Monday May 04th, 2009

Roasted Asparagus with Walnut Crema and Pecorino

A-16 Asparagus

The memorable flavors of our recent meal at A-16 were still lingering in my mind when I read Orangette’s posting on a recipe from the new A-16: Food + Wine cookbook. The dish combined roasted asparagus, a creamy almost pesto-like walnut crema, and salty pecorino cheese. Still lamenting that I didn’t have room in my suitcase for the A-16 cookbook, I decided to give this a recipe a try right away.

A-16 Asparagus

The walnut crema came together easily, and I was quite surprised at the creamy and buttery texture which resulted from blanching the walnuts. Any initial trace of bitterness was removed through this process, and I think it would be a dish that even those who dislike walnuts could enjoy. We only used half the amount of asparagus called for since it was just the two of us, but I followed Molly’s lead and made all of the crema.

Roasting the asparagus was also quite simple. The method was very similar to my grilled asparagus, with equally tasty results. When the walnut crema and asparagus were combined with shavings of pecorino cheese resting on top, well, that is when things got interesting.

I took a bite of the walnut crema, it was creamy and really delicious. I took a bite of asparagus, the nice caramelized exterior provided a deep vegetable flavor. Then I took a bite of the two together…peanut butter and jelly. That’s right, instead of tasting a combination of the two separate parts they merged together in my mouth to create a flavor that my brain immediately labeled “peanut butter and jelly”. It was almost bizarre as I never would have expected those flavors out of walnuts and asparagus. Thinking maybe it was just me, I looked over at Mr. B and asked him, “Do you taste peanut butter and jelly?” He said, “Oh yeah. That’s weird.” It was weird and I’m still not sure why those flavors came out of the dish. It was enjoyable, just rather unexpected and hard to get past the surprise to appreciate the dish.

If this sounds intriguing I would encourage you to give it a try. Perhaps it would be a way to get kids to eat asparagus? Just tell them to close their eyes and open their mouth for a surprise!

As a side note, the leftover walnut crema disappeared quickly as Mr. B decided that it was great eaten like peanut butter- by the spoonfull!

Roasted Asparagus with Walnut Crema and Pecorino (Printable Recipe)
Recipe from Orangette, adapted from A-16: Food + Wine
Serves 6 (as a side dish)

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
1 ½ cups Raw walnuts
½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil, plus additional to drizzle on top
1 small Red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
3 bunches Fat asparagus (about 30 spears, total)
1 block Pecorino Romano or Pecorino Tartufo
Lemon wedges, optional

Directions:

Prepare the Walnut Crema

Place a medium pot of salted water over high heat. Bring water to a boil. Add walnuts to the pot and blanch until they are tender in the middle (about 10 minutes). Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water for later, and then drain the rest of the water off of the nuts.

Place a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and warm the oil briefly. Add in the red onion along with a pinch of kosher salt. Cook the onion gently until softened and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Set onion aside off the heat.

Using a food processor, place the walnuts, reserved cooking water, and onion into the bowl of the processor. Process until the contents are creamy in appearance. Taste the mixture and then add generous amount of salt, tasting as you add it to ensure the right balance of salt. Turn the processor back on, and while it is running slowly pour in 1/2 cup of olive oil until it is well blended. At this point the contents should resemble a creamy hummus in texture. If things look too thick, add a bit of water to thin it out. Taste the mixture one more time to make sure that it does not need additional salt, and then transfer it into a separate container with lid. You can cover the crema and keep it at room temperature or you can store it in the fridge for a few days before serving (just bring it to room temperature when you are ready to use it).

Prepare the Asparagus

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.

Rinse the asparagus spears, and snap off the tough ends (about 1″ from the thick bottom). Lay asparagus in a single layer on the baking sheets. Lightly drizzle the spears with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Use your hands to rub the asparagus around in the oil, making sure that all sides are well coated. Place sheets in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until asparagus is starting to blister and soften. While baking, shake the pan once or twice to roll the asparagus over and blister all sides of the spears.

When serving, spread the crema evenly across a large plate. Use tongs to transfer the asparagus spears on top of the crema while they are still hot. Quickly shave pecorino or tartufo on top of the asparagus, letting the residual heat of the spears slightly melt the cheese. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the entire dish. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top of the dish if so desired, and serve immediately.

 

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Friday May 01st, 2009

Curried Ham and Mayacoba Bean Salad

Curried Ham and Bean Salad

The week we returned from San Francisco I pulled out the beautiful bag of heirloom Mayacoba beans from Rancho Gordo and set to work. Wanting to create a recipe that would highlight the special qualities of the beans, I knew just where to turn for inspiration- 101 Cookbooks. Not only does Heidi have the incredible fortune of living just minutes away from the San Francisco farmer’s market, but she also is a culinary wizard when it comes to legumes and whole grains. Sure enough, Heidi had a recipe for a curried bean salad which married Rancho Gordo Mayacobas and lentils in a bright curry vinaigrette with mouthwatering results.

Rancho Gordo Mayacoba Beans

When I told Mr. B that we were going to have bean salad for dinner he seemed less than enthusiastic. It would be the second night in a row we were going meatless, and for a Midwestern guy that indicated we were flirting with starvation. So to make sure he didn’t wilt away I left out a portion of the beans, replacing them with diced ham. I have included the modification below but you can make this recipe vegetarian by using more beans and omitting the ham.

The resulting salad was really fantastic. We loved the firm yet creamy texture of the Mayacobas. Ham and red onion added a bit of salt and crunch to the salad, while the curry vinaigrette wrapped all the flavors together with a fragrant tang. (If you don’t have Mayacobas, Heidi says that this salad is excellent with all varieties of legumes- edamame, pebble beans, black beans, chickpeas, use whatever you have on hand! The recipe is so flexible you can even use canned beans with great results.)

The Mayacoba beans were definitely special. They provided a flavor and a texture that I have not encountered in typical white beans. Mr. B has a serious weakness for Italian white bean and escarole soup and he immediately started daydreaming about using the rest of our beans to make soup. One of the many cool things about all Rancho Gordo beans is that they are fertile and can be planted right in your backyard. I’m saving a dozen of the Mayacoba beans to seed in my garden to try and grow our own little crop this summer. Now all I need to do is figure out where to buy escarole seeds…

Curried Ham and Mayacoba Bean Salad (Printable Recipe)
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Serves 2 as a main course or 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

Salad
1 cup cooked beans (Use 3 cups if you are omitting the ham)
1 1/4 cups cooked ham, diced into 1/4″ cubes
1 cup cooked basic lentils (I used brown, but green or black would be even better)
1/2 medium red onion, sliced into thin half-circles
3/4 cups celery, strings removed and chopped into 1/4″ dice

Dressing
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of fine-grain sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (whichever brand you like best)
1-2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger (from 1-inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled)
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions:
If you are using dried beans, follow these instructions to cook them until just tender. If necessary, also cook the lentils until just tender. Instructions for basic lentils here.

In a large bowl, gently mix beans, ham, lentils, onion and celery until well combined.

In a medium bowl assemble the dressing by whisking together garlic, salt, curry powder, ginger, lemon juice, and olive oil. Taste the dressing to see if it needs more salt.

Pour half of the dressing over the bean mixture and toss well. Taste mixture, then continue adding the rest of the dressing, tasting as you go until it suits your palate. Be sure to add enough salt or the beans will taste dull and uninteresting. The addition of a little cracked pepper is also nice here. Once you are happy with the flavors, place the salad in a serving bowl and sprinkle cilantro on top to serve.

The salad can be served warm or room temperature.

 

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