arugula & almond pesto

SO. Springy. our yard is full of pretty and good-smelling flowers and i am so ready for backyard cookouts and trips to the beach. i also just took my last law school final EVER and i'm getting an iphone finally, so things are really looking up for old me. this pesto is just the kind of quick and easy spring pick-me-up that i want right now.

arugula has something of a weird reputation, i think. if you look up "arugula" and "liberal" together, there will be a great many results. i'm not sure why arugula is supposed to be more liberal-food than, say, baby spinach (aside from the David Kamp book and the manufactured Obama-elitism thing), but there you go. personally, i prefer to call it "rocket" like the british do. it sounds much cooler. 

this something-like-pesto is extremely simple and could no doubt be dressed up in any number of ways. i like to keep it basic and then use it on lots of different things - sandwiches, frozen pizza, and cheese & crackers are just a few of the things that benefit from the addition of a peppery and pleasantly bitter arugula spread.

you can probably make this with a mortar and pestle, but i found the food processor to be awfully quick and convenient. just blitz together a few handfuls of toasted almonds with 2 - 4 smallish cloves of garlic. it's good to break the garlic up a little before adding it to the processor to make sure it all gets incorporated together.

once the almonds and garlic are ground together (in tiny crumbs, not necessarily a paste), start adding the arugula (ROCKET!). i used about 3/4 of a 7 ounce bag, but it isn't rocket science (or is it?). also add some olive oil. this moistens everything and makes it more sauce-y. you will need perhaps 1/3 of a cup or less - i like to drizzle it in a little at a time while the processor is running.

to cut the bitterness a little, i added some orange juice - perhaps 1/4 of a cup or so - whatever came out of half of a fairly juicy orange. the acid in the juice also helps to keep the pesto a bright vibrant green.

that's it, really. blend everything together until it's at a good texture. if you want to thin it out, add more oil and/or juice. also add some salt, to taste. you could use some parmesan or asiago or something to make it more like traditional pesto, but i like using it on cheesy things (aforementioned sandwiches/pizza), so i like to keep it plain. 

it's a particularly great sandwich topping when mixed with a little cream cheese or soft goat cheese and spread generously onto nutty, seedy toast and accompanied by gruyere/cheddar cheese and some peppery turkey. or, you know, whatever.

*ingredients*
it might be obvious, but this is really only good if you really like arugula. it's pretty bitter, so it probably isn't for everyone. 
2-4 small cloves garlic
1/2 - 2/3 cups toasted almonds
5 ounces or so fresh arugula
1/3 cup olive oil (or more, to taste/texture preferences)
1/4 cup orange juice (or about 1/2 an orange's worth)
salt, to taste

listening to: rocket man (shatner, ftw!), saint etienne

springy lentil salad with citrus-mustard vinaigrette

lo, it is spring! the flowers are flowering, the birds are singing, and the chilly rain is still falling. but in between the cold and rainy days are drier, warmer days that stay light longer and longer and make you feel like maybe things won't be so bad.

i make a lot of variations on this salad, because lentils and mustard go well together and it's a nice, filling, and portable lunch that only gets better after you make it. i usually make a very large batch and we eat it (on and off) all week. also, it's vegan, which is nice. although sometimes we eat it with sausage, which is not vegan. usually.

these are french green lentils (or "lentilles du Puy") and they are the best for lentil salads because they keep their shape much better than the yellow or brown lentils that are always hanging shiftily around bulk bins. those lentils are great for dals or lentil soup, but for a salad these are really worth seeking out. i usually find them in the bulk section as well. they have a great texture and a bit of a peppery taste that i really like. fancy lentils! who knew?

because the dressing and vegetables add so much flavor to this salad, you don't really need to cook the lentils with much - just rinse them and put them in a big pot with water covering them by a few inches. i also usually add a bit of salt. then just bring the water to a boil, turn the heat down to low-medium, and let them cook for maybe 30 - 40 minutes, or until they're tender. the cooking time depends on how fresh they are, so just keep trying them. then drain them and add them to the vegetables that you have thoughtfully been preparing while the lentils cook.

you can use various vegetables - some fennel would be good, as would a little broccoli. i liked the orange and green color scheme that was going on with this batch, though.

just chop whatever vegetables you like into smallish pieces. i quartered the thicker parts of the carrots and halved the thinner ends, then cut them into pretty thin slices - maybe 1/8" or so. it doesn't have to be exact, of course. i sliced the celery lengthwise into maybe 3-4 strips per stalk, then cut it into thin pieces as well. the asparagus i cut into coins, for the most part, but left the ends whole. finally, i just diced up the orange bell pepper (green bell peppers are the devil and are not fit for human consumption).

oh! and a large shallot also got in there, but not in time for initial picture-taking.

you can just leave the vegetables raw, if you like, but i prefer to cook everything a bit to take the edge off. heat up like 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large pan (medium heat). then add the shallot (you could use onion instead, but shallots are a little milder and more garlicky), let it cook for a little less than a minute, then add the carrots and celery, let those cook a bit (2 minutes?), then the pepper. at this point, i also added a few tablespoons of chopped italian parsley and perhaps a teaspoon of dried thyme. fresh thyme would be good, but i didn't have any. other herbs would be nice as well - marjoram, any of the famed herbes de provence, etc.

let everything cook until the carrots lose their rawness - maybe 5 minutes or so, depending on how thick they are. add the asparagus towards the end, so it doesn't get too mushy - asparagus is so wonderful right now, you barely need to cook it at all.

then just stick everything in a bowl to hang out for a bit while you make the dressing.

i love when we're almost out of mustard because the jar makes a perfect vehicle for dressing and you don't have to try to scrape out the dregs of the mustard. lots of dijon mustard is good in this, because mustard and lentils are basically the chocolate and peanut butter of the savory food world. they just go together SO WELL.

since we're still in winter-spring crossover mode here in oregon, this salad really fits with both seasons. citrus is great right now, so i used the juice of a whole orange and a whole lemon, along with most of the zest of each. these, plus olive oil, the mustard, garlic, and salt are all you need for a very tasty dressing that brings everything together.

with the garlic, it's nice to make it into kind of a paste so it mixes in well. chop it fairly finely with about 1/2 a teaspoon of coarse salt, then use the side of your knife to slide across the cutting board, which helps the salt and garlic grind together. the rough salt crystals help speed up the process. once you get the hang of it, it's really fast. here's a video if that doesn't make sense.

everything goes into your mustard jar, then you can just shake it up, et voila!

it's best to have the dressing ready by the time the lentils are done, so that you can put it on while they're still warm - it seems to help the dressing get absorbed better. start with maybe 1/2 the dressing, toss everything together, add more if you like. i ended up using all of it, but there were a lot of vegetables and lentils to cover. add more salt as well, if needed. undersalting things makes them gross and bland. it's probably a good idea to add a little more fresh parsley and other fresh herbs, if you have them. sometimes it needs a little more acid, too - more lemon juice or some apple cider or sherry vinegar would be good. it just depends on what you like.

this is one of those salads that just gets better as it sits, so it's great for bringing to work all week. you can add things like goat cheese, sliced sausage, hard-boiled eggs, etc., if you want to bulk it up a little, but it's really quite filling on its own. it's also great for a picnic or potluck, since basically anyone of any dietary persuasion can eat it - vegan, gluten-free - it's got it all! or rather, doesn't have it, if "it" is animal products or gluten.

*ingredients* for A Lot of salad - you can cut it in half if you want

1 pound (~ 2 cups) dried french green lentils

1 large shallot

2 large carrots

2 celery stalks

1 orange, red, or yellow bell pepper (NOT GREEN)

1 bunch (more or less) of asparagus

thyme, other herbs

2 -3 tablespoons dijon mustard (i like it pretty mustardy)

juice & zest of 1 orange

juice & zest of 1 lemon

1 small/medium garlic clove

1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

maybe 1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil (also to taste - i like more citrus and mustard and less oil, myself)

listening to: nothing, really, but i've had simple song by the shins in my head all day. and, of course, the weight. rip, levon helm.

flash-cooked cold asparagus with middle eastern dip

this is barely a recipe - it's more like a technique plus a notion that come together into a great snack or side dish. the asparagus i used here were tiny thin ones, but you could also use fatter ones - just allow them to cook longer.

basically, bring some salted water to a boil (there is actually a recipe for this - the comments are pretty entertaining). add your asparagus. this is totally not difficult, but you do want to make sure you use a pot big enough for it to all fit in there without breaking, of course.

let it cook until it's as tender as you like. the stalks i used were so tiny that they got bright green almost immediately. i think i left them in for about 45 seconds or so, and they were still pretty al dente, but pleasantly so.

the next part is the important part - using tongs or something, put them immediately into a bowl of cold water with ice. this stops the cooking more quickly and keeps them that nice verdant green. once they are cool, you can store them in the fridge until you are ready for them. i put mine in a tupperware thing on some paper towels to help them dry out more. you could also use a clean kitchen towel, of course, and thus be less wasteful, but i didn't have one.

for the dip, i was feeling like something kind of middle eastern, so i used 2/3 greek yogurt to 1/3 mayonnaise (this is a rough proportion - you can use however much of each you like) and added salt, a couple of tablespoons of crumbled feta cheese, and some middle eastern/north african spices/mixes - za'atar, ras el hanout, and sumac. i used about equal amounts of the za'atar and ras el hanout and perhaps half that of sumac. just play around with it and see how much of each you like - start slow and keep tasting it until is is delicious.

because i bought the za'atar and ras el hanout already mixed, i am not sure exactly what was in these particular ones, but the links go to wikipedia things about them that describe what's going on. the ras el hanout is fairly spicy, which was nice. you should be able to get these at a grocery store with bulk spices (always the way to go, so you don't end up with a giant jar of cardamom that you will never use) or a middle eastern grocery or certainly on the internets. they're worth seeking out, because you can also use them in things like rice, eggs, etc. za'atar is particularly good as a rub for roast chicken.

anyway, it's a good idea to mix this up and let it sit for awhile so the flavors meld. then you can dip away with the asparagus and whatever else you have around. it would also be good as a sandwich spread or whatever else your little heart desires!

perhaps not an ice cream topping, though.

pink greyhound

when i walk our dogs,* i usually go on a route that encircles a different park at each end. the other day on this route, i saw three greyhounds - one in each park and one right in front of our house when i stepped outside. all were fawn-colored and they all looked exactly alike, except that they were all wearing different raincoats. yes! each dog was wearing a dog raincoat (presh), but they were different colors.

it kind of weirded me out, frankly. it felt a little gaslight-y, in some obscure way. maybe it was an omen of some kind. i don't know.

maybe it was just an omen to make this drink.

sometimes people make greyhound cocktails with vodka, but i think that's bs. vodka has its uses (bloody marys), but for the most part gin is where it's at.

at its most basic level, a greyhound is gin (fine - or vodka, i guess) and grapefruit juice. you can also salt the rim and call it a salty dog, if you'd like.

the pink greyhound is the same, but with pink grapefruit juice, preferably fresh-squeezed from texas ruby reds (which are inarguably the best grapefruits). i also put in a little squeeze of lemon juice and, since i had it in the fridge already (see - totally handy!), some rhubarb syrup. you could also use some club soda to give it a little sparkle.

this is such a sweet li'l pink drink - it looks adorable, but packs some punch. it would be a great addition to your memorial day get-together. just don't tell me if you make it with vodka. *things i almost invariably hear when walking our three dogs at once:

looks like you've got your hands full!
who's walking who?
lookit all those dogs!
you've got all different sizes! (this is true; they are all of different sizes)
are those all yours?
quite a pack you've got there!
what a motley crew! (sometimes said like "muttley" crew - clevs!)

japanese turnip, radish, and sausage sauté

above is the green garlic i got at the farmers' market. it was all gone by the time i made the sorrel eggs, but that was because i used the last of it in this surprisingly tasty dish, so it was worth it. i was surprised by how great the turnips and radishes were in this - i don't think i've had japanse turnips before and i am pretty sure i've never had cooked radishes, so it was an enlightening experience all around.

these are my japanse turnips. they are so pretty, with their creamy whiteness and their nice green leaves. you could use the leaves in this dish, but i didn't - i am going to saute them up tonight with baby mustard greens and some garlic. you could also use the radish greens, but i already put those in some pasta the other night, so no greens here. it was still good, don't worry.

i washed the radishes (a small bunch - probably like 8 or 9 of them. these were regular old radishes from safeway, but you could use any kind), the turnips, a few stalks of asparagus (i cut the bottom off and then peel 1/2 - 2/3 of it so it's more tender), the garlic (i used about 3 stems of garlic, but you could also use a couple of cloves of regular garlic and mince it), and some snap peas. it was getting dark, so this picture is not the best. imagine some peas in there too.

i sliced the radishes and turnips thinly - you can make them however thick you want, but the thinner they are, the faster they cook. again, you can use a mandoline for this, but i am still a little gunshy, so i used a knife. if you want more stability when cutting, you can cut them in half from stem to root, so that you have a flat surface to set it on. but i thought they were prettier in rounds and i am pretty confident in my cutting abilities (mandoline problem notwithstanding).

slice up the garlics and asparagus (the garlic i cut very thin, the asparagus in ~ 1 inch chunks). you can either leave the peas whole or slice them in half. i like them whole, myself.

put maybe a tablespoon of butter in a largeish saute pan over medium heat. i let the butter brown a little before adding the garlic, because brown butter is the best thing in the world. it will foam up and then the solids will sink and start getting toasty. it is ready for garlic when it starts smelling like pancakes from heaven.

let the garlic cook a little, maybe for 30 seconds or so. then add the turnips and radishes and let it all cook for a few minutes, til they start getting softened. this will depend on how thickly they are sliced - mine were thin and took about 3 minutes. then add some cut-up sausage of your choice - i used free-range chicken sausage that was hot and italian-flavored. it was great. i also put some red pepper flakes and salt in at this point. i would have put some freshly-ground black pepper in too, but we are out. lame.

a couple minutes later, add some chicken stock or a little water - i should do a separate thing about chicken stock sometime, but basically whenever i roast a chicken i make stock and freeze it in a muffin tin, then take the stock-muffins out and keep them in the freezer - it is handy, tasty, and economical!

then you can add the asparagus and peas and maybe cover it and let it all cook together for a couple of minutes. it really doesn't take long, though, especially since peas and asparagus are so tender right now. if the sausage you used wasn't already cooked (ours was), make sure that it is cooked through so you don't die or whatever. i also added a slip of cream, since we had it around from the sorrel eggs. it made it pretty over the top, but in a good way. but it would be perfectly delicious without it.

i added some cooked rice to this because we already had it, but it would also be good over pasta or like quinoa or with toast. it was very springy and fresh, but also rich-tasting and satisfying. perfect for dinner!

you could also easily make it vegan by using olive oil instead of butter and either not using sausage or using some other substitute (or something like chickpeas would be good for a little extra heft and protein). you could also have it be vegetarian and use the butter, lose the sausage, and put a fried or poached egg on top.

*ingredients*

1 tablespoon butter

garlic - either a couple of cloves or 3 or so stalks of green garlic

1 bunch radishes

1 bunch japanese turnips (4-5)

5-6 stalks of asparagus

1 cup (or so) sugar snap peas

2 small sausages (can be omitted)

1/3 - 1/2 cup stock or water

1 little glug of cream if you have it (or greek yogurt would probably be good too)

rice/pasta/grain/toast, for serving

shaved asparagus, garlic, & truffle cheese pizza

wow, this pizza was pretty great. it was a perfect way to use up some of the piles of asparagus that i got at the farmers' market on saturday and the truffle cheese i used (from trader joe's) plus garlic really put it over the top. i got the idea for asparagus pizza from deb at smittenkitchen.com (another great food blog) and made it several times last year. one time we grilled it as small individual pizzas, which is a fantastic choice if you are not into turning on the oven or if you're already grilling something.

this is the asparagus i got at the market. i bought the last five bunches the stand had (i gave one to jen) and it was nice that some were big fat juicy ones and some were the thin little tiny ones, because the different textures really worked well on the pizza. but you can definitely just use the larger ones. i suppose you could just use small ones as well, but the larger ones get shaved up with a vegetable peeler and i think the textural benefits of this are important.

for the dough i just used one of the pre-made pizza doughs that trader joe's has, because they are pretty good and cheap and also because i thought of this for dinner in the afternoon, so there wasn't time to make a good dough myself. but homemade dough would be great here, or whatever kind of dough you fancy. i let it sit out for half an hour or so before forming it into a thin round by hand, but you can also use a rolling pin or a wine bottle or something to roll it out. i put it on a cookie sheet on which i had sprinkled a tablespoon or so of coarse cornmeal.

pre-heat the oven to 450. you want it nice and hot. i also put a rack on the lowest level and one on the highest level.
wash the asparagus and trim like an inch or a little less off the tip. then peel the bottom half or so, so you don't end up eating any tough stemmy parts. i used one of those y-shaped peelers and i think it was easier than if i had used one of the other kind, but you could probably use either. a y-shaped peeler is good to have, though.

so once all the yuck part is off, you just want to shave the asparagus into ribbons. i held the top of the stalk and slid the peeler down maybe 4-5 times on one side, then turned it over and did the same on the other side - basically you want to get it all into ribbons, but if at the end the middle part is a little thicker, that's totally fine because it adds texture. do the same with the rest of your asparagus - i used one normal-sized bunch. this takes a minute to get the hang of, but it goes pretty quickly after that - the whole bunch took maybe 5 minutes.

also you should grate the cheese. i used one called "italian truffle cheese" from trader joe's, but i have seen truffle cheese elsewhere, so you should be able to find it. if it is prohibitively expensive, you can use some other kind of cheese, even good old mozzarella, but i really suggest trying to find the truffle cheese because it is really awfully good with the asparagus. i used maybe 1/4 of a pound or a little less. i also used about the same volume of parmesan - just grate some up until you have about the same amount. divide the parmesan in half and mix half with the truffle cheese and leave half to put on top of the pizza.

then grate or mince two or three garlic cloves.

you are ready to assemble!

so the dough is on a sheet with the cornmeal under it. spread it with a tablespoon or so of nice olive oil. then sprinkle the garlic evenly over it. a little sprinkle of salt and pepper would not be out of place here. then put the truffle cheese/parmesan mixture evenly over that, then fling the asparagus ribbons over the whole thing with abandon. if you are using tiny thin asparagi/uses, you can arrange them prettily or haphazardly over the ribbons. then top with the rest of the parmesan and maybe a little more salt and pepper.

stick it in the bottom of the oven for like 8 or 10 minutes. basically leave it alone for a solid 6-7 minutes, then check the bottom to see how done it looks. timing will pretty much depend on your oven, but you want it nice and brown. once it is practically done, move it up to the top rack and turn the broiler on. this gets the asparagus crispy and brown in spots, but you have to really stand there and watch it - it probably will only need a minute or so.

take it out and let it sit for a couple of minutes, add some chili flakes if you like that sort of thing, then dig in and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

it also makes a delicious cold pizza breakfast the next morning. yesssssss.

*ingredients*

pizza dough

1/4 pound or so truffle (or other) cheese

~ 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 bunch big ol' asparagus (+ 5-10 small stalks, if using)

2-3 cloves garlic
salt, pepper, chili flakes

rhubarb syrup

my friend jen and i made the arduous journey to portland's famous saturday farmers' market yesterday to partake of spring's bounty. well, it wasn't that arduous a journey, but i did take the bus there, so that's something.

anyway, the market is a huge tourist and family attraction and it was sort of crazy-making for people who just want to buy produce. i liked the variety of things available, but i don't think i will go again soon because there are lots of other markets here that aren't so insanely crowded. but i got a ton of wonderful stuff that will be showing up in things here this week.*

one of the things about which i was most excited is rhubarb. it is at its best right now and i bought over two pounds and already made it into a rhubarb-pineapple crumble, which will be posted soon, and this simple rhubarb-vanilla syrup, which is good on practically everything.

rhubarb syrup is dead easy and requires like 5 minutes of your attention (though it cooks for longer than that, of course).

wash however much rhubarb you want to use - i used four medium stalks and ended up with perhaps a cup and a half of syrup.

cut off the ends (and be sure to get rid of any leaves - they're kind of poisonous!) and slice the stalks crosswise into thin crescent-y coins - perhaps 1/8 - 1/4 inch or so (though it all breaks down anyway, so it really doesn't matter how thin they are, as long as they aren't like 2 inches long or something).

put in a saucepan with (in this case) about 1 1/2 cups water and about 1 cup sugar. this is also kind of to taste, although you want to use enough sugar to make the texture syrupy, so i wouldn't use much less. i happened to have some vanilla sugar already, since after i use vanilla beans i rinse them and put them in a thing of sugar - they add their remaining flavor and perfume as it sits. i also put the vanilla bean in with the rhubarb at this point, but it really isn't a big deal - don't go out and buy a vanilla bean or anything - this was really just because i had it around. if you really want a little vanilla flavor you can also add a splash (maybe a teaspoon) of vanilla extract at the end, before it goes in the fridge.

so - you have your cut-up rhubarb, sugar, water, and perhaps vanilla bean in a saucepan. turn the burner on high and when the mixture boils (as it will, as long as you are not watching it too closely), turn it down to medium-low and let it cook down for about 20 minutes or so, until the rhubarb breaks down - stir occasionally - maybe 3-4 times as it cooks. i usually use the back of a wooden spoon to kind of smoosh the rhubarb against the walls of the pan - it makes it break down faster (or seems to).

once it is all broken down, many people strain it through a sieve or cheesecloth or whatever so you end up with a lovely clear pinky-red syrup. i am lazy and i also don't really see the need for this, so i just let it cool and pour it in old jars to keep in the fridge. it should keep quite a while - at least a week or so. i think if you strain the solids out it would probably keep longer - like several weeks, but i just make smaller batches and don't bother with the straining.

you could probably freeze it as well - maybe in ice cube trays. that might be nice for keeping it longer, but frankly i just can't be bothered.

there are so many possible uses for this delightful syrup - experiment!

i use it on greek yogurt in the morning, mix it into club soda or sparkling water for rhubarb sodas, have it over pancakes or in cereal, or add it to cocktails for a springtime treat.

you can also eat it out of the jar while looking guiltily around to see if anyone is watching and judging you.

the solids from the rhubarb could also be smeared over toast or an english muffin. possibilities!

this is an easy and delicious way to enjoy spring's finest red stalks.

*ingredients (can be scaled up or down depending on how much syrup you want)*

4 stalks fresh rhubarb

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar

*other wonderful farmers' market stuff: green garlic, 5 large bunches of asparagus (i know - it's a lot. but we love it! and they gave me a deal! i couldn't resist), baby mustard greens, japanese turnips, and a big bag of wild sorrel for which i have big plans that involve eggs and cream - more on that later.