Sun

Earlier this week, while flipping through Danielle Kartes’s new book, Rustic Joyful Food: My Heart’s Table , I spotted a recipe I hoped might put to use the half jar of sun-dried tomatoes sitting in my fridge.

The recipe was for a pesto, something Danielle says she smears over “bread or fish or uses as an accompaniment to Brie and cured olives.” It called for many of the usual pesto players: garlic, nuts, parmesan, olive oil, and fresh lemon.

But what struck me about the recipe was the absence of herbs. In their place, Danielle uses spinach. How interesting? I thought. A winter pesto made with pantry ingredients and easy-to-find, low-maintenance spinach — how nice?

I made the pesto that evening as well as some focaccia crostini to serve alongside. Friends, it was irresistible. I had a hard time not polishing off the entire bowl.

I had made the pesto with the intention of clearing out the fridge, but several days later, I found myself opening a new jar of sun-dried tomatoes to make another batch of pesto. Twice this week, between running around getting the kids to hockey practice and trying to prepare for the holidays, this pesto crostini aside soft-boiled eggs or various leftovers scrounged from the fridge became dinner.

I’m not suggesting you make pesto for dinner, but I do think you should make this sometime soon — it’s perfect for holiday entertaining as it takes no time to blitz together. Serve it with crackers or crostini (directions below), or as part of any spread of holiday appetizers you may find yourself assembling in the weeks to come.

PS: 19 Festive Appetizers

PPS: How to Assemble a Cheese Board

Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients.

Heap them all, with the exception of the olive oil, into a food processor.

Pulse until everything is finely chopped, but not puréed.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and stir in the olive oil.

Store in the fridge or serve immediately with…

… toasty bread! Slice up day-old bread , drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. (This is focaccia .)

Bake at 450ºF for 7- 10 minutes or until golden.

Smear the sun-dried tomato pesto over top…

… or serve alongside.

Description

From Danielle Kartes’s Rustic Joyful Food: My Heart’s Table

for the pesto:

• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 3/4 cup (1.5 – 2 oz ) Parmigiano Regiano, grated or coarsely chopped
• 3 cups ( 2.5 – 3 oz) spinach
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon, plus more to taste
• fresh cracked pepper to taste
• sea salt to taste
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

for the crostini:

• day- or days-old bread, sliced thinly
• olive oil
• sea salt

1. To make the pesto: Place the almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, spinach, garlic, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Season with pepper to taste and a few pinches sea salt.
2. Pulse 10 to 15 times until the mixture is finely chopped but not completely puréed. Scrape down the processor and pulse again if necessary. Transfer contents to a bowl.
3. Stir half a cup of olive oil into the mixture. Taste. Add more olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper to taste. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.
4. To make the crostini: Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place the thinly sliced bread on a sheet pan. Drizzle lightly all over with olive oil. Season lightly with sea salt. Transfer pan to the oven and toast for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Spread
• Method: Food Processor
• Cuisine: American/Italian

Description

From Danielle Kartes’s Rustic Joyful Food: My Heart’s Table

for the pesto:

• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 3/4 cup (1.5 – 2 oz ) Parmigiano Regiano, grated or coarsely chopped
• 3 cups ( 2.5 - 3 oz) spinach
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon, plus more to taste
• fresh cracked pepper to taste
• sea salt to taste
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

for the crostini:

• day- or days-old bread, sliced thinly
• olive oil
• sea salt

1. To make the pesto: Place the almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, spinach, garlic, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Season with pepper to taste and a few pinches sea salt.
2. Pulse 10 to 15 times until the mixture is finely chopped but not completely puréed. Scrape down the processor and pulse again if necessary. Transfer contents to a bowl.
3. Stir half a cup of olive oil into the mixture. Taste. Add more olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper to taste. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.
4. To make the crostini: Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place the thinly sliced bread on a sheet pan. Drizzle lightly all over with olive oil. Season lightly with sea salt. Transfer pan to the oven and toast for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Spread
• Method: Food Processor
• Cuisine: American/Italian

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2019/12/13/sun-dried-tomato-and-spinach-pesto-with-crostini/

This homemade ranch dip is adapted from an Alison Roman recipe and uses Greek yogurt as the base in place of labne. It’s topped with a sizzling and spicy oil made with scallions, red pepper flakes, and cilantro — truly irresistible!

This recipe is not the result of a mission to create a homemade ranch dip or even to make a “healthier” ranch dip by subbing in Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise and sour cream.

Rather it is simply the first recipe I spotted in Alison Roman’s new book, Nothing Fancy , that spoke to me. In Nothing Fancy , it’s called “labne with sizzled scallions and chile”, and it’s described as a “very high-brow version of ranch dressing.”

Truthfully, its resemblance to ranch dressing had little appeal — I’m not really a ranch fan — but I took one bite and thought: yes, almost ranch indeed! And also: holy buckets this is delicious! And then: So maybe I am a ranch fan after all?

Hard to say, but what is not hard is making this dip, and should you be in search of something to serve as an appetizer, I think this should be in the running. Served with this homemade pita bread recipe , crackers, or crudité, I have no doubt it will be wildly received.

Overview: How to Make Homemade Ranch Dip

This recipe couldn’t be simpler. In essence, you:

1. Stir together labne or Greek yogurt with fresh lemon juice and salt; smear this yogurt-sauce over a platter.
2. Heat olive oil with crushed red pepper flakes, scallions, and cilantro in a skillet.
3. When the greens and chilies begin to frizzle, pour the oil over the yogurt sauce. Resist the urge to stir; allow the oil to pool in the valleys of the yogurt sauce.
4. Serve immediately with crudité or crackers or whatever you like.

Incidentally, I first made this dip upon returning from my parent’s house with a hunk of beef tenderloin in tow but without a lick of horseradish sauce to go with it. This homemade ranch dip so nicely complemented the meat and made me wonder: what else, apart from crackers and crudité, might be nice to serve it with?

I’m thinking: roasted vegetables of all kind, grilled or roasted chicken, or a heap of crispy chickpeas.

5 More Dips to Try

• Real Sour Cream and Onion Dip
• Maydan’s Beet Dip with Labneh and Za’atar
• Black Olive Tapenade
• Tzatziki with Cucumber
• Spicy Cashew Dip or Dressing

Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients:

Chop a small bundle of cilantro, stems and all, to yield a couple of tablespoons:

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet with cilantro, scallions, and crushed red pepper flakes.

When the greens and chili flakes begin to frizzle, it’s done.

Combine 1 cup Greek yogurt with a half teaspoon kosher salt and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.

Smear the yogurt sauce over a serving dish.

Get ready to assemble by carefully pouring the scallion oil…

… over the yogurt sauce.

Serve with vegetables or chips or crackers or whatever you like.

Description

This homemade ranch dip is adapted from an Alison Roman recipe and uses Greek yogurt as the base in place of labne. Topped with a sizzling and spicy oil made with scallions, red pepper flakes, and cilantro, it’s truly irresistible!

A few notes:

• The original recipe calls for labne, which can be difficult to find. I find Greek yogurt works just as well. I like the Fage 5%.

• 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes offers a nice kick, but if you are sensitive to heat, consider starting with 1/4 teaspoon

• For serving, I especially love the way endive tastes with this dip, but serve it with any vegetables you like. If you can find Little Gems, which are like miniature heads of Romaine lettuce, that would be ideal, otherwise, use Romaine — the smaller, sturdier, inner leaves are perfect here, but outer leaves can be chopped into smaller pieces and work just as well. Treviso is another great option. Watermelon radishes are so pretty, if you can find them. Small, turnips are another great option.

• 1 cup Greek yogurt

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, see notes above

• 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

• flaky sea salt

For serving (see notes above):

• endive, quartered through the core or cut into sixths
• Romaine leaves
• radishes, quartered
• carrots, cut into sticks
• chips or crackers

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the yogurt, lemon, and salt. Transfer the yogurt sauce to a shallow bowl or plate or serving platter. Use the back of a spoon to spread the sauce across the bowl, creating shallow peaks and valleys in the yogurt — the sizzling oil will pool in these crevices.
2. Heat the oil, scallions, crushed red pepper flakes, and cilantro in a small skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the scallions and red pepper flakes start to visually and audibly sizzle and frizzle. Season with a pinch of sea salt and remove from the heat.
3. Carefully pour the scallion oil over the yogurt sauce. If necessary, hold the bowl and turn it to allow the oil to spread evenly over the yogurt sauce — resist the urge to try to combine the yogurt sauce with the oil for two reasons: 1. It won’t incorporate very well, and 2. It doesn’t look very pretty.
4. Serve immediately with vegetables or chips or whatever you like.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Dip
• Method: Stir
• Cuisine: American