Soft-Egg Raviolo, Shiitakes, and Asparagus

While this recipe is strongly influenced by the one appearing in Paley’s Place, you’re getting the Jamie-and-Vance version. For the original, pick up the book. It’s a revelation. Serves 3-6, depending on how hungry you are. After making this dish, YOU WILL BE VERY HUNGRY.

Pasta Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading/dusting
• 5 large chicken egg yolks
• 2 tbsp Extra-virgin Olive Oil
• 6-7 tbsp white wine
• Kosher Salt

Raviolo Ingredients

• 6 ½ ounces fresh goat cheese
• ¼ cup good-quality ricotta cheese
• ½ cup good-quality grated parmesan cheese
• 10 sprigs of thyme, de-stemmed and finely chopped
• 10 chives, finely chopped
• 6 tbsp Persillade
• All-purpose Flour, for dusting
• 7 large eggs
• ¼ lb. fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 4 cups cold water
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 12 spears asparagus, woody ends snapped off, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
• ¼ cup white wine
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Persillade Ingredients

• 1 bunch Italian parsley, leaves only (not the curly kind!)
• 3 large cloves of garlic

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Persillade Preparation

Finely chop the parsely on one side of a cutting board; finely chop the garlic on the other. Mix them together and continue to chop and chop, until they are well incorporated. Transfer to a small container and cover tightly until ready to use. (This recipe will make more than you need — find more ways to use it throughout the week!)

Pasta Preparation

These directions assume you have a stand mixer (if not, grab a copy of Paley’s Place to learn how to make the pasta by hand).

Sift flour and a pinch of salt together; add it with the 5 egg yolks and 2 tbsp olive oil to the bowl of your stand mixer and fit it with the paddle attachment. Mix on the lowest (stir) speed until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, about 2 minutes. With the mixer still running, add the white wine about a tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes together to form a ball.

Transfer the dough onto a floured, wooden board and knead 6-7 times. Let the dough rest, covered with a clean kitchen towel, for 30 minutes. (Pasta can be made in advanced, wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Divide the pasta dough into four pieces. Lightly flour the dough if it seems too moist or sticky while you are rolling it. Start the pasta machine at its widest setting, and feed one of the pieces of dough through it. Fold the dough in half and repeat. Repeat this process, 10-15 times, until it feels smooth and satiny. (Remember to dust with flour if it becomes too sticky!)

Begin narrowing the machine after each pass, until the pasta is the thickness you are looking for (about a #6). Each sheet should end at about 6 inches wide by 15 inches long (cut them to uniform size if necessary). Repeat the process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.

Raviolo Preparation

Combine the goat cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, thyme, chives, and 3 tablespoons of the persillade in a bowl. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate.

Lay the four pasta sheets out on a work surface lightly dusted with flour. Using a rounded spoon, mound a generous spoonful of the cheese mixture about 3 inches in from the left edge of one sheet. Flatten the filling while making a well in the center. Place the next spoonful 3 inches from the first, and the next 3 inches from that. Prepare the second sheet of pasta in the same way.

Separate six of your eggs, one at a time, taking great care not to break the yolk. Carefully place each yolk in the middle of one of the mounds.

Take the last egg and lightly beat it in a small bowl to use as your egg wash. Completely brush a plain sheet of pasta with the egg wash. Carefully drape it, egg wash side down, over the prepared, filled pasta sheet, stretching it over the filling. Starting at the center of the sheet, carefully and gently press around each of the mounds, trying not to trap in any air bubbles. This will seal the filling in and glue the pasta sheets together.

Ready a large platter, dusted with flour. Use a pasta roller to cut between the raviolis, leaving a 1-inch margin around each mound. Transfer to the prepared platter. Dust with flour, cover loosely with parchment paper and refrigerate.

Trim the stems of the shiitakes and slice into ¼ inch-wide pieces. Place in a saucepan, cover with 4 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. After the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and drain into a colander, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid and discarding the rest. Pat the mushrooms dry and lay them out on paper towels.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil over high heat while you continue with the next step.

In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the morels and saute to warm through, about 3 minutes. Add the 1 cup of mushroom broth and the wine and continue to cook for 10 minutes, until almost dry. When the broth-wine mixture has been simmering for about 5 minutes (about halfway through its cook time), add the asparagus. After the 10 minutes have elapsed, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and the remaining persillade and cook, stirring, until melted. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Gently brush the flour off of the ravioli and drop them gently into the boiling water. After the ravioli rise to the surface, continue to cook for 5 minutes until they’re warmed through (the yolks will still be fairly runny).

To serve, carefully remove the ravioli from the pot, one at at time, with a slotted spoon and place into individual pasta bowls (for hungry eaters like us, each person will get two — a standard serving is one raviolo per person). Top each mixture with a large spoonful of the asparagus mixture. Liberally sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese and a quick drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy immediately with a glass of Riesling or your favorite wine.

Tomato and Garlic Stew with Prawns

I found this recipe in Donna Hay’s beautiful “pantry” cookbook, Off the Shelf, which I unearthed from the bottom of a stack of cookbooks at Nice Price in Durham. Serve it with a nice, crusty bread and a glass of crisp, shellfish-friendly wine.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 cup (250ml) white wine
• 2 cups (500ml) vegetable or fish stock
• 1kg raw prawns (shrimp), peeled, veins removed, tails intact
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• sea salt and cracked black pepper

Preparation

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil, onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until soft and golden. Add the tomatoes and crush with a fork. Add the wine and stock and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened slightly.

Add the prawns and cook for 5 minutes or until they have turned pink. Add the parsley, salt and pepper. Spoon into bowls. Serve with crusty bread.

Brined Roast Chicken with Olive Bread Panzanella

As soon as I saw this recipe in this month’s Food and Wine I knew we had to make it. A half recipe was a perfect stand-in for both turkey and stuffing for a Thanksgiving dinner for two, but it’d be excellent any time of the year for a dressed-up Sunday dinner for six.

Ingredients

• 3 quarts plus 3 cups tepid water (15 cups)
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 3 heads of garlic, halved crosswise
• 1/2 cup kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 2 lemons, thinly sliced
• 1 orange, thinly sliced
• 9 rosemary sprigs, plus 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
• Two 3 1/2-pound organic (preferably local) chickens
• 1 pound olive bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (we substituted a 1 pound rosemary and sea salt loaf and 1/4 cup kalamata olives)
• 2 tablespoons bacon fat or melted butter

Preparation

In a very large pot, combine the water, wine, garlic, salt, 2 tablespoons of pepper, lemons, orange and 3 rosemary sprigs. Stir to dissolve the salt. Put the chickens in the brine, breast sides down. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Remove the chickens from the brine and pat dry. Put the chickens in a roasting pan, breast sides up. Stuff the remaining 6 rosemary sprigs in the cavities and tie the legs together. Season lightly with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the chopped rosemary. Roast for 30 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and roast at 375° for 1 hour and 15 minutes longer, rotating the pan, until the juices run clear.

Lift the chickens and tilt them to let the cavity juices run into the pan. Transfer the chickens to a carving board and keep warm. Increase the oven temperature to 425°. Add the olive bread cubes and the bacon fat to the pan and toss well. Spread the bread in an even layer and bake in the upper third of the oven for about 20 minutes, until crisp on top and moist underneath. Carve the chickens and serve with the olive bread panzanella.

Tomato and Chorizo Eggs Cocotte

Happily, the tomato-egg mixture can be prepared the day before. So if this is going to be breakfast, it should take less than 15 minutes to make. Full disclosure: we typically eat this for dinner. But I’d eat it all three meals if Vance would let me.

This recipe was adapted from Fresh from the Market: Seasonal Cooking with Laurent Tourondel and Charlotte March.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus one additional tablespoon if using cherry tomatoes)
• ¼ pound Spanish semidry chorizo, casing removed (find this at specialty and natural foods stores, close to the proscuitto and other cured meats)
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• ½ fresh poblano chile (we’ve substituted a number of other chiles we had on hand, including a Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce)
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes (alternately, 4 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced)
• Pinch of hot paprika
• Pinch of sugar
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup grated monterey jack cheese
• 6 large fresh farm eggs

Preparation

If using cherry tomatoes, preheat the oven to 375°. Slice the cherry tomatoes lengthwise and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet, cut side up, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 12-15 minutes, keeping an eye on them to make sure they do not burn.

Leave the oven or preheat to 375°. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium saute pan over high heat. Add the chorizo and saute until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to a small bowl and leave the oil in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic, and saute until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add the onion and chile and cook until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, paprika, and sugar and cook over low heat until very thick and the consistency of jam, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the sauteed chorizo.

Divide the tomato mixture equally among six 8-ounce ramekins (or cocottes, if you have them); top with the cheese. Break an egg into each of the ramekins.

Place the ramekins in a large roasting pan and fill the pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the egg whites are just set and the yolks are runny, about 12 minutes. Serve warm.

Grilled Romaine, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Salad with Roasted Tomatoes

This mayonnaise-free blue cheese dressing is lighter and tangier than the traditional version, which makes it a great appetizer. Serves 2 as a light lunch or 4 as a first course.

Ingredients

• 2 heads romaine lettuce, rinsed and left whole
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, mixed colors if you can find them
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional for greasing the grill
• 3 thick slices smoked organic bacon, cut into lardons
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 scallion
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, divided
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°. Slice the tomatoes in half. Toss with the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, cut side up. Roast the tomatoes for 15-20 minutes.

Cook bacon in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain, reserving fat in skillet.

Whisk together 1/2 tablespoon hot bacon fat, sour cream, milk, vinegar, and 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in scallion and 1/3 cup blue cheese. Thin with additional milk if desired.

Light a grill or heat a grill pan over medium heat. Cut the washed heads of romaine straight down the middle, starting at the stem end. Brush the grill or grill pan with a good coating of olive oil. Place the cut halves of romaine, cut side down, onto the grill and grill for 1-2 minutes, until char marks have appeared but the lettuce isn’t terribly wilted.

Transfer the lettuce to plates to serve, dividing the roasted tomatoes, bacon, dressing, and additional crumbled blue cheese evenly over the top. Serve immediately.

Summer Succotash with Corn Cream, Roasted Tomatoes, and Bacon

This dish could just as easily be made without the bacon, but if you’re not a veggie, it’s worth it. Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 6 okra pods, stems removed
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and somewhat finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and somewhat finely diced
• 4 ears of corn, separated
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
• 4 scallions
• 2 pieces thick-cut organic bacon, sliced into 1/4 inch lardons
• Handful of cornmeal
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 4 tbsp light cream (half and half), separated
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle for the roasted tomatoes
• Kosher Salt and Pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Step 1 :: Prep

Start by getting all of your veggies ready, as the process goes quite quickly once everything is prepared. Rinse the whole okra pods under cold water, drain, pat dry, trim and cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside.

Dice the bell pepper and remove the kernels from two ears of corn. Those can be set aside in the same bowl. Thinly slice the white and light green parts of the scallions and set aside in a small prep bowl. Slice the green parts of the scallions and keep in a separate bowl.

Step 2 :: Roast Tomatoes

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, toss with ½ teaspoon of salt and a good crack of black pepper. Spread out into a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, or until they are browned and melted but not burnt.

Step 3 :: Make the Corn Cream

Meanwhile, remove the kernels from the other two ears of corn. Place the kernels, along with 2 tablespoons light cream into a blender. Season with salt and pepper and blend at high speed for at least 1 minute. Pour the corn cream into a fine sieve set over a bowl. Thoroughly press the juices out of the corn mash and discard the solids. Whisk in ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika and set aside.

Step 4 :: Dry Fry the Okra

Place the cornmeal into a sealable ziptop bag. Add the okra and shake to coat thoroughly. Return the okra to a dry colander and shake off excess cornmeal.

Add the vegetable oil to a medium saute pan. Place over medium-high heat and bring the oil to about 370 degrees F. Add the okra and fry until golden brown on 1 side, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Stirring occasionally, continue cooking until okra is golden brown on all sides, approximately 5 to 6 minutes longer. Remove the okra from the pan with a slotted spoon or spatula to a paper towel lined plate. Season, to taste, with salt and set aside.

Step 5 :: Bring it all together

Fry the bacon over medium-high heat until nice and crispy, about five minutes. Remove the bacon to a plate and add the white/green scallion slices to the bacon fat. Fry for about a minute until the scallions begin to soften; then, add the remaining corn kernels and diced red pepper. Stir in 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter. Continue to cook until the vegetables are cooked but still crunchy, about 4-5 minutes longer. Lower the heat to medium low.

Stir in the corn cream, diced Roma tomatoes, and a little extra light cream if necessary. Continue to cook until everything is heated through. Serve immediately, topped with the crispy bacon, green scallions, fried okra, and roasted cherry tomatoes.

Greek Salad with Orzo and Purple Hull Peas

Adapted from a similar recipe in Gourmet Magazine’s August 2008 issue (Paul Grimes and Shelley Wiseman). Serves 3-4.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup orzo
• 2 cups fresh purple hull peas, cooked and rinsed under cool running water (alternately, you can use 1 15-ounce can of black eyed peas, drained and rinsed)
• 2-3 plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons good-quality red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 small or 1/2 large seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise, cored, and diced (~3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
• 1/3 cup finely diced red onion
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped oregano
• 2 to 3 cups coarsely chopped romaine
• 1/2 pound feta, crumbled (1 cup)
• 4 to 8 peperoncini
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 (16-ounce) wide jars or 3 (20-ounce) jars with lids

Preparation

Cook orzo according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool.

Toss purple hull peas, tomato, and parsley with vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Marinate, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss together orzo, remaining tablespoon oil, cucumber, olives, onion, lemon zest and juice, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Divide purple-hull pea mixture (with juices) among jars and layer orzo salad, romaine, and feta on top. Add 1 or 2 peperoncini, sliced, to each jar.

Serve with pita chips and a nice Assyrtiko or Chardonnay.

Summer Market Tart with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, Purple Hull Peas, and Farmer’s Cheese

This is a tart that could be made year-round with whatever veg is in season. Treat yourself to one with a simple salad for an over-the-top lunch, or dish them up as appetizers at your next dinner party. Makes 4 single-serving tarts.

Tart Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups whole grain pastry flour
• A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Heaping ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 stick very cold unsalted butter
• 4-5 tablespoons of milk
• 1 egg, for an egg wash

Filling Ingredients

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (use a mix of red and yellow if you can find them)
• 1 large or two small shallots, skins removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 ounces farmer’s cheese, very coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh purple hull peas
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

First, make the tart dough. Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, nutmeg, thyme, and salt. Grate the butter into the mixture. Gradually add the milk until the mixture can be shaped into a ball.

Divide the dough into four equal pieces, cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel, and refrigerate until you’re ready to roll out.

Toss the tomatoes and shallot with the olive oil; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the veggies in an even layer on a baking sheet, tomatoes cut sides up. Roast at 425° for 20 minutes, or until the skins are just beginning to blister and the shallot is softened. While the tomatoes roast, blanch the purple hull peas for 3-4 minutes in boiling water. Drain and rinse with cool water, and leave to drain until ready to use.

When the vegetables are done roasting, turn the oven down to 400°. Chop the shallots and add them to a medium bowl with the tomatoes, purple hull peas, and farmer’s cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.

Remove the tart dough from the refrigerator and flour a cutting board and rolling pin well. Keeping the remaining dough pieces covered, flour and roll each piece into a circle about 1/8th of an inch thick. Work quickly, as the dough gets difficult to work with when the butter softens.

Sprinkle a pizza pan (or sheet pan) with some cornmeal or flour. Scoop 2-3 spoonfuls of the vegetable mixture in the middle of each tart round. Crimp the edges all the way around to keep the mixture perched in its place, and carefully move to the prepared pan. Beat the egg until the white has thoroughly combined with the yolk. Using a silicon basting brush, slather the folded pastry crust with the egg. Bake for 15 minutes, until the tart crusts are nice and crusty all around.

Serve with a drizzle of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil on top, and a simple green salad on the side.

Ginger-marinated Heirloom Tomatoes with Watermelon, Burrata, and Spicy Arugula

If you’re lucky enough to stumble upon a source for burrata, give this beautiful salad a whirl. The recipe comes from the lovely Fresh from the Market. Serves 6.

Ingredients

• 1 piece (6 inches) fresh ginger, peeled
• ½ cup + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
• 24 baby heirloom tomatoes or multicolored vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
• ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups 1-inch pieces red or yellow seedless watermelon
• 2 cups baby arugula
• ¼ cup cured black olives, pitted and sliced
• 2 pieces burrata, 8 ounces each

Recipe

Grate the ginger on the large holes of a box grater. Wrap the grated ginger in a piece of cheesecloth and squeeze over a medium bowl to extract the juice (alternately, press through a tiny sieve). This should result in about 4 tablespoons of juice.

Whisk the ginger juice, the ½ cup of olive oil, and the sherry vinegar in a medium bowl to blend. Add the tomatoes, red onion, and half of he basil and toss until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow tomatoes to marinate.

Add the watermelon to the marinated tomatoes and toss until well combined. Toss the arugula in another bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the tomato and watermelon mixture among 6 plates, or arrange in a pretty platter. Garnish with the remaining basil and the black olives. Cut each piece of burrata into 3 pieces. Spoon the burrata evenly over the tomatoes and top with the arugula.

Serve immediately.