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This recipe takes 30 minutes to prepare and starts with browning and seasoning the breadcrumbs. Following this, you use the same pan to sauté the leeks, chard stems, garlic and thyme in butter and seasoned with salt and pepper. Once they’re soft, the chard leaves are added and cooked until wilted. The stock and heavy cream are added to the pan to complete the sauce. During this time, you’ll also be cooking your pasta. When the pasta is just shy of done, drain and return to the pot. Add the vegetable mixture; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. The pasta is garnished with the toasted panko bread crumbs.
This was a delicious and light pasta dish. I wish I had used the full amount of stock, as my husband was looking for extra sauce. Some of the comments from other cooks mentioned the amount of liquid (2 cups stock and 1 cup heavy cream) was too much. Against my better judgement, I decreased the liquid to a total amount of 2 cups. After an overnight of babysitting at my daughter’s followed by my granddaughter’s Saturday soccer game, I knew I would be a bit tired when I returned home. What better than a sheet pan meal from Ali Slagle, from The New York Times, for Sheet-Pan Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Spinach for supper. Although Ms. Slagle’s recipe called for mixed mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, maitake or cremini), I used my white button mushrooms from the box along with the spinach. You’ll also need shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi, extra-virgin olive oil, scallions, a shallot, kosher salt, black pepper, Dijon mustard, prepared horseradish, honey and unsalted butter. The mushrooms, gnocchi, scallions and shallot are placed on a sheet pan and tossed with the olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Once the gnocchi is golden and has a crispy exterior, the spinach is spread on top and cooked until tender. When done, a glaze made with mustard, horseradish, honey and salt and pepper is drizzled on top along with a tablespoon of melted butter to coat the mixture. Wow, what a flavorful meal! The combination of horseradish and Dijon mustard really gave the gnocchi and spinach mixture a big hit of flavor. It added a nice layer of flavor to the meal. The horseradish I use comes from Nosh Nook Pickles at the Collingwood Auction in Farmingdale, NJ. One sniff of their horseradish will clear out your sinuses. The last vegetable left in my refrigerator was the asparagus. It just happened that in my New York Times feed there was a recipe by Melissa Clark for Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Tarragon Tart. The crust for the tart is a store-bought all-butter puff pastry. I really like Dufour Kitchen’s product that can be purchased at Whole Foods or Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck, NJ. Other than the aforementioned ingredients in the recipe title, you’ll need an egg, fresh garlic, lemon zest, sea salt, freshly grated nutmeg, crème fraîche, all-purpose flour, extra-virgin olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, freshly grated black pepper, red pepper flakes (optional) and shaved Parmesan cheese. I happened to have some crème fraîche left after making Ms. Clark’s Pasta Primavera with Asparagus and Peas recipe. However, if you don’t want to purchase a container, J. Kenji Alt-Lopez has an easy recipe which requires a pint of heavy cream and buttermilk. With the leftover buttermilk, you can make buttermilk pancakes or buttermilk waffles. This recipe takes approximately 1 hour to prepare. I mise en placed my ingredients to make sure everything went smoothly and no ingredient forgotten. The most important thing to remember is the puff pastry must be defrosted in the refrigerator and both the goat cheese and egg at room temperature. When the pastry dough is defrosted, it’s rolled out to 1/8-inch thickness and into a 13-inch x 11-inch rectangle. Dufour pastry, right out of the box, was the required size. I merely had to roll a few times to “iron” out the creases. You need to score a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pastry. In the center a crème fraîche mixture (softened goat cheese, egg, garlic, tarragon, lemon zest, salt and nutmeg whisked smooth) is spread on top, up to the scored border. The asparagus are placed on top, brushed with oil, then seasoned with salt and grated Parmesan cheese. The tart bakes for 25 to 30 minutes. After it was done, I sprinkled both black pepper and red pepper flakes on top along with shaved Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. This tart was heavenly. I served it with a tossed salad to round out the meal. You could taste the subtleness of the lemon zest and fresh tarragon. It was rich tasting, yet light. This would make a delightful dinner appetizer. Ms. Clark says you can assemble the tart a day ahead. If you’re not a fan of tarragon, use chives, basil or mint. Recently, my oldest granddaughter mentioned she liked stuffed artichokes. When I was food shopping, I picked up several small ones to make for her. This was the first time I was making them and I followed a recipe by Lidia Bastianich. The stuffing consisted of bread crumbs, fresh parsley, olive oil, salt and lemon zest. Although the recipe called for pine nuts and hard-boiled eggs, I eliminated those as I knew she wouldn’t like them. So how were they, “Nana, they were too lemony.”
Creamy Swiss Chard Pasta with Leeks, Tarragon and Lemon Zest
By Alexa Weibel The New York Times/NYT Cooking Time: 30 minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients ¾ pound green Swiss chard (1 large bunch), washed and trimmed 2 large leeks (10 to 12 ounces each) 5 tablespoons unsalted butter ½cup panko bread crumbs Kosher salt and black pepper 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1cup heavy cream 16 ounces linguine or fettuccine ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan Fresh tarragon leaves, for garnish 1 lemon, for garnish Preparation
Sheet-Pan Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Spinach
By Ali Slagle The New York Times/NYT Cooking Total Time: 35 minutes Servings: 4 INGREDIENTS 1-pound mixed mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster, maitake or cremini, trimmed and quartered (or cut into 1-inch pieces, if large) 1 (12- to 18-ounce) package shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths 1 large shallot, thinly sliced Kosher salt and black pepper 5 ounces baby spinach (about 5 packed cups) 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish 1 teaspoon honey 1 tablespoon unsalted butter PREPARATION
Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Tarragon Tart
Featured in: ”How I Came to Cook in French,” By Melissa Clark The New York Times/”A Good Appetite” March 6, 2020 Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 6 to 8 INGREDIENTS 1 cup soft goat cheese, at room temperature (4 ounces) 1 large egg, lightly beaten, at room temperature 1 large garlic clove, finely grated or minced 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves, plus more for serving ½ tablespoon finely grated lemon zest ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 1 cup crème fraîche, at room temperature (8 ounces) All-purpose flour, for dusting the work surface 1 sheet or square all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen (about 9 to 14 ounces; brands vary) 8-ounces thin asparagus, woody ends trimmed Extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Freshly ground black pepper Red-pepper flakes (optional) 1½ ounces Parmesan, shaved with a vegetable peeler (about ½ cup) PREPARATION
Stuffed Artichokes
Carciofi Imbottiti “Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen,” Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Alfred A. Knopf, NY ©2022 Makes 6 Servings “The flavorings in this dish are zesty-a combination of the traditional and a few touches of my own. The anchovies add a lot of flavor, but if you don’t like them, don’t use them. Lemon zest lightens the flavor of this hearty dish a little. (You might find that adding just a little bit of zest to other robust dishes will do the same for them). It may seem strange to chop the red pepper – especially as they fly around the chopping board a bit while you’re trying to do so – but it prevents you from biting down on a big flake of pepper in the stuffing. If you have vegetable stock or chicken stock, you may use it in place of the water called for in the recipe. It will surely add flavor.” Ingredients 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 lemons 6 large artichokes 1 cu coarse bread crumbs 2 large hard boiled-eggs, chopped fine 4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley 2tablespoons chopped fresh mint 2 anchovy fillets, chopped fine 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper, chopped fine Salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces Preparation Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grate 1 teaspoon of zest one of the lemons and set aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and pour about half the juice into a large bowl of cool water. Reserve the remaining lemon juice and two of the lemon halves. Prepare the artichokes for stuffing. Peel and trim the stem of the first artichoke. Pull off any tough outer leaves and discard. Using a paring knife, trim away any tough parts around the base and stem of the artichoke. With a serrated knife, cut off the top third of the artichoke and discard. Once you have cut off the top third with a serrated knife, push the leaves out to expose the fuzzy purple choke. With a small spoon, scrape out the choke to expose the heart at the bottom of the artichoke. Put the prepared artichoke in the bowl of water and lemon juice to keep it fresh. Mix the bread crumbs, eggs, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the mint, anchovies, Parmigiano-Reggiano, half the red pepper; the reserved lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil together in a bowl. Taste and season with salt if necessary and mix well. Remove the artichokes from the water and drain them a few minutes on a kitchen towel, rapping them once or twice to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Gently spread leaves open from the center to make sure as much stuffing as possible ends up between the leaves. Dividing the stuffing evenly among the artichokes and using the palm of one hand, work the stuffing between the artichoke leaves and into the center where the choke was. You may not need all the stuffing to fill the artichokes. If you have any left over, you may use it as described below to make a thicker sauce. (Or if you prefer a thicker sauce, be sure to reserve about 3 tablespoons of the stuffing for that purpose. Nestle the artichokes into an oval 12-inch ceramic baking dish or other dish into which they fit comfortably. Tucke the reserved stems between the artichokes. Pour enough fresh water into the dish to cover the bottom third of the artichokes. Season water with salt, and add the remaining crushed red pepper, the remaining 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, and the remaining lemon juice and lemon halves to the water. Dot the tops of the artichokes with butter. For a denser sauce, spoon any remaining or reserved stuffing to the liquid in the dish. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, poke the foil a few times with a fork, and bake until the leaves are tender when pierced with a paring knife, 30 to 45 minutes. Uncover the artichokes and bake until the top of the stuffing is browned and crusty and an outer leaf is easy to pluck from the artichoke, about 10 minutes. Serve the artichokes hot in shallow soup plates, spooning some of the cooking liquid around each. Donna’s Notes: Lidia’s original recipe gave a description of how to make garlic-infused olive oil, which an be use instead of extra-virgin. I used extra-virgin olive oil because it’s what I had. You may be able to find garlic infused olive oil from a local retailer. I also left out the mint and hard-boiled eggs in the recipe.
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