Simple Measure

Happy Easter, folks. No brunch thing for us this year. Jared had to work today, so we decided to do the festive thing last night. It was swell— I tried my hand at homemade bloody mary mix. Spicy and good! (Do: garnish these babies with Rick’s Mean Beans).

It was my favorite kind of party. Casual. Good friends came by. Records were played— sparking some inspired late night dancing (errrr sorry, downstairs neighbors…) And yup, good food was had.

All day I was convinced there wouldn’t be enough to eat. And I was (so) totally wrong. Throw in some celery and olives and bloodies are practically a meal themselves. And between my cooking and contributions from Brock, Megan, Sarah and Corey, there was more than enough delicious stuff to go around.

My goal for the evening: spending as little time at the stove as possible. So everything I made was super light on the prep work. And when you want easy and impressive, puff pastry’s got your back.

For the filling: savory carmelized onions and Manchego cheese to balance the sweetness of fig jam. Wrap it all up in pre-made puff pastry and all you’ve got to do is pop it in the oven and wait for the goldeny goodness.

Cut up into squares, it’s an appetizer. Or serve larger slices with salad, and you’ve got yourself a nice meal.

Fig and Manchego Puff Pastry
Manchego is a cave-aged sheep’s milk cheese from the La Mancha region of Spain. You can find it in any store that has a good selection of international cheeses.

1 package frozen puff pastry

5 oz Manchego

3+ Tbs fig jam

1 medium sweet onion, sliced thin

2 Tbs butter, plus extra for greasing the baking sheet

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Thaw the puff pastry according to package directions.

2. Melt 2 Tbs butter in a medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook over low heat until they’re very soft and beginning to brown, about 20 – 25 minutes.

3. While the onions are cooking, cut the Manchego into thin slices.

4. Grease a baking sheet with butter and carefully unfold the puff pastry on it. Spread the fig jam over one side of the pastry, covering it evenly. I didn’t measure how much I used, but I’m guessing it came to about 3 Tbs. You’re looking for a thick layer. Layer half the Manchego over the jam, then layer the onions on. Top with the remaining cheese.

5. Fold the other half of the pastry on top of the filling. Wet your finger with water and gently pinch down the edges to seal the packet.

6. Put the pastry in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 30 minutes until fully cool. Slice into small squares and serve.

Serves 10 as an appetizer.

I’ve learned from my years of being a vegetarian the pleasure of eating food that’s in season. Often you have to pay attention or you’ll miss your chance to enjoy delicacies when they briefly appear at the market.

Recently it was Meyer lemons and fiddleheads, and at the end of the summer we can look forward to fresh corn and heirloom tomatoes. But for all my awareness of what’s going on down at the farm, it never occurred to me to look at cheese in a seasonal light.

It seems obvious, right? Animals that produce the best milk are grazing on the new grasses of spring or the lush pastures of summer. The cheese created from this milk is either eaten while fresh, or if the recipe calls for it, after it has been aged a few months. So, a cheese has an optimal time to be enjoyed, just like the summer tomato.

I really didn’t know that.

I thought good cheese was something I could have anytime I wanted, my wallet permitting. Turns out when some items appear in the cheese cooler, you had better grab a piece no matter what state your finances are in.

Take the Burrata that recently showed up at work. It’s an extremely perishable cow’s milk cheese from the south of Italy. It is rarely seen outside of its region, let alone in the Midwest.

Burrata is pulled mozzarella wrapped around fresh ricotta that when cut, oozes and pools little puddles of watery goodness everywhere.

The texture is both chewy from the mozzarella and creamy from the ricotta. It’s mellow, smooth, and meant to be enjoyed the day it is made. In Chicago, the best I could do was buy one as soon as possible to share with Erin and Jared.

Burrata is packaged in a plastic bag adorned with the leaf of an Italian wildflower, the asphodel. To serve, first unwrap then drain off the excess water and slide the cheese onto a cutting board.

I served it with crusty bread and extra virgin olive oil, but Burrata’s mild flavor would also be complimented with roasted red peppers or tomatoes.

If you can find one of these babies, don’t hesitate. Just buy.

I also want to recommend for anyone interested in good cheese that they purchase Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins. We have a copy kicking around work for reference and I recently purchased my own copy to read at home. I’ve found it extremely useful and instructive.

The information is arranged by country and region, and highlights famous cheeses and ones that you’d be hard pressed to find. Definitely a must have for cheese enthusiasts!

Okay — so I like hummus.

When Erin called me and asked if I could make my hummus for her Christmas party, I thought: that’s all? It’s so easy. It’s nice to be called upon to make a party favorite, and after a bit of tweaking, I think that this might just be the perfect recipe. I know it’s not hard to make, but the proportions need to be accurate. I tend to go for intense, lemony hummus, but Erin liked this more mellow blend that allowed the flavors to shine through. It still has plenty of zing, but it doesn’t assault the tastebuds.

I had hummus for the first time when I was twenty and living in England. When I left for Canterbury Erin had been doing all the cooking for us, so it was with some trepidation that she sent me off to fend for myself. Remember those cheese and onion sandwiches, E? Well, when I got to England my diet consisted of baked potatoes, broccoli, tomato soup, cheese sandwiches, and some some cornflakes thrown in for breakfast. It was in search for something different that I found myself in a cute little old health food store off of High Street. And that’s where I bought my first tub of hummus. Tangy, creamy, and delicious, I had found my favorite food of all time. I must have eaten my weight in hummus every week — and my roomates definitely teased me for it. But who cares for public opinion when one is in love?

When I got back to the States, I eagerly sought out the store brands of the stuff. Much to my dismay they were mere shadows of the English kind. Either mysteriously chunky and bland, or completely blended out of recognition, they were more like dip than actual hummus. After tasting so many boring versions, I gave up on ever having the good stuff again. It took years (and aquiring a food processor) for me to realize that I no longer had to miss out.

I like to make double batches of hummus so that nobody goes hungry — and so I can have leftovers. I serve it with the requisite carrots, celery, and pita. Please note that though this recipe makes great hummus, it is eminently adaptable. Try less garlic if the idea of raw garlic makes you cringe. This is a slightly(!) lowfat version, but for more authenticity serve it with a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Meg’s Favorite Hummus

1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, with liquid reserved

1 clove minced garlic

1 1/2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs tahini

2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs cumin

1 Tsp paprika

1 Tbs reserved chickpea liquid

Add all ingredients to bowl of food processor and blend until creamy. Add more olive oil, lemon juice, or reserved chickpea water to achieve the desired consistancy.

One last note: using dried chickpeas instead of the canned variety makes wonderful, nutty hummus with a great flavor. But if you’re dashing into the kitchen to make a party appetizer in twenty minutes, you won’t want to boil chickpeas for two hours. I like to use Goya brand chickpeas because they have better flavor and texture than the organic kinds. This recipe is for a single batch, which will definitely be enough for one party — even one with hummus lovers. But I recommend doubling to end up with extra!