Dill Spaetzle

A German treat in honor of October Fest.

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

¼ cup milk

2 eggs

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter

Boil salted water in a large pot. In a separate pan, melt the butter. Mix together flour, half the dill, a pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Add the eggs and milk and combine thoroughly. Using a colander or cheese grater with large holes, force the dough through the holes into the boiling salted water (See video). The spaetzle dumplings will cook quickly and rise to the surface. Using a spider, transfer the spaetzle to the pan with melted butter. Toss the spaetzle dumplings in the butter until lightly brown and add the remaining fresh dill.

Parsley Pistachio Pesto

½ cup pistachios, roasted and unsalted

2 cups parsley leaves

¾ cup grated parmesan

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Add the nuts to a food processor and pulse. Add the parsley, oil, and black pepper to the food processor and pulse until well combined. Pulse in the cheese until all the ingredients are combined. Store in airtight containers and cover with a little extra oil for long term storage. Serve like traditional pesto with pasta or on a sandwich.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

1 dozen squash blossom flowers

6 oz. log of goat cheese

1 egg yolk

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons fresh chives

Salt and black pepper 

½ cup all purpose flour

½ a beer

Safflower oil, enough for a shallow fry

Blanch the squash blossoms in boiling salted water for 1 minute and move the blossoms to an ice bath and reserve. In a small bowl mix the room temperature goat cheese, egg yolk, parmesan, chives, salt, and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a zip lock bag and cut off a small corner of the bag to act as a piping bag. Move the blossoms to a towel to dry. Take each blossom and open the petals to create a pocket. Using the piping bag fill each blossom with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Fold the petals over to seal in the cheese and set aside. Repeat until all the blossoms are filled.

Fill a cast iron pan with the oil to about an inch high. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and beer. Dip about 3 to 4 blossoms in the batter to lightly coat and move to the oil. Fry 3 to 4 blossoms at a time until golden brown and set on a paper towel. Fry all the blossoms, salt them and serve warm.

Grilled Artichokes

2 large artichokes

1 lemon, halved

1/3 cup olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut the spiky tops off the leaves of each artichoke. Steam the artichokes in a large streamer pot with the lemon halves for about 45 minutes or until tender. Remove the artichokes from the pot and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the choke (the fluffy spiky part where the steam meets the leaves) with a grapefruit spoon. Coat the flat side of each artichoke with the olive oil and generously salt and pepper. Grill on high for about five minutes. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and serve as is or with you favorite dipping sauce.

Panzanella

½ a day old baguette

1 garlic clove, grated

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and black pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 bell peppers

½ a red onion

2 cups chopped tomatoes (heirloom or cherry, I use what ever looks best from the garden)

2 tablespoons cappers

1 cup green olives

2 tablespoons basil

Cut the baguette into bite size cubes and toss on a cookie sheet with 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin oil. Toast bread at 350 degrees F until golden brown and set aside. In a large bowl, add the garlic, red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt, generous black pepper, remaining olive oil, and vinegar. Roast the bell peppers under the broiler or on a gas burner. Once the peppers are blackened, set aside to cool. Peel off most of the skin and remove the stem and seeds. Chop the roasted pepper and add to the bowl with the dressing. Finely chop the red onion and add to the bowl. Halve or cut the tomatoes into bite size pieces. Roughly chop the olives and add to the bowl. Add the cappers and toss thoroughly. About an hour before serving add the bread cubes and toss well. Taste to see if additional salt and/or pepper is needed. Finish with some fresh basil and serve at room temperature.

Flourless Floral Chocolate Cake

I have been attempting to make a chocolate earl grey cake using earl grey tea bags and steeping them in water or milk. They were delicious but never had enough of the tea flavor. The solution was an inexpensive bottle of bergamot oil. This cake is so moist, has such a rich chocolate flavor, and just a subtle floral note of earl grey from the bergamot oil. 

4 oz semi sweet chocolate

1/2 cup salted butter

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon bergamot oil

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch spring form pan and line the bottom circle of the pan with a greased sheet of parchment paper. Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over simmering water. Stir in the butter until the butter is completely melted into the chocolate. Remove from the heat and add the sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and bergamot oil. Temper the eggs by adding a spoonful of the chocolate mixture to the eggs, while continuously stirring. Add the tempered egg mixture to the chocolate and whisk together. Sift in the cocoa powder and whisk until combined. Pour the batter into the spring form pan and bake on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven. This cake is done when the middle no longer moves when shaking the pan. Let cool and remove the cake from the pan and paper. 

Grilled Heirloom Carrots

1 lb. heirloom carrots or top on carrots

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Course sea salt

Cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons thick aged balsamic vinegar

Heat the grill to medium high heat. Trim the carrot greens and toss the carrots in the oil, salt, and pepper. If a few of the carrots are larger than the rest slice them in half, length wise. Grill for about 4 minutes, rotate the carrots, and grill and additional 4 minutes, until you have horizontal grill marks. Remove the carrots from the heat and immediately toss in the vinegar while the carrots are still hot. Serve warm.