Jimmy's recent hits

I started buying purple cauliflower at the farmers market, b/c it's just so pretty. Well, it turns out it's also really tasty. Jimmy invented this attractive and healthy veg medly, including purple cauliflower, little red potatos, Brussels sprouts, onion, olive oil and s&p, cooked in the oven at 400. I believe he puts the potatoes in first since they need longer; after 20 minutes he adds the veggies for another 20 minutes. It's so yummy and colorful! A great side dish for any meal.

Another one of the super-duper dishes he likes to come with is twice-baked potatoes. So delish! Potatoes, cheddar cheese, chives, sour cream... (this time we had some Crème fraîche on hand so they were particularly creamy and scrumptious). On this particular night he served them up with a juicy steak that we shared and some peas. Perfect.

Eggplant Rollantini from Paolo's Kitchen

We discovered these peeps at our farmer's market, and we have eaten so many of their rollantini this year it's not even funny. It is seriously so yummy, and all you do is pop it in your oven for 40 minutes. We've also tried their lasagna and maybe some other things I forget, ...very good, but the eggplant rollantini is something special. If you NYC area folks ever come across it, I highly suggest you pick one up.

Three-Greens Soup with Spinach Gremolata

The other night I was looking for something warm and nutritious to cook that included some of the beautiful greens that are still at the farmer's market. I found this recipe in the latest issue of bon appétit, and it was so lovely! Perfect on a cold winter night! The flavor is earthy and lemony; anytime there's gremolata or pine nuts involved I'll probably be happy. And it's super easy to make!

The beautiful greens (and reds) all rinsed

Here is the recipe, copied from the January 2012 issue of bon appétit:

Three-Greens Soup with Spinach Gremolata
4 servings; 40 minutes total

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 sm onion thinly sliced
s & p
4 garlic cloves, 3 thinly sliced, 1 finely grated
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 bunch collard greens (8 oz.), center ribs and stems removed, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 bunch Swiss chard (12 oz.), center ribs and stems removed, chopped (about 8 cups)
1 5-oz bag packaged spinach (not baby; I used fresh), stems removed (about 4 cups), divided
2 tsp. (or more) fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. finely grated lemon juice
1 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and season with s&p. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thinly sliced garlic to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add broth, potatoes, collards, and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer soup until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes.

Add Swiss chard to pot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in 3 cups spinach and 2 tsp. lemon juice until spinach is wilted.

Meanwhile, chop the remaining 1 cup spinach; place in a small bowl. Add lemon zest, finely grated garlic clove, and the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to chopped spinach; toss to coat. Season spinach gremolata to taste with s&p and more lemon juice if desired.

Season soup with s&p. Divide among bowls. Mound spinach gremolata on top of soup in bowls. Garnish with pine nuts.

Enjoy! :)

Tilapia with Olives, Pine Nuts, Artichoke Hearts & Basil

This dish is definitely one that you will want to make again and again...at least I do!  It is super easy and so fresh tasting. Here is what the mise en place looks like.

To start, preheat the oven to 350.  Spread 1/4 cup of pine nuts out on a baking sheet and bake until fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes or so.  Then raise the heat to 400.  Season 4 tilapia filets with olive oil and S&P, and place then in a baking dish.  Pour 1/3 of a cup of dry white wine over the fish, as well as 1 large chopped garlic clove, and about 3 TBS of chopped fresh basil.  Nestle in among the fish 1/2 cup of pitted Kalamata olives and 4 artichoke hearts (cut in half).  Cover the dish with tin foil and bake until the fish is opaque and cooked through, about 10-15minutes.

I used a dutch oven in order to minimize the number of pans I had to wash

Once the fish is cooked, remove the filets from the baking dish and transfer all the juices to a small pan.  Set the pan over medium heat and stir in another large chopped garlic clove, 2 TBS of chopped fresh basil and the toasted pine nuts.  You can also add a little more olive oil if needed.  Once it is nice and fragrant, spoon the sauce over the filets and serve.

I served mine up with some roasted potatoes. I tossed them in olive oil, S&P and put them in the oven just before the fish went in .  Oh boy! it was SO good!!!  All the different flavors come together perfectly in each bite.

Shauna:  I'm curious if this will trump the other tilapia that's in your permanent rotation. Let me know!

Potato Leek Soup with Chicken

Mom made this a couple weeks ago and I happened to be there to have some of the leftovers, which reminded me how simple but delicious this soup is.  Normally it is made sans chicken, but I also welcome protein in my soups.  This soup is super easy to make!

All you do is combine 1/2 cup of chicken stock, with 4 leeks (chopped white parts only), and 4 green onions (chopped white parts only), and bring it to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 8 minutes or until the leeks and onions have wilted nicely.  Add about 1 pound of potatoes (peeled and diced) and another 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock.  Cover and let cook about 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft enough to smash.  Remove from heat and stir in 1-2 TBS of butter.  At this point you have several options.  You can mash the potatoes with a masher (which I did); or you can puree the mixture in a blender or food processor; or you can use an immersion blender if you have one.  Whichever mode you chose, you can make the soup as smooth or chunky as you like.  I personally like it somewhere in the middle.  Finally season the soup with S&P and garnish the bowls of soup with a little chopped green onions.  That is regular Potato Leek Soup!  To make the chicken version, cook up some chicken breasts, shred them with a fork, and add it at the end - after the butter and before the S&P.