Nectar

Happy Friday! Having returned to this side of the world this week, I've finally realized what "jet-lag" means. I've done a great deal of traveling but this was by far the longest haul, and it was so worth it. I hope to share more about my trip to Singapore next week, but in the meantime I want to share my favorite salad with you. Marissa created this dish for the January issue of RUE and when I styled and shot it for the issue, I fell madly in love and have made it numerous times since. It's fresh clean and the perfect start for a little New Year detox.

ORANGE, AVOCADO + SHAVED FENNEL SALAD & LIME-SESAME VINAIGRETTE

1 bunch of watercress

2-3 oranges (segmented)

1 large avocado (peeled and diced)

1 bulb of fennel (halved and finely shaved)

2 T. sliced/crushed almonds (toasted)

2 T. scallions (chopped)

1/4 c. fresh cilantro

zest of one lime

red pepper flakes

 

1 small clove of garlic (minced)

2 T. rice wine vinegar

juice of one lime

1/2 to 1 t. toasted sesame oil

3 T grapeseed or avocado oil

1/2 T. honey (optional)

salt to taste

Toss together watercress, oranges, avocado, fennel, almonds and scallions.

Whisk together all ingredients for dressing, add to salad and toss to coat.

Garnish with cilantro, lime zest and red pepper flakes.

 

*I used satsuma and navel oranges, used grapeseed oil instead of avocado, the full amount of sesame oil and opted for the honey - it was perfect*

Back next week with some shots from Singapore and *fingers-crossed* an attempt at making one of the best things I ate there!

I'm so proud to be a part of the family at RUE Magazine and the holiday issue KILLS it - it's so over the top beautiful. My girl Marissa's recipes in this issue are so, so, delicious - I know, because after I recreated them for the shoot, we ate with abandon. And I have to tell you, I've never eaten a brussel sprout in my entire life, my mother never liked them so we never were put through that form of torture. But oh these - oh these brussel sprouts are heaven. And the cocktail - oh my goodness! So here we go...

POMEGRANATE HOLIDAY STAR  

(Makes 2 cocktails)

3 ounces vodka

1 ounce Lillet blanc

2 ounces pomegranate syrup* (recipe follows)

2 ounces fresh lemon juice

3 drops of Angostura or old-fashioned bitters

Champagne or prosecco float

Garnish with a sage leaf and 4-5 pomegranate seeds

Pomegranate Syrup

In a small saucepan, add ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water.  Simmer gently until sugar is completely dissolved.  Allow to cool.  In a blender, blend the seeds from ¾ of a pomegranate with the simple syrup.  Strain syrup in a bowl and discard any pith from the seeds.  Transfer syrup to a bottle for pouring.

 

 

BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD WITH FRESH GRAPES, TOASTED HAZELNUTS, PECORINO ROMANO AND POMEGRANATE VINAIGRETTE

2 lbs Brussels sprouts  (1/3 of them to be quartered and roasted with a tablespoon of olive oil; 1/3 – ends cut off, remove whole leaves, blanch leaves for 10 seconds, set in ice bath, dry and allow to cool; 1/3 to be cleaned and sliced raw super thin– or shaved with a mandolin)

1 small bunch red grapes, halved

¼ - 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skin removed and lightly crushed/chopped

½ cup fresh grated pecorino Romano

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

extra drizzle of pomegranate molasses and shaved pecorino Romano for serving

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon minced shallot

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Place roasted Brussel sprouts on bottom of serving dish, toss remaining ingredients and most of dressing, top with shaved Romano and drizzle remaining dressing over the top before serving.

 

RISOTTO WITH MUSHROOMS, CIPPOLLINI ONIONS & ROASTED CHESTNUTS

½-3/4 pound chestnuts, finely chopped (about 1 cup after roasting and peeling) *see note below

5 1/2 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken, beef or vegetable stock/broth (*the beef stock will give it a richer, deeper flavor or for a vegetarian dish, use vegetable stock)

3 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 cups cippollini onions, thinly sliced

4 cups mixed mushrooms (such as cremini and chanterelle), roughly chopped

4 or 5 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

salt to taste

a good dose of freshly grated black pepper

2 to 3 knobs of unsalted butter

5 to 6 ounces of grated Parmesan or grana padano cheese, plus more for serving

Preheat oven to 400F.  Using a sharp knife, make a large ‘X’ on one side of the chestnuts so skin will be easy to remove after roasting.  Roast for 20 minutes.  Set in a bowl with towel covering chestnuts to keep them warm.  Work with nuts in small batches to remove the shells. Chop chestnuts and set aside.

In a small saucepan, add stock/broth and keep warm over low heat. 

In a large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté onions over medium heat until softened and golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.   While onions are sautéing, add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet.  Saute mushrooms, chestnuts and thyme until softened, 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat.  Set aside.

Add rice to the onions and saute 5 minutes until glossy.   Add 1 cup of stock to rice and stir continuously until well-absorbed.  Continue to add 1/2 cup of stock at a time, stirring until absorbed.  Add in mushrooms-chestnut mix at the mid-way point, after 3 cups of stock have been added.  After all stock and wine has been added, add salt, pepper, butter and half of the Parmesan or grana padano.  Stir until well-blended and then add remaining grated cheese.  Serve with additional cheese.  

Text and recipes by Marissa Lippert; photos by me.

While Fall is here to stay in the Northern Hemisphere, our good friends Down Under are warming up for summer love. And yes, I'm a little jealous. This menu, featured in the July/August issue of RUE rocked our world. I did all the prep work and made the salad, Den grilled the shrimp, and the girls ate it so fast they left little for us! If you reside in a warm climate this is a MUST - an ASAP must. While the watermelon may be a bit harder to come by right now for many of us, file this for summer - grilled watermelon is my new ambrosia.

 

TURKISH SHRIMP & VEGETABLE KEBABS

1 1/2 lbs large wild-caught shrimp, peeled
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Turkish baharat kebab spice blend 
1 zucchini, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 large red onion, sliced into thick half-moons
8-10 button mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
additional olive oil for brushing
8 to 10 metal or bamboo skewers *soak bamboo skewers first so they don't burn

Cacik

5 oz 2% Greek yogurt
1/2 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 cucumber, finely grated

Toasted Pita with Za'atar 

4 pitas
extra virgin olive oil for brushing
za’atar spice *za'atar is a ubiquitous Middle Eastern spice blend of sumac, thyme and sesame seeds that can be used on virtually anything and everything from pita, vegetables, fish, poultry and more.  

GRILLED WATERMELON SALAD WITH CUCUMBER, FETA & MINT

½ watermelon, cut into triangular wedges, rind discarded
1 cucumber, diced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces Greek or Bulgarian feta cheese
¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
½ hot red chili, thinly sliced, *if desired
extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
juice of ½ lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
sumac for sprinkling  *sumac is a Mediterranean spice with purple-reddish hue and a tangy, lemony flavor. 

Heat a grill or grill pan on medium-high.  Grill watermelon triangles for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until light grill marks appear. 
Arrange slices on a platter.  Mix remaining ingredients together in a mixing bowl and spoon over top watermelon.  Sprinkle salad with sumac. 

*RECIPES BY MARISSA LIPPERT*

 

 

Hello! After nearly a four year break, I am returning to the world of food blogging. Nectar will be a very personal look at the way one family lives, eats - and rocks out while doing the aforementioned living and eating. I will also feature recipes that I shot for RUE Magazine by my good friend and all around kitchen goddess Marissa Lippert from Nourish NYC. As I feel out the format of how I want the blog to flow and be presented, I hope you enjoy watching the creative process unfold.

To get started, I want share Marissa's amazing menu that was featured in the May/June 2011 issue of RUE. Though the menu was created for Spring, I think the cocktail and lamb are seasonless - lavender can still be found in many natural food markets. Mint is the star here and is featured in each element of the menu. And the cocktail - well I think at this point I can divulge that Marissa and I REALLY enjoyed it and sipping on them post-shoot was the best reward for a morning of hard work.

ROAST LAMB SANDWICH WITH MINT PESTO & PICKLED SHALLOTS

1/2 pound leg of lamb, bone removed
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
mint pesto*
pickled shallots*
pickled jalapeno*
Serve with whole wheat country or ciabatta bread. 
*recipes follow

Mint Pesto

2 cups fresh mint leaves (packed), stems discarded
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
juice of 1 lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Pickled Shallots and Jalapenos

1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 to 2 jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced

HOW TO:

Rub lamb with garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350° F.   

On a roasting sheet or in a roasting pan, drizzle lamb with olive oil and roast for 35-45 minutes until the temperature at the thickest part of the leg reaches 135° F for medium-rare.  Remove lamb from oven and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.

To prepare sandwiches, spread a thin layer of pesto on bread, top with sliced lamb and garnish with pickled shallots and jalapenos.  

Mint Pesto

Add mint through lemon juice in a food processor and slowly drizzle in olive oil while running.  Pesto should be smooth or slightly chunky.

Pickled Shallots and Jalapenos

Bring vinegar, sugar, salt and peppercorns to a boil.  Removed from heat, cool slightly and pour over sliced shallots and jalapeno in two separate bowls.  Cool and refrigerate.  May be made a day ahead.

PROSECCO SPARKLER WITH MINT, LAVENDER AND LEMON

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
3/4 teaspoon dried lavender
3 strips of lemon peel, using a vegetable peeler
1 bottle of Italian prosecco
club soda

In a small saucepan, bring water, sugar, mint, lavender and lemon peel to a simmer until all sugar is dissolved.  Allow to cool and strain syrup through a sieve, discard remaining mint, lavender and lemon peel.  Syrup can be made ahead and refrigerated.  Will last for up to 2 weeks.
Fill small glasses or champagne flutes 2/3 full with prosecco.  Add in 1 to 2 teaspoons of simple syrup depending on desired sweetness.  Top off with club soda and serve. 

*RECIPES BY MARISSA LIPPERT*