It’s an unlikely scenario—early season vegetables cooked at a low simmer to amplify their fresh flavors—but it works.
To create stovetop Brussels sprouts that were deeply browned on the cut sides while still bright green on the uncut sides and crisp-tender within, we started the sprouts in a cold skillet with plenty of oil and cooked them covered. This gently heated the sprouts and created a steamy environment that cooked them through without adding any extra moisture. We then removed the lid and continued to cook the sprouts cut sides down so they had time to develop a substantial, caramelized crust. Using enough oil to completely coat the skillet ensured that all the sprouts made full contact with the fat to brown evenly from edge to edge.
This takes just 15 minutes to make and I cook it very often at home because it’s simple, light and healthy and it’s full of flavour. This is a Spanish version of a Chinese stir-fry.
Using a mix of vegetable oil and extra-virgin olive oil is crucial to the flavor of the aïoli.
Buy fresh organic cherry tomatoes if possible and feel free to use the golden or orange varieties; they taste slightly different (sweeter, less acidic) and add color and excitement. Stay away from the pear or grape versions. These are meant to show off their unusual shapes and are best enjoyed raw.
I love this dish, a rich savory pie made with whatever greens I find at the farmers’ market. I’ve made it with kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, radish tops, beet greens, half a bunch of parsley—if it’s green and leafy, it’s going in the torta! A generous amount of olive oil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano enriches the greens and prevents the torta from feeling too restrained, too healthful. Serve thin wedges of this as a starter.
This recipe takes its inspiration from France’s classic onion tart, pissaladière. I was stunned by my first taste of that classic and the idea that onions could be a main event. In this simple recipe, a mix of onion varieties -- red, white, and green scallions -- are tossed with olive oil, thyme, and salt, then layered on a crust gilded with smoky cheese and finished with a dusting of Parmiggiano – Reggiano and a drizzle of heavy cream. The cooked cream tames the edges of the onion and thickens as it cooks.
Using a good-quality olive oil makes a difference in this cake, which is dense and moist and just the right amount of sweet.
In this recipe, Nicoise olives are marinated in flavorful rosemary oil with masses of rosemary leaves, a simple technique that imparts a wonderful flavor to the olives and seems to intensify their own. The rosemary is cooked in the oil, so it keeps its green color for several weeks. Packed into French canning jars, these olives look like they were homemade in Provence. They make a perfect instant hors d' oeuvre with chilled wine or cocktails.
Salt-roast a fish and keep all the pristine flavor and juiciness. The surface is a tad salty, but nearly all the meat is perfect. Testimonials for this technique go back to ancient Rome.