Feature Ingredient: Harissa

Harissa-Spiced Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta 

with Swiss Chard & Red Onion 

Do you ever use harissa? On a recent whim, I bought a container of this Tunisian hot chili sauce. I am having a great deal of fun experimenting with it. Next time around, I will definitely try this homemade version from Saveur. I kept this recipe simple with a healthy dose of greens. However, this base recipe leaves plenty of room for experimentation with any of the optional ingredients suggested below.

Ingredients:
1/2 box fusilli pasta
1 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
1/2 large red onion, sliced
1/3-1/2 cup harissa
salt & pepper, to taste
kalamata olives (optional)
pine nuts (optional)
1 can of chick peas (optional)
sliced chicken breast (optional)
fresh chopped parsley (optional)
4 oz goat cheese (optional)
1 cup diced roasted sweet potatoes (optional)
yield: 3 servings

1. bring a large salted pot of water to a boil & cook pasta according to package directions. 

2. meanwhile, saute the swiss chard & red onions in olive oil. add a pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness of the onions as they cook. 

3. drain the cooked pasta. add in the sauteed swiss chard, red onion, and 1/4 cup harissa. stir to combine. taste & adjust to desired heat level, adding 1 tbsp harissa at a time.

4. have fun experimenting with any or all of the optional ingredients!

Harissa and Sweet Potatoes

there is something particularly satisfying about the combination of harissa and sweet potatoes. check here, here, and here for some inspiration.

Harissa and Proteins

BBC's Good Food recipe index demonstrates how harissa can really shine with meat and seafood dishes as well, including chicken, prawns, salmon, and lamb. 

Feature Ingredient: Spring Greens

Pea Shoots

In DC, we seemed to have skipped straight from winter into summer. Either way, one thing that is really special about this time of year (besides the cherry blossoms!) are fresh spring greens. On a recent trip to Whole Foods, I was attracted to a box of pea shoots. I had no real plans for them nor even knowledge of how to use them, but suspected that these could inspire something interesting. So here goes.

They taste just like fresh spring peas, go figure. But their shape allows for a wide variety of uses, in much the same way one might use baby spinach - raw or sauteed, salads or soups or even sandwiches. Really the only limitation here is your imagination. I decided to lightly saute these with sliced garlic & a bit of olive oil. Afterwards, I tossed the sauteed pea shoots with some basil pesto we happened to have on hand. This was superb & the pesto helped lend a light nutty flavor.

Encouraged by these results, I experimented a bit more. We happened to have a sweet potato on hand, which inspired me to try a variation of a stuffed potato. I baked the sweet potato for about 45 minutes, until tender to the touch of a fork & then scooped out the orange insides.

I mixed the sweet potato insides with a generous handful of raw chopped pea shoots, approximately 1 tbsp mayo, 1/2 tsp sriracha, and a bit of salt & pepper.

Then we filled the sweet potato skins with this mixture & topped with pea shoots wilted with olive oil & garlic on the skillet. 

We served both the garlicky, sauteed pea shoots with pesto and the stuffed sweet potatoes with steamed cod (more or less following the recipe found here). Some flaky Maldon salt proved all the garnish this combination required. These results were light, refreshing & a nice welcome into a new season of flavors. 

Dont let your creativity expire with these few suggestions, check out some other enticing offerings here. Happy weekend all - any special plans? What's cooking this weekend? 

Feature Ingredient

Buddha's Hand Salad 

Striking, eh? Buddha's Hand plant is a citron variety. The origin of the this plant can be traced back to Northeastern India & China. I found mine at Whole Foods. And it was quite the attention grabber. 

In Buddhist tradition this beautiful fruit is used as a religious offering. It is said that Buddha prefers the "fingers" of the fruit to resemble a closed hand rather than an open one, as closed hands symbolize to Buddha the act of prayer. 

I paid homage to the fruit in the form of a zesty salad dressing. The finger-like fruit has the same waxy texture as a lemon, while the inside of the fruit is all pith. There is no juicy pulp as is typical with most citrus fruits, making its culinary uses perplexing. However the fruit is gushing with fragrance and the zest from the rind makes for a spectacular addition to a salad dressing. 

ingredients:

1 Buddha hand 

1 tbsp olive oil

1.5 tsp white wine vinegar
1 lemon 

2-3 fresh thyme sprigs, minced

salt and pepper to taste

yield: 3 oz

1. using a microplane or a fine grater, grate the zest off of the fingers of the Buddha hand over a bowl. pull apart the fingers as necessary

2. squeeze the base of the fruit, where the fingers meet, to gather any juice

3. while whisking, slowly pour olive oil over the rind & juice. add white wine vinegar & continue to whisk, add juice from one lemon & continue to whisk

4. pull leaves off of thyme sprigs & finely mince (I swear by the Wusthof Santoku knife). add to dressing, stir

5. add salt and pepper to taste. white pepper lends a nice, subtle flavor here

6. toss dressing with 1 small container baby romaine leaves, segments from 4 clementine oranges & 1/2 cup crushed hazelnuts. serves 4 as a side salad. some roasted beets and goat cheese would also pair nicely to make more of a complete meal.

other possibilities:

Buddha Gremolata

Chop together the zest from one Buddha Hand with a generous handful of fresh parsley & garlic until everything is finely minced. Add a grind or two of black pepper and strew over roasted or braised meats, pasta dishes or grilled seafoods & vegetables.

Buddha Roast Chicken

Stuff the cavity of a whole chicken with several Buddha fingers, 1 quartered onion, several fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs & 1 clove of garlic coarsely chopped. Salt and pepper the chicken. Roast chicken until cooked through. If using 1/2 chicken, line roasting pan with the above ingredients and lay the 1/2 chicken on top and squeeze lemon juice all over.

Buddha Gin Cocktail

Use fingers as a garnish with a gin cocktail - rub Buddha rind around the rim of the glass, twist & add finger to 1 oz of gin. serve up or on the rocks.