Zoe Cuisine

Spiced Butternut Squash, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad

At the beginning of September I started a 4 week online food styling workshop. Food styling is a really interesting profession that I learned a bit about during my culinary program. Food stylists are the people responsible for making food look drop dead delicious on packaging, in magazines, and on TV and film. Their job is to make food look so appealing that you are compelled to buy it. You might think this sounds like an easy job, but imagine getting ice cream to drip precisely for hours on end under hot lights. It is actually a lot harder than it looks and it can take many hours, even days, getting a single magazine shot just right. In order to get food to "behave" or look just so on camera, there are lots of little tricks that stylists employ, such as brushing a steak with a mixture of water and corn syrup so it looks moist and juicy. In the past fake foods were often used, for instance mashed potatoes in place of ice cream, but today the goal is to use real food though it may be slightly enhanced to look more appetizing. 

My assignment this week was to make, style, and photograph a salad of my choice. Since I have been cooking food and photographing it for the blog since January, I didn't think this was going to be much of a challenge. I was wrong. The way I have been photographing food to date is pretty much on the fly and as fast as possible so I can eat my dinner before it gets cold. I have never prepared food with the sole intention of photographing it. Well that was the first challenge of the assignment since the whole goal is to get a product that is as visually engaging as possible. My instructor emphasized that we needed very fresh, vibrant greens and gave us lots of tricks as to how to keep them perky while we were working with them. At her suggestion I even hand picked every arugula leaf to include in my salad. She also told us some specifics about dressing the salad so the greens wouldn't go limp on camera. You are supposed to lightly drizzle on the dressing and then spritz the salad with cold water from a spray bottle to get a nice sheen. This was very difficult as once you dress the greens they immediately looked stained and not glossy like I had hoped. The other issue I had was getting my salad to mound on the plate so it had some height. The second I put the squash and lentils on the greens it seemed to deflate. I was very proud of my solution to this problem which was to put a tiny dipping bowl upside down on the plate and then to build my salad on top of it. I was pleased with the finished product (posted above) but I have to say that for all the nit picking of arugula leaves, tweezing the squash and lentils into place (yes I said tweezing, as in with tweezers), and carefully drizzling and spritzing, I'm not positively sure that I wouldn't have gotten a decent result by just tossing it all on the plate like I normally do. It was a fun exercise, though painstakingly frustrating. I couldn't bear to eat the salad when I was done since I had been manhandling it so much. But I saved some of the ingredients to eat later, and luckily it also tasted pretty damn good. This is a perfect fall salad. I think it would also make a great side dish if you omitted the arugula.

Spiced Butternut Squash, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad Ingredients: 3/4 cup french green lentils 6 cups peeled, seeded butternut squash cut into 1" cubes 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika (also labeled Pimenton Picante) 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 4 cups baby arugula 1 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled 1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar Instructions: Place lentils in a small bowl. Cover with cold water, soak for 10 minutes and drain. Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils. Rinse under cold water and drain again. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place butternut squash in a large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika and sea salt. Arrange squash in a single layer on a baking sheet; roast for 20 minutes. Turn squash over. Roast until tender and slightly browned at corners, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool. Combine lentils, squash, and oil from baking sheet with arugula, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar and 1 more tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates; sprinkle with remaining goat cheese and serve. Serves 8.

Recipe Courtesy of Bon Appetit, October 2009 Issue.

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Quick Chicken Piccata

This is a super simple weeknight meal that I whip up a few times a month. I always have capers, a lemon, some butter and one of those small bottles of Glen Ellen Chardonnay (strictly for cooking and not drinking!) in the fridge which makes this a snap. I also like to keep a jar of Better than Bouillon chicken stock base on hand. I cannot say enough about this product. It eliminates the need to open a can or box of chicken broth every time you need a small amount for a recipe, the rest of which will inevitably be thrown out or else go bad. Better than Bouillon is just a super concentrated stock that keeps forever in the fridge. Just add a teaspoon to a cup of hot water to get a cup of stock. I usually add a teaspoon of the chicken or vegetable base to the boiling water when I make rice or couscous to seriously boost the flavor. Anyway, it is a great staple to have in the fridge for concocting any number of simple pan sauces for poultry or meat, like this recipe. If you want to serve this dish over pasta or rice, you may want to double the amount of liquid in the sauce as this will make just enough to coat all the chicken. If you want a thicker sauce, try coating the chicken with flour before browning it.

Quick Chicken Piccata Ingredients: 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1/4 cup chicken stock 1/4 white wine 1 lemon 2 tablespoons capers 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons olive oil fresh chopped parley, optional salt and pepper Instructions: Cut each chicken breast in half cross-wise by laying it on a cutting board and slicing through horizontally so you end up with 4 thin cutlets. Lay each cutlet on the cutting board and cover with a sheet of saran wrap. Pound the cutlets with a meat tenderizer until they are approximately 1/4" thick. Season with salt and pepper. Cut a lemon in half. Juice one half and cut four thin, round slices out of the other half. Remove the seeds and set aside the slices and the juice for the sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet until hot over medium high heat. Add the chicken breast and cook until lightly browned and cooked through on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm on a plate covered with foil. Turn the heat up to high and add the white wine, chicken stock, lemon juice, lemon slices and capers. Scrape up any of the brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce boil and reduce by half, about 5-7 minutes. When the sauce is reduced, lower the heat to low and add the butter. Swirl to incorporate it completely. Add the chicken back to the pan to coat with the sauce and warm through. Put two cutlets on each plate and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serves 2.

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Whole Wheat Spaghetti alla Carbonara

After I catered my friends party, I found myself with an unexpected amount of leftover bacon and cheese in my fridge. I hate wasting food, so I had to come up with some means of using these ingredients besides omelettes. I immediately thought of one of my favorite pasta dishes from my childhood - spaghetti with bacon and eggs (as my Mom called it), or "carbonara". This rich pasta dish is the definition of comfort food. I felt a little strange making it at the tail end of summer, as this is usually a fall or winter dish, but it was actually a welcome change from all the salads and grilled foods we have been eating for the past few months. Carbonara is incredibly simple, as the main ingredients are just pasta, bacon or pancetta, eggs and parmesan cheese. I didn't use my Mom's old recipe (although I need to remember to ask her for it) instead I turned to my trusty Food Network friend, Tyler Florence, who never steers me wrong. I followed his recipe for the most part, making just a few substitutions. I chose whole wheat pasta instead of regular spaghetti for both the nutritional value and the nutty flavor which I think worked really well with this dish. I also used half asiago and half parmesan cheese, and I reduced the amount of bacon fat that the pasta is supposed to be tossed in. I love bacon, but including bacon plus all the extra fat that cooks off of it seems a little excessive - maybe I'll save that version for the winter when we need the extra insulation! Many carbonara recipes call for the addition of some heavy cream to thin out the parmesan and egg sauce but Tyler's recipe just uses the starchy cooking liquid from the pasta, which is cost effective and calorie conscious. Finally, I felt compelled to add a hint of green to this dish so I decided to throw in some frozen peas. I love the combination of pasta in a creamy sauce with the accent of peas but if you don't, feel free to leave them out. 

Whole Wheat Spaghetti alla Carbonara Ingredients: 1 8 oz. box whole wheat dry spaghetti 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/4 lb. pancetta, or 4-5 slices of thick cut bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 large eggs 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, or 1/2 cup parm and 1/2 cup asiago or pecorino 1/2 cup frozen peas salt and freshly ground pepper 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped Instructions: Beat the eggs and parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Put aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender yet firm. Add the frozen peas during the last minute of cooking. Drain the pasta well, reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use to thin the sauce later if you wish. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon or pancetta until it is crisp and the fat is rendered. Hold the pan at an angle and spoon off the fat until there is approximately 2 tablespoons left. Add the chopped garlic to the pan and saute for one more minute. Add the hot drained pasta to the pan with the bacon and garlic. Toss the pasta to coat with the bacon fat in the pan. Turn the burner off and ass the egg and parmesan mixture. Toss the pasta with the mixture with a pair of tongs to coat completely, do this quickly so that the eggs do not scramble. If the pasta seems too thick and gooey, add a few tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid to thin it out. Add more as needed until it reaches your desired consistency.  Season the pasta with lots of freshly ground pepper and salt to taste. Mound the pasta into bowls and top with additional grated cheese and the chopped parsley. Serves 3-4

Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence's on FoodNetwork.com

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Spicy Pimiento Cheese Spread

 

This past weekend was a big one for me. A great friend of mine gave me the opportunity to cater a surprise birthday party that she gave for her husband's fortieth birthday. For 50 people!! I have been helping friends do the food for parties since I started my culinary journey this year, but never for this many people. I admit I was a little nervous about pulling it off on my own, but I rose to the challenge and the result was very successful, and tasty. My friend wanted me to create a menu consisting entirely of appetizer party food that could be easily eaten without a plate and utensils. Some of the finger food I made included prosciutto wrapped melon skewers, cherry tomatoes stuffed with fresh mozzarella and pesto, curry chicken in cucumber cups, feta salsa in phyllo tart shells, sweet and spicy bacon wrapped chicken bites and dark chocolate dipped strawberries drizzled with white chocolate. I also went back to my culinary school binder for a recipe for pimiento cheese spread to make for the party. The recipe was a favorite of all of my classmates, so much so that we served it on the tables at our graduation dinner. Pimiento cheese is the ultimate comfort food that is widespread in the South but is a rarity north of the Mason-Dixon line. I was introduced to it when Barry Maiden of Hungry Mother taught a class on southern style cooking at BU. Barry, who was named Food and Wine best new chef of the year, serves this recipe for pimiento cheese at his restaurant, so you know it has to be good! He serves it cold, in a crock with toasted homemade bread and raw carrots and celery. Although it is great served cold or at room temperature, as I did at the party, it is also out of this world when slathered on crusty bread and broiled until bubbly and golden brown. Or try using it as a sandwich spread or grilled cheese filling. Regardless of how you eat it, this dip/spread is extremely addictive. I recommend only making it for a crowd because it is positively dangerous to have lingering in your refrigerator for any length of time. What's not love about spicy, creamy, cheesy goodness? This is a recipe that would make Paula Deen proud! Just try not to let any thoughts of fat or calories enter your mind while you are eating this, because everyone deserves a little indulgence once in a while.

Spicy Pimiento Cheese Spread Ingredients: 4 oz cream cheese 1/2 lb. sharp yellow cheddar, grated 1/2 lb. sharp white cheddar, grated 1 cup roasted red peppers, chopped 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire  1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder 1 1/2 tablespoon tobasco 1 cup mayonnaise Instructions: Mix all ingredients together by hand in a large bowl. Add to a food processor in batches and process until all ingredients are well incorporated. Serves 10-12 as a dip.

Recipe courtesy of Barry Maiden of Hungry Mother restaurant

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Served my favorite way, broiled on bread