breakfast centered around the humble biscuit. 

Most recipes for biscuits are pretty much the same -- some flour, baking soda, salt and sugar, buttermilk to bring it all together -- but I liked the technique implemented by Homesick Texan. A simple fold of the dough seems both clever and 'why didn't I think of that?'  

Biscuits 

Adapted from HomesickTexan

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour 

1 tablespoon of baking powder 

1 teaspoon of sugar 

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 stick of cold butter, (8 tablespoons)

3/4 cup of buttermilk, plus extra for brushing atop biscuits

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Mix all the dry ingredients, then cut the stick of butter into pieces, and work into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, or, my mother's method, two butter knives, until the mix resembles pea-sized crumbs. Add the buttermilk, mixing until just combined.

Pour dough out on a floured surface, and knead for a minute. Dough should be smooth and no longer wet, but add more flour if necessary. I often knead the dough in a large bowl to avoid sticky dough on my counter top.  

Roll out dough until it’s 1/4 of an inch thick, and then fold it in half.

Using a 2 to 2 1/2 inch round cutter (or a glass or a cup if don’t have a biscuit cutter) cut out your biscuits from folded dough.

Place on a greased baking sheet close together, and bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden. Serve with butter, bacon, and/or jam. 

Clementine-Jicama Salad

I hosted a little dinner party the other day in celebration of best pals Deana and Erin alternately jetting and driving into town with their significant others in tow. The ladies, each, are infinitely more visually creative than I could ever hope to be, so the (self imposed) pressure was somewhat on and I was convinced that no green salad starter, however tasty, would suffice for the occasion. 

I came up with a mild Brazilian theme, centered around an easy Eric Ripert seafood stew (more on this in a later post), however the meal quickly turned 'Latin' themed as I tried in vein to find a pescetarian-friendly starter that didn't actually involve fish (ie. no fish, followed by fish), and would be more interesting than a green salad. I found this winner of a recipe at Epicurious, and so upon Erin's arrival on Sunday, set her to work peeling and match-sticking a giant jicama. The girl is very detail oriented, as evidenced by her lovely photos as my first "guest photographer". 

Clementine-Jicama Salad

Adapted from Epicurious.com

Serves 6

*The original recipe called for purple onions, which in their raw state I thought would dominate too much. The recipe also called for toasted pepitas instead of peanuts, which I actually forgot I had and in a panic added the peanuts for some last minute crunch. 

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

6 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

6 clementines, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1 pound jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick matchsticks (3 cups)

3/4 cup packed cilantro sprigs

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese or mild feta

1/3 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then whisk together with lime juice, oil, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Just before serving, toss jicama with dressing and divide among 6 salad plates, top with one clementine per plate, cilantro, cheese, and peanuts. Season with salt and pepper.