Cauliflower roasted with curry, tossed with herbs. Served with bread, salad, cheese, and wine. A lovely Spring dinner.
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Deviled Avocado Pasta
May 11, 2012 – 4:00 PM
On the first Saturday of May each year, I throw a Kentucky Derby party. It might just be my second favorite holiday, a close second to Christmas, which has significant charms (the tree! eggnog! sparkly lights!). Derby does have its significant charms as well (hats! Bourbon! ponies!).
Every Derby, I make a ridiculous hat, I have more Bourbon on hand than is humanly possible to consume (one assumes, anyway), I make sure the television is showing the race, and I like to serve deviled eggs. It just seems fitting.
Once in a great while, though, one makes too many deviled eggs. Hard to believe, but it does happen.
In such a case, one eats leftover deviled eggs for a day or two until there are no more hard-boiled egg whites left. (You do keep the prepared yolks and whites separate, and pipe your deviled eggs as needed throughout the party, yes? Which means that you don’t have to refrigerate precariously toothpicked and plastic-wrapped platters of eggs, and your set-out platters of eggs never get all dried out and nasty-looking, yes? Good. We’re all on the same page here.)
So let’s say that you’ve got about half a cup of deviled egg yolk action sitting in your fridge. And you’re all out of hard-boiled whites. What now?
Oh, honey child.
You make this, is what now. It’s so good you won’t even know what to do with yourself.
This was one of those dishes that gave me a moment of terror while making it. You know the moment: despite your most educated judgement, it’s the moment when you are deeply uncertain whether things are going to turn out completely awesome or completely horrible.
It’s a smashed-up avocado, mixed with spicy egg yolk, and briefly sautéed garlic and sardines (for umami and your sustainable Omega-3s). Thin the whole deal with pasta water and lemon juice, and toss it with your long, skinny pasta of choice. To seal the deal, top everything with a brave handful of smoked paprika bread crumbs. Because deviled egg requires paprika on top.
Can you tell that it was completely awesome? Do I even have to say it?
This is best served with a bowl of arugula drizzled with olive oil, and a glass of white wine made solely of grapes from Southeast-facing vineyards in the Beneventano appellation. Or, you know, whatever you’ve got on hand.
Deviled Avocado Pasta
It's helpful to have everything ready to go before you start cooking (get yer mise en place!). Once that's done, it's basically: bang bang bang, dinner.
Okay, yes, I acknowledge that not everyone is going to have some leftover deviled egg yolk business sitting around. Or anyone, really. Since you probably don't, and you still want to make this recipe, you could just mix together two raw egg yolks, plus a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise, a spoonful of coarse mustard, and a heavy dose of sriracha (it needs more than you'd think). Smush or whisk in the avocado and sautéed garlic and sardines. When mixed with the hot pasta, it will thicken and cook slightly, carbonara-style.
If raw yolks aren't an option for you, just hard-boil a couple of eggs and eat the whites separately. It's all the work of deviled eggs, and none of the deviled eggs. But there is some incredible pasta instead.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti, linguine, angel hair, or other long pasta
- 1 can sardines packed in olive oil (bones removed if you're squeamish about that), about 4 1/4 oz
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cup deviled egg yolks (see headnote)
- Juice of half a lemon, plus extra as needed
- 2-3 teaspoons olive oil (from the sardine can, if you like)
- 1 heavy pinch smoked paprika
- 1 heavy pinch dried thyme
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 large handful panko (or other coarse breadcrumbs)
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until just al dente, according to package directions. When done, drain, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water. Keep warm.
- 2. Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sardines with some of the oil they were packed in, and the garlic. Cook briefly, breaking up the sardine fillets a bit, until garlic is fragrant and not too brown. Remove from heat.
- 3. While sardines and garlic cook, halve, pit, and scoop out the avocado into a large bowl. Smash together with the deviled egg yolks. Add the cooked sardines and garlic, and stir in the juice of half a lemon. Taste, and season to your liking with salt and pepper. The sauce will be very thick; whisk in some of the reserved pasta water as needed to thin (you will not need all of it).
- 4. In the same pan the sardines were cooked in, heat 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the smoked paprika, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant, to bloom the spices. Toss in the breadcrumbs, and stir to coat with the oil. Cook until crunchy and well-browned, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- 5. Toss the warm cooked pasta with the avocado-egg sauce, drizzling in additional reserved pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. Serve immediately, topped with a liberal handful of the spiced breadcrumbs.
Notes
Did you catch that deviled egg recipe in the headnotes, more or less? Here it is, and it rocks: smash up your hard-boiled egg yolks with some mayonnaise (use a light hand at first, you can always add more later). Add half as much coarse, spicy mustard. Add about the same amount of sriracha (it will look like you're adding way too much, but you really aren't). Mix together, and add salt and black pepper to taste. If it's too thick to pipe, add more mayonnaise (or sriracha) by the spoonful until it's just right. If it's too spicy for you, get over it. They're called "deviled" for a reason.
Good Hope Rusks: the Official Launch
April 19, 2012 – 5:02 PM
I know it’s probably dreadfully boring, and I promise this isn’t going to become a blog about rusks. But I thought I’d share photos from the Official Launch of Good Hope Rusks last Sunday at Dose Market, just in case some of you were interested. Hope you don’t mind.
Did I mention you can now order rusks online? Because you can order rusks online. That is all.
the table
samples: anise & cacao nib, cardamom & coffee, triple sesame
letterpress 4 life
tassels
(And now, back to our regularly scheduled food programming.)
We had a Launch Party at a fabulous little restaurant, just the two of us, because I’ve never had a Launch Party for anything and it seemed like a wonderful thing to do.
Man, was it ever.
There was Champagne. Lamb sweetbreads with sorrel, asparagus, and feta. A hedonistically lush foie gras torchon. Crisp-skinned trout and lentils. After-dinner drinks. And there was an impeccably textured cream cheese panna cotta with strawberry compote and housemade graham crackers. With a candle, even. I love that restaurant so hard.
forgive the iphone photo
Happy Launch, rusks.
An Introduction, and My First Giveaway!
April 10, 2012 – 11:15 PM
You guys! I’ve been working on something which, clearly, has not been this site. And I’m not the slightest bit sorry, either.
I’ve been starting a new business!
(Yes, again. Remember the first one?)
Introducing Good Hope Rusks, my updated take on a traditional South African rusk. What’s a rusk? It’s a crunchy, baked biscuit, and it makes a fantastic breakfast or snack. Coffee or tea is almost required with these guys, but they’re still awesome on their own.
If you think it sounds and looks like a biscotti, you’re nearly right. They’re made in a similar way, but are much less sweet. (Aside from being low in sugar, mine are also 100% whole grain, and come in three! cool! flavors!, but who’s counting?)
I first discovered rusks in 2009, during a little bread-making project I was undertaking that year. Then last year, a dear friend of mine (who happens to be from South Africa) and I were talking. I mentioned my pipe dream of selling my very own packaged food. She mentioned her erstwhile plans to make and sell the rusks she often makes for her family and friends (somehow, running her own Interior Design business and raising two awesome kids and modeling and being generally kick-ass got in the way).
We’re smart ladies. We put two and two together. A star was born.
Many months later, I’m ready to run these rusks up my flagpole and see if anyone salutes.
so much stamping
This Sunday is the official launch date, and if you’re in Chicago, you can come see (and taste) for yourself. I’ll be selling my rusks for the very first time ever at the always-fabulous Dose Market on April 15!
Even if you’re crazy and don’t want to come see me and my rusks, you really shouldn’t miss all the other incredible vendors (see below for a full list). Did I mention that there’s free cocktails, from one of Chicago’s top new restaurants (first come, first served)? Because there’s free cocktails.
cardamom & coffee
Tickets to Dose Market are $10 at the door, or $8 if you buy in advance. But I’ve managed to swing two free tickets to Dose Market to give away to one lucky Chicago-area reader! Yep, it’s one for you and one for a friend, because sharing is awesome. It’s my very first giveaway ever, yay! *kermit arms*
triple sesame
How do you get these 100% completely free tickets to the coolest monthly party around? Just leave a comment below! In the comment, tell me what you think of Good Hope Rusks. Give me the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. Love the look? Think it sounds interesting? Hate the whole thing? Leave a comment! (FYI, since you have to include an email address on the form to post a comment, there’s no need to publicly share your email address.)
anise & cacao nib
Jump on this one fast: the contest ends on April 12 (Thursday night) at 11:59 pm, Central time! It’s only open to Chicago-area readers — or I guess anyone willing to drive/fly/walk to Chicago this weekend. I’ll assign each comment a number in the order it’s posted, pick the winner via random number generator, and announce the winner on Friday. The winner will be notified via email.
I’d love to see you all on Sunday! If you can’t make it, though, you can stay in the loop with Good Hope Rusks on Facebook and Twitter.
So there you have it. Good Hope Rusks. I hope you love ‘em like I do.
April 15, 2012
10 am until 4 pm
435 East Illinois Street, Chicago, IL 60611
[Edit: This contest is now over. Congratulations to Jessica F, who has been notified via email!]
Five Minute Photo Shoot: Garlic Kale with Preserved Lemon
April 3, 2012 – 10:40 AM
Dinner the other night: Tuscan kale, sautéed with a boatload of garlic, red pepper flakes, and minced preserved Meyer lemon. I tossed in some ultra-concentrated smoked turkey stock (see these headnotes for more info) to help it wilt down. All topped with a tiny mountain of Parmesan. I cannot get enough kale lately.
There were probably some other ingredients too. And it’s hard to see, but it was served over black quinoa.
Olive oil is there for the bread, of course. It ain’t dinner without bread.
Five Minute Photo Shoot: Quinoa Sushi
March 8, 2012 – 12:34 PM
Last night’s dinner: maki filled with Gulf shrimp, avocado, water chestnut, green onion, and Serrano pepper. Because, you know, Wednesday.
Also, did you know you can make sushi with quinoa instead of rice? Cook some quinoa, purée half, mix it all together, and voilà!, sticky quinoa. Thanks, Heston Blumenthal! I used a combo of red and white quinoa, and left it unseasoned. Fabulous.
note to self: work on sushi-rolling skills
This post is also a little experiment; I started using Dropbox, which makes it way easier to post photos from my phone. The top picture is from my phone, the bottom two are from my proper camera. That is all.
Spicy Kale Sauté with Cashew Butter
March 6, 2012 – 5:29 PM
In my line of work, I always seem to have random bits and bobs knocking around in my fridge. It’s half a chile here, a wedge of onion there, sometimes a handful of chopped kale. Dinner, therefore, mostly ends up being a rough jumble of ingredients tossed together on a sauté pan and a prayer. Mostly, it works out well enough.
But every so often, I come up with something truly special. This is as sad as it is delightful, as I’m certain I will never ever ever enjoy that particular dish again, because that combination of ingredients will never again exist simultaneously in my fridge.
Sometimes, though, it’s so good that I write it down. You know, just in case magic happens and those ingredients appear in my fridge. Who knows, I might buy those ingredients together on purpose.
I took one bite of this, and immediately grabbed my pen and notebook.
Here, it’s served with leftover mustard-roasted leg of lamb, just a few slices for an accent, because I had some in the fridge. It’s just as good on its own.
Spicy Kale Sauté with Cashew Butter
The one ingredient that I'm certain you don't have is the smoked turkey glace, which sounds a lot fancier than it actually is. It's my secret ingredient lately; I'm stirring a spoonful into just about everything, and it. is. incredible. Get you one smoked turkey wing or leg, put it in your biggest stock pot with half an onion and a bay leaf, fill the pot mostly full with cold water, and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 1 hour, or until the meat comes easily off the bone. Remove the onion, bay leaf, and meat; use the meat for something delicious. Bring the stock back up to a boil and reduce the hell out of it. This might take several hours, but it's well worth it. Reduce it until there's hardly anything left, maybe 1/2 or 1 cup, tops. This is your smoked turkey glace. Cool it and store it in the fridge where you can get at it easily. It should thicken into a soft gelatin after chilling, but will dissolve instantly in any heat. Use in small amounts, and often.
Or, you know, use chicken stock. Whatever works for you.
Ingredients
- Olive oil, as needed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced finely
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale, with ribs, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 splash dry vermouth (or white wine)
- 2 tablespoons cashew butter
- 1-2 teaspoons smoked turkey glace (optional; see headnote)
- 1 cup cooked whole grain of choice (I used red rice; try brown rice, farro, quinoa, or similar)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, or all of the above)
- 1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon (optional, but awesome; otherwise, use a heavy squeeze of lemon juice)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh chile (I used a blend of Serrano and Marzano)
- Grated Parmesan, to finish
Instructions
- 1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add a splash of olive oil, and sauté the garlic, shallot, and red onion for about 1 minute, or until fragrant and just beginning to soften.
- 2. Add the kale, and toss to combine. Reduce heat to medium. Splash in some dry vermouth, and cook until the kale has wilted down and no more liquid remains, 2-3 minutes.
- 3. Thin the cashew butter with enough water to make a runny sauce, and add it to the kale along with the smoked turkey glace. Stir until kale is coated, and cook until liquid has mostly evaporated.
- 4. Add the cooked grain, herbs, preserved lemon (or lemon juice), and chile, and toss to combine. Remove from heat, and serve immediately with Parmesan grated generously over the top.
Five Minute Photo Shoot: King Cake
February 24, 2012 – 11:16 AM
Mardi Gras was on Tuesday, y’all! And my most wonderful parents sent us a king cake!
It’s hard to take a good photo of a garishly-colored pastry in a plastic bag, but I tried anyway.
Those pieces up there looked a little lonely, so we gave them some companionship.
Much better.
Five Minute Photo Shoot: Bagel, Smoked Salmon, Salsa Verde
February 12, 2012 – 11:46 AM
In case you were wondering whether that salsa verde goes well with a toasted bagel topped with cream cheese, arugula, smoked salmon, and dill, the answer is yes.
Yes it does.
Salsa Verde
February 7, 2012 – 11:32 AM
in situ
This sauce is something I mentioned in passing ages ago, but I assume nobody took much notice of it then. And honestly, I almost forgot about it myself.
Flipping through my omnibus notebook now and then, I’d notice the quickly scribbled recipe – a vague list of ingredients, really – and remember how good it was. I’d then remind myself that I should really collect the recipe gems out of that notebook at some point (which I will probably never do). And then I’d proceed to go about my day, tra la la, recipes forgotten and languishing.
sauté some red cabbage with red onion and salsa verde
But in the span of the last week or so, I somehow managed to accumulate an embarrassment of herbs: basil, chives, dill, thyme, mint, and four (four!) bunches of parsley. Clearly, some sort of fridge-cleaning pesto was in order. And lucky me, I had just seen that salsa verde “recipe” again.
sear some gulf shrimp
after peeling: ghost shrimp
Originally inspired by the brilliance that is Ideas In Food, it’s an Italian-style salsa verde, parsley-forward, thickened with bread and spiked with vinegar, and not a lick of olive oil. The result is a bright, punchy sauce that goes fantastically with eggs, grains, vegetables, and just about everything else I’ve slathered it on.
mix them together
I suppose you could throw in some olive oil if you really had your heart set on it, but the beauty of this sauce is its crisp freshness. Oil, I think, would weigh it down, deaden the clean flavors. Fat carries flavor, yes; but sometimes flavor is already there in abundance and needs no outside help.
add one of these
This is one of those play-it-by-ear recipes. This may terrify you, or excite you. I am in the latter camp. Measurements are all approximate, based on what I used, which was based on what was kicking around in my fridge. Use whatever you have, or whatever you like. It’s your sauce.
salsa verde on top before serving
Salsa Verde
Inspired by Ideas In Food
For the fresh herbs, I used: 1 large bunch parsley (picked from the stems, please), 1/3 cup mint, 10-15 chives, 2 tablespoons basil, 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, and 1 tablespoon dill. And I deeply regretted that I didn't have any cilantro. I understand salsa verde is traditionally made with mostly parsley, but let's not stand on ceremony.
Me, I like this sauce with a pretty decent heat level, provided here by half a marzano chile. Remember, every chile is different, and you can't remove it once too much has been added in. Start with a little, and add more as you like.
If you don't have panko, use slices of whatever bread tastes good (crusts removed). I always have panko, and would rather use my bread to accompany dinner instead of using it as an ingredient.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup panko, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- About 3 cups mixed fresh herbs, loosely packed
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- Fresh chile to taste, chopped
- 1-3 anchovy fillets, to taste
- About 1/4 cup water, or as needed
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- 1. Mix 1/3 cup panko with the apple cider and sherry vinegars. Stir in enough water (2-4 tablespoons) to make a slightly-thick paste. Set aside.
- 2. In a small food processor (or mortar and pestle), purée the herbs with the scallions, garlic, chile, and anchovy. Scrape down the sides of the processor workbowl.
- 3. Add about half of the vinegar-panko goo, and 2 tablespoons of water. Purée again briefly, and check the consistency. If you'd like it thinner, add more water. If you'd like it thicker, add more panko (vinegared, or plain). Season with a pinch or two of salt and some black pepper.
- 4. Give it another whizz, then taste. The vinegar flavor should be very present, but not overwhelming. Correct the seasoning as needed with more vinegar-panko goo, chile, salt, and/or pepper. Thin as needed with more water, or thicken with more panko. Add some more herbs if you need to. It'll taste okay at this point, but you should really let it stand at least 1 hour at room temperature before using. Store in the refrigerator with a little olive oil drizzled on top to help keep the color fresh and green (or use it all up in a few days, like I do).