Recipe: Kale Market Salad with Scallion Dressing

What better way to enjoy these last few weeks of summer than with this fresh Market Salad?

Kale Market Salad with Scallion Dressing

Serves 4-6

Dressing

1/3 C Scallions, chopped

3 Tbs. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbs. Honey

5 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ Avocado

Pinch Sea Salt

To Taste Fresh ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.  Season with fresh ground black pepper.

Salad

1 C Kale, de-stemmed and chopped

1 1/3 C Farro, cooked

2 Medium carrots, thinly sliced

1 Fennel bulb, thinly sliced

2 Avocados, pitted and cubed

1/3 C Almonds, toasted and chopped

Mix kale with half of the dressing in a medium bowl.  Work dressing into kale to soften.  Add farro, carrots and fennel to kale and mix with remaining dressing to combine.  Add avocados and almonds to salad and gently toss. Serve.

News: Study Finds Spicy Food to Have Health Benefits

According to a recent study, eating spicy food may help you to live longer as well as lower the risk of heart disease, cancer and respiratory disease.  So how often do you need to spice up your meals in order to see any change?  Eating the hot stuff once or twice a week results in a 10% reduction of overall risk of death, and eating spicy foods up to seven times a week reduces your risk by up to 14%. 

For the study, 485,000 participants were charted from 2004 – 2008 in a large Chinese health study.  Researchers found that participants who ate hot food- mainly chili peppers- once or twice a week (compared with participants who ate hot food less than once a week) were able to lower their overall risk of death by 10%.  Results were found after adjusting for family medical history, age, education, diabetes, smoking as well as other variables.   

What better way to celebrate than with a spicy recipe?

Spicy Harissa Yogurt Sauce

1 C Yogurt

2 Tbsp. Harissa

2 Cloves Garlic, mashed

2 C Fresh mint, minced

To Taste Kosher salt & Fresh ground black pepper

Whisk to combine and season to taste.

Cocktail Corner: Classic Daiquiri

The Classic Daiquiri is simple: rum, lime juice and simple syrup.  Don't get this beauty confused with what you usually find placed before you when you order a daiquiri at most restaurants.  What you will usually find is an ultra-sweet, over-complicated variation, but here at The Kitchen we like to keep things simple.

Classic Daiquiri

1 1/2 oz. Light rum

1 oz. Fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. or To Taste House simple syrup (recipe to follow)

Shake all ingredients well with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

House Simple Syrup

1 Part Sugar

1 Part Water

Bring ingredients to a boil and turn off heat.  Add fruit/herbs/veggies to infuse if desired.  Keep refrigerated.

Recipe: Spicy Pickles

Spicy Pickles

Yields: 2 qts

Vegetables

For each 1-qt jar, use 12 oz. of vegetables

Asparagus: blanched 1 minute and cooled

Broccoli stems: peeled and cut into sticks

Carrot sticks: blanched 2 minutes and cooled

Cauliflower florets: blanched 1 minute and cooled

Green beans: steamed 2 minutes and cooled

Cucumbers: quartered or thinly sliced

Brine

3 Tbs. Kosher salt

2 Tbs. Sugar

1 ¼ C Distilled white vinegar

1 Tbs. Whole black peppercorn

2 C Water

2-3 Bay leaves

6 Large cloves garlic

1 C Orange juice

4 to 6 red or green chiles, halved lengthwise

½ Small red onion, thinly sliced

Pack vegetables into 2 clean 1-qt glass jars.  In a medium saucepan, combine salt, sugar, vinegar, peppercorns, water, bay leaves and garlic. Bring to a boil, whisking until salt and sugar dissolve.  Let cool.  Add orange juice, chiles and onion.  Pour brine over the vegetables, making sure chiles are tucked between vegetables.  Add water if necessary so that vegetables are submerged.  Close the jars and refrigerate overnight or up to 1 month. 

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Tart in Parmesan Crust

Summer is here and what better way to celebrate than using some of the beautiful, fresh from the garden, heirloom tomatoes in this simple, delicious tart.

Heirloom Tomato Tart in Parmesan Crust

Serves 8-10

6 medium Heirloom tomatoes, sliced ¼” thick

4 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

½ C All-purpose flour

½ C Whole-wheat flour

½ C Unsalted butter, cold and cubed

2 Tbsp. Ice water

2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil

¼ C Fresh basil, slivered

Fresh ground black pepper and Kosher salt to taste

1.     Place tomatoes in a single layer onto paper towels, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, place additional paper towels on top.  Allow tomatoes to rest for at least 15 minutes.

2.     Pulse 4 oz. Parmesan cheese, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and unsalted butter in a food processor until a grainy texture is achieved.

3.     Add ice water to processor, pulse lightly and remove.

4.     Working quickly, press dough into tart pan, making sure dough is evenly distributed.  Place in a refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes.

5.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

6.     Remove crust from refrigerator, poke a few times with a fork, cover loosely with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights.  Bake for 15 minutes- remove foil and weights- bake for an additional 10 minutes.

7.     Sprinkle crust with 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese.

8.     Wipe excess salt from tomatoes, arrange in crust.

9.     Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with basil and fresh ground black pepper.  Cut into wedges and serve at room temperature.

Advice: How to Use Microgreens

You’ve probably seen microgreens in the stalls of your neighborhood Farmer’s Market or on the menu of a hip restaurant- but what the heck are they?

Microgreens are nutrient-dense miniature greens that are harvested after their first sets of leaves have emerged.  These tiny but tough plants are delicious and add a great visual and textural pop to any meal .

How to use them:

Just about any of your favorite greens can come in a “micro” version.  That means familiar favorites like kale, arugula and basil are easily available, but also more exotic varieties like pak choi and tatsoi.  Flavors can vary immensely, so explore and try new types to find which taste is best for you. 

Once you’ve found your favorite microgreen, use it to top everything from salads and pasta to pizza and soups.  You can use it as a delicate garnish or a whole meal.

Microgreens with Honey & Whole-grain Mustard Vinaigrette

For the salad:

Microgreens, from a variety of plants (arugula, radish, kale, etc.)

Pecans, roughly chopped

Ricotta Salata, or your cheese of choice

For the dressing:

1/2 C Olive Oil

1/3 C Honey

2 Tbsp. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1-inch ginger, peeled and minced

2 Tbsp. Whole-grain mustard (like Grey Poupon) 

Salt & Pepper to tast

Whisk oil, honey, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, mustard, salt and pepper until well combined. Pour over salad and enjoy!

Recipe: Strawberry Basil Lemonade

It's hot out there!  Cool off with this delicious summer treat.

Strawberry Basil Lemonade

Yields 8-10

2 C Sugar

1 Lb Strawberries, hulled and sliced

½ C Tightly packed basil leaves

2 C Fresh lemon juice

14 C Cold water

Ice, for serving

Sliced lemons, for garnish

To make the strawberry-basil simple syrup, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the strawberries and basil, cover, and immediately remove from heat.  Let steep until completely cool. Strain the strawberry mixture and discard the solids.

In a 1-gallon container, add the lemon juice, 14 cups cold water and the strawberry basil syrup. Stir until well mixed. Pour the lemonade over a glass of ice, and top with a slice of lemon.

If you want to make this a grow-up summer treat, add 16 oz. of your favorite vodka.

Pro Tip:  The longer you let the simple syrup steep, the more intense flavors you will develop.