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On Saturday, I went to a beautiful baby shower for Brooke, a dear friend from college who also happens to live in San Francisco. Since a few friends would be coming in from out of town for the festivities, plus the local ladies, we figured it was the perfect opportunity for a girls night on Friday…which we opted to make a girls night in.
It was a weeknight, plus just good practice, so I kept things super easy – and called in back-up for apps and dessert. Tessa picked up pâté and other goodies from Fatted Calf and made great {and super simple} date, goat cheese and proscuitto bites.
I went for a version of something that has popped up on our table all summer — spicy spatchcocked chicken with salsa verde and heirloom panzanella. But to ‘catch’ the wine that was likely to be accompanying dinner, we needed something else warm (plus – it was chilly come Friday evening) and a bit hearty too.
Earlier in the week, in honor of Julia Child’s what-would-be 100th birthday, I spied a zucchini tian on Food 52 that seemed perfect. Two of the ladies are gluten-free, so the rice component was ideal (no fear – they had a separate, and equally delicious panzanella). And since it was primarily zucchini, even the liquid added for the rice to cook was drained zucchini juice, it was also much lighter and healthier than it seemed.
Dessert was truthfully more wine, plus a summer favorite of grilled peaches and vanilla ice cream. We topped it with a little dusting of coconut sugar and smoked salt for fun, but it needs nothing else. I just can’t help adding some flaky salt to dessert.
Such a fun evening catching up with old friends…nights like these are the reason I like to cook!
For the recipe for the zucchini & rice dish
Weekend brunch is often done in restaurants (and perhaps with a bit of a headache from the night before), but we really must work on bringing it back home. I know I don’t do it often enough, but it is such a shame … case in point.
Last weekend, some friends were in town for Outside Lands, and we had plans to meet Saturday morning for brunch before heading to the park. But a quick glance in my fridge revealed some things that needed to be put to use, so we changed the arrangements for brunch at home.
A perennial favorite (that also made use of the arugula and spinach that were some of the must-be-used culprits) are the baked eggs with rocket, chili & yogurt from Yotem Ottolenghi’s Plenty. The original recipe calls for arugula, I have made it before with spinach, and this time I used a combo. I doubled the recipe, which gave us 8 eggs (also, # of eggs in fridge) and was perfect for 5 people. I am sure no one would have complained with 2 eggs a piece, but I was fine with one … plus all the other goodies.
To supplement the fridge basics, I did a quick run for bacon (roasted in the oven – my favorite – less work & less mess), orange juice and bread. The bread became pan con tomate, with fresh from the vine tomatoes that Audra brought straight from the farm, and the orange juice met up with bubbly for brunch-required mimosas.
A few more beverages (flat + sparkling, bloody marys and coffee) as brunch calls for LOTS of drink options, some fruit and a bit more yogurt, and well, I may just give up my standing brunch at Nopa.
Baked Eggs with Yogurt and Chili
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It is no secret that I think roast chicken is just about the best dinner – simple, hands-free, delicious, and (for us) with built in leftovers. And while I don’t believe in messing with a good thing, a few change ups now and then never hurt.
This spatchcocked version is still done in the oven, but could easily translate to the grill … it would just require a bit more attention, which isn’t necessarily bad, if that means hanging outside, with a beverage, perhaps. I used the recipe from Amateur Gourmet (which in turn was from the NYT Magazine recipe, Butterflied Chicken with Cracked Spices) and was crazy about the spice rub from the start!
The rub is a mixture of cumin, coriander and fennel seeds, dry toasted with a few peppercorns, then ground (in a spice mill or mortar and pestle), and mixed with salt and smoked paprika. I need to triple the batch next time and always have it on hand!
As for ‘spatchcock’ – it just refers to removing the backbone and the cooking the chicken flat.
The salsa verde was another component that made this seem more vibrant than my standard swipe with a bit of mustard version. This is not the tomatillo salsa verde of enchiladas and chile verde, but rather the parsley based classic green sauce of Italy. It can be made in a food processor, but becomes a bit homogenous that way … I highly recommend a mortar and pestle if you have it.
This one starts with a bit of garlic, capers and anchovies, ground to a paste, then met with some mustard, wine vinegar and lemon juice, filled out with a generous handful or two of parsley and mint, and finished with a slow drizzle of olive oil. The finished product comes together fully, but still retains each of the individual components. (Note, you can change the mint for an herb of your choice, as everything goes well with parsley).
Seeing that we know that bread salad is such a great match for roast chicken, it seemed obvious that a panzanella was in order.
Panzanella is an Italian bread salad with day-old bread, which is brought to life from the juices of the tomatoes and a perky vinaigrette. I often make croutons, but if you have stale bread on hand, this is absolutely the place for it. From there, just add in an assortment of your favorite summer vegetables. I keep it easy with just cucumbers and bell pepper in with the tomatoes (and some thinly sliced red onion when I remember), and of course with a generous handful of torn basil. As for the vinaigrette, I like a garlicky one, but without balsamic — instead one made puckery with lemon juice and red wine vinegar. Keeps is bright!
I may have thrown in a little bit of fresh mozzarella at the end, but that is strictly optional.
We enjoyed this at the table and caught up on our days, but I think a dinner like this is best enjoyed outside, just before the sun goes down with a nice glass of rose. Hmmm, may need to repeat tonight…
Do you adapt your favorite meals to the seasons?
As I mentioned, we were in Napa this past weekend with some friends at their gorgeous home … and I am kicking myself that I am back at home/work. The weather was perfect, if a bit hot, which necessitated lounging in the pool for hours at a time. In addition to the copious amount of both vino and good stories, no surprise there was lots of food. We all enjoy some time in the kitchen, which makes things so fun and easy when meals are a group effort.
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Friday night we went a bit Greek, which seemed perfect for a hot summer night.
Roast Lamb
We stuck to something that worked (the version from a Spring dinner), simply studding bits of herbs, lemon zest, garlic and anchovies around the leg, and then roasting until just medium-rare. A hit every time.
with lots of dips and sides
Hummus
store-bought, but jazzed up with some lemon juice and olive oil, topped with paprika and toasted pinenuts.
Tzatziki
I make mine with greek yogurt and both diced and grated cucumbers – that way you get bits to bite, but it also melds completely with the yogurt. Of course a bit of garlic, lemon and olive oil are needed too.
Red Pepper Aioli
which was added last minute for some heat — whisking of egg yolk, lemon juice and oil (homemade mayo) with some garlic and a potent hot-pepper spread we found in the fridge…any hot sauce would work here depending on the direction you want.
Mint Sauce
because growing up, lamb meant mint jelly, but this one was a bit more current and definitely more fresh… really a mint pesto if you will.
and to balance it out,
Watermelon Salad, of course
Arugula Salad
and some Grilled Pita
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The feasting didn’t stop Saturday, with a late brunch, afternoon snacks, and another Mediterranean dinner, this one Spanish.
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Brunch was fairly simple, just a
Summer Fritatta
this one was loaded with onions, sliced potatoes, sliced summer squash, and fresh corn and topped with goat cheese (which I may have forgotten to add earlier).
Bacon
which, if you haven’t discovered the key to divine bacon, is buy the good thick-cut kind at the meat counter and then roast it in a hot oven on a sheet pan (or even better, a cooling rack placed over a sheet pan)– stays flat, is the perfect crisp/chewy ratio, and no one has to stand there frying bacon.
Yogurt and Berries
While for weekday breakfasts, I keep the yogurt as is, for brunch, I add a bit of orange juice and zest and a tiny swirl of honey.
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After brunch we went for pool time, margaritas, snacks in multiple rounds (first chips, salsa, guac and leftover tzatziki, then cheese and charcuterie), wine and finally a Spanish dinner.–
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Jamón y Melón
Gazpacho
which I try to make by bucket-loads during tomato season.
Paella
The traditional version is made over an open flame in a paella pan, but I find this Cook’s Illustrated version to be the perfect adaptation for home. I use this pan (which to me still feels more paella-ish tableside, but I happened to own long before I started making this), and make a few slight changes, including adding Pimentón, or smoked Spanish paprika, which I find to be non-negoitable and homemade chicken stock. As for the meats and seafood, it is pretty adaptable. Sometimes I add clams as well, or spicy turkey sausage instead of chorizo for some guests – you can see here the mussels didn’t make it, as turned out the fridge wasn’t cold enough to keep them alive, and we forgot to keep them on ice.
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Now if only I could spend the rest of the summer this way. This whole work thing really gets in the way of things. 
