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.

Yam, Zucchini, and Chickpea Salad

I'm definitely a bag-luncher. While I enjoy the occasional salad-bar salad or panini, I find that bringing my lunch to work is often healthier and more cost-efficient than the alternative. Especially since I work in Georgetown, where lunch joints are pretty high-end, and (as you all surely know) I'm not the biggest fan of Subway, bag lunches are my speed.

As someone who routinely brings my lunch to work, and I'm always on the lookout for recipes that are simple to make, easy to nuke or tasty at room temperature, and pack in servings of carbs, vegetables, and protein. Needless to say, there are plenty of these recipes floating around the blogosphere, which has given me ample opportunity to experiment.

I was poking around on 101 cookbooks, which is a truly fabulous source for healthful and vegetarian recipes, and I found this chickpea and zucchini stir-fry recipe that looked great: lemon was the main seasoning ingredient, and the flavors looked clean and fresh. I'd been chomping on the recipe for a few days, mentally adding a few more elements and dressing up the whole thing a bit more complexly. Yams for sweetness and substance, scallions and parsley for color, "green" flavor and bite, and tahini and garlic to add to the lemon for a thicker, protein-filled dressing. I also figured I'd slow-roast the vegetables in order to caramelize them.

The resulting salad was everything I look for in a pack-your-own lunch dish: it had plenty of carbs and protein, pronounced caramel undertones from the browned vegetables, and a tangy, nutty bite. Honestly, I could take this for lunch several days in a row and not get bored (much like the cauliflower I took last week). In fact, I took it last Friday and yesterday, and I'll be taking it again, you can bet on it.

Yam, Zucchini, and Chickpea Salad inspired by 101 Cookbooks

For the salad:

2 yams or sweet potatoes, diced into 1-inch pieces 1 zucchini, diced into 1-inch pieces 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 2 garlic cloves 3 sprigs parsley, leaves finely chopped 2 scallions, thinly sliced on bias olive oil

For the dressing:

1 tablespoon tahini zest and juice of 1 lemon salt and pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment or silicone.

Spread diced sweet potatoes in a single layer on prepared baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast 35-40 minutes, then add zucchini and roast an additional 10-15 minutes, until both vegetables are softened inside and caramelized in spots. If vegetables haven't caramelized at that point, pop them under the broiler for 3 minutes, and they'll brown plenty.

In a small frying pan over medium heat, saute chickpeas and whole garlic cloves in 1 tablespoon of olive oil (just enough to moisten) for about 3 minutes, until the chickpeas dry out a bit and are warmed through. Remove garlic cloves, chop finely, and reserve for dressing.

In a medium bowl, mix chickpeas with yams and zucchini. Add parsley and scallions, and toss to combine.

In a small bowl, combine tahini, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and half of chopped garlic. Add water by the teaspoon until the dressing is smooth and runny. Taste, and add additional chopped garlic if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over vegetables, toss to coat, and serve warm or room temperature.

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?

Another Caponata Recipe

I know I've posted caponata on the blog before, but it's such a go-to recipe that I'm not surprised to see it up here again. Caponata is easy to make, very flavorful, and a true crowd-pleaser, even among the most carnivorous eaters. I made it this time as my contribution to a potluck lunch at work in honor of a colleague's last day, and was quite surprised by how popular it was with the meat-lovin crowd. I promised them I'd post the recipe, so even though I've already got a caponata recipe on the blog, here's one more.

This one takes its inspiration from a favorite dish that my mom used to make, called Huachinango a la Veracruzana, or Red Snapper, Veracruz style. It's essentially a whole red snapper (we used filets), baked in a tomato sauce that's laced with jalapeno peppers, green olives, capers, and raisins, and spiked with cinnamon. The flavors are assertive but balanced, and the dish is really tasty. I basically substituted eggplant for the snapper, and held the olives but put in some olive juice to lift the other savory flavors. I also had been eating too many jalapenos, so I subbed in chili flakes instead. If you've got green olives, they'd go great in this dish. I also browned the tomato paste in its own pan to make its flavor more complex, though that step is totally optional.

One of the best things about a chunky caponata like this one is that in addition to being a dip, to be eaten on crackers or baguette, it can double as a pasta sauce. I spooned some if it on top of some whole wheat rigatoni and topped it with feta cheese for an easy and tasty lunch.

This caponata also helped break a slightly frustrating cycle where everything coming out of my kitchen was just so-so. I leaned over this caponata pot, smelled its strong tomato and onion aromas, and thought, oh yea. This is gonna be good.

How good? Good enough that I ate it on pasta the next day.

Another Eggplant Caponata Recipe

olive oil, about 1/4 cup 6 garlic cloves 1 onion, coarsely chopped 1/2 tsp cloves 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp chili flakes 1/2 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. coriander seeds, optional 2 eggplants, cubed into 1-inch pieces 2 Tbsp capers 1/2 cup tomato paste 1/3 cup raisins 1 1/2 cups water several leaves chopped fresh basil, optional 1 tsp dried italian spices (basil, oregano, etc) -- I use Penzeys Tuscan Sunset 1 Tbsp date honey (regular honey is also fine) 1/3 cup green olive juice (can also add 1/3 cup olives, if desired) 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onion and garlic; stir to coat, and cook for 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add all spices, toss to coat onions, and cook 2 minutes more. Add eggplant, stir to incorporate, and cook about 5 minutes until eggplant starts to soften and brown in spots.

(If you want to brown the tomato paste in a separate pan before adding to caponata, do so now. Put tomato paste in a small pan over medium heat, mush around, and cook about 5 minutes, until the bottom of the pan starts to turn brown. Add 1/2 cup water and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits (called fond) into the tomato liquid. When all the fond has been incorporated into the tomato liquid, add the whole thing into the caponata along with the remaining 1 cup water. If not browning tomato paste, simply add it and all the water to the caponata. Stir to incorporate.

Add all remaining ingredients except for red pepper, stir to combine, and allow to simmer over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes, until well-incorporated. Now -- here's the tricky part -- taste it. Does it need more salt? More spice? Is the sweetness of the raisins and honey coming through enough for your taste? Add with a light hand in whatever direction you see fit, and continue to taste and adjust until what's in the pot makes you happy. Then add the red pepper pieces, and cook 15 minutes more.

Caponata will keep for at least 1 week stored in an airtight container in the fridge.