Edamame Cabbage Slaw with Sweet Potatoes

Hello from vacationland! We're in Israel for the next few days and beyond thrilled to be back. It's been way, way too long -- almost two years since I lived here. I've missed every bit of it. Yesterday, I spent the most lovely afternoon at the shuk (market) with my dear dear friend S. We met up in my favorite corner of the shuk... A little cafe tucked in the back portion that's locals only and serves up a mean cup of coffee. After lots of hugs, kisses and catch up, we ran around to the different vendors so that I could grab my favorite spices (more on those in a future post...) And met up with her mom, where I freshened up on my slightly-rough but actually not-too-bad Hebrew. We spent the past 24 hours hanging out with family and friends, relaxing and eating copious amounts of food. Tonight we're planning on hitting up another of my favorite restaurants, Tmol Shilshom. There's something at once familiar and refreshing about being in a place I used to call home; it's wonderful to be back.

But less about my getaway, more about the recipe -- which, indeed, is a fabulous lunch staple (I'm on a new kick, can you tell?). I've made cabbage slaw before, but this one's got a little bit more character and substance. It's got a new addiction of mine, edamame (frozen-shelled -- one of the easiest and tastiest sources of protein in the grocery store) and sweet potatoes, as well as some fake beef strips (feel free to use the real thing if you're so inclined). In all, it made a great one-dish dinner and was even better the next day for lunch. Just don't dress it all at once, or it'll go a bit mushy.

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend; I'm here until Sunday, and early Monday morning we leave for Paris, where we make the most of our 24-hour layover before heading back to DC. More recipes when I'm back....

Edamame Cabbage Slaw with Sweet Potatoes

1 savoy cabbage, shredded (by hand) 2 scallions, chopped 2 sweet potatoes, sliced into matchsticks 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 cups (ish) frozen edamame, cooked according to package directions and left at room temp 1 package Morningstar Farms, TJ's or other brand fake meat strips Handful sliced toasted almonds (to be added just before eating)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the sweet potato sticks in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and drizzle olive oil overtop. Toss to incorporate; roast for approximately 30 minutes, until soft and browned in spots.

Cook fake meat in a frying pan with a drizzle or two of olive oil until browned in certain spots. I also like to add a few drops of soy sauce and/or pomegranate syrup, date syrup, tamarind paste, honey and rice wine vinegar, etc -- something to give it that sweet/savory taste. Bottled teriyaki will do the trick, but don't overdo it -- a Tbsp or so max.

Mix all ingredients in large salad bowl; top with almonds and dressing (recipe below). Toss to incorporate. Serve in big, deep bowls. Enjoy.

Dressing 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 1/4 cup mirin (if no mirin, substitute 1/8 cup plus 1 Tbsp brown sugar) several dashes sesame oil

Mix; shake. Note: in place of sesame oil, feel free to experiment with walnut oil or other nutty-flavored oil.

Braised Pearl Onions

Readers Dearest, In a few short hours, I will be heading off for an all-too-short but nonetheless-exciting week-long vacation. While this means awesomeness for me, you're probably not as excited. Here's something to perk up your day: the post below is about a recipe that's delicious and easy to make, best combo ever. Also, I've done my best to stick a couple posts in the wings, so as to keep you entertained and sated in my absence. Keep reading -- more importantly, keep cooking -- and I'll be back in no time.

You can stop reading now if you're an onion hater. Clearly, this isn't for you. Where were we? Ah yes, pearl onions. They're baby onions, basically. They're a bit larger than pearls -- at least, any pearls I can afford -- but they're certainly elegant. They come in red, yellow, and white -- just like large onions -- and you can get all three colors mixed together at Trader Joe's.

Pearl onions make an effortless side and a perfect complement to a beef main course. The only annoying (ahem, time intensive) part of preparing them is that you need to peel off their skins individually. It's a pain, I admit, but the results are worth it. Basically, you blanch them in boiling water for about 60 seconds, until the skins turn soft. Then you peel off each skin -- one by measly one -- until you have some naked little onions ready for baking. Then, in a frying pan big enough to hold them, you heat up a bit of olive oil til hot, drop in the onions, saute until fragrant. Add a couple cups of red wine, a couple Tablespoons brown sugar (1 Tbsp per cup) and some salt and pepper, and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, until wine is reduced by about half. Taste and adjust: does it need more sugar? More salt? You decide. They really are that easy.

File this under recipe-free cooking...

Zucchini Ricotta Tart

D and I host Friday night dinner pretty regularly. Being the slight lunatic that I am, prep usually starts on Tuesday, if not earlier. I start thinking about themes, poking around online and in my cookbooks for possible main courses, and trying to decide what vibe I want to create. Is this an apps and wine crowd, or more of a straight-to-the-table kind of meal? Are we going meat or dairy? (Usually we do dairy; I simply can't part with butter for dessert.) Is it cold enough for soup or even a one-pot-meal? Etc.

This past weekend, D and I were so pooped from the long week that we decided to do just the two of us for dinner. Our friends Kira and Dina also wanted something low key, so we decided to combine forces. K and D would bring salad and a vegetable side, I'd make soup, some sort of tart, and dessert. We had challah in the freezer and plenty of wine on the rack.

Plans to cook notwithstanding, the week was absolutely crazy and I had only enough time to make soup (ginger carrot, on the blog soon) and a cake (fig-polenta, kinda great, also up soon). The tart just didn't happen. I rushed home from work on Friday with not much time, not much time at all to spare, and scrambled to put something together. Spotted: one yellow squash in the fridge. Half a tub of ricotta. Some pecorino romano cheese. A bit of fresh mint. Frozen puff pastry. Each tasty on its own, but would it all go together? Oh Hell Yes.

Of course, the meal I threw together most haphazardly was actually my favorite in quite a long time. Maybe I'm just a fan of al fresco cuisine, but seriously -- what could be better than a simple soup, a light, fresh salad, and an easy puff pastry tart? Not much, in my opinion.

As a shout-out to my dear friend Sarah, who strives to be a more instinctive cook, let me point out that puff pastry is a wonderful blank slate on which any number of delicious tarts can be made. Zucchini/pecorino-ricotta/mint was great, but here are some other ideas:

• onion, feta mushrooms (sound familiar?)
• mushroom and goat cheese -- saute mushrooms in olive oil; either cover tart with mushrooms and sprinkle goat cheese overtop, or put mushrooms and goat cheese (and maybe some ricotta) into a blender, and spread that on top of the puff pastry -- and then top with some grated parmesan or bits of goat cheese. yum.
• spread tart with a thin layer of ricotta; top with thin slices of zucchini, red pepper, and tomato, with slices of parmesan or mozzarella and basil leaves interspersed.

As I write this, I'm realizing that any of the ingredients above would be great with any other. If you don't like olives, love red peppers, dig pesto, and want to skip the zucchini, just go for it. I'd say the key is to have a layer of something smooth, topped with a layer of thin vegetables, and topped with something super savory and strong (herbs, hard cheese, etc). Feel free to leave other tart ideas in the comment thread.

Zucchini Ricotta Tart

• 1 8x8 (or larger) square of puff pastry, thawed and unrolled according to package directions
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
• grated zest of one lemon
• 1 zucchini or yellow squash, sliced as thinly as possible (I did not use a mandoline -- you can, but definitely don't need to
• 1/4 cup kalamata or other greek olives, halved
• salt and pepper to taste
• handful of mint leaves, julienned

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and put the puff pastry on top.

In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, lemon zest, and a small handful of the pecorino. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread mixture onto puff pastry, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edge.

Slice the zucchini very thinly; lay slices slightly overlapping in rows, again leaving a border. Sprinkle with olive slices, and top with the remaining pecorino.

Bake for about 30 minutes (or according to package directions), until golden at the edges and crisp all the way through. Slice into quarters for a main dish, eighths for a side or app; sprinkle with mint, and serve warm or at room temp.

Best Cauliflower EVER

Before you get annoyed that the title of this post is dramatic without being descriptive, consider the following: this recipe has 6 ingredients, including salt. It takes 25 minutes start to finish and is easily the most delicious cauliflower dish I I've ever had ever ever. Ever. Better to tell the world how wonderful it is than to try to name what can only be described as good, yes?

Now then, let me tell you about cauliflower with capers and sherry vinegar. That's all that's in this -- save for a drizzle or two of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt -- but it's good, lip-smackingly good. No surprise that it comes from the king of simple, Mark Bittman, and his wonderful bible "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian." Having cooked from it and read many chapters straight through, I think I can safely say that it's the best $23.10 you can spend in the cookbook section. Check it out here.

No recipe, really -- here's how it works. Slice a whole head of cauliflower into florets, and put them in a reasonably wide (8x8 or 9x13 are both fine) shallow baking pan. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, toss to coat, and roast in a 400-degree oven for about 25 minutes, tossing a couple times during roasting, until a fork pierces the florets easily and they are deep brown in spots. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with 1/2 a tsp. of salt, 1 clove of chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons of sherry or red wine vinegar, and 2-3 tablespoons of capers. (I just discovered the ones preserved in salt: you need to rinse them thoroughly, but they have such a wonderfully strong caper-y flavor that's not overwhelmed as the traditional vinegar-preserved capers often are.) Put them back in the oven for 3 more minutes, toss, and serve warm or at room temperature. It truly doesn't get easier than that, now does it?