ARUGULA BREAKFAST SALAD WITH TOASTED PISTACHIO, RADISH & SOFT EGGS

Happy New Year! I’ve been spending my mornings trying to reboot from what is always a busy, food-and-drink-filled holiday season.  This recipe is one I eat most mornings, when I’m busy and in need quick & clean sustenance.  It is technically a salad, but I find it to be more of a quick assemblage of ingredients I already have on hand.  No matter how simple, it never fails to be exactly one I need - no more and no less - for mornings when you need something lasting, but have little brain space for meal-making. 

Arugula Breakfast Salad with Toasted Pistachio, Radish & Soft Eggs (serves 2) Gluten-free, DAIRY-FREE

This recipe gives you the foundation for pretty much any breakfast salad.  Feel free to use whatever green you have on hand - kale, tiny gem lettuces, rainbow chard, spinach, etc.  For the toppings, I always include an egg or two, something with crunch (I like a fresh crunch - radish, cucumber , fresh herbs - and a nut or seed) and whatever else you have on hand.  This is the perfect way to use leftover grains or veggies that aren’t enough for a whole meal, but need to be used somehow.  If you don’t stray from dairy, a shaved parmesan or pecorino would be amazing on this and as always, avocado makes everything better. 

• 2-4 large eggs
• 3 large handfuls wild arugula 
• 2-3 radishes or 1 small watermelon radish, sliced in matchsticks
• 1 small handful toasted pistachios, roughly chopped
• Leftover quinoa or any other grain, about 1/3 cup or a couple spoonfuls
• 1 small lemon
• Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• Flaky sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground pepper

Fill a saucepan with water (enough to cover a couple eggs) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat slightly and slowly submerge eggs, one at a time.  (*I use 1-2 eggs per serving, depending on how hungry I am).  Cook at a roiling boil for exactly 6 1/2 minutes (less, if you like a softer egg, and more, if you like it harder).  In the meantime, prepare an ice bath.

In a medium serving bowl, add arugula, radishes, toasted pistachios and leftover quinoa (or whatever else you have on hand).  Squeeze the juice of about one lemon over top and a drizzle of olive oil.  Toss everything together until well combined.  Season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Once eggs are done cooking, add to ice bath for a couple minutes.  Then, shell the eggs and halve them overtop the salad.  Divide into bowls and serve immediately.

SAVORY TOMATO & PARMESAN CRUMBLE

It’s just beginning to feel real Wintry here in NYC.  It happens that way each year, where one day, it just gets cold and we begin to hunker down for the Winter ahead.  We roast squash and make soup and need to wear socks to bed.  It’s a new season and we learn how to submit to it.

In terms of cooking, the warmer and heartier the better. I’ve been making soups like crazy and roasting a whole kabocha squash each week.  Some people feel daunted by the produce limitations, but I’ve learned some things over the years to help inspire cold-weather cooking.  Besides beans, lentils, etc, I always have preserved tomatoes on hand: canned, chopped, fire-roasted or whatever you like.  It’s the simplest thing to keep around that can make cold, Winter nights a little better.  I use them in soups, make a quick tomato sauce, a savory braise - the options are endless.  We may not have fresh tomatoes, but we wouldn’t want to eat them this time of year anyway.  It’s time for baking, braising, roasting - all the warm things in life.

Savory Tomato & Parmesan Crumble (Gluten-free) Serves 8

-This recipe, at its base, is a simple crumble.  I used romesco and cannellinni beans, but you could use any veggies or herbs you have on hand and need to get rid of! A few notes, too: you can use all cornmeal instead of cornmeal/corn flour to keep it simple.

FILLING:

• 26 oz. Pomi Chopped Tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 2 teaspoon tamari
• 2 teaspoons sumac
• 2 teaspoon sea salt
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 small romanesco, chopped into about 1 inch pieces
• 1 (15 oz.) can of cannellinni beans, drained 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 1/3 cup basil, sliced thin or chiffonade
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 4 sprigs marjoram

TOPPING:

• 1 1/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup cornmeal 
• 1/4 cup corn flour
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 5 sprigs thyme leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk chopped tomatoes together with cornstarch, lemon juice + zest, tamarin, sumac, salt and red pepper flakes.  Then, stir in romesco, beans, garlic, shallot and herbs until well combined.  Add to 9x9 or similar sized baking dish and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, stir together oats, almond meal, cornmeal and flour, parmesan, thyme and salt.  Mix until well combined, then add chilled butter cubes,  Using your hands, work together dough - breaking down butter - until mixture looks and feels like oatmeal cookie dough.  Add olive oil, and mix in well with your hands, making sure to get all the flour bits at the bottom.

Add crumble evenly over top tomato filling.  Bake for exactly 30 minutes or until tomato is bubbling up around the sides and topping is golden browned.  Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

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THIS POST HAS BEEN SPONSORED BY POMI.  THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE BRANDS THAT SUPPORT SASSY KITCHEN!

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CREME FRAICHE PANNA COTTA WITH GINGER-ROSEMARY POACHED GRAPEFRUIT

Growing up in California, I never really had to deal with seasons, food or otherwise.  We’re blessed to have perfect tomatoes and moderate weather almost all year long (75 on Christmas morning is a real thing).  I never associated citrus with Winter until moving to the East coast where the weather is as erratic as the seasonality of food (I like it this way - more interesting).  After the hype of Summer, when we’re all scrambling to use all the amazing produce, I almost look forward to the months of being limited to few fruits, and then almost entirely citrus.  Constraint is good for the imagination.

Now that we’re shifting into the Winter months and holiday season, I’m thinking a lot about citrus recipes.  This one, adapted from the beloved Splendid Table, is one of my favorites for special occasions.  It’s a dessert perfect for entertaining (make ahead, easy/no-stress, 20 min to assemble) and looks completely impressive to your guests despite you doing very little.  These ruby-red grapefruits are poached in warm, wintry flavors that really make this dessert the perfect holiday treat.  Make this for your guests and bathe in the compliments ;)

Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta with Ginger-Rosemary Poached Grapefruit (serves 8) gluten-free

Adapted from Splendid Table

• 1 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean, de-seeded
• 1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
• 2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 8 oz. (1 cup) creme fraiche

In a small dish, mix together gelatin and cold water. Set aside to “bloom” for about 5 minutes.

Add heavy cream, pinch of salt, vanilla, zest and maple syrup to a medium saucepan.  Heat the mixture until just warmed, but not boiling.  Stir in gelatin until completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Add creme fraiche to a large mixing bowl.  Gently whisk in cream, a little at a time, until smooth.  Divide mixture evenly between eight ramekins or jars.  Chill for 4 or up to 24 hours.

Poached Grapefruit:

• 2 Winter Sweetz grapefruits, supremed
• 1/2 cup grapefruit juice
• 2 inch piece of ginger, grated or minced
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
• Pinch of salt

Add supremed grapefruit slices to a small, shallow dish.

Add grapefruit juice, ginger, rosemary, maple and salt to a small saucepan.  Warm mixture until hot to touch, but not boiling.  Then gently, pour liquid over grapefruit segments, making sure they are completely submerged.  Set aside for 5 minutes.

Then, top chilled panna cottas with poached grapefruit segments, and a drizzle of liquid.  Serve immediately or chill again until serving.

THIS POST HAS BEEN SPONSORED BY WINTER SWEETZ.  THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE BRANDS THAT SUPPORT SASSY KITCHEN!