Vegan January has come and gone and though I have one more vegan post to make, I thought this beet gnocchi was a bit more fitting for the Valentine’s Day holiday (although a couple of days late!) I’m still perfecting my gnocchi-making technique, but I love the gorgeous color and hint of earthiness the beets bring to this recipe. You’ll likely have a bit of leftover beet puree with this, so I encourage you to make a Chocolate Beet Cake with the remainder.

Ingredients

(adapted from Food & Wine)
2 pounds medium-sized Beets, scrubbed, tops and bottoms cut off
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Fresh Pepper
1 cup Ricotta
1 large Egg, beaten lightly
pinch of Nutmeg
3/4 cup Romano Cheese, shredded
3 cups Flour, plus extra
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped and toasted
1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup fresh Sage, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
Fresh Lemon juice
Fresh Sage leaves (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a baking pan drizzle beets with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast in the oven for about 1 hour or until beets are soft. Remove and allow to cool. Once you’re able to handle them, use your hands to peel away the skins. Use a vegetable peeler if needed. Cut beets into cubes and puree in a food processor. In a standing mixer (which I don’t own – I used my Cuisinart with a plastic paddle and pulsed to control the speed), combine 1 1/2 cups of the beet puree with ricotta, romano, egg, nutmeg and 1 Tablespoon of salt on low/medium speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl and slowly sprinkle in the flour with the mixer on low/medium speed until it just comes together. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and a little sticky. Don’t over-knead – you want the dough to feel light. Cover the dough and let it sit at room temp for about a half hour.

While the dough is sitting, melt the butter over low/medium heat. Bring melted butter to a golden brown color and remove from heat. Strain through cheese cloth to remove the solids. Set aside. In a saute pan, fry the whole sage leaves in a bit of olive oil until they crisp up. Remove and allow to cool on a paper towel. Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Prepare an ice bath and keep nearby. Divide the dough into 8-10 pieces and roll each one into 1/2 inch thick ropes. Cut each rope into 1/2 inch pieces. Boil in batches, letting the gnocchi simmer about 1 minute past when they float. Remove with a slotted spoon and put into ice bath to chill while you cook the remaining.

Once you’ve finished with the gnocchi, saute the garlic in a bit of olive oil over low heat until fragrant. Add the brown butter and chopped fresh sage and stir for a minute or so. Stir in fresh lemon juice. Add gnocchi and combine until the gnocchi turns a rich red. Season well with salt and pepper. Toss in walnuts. Serve hot garnished with crispy sage leaves.

Do you keep running to-do lists? I have ones for karaoke, restaurants, NYC, books, wine, art & photography. Any time I check something off a list, I feel a bit more productive. My Things to Learn to Make list is growing slowly and I thought I’d cross one off tonight. At my work I’m constantly asking the chefs how they’re cooking something, why they’re doing something a certain way etc. and it blows my mind that they can remember so many different techniques without constantly messing up like I do. There are so many basics and classics I feel like I should know.. so I hope to explore some here. It’s like classical music – ones you have the melody down, you can create all sorts of variations on the theme, right? 

Ingredients

– 1 lb Pasta (I used Bucatini)
– 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
– 1 small Onion, chopped
– 1 clove Garlic, minced
– 2/3 cup dry White Wine
– 2 Eggs
– 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese (brands like BelGioioso have rennet/enzyme free versions)
– 3/4 cup Peas, cooked 
– 1/4 fresh Parsley, chopped
– Salt to taste
– Fresh Cracked Pepper

Directions

In a sauce pan, heat up olive oil. Add chopped onion and minced garlic. Season with salt and saute until soft. Add white wine and simmer until it thickens slightly. Set aside. In a bowl, whisk together egg and cheese. Set aside. In a large pot, bring salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente (about 7-9 minutes). Reserve about 1/4 cup of pasta liquid and then drain pasta. Add pasta to a clean bowl and toss with onion and garlic mixture. While the pasta is still hot, add egg mixture slowly, stirring into the pasta constantly. The heat from the pasta will cook the egg mixture. Add in peas and parsley and toss together until incorporated. Salt to taste and add a generous amount of fresh cracked pepper. Serve immediately with more grated cheese on top. 

I must admit this didn’t go as smoothly for me as I hoped. When I’m researching a dish like this, I’ll usually read a bunch of different versions and then pull ideas for each one. I should have picked one and stuck with it! I will need to give this another run in the future. In the words of Aaliyah, if at first you don’t succeed, then dust yourself off and try again. 

I’m headed to WA next week (with Chris!) to see my family and meet my new nephew Killian. After these last uhhh 5 months of crazy amounts of work (btw check out these INCREDIBLE pics that Seattle-based photographer shot for a wedding I planned last month), I’m excited to have a long break and regroup. A redesign is coming soon as are hopefully more things.. Special shout out to Joan Y for your patience – sorry it’s taken so long for a new post!

Those oddly shaped tomatoes you see at the grocery store? Pick them up! They’re full of deliciousness. With creamy Burrata and fresh basil, this salad is as simple as you can get, while packing a lot of flavor and visual punch. 

Ingredients

– Heirloom Tomatoes Burrata Mozzarella
– Fresh Basil
– Sea Salt Flakes
– Fresh Ground Pepper

Directions

Remove the cores of the tomatoes and chop into wedges. Carefully slice mozzarella (it’s filled with creaminess, so it won’t be perfect). On a plate arrange tomatoes and put a few pieces of burrata on top. Add lots of fresh basil and season with salt & pepper.

I was planning on uploading some pictures from last weekend’s trip to Long Island, but I have to scoot to see Imperial Teen at the Knitting Factory. I haven’t seen them live in something like 5 years and I love me some 90’s indie pop a little too much. Remember their song Yoo Hoo from the Jawbreaker soundtrack?

Next Friday at 7:00pm, I’ll be doing a Hungry on Spreecast with Shea of Hungry in Brooklyn. We’re going to talk about vegetarian food and our favorite places to eat in Brooklyn! You can participate too, so make sure to check it out!

As I mentioned in my last post, my friends Patrice and Brittnee persuaded me to do a dinner/manicure trade this week.

Pasta Shells (for 3-4 people who are gluttons)

Ingredients

– 15 large Pasta Shells
– 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
– Salt

Directions

Bring water to boil in a pot with olive oil and a couple pinches of salt. Add pasta and boil until al dente. Set aside a cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Set pasta aside.

Garlic Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

– 6 Roma Tomatoes, stem end/core removed 4 cloves Garlic, chopped
– 1 yellow Onion, Chopped
– 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
– 3/4 cup Red Wine
– 1 cup Water from boiled pasta
– Salt to taste

Directions

Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add tomatoes and cook until the skins split. Run under cold water until cook enough to handle. Remove skins (should come off easily). Add tomatoes to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add olive oil to a saute pan and saute onions and garlic until soft. Add tomatoes, pasta water and begin to simmer. As the sauce begins to reduce, add wine and continue to cook down. Season with salt. Remove from heat once you have a nice consistency.

Spinach, Squash, Ricotta & Basil Filling

Ingredients

– 2 cups Spinach, stems removed, ripped into manageable pieces
– 1/2 cup Yellow Squash, chopped small
– 1/2 cup Green Squash, chopped small
– 2 cups Ricotta
– Handful of Fresh Basil, stems removed, chopped
– 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
– Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions

In a saute pan, lightly saute squash & zucchini for a couple of minutes. In a bowl mix ricotta, squash, spinach and basil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Assembly

– 2/3 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a square baking dish, layer the bottom with half of the tomato sauce. Spoon ricotta mixture into each shell and add to the pan, forming one layer. Top with remaining tomato sauce, covering the shells. Spread parmesan cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 3-5 minutes or until cheese on top has melted. Everything should be hot and bubbly. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before serving.
It’s been a strange week, topped off with one of my best friends moving to Boston today. Sort of just feel like staring at a wall for the rest of the weekend…or at this bodega kitty (follow me on Instagram: boredvegetarian).

Whole Wheat Gnocchi with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Lemon Garlic Brown Butter
Brussels Sprouts season is pretty much over, so I thought I’d have one last hurrah. Speaking of seasonal eating, I downloaded a free app called Locavore that tells you what’s in season, what’s coming up and where to shop for local produce.Now if only I could remember to go to the farmer’s market on Saturdays. Am I the only person who thinks Sunday is the best grocery shopping day?  Greenpoint is trying to get a Sunday market going in McGlorick Park. Crossing my fingers…
16 oz Whole Wheat Gnocchi1 1/2 lbs Brussels Sprouts4 Tbsp Butter6 cloves Garlic with individual papers wrapping on1 1/2 tsp Lemon zest1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive OilSalt & Pepper to taste 
Fill a sauce pan with water and bring to a boil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop brussels sprouts into fourths and toss with 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil until coated. Spread onto a baking pan, one layer thick. Sprinkle with salt and roast on bottom rack of the oven, stirring occasionally. Cut the tops of the garlic cloves off. Make a container out of aluminum foil, add garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven with the sprouts until soft. Add gnocchi to boiling water and cook for a few minutes until they float to the top. While they’re cooking, melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat, careful not to burn. Remove roasted garlic cloves paper wrapper and stir into butter. Drain gnocchi in a colander. Once butter begins to brown, remove from heat and toss the gnocchi in the brown butter. Add lemon zest and toss well. Add roasted brussels sprouts and toss again. Salt & Pepper to taste. Serve immediately topped with fresh parmesan. 

Despite my recent foray into doughnut making, I’ve never been a sweet breakfast person. Don’t get me wrong, I love french toast, pancakes, et al., but if given the choice, nothing makes me happier than something savory in the morning.
I had a yellow zucchini left from my vegetable ragu on Sunday, so I thought I’d do a twist on the brunch I made this weekend.
If you’re one of those low carb/no carb people (yoooou people!!) or have a gluten allergy, using zucchini in place of pasta noodles is a tasty option. Just top with your favorite pasta sauce.

Zucchini “Noodles” with Fresh Tomato Sauce 1 fresh zucchini, washed (I used yellow) 1 tomato, chopped2 cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 onion, choppedFresh basilFresh thymeOlive oilSalt & pepper to tasteFresh parmesan cheese (optional)Bring water to boil in a saucepan. Cut off ends of zucchini and discard. Using a vegetable peeler, peel long, thick strips, turning the zucchini once you hit the seeds. Chop up remaining zucchini to use in sauce. In a sauce pan, saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add garlic, followed by zucchini and tomato. Simmer and add in fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper. Add zucchini “noodles” to boiling water for a few minutes. Remove from heat and drain water. Top “noodles” with sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Serve hot.
Soft-boiled Egg1 eggSalt & pepper to taste 
Bring water to a gentle boil in a sauce pan. Carefully place egg in pan and cook for around 4 minutes for a runnier yolk. Remove from heat and run cold water over the egg for a few second so it’s easier to handle. Peel off the shell or carefully cut open with a knife. If you want more detailed information about boiling eggs, read this lengthy explanation.