entree Archive

Sriracha & Blackstrap Molasses Pulled Pork

June is just one giant party after another.

While I’m trying to catch my breath from the madness of May (which includes Mother’s Day and my dad’s birthday), June comes along with Father’s Day (June 19), my mom’s birthday (June 18), my parent’s wedding anniversary (June 3), and my own wedding anniversary (June 20).

There’s just so much to celebrate!

So, rather than try to celebrate each individual event, my family decided to have one celebration that would cover all the various birthdays and holidays. Originally, our plan was to BBQ and laze about in the sun and eat delicious food together. There was talk of ribs and homemade ice cream! But, the Portland forecast had other ideas. The weather this past weekend was quite lame, to say the least. A BBQ was not in the cards.

But, I wasn’t willing to let the weather win. I was feeling sassy and summery and so I decided to make pulled pork sandwiches. Pulled pork has all the flavor and attitude of BBQ, but can be done indoors with a slow cooker. Done and done.

I’ve made pulled pork a few times over the years and it is always a hit. It’s one of those dishes that is hard to screw up. Throw some pork in a slow cooker, add some seasonings, and walk away for 8 hours. That’s my kind of cooking!

Since I was making the pulled pork for a special occasion, I wanted to jazz up the recipe a bit. I’m not a big fan of ketchup (OK, I think it’s nasty), but a lot of pulled pork recipes use ketchup as part of the sauce base. I was in need of an unconventional and ketchup-free pulled pork. So, I turned to my trusty pantry to see what I could find. I was in luck! I had a few key pantry staples on hand that I knew would work together to make a fabulous BBQ sauce: tomato paste, Sriracha, and blackstrap molasses. The tomato paste would bring the tangy tomato element we’re all used to in BBQ sauce, the Sriacha would add heat, and the molasses would add depth and sweetness.

So, I went for it. I threw it all in a crock pot, walked away for hours, and crossed my fingers that would all work. Thankfully, it did work. It was absolutely and positively delicious. It was everything pulled pork should be – spicy, complex, sweet, smoky, and flavorful. My family and I happily devoured our pulled pork sandwiches (and cole slaw, and potato salad, and cantaloupe, and strawberry shortcake…) and thoroughly enjoyed our celebration of all June holidays. What can I say? I’m a lucky lady. So much to celebrate, and so many wonderful people to celebrate with.

So, here’s to you, June. Here’s to wedding anniversaries, fathers, mothers, celebrations, and a big batch of pulled pork.

Blackstrap Molasses & Sriracha Pulled Pork
(Serves 6)

1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
3-4 lbs pork shoulder

Sriracha & Blackstrap Molasses BBQ Sauce:
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce (more/less depending on how much spice you want)
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Spice rub:
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon salt
Dash of cayenne pepper

Method:

Prepare the pork: Mix all spice rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Rub the outside of the pork with the spices, and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour before cooking (can do this the night before).

Slice the onion thinly, and place most (3/4) of the onion slices in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Cut pork shoulder down into large chunks (2-3 inches) and trim off any excess fat. Place pork pieces atop the onion slices in teh slow cooker. Toss the last onion slices on top of the pork.

Meanwhile, whisk together sauce ingredients: tomato paste, cider vinegar, molasses, Sriracha, ground mustard and black pepper. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the pork in the slow cooker, reserving the rest of the sauce mixture for later. Cook pork on low heat for 8 hours (Note: I started my pork at 9:30am and needed it to be done by 4 pm. I cooked it on low all morning, but at 2pm I turned the heat up to high.)

When the pork is ready, it should be falling apart and ‘fork tender’. Remove pork (and onions) to a bowl. Discard gristle and shred the pork with 2 forks until desired consistency. Pour any liquid left in the crockpot into a jar, skimming off any unwanted fat. Once the pork has been shredded, place back in the crockpot. Stir in the reserved Sriracha BBQ sauce with the pork. Pour back in some of the cooking liquid, until the pork is moist and juicy.

Serve with yummy buns/bread, coleslaw, and whole grain mustard. (YUM.)

*Note: While the recipe does not start with much liquid, you’ll find the end result to be very moist. As the pork cooks down, it simmers in its own fat and juices. I found there was almost too much liquid, hence why I removed the pork from the liquid and then poured back in the desired amount of liquid. This ensures that you don’t end up with soupy pulled pork sandwiches!

Radish Leaf Pesto Pasta Salad

For whatever reason, I’ve had a really hard time writing this post.

It definitely isn’t due to lack of effort. Quite the contrary, I’ve sat down to write this post many, many times. But every time I turn on my computer and attempt to write about this radish leaf pesto…I simply draw a blank. I try to will my brain to come up with the words, but my brain keeps telling me that it would rather look at pretty things on Pinterest. Apparently, I can’t will my own brain into submission.

All that to say, it would appear that I’ve got a case of writer’s block. It happens to the best of us. I think that I’ve had a hard time writing this recipe because, well, it isn’t really a recipe. Pesto is one of my favorite things to make, for this very reason. There isn’t any one right way to make it, and there are no hard and fast rules for pesto-making. Pesto can take on many different forms, depending on the mood and ingredients at hand. The very freedom I feel in making pesto is the very thing that makes it so hard to write about.

Since I’m having trouble finding the words, I’ll just say this: pesto = greens + garlic + hard cheese + nuts.

It’s as simple as that. To be clear, pesto is traditionally made with basil and pine nuts. But by no means am I traditional, and therefore my pesto tends to skew the same way. Depending upon what I find in my fridge, I’ll make pesto with any combination of the following ingredients: parmesan, pine nuts, hazelnuts, arugula, cilantro, asiago, beet greens, basil, mint, parsley, pecorino romano, almonds, walnuts, and more. There are countless ways to make pesto, it all just depends on what you like (or what you have on hand).

Seeing as this is the season for all things green, I find myself making pesto all the time. My garden and fridge are currently overflowing with leafy greens, and as much as my bunny would love to devour all my extra greens, I usually break his little heart and make a giant batch of pesto instead. Pesto is a fantastic way to reduce waste and use greens before they go bad, and pesto can easily be frozen and then thawed for later use. It just might be the perfect food.

However, in all of my years of pesto-making, it had never dawned on me to use radish leaves. In fact, I’m rather embarassed to admit that it had never occurred to me that you can eat radish leaves (On the same note, I recently saw a recipe for pesto using carrot greens. Genius!). I give all credit for this idea to Portland’s own Chef Vitaly Paley, who recently competed against Chef Garces on Iron Chef America’s “Battle Radish”. During the battle, Chef Paley whipped up many amazing things, including a radish leaf pesto. Even the usually unflappable Iron Chef judges were amazed by his use of radish leaf. It was such an inventive way to use the entire vegetable, as opposed to just throwing the greens away. Chef Paley made all us Portlanders proud! (Note: Chef Paley also won Battle Radish)

It goes without saying that the next time I bought radishes from the farmer’s market, I came straight home and made a batch of radish leaf pesto. It was everything I hoped it would be! The radish leaves lend a little kick of spice to the pesto, and they give it an especially vibrant bright green color. Honestly, I’ll never look at radishes (or their leaves) the same way again. They are a versatile and delicious little vegetable.

(And would you look at that? I see a lot of words on this here page. Maybe I don’t have writer’s block after all!)

RADISH LEAF AND HAZELNUT PESTO PASTA SALAD

Note: When I make pesto, I don’t measure anything. I usually start by throwing a few cloves of garlic in the food processor. Then, I’ll add greens and nuts. Then olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a few red pepper flakes. I keep blending and adding olive oil and/or lemon juice, until the pesto looks right to me. I happen to like a nice, thick pesto that isn’t too heavy on the olive oil. The following measurements are a set of rough guidelines, so feel free to alter the amounts in any way you see fit.

For the radish leaf pesto:
1 large bunch of radish leaves, washed and patted dry (radishes set aside for use in pasta salad)
3 heads of green garlic (or 3 cloves of normal garlic)
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 – 1/2 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Dash of red chili flakes
1 large handful of fresh basil leaves* (or any other leafy green you have on hand)

*Note: I was making a rather large batch of pesto, so one bunch of radish leaves wasn’t going to cut it, hence why I added in basil. You could easily double the amount of radish leaves for a larger batch, but I only had the one bunch on hand.

Method: Mince garlic using a food processor. Add in nuts, radish leaves, basil, and lemon juice. Blend until combined. Add olive oil in small amounts, until you reach desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper, chili flakes, and extra lemon juice (if so desired). If not using immediately, refrigerate until use.

For the pasta salad:
1 small bunch of asparagus
1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan cheese
1 lb fresh pasta of your choosing
1/2 cup low fat Greek yogurt
1/2 – 1 cup radish leaf pesto
1 cup baby arugula
Radishes, washed and sliced thinly

Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta water and set pasta aside to cool.

Snap the ends off the asparagus. Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath. When the pot of water is boiling, add asparagus. Allow the asparagus to cook for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove the asparagus from the boiling water and immediately plunge into the ice bath. Once the asparagus has cooled (a few minutes), remove it from the ice bath and cut into 1″ pieces.

Toss cooled pasta with a drizzle of olive oil. Stir together pesto and Greek yogurt, then toss yogurt and pesto mixture with the pasta. Gently stir in parmesan cheese, sliced radishes, asparagus and arugula. Allow to chill at least 20 minutes before serving, as this will allow the flavors to meld.

Kale & Green Garlic with Cheesy Polenta

Going into this month, I knew it was going to be nuts. I had a baby shower to throw, the Montavilla farmer’s market Grand Opening to plan and attend, a wedding to coordinate, and my own wedding anniversary to celebrate.

All of these are incredibly wonderful things. I’m going to be an aunt for the second time! A dear friend got married to a man who makes her so very happy. The farmer’s market that I volunteer for opened for another great season. And last, but certainly not least, I get to celebrate being married to my best friend for two years. I’m a lucky lady.

But all of these wonderful things do require a bit of time and energy, and somehow I never seem to have much of either. In the midst of all of this, I’m working full time, attempting to write a food blog, and am desperately trying not to kill my garden. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. But when life hands you crazy, just whip up some kale and polenta. That’s what I always say. OK, if I’m being honest, I’ve never said that before in my entire life. But, the moral of the story is this: when you have an incredibly busy schedule and you have kale growing like weeds in your garden, you should take a few minutes out of your busy schedule and make a delicious and satisfying kale dinner.

So that is precisely what I did. I picked a big bunch of Red Russian Kale from my garden, and quickly sautéed it with bacon, green garlic, onion, and lemon. I whipped up a quick batch of polenta, stirred in some freshly grated parmesan cheese, and proceeded to eat a large bowl of cheesy-bacony-polenta-and-kale goodness. The meal was so satisfying, flavorful, and comforting. And, it took all of 15 minutes to cook!

In the midst of all the craziness, I took the time to sit down to dinner with my husband, enjoyed a glass of wine, and allowed myself to breathe. It was just what I needed.

I know I’m not the only one out there who struggles with being over-committed and busy. Its the world we live in. I’m sure many of us are are in the same boat – scratching our heads, pouring over our calendars and wondering how we managed to book up the whole summer before it even started. Life has a funny way of quickly spiraling out of control. It happens. So, if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the complexities of life, I challenge you to slow down. Take the time to sit down to dinner; to enjoy a meal with friends or family. Everything else can wait.

And, of course, if you’re in need of a little inspiration I do declare that this is the perfect meal to make when you’re pressed for time. Its so good, in fact, that I’ve already made it twice this week!

Kale & Green Garlic with Cheesy Polenta
Serves 4

1 large bunch of Red Russian Kale (or other green, such as Chard), washed, de-stemmed, and roughly chopped.
4 strips of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 heads of green garlic*, minced
The juice of 1/2 a lemon
Red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste

*Note: Green garlic can be found at farmer’s markets at this time of year. It is much milder than regular garlic, so it isn’t overpowering. If you can’t find green garlic, substitute 1-2 cloves of regular garlic.

Method:
Heat large pan or skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add bacon pieces. Cook until fat has rendered and bacon has begun to crisp. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a paper towel.

Return pan (with bacon fat) back to the stove. If you have really fatty bacon, you may need to pour off some of the fat (You want about 1 Tablespoon of bacon grease left in the pan). Cook onions and diced green garlic in the bacon fat until tender, about 3-4 minutes. At this point, add in kale and squeeze lemon juice over the whole pan. Cover, turn down to medium-low, and allow kale to cook and steam for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally, checking to make sure everything is cooking evenly. Once the kale has fully wilted (8-10 minutes), add bacon back into the pan. Squeeze a bit more lemon juice over the mixture, and season with salt, pepper, and red chili flakes.

Remove from heat, and serve kale and green garlic mixture over cheesy polenta.

For the polenta:
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
Healthy amount of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup polenta (or corn grits)
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Combine water, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring water to a boil. Once water is boiling, pour polenta in a steady stream into the water, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to whisk. Stir until polenta is thickened, but creamy (8-10 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and butter, mix until incorporated. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed (Note: I like my polenta to be quite peppery.)

Recipe Swap: Mashed Potato Pancakes with Lemon Tarragon Creme Fraiche

Its recipe swap time again!

By this time, many of you know the drill. My friend and fellow food blogger – Christianna at Burwell General Store – created this swap as a way to encourage creativity in the kitchen. Every month, an ever-growing group of foodies from across the globe reinterpret a recipe from a vintage cookbook (and hymnal!) called All Day Singin’ and Cookin on The Ground.

I’ve been part of the swap from the very beginning, and I never grow tired of the crazy recipes that CM asks us to reinterpret. From Ozarkian Taffy Apples to Company Time Lemon Cake, every swap is completely unique and forces me to think outside of the box. I absolutely love being a part of this group.

For this swap, CM selected a simple recipe for Potato Donuts.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m not a big “sweets” person. When I want a snack, I’ll reach for a bag of Kettle chips long before I’ll grab a candy bar. What can I say? I’m a salty gal.

That being said, I knew that my potato donut would morph into something savory. Potatoes are such a versatile ingredient, and I was overwhelmed by the possibilities offered by this recipe swap. I thought about making potato bread. Then, I thought about making potato gnocci (but, wait, I’ve already made that). I toyed with the idea of potato bagels, and then I realized my life is far too hectic at the moment to attempt something as time consuming as bagels.

So, I went with my gut. Literally, I obeyed my stomach. It happened to be dinner time, and I found myself staring at the bag of red potatoes I’d bought for the recipe swap. I’d changed my mind a million times about what to make, but ultimately I let my stomach be the guide. I had a sudden and inexplicable craving for mashed potato pancakes, so I just ran with it.

I’d seen recipes for mashed potato pancakes previously, usually marketed as a way to use up leftover mashed potatoes (which it is a genius idea). Sadly, I didn’t have any leftover mashed potatoes. What I did have was raw red potatoes, which meant I would needed to pre-cook and mash them before I could make potato pancakes. But, by this point, I was really set on the idea of mashed potato pancakes, so I was willing to put in the extra effort.

So, I went through the trouble of boiling and mashing the potatoes. I left the skins on and mashed them with fresh herbs from my garden. Once the potato mixture cooled, I formed them into patties and pan fried them in a cast iron skillet with some brown butter. I served them atop a bed of arugula with a dollop of lemon tarragon creme fraiche.

And holy smokes, they were everything I had hoped they would be. They were crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside. They were hearty, without being heavy. And while I know these “pancakes” are a far cry from a traditional donut, I feel this reinterpretation is completely in line with my palate and style of cooking. Somehow, I turned a potato donut recipe into a seasonal spring dinner! Go figure, I suppose. :)

And, as always, I had a great time. I highly encourage you to visit the Recipe Swap page at Burwell General Store, and take a look at all the other fabulous creations.

Mashed Potato Pancakes with Lemon Tarragon Creme Fraiche

For mashed potatoes (or use leftover mashed potatoes!)
6-8 small red potatoes, washed and cubed (leave skins on)
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons nonfat or lowfat Greek yogurt
Salt & pepper to taste
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of smoked paprika
2 Tablespoons minced chives
1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add in cubed potatoes. Allow potatoes to simmer until cooked all the way through (test with fork or knife for doneness).

Drain water from potatoes. With a potato masher (or other tool), mash potatoes until they reach a smooth consistency. Stir in yogurt in yogurt and butter, mix until creamy. Add in spices and seasonings. Allow potato mixture to cool.

For the potato pancakes
3 cups mashed potatoes
3 Tablespoons flour
1 egg white
Clarified butter

Using a cast iron skillet or griddle pan, heat clarified butter over medium high heat.

Form patties: mix 2 tablespoons of flour and egg white together with the mashed potatoes. Using your hands, form small mashed potato patties, and dusting each patty with flour on the outside. Pan fry until golden brown and crispy on each side (about 4 minutes per side). Adjust heat if the pancakes are browning too fast.

Lemon Tarragon Creme Fraiche
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1.5 Tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
The zest of 1 lemon
Salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill until use.

Serve potato pancakes warm, atop a bed of arugula. Top with a dollop of lemon tarragon creme fraiche.

Potted Pork Rillettes & Apricot Mostarda

As promised, I am now finally getting around to posting a few of the recipes from my Cheese, Wine and Swine dinner party. To start off, I thought I’d share the recipes for the Pork Rillettes and Apricot Mostarda. I’ll keep the post short and simple, but I am going to leave you with the Wikipedia definitions for each item, in order to give you a better understanding of these two dishes.

Mostarda: (also called mostarda di frutta) An Italian condiment made of candied fruit and a mustard flavoured syrup. Commercially the essential oil of mustard is employed, which has the advantage of transparency; in home cooking mustard powder heated in white wine may be used. Traditionally mostarda was served with boiled meats, the bollito misto which is a speciality of northern Italian cooking. More recently it has become a popular accompaniment to cheeses.

Rillettes: A preparation of meat similar to pâté. Originally made with pork, the meat is cubed or chopped, salted heavily and cooked slowly in fat until it is tender enough to be easily shredded, and then cooled with enough of the fat to form a paste. They are normally used as spread on bread or toast and served at room temperature.

In short, rillettes is essentially a rustic paté (think: carnitas meets paté) and apricot mostarda is a mustardy apricot chutney.

And if I do say so myself, the combination of the two is absolutely dynamite. Fatty creamy pork spread + spicy sweet apricot goodness + crusty bread = party in your mouth. (Oh, and did I mention the pork is cooked in a slow cooker? It does the cooking for you! So this meal is fancy, tasty, and easy.)

Pork Rillettes
(Adapted from Food & Wine)

3 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 2″ cubes
1 Qt. rendered pork fat (lard)*
4-6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons whole allspice
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
Salt
10 thyme sprigs

*Note: I couldn’t find rendered pork fat so I bought a big piece of fatback and rendered down the fat. This process took awhile, but it a great option if you aren’t able to find pork lard/fat.

In a spice grinder or mortar & pestle, grind whole spices together into a fine powder. Once ground, mix in cinnamon and then combine with a 1/4 cup of salt. Spread mixture evenly over the pork pieces to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (best if left overnight).

In a slow cooker, melt 1 cup of the pork fat. Add thyme sprigs, garlic and pork pieces and cook on low heat for 6 hours, or until pork is extremely tender. Allow the pork to cool slightly and remove to a bowl. Discard thyme sprigs. With 2 forks, shred the pork until the pork looks unison and there are no large chunks. Discard any gristle. Stir in one cup of the fat; taste, and season with salt if needed.

Pack the meat into jars, crocks, or other sealed vessels. Melt the last of the pork fat and ladle a 1/2 inch layer of fat atop each container of pork. Store rillettes in the fridge. With the fat seal still in tact, rillettes will keep for up to a month in the fridge.

To serve the rillettes, remove from the refrigerator at least an hour before serving. Rillettes is best served room temperature. Serve with crusty bread and apricot mostarda.

Apricot Mostarda:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used Erath Pinot Gris)
1 Tablespoon whole mustard seeds
1 Tablespoon whole grain or dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to caramelize, about 15 minutes.

Add the apricots, sugar, wine, mustard seeds, mustard and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the onion and apricots are tender and the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. When the mostarda is finished, it should be thick and similar to a chutney. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before serving.

Spring on a Plate: Radish & Leek Tartines

I had all sorts of aspirations about this being a lovely and word-filled post, celebrating the beauty of the Spring farmer’s market. And then…I got sick. Nothing too serious, mind you. Just your standard issue scratchy throat/stuffy nose/achy body/stupid head cold.

The most troubling side effect of this head cold? Truth be told, my brain just feels squashy. I don’t know how to describe it any better than that. Its like my synapses aren’t firing correctly and all the the things I’m thinking aren’t spilling out onto the page. Everything is sloshing about in my cloudy head. It isn’t pretty.

So, then, rather than write a lovely and lengthy blog post, I’m going to give my squashy cold-infested brain a rest. I will, however, leave you with photos and recipes for not one – but two – perfect spring toasts. I made these for dinner last week, after a trip to the PSU Farmer’s Market.

The husb & I were still in the midst of our Lenten fast, so I made the toasts with Earth Balance as opposed to real butter. However, now that I am eating meat and dairy again, you can bet that I’ll be making these toasts with butter. (Everything is better with butter. Amen and amen.)

So, then, here is how I transformed a few lovely farmer’s market purchases into a simple and delicious dinner (aka Spring on a Plate).

Radish Tartiness with Butter & Mint | Caramelized Leek Tartiness with Aged Balsamic

For the Radish Tartiness:

Several slices of crusty cread (I used slices of fresh homemade bread, and it was amazing)
1 small bunch of fresh radishes, washed
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1-2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (*Or use Earth Balance to make the recipe vegan friendly)
High quality sea salt, such as Fleur De Sel
Pepper, to taste
*Optional: feel free to stir any herbs you have on hand into the butter to make an herbed butter spread. I added in some chives and they worked nicely with the dish.

Add a dash of salt & pepper to butter, stir until mixture is smooth & creamy.

Wash radishes and slice thinly. Set aside.

Toast bread slices in a skillet on the stovetop with a dash of oil or butter, until bread is golden brown (Note: can also use a toaster for this). Allow the bread to cool for a minute or two before spreading the butter mixture on it.

Spread butter mixture atop of toasted bread slices. Top butter mixture with a thin layer of radish slices. Sprinkle with fresh mint, garnish with extra salt and pepper if you so desire. Serve immediately.

For the Leek tartines:

A few slices of crusty bread
2 small leeks, sliced into thin rounds (white & light green parts)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
Good quality aged balsamic vinegar (*Note: aged balsamic vinegar is noticeably thicker and sweeter than your typical balsamic. If you don’t have an aged balsamic, you could make an balsamic reduction to achieve a similar effect. Simply simmer balsamic vinegar on the stovetop in a small saucepan until the vinegar reduces and thickens.)
Freshly ground black pepper

In a small pan, heat a dash of olive oil. Add in sliced leeks, stir to coat in olive oil (add more if necessary). Slowly cook leeks over medium-low heat until caramelized (about 30 minutes). The leeks should be tender and starting to slightly brown. Once the leeks have caramelized, remove from heat.

As with the radish toasts, toast a few slices of bread in a skillet (or toaster). Spread a thin layer of butter over each piece of toast. Top with a generous pile of caramelized leeks, a healthy drizzle of aged balsamic and freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Chickpea Pancakes & Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Recipe for a perfect night:

1 Sunny Friday evening in Portland, Oregon
1 Dear friend, Mari
2 Glasses chilled Rosé
1 Porch swing
2 Chickpea pancakes
1 Generous helping of warm shaved Brussels sprout salad
2 Tickets to the Trailblazers vs. Lakers game at the Rose Garden
1 Huge victory over the Lakers by the Trailblazers

Combine all of these elements together and you have a (nearly) perfect evening.

The only reason I say nearly perfect – as opposed to completely perfect – is simply because my husband wasn’t able to join in on all the fun. He had to work late (boo, hiss).

But, my friend/food blogger/Blazer nerd Mari is a lovely substitute when the husband isn’t available, and we did it up right last Friday.

We drank good wine.
We soaked in the sun.
We ate good food.
We watched a great basketball game.
We wore our matching LaMarcus Aldridge Jerseys (like the dorks we are) and cheered on our boys.

We even met Blaze the Trail Cat (YES. Our mascot is really a cat. And, yes. His name is really Blaze the Trail cat.)

The food was fabulous, the company was superb, and the basketball game was nothing short of amazing.

But, enough of this basketball craziness. This is, after all, a food blog (as opposed a basketball blog), so I feel the need to tell you about the food that contributed to our perfect evening.

The chickpea pancakes are a recipe I’d seen on the almighty Tastespotting. I always keep an arsenal of Gluten Free recipes around for nights when Mari visits, and this recipe was at the top of my list. Not only was the recipe gluten free, but it was vegan (yay Lent!), required minimal prep and/or ingredients, and it looked unbelievably tasty.

The original recipe paired the chickpea pancakes with a lovely green salad. I didn’t have the makings for a lovely green salad, but I did have a bunch of Brussels sprouts that I needed to use up. So, then, I simply made up a “salad” using the Brussels and various other ingredients I had laying about. The result: a warm shaved Brussels sprout salad with shallot, almonds, and lemon. It was the perfect compliment to the chickpea pancake.

I served the warm salad atop the chickpea pancake, with a drizzle of Goddess dressing over the top.

Recipe: Chickpea Pancakes (Socca) with Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
3 cups Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed
1 small shallot, diced
The juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
Dash of red chili flakes
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Using a knife or mandoline, slice Brussels sprouts very thinly.

Toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn. Set almonds aside.

In the same skillet, warm 1 tablespoon quality olive oil (or clarified butter). Add minced shallot to the pan and cook until translucent.

Add in sliced Brussels, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until sprouts are starting to wilt (but are still green and crisp). Remove pan from heat, and toss the Brussels mixture with lemon juice, salt, pepper, chili flakes and toasted almonds. Serve warm.

The recipe for the chickpea pancakes can be found at Whole Living Daily.