Recently, I’ve been working on a number of recipes in an effort to develop my culinary skills–I am a newlywed, after all, and my husband can’t be the only one in charge of the kitchen. ;-)
So this page will be updated with some of my favorite recipes that I post here at Arial is not Helvetica, and I encourage you to give them a try. The original post for each recipe is given (with information on the origin of the recipe and source credits as applicable).
Buon apetito!
Soft-Boiled Egg & Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp goat cheese, plain or herbed (preferably one that’s easy to spread, like Charvie)
- 2 slices whole grain/whole wheat bread
- Italian seasoning or herbs de Provence
- 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Dark, leafy greens of your choice (optional–I only thought of this after I ate the whole thing and realized that it would be nutritionally complete from all major food groups this way)
Directions:
- Bring an egg to a rolling boil, then let it boil for about 3 minutes, or longer if the idea of runny yolks really gross you out. At the end of three minutes, sit the egg in cool water.
- While this is going on, prepare the bread. Thinly spread one side of each slice with the goat cheese, and then add Italian seasoning blend or Herbs de Provence, if desired
- Peel eggshell off, then position on one slice of bread and gently slice the egg to a rough dice, arranging it on the slice.
- Freshly grate the Parmesan over the egg–just a little will do the trick, then season it all to taste with salt and black pepper, freshly ground if possible. Add dark leafy greens of choice (mine would be baby arugula).
- Slap the other slice on top, flip over, and enjoy!
Total prep time: 10 minutes, maximum.
Orichiette or Orzo with “x” Cheeses:
Serves 1
- About 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese, more if you want it to be creamier (part-skim is the best choice if you don’t want all the fat. I’ve tried making this with skim ricotta and it was disgusting. Naturally, whole-milk ricotta will taste the best).
- Parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, or any other cheese you have laying around (this is an excellent way to use up excess cheeses after a party)
- Kosher or sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning blend
- Small pasta of choice (orichiette and orzo both work really well here)
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley (optional)
- 1/4 cup prosciutto (optional)
Bring salted water to a boil; add pasta. While pasta cooks, spoon ricotta into a small bowl that you can use for eating, like a ceramic or glass salad bowl or similar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. (If you accidentally over-season, just add a little more ricotta to cut it down a little.) Add Herbs de Provence, grate Parmiggiano reggiano or other cheeses, and any fresh herbs or prosciutto and stir to combine. When pasta is finished, drain and immediately transfer warm pasta to bowl, and gradually mix the pasta and cheese mixture together. Finish with a little grated cheese on top.
Prep time: about 15 minutes total.
serves 2 with lots of leftover sauce, perfect for high-end Sloppy Joe’s or for freezing
- 1 lb lamb or venison (note: any good, gamey meat works well here–try to avoid ground beef if at all possible)
- kosher/sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped (note: for me, more garlic=happiness)
- 1 onion chopped finely
- 1 carrot, choped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped (we actually didn’t have this in the sauce, and honestly, if you have to sacrifice any of the mierpoix, this is the most expendable)
- 2 28oz cans of whole tomatos
- 1/2 bottle red wine (we used Wrongo Dongo from Spain, which is a temperanillo, but any decent bottle will do. Finish the rest as you cook this).
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (get the freshest, most lemony-scented you can find)
Brown the meat in with olive oil in a heavy pot and season with salt and pepper, all over medium-high heat. Add the veggies and cook until they are softened, then add the tomatos that you have already crushed by hand. Add the wine, then the herbs (in lieu of bay leaves we added rosemary sprigs that we had laying about, and worked really well), and cook for two hours, covered. Keep an eye on the sauce and make sure it doesn’t boil too much and stir it every once in a while. After those two hours, uncover and let it continue to cook for another hour as it thickens.
Serve with your favorite pasta–we used a 9oz package of fresh fettucine from Stop & Shop’s private label brand–and some parmigiano reggiano. Pinot noir goes nicely with this dish, or any heady red to match the richness of sauce.
Focaccia with tarragon:
- 3 1/4 cups flour, plus more if needed
- 1 packet instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/4 cups warm water (I microwave it in a bowl for three minutes on high)
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 bunch fresh tarragon, leaves removed from the stems
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add sugar to warm water, and in the meantime add flour, instant yeast and salt to a stand mixer bowl with a dough hook attachment, and mix. Add sugar water mix (instant yeast will bubble instantly) and mix slowly (using dough hook) for a minute or two until blended on medium-low speed. Increase to medium speed (about a 6 on an Artisan) to allow dough to form. Add additional flour, if necessary, gradually to help dough form into a ball–it’ll be ready when it sticks to the hook instead of the bowl.
Add oil to a metal or glass bowl, and cover ball completely with it. Cover with a towel and let rise for three hours in a warm location. When finished, punch dough down and mold into a 9×13 baking pan, press imprints about an inch apart, and lightly brush with olive oil before adding tarragon, salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the oven to 500 degrees and set it to broil, to allow a brown crust to form, for no more than two minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
