Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Flatbread

Here's the thing.  I'm going to bend my own rule for a bit.  I'm going to call this a quick and easy recipe even though it takes longer than 30 minutes.  Are you still with me?  I mean, it's my rule, so I can break it, right?  What I mean is, this recipe takes about 50 minutes, but the extra 20 minutes are spent sitting on your couch, not in front of the stove, so it totally counts.  

And anyway, the only reason this takes longer is because you have to wait at least 45 minutes to let the onions caramelize properly, because onions don't caramelize in less than 45 minutes.  I ask you, when is waiting for caramelized onions ever a bad thing?  I'm happy we're on the same page, because this flatbread combines all of my favorite things: bread, caramelized onions, goat cheese, and pesto.  It's right.

I started by slicing two medium yellow onions.

I heated some butter and olive oil in a large skillet...

...and added the onions over medium high heat.  

I let the onions cook on medium high heat for a couple of minutes, just until they became golden and fragrant, then I reduced the heat to low.

I cooked the onions on low for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  This is the part that isn't so quick, but I swear to you that I was watching TV on my couch while this was happening.  No kitchen time, except for the occasional stir.  Promise. 

When the onions had cooked long enough to be sweet and sticky, I added some balsamic vinegar and honey.  I stirred to combine, cooked for a couple minutes more, then removed from the heat.

The hard part, meaning the waiting, is over.  

I lined a baking sheet with foil and got my naan bread ready for assembly.  I used Stonefire Naan Bread from my local grocery, but I'm sure whatever you can find will be wonderful.

I layered the Naan bread with some pesto, then the onions, and then the creamy, lovely, melt-my-heart goat cheese.

I topped with Parmesan cheese, seasoned with black pepper and red pepper flakes, and put it in the oven just until the cheese had melted and the Naan bread was brown around the edges.

I sliced the flatbread into four pieces and, dinner was served. 

I really liked the Naan as the base for this flatbread, instead of pita, because it was more tender and less dry.  I'm a huge fan of Naan bread anyway, so I'm happy I went this direction.

I love everything about this, least of all being that it was ridiculously simple to make.  You should have this for dinner this week even if it is after a long day and all you want is cereal.  Have this instead!

Here's the recipe!

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Flatbread (serves 2)

Ingredients: 

• 2 medium sized yellow onions, sliced 
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 pieces of Naan Bread
• 4 tablespoons prepared pesto, divided
• 5 oz log of goat cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Red pepper flakes
• Parmesan cheese for grating on top

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil.  Add onions and cook on medium high heat for 3 minutes, just until softened and starting to brown.  Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.  
3. After 40 minutes, add balsamic vinegar and honey.  Increase heat to medium,stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes more.  Remove from heat. 
4. To assemble the flatbread, place Naan on prepared baking sheet.  Spread 2 tablespoons pesto on each piece of Naan.  Top with onions, then pieces of goat cheese.  Season with black pepper and red pepper flakes.  Grate Parmesan on top to your liking.
5. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is fully melted and Naan has started to brown on edges.
6. Cut into pieces and serve.

Enjoy!

Bucatini with Mushroom Ragu

Sometimes, vegetables should taste like vegetables.  Actually, most of the time vegetables should taste like vegetables.  But sometimes, just sometimes, they should taste like meat.  This is one of those times.

I found this recipe in an issue of Cook's Illustrated forever ago and have almost made it countless times.  The most previous time I almost made it was when I decided to make mushroom risotto instead, because I have a problem.  Speaking of, it's about time for some risotto.  Stay tuned.

When I finally made this recipe, I mentally kicked myself for waiting this long.  It is delightful.  It is hearty.  It is warming and delicious and makes my heart smile.  This mushroom ragu changed my world when it comes to thinking about a rich hearty ragu sauce.  The mushrooms transform into this meaty, rich sauce that is mind blowing.  For real.

I just realized I didn't take any pictures of the final dish as it was served, because I was too busy stuffing my face to bother with details like, oh, the reason I'm taking any pictures in the first place.  Sheesh.  I wonder what it would be like to have a brain that remembered things.  Sorry about that.

I'm still going to tell you about this, though, because it was pretty darn good and you deserve to hear about it. Just imagine in your little minds eye this pasta, with cheese all over it.  Kind of like all of my other pasta dishes.  You got it.

Let's go!

I started by cooking some chopped pancetta until crisp.  Pancetta is an Italian cured meat that is comparable to bacon and therefore awesome.

Once the pancetta was crisp, I added some chopped portobella mushrooms that had been cleaned and had the gills removed, and some chopped white button mushrooms.  I also added some garlic, tomato paste, and chopped fresh rosemary.  Rosemary is my all time favorite herb.  Besides basil.  And maybe sage.  Oh and thyme.  Never mind.

I let that cook for a while until the mushrooms were slightly soft and the tomato paste had started to brown.  Then I added some chicken broth, seasoned with salt and pepper, and stirred.

Then, because I can't leave well enough alone, I added some cream.

I let that simmer for about twenty minutes while I brought a pot of water to a boil and cooked the pasta.  I chose Bucatini for this, which is a long pasta similar to spaghetti except that it's hallow in the middle.  I'd never cooked with this variety of pasta before so when I saw it in the store, I replaced my boring old spaghetti for this new exciting, more hallow, spaghetti.  If I had thought to take a picture of it, I would have, but I didn't.  Instead, here's a picture of what the sauce looks like after it's been simmering.

Yum.  When the pasta was al dente I drained it, returned it to the pot, then added the sauce on top.  I tossed for about a minute until the pasta was completely coated in the sauce.

I served it in a bowl with grated Parmesan cheese and some more fresh chopped rosemary.  Use your imaginations, people.

This pasta was every bit as hearty and rich as a meaty ragu, but without the three hour block it takes to cook. It was fast, easy, and delicious.  I loved the earthy mushrooms and the rosemary, and the added cream made it silky and wonderful.  Mushroom ragu wins.

Here's the recipe!

Bucatini with Mushroom Ragu (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)


Ingredients: 

• 4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1 inch pieces*
• 2 large portobella mushrooms, stems and gills removed, caps cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 pint button mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup light cream 
• salt and pepper
• 1 pound Bucatini or other long pasta
• Grated Parmesan for serving

*Omit the pancetta and change the chicken stock to vegetable stock to make this vegetarian.  I mean the pancetta will be missed, but I bet it would still be pretty good!  

Method: 

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and add pasta.  Cook according to package instructions, to al dente.  Drain and return to pot.  
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook pancetta, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Add mushrooms to skillet along with tomato paste, garlic, and rosemary.  Cook for about 5 minutes until mushrooms have softened and tomato paste starts to brown.  
3. Add chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.  Stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes.  Add cream and stir to combine, then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes.
4. When sauce is finished, add it to pasta and toss well, for about a minute, to combine so that all the pasta is coated in the sauce.  
5. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and a pinch of chopped fresh rosemary.  

Enjoy!  

Vegetable Fried Rice

Remember last month when I said I was going to post a weeknight meal that can be made in 30 minutes or less every week?  Well, the "every week" thing hasn't really worked out, but I'm not giving up yet--especially when I have a recipe that is so fast, and so easy, and so good.

Slight detour: I wish you could see me right now.  I'm sitting here, minding my own business, and my cat comes over and sits on my hands.  My hands!  He goes over the arms, hunkers down and traps me.  Then he looks at me like, "oh, hello, I didn't see you there."  This is my life.

And we're back.

This vegetable fried rice comes together in the time it takes to make rice, so about 25 minutes.  It would be even faster if you made the rice ahead of time and you just had to throw it together in a pan.  In fact, general wisdom is that fried rice is actually better with day-old rice because it's a little dried out.  That takes some planning though, and I didn't think that far ahead.  

The trick to this is not to start anything until the rice is all the way done.  I mean it.  Don't try to make this take longer than it needs to.  Once the rice is done, you will stand in front of your stove for a maximum of 8 minutes.  True story.  

Once the rice is done, then and only then, heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat until it's screaming hot.  Like, irresponsibly hot.  Pour some canola oil in the pan then add the vegetables.  For this I used baby corn...

...mushrooms and snow peas.  You could use any combination of vegetables that your heart desires.  

I tossed the veggies so that they all had a chance to touch the hot pan, then I left it alone for 1 minute so that they got nice and dark.  Then I tossed them again and left for 1 more minute.  Finally, I tossed them once more and cooked for 1 more minute.  I just wanted them to be nice and caramelized on the outside but still retain some of their fresh-veggie-crunch.  

After those three minutes, I added my "sauce."  I threw on some soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and quite a bit of Sriracha because it's my favorite ingredient, and tossed so that all the vegetables were covered in sauce.

Next, I added my cooked rice in an even layer over the vegetables.

I let that sit for no apparent culinary reason other than I liked the way it looked, kind of like a rice fritatta, then I mixed it all together.

The rice absorbed most of the sauce and the vegetables stayed nice and crisp.

So let's review.  Rice cooks for 25 minutes.  That means you bring water to a boil, add rice, reduce heat, walk away, watch Glee.  That hardly counts as cooking time.  Then, when the rice is finished, turn off the heat and let it sit while you prepare the vegetables in five minutes or less.  Add rice, stir, serve.  It really doesn't get much easier or quicker than this.

I sliced up an avocado because I had one on hand and served with additional lime wedges.  See that baby corn all caramelized?  That's good.  

The veggies in this were simple and delicious and still retained some of their crunch, which was perfect.  The rice soaked up the sauce, which had a little kick to it, and the lime juice was a nice subtle touch.

Not that this is a crucial step, but I love avocado on hot dishes.  I think the contrast between steaming hot rice and cool, creamy avocado is fantastic.  You should add avocado.  Put it on pasta too!  Do it.

So, if you like to cook, and you want to cook, but you don't think you have time, stop that right now.  Turn on Glee, cook some rice, and eat a nice meal!  You totally have time.

Here's the recipe:

Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups cooked rice (made from 1 cup dry rice and 2 cups liquid, either water or stock)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 cup roughly chopped baby corn
• 1 1/2 cup snow peas
• 1 1/2 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons Sriracha (less if you can't handle the spice)
• lime juice from 1 lime
• Avocado and additional lime wedges for serving

Method: 

1. Cook rice according to package instructions.  I typically bring 2 cups chicken broth to a boil, add 1 cup of rice, stir once, cover with a tight fitting lid and reduce heat to low.  I let it simmer for 25 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed then I turn off the heat and let it sit until I'm ready for it.
2. Heat canola oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Once oil is shimmering but not smoking, add baby corn, snow peas and mushrooms.  Toss to combine and let sit for 1 minute.  Toss again and let sit for 1 minute.  Toss one more time and let sit for 1 more minute.  Vegetables should be caramelized on the outside but not cooked so much that they are limp.
3. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha and lime juice and toss to combine.
4. Add rice and mix.  Let sit for about a minute so the rice can absorb the sauce.  
5. Serve with avocado slices and lime wedges.

Enjoy!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cherry Tomatoes

I'm heading to the Berkshires tomorrow with my Fellowship for our annual Fall Retreat.  It will be full of foliage, food, and a ropes course that involves my rarely-used knowledge of cheerleading stunts.  It will be really nice to get away and relax, and I'm feeling pretty fortunate that I get to go.

Before I do though, I'm going to tell you about this simple, easy fall recipe that is not only delicious, it's, well, simple and easy.  Sweet roasted sweet potatoes with some ripe cherry tomatoes means the perfect comforting fall meal.

I lined a baking sheet with foil then peeled and cubed two pretty good sized sweet potatoes.  I drizzled a healthy amount of olive oil over the sweet potatoes then seasoned with plenty of salt, black pepper, and a touch of cinnamon.  Then I tossed it all around so the potatoes were completely coated in the oil and seasonings.

I roasted these in the oven for 20 minutes, then tossed them around, and roasted them for 10 minutes more.  Then I added the whole cherry tomatoes and roasted for 10 more minutes just until the tomatoes burst.  This will sound like the tomatoes are screaming for their lives.  Don't panic; that just means your oven is doing its job.

Now, that right there is a perfectly delicious side dish worthy of both a weeknight meal and a thanksgiving feast.  The rich sweetness of the sweet potatoes pairs nicely with the bright sweetness of the tomatoes without being overwhelmingly sweet.

But I wasn't making a side dish.  I was making dinner.  And what says dinner more than starch on starch?  Nothing--unless you don't eat carbs, in which case I must ask, what are you doing here?  I cooked some rice while the potatoes were roasting, spooned some in a bowl, then topped with the sweet potatoes and tomatoes, an extra drizzle of olive oil for good measure, and because life isn't complete without it, some Parmesan cheese.

This was a perfectly hearty and comforting fall meal.  The sweet potatoes with just a touch of cinnamon were just what I needed to ring in the first crisp days up here in New England.

The burst of tomato when I bit into one of those little gems was such a welcome surprise and really cut all the starchiness going on with the potatoes and rice.

This meal was just what I needed.

In other news: Voting is still going on for the first annual American Lamb Pro-Am and I'm currently in second place!  You guys have been such a tremendous help in getting me this far, now let's finish strong!  Voting goes until 5pm on Friday, October 21st and now is when your vote matters most!  So head on over to the American Lamb Pro-Am Poll and cast your vote as much as your little heart desires.

Here's the recipe:

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cherry Tomatoes


Ingredients: 

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Spread potato cubes over baking sheet and drizzle oil over them.  Season with salt, pepper and cinnamon and toss to combine.  
3. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and toss.  Place them in the oven again and roast for 10 more minutes.  Remove from the oven once more and add the tomatoes.  Roast tomatoes and potatoes for 10-15 minutes more, just until the tomatoes start to burst.  
4. Serve as a side dish with Parmesan cheese on top or be like me and decide that potatoes aren't enough starch.  Throw some rice in the mix!

Enjoy!

Roast Lamb Tacos with Spicy Slaw

Some of you may not know this--well, all of you may not know this because I haven't said anything about it, but I did something in the Two Recipes triangle-kitchen that was huge.  Like, 8-pounds-of-meat huge.  It was thrilling and terrifying and satisfying, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Last week I got an email from Paul over at BostonChefs.com asking me if I would like to participate in the inaugural American Lamb Pro-Am.  The Pro-Am is a competition held by the American Lamb Board in which 10 bloggers in Boston and Cambridge develop an original recipe, make that recipe, and then blog about that recipe (I'm obviously in step 3).  Once all the links are live, they are posted on BostonChefs.com and you can vote for the best one!  

I agreed to compete for a couple of reasons.  They are as follows:

1. I've never been in a recipe competition and the lure of feeling like an Iron Chef was too much to pass up.

2. I like lamb.  And sure, up until Tuesday I had never actually cooked it, but I like to eat it.  That counts for something, right?

3. I'll jump on any opportunity to hang out with others in the Boston Food Blogger community, like my friend Richard who is also competing, is extremely talented, and has some serious thoughts about burgers.

So on Monday night I went to the Russel House Tavern in Harvard Square for the American Lamb Pro-Am Pick Up party, asked the hostess where I could find the lamb I was supposed to pick up, which was by far the weirdest thing I've ever said to a hostess, and left with the biggest piece of meat I've ever worked with.  Let the Pro-Am begin!

I decided to roast my boneless leg of lamb using a Mexican inspired marinade and turn that roast into tacos.  The marinade came first.  In a blender, I added some Mexican style tomato sauce that had been flavored with onion, garlic and cilantro...

...lime zest and lime juice...

...Chipotle chilies, the adobo sauce that the chipotles sit in, 1 jalapeno, some chicken stock, and a whole bunch of cilantro.  I blended it until it was smooth then took a big whiff.  Don't do this.  It's pretty spicy and it will make you cough and your eyes water.  Trust me here.  When I recovered, I tasted for seasonings then added some salt and pepper.

I set the marinade aside and set my sights on the leg of lamb.  Take a look at this thing!

I untied the lamb and patted it dry with a paper towel.  Then I poured about 1/2 cup of the marinate over the lamb and rolled it around so that it was completely covered.

I let that marinate for about 45 minutes while I preheated my oven.  When it was finished, I took a sharp knife and scored the fat cap of the lamb, because when fat meets high heat, it shrinks.  Think bacon.  

After scoring the meat, I took a sharp paring knife and cut some slits into the meat.  I inserted whole garlic cloves into the slits and pushed them down as far as possible so that lovely garlic flavor would infuse the meat while it was cooking. 

Infuse.  Listen to me.  I sound Iron Chefy already.  Ahem...

"So please allow me to introduce a veritable pantheon of culinary giants: your very own Iron Chefs, America.  Iron Chef HATSIE HALEY!" 

I wish, Alton Brown.  I wish.

Anyway!  

I prepared a roasting pan by lining it with foil and placing the roasting rack on top of the foil.

Then I did the most genius thing I think I've ever done in the kitchen.  I cut an onion into thick slices and put them on the roasting pan for the lamb to rest on.  This is not genius in the sense that I made this technique up, only in the sense that I hadn't planned on doing this, then genius struck, and I did it.  The idea was that as the lamb roasted, the fat would drip down onto the onions and they would become caramelized and wonderful.

I placed the marinated lamb on top of the onions and put it in a very hot oven for 30 minutes to sear the outside skin.

I let the lamb roast for 30 minutes on high heat, then I took it out and basted it with some of the remaining marinade. 

Look at that little garlic clove trying to make a break for it.  Cute.

I lowered the heat to 350 degrees and roasted it for an hour and half more, basting it with more marinade every hour or so, then finished it for 30 minutes at 400 degrees until a meat thermometer read 145 degrees for a medium rare.  I removed the lamb from the oven and let it rest for 30 more minutes before carving.

While the lamb was roasting, and smelling delicious I might add, I mixed up the spicy slaw to top the tacos.

I chopped up some cilantro and added it to a bowl.

Yum.  Then I added some cabbage, lime zest, and lime juice.

And then some jalapenos and sour cream.

I mixed that all up, then seasoned with salt and pepper.

I tasted for seasonings and decided it needed a little something, so I added some paprika and a few dashes of my favorite hot sauce, Cholula.  

I love the color of paprika.  

The final step for the tacos, before assembly of course, was to toast the corn tortillas.  I sprayed some non-stick spray in a pan set over medium high heat and added the corn tortillas to toast on each side for about 30 seconds.

I just wanted them to cook until they looked like this:

Finally, I assembled the tacos!  And this is when the onions come into play.  The fat in the lamb did exactly what I wanted it to do and the onions became super onions and I wanted to eat them by themselves.  I'm telling you.  Genius.

Oh, those onions.

So on the tortilla I layered some of those caramelized onions and a few pieces of carved roast lamb.

Then I topped the tacos with the spicy slaw.

And finally I topped the tacos with some crumbled feta cheese because I couldn't find cojita cheese in my grocery store.  I folded them up and served with a couple of lime wedges on the side for a little extra zing.

And there you have it.  Lamb tacos. 

  

The tacos were the perfect combination of flavors.  The lamb was nicely flavored with the spicy Mexican marinade and garlic cloves, and paired really nicely with the spicy, zingy coleslaw. 

This meal was delicious and exciting for many reasons, one being that I developed a recipe that was actually pretty good.  I cooked something that was completely new to me, and the fact that it turned out not only palatable but worthy of seconds is a testament to lamb's versatility and ease.  

I'm definitely a fan of lamb and you should be too!  

I'm so honored to be a part of the inaugural American Lamb Pro-Am and had such a good time participating.  If you like this recipe, please go to BostonChefs.Com on Monday and vote for Two Recipes!  But even if you don't vote, go cook some lamb!  It's delicious!  

But please vote.  On Monday.  Voting goes live on Monday.  


Vote now!

Here's the recipe:

Roast Lamb Tacos with Spicy Slaw

For the Lamb:

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz can of Mexican tomato sauce (I used Goya Onion Garlic and cilantro)
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 chipotle peppers 
• 4 tablespoons of the adobo sauce that the chipotles are packed in
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 onion, cut into thick slices
• 1 boneless leg of lamb
• 4 garlic cloves, cut in half
• salt and pepper

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a roasting pan with foil and place the roasting rack on top.  Lay the onion slices on the roasting rack.
2. In a blender, combine first 7 ingredients and blend until well combined.  Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, add the lamb and remove the ties.  Pat well with a paper towel to dry.  Pour 1/2 cup of the marinade over the lamb and turn so that it is completely covered in the marinade.  Let sit, covered at room temperature, for 45 minutes.
4. When the lamb has finished marinated, take a sharp knife and score the fat cap by cutting diagonal lines going both ways.  Then take a sharp paring knife and cut 8 holes in the lamb.  Insert garlic as far as possible into the meat.  
5. Lay the leg of lamb over the onions on the roasting rack and put it in the oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, baste with more marinade, reduce the heat to 350 degrees, and cook for an hour and a half more, basting with more marinade every hour or so.  After an hour and a half, increase the heat to 400 degrees and roast for 30 more minutes.  When inserted to the thickest part of the lamb, a meat thermometer should read 140 degrees for medium rare.  If rare is your thing, skip the last 30 minutes and just continue cooking at 350 degrees until the thermometer reads 130 degrees.
6. Remove the leg of lamb from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes.  When it is done resting, slice it into thin slices against the grain.  

For the Slaw:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• Zest and juice of one lime
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 2 jalapenos, seeds and veins mostly removed, minced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• a couple of dashes of your favorite hot sauce

Method: 

1. In a medium bowl, combine cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, cabbage, minced jalapenos, sour cream and salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
2. Add paprika and hot sauce and mix again.  Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary.
3. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavors can meld.

To Assemble the Tacos:

Ingredients: 

• Corn tortillas
• Roast Lamb
• Caramelized onions
• Spicy Slaw
• Crumbled feta cheese (or cojita cheese if you can find it!)
• lime wedges

Method:

1. In a large skillet sprayed with non-stick spray and set over medium high heat, toast the corn tortillas for 30-40 seconds on each side, just until slightly crispy and brown spots start to show.  Set aside.
2. Take a corn tortilla and layer with a couple of slices of the caramelized onion, then the lamb, then the spicy slaw and then some crumbled feta or cojita cheese.
3. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

Enjoy!  And vote for me!