Spaghetti with Caramelized Lemon, Capers, and Black Olives

Sometimes all I need is a big bowl of spaghetti.  It's the twirling of the strands, the tender mouthfeel of perfectly cooked pasta, and the luxury of eating pure carbs for dinner.  Spaghetti, more than any other shape, is one of my ultimate comfort foods and I crave a heaping portion more often than my digestive tract would like.  No regrets!

Last night was one of those occasions, and when combined with that gnawing feeling of being poor, it makes for a satisfying and affordable weekday dinner.

If you have lemons and olive oil you can transform anything into a solid meal, but kick it up with other pantry staples like cured olives, capers, and parsley and now you have a dish to be proud of.  This meal couldn't be simpler, and any good cook can throw together a pasta dish, but this one is so balanced and flavorful that it guarantees to leave an impression.

To sip with our spaghetti we stayed frugal and opened a bottle of Franz Etz Gruner Veltliner from Austria.  Gruner, as I've mentioned before, is an under-appreciated grape that is a wonderful pairing with most of the foods I eat on a regular basis.  Think vegetables, salads, and fish.  It has a green, grassy flavor that is bolstered by notes of just under-ripe pear, honeydew melon, and chamomile.  The 2013 bottling from Franz Etz is particularly delightful and still tasty the next day when the acid has mellowed just a touch.  It paired perfectly with the sweet, tangy flavor of the caramelized lemons and held its own against the savory olives and capers, lightening up their pungency.  Also, like the M. Hofer Gruner I've written about, the Etz comes in a full liter at the exceptional price of $10 per bottle.  You cannot go wrong here. 

*Full disclosure: this whole post is totally inspired by Melissa Clark's genius recipe in the New York Times.  Apparently this recipe was the NYTimes' most popular in all of 2014, no surprise there.  Hers is a bit simpler and a perfect springboard into mine, which is a touch more savory and complicated.

SPAGHETTI with CARAMELIZED LEMON, CAPERS, and BLACK OLIVES
serves 4

4 lemons
1 pound spaghetti 
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp capers
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp red chili flakes
handful cured black olives
2 /3 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
2/3 cup chopped parsley, plus more for serving
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Meanwhile, zest 2 of the lemons and set aside.  Trim the tops and bottoms off the other two lemons and cut into quarters; remove seeds.  Cut them crosswise into small triangles.  Blanch the lemon pieces in the boiling water.  This helps to break down the pith and rind and removes their bitterness.  Using a slotted spoon, remove them and set aside to dry on a paper towel. 

In the boiling water, cook the spaghetti until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. 

Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil.  When shimmering, fry the capers until just crispy - only about 30 seconds.  Transfer to a paper towel to drain. 

In the same skillet, heat another tbsp of olive oil.  Add the dried lemon pieces with a pinch of sugar and salt.  Cook the lemons until caramelized on both sides, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a plate. 

Melt the butter and remaining olive oil.  Add the lemon zest, chili flakes, and cured olives, cooking until fragrant.  Whisk in 1/2 cup pasta water, stirring until combined and just starting to thicken.  Toss in pasta, juice of one lemon, cheese, salt and pepper.  Add more pasta water if necessary.  Using tongs, toss pasta until it is well coated.  Add caramelized lemon slices, parsley and capers.  

Serve immediately with more cheese and parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.  

Leftover Chicken and Rice Soup

Here on the West Coast, winter is a mere wisp of fog in the early morning with the occasional (VERY occasional) splattering of rain shower.  The high today is 61 degrees.  As an East Coaster from THE snowiest, iciest, and sludgiest godforsaken region literally dubbed, "The Snow Belt," I know a thing or two about rough winters.  I also know a thing or two about not enduring said rough winters and immediately becoming the sun-loving wimp that I currently am.  I recently bought a wool poncho as my winter gear.

But as a cook, when the evening temps dip down into the 40s (yup), I'm all about traditional winter fare - bring on the soups, stews, and roasts.  And as always in the months following the indulgences of the holiday season, frugality and health are top priorities.  Creative uses for leftovers are key, and chicken soup is an excellent go-to. 

Nearly once a week Daniel expertly roasts a whole chicken.  He has got that sucker down to a science.  It is one of the easiest, cheapest and most satisfying meals and I love it because I don't have to do anything.  Plus we're left with a lot of roasted chicken to scatter throughout meals in the following days.  Apart from adding to salads or tacos, one of my favorite uses for leftover chicken is in some kind of soup.  It is the be-all end-all answer to what are we going to have for dinner tonight and what the hell am I supposed to do with this half of a portobello in the fridge?  

The formula is simple.  Start with a few cups of chicken stock, preferably homemade.  Bring to a low simmer.  Add vegetables of your choice - carrots, turnips, potatoes, greens, onion, celery, etc. etc.  Hard to go wrong here.  Add cooked chicken.  Cook until vegetables are tender.  Throw in herbs - dill!, parsley, cilantro, basil, etc.  Taste for seasoning, garnish with more herbs, and serve over a heaping spoonful of wild rice.  Not only have you put your roast chicken to good use, you've also cleared out the vegetable drawer in your fridge without having to brave the store!  Bring on the frost!

Though the variations are infinite, this is my favorite.  Light and lemony, it soothes out the winter aches, no matter where you're enduring them.

LEFTOVER CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP
serves 2 (with more leftovers)

4 - 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 carrots, diced
2 turnips, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1/2 portobello mushroom, diced
2 - 3 handfuls chopped kale
the meat from 1 large, cooked chicken breast, diced
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
1 lemon

2 cups cooked wild rice

In a large stew pot bring the chicken stock to a low simmer.  Add all vegetables and chicken.  Cook on low until the vegetables are tender.  The longer you cook it for, the better as this will enhance the flavors.  Add 2/3 of the chopped dill and juice from half the lemon.  Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.  

To serve, scoop rice into bowls and ladle soup over top.  Garnish with more fresh dill and another wedge of lemon.    

Figs for days and days.

According to D. H. Lawrence:

The proper way to eat a fig, in society, 
Is to split it in four, holding it by the stump, 
And open it, so that it is a glittering, rosy, moist, honied, heavy petalled four-petalled flower.
Then you throw away the skin
Which is just like a four-sepalled calyx, 
After you have taken off the blossom with your lips. 

But the vulgar way
Is just to put your mouth to the crack, and take out the flesh in one bite.

Every fruit has its secret.

My private fig trees are proving to be bountiful this season and I couldn't be happier filling my basket with their endless supply.  I stretch, I climb, I stoop and I pick, pick, pick.  I've discovered dozens of new ways to eat figs.  Simply - try with just a drizzle of good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sliced tomatoes, feta, basil, and a handful of toasted sunflower seeds.  Decadently - stuffed with blue cheese and my walnut pesto and broiled until bubbly.   And finally, resourcefully - preserving every morsel in the form of jams, pickles, and chutneys.

Figs are one of the easiest of fruits to jam with.  They are a breeze to prep - no seeds, pits, nor peels - and even the ripest of the ripest lend themselves to the most perfect of jammy consistency.  I've found many recipes that call for equal parts figs to sugar, which is just way way too much by my standards.  Figs are naturally very sweet and shouldn't be overwhelmed by additional sugar.  You certainly need enough for the jam to set, but it shouldn't be cloying.  I found one part fig to a half part sugar to be perfect.  You can always adjust based on the sweetness of your figs.

Additions such as spices, vanilla, lemon, and herbs are all welcome here.  Figs are particularly fond of lavender, honey, tarragon, balsamic and dark booze.  I went the boozy route, obviously.  And oh my - what a star of a jam!  The brother drooled over it when paired with a tart, grassy Loire Valley goat cheese and would not shut up until I sent him home with a jar.  The bourbon and lemon give it a bit of a kick while the brown sugar adds a deep richness and lovely mouth feel.  After the cheese course, spoon it over grilled pork and then finally on a scoop vanilla ice cream and you'll have incorporated it into every dish of the meal.

FIG JAM
with Bourbon, Lemon, and Brown Sugar

3 pounds fresh, ripe figs - washed and cut into quarters 
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 lemons - peel removed and sliced thinly, lemons are then juiced
1/2 cup bourbon
pinch of salt

To prepare your jars: wash them in hot soapy water and sterilize either in a water bath of boiling water or in a 275 degree oven for 15 minutes - jars should be HOT.  Put lids in a pot of water, bring almost to a boil. Do not boil as it could effect the sealant.  Put a small plate in the freezer for set test.  

Combine all ingredients in a large pot.  Let them sit for about an hour so the flavors start to develop and the figs begin to break down. 

Turn the heat on low and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often.  Keep an eye on the jam and make sure it doesn't boil over.  Stir often so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan.  

After about 45 minutes to an hour, check the consistency.  The jam should start to look a little syrupy and reduced.   Turn off the heat and spoon a little of the jam onto the plate in the freezer.  Return to the freezer and let it sit for about 10 minutes.  Remove and do the wrinkle test - push your finger through the jam and if it wrinkles up, it's set!  

Bring the jam back to a low simmer and carefully ladle it into your sterilized jars.  A jam funnel helps immensely with this step.  Wipe the rims clean and screw on your lids.  Process them a large pot of boiling water for about 15 - 20 minutes.  Remove and within the next few hours you'll hear the telling pop of the lids - they are sealed!  Store in cool dark place for about a year.

TROUT

It's official.  I'm in love with trout.  2012 was the year I embraced my new affection, and the following recipe is top of the charts.

This gorgeously speckled fish isn't just a breeze to prepare, it's also incredibly tasty and has a green light from the sustainable seafood watch.  Good for the environment, good for your pocket book, and great for your plate.

Before we get down to the cooking and eating, let's relish in the beauty of this fish.  Some facts: trout is a freshwater fish that is closely related to salmon or char.  Although some species of trout (Lake Trout) live exclusively in fresh water, other species (Rainbow Trout) live at sea for a few years before returning to the fresh water to breed.  Neat.  There is a surprising number of species of trout, some even named for the lake they live in, such as Eagle Lake Trout from Lassen County, CA, a relative of the Rainbow Trout.  Each species tastes and looks different, a true expression of place.  Eat local. 

High in those fatty-acids, protein, Vitamins B6 and B12, trout offers a low calorie, low fat, nutritious meal that is far from flavorless and boring.  Eat that crispy skin for an Omega-3 boost and you'll feel downright indulgent.  And while my love for trout isn't because of health, it certainly doesn't hurt. 

Without further blathering, let's make dinner.   Of course you can get fancier, but the delicate flavor of the fish is most pronounced and extraordinary with this simple preparation.  Don't underestimate the power of a lemon and a sprig of parsley.  A favorite from 2012, a staple for life.

WHOLE ROASTED TROUT
 serves two

2 trout, gutted and cleaned
lemons
herbs
salt and pepper
olive oil

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Rinse and pat dry the inside of your fish.  Season with salt and pepper.  Slice lemons into thin rounds.  Stuff trout with lemon and herbs (I most often use parsley, but thyme or rosemary work beautifully as well).  Lightly oil a baking sheet or casserole dish and the outer skin of the fish so as to avoid sticking.  

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until the flesh of the fish is just flaking away from the backbone, the thickest part.  Turn on your broiler and slide fish under the flame for just a minute or two, until the top skin is browned and crispy.  It will start to bubble.  

Serve immediately with more lemon wedges and a simple salad of mixed greens.