Penne Puttanesca

My small person turned 2 on Friday so our weekend was a flurry of Minnie Mouse-Disney Princess-cake-and-ice cream. I am constantly flabbergasted by how quickly she is learning and changing. Amazing little creature - she's got a new word almost every day and she's starting to utter those hilarious phrases that only a toddler can produce. For instance, she recently learned that mommy and daddy have first names so she likes to shout those out from time to time. Her new favorite is to tell us to eat when we have food in front of us - probably because she hears us telling her to do the same. Yesterday, she was playing with one of her babies and put it in her new play high chair. She ran to the kitchen for a dish and spoon and as she was running back, she yelled to baby, "No crying, food coming!" I almost fell down laughing to hear this tiny little person sounding so like an adult...

Needless to say I continue to enjoy motherhood...

But actually enjoying motherhood means spending less time in the kitchen. I'm fine with that as long as we can still have good, homemade food. This puttanesca takes minutes to make. I threw it together in the morning after I dropped her at daycare and then all I had to do was cook the pasta at dinnertime. I used to hate Puttanesca but now I love it once in awhile - briny olives, a hint of anchovy - it's a nice change from traditional tomato sauce...


Penne Puttanesca
adapted from Eat this Book by Tyler Florence

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 canned anchovies, rinsed
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
3 tbsp capers, drained
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano style, crushed by hand
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 pound dried penne

Put a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the anchovies until they seem to dissolve in the oil. Add the olives, red pepper flakes, and capers, and let that cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.

Toss in the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a low simmer. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheese. Recipe can be prepared ahead up to this point. Reheat sauce before serving.

Bring a big pot of lightly salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and dump it into a big pasta bowl. At the same time, bring the sauce back to a simmer. Pour it over the drained pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Olive and goat cheese tart

Lately I've been seeing a lot of fabulous recipes on other blogs - I've been bookmarking them like mad and have actually found time to try a few. The ingredients in this one should leave no guesses as to why I decided to give it a try: olives, goat cheese and rosemary. Need I say more?? Oh and it's also from Todd English. Several years ago, we dined at Olives in New York. Thus began my love affair with Todd English. I will never forget the olive tapenade that was served at the start of the meal-  everything was delicious (including the martinis!).



The tapenade features in his recipe, but would be just as good slathered on bread, sandwiches, etc. The original recipe, which I got from Kate's Kitchen, calls for anchovy filets. I substituted anchovy paste because I had it on hand. And I may have bumped up the amount of goat cheese...

Served with grilled rack of lamb and a fennel, arugula and mixed baby tomato salad, we agreed this was the best dinner we've had since our daughter was born. We finished the leftover tart last night with some grilled chicken and it was still delicious. This recipe will be made again and again in my kitchen!



Olive & Goat Cheese Tart

1 T unsalted butter

1 large or 2 small onions, very thinly sliced
1 recipe black olive paste (follows)
1 recipe tart dough (follows)
1/2 c kalamata and cracked green olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 c crumbled goat cheese

For the crust:
1 1/8 c flour
1 1/2 t sugar
1/4 t kosher salt
1/4 c cold water
8 T unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces

Black olive paste:
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. anchovy paste

Make the dough:
Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the water through the tube and pulse again. Keep the processor running and add the butter one piece at a time until the dough forms a ball. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes.



Make the black olive paste:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it forms a paste.



Make the tart:
Melt the butter in a pan and saute the onions until caramelized.
Preheat oven to 450F. Press the tart dough into the bottom and up the sides of a tart pan. Spread the olive paste evenly over the bottom, then top with the caramelized onions. Sprinkle the chopped olives over the onions and finish by crumbling the goat cheese over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is beginning to brown.

Fried Olive Bread

Greek food always takes me back to Santorini, Crete and our honeymoon. In the summer, I love to have Greek yogurt with honey for breakfast - I sit out on the deck, and while the view is nothing like that on the Caldera, I get a reminder of the beauty of those islands. The weather's not ready for that yet, so I made 4 Greek dishes for dinner on Sunday. This recipe is the first of them. Check back over the next week for the rest of the meal, and then give them a try at home for your own little Greek getaway.

This was the last piece of the meal I chose. I NEVER make bread. Ladyberd confession: yeast is my nemesis. Perhaps because my mom never made bread, perhaps because I've never really tried, or (my favorite excuse) it's just too cold in my kitchen for the dough to rise properly. (I'm sure that's it - it couldn't be something I'm doing!)

But as I flipped through my Greek cooking bible: Vefa's Kitchen, I stumbled across a picture of Fried Olive Bread from Cyprus. Little pieces of bread stuffed with Kalamata olives. Yes, please! As I watched my dough, I was a little nervous about how they'd turn out, but they were great - they cook up quickly and rapid rise yeast made it a quick and painless process. The measurements below are half the original. It made about 12 pieces - enough for 4 people with a meal or two if you're serving it as an appetizer.

And an extra-yummy hint: dip them in a little tzatziki. Mmmmmm.



Fried Olive Bread from Cyprus
adapted from Vefa's Kitchen

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/4 Tbsp. rapid rise yeast
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. Olive oil, plus more for frying
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

Sift the flour into a bowl, then stir in the yeast. Make a well in the middle and pour in the honey, oil and water. Incorporate the dry ingredients and knead to a soft pliable dough, adding more flour if necessary (I didn't add anymore).

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour until doubled in volume. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle the olives over it, leaving a bit or a border around the outside. Roll up tightly.

Using a floured knife, cut the roll crosswise into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Flatten each piece with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick. Let rise about 15 minutes.



Coat the bottom of a heavy skillet or frying pan with olive oil (you want a thick coating, but not too deep). Heat over medium heat. Working in batches, add the bread slices and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. (You can also bake them for about 15 minutes at 350F - I fried them, so not sure how the result would differ). Remove from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately.