Dinner for a good friend...:)

Oct 20

Oct 20 Dinner for a good friend...:)

My sister has been in visiting so it’s been a week of really good meals but when my good friend, Wendy, was coming for dinner I knew I had to up the ante. She has had me over a number of times throughout this pandemic. I needed to show her the love :).

But what to cook? Given the beautiful Indian summer that we’ve had I decided to settle for a light meal (as opposed to the hearty bolognese I was contemplating) and went with a menu with a slight mediterranean bent. To start, I served my spicy nuts, Ottolenghi’s Hummus (is there any other one worth making?), one perfect cheese with sliced apple and my favorite olives - green castelvetrano ones (I get them from Fresh Direct).

For the main, I went with my new favorite salmon preparation from the NYT - Spicy Slow-Roasted Salmon served with my ramped up salad take on their Cucumbers & Feta - I make it more of a salad preparation and add tomatoes from my garden and my ever favorite green, arugula. She, being the friend who doesn’t like to come empty handed, brought over smashed herby potatoes - a recipe by Jake Cohen who I can’t believe I never heard of - (theFeedFeed). For dessert, I decided to go with one of my favorites - affogato - decaf nespresso poured over small scoops of both vanilla and salted caramel gelato. Yum.

To drink we started with Blanco tequila shaken very hard with jalapenos (from my garden), fresh lime, mint (also from my garden) over ice with a splash of Topo Chico to add to your liking. With dinner I served a wonderful white from Ischia that I’d had at King (curtesy of the lovely Annie Shi), the Cenatiempo Kalimera. It has a very slight hint of salinity which complements the salt in the salmon & feta. I think it’s delicious. For a red, I decided to try a red that I’d had at a wine tasting recently, the 2012 Louis Magnin Arbin Mondeuse ‘Tout un Monde’, Savoie - This was my favorite wine at the tasting - I’ll share what the guy who organized the tasting said about it, “sadly these are among the last wines to be grown by this vigneron who faces retirement without any heirs. Produced from very old vines (between 70 and 100 years of age) the “Tout un Monde” is aged in older barrels of “demi-muid” size. The old vines give a formidable density to the wine with wild berry fruit, raspberry-like, married to notes of game and underbrush. The structure of this cuvée promises a long and rich life in the cellar and at the table. Certified Organic. As substantial and delicious a wine made of Mondeuse Noir as you may ever meet.”

I set up my table outside, lit my candles and voila! Wendy rated it a “10”.

Here are the main recipes…

Spicy Slow Roasted Salmon on top of Greens, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Feta - adapted from NYT Cooking, original recipe by Ali Slagle

Ingredients

1/2 cup Virgin Olive Oil

3 Teaspoons red-pepper flakes

1/2 Teaspoon smoked paprika

2 Tablespoons Fennel Seeds

2 Tablespoons Coriander Seeds

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

1 1/2 lb Salmon Filet with Skin on

6 Persian Cucumbers

1 large Tomato, cut up

2 - 4 cups of greens - I use arugula and frisee last night. You can use any combination of baby lettuces - whether it’s mesculin, radicchio, endive, baby kale. Up to you your preference. The variation in amount of greens is your call - I like a lot of greens and load my plate up with salad and a small bit of the protein. Again, it’s up to you!

4 ounces of Feta

Fresh Italian Parsley

Lemon vinaigrette - I make mine with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. As I’ve said before, I like my vinaigrettes more acidic so taste everything and make sure it’s to your liking! I use almost 4 to 1 ratio of lemon juice to oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

Crush your fennel and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle. Add in the crushed red pepper and paprika. Stir them so they are mixed evenly.

In a skillet or stir fry pan large enough to hold your salmon, combine olive oil and spices - coriander, fennel, crushed red pepper, paprika, salt & pepper. Stir and cook over low heat until fragrant (don’t burn!).

Place the salmon skin side down in the pan. Spoon the oil over the top and make sure the flesh side of the salmon is completely covered with the spicy oil mix. Put the skillet or pan in the oven. I set my timer for 10 minutes.

At the 10 minute mark I basted the salmon with the olive oil mixture and set the timer for another 10 minute mark. I had a thick salmon filet (probably 2 inches thick) so gage the cooking time based on how thick your salmon piece is.

While the salmon is cooking, peel and de-seed your cucumbers, slice in half and chop into bite sized pieces.

Cut the tomato and wash and dry your greens.

In a large bowl big enough to hold it all, put your greens on the bottom, making a ring, put the cut up cucumber around the edges and then add the cut up the tomato and feta. Be creative!

When the salmon is fully cooked, slide it off the skin. I decided to artfully arrange three pieces on the pile of greens, keeping the extra salmon aside. Pour the hot oil over the salad, sprinkle it with parsley and your main course is complete!

Smashed Potatoes with Herby Vinaigrette - recipe from Wendy / adapted from the feedfeed

Ingredients

2 pounds small potatoes, (we used baby multi-colored potatoes), scrubbed

Kosher salt, to taste

1/2 cup olive oil, divided

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F. In a pot, add potatoes and cover with cold water. Season with salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until tender when pierced with a knife, 10-12 minutes. Let cool slightly, then using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass, smash each potato until ¼-inch thick.

Transfer smashed potatoes to a sheet pan and toss gently with ¼ cup of the olive oil and salt. Roast, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and crisp, 35-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients with remaining ¼ cup olive oil until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt.

Transfer potatoes to a bowl and spoon dressing on top, then serve

Ottolenghi’s Hummus - note - this is the best hummus I’ve ever had! I don’t know what it is about the cooking the chickpeas with the baking powder that makes it so good - you have to try it to believe it! I’ve copied his recipe here without tweaking. It’s that good!

1 ¼ cups dried chickpeas (250 grams)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons light tahini paste (270 grams)

4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt

6 ½ tablespoons ice-cold water (100 milliliters)

Directions

Put chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with cold water at least twice their volume. Leave to soak overnight.

The next day, drain chickpeas. In a medium saucepan, combine drained chickpeas and baking soda over high heat. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 6 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Cook at a simmer, skimming off any foam and any skins that float to the surface, from 20 and 40 minutes, depending on the type and freshness. Once done, they should be very tender, breaking easily when pressed between your thumb and finger, almost but not quite mushy.

Drain chickpeas. You should have roughly 3 cups (600 grams) now. Place chickpeas in a food processor and process until you get a stiff paste. Then, with the machine still running, add tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Slowly drizzle in ice water and allow it to mix for about 5 minutes, until you get a very smooth and creamy paste.

Taste it and adjust lemon and salt.

Transfer hummus to a bowl, cover surface with plastic wrap, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. If not using immediately, refrigerate until needed, up to two days. Remove from fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.

I served this with roasted and raw carrots and some crackers.

Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts - these are a crowd pleaser! I give them away as gifts in jars.

Ingredients

1 ¼ lb assorted nuts

2 tablespoons chopped rosemary

½ teaspoon cayenne

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Spread nuts onto cookies sheet / toast until they become golden brown – about 10 minutes

They say to toss all ingredients in large bowl. I melt the butter in a large pan then melt in the brown sugar & rosemary / add the rest of the ingredients at the end (the cayenne smokes and burns if it has too much heat). Then I toss in the nuts until coated in the pan. Sometimes ( because I don’t always measure exactly) I need to add a bit more butter so that the coating adheres to the nuts. Taste. You may like them spicier (add cayenne) or sweeter (add some sugar)

Spread back onto the cookies sheet so excess butter can drain. Let dry / store in fridge.

I store them in jars that I’ve cleaned, ie, jelly jars, and give them away as gifts.

Serve warm or at room temp