the thin chef

In Birmingham, there is a Greek restaurant. It will remain unnamed because I have nothing very kind to say about it, but it’s an institution, and it has a lot of fans. It was very close to where Jason and I lived, so we tried to like it. We really tried to like it 4 or 5 times. But it just wasn’t very good or very authentic. However, they did have one dish that had a really nice idea behind it—Greek bruschetta. A thick slice of bread topped with fried eggplant, roasted peppers, and feta cheese. The flavors were there, but it wasn’t executed very well, mainly because of the copious amounts of grease from the eggplant and olive oil on the bread, both of which literally dripped down my forearms as I ate it.

Anyway. I do love the idea of putting Greek flavors on a thick, toasted slice of bread, so I made my own version. It was not swimming in oil, but it did have lots of great flavors. A quick, delicious lunch, for sure. Do me a favor, though, will you? Please use fresh, fresh, fresh tomatoes that are bursting with juice. And please only use imported (read: sheep’s milk) feta, which has a superior nutty, briny flavor. Don’t buy the grocery store brand, even though it’s cheaper—you can taste the difference, and the extra dollar or two are Worth. It.

Greek Bruschetta
Serves 1

I’m fortunate enough to grow oregano outside, but if you don’t have fresh, just sprinkle a touch of dried right on top of the bread, so the moisture of the oil and tomatoes can rehydrate it a little bit. As an afterthought (meaning 4 bites in) I realized roasted red pepper would be a lovely addition. If you have any on hand, pile them on.

1 thick slice good, crusty bread
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)
3 slices ripe tomato
1/2 roasted red pepper, cut in half, and patted dry with a paper towel (optional)
3 to 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices feta cheese
4 (or so) leaves fresh oregano, torn into pieces

Preheat toaster oven (or broiler). Brush bread with olive oil, coating well. Broil for just 1 minute or so, until the bread is golden. Remove from oven, and top with tomato slices, roasted red pepper (if using), and feta. Return to oven, and broil for 2 more minutes—watching closely the whole time—until the cheese is softened and golden. Sprinkle fresh oregano over top, and eat immediately.

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Have you ever used smoked paprika? If not, please do yourself a favor and purchase some. You can buy it at most grocery stores now, but it’s even better if it’s pimentón ahumado, from Spain. I absolutely love the deep, complex, smoky flavor it infuses into foods. It’s not aggressive, it’s not overt—it’s warm and rich, and a lovely addition to a lot of classic dishes. I have successfully added it to chili, hamburgers, oven-braised pork butt, soups, chowders, and—a current favorite—chicken salad.

I don’t have a photo of this chicken salad, but I am here to tell you it’s quite pretty. The smoked paprika gives the dressing a rosy pink hue. Sweet purple grapes add another pop of color, and are juicy and crunchy. It’s lighter than regular chicken salad, with the addition of yogurt in the dressing, and just enough of the creamy stuff to keep the mixture moist. Roasting the chicken on the bone ensures that it stays juicy and super flavorful.

I’m thinking this is a perfect Labor Day picnic/cook out bring-along…just be prepared to sing the praises of smoked paprika when everyone wonders what made the chicken salad so tasty.

Smoky Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almonds
Serves 4 to 6

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I’ve seen this beautiful zucchini preparation a few times recently in magazines and around the internet, so when I picked up two pounds of the pretty green squash from our co-op, I thought I’d give it a try myself.

I love cooked zucchini, but thinly sliced, zucchini is also really tasty raw. Simply dressed with lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil, and studded with fresh basil and mint, it’s a lovely little salad. I sprinkled some feta over top (my crazy cheese-hating husband doesn’t like it, which is why it’s only on half), which added a perfect creaminess and saltiness. It would probably also be delicious with shaved parmesan or creamy fresh ricotta (or both).

Summer squash is crazy abundant right now, and this is the perfect use for it. It’s a perfect accompaniment for just about anything, but I imagine it would be most delicious next to some grilled fish. If you don’t have a V-slicer or mandoline for cutting the zucchini, you could always peel them into long strips with a vegetable peeler, or just use your best knife skills to cut them as thinly as possible.

Zucchini Carpaccio
Serves 4

2 medium zucchini, stem tops and bottoms removed, sliced paper thin
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
4 mint leaves, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Arrange zucchini slices on a serving plate. Sprinkle with lemon zest and juice, then drizzle with oil. Season with salt and pepper, and evenly distribute herbs over the plate. Top with feta.

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The other day, my friend Lainie commented that she’d like to see a recipe using bacon. And with that comment, I couldn’t think of anything else but bacon. I’d type a few words, and then…baconbaconbacon. Got up to run some errands, and baconbaconbacon. You see, I am a bacon lover of the highest degree. I truly think I’d eat it every day and never tire of it. I used to make it as an after-school snack in the microwave, and I always order it when I’m out to brunch. My grandmother’s house always had a pleasing aroma of bacon made earlier in the day. (I think she cooked it every morning.) I prefer it chewy, not crispy, but I’ll take it any way I can get it.

So the day Lainie mentioned bacon, I went to the fridge with my fingers crossed that there were a few slices inside. And there were—two lonely pieces of bacon, just begging me to make them into something tasty.

I remember someone telling me that bacon and cucumber make a lovely, unexpected combination. And what goes better with cucumbers (besides bacon, of course) than sour cream and dill? So I tossed the three together on top of whole-wheat toast for a lovely afternoon snack…a step up from my microwaved-bacon days.

Open-Face Bacon and Cucumber Sandwiches
Serves 1

2 tablespoons sour cream
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 slice sandwich bread, lightly toasted
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
6 slices cucumber, peeled if skin is very thick
2 slices bacon, cooked until just crisp

Stir together the sour cream, salt, pepper, and dill. Spread it on the toasted bread, then top with cucumbers and bacon.

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I really thought I had turned over a new leaf with this here blog…I had three, count ‘em, three consecutive posts in less than as many weeks, which was quite a feat (for me). And then…and then. Then I didn’t post. And now it’s been 10 days, and I know it’s not as bad as 3 weeks, which has been the average span between posts in the past, but it’s not exactly the regular pattern I was hoping I’d started. Anyway…there’s always tomorrow. (Or today, as the case may be.) I’m trying for regularity. Fingers crossed.

Earlier this summer, Jason and I were on an avocado kick, where we’d eat at least one a day. Calorie-wise, it’s not the best idea to consume so many of these little green orbs, which are, in essence, all fat. But we were comforted by the fact that it’s heart-healthy fat, which somehow seemed to excuse the actual fat grams. I digress. I have always loved avocados, with their silky texture and their barely there flavor. I used to say, when I was little, that they tasted like water, which I now realize makes zero sense. I’ll eat them any way I can get them, and sometimes they’re brilliant with just a squeeze of lemon and a bit (or a lot) of salt on top of a saltine cracker.

Or, on toast. One day, I found myself craving this simplest form of avocado consumption, but I was lemon-less. So I reached for the closest acidic thing my pantry could offer, which happened to be rice vinegar. So then I sprinkled it with soy sauce, because—let’s be honest—those two Asian condiments sing a bit louder when put together. And the whole thing was delicious. So, this isn’t exactly a recipe, but more of an encouragement… go get a ripe Hass avocado (no offense to my sweet Sunshine State, but the avocados that grow here are not so good), smoosh it on some toast (the crustier the better) and then sauce it with some rice vinegar and soy sauce (organic tamari if you have it). A few drops of sambal olek or sriracha definitely don’t hurt. Chow. Enjoy. Try to keep it to one avocado, for your girlish figure’s sake.

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I remember the first time I had edamame…I was at Fuji Sushi in Winter Park with my best friend Lainie and her mom, Becky. Becky ordered edamame for the table, and I after one bite, I was hooked. The fuzzy little pods covered in flakes of sea salt gave way to smooth, chewy, chartreuse-colored beans, and they seemed so exotic and interesting. These days, I see edamame all over the place, not just in sushi restaurants, but also on menus in upscale bars and cafes.

Nutty-tasting and healthful, edamame is such a versatile vegetable. It’s great tossed into stir fries, cooked into succotash, or just eaten from the pod as a snack. Lately, my favorite way to eat the little green soybeans is in this simple, six-ingredient dip. It’s great with corn chips, pita bread, cucumber slices, or slathered onto a hunk of crusty bread as a sort of East-meets-West bruschetta. It requires no cooking, and comes together in a snap, which is practically a requirement in my kitchen during these steamy August days.

Miso-Edamame Dip
Makes about 2 cups

If you’ve never used miso (fermented soy bean paste) before, it’s a versatile and delicious ingredient to have on hand. I get it at an Asian-foods market, but I’ve seen it at Whole Foods and other health food stores. It keeps for a long time in the fridge, and it adds a subtle salty-nuttiness to everything it touches, which I just love. Cilantro-haters, take note: you can sub mint or parsley. It will change the flavor slightly, but it’ll still be delicious.

2 cups frozen shelled edamame, completely thawed (almost 1 full 16-ounce bag)
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup lime juice
2 heaping tablespoons white miso paste
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a food processor. Pulse until very finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl every few pulses. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in oil, processing until the dip is well combined and creamy-looking, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

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I don’t know what summer is like where you live, but here in Central Florida? It’s hot. As in plants-are-wilting, hair-is-sticking-to-your-neck, asphalt-is-melting, feel-like-fainting-after-one-minute-outside hot. It’s all we can do to take the dogs to the park in the morning before the sun gets so oppressive even they don’t want to spend time outdoors. (And who ever heard of a dog who didn’t want to go outside?)

On days (or weeks, or months) when the heat is such that even turning on the stove to boil a kettle of water seems inhumane, the meals we crave tend to be cool, light, and easy to make. Snacks should be the same, and that’s exactly what these popsicles are—cold, refreshing, and so simple. I have always been a popsicle fan…I lived for the tri-color rocket pops that counselors handed out in the afternoons at summer camp. If I spotted a Frozfruit coconut bar in a freezer case, I had to have it. I loved the strawberry popsicles in the Disney World ice cream cart so much that one time, my tongue got stuck to the bar when I couldn’t wait even one second to take my first lick. (The painful incident was eased by the sweet pink treat.)

I digress. Popsicles are lovely, satisfying summertime snacks, and when you make your own, you can experiment with lots of different flavors. Below are two we’ve been enjoying on these endlessly blistering, humid days.

Watermelon Popsicles with Lime and Salt
Makes 8 (1/4-cup-capacity) popsicles

3 cups diced seedless watermelon
1 to 4 tablespoons sugar, depending on the sweetness of your watermelon
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges, for serving
Coarse sea salt, for serving

Combine watermelon and sugar in a blender; puree until very smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Pour into popsicle molds, and freeze overnight.

Serve popsicles with a lime wedge and a small pile of salt. Squeeze the lime over popsicle, and sprinkle with or dip into salt.

Striped Tropical Popsicles
Makes 8 (1/4-cup-capacity) popsicles

1/2 cup diced seedless watermelon, pureed and strained
1/2 cup guava nectar
1/2 cup passion fruit juice

Pour watermelon puree evenly among popsicle molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until frozen solid. Top with guava nectar; freeze for 4 hours, or until solid. Top with passion fruit juice; freeze for 4 hours, or until solid.

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Ooops…has it really been two weeks since I last posted? Shame on me. Well, at least I have something tasty to share to make up for my absence.

I am, clearly, so very boring sometimes. Every time I am home alone, I eat pasta. Seriously, every time. And, when Jason isn’t here, I also tend to eat things he doesn’t like. So, when he’s away, pasta + his dislikes = my dinner. Without fail. So boring, right?

But truthfully, I never get bored with creating new things to mix in with, or put on top of, pasta. This time around, it was mushrooms and blue cheese—two things Jason will not touch. But also two things that go together harmoniously. I threw in some arugula since the gorgonzola makes a pretty rich sauce. Oh, and also because I cooked the mushrooms in a lot of butter, so I figured the green leafies offset the saturated fat. Or something.

This would be fine on any cut of pasta, but sometimes I just want the swirling and slurping that comes along with long strands. Simple and quick, but with an air of sophistication (maybe it’s the gorgonzola?), this is hearty and rich enough to make a lovely vegetarian weeknight dinner.

Pasta with Mushrooms, Gorgonzola + Arugula
serves 2

1/2 pound pasta of your choice
1 square container sliced cremini mushrooms (also called baby bellas)
1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and reserved, stems discarded
Coarse salt + ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 bag baby arugula
Crumbled gorgonzola cheese, to taste

Cook pasta per package directions. In the meantime, melt butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When butter bubbles and froths, add mushrooms, shallot, and thyme, stirring to coat everything in butter/oil. Don’t salt it yet.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and deeply golden brown and shallots are slightly caramelized. Add salt and pepper to taste–go easier on the salt than usual, because gorgonzola can be salty.

When pasta is al dente, drain–but reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water (I use a coffee mug). Add pasta to the skillet with mushrooms. Toss to combine. Add arugula, and toss until it wilts. Add gorgonzola, as much or as little as you like, keeping in mind it can be pretty strong…just taste as you go. Add reserved pasta water, a little bit at a time, tossing, until the cheese melts and forms a nice creamy sauce that coats the pasta. Taste as you go. Serve immediately.

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The words egg salad elicit one of two responses: sounds of mmmm and yumm…or utterances of disgust. If you realize that I’ve posted about egg salad before, I wish I had a prize to give you. Because that means you have either been a reader from the beginning, or you’ve browsed my archives. Either of which definitely deserves a prize. I’ll work on that.

I digress. Egg salad, to me, is one of those things that can be delicious or horrendous, depending on the ingredients you use. Good, organic eggs, the fresher the better should be the base. Add just enough mayo to hold it all together. A dollop of dijon adds good flavor. Maybe a few capers, if you have them. Freshen it up with some herbs and a spritz of lemon. And whatever you do, don’t smash the eggs to a gushy mush. If you like hardboiled eggs, deviled eggs, etc…you’ll most likely enjoy egg salad if it’s made like this.

I like to spoon it onto grilled or toasted bread, a bite at a time. Sometimes I put a little bit of sambal olek or harissa to spice it up. For texture, I like to add a little extra salt in the form of big pink flakes or little gray pebbles. It’s a decidedly springy lunch, perfect for those endless February days when the warmth of summer feels juuuust beyond your reach.

Light + Fresh Egg Salad
serves 2 for lunch

4 eggs
3 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon capers, drained and lightly chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill or parsley
Light squeeze of lemon juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Grilled or toasted bread, for serving
Sambal olek, harissa, or sriracha, for serving
Flake sea salt or gray salt, for serving

Put eggs in a pan and cover with about 1 inch of water. Cover and bring to a boil. When the water boils, turn off heat and let sit, covered, 10 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water or run under cold water for a few minutes to stop the cooking.

Peel eggs and place in a large bowl with the mayo and mustard. Using a fork, lightly mash eggs until they are in small pieces, being careful not to over-mash. Stir in capers, dill, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Spoon egg salad onto bread, adding hot sauce and/or a sprinkle of salt, if you like.

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We don’t buy salad dressing. Like, ever. Why? Because any dressing you make at home is going to taste 100% better than what you could buy. And, did I mention? It’s ridiculously easy to make your own. From a simple lemon vinaigrette (our go-to salad topper) to flavorful Asian versions, and even Caesar dressing, it’s cheaper, healthier, and tastier to make dressing at home.

I had some buttermilk in the fridge from making these pancakes (try them this weekend, they are wonderful), so I decided to make a less-guilty version of classic ranch dressing—a favorite in our house, but one we don’t indulge in often. It’s fantastic spooned over an avocado…add a few radish slices, and you have a legitimate salad. It’s also perfect drizzled over a simple salad topped with bacon—kind of a deconstructed wedge salad, that omnipresent steakhouse classic.

Buttermilk Dressing
makes about 1 cup

Less thick than classic ranch, this dressing is much healthier, using low-fat buttermilk and light mayonnaise. Usually, I find fresh garlic too strong in salad dressing, but garlic is kind of a hallmark of ranch. I think the granulated garlic achieved the right flavor without the harsh bite of fresh. If you don’t have granulated garlic, grate 1/2 small fresh clove into the dressing.

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh dill

Combine buttermilk and mayo in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Add salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and dill. Whisk until salt and garlic are fully dissolved. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Dressing will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

*Though this is not related to food, I’m going to mention it anyway: My high-school friend Vicki is in a contest to win a fabulous wedding package from Crate + Barrel. If you have 3 minutes to spare, click here: http://www.ultimateweddingcontest.com/entries/32658 and vote for her and her precious fiance. Wouldn’t you want to win a dream wedding? I thought so. Vote away!

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