Summertime Grilling

As much as I love summer and barbeques, I had never grilled before. I was perfectly content preparing the items for grilling—skewering veggies and marinating chicken. But, I grilled for the first time last weekend. It was a gas grill, so it was super easy to regulate the temperature. And I realized that with a few select ingredients, grilling is SUPER simple. You don’t even need any fancy marinades. I simply sprinkled all of the veggies and seafood with seasoning salt, and then brushed them with an olive oil that’s especially made for grilling. I was even warned that the shrimp or salmon may stick to the grill, but with this made-for-grilling olive oil, i had no issues, and everything was soooooo delicious!

I grilled a mix of vegetables and seafood. And the olive oil was the perfect complement for each item. For veggies, we had zucchini, tomatoes, bell pepper and corn. For seafood, we had shrimp and salmon. I skewered some lemon halves and grilled them as well. If you have never grilled lemons, do it. It makes the lemons super juicy, and perfect for squirting all over that delicious grilled seafood.

What I loved most about this was the simplicity. Just seasoning and olive oil. I used a creole season salt, but Lawry’s season all, or even just salt and pepper would work well. I think grilling is best when the veggie’s flavors are being enhanced—not masked.

Summertime Grilling

1 cup Filippo Berio Olive Oil for Sauteing & Grilling
Seasoning Salt
Pepper
Assorted veggies and seafood

Heat the grill according to its directions. Place seafood and vegetables on skewers. Sprinkle with seasoning salt and pepper. Place olive oil in a small bowl. Generously brush olive oil onto both sides of the veggies and seafood. Place on grill and cook until cooked through.

Keep Calm & Cook On Podcast + Blog Her Photos

I recently recorded a podcast with none other than the Julia Turshen. Julia is one of those rare humans who is not only super talented, but also cares about people in the most genuine way. She came by my home a few weeks ago with all of her podcast equipment in tow. We ended up having the most candid conversation about everything— food, books… life. Click here to listen!

Roasted Ramps & Shallots in Olive Oil

If an onion and a garlic had a baby, it would be a ramp.

There’s no surprise that food lovers all around get excited for ramp season. They grow in the wild and can be foraged. (They’re also known as “wild leeks.”) . I picked up a bunches at the farmer’s market last week and was then faced with the “what do I do with these ramps?!” dilemma.

I decided to roast them, fully submerged in olive oil. Both a win for the ramps, and a win for the olive oil. I’ll have some nice caramelized ramps, and I’ll also have some super flavorful olive oil to jazz up any and everything I cook over the next couple of weeks. I also added some shallots and young green garlic (which looks like a spring onion!) .

I love simple cooking techniques that elevate ingredients. I submerged the alliums in two cups of olive oil and roasted them in the oven at 400 for 40 minutes, a technique that makes the ramps and shallots nice and caramelized, while also flavoring the olive oil. I used Filippo Berio’s “Delicato” Extra Virgin Olive Oil for its particularly mild flavor so that the essence of the ramps would be really vibrant in the olive oil. I learned about this technique of roasting a few veggies in a ton of olive oil from Alison Roman’s Dining In. I also added a bit of salt and pepper for seasoning.

Once the warming aroma of ramps fills your home, it’s time to remove them from the oven. I let them cool for a while, then stuck the ramps and scallions in a large mason jar. I then funneled the olive oil right into the mason jar along with them. I have used this flavored olive oil when scrambling my eggs, drizzling over grain bowls or pasta… any and everything! And i just grabbed the ramps and shallots whole out of the jar to accompany my protein with dinner.

Roasted Ramps in Olive Oil Recipe

Ramps, shallots, young green garlic, sliced in half (about 2 pounds total)
2 cups extra virgin olive oil (I used Filippo Berio’s “Delicato”)
salt
pepper

Place the halved ramps, shallots, and young green garlic in a shallow casserole dish. Pour the olive oil on top (It’s ok if the veggies aren’t completely submerged). Bake at 400 for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Store the veggies completely submerged in the oil. A large mason jar works great for this. You can store in the refrigerator for two weeks. The oil may solidify in the fridge, but it is so flavorful and will make all of your dishes that call for olive oil so much more tasty!

This post was generously sponsored by Filippo Berio.

Fiddlehead and Feta Quiche

There is no surer sign of spring for this New Yorker than seeing fiddlehead ferns at the farmer’s market. The spring equinox may have been six weeks ago, but it has since snowed and just been all around cold!. I may not be able to trust the calendar, but I can trust what produce is in season. Fiddleheads have a super short season— they transform (and unfurl!) as spring melts into summer. These funky, transformative little veggies are a great symbol of metamorphosis. Everything is in a state of flux, and each stop along the journey can be delicious.

Fiddleheads have a mild taste, but have some bite to them like the crunch in asparagus. I’ve been spending so much time baking bread, I’m always looking for a quick weeknight meal. I blanched the fiddleheads and put them in a quiche with some feta and green onions in a whole wheat crust. It was super easy to make since I had some pie crust in the fridge already. I blanched the fiddleheads and parbaked the whole wheat crust. I then whisked 5 eggs with a quarter cup of heavy cream, a half cup of crumbled feta, salt, pepper and spring onions. I poured the mixture into the crust and then arranged the blanched fiddleheads on top.

I baked the quiche at 350 for 25 minutes, and it came out just perfect. Serve it with some greens and a simple vinaigrette. You can even throw any leftover fiddleheads that didn’t make it into the quiche into the salad.

Fiddlehead and Feta Quiche Recipe

1 cup fiddleheads
1 par-baked tart crust
5 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped spring onions

Wash the fiddleheads thoroughly. Blanche the fiddleheads by placing them in boiling water and cooking for one minute. Drain and let cool.

Meanwhile, parbake the wheat crust to ensure that there is no soggy bottom. If you are using a store-bought pie crust, you don’t have to parbake.

Preheat the oven to 350. Whisk the eggs, cream, salt and pepper until combined. Add the spring onions and feta and combine. Pour into the tart pan. Arrange the fiddleheads on top. Bake for 23-25 minutes, until set.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove from the tart pan and enjoy! This quiche can also be enjoyed at room temperature.

Blood Orange Olive Oil Pound Cake

This blood orange olive oil pound cake manages to be light and spongy, bursting with citrus flavor, and is incredibly moist. In fact, this cake is a fool-proof super moist cake, and that’s because of one ingredient: olive oil. The secret is out: oil makes for moist cakes— not butter. The blood orange zest and juice pairs exceptionally well with the olive oil, offering a fresh, delicious flavor combination.

Pound cakes are pretty versatile— they can be made in loaf pans or bundt pans. I love bundt pans because they make simple cakes look effortlessly beautiful! Bundt cakes can be a little tricky though, because they can be a pain to unmould. I’ve found two tips to help release the cake from a bundt pan: (1) Spray the bundt pan generously with baking spray with flour. (2) Let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Then, run a small spatula or butter knife around the edge, and unmould. Don’t let the cake just sit in the pan until it cools completely. Plus, I recently discovered that Filippo Berio makes an olive oil just for baking— extra light tasting olive oil. The olive oil taste is incredibly mild, which is perfect for the subtle orange flavor.

Making this cake is truly a piece of cake! I like for all of my ingredients to be room temperature, including the eggs and milk. First, add the eggs to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, whisk on medium high. Then,, sprinkle in the granulated sugar and orange zest. Keep whisking on medium high until the mixture transforms from liquidy to thick and pale colored. I then whisked in the olive oil, and added the dry ingredients—cake flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt—alternating with the milk. That’s it! Pour into the bundt and bake about 50 minutes. Making the icing was even easier—I mixed powdered sugar with freshly squeezed blood orange juice and then drizzled it on once the cake had cooled.

This recipe makes a beautiful, delicious, incredibly moist. The hands on prep time is about 20 minutes. You can make this cake start to finish, including cooling time and icing it, in less than two hours. Now, that’s my kind of cake!

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

Cake:

5 large eggs
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
Zest from 2 blood oranges
2/3 cup Filippo Berio olive oil
2 teaspoons extract (orange or vanilla)
1 teaspoon salt
1 and 3/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cups almond flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
juice from 1-2 blood oranges

Preheat the oven to 325 F and prepare the bundt cake pan by coating with baking spray with flour. Combine the cake flour, almond flour and baking powder in a bowl. Use a hand whisk or fork to combine and break up any clumps.

Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whisk on medium high until combined, about one minute. Drizzle in the granulated sugar and orange zest. Continue whisking on medium high until thick and pale, about three minutes.

Add the olive oil, extract, and salt and whisk until combined. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture and milk, alternating, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined. Pour into the bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes.

The cake is ready when a toothpick or skewer inserted into the deepest part of the pan comes out completely clean. Remove the bundt from the oven and cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Run a small spatula or butter knife around the edges of the bundt pan—both outer and inner. Invert the bundt cake onto the cooling rack and let cool completely.

Once the cake has cooled, prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar with enough freshly squeezed juice so that it’s thick, but will still drizzle down the cake. If the glaze is too runny, add a little powdered sugar. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add a little more orange juice. Spoon the glaze over the cake. You can serve immediately. Or, keep wrapped up until you’re ready to serve.

This cake is a winner all on its own and doesn’t need any extras to dress it up! Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from King Arthur Flour.

Hope to see you in May in Santa Fe and Brooklyn!

I’m excited to announce that I will be speaking at BlogHer in Brooklyn on May 8th! There’s an amazing lineup of women, and it will be a full day of inspiration, learning, and of course food!

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ALSO, we are getting closer and closer to the annual IACP conference in Santa Fe! This year’s conference runs from May 16th - May 19th. I attended last year and in a few short hours, I met some amazing cookbook authors, bloggers, and other culinary professionals. I made some amazing industry connections in such a short period! I hope to see some of you there!