Tag Archives: nextdoorganics

Roasted Chicken With Radish Cucumber Salad & Smashed Potatoes

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Last night my friend Meghan and I cooked another epic meal for the books. We did our usual “I’ll bring whatever I have, you bring what you have, and we’ll just make something up!” – which more often than not ends in some pretty delicious meals. There was a lot of wine, and a few hysterical rounds of drunken UNO after dinner. All in all it was a successful Wednesday night…

Ingredients: (Serves 3)

Chicken:
(3) bone-in, skin on, chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Radish Cucumber Salad:
2 large black radishes, thinly sliced and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
10 asparagus, blanched and cut into 1 inch pieces
Large handful microgreens
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon horseradish
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 small lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste

Smashed Potatoes:
10 baby potatoes
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
3/4 cup fontina cheese, shredded
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup chives, chopped
1 cup Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the potatoes well and toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven for 30 minutes or until fork tender. While the potatoes cook, start the chicken.

Salt and pepper the chicken well and drizzle lightly with some olive oil. Heat a large cast iron pan until nice and hot, then add the chicken skin side down and cook for about 8 minutes or until the skin is browned a bit. Flip over and cook on the other side for about 2-3 minutes, then place the pan right into the oven to cook for about 15 minutes.

To finish the potatoes, smash each potato by pressing down on each one with the back of a fork or spoon so that they burst. Melt the butter and add the garlic, then pour it over the potatoes. Top with thyme, both cheeses, and the chives. Put back in oven for 10-15 minutes until everything is melted and magical. Place the Greek yogurt in a side bowl, and add a little fresh black pepper and chives.

For the salad, place the radishes, cucumber, and asparagus in a large bowl. Mix together the mustard, vinegar, lemon, salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables and toss well. Top with the microgreens.

TA-DA! Dinner is served…

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Garlic & Herb Compound Butter

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I’ve seen recipes for flavored butters before, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized how easy they are to make. Not the mention the endless flavor combinations! When I got a ton of fresh garlic in my CSA bag this week, I figured why not try to make some of my own. It came out great, and I have been adding it to basically everything I cook. I even spread a little on my toast this AM to jazz my usual breakfast. I have a feeling making flavored butters will be my new obsession…

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon Maldon salt, crushes slightly in palm of hand
Freshly ground black pepper

Mix the softened butter in a small bowl with the parsley, garlic, lemon zest, and salt. Pepper to taste. Once fully combined, scoop the butter out onto a sheet of saran wrap, and roll up into a log shape, twisting the ends to help compact the mixture. Chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Add your butter to pasta dishes, vegetables, toast…. whatever your little heart desires! Compound butter last 2 weeks in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Spicy Shakshuka With Kale

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I’ve been wanting to try making shakshuka for a while. I love eggs, I love tomato sauce, and I love any excuse to dip bread into something. So it seemed like a perfect meal for me. And it was! Definitely one of my favorite things I have made in a while. So good on a cold fall night, and very easy to make. I added kale to mine, but you could add any greens or veggies you have in the fridge really. I also topped it with goat cheese which I loved!

Ingredients:
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/2 shallot, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
Good pinch red pepper flakes
1 can diced tomatoes (half pureed in a food processor)
1 cup kale, coarsely chopped
2 eggs
Olive Oil
Water, as needed
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
Goat cheese, for topping
Bread, for serving

Saute the garlic and shallot in a skillet with olive oil. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the paprika, pepper flakes, turmeric, and dried basil. Next add the tomato sauce (both diced and pureed) and cook until it comes to a simmer. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the kale and cook for another 3-4 minutes. You’ll notice the tomato sauce starts to thicken after a while, so add tiny bits of water as you go to bring the sauciness back to life! Make two little pockets in the sauce, and crack your eggs into them. Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the whites are cooked and the yolk is still soft/runny. Continue to add the water as needed.

To plate, scoop the egg and sauce into a shallow bowl. Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and goat cheese crumbles. Serve with some toasted bread!

Brussels Sprout & Leek Cast Iron Pizza

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Guys. Making a pizza in a cast iron skillet is amazing. I’ve never done it before and absolutely loved it. And the best part is that the whole thing takes about 3-4 minutes to cook! Normally I like a thin pizza, but there’s something about this pillowly crust that is heavenly. I didn’t even make it to the table, or to a chair for that matter, I ate half of it just standing in my kitchen like a PRO!

Ingredients:
Pizza dough (you only need half)
1 cup Brussels sprouts, trimmed and washed
1/2 leek, trimmed and washed
2 small garlic cloves, chopped
Smoked mozzarella, sliced
Soppressata, thinly sliced
All-purpose
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Honey, for topping (optional)

I purchased my dough from Whole Foods, as I was feeling lazy, but you can make your own if you like! I simply cut the ball in half and froze the other half for future pizza making.

To start, saute the garlic, leeks, and Brussels sprouts in a little olive oil until the greens have softened a bit. Salt and pepper to taste then set aside. Next, heat the cast iron pan on your stovetop over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Get your broiler going in the oven. Roll your dough out on a floured surface, making it about the size of your skillet. Have your toppings ready and on stand by, because once you place that dough in the skillet you need to add those toppings fast! Gently place your dough into the hot pan. It might not come out perfect, but that is OK. Top with the mozzarella, veggie mixture, and soppressata. Turn off the burner, and place the pan directly into the oven underneath the broiler. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, rotating the pan occasionally, until the crust is bubbling and has a nice golden color with few burnt bits. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before eating.

Serve with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of honey! I used Mikes Hot Honey which I LOVE and totally recommend. You could probably make your own version by mixing in some cayenne pepper with your regular honey if you like. ENJOY!

Brussels Sprout & Kale Caesar Salad

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I love Caesar salad, so when I got Brussels sprouts and kale in my CSA this week, I thought I would try it as an alternative to the usual romaine lettuce used for this salad. Homemade Caesar dressing is so easy to make, and so much tastier then that fake creamy dressing so many restaurants use. Normally you add an egg to the dressing, but I didn’t because I planned on topping my salad with a soft boiled egg. Plus I don’t think you sacrifice any flavor when omitting the egg in the dressing anyway. Next time I might add some crispy pancetta, or maybe some fried capers in addition to the croutons I made!

Ingredients:
2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and leaves peeled
1 cup laminate kale, shredded
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, soft boiled
French bread, cut into crouton size pieces
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Caesar Dressing:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 oil-packed anchovies
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (plus more as needed)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss the croutons with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Bake for 15 mins or until crispy. Set aside to cool.

In a mortar and pestle, mix together the anchovy, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Add in the lemon juice and mustard and mix well. Very slowly whisk in the olive oil until it thickens a bit, then stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and pepper. Add more lemon juice and/or salt if needed.

For the egg, boil a small pot of water and gently add your egg. Cook them for 7 minutes, then remove immediately and place in a bowl of ice water. This will help stop the cooking process and will leave you with the perfect semi-runny egg!

I decided to quickly blanch my greens to help soften them just a tiny bit. Add the greens to a pot of boiling water for about 15 seconds, then remove and place in a bowl of ice water. Again, this will stop the cooking process. Put the greens through a salad spinner to dry (or pat lightly with a paper towel) then place in a large bowl. Alternatively you can skip this process and just keep the greens raw if you prefer.

Toss well with the Caesar dressing, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with the croutons and soft boiled egg. Enjoy!

Spicy Eggplant Pasta

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The beginning of this week was much colder than I was mentally prepared for. It’s that awkward time of year where I’m not sure how to dress myself and am in complete denial that Summer is over. I’ve also avoided turning my heat on, as that means I am accepting Winter is on its way and that my bills are about to get higher. Well this week despite the cold weather, I refused to give in! I wrapped myself in a big blanket and made this spicy eggplant pasta to warm up. This recipe was also great because it took all of 15 minutes to make and was super delicious. A perfect weekday meal!

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1/2 box thin spaghetti
1 small eggplant, cubed
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 small shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Saute the garlic and shallot in some olive oil until softened. Add the bell pepper, eggplant, and a touch more olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in the diced tomatoes, followed by the pepper flakes, paprika, and sherry vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste, then cook for another 5 minutes over medium heat. In the meantime boil your pasta per the box instructions. When the pasta is ready, strain and add to the tomato mixture, coating all the pasta with the sauce. Plate and serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese!

Homemade Sweet Potato Ravioli With Watercress Pesto

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Making your own pasta isn’t as hard as it sounds! I’d like to experiment more with different flours and techniques when I have some extra time, but these quick raviolis were a nice start. The sweet potato with the peppery watercress were nice together. I’m looking forward to my leftovers tonight!

Pasta Dough:
1 1/5 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ice cold water (as needed)
1 egg, beaten

Filling:
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 whole garlic cloves
1/2 small white onion, chopped into chunks

Pesto:
1/2 cup pecans (I used what nuts I happen to have, but pine nuts or walnuts work too!)
1 cup watercress
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 the juice of one lemon
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper, to taste

Start by making the dough. On a clean surface, mix together the flour and salt, then make a little well in the center. Add the eggs and olive oil to the center and whisk with a fork. Start scooping bits of the surrounding flour into the whisked eggs. Once all the flour is mixed in, start shaping it with your hands, adding small amounts of cold water as needed. Continue kneading for about 5 minutes. After a while you’ll notice that it pretty firm and no longer sticky. Wrap in saran wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

**Alternatively, you can place all the dough ingredients into a food processor! If the dough seems dry at all, add a little cold water until you achieve the right texture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle the sweet potato, garlic, and onion with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until fork tender. Place in a food processor with a splash of olive oil and blend until smooth. Cover and set aside.

For the pesto, place everything in a food processor and blend until smooth, adding more olive oil as needed. Salt and pepper to taste.

Once the pasta dough is ready, cut it into quarters. One chunk at a time (while the others stay covered as to not dry out) pass each portion through the pasta machine until 1/16 inch thick. Dust with flour and continue with the other pieces. Next, brush two pieces of your rolled dough with the egg wash. Scoop teaspoons of the sweet potato mixture onto one side of the dough, keeping each dollop about 1 inch apart. Top with the second piece of dough, and use your fingers to press down around each mold of filling. Using a knife or pastry cutter, cut between each piece to make the individual raviolis. Dust with a little flour and set aside.

Get a large pot of salted water boiling, and add about 10 raviolis at a time. I like to add a tiny bit of olive oil to my water to prevent the pasta from sticking together while cooking. Plate and top with pesto, a drizzle of olive oil, and some fresh Parmesan cheese!

Roasted Corn & Poblano Chowder

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There’s been so much sweet corn at the farmers markets the past few weeks, and it’s been making me want corn chowder. So I finally made some! I didn’t want it to be super creamy and heavy, so I only used a bit of cream and kept it thinner. Overall it was a chowder success!

Ingredients: (serves 3-4)
3 ears of corn, cut off the cob, reserve cobs
1 poblano pepper, chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 leek, chopped
4 red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups reserved corn water (see in recipe)
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
3/4 cup half & half (or cream)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the corn and poblano peppers on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, or until the corn is slightly browned. In the meantime, get a pot of water boiling and add the potatoes and reserved cobs. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender, but careful not to overcook or they won’t hold up later when added to the soup in the end. Strain the potatoes and toss the cobs. Set the water aside for later use. Next, saute the garlic and onion and some olive oil for about 2-3 minutes, then add the leeks and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Lastly, toss in the roasted corn and peppers, followed by the thyme, chicken broth, 2 cups of the reserved water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat down low add the cream, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes more then serve!

Sausage & Kale Stuffed Acorn Squash

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There is a restaurant in NYC (Zero Otto Nove) who have this amazing appetizer that I could eat mounds of. It’s very simple – butternut squash, sweet sausage, and Gorgonzola cheese. When I got a big acorn squash in my CSA bag this week, I though I would try to recreate something similar. I roasted the squash and mixed half of it into the sausage mixture, then stuffed put it back into the squash shell and roasted it for a bit. It was delicious and totally reminiscent of my favorite little dish!

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 small acorn squash, cut in half & seeds removed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cups kale, chopped
2 sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle the acorn halves with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place face down on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until fork tender. Set aside to cool slightly. Next, in a large pan saute the garlic and onion in some olive oil until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Crumble in the sausage and cook until browned. Lastly, toss in the kale and cook until wilted. Remove half of the squash filling and add it into the sausage mixture. Combine well, then add the butter and Gorgonzola cheese. Fill both squash halves with the mixture and place back in the oven for about 10 minutes. You can also broil for a few minutes to crisp the top a little. Serve with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Okra & Tomato Pizza + Beet Sausage & Onion Pizza

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Last night I gathered all my items from this weeks CSA bag and headed to my friends house. We decided to make a few pizzas to have with our bottle bottles of wine. The first pizza had more of a southern style, with okra, shallots, and fresh heirloom tomatoes. The other pizza was made with these AMAZING beet and pork sausages that Meghan got from The Meat Hook. The sausage was so good we decided to just add some onions and cheese and let it shine on its own. Both came out amazing! To save us time, I bought the dough from a local pizza shop in the neighborhood for a few bucks. Thanks Meghan and Daniel for having me over for the 700th time this year!

Ingredients:

Okra Pizza:
1 small pizza dough
Tomato sauce
6 large okra, chopped 1/4 inch thick
2-3 small heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot
1 large garlic clove, chopped
Fresh mozzarella, sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh Parmesan cheese, for serving

Sausage Pizza:
1 large beet sausage (available here)
8 oz fresh ricotta
Fresh mozzarella, sliced
4-5 small fingerling potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preheat the over to 425 degrees.

Start by rolling out the dough on a floured surface. I used one large ball of dough and split it in half, as I like my crust on the thinner side. Place on two lightly floured baking sheets and set aside.

To make the okra pizza, simply cover the bottom with about 1/4 cup tomato sauce, then layer with sliced mozzarella, fresh tomato, okra, garlic and shallots.

For the sausage pizza, start by cooking the onion and garlic together in a large pan until the onion is a bit translucent, then crumble in the sausage and cook thoroughly. Set mixture aside and cook the potatoes in the same pan until slightly golden on each side. Spread a good amount of ricotta cheese on the dough, followed by some fresh mozzarella. Top with the sausage mixture and sliced potatoes.

Cook both pizzas for about 15-20 minutes or until the dough begins to crisp and the top is bubbling (and your mouth is watering.) If you used a larger ball of dough for each, you may need to cook a few minutes longer. Sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper, then slice and serve with some grated Parmesan cheese on the side. Bon appétit!