Creamed Nettles and Gnocchi

Last month some awesome friends and I had a good old-fashioned staycation and we had one of the best dinners of my entire life at an amazing restaurant called "Hitchcock" on Bainbridge Island.  Very unpretentious (the chef came to our table and talked to us for a good 10 minutes) and really well priced, this restaurant is a complete deal for both atmosphere and food.  If you are in the Seattle area you have to take a ferry ride to Bainbridge and eat here for yourself.

One of the dishes we had were creamed nettles with gnocchi.  When I was at the Farmer's Market two weeks ago I saw nettles for sale and I bought them immediately.  It sounds like a weird green to eat but it was absolutely delicious and perfect for a spring dinner.  These greens will sting you until they cook so watch out.  I played around to mimic the recipe from Hitchcock and here is my best shot.  Enjoy!

Serves 4


Ingredients


1/2 onion finely diced
4-6 cups of fresh nettles (they sting badly so use tongs!) - you could use spinach if you prefer
1 cup heavy whipping cream at room temperature (this prevents curdling)
1/2 cup parmesan or gruyere cheese grated

1 package gnocchi or torture yourself and make your own: http://cookedinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2011/03/gnocchi-heaven.html

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees (dish looks gorgeous when baked for 10 minutes)
2) Saute onions in a tablespoon of butter about 5 minutes
3) Add greens to pan and cover to let steam
3) After three or four minutes, use tongs to turn the greens and coat with onion and butter
4) Continue to turn greens every minute and ensure they are cooking down and really wilting
5) Mean while boil water and cook gnocchi to package specifications, when those are done drain them and immediately transfer to dish for baking
6) After 10 or so minutes of "steaming" the greens remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes
7) Add the cream and cheese and stir to coat, place back on medium low heat for another few minutes while the cream does its magic.  Add some nice salt to taste.
8) Transfer creamed nettles and pour over gnocchi in the baking dish
9) Sprinkle some more parm on top and cook in the oven for about 10 minutes for a nice golden crust.
10) Serve with some fresh ground pepper and enjoy!

Homemade Tortillas and all of the fixings!

I have to say that I will NEVER buy store-bought tortillas EVER AGAIN.  Making my own was just too easy and too delicious to ever do anything else.  I got the recipe from Mark Bittman and topped mine with jalopeno infused cheese from the farmer's market and some roasted tomatillos and anaheim peppers but you can pretty much do anything!

Some ideas for use:

Peanut butter and jelly wrap
Hummus and veggies wrap (add turkey or ham and even some cilantro!)
Scrambled eggs and cheese
Taco night
Mini pizzas

Ingredients (makes six 8 inch tortillas)


1 1/2 cup flour (more if needed)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup warm water (more if needed)

1) Combine flour and salt in food processor
2) Pulse in the butter until butter and flour are well mixed (about 1 minute)
3) Add water slowly while processor is running and mix until all ingredients form a ball in the bowl
4) Remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface
5) Kneed the dough for another minute or two and then wrap in plastic and let sit for an hour (or more if you can wait)
6) Divide dough into six pieces and roll each piece out as thin as possible
7) Meanwhile heat a cast iron pan on medium high heat on the stove (leave it dry, no oil necessary)
8) Add rolled out dough to hot pan and let cook until brown spots form on the bottom
9) Flip and repeat!
10) Serve however you like!

Lovely Lemons!

Quickly want to post a picture showing the HUMONGOUS lemon we brought back from Arizona compared with a store-bought lemon.  We had about five of these plus five grapefruit in our carryon luggage...TSA said "Look at those lemons!" but these fruits didn't get a pat down.

Leek Risotto with Broiled Balsamic Mushrooms

Here is the spring recipe we have all been waiting for!  A delicious and yet very filling risotto.  Broiling the mushrooms separately really sets this dinner apart.

Ingredients

Serves 2 as a main dinner or 4 as a first dish.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4 or 5 medium leeks, white parts thinly sliced (green ends discarded or saved for another use)
olive oil
1 cup of arborio rice
3 cups of vegetable broth (heating on low on the stove)
10 white mushrooms cut into quarters
balsamic vinegar
salt/pepper

1) Heat olive oil in a deep pot on the stove, when oil is hot, add the leeks and allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes.
2) Add rice to pot and stir to coat plus another minute to develop a nice golden coat
3) Add a ladle full of broth to the rice mixture and keep stirring.
4) Continue to add broth as the liquid is absorbed the rice.
5) Meanwhile add balsamic vinegar and olive oil together and drizzle over the mushrooms.  You can use your judgment here on the amount (based on your preference) but most likely you will need 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup balsamic.  Once you have coated the mushrooms, place in the oven and cook until rice is done (about 25 minutes).
6) Keep adding stock and stirring until most of the stock is gone (you might not need all of it, the rice is done when you taste it and there is just a hint of a crunch and the rice will also stop absorbing the stock).
7) Remove the rice from heat and let sit undisturbed for five minutes.
8) Spoon rice and top with mushrooms from the oven.  Serve with fresh ground pepper and parmesan cheese!

Goat cheese stuffed peppers

As peppers start to make their way into your local markets, check out this quick but impressive appetizer!

4 oz goat cheese
salt/pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
12 small peppers (see photo for sample)

Preheat grill or oven broiler

1) Mix olive oil in with goat cheese and salt and pepper.
2) Wash and dry peppers
3) Carefully cut top of pepper ALMOST off (need to keep it attached for grilling)
4) Carefully remove the seeds and then stuff to the brim with cheese
5) Put the top of the pepper back on and use cheese as "glue" if necessary
6) Generously spray the peppers with olive oil spray
7) Grill or broil until peppers are starting to blacken and then turn oven to cook the other side for another minute or two.
8) Remove and serve!

Food Pile

In honor of Betsy we made these "food piles" a few weeks ago.  We made our own Belgian frites and topped them with a homemade vegetarian chili with the traditional cheese, sour cream and jalopenos.  This is definitely food porn pile!

3 Ps - Pea, Pancetta, Pasta

David made this dinner for me the other night when we were both exhausted and were in the mood for a nice warm pasta dish.  This is a recipe from his mom and I'm happy to share this as another amazing dish cooked in my kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 lb farfalle pasta
1 cup frozen peas
4 slices bacon
1 cup heavy cream
salt/pepper

To make:

Step 1) Start pasta water boiling on the stove, when it is ready add the box of farfalle pasta.  At the end of the cooking, be sure to remember to save 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
Step 2) While pasta cooks, lay the bacon on a paper towel on a plate and do a quick cook in the microwave (1 minuter per piece).  When the bacon is done, carefully remove from the microwave and let the bacon cook and then chop into bite size pieces.
Step 3) Place the cream in a saucepan and heat until bubbling, be sure to stir this as much as possible to avoid burning the cream.
Step 4) With two minutes to go on the pasta, add the peas to the boiling water to allow them to thaw.
Step 5) Reserve a cup of water and then drain the peas and pasta and return to the pan.
Step 6) Add cream to the pasta and peas and then add 1/2 cup of the water (if it is too dry after 5 minutes, you can add the rest).
Step 7) On low heat, cook the cream and peas and pasta and allow to mix together and really combine.
Step 8) About 5-7 minutes later, remove from heat, stir in the bacon and serve in bowls topped with fresh ground black pepper!