Friday Night In - Pizza Party With Friends

Strips of prosciutto folded atop a cube of cantaloupe and
skewered with a bamboo pick, Photo: NK 

These days, having our good friends over for a festive night in is one of our favorite things. We've even started a bit of a tradition - making several different types of pizza on our favorite pizza stone.
Throw in some nice wine and a little music, and it's a party. When you're in good company, there's nothing better than a relaxed dinner at home. 

For the menu, I reverted to several Neurotic Kitchen favorites that were a hit last time my friends were over, and added one new kind of pizza that will inevitably join the rotation. As always, I put out some pre-dinner nibbles that I tried to keep easy and elegant.

Pro-tip for pizza happiness: spend some time finding the very best ingredients because pizza truly is the sum of its parts -the best building blocks make all the difference. And please, if you'd really like to make this easy, don't be a hero by making your own dough - that's crazy talk! Just head into your favorite bread bakery or pizza shop and buy theirs. 



The better the dough, the easier time you will have. For sauce, I use very simple jarred pureed tomatoes - as long as you season your pizza appropriately, there's no need to use a real sauce.

Pizza Night With Friends

A simple hors d'oeuvre spread, Photo: NK 

THE MENU

Prosciutto & Melon Skewers (pretty bamboo picks make all the difference)

Brie Plate with Brillat Savarin (a triple creme that could make you die of happiness) + Fig Preserve

Smoked Salmon on Crackers with Onion, Creme Fraiche and Dill (a classic that never gets old)

~~

Lemon Pizza Sorrentina (the classic NK recipe is HERE)

Classic Margherita Pizza - (read about it HERE)

Pizza Piccante with Hot Cherry Peppers & Soppressata (recipe HERE)

And finally, the experiment of the night - Pizza with White Truffle Cream, Asiago & Arugula (the recipe is below).

~~

We can't forget dessert, which was none other than our favorite Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies. Easy, fast and seriously decadent!! 

Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies, Photo: NK 

Before we get to our Truffle Pizza recipe, let's first admire the famous Lemon Pie:

Believe me, you'll like it! Lemon Pizza Sorrentina, Photo: NK 

Too wild? Well I like to believe that there isn't anyone out there who wouldn't love the flavor of truffles, so check our latest successful kitchen experiment, this truffle pizza that I have been imagining in my head ever since my sister-in-law gave me a can of this very delicious White Truffle Cream from Urbani Truffles. 

Pizza With White Truffle Cream, Asiago & Arugula, Photo: NK 

Pizza with White Truffle Cream, Asiago & Arugula
8 small slices 

Ingredients:
1 pound ball of pre-made Pizza Dough, at room temp for 1 hour 
Can of Urbani Truffle Thrills, White Truffles and Cream
Wild Arugula Leaves 
Very Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Syrup or Balsamic Reduction (recipe below)
Pizza Stone or well heated Pizza Pan (stone highly recommended)
Parchment Paper, cut large enough for one pizza with extra room at edges 

Pizza Stone Method: 
Place pizza stone in the oven. If not using a stone, prepare pizza as normal in a pizza pan. 

Turn oven on to 525 with the rack placed in the middle, or to highest temp your over can handle. Preheat the stone for 30 minutes. 

Flour a clean counter top and your hands. Place extra flour nearby.
Form Pizza Dough into a ball. Press it down onto the counter and continue pressing until you have a flat round. 

Form dough into your desired pizza shape, making it as thin as possible - ideally an eighth of an inch thick. Pinch the edges of the dough all the way around to form a crust. 
Check out this great video I found on the web for dough-handling pointers HERE.

Once Pizza Crust is formed, carefully transfer it onto parchment paper that is cut to a size just slightly bigger than the dough shape (enough to grab it on each side). If you are using a pan and no pizza stone, you needn't do either of the preceding steps. 

Now you are ready for toppings:
Drizzle a Tablespoon or two of Oil onto the dough. 
Using a paper towel, spread the Oil around the entire surface of the dough.
Using a Tablespoon, slowly spoon on a thin layer of White Truffle Cream and spread it all around. The dough should only be thinly covered. 

Grate some fresh shavings of Asiago generously all over the pizza.

Transfer the parchment paper with the Pizza on it to the pizza stone and allow to bake for 10-13 minutes until crust is golden brown and crispy. 

Remove Pizza and stone from the oven, and allow to cook a few minutes until Asiago Cheese looks stretchable rather than liquified. 

Pile on Wild Arugula Leaves and drizzle very lightly with Olive Oil, then again with Balsamic Syrup. Slice and serve right away!

Balsamic Reduction

Balsamic Reduction, NK 

Yield: about 4 Tablespoons

Ingredients:

One cup good quality Balsamic Vinegar 

Method:

Bring Vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid is reduced and somewhat syrupy. This should take about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it. I once ended up with completely solidified vinegar! 

Storage – the reduction can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few weeks. It should be brought to room temperature before using.

Easy Assembly - Marinated London Broil With Potatoes & Arugula

Don't cook, assemble!

This is the mantra I always return to in attempting to keep my hors d'oeuvres simple and largely make-ahead so that I too can enjoy my own parties instead of being stuck in the kitchen. This smart strategy comes directly from Ina Garten, one of my easy entertaining muses. 

Last weekend, I applied the same concept to a main course that I created thanks to some visual inspiration  -- THIS mouthwatering dish from Barbuto NYC which fortuitously appeared my Instagram feed at just the right time...  

I had to have it. And because I could see that Jonathan Waxman's celebrated restaurant's creation was composed of just a few basic elements, I didn't feel compelled to try and hunt down the recipe. Instead, I thought about the big components (meat+potatoes+greens), and considered the food items I already had on hand (mainly, a very nice and comparatively affordable London Broil we'd grabbed on sale). From there, I created my game plan (London Broil lends itself to marinating) and a short shopping list (Mixed Potatoes, Arugula and Bleu Cheese).  

A few hours later, we had ourselves one delicious weekend dinner. The moral? When you don't get hung up on achieving perfection wonderful things are bound to happen.

Marinated London Broil with Potatoes & Arugula - Inspired by Barbuto, Photo: NK

Am I neurotic? Definitely. Do I often overthink my cooking? Sure. 
I do it so you don't have to.
BUT, you can still turn out a great, easy meal without all that angst. Turning your everyday cooking into something special is simple if you: 

Use delicious ingredients

Keep them in their simplest form

and assemble them beautifully. 

That's what today's meal is all about --- finding food inspiration and running with it. 

The largely visual world of the internet is great for this. From Pinterest, to Instagram to good old cooking mags, there's nothing wrong with using images to assemble your own winning recipes - your way. Do so without fear of failure. Keep things basic and build on what you know. The results will probably surprise you. The below is not really a recipe as much as a roadmap - don't hesitate toT put your own twist on it and have a little fun. 

Marinated London Broil With Rainbow Potatoes & Arugula

Inspired by Barbuto/Jonathan Waxman + Marinade by Epicurious

Serves 6 

You will need: London Broil + Your Desired Marinade Ingredients + Mixed, Small Potatoes + Greens of your choice like Arugula and crumbled Bleu Cheese (+ Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper)

Step One - MARINATE - Prepare the Marinade as below and let London Broil sit for 4 to 24 hours using the Epicurious recipe below. You can also feel free to sub-in any well flavored grilled Steak that suits your taste (Hanger Steak as in Barbuto's original dish, or others such as Flank or Skirt would be great choices). 

Grilled Marinated London Broil - Screen Shot & Recipe Courtesy of Epicurious

Step Two - Start your grill for the Steak (or ready your stovetop grill pan) and Preheat the oven (450 degrees for your Roasted Potatoes). Now prepare your Greens - Spinach, or Arugula would be good choices. Wash them, dry them and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle with a little Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper. Set aside. Now roast your Potatoes -- toss 2.5 Lbs of assorted small Potatoes, cut in half if you like, (we used Purple Potatoes, Fingerlings, and Baby Yukon Golds) in Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper and BAKE them until tender - for about 30 minutes at 450. About 25 minutes before they are done, begin grilling the Steak until medium-rare (see timing and directions ABOVE). When it's finished and medium rare let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice Steak against the grain. 

Step Three - Serve - Arrange all ingredients on the plate as pictured and sprinkle with crumbled Bleu Cheese. If plates have gotten cool you can put them in the oven for a minute to rewarm.

Serve and enjoy!  

Meatless Monday - Pappardelle With Summer Squash & Arugula

Hot on the heels of a fun-filled summer weekend, Monday can be a cruel mistress indeed. The good news is that you can always lift your spirits by serving up a delicious and easy meal in minutes. As you know, we try to make *many* of our Monday dinners meatless, and yesterday was no different. We tossed together a very tasty farmers market-sourced veggie pasta using a recipe from my latest Food & Wine Magazine as inspiration.

It combines thinly sliced Summer Squash and Zucchini with Arugula Pesto. Finish with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and you have yourself a much better Monday.

Pappardelle With Summer Squash & Arugula, Photo: NK

I lightly adapted the original dish both for ease (I had no desire to take out and later have to clean my food processor to create the Arugula Pesto component) and to make it nut free. Can you have a nut free pesto? Sure. In most cases, cooks will substitute seeds (Sunflower being a popular choice). I didn't even bother to add a nut-stand-in and, happily, the taste was just lovely anyway. If you want to be technical, you could call this dish a crudaiola, as all the vegetable ingredients that top the pasta are uncooked. 

Before we start, here's why I love this recipe and the adaptation I created:

IT'S FAST- Pappardelle is an egg-based pasta (though the shape is sometimes seen in egg-free format). If you've ever added Egg Noodles to a stew, you know that they cook in 3 or 4 minutes. It's the same idea here, making an already fast recipe (neither the Zucchini or Squash are cooked) even speedier. Note: If you can't find Pappardelle and opt for a more ubiquitous pasta, Fettucine (another wide and long noodle), would be a perfectly fine choice. 

IT'S A ONE POT MEAL- After you drain the pasta, use the same pot to toss all the ingredients together. 

IT'S MEATLESS MONDAY APPROVED

and finally, NO ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES NEEDED. I make hand cut pestos (with or without nuts) all the time because they are a great, rustic way to get the Pesto experience without having to clean yet another kitchen appliance (not that it's such a big deal, but you know, sometimes you just aren't in the mood). 

NOTE: If you happen to own a mandoline you'll be able to make very thin, uniform slices quite easily, but if you prefer to cut by hand, that would be just fine too ( I recommend cutting the long ribbons of Squash and Zucchini into halves or thirds if they do not end up as thin as you would like). This basic slicer or "handheld mandoline" is a useful and very economical tool to have in your kitchen. Another option would be to use a vegetable peeler to shave off thin slices.

Ok - here we go. 

Pappardelle With Summer Squash & Arugula

Lightly Adapted from Food & Wine 

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 Cups Packed Baby or Regular Arugula Leaves

1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil + more for drizzling

1 teaspoon finely minced Garlic (or passed through a garlic press) approx. 2 large Cloves

1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese + a few shavings for garnish

Coarse Sea Salt

Black Pepper

1 medium Zucchini and 1-2 medium Yellow Squash, very thinly sliced lengthwise on a Mandoline or by hand. Alternately you can use a large vegetable peeler to create thin ribbons (point away from your hand).

3 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice 

Zest of 1 Lemon 

Method:
1.This comes together quickly, have you prepped all your ingredients as above?  
Slice all vegetables, mince the Arugula as small as you can and crush or finely mince the Garlic. Zest and juice the Lemon and grate the Parmigiano Cheese.

2. In a large pot of well-salted boiling water, cook the Pappardelle according to package directions until just al dente. Turn the flame off and drain the pasta, reserving a few Tablespoons of the pasta water, and return drained pasta to the pot. 

3. Add the minced Garlic to the Oil and stir. Sprinkle the Minced Arugula all over the pasta, tossing as you go. Add the Squash and Zucchini Ribbons and toss again. Drizzle the Oil and Garlic over it all and continue to toss. Add the Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest. Toss. Finally, incorporate the Parmigiano, folding into the Pasta as you go. Use the reserved Pasta Water if you'd like a looser. Taste and then season to your liking with Coarse Sea Salt (I like to use French Grey Salt) and ample Black Pepper. Serve immediately with an extra sprinkle of Parmigiano. Enjoy!!!

Farmers Market Inspiration - Salad with Pickled Sour Cherries, Sungolds & Chevre + Salty Pickled Rye Croutons

I promised myself I'd never use the far too cutesy word "inspo," that seems super popular in the blogosphere. Despite the theme of today's food-based reflection, I am going to keep that promise. Still - inspiration (see, I can spare the time to write the entire word) is key to keeping your cooking and creating fresh. You can never anticipate where and when your creative juices might be revved up by food, but there are a few places where you can certainly up your odds.

Arugula, Red Leaf Lettuce, Vidalia Onion, Chevre, Pickled Tart Cherries 
+ Specialty Rye Bread toasted into croutons! YUM. Photo: NK

I get many recipe ideas from imitating dishes I enjoy at restaurants, but another favorite way I like to build new recipes is by beginning with one really sensational or unique ingredient and letting it jumpstart your imagination. Green Markets and Farmers Markets are a great place to begin because you can find a plethora of specialty foods and local produce all in place. That's where I came across a few of the elements that inspired the salads we'll show you today.

One nibble of "Salty Pickled Sour Rye" from Hamptons-based Carissa's Breads and I was reaching for my wallet. I just knew that this hearty Rye with a very unique, slightly piquant flavor would make the perfect croutons for my salad of Red Leaf Lettuce and Arugula. I couldn't resist grabbing some fresh Chevre from the adjacent Goodale Farms booth, reasoning that it would be lovely to sprinkle throughout.  And then there are those lucky times where food is gifted to you; these home-canned Sour Cherries that my best friend made me from her CSA delivery were just destined to be a part of all the excitement. Side note - she's so talented! Here's the how to:

Salad with Pickled Sour Cherries, Sungolds & Chevre + Salty Pickled Rye Croutons 

Serves 6

How To: 

Small Bunch Arugula + Medium Head of Red Leaf Lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

Small Basket Sungold (Yellow) Tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), cut in half or thirds (about 12 total)

Hearty Rye Bread cut into 1/2 inch cubes and lightly toasted

10 Pitted Pickled Sour Cherries, chopped (or Sour Cherries would work well too, even the dried type)

1/3 large Vidalia or Sweet Onion sliced thinly 

COMBINE all of the above in a large bowl. 

Before serving, DRESS with 2 Parts Olive Oil, 1 Part Red Wine Vinegar + teaspoon minced fresh Thyme leaves. (Optionally) 

FINISH with 2 Ounces Chilled Chevre (Goat Cheese) - Crumble onto salad just before serving and let sit for a few minutes to come to room temperature. 

Enjoy! 

NEXT - Tomatoes. Stars of summer. They sure did look stellar at the market. That's why I just had to spotlight them in the most simple way. Our favorite Tomato Carpaccio is really where it's at when you need a foolproof and ridiculously easy way to highlight everyone's summer favorite. 
Click HERE for the Tomato Carpaccio Recipe. 

Classic Tomato Carpaccio, Photo: NK 

Until your next great idea strikes, happy eating!