Bucatini with Tomatoes, Olives, Marash Pepper, and Shrimp

I realize that this is yet another post about a tomato recipe, but Matt had a huge bag of them in his apartment that needed to be used last weekend. His fault!

I also wanted to use the Zingerman’s Marash pepper flakes he got me from his trip home to Ann Arbor the prevous weekend:


The bottle describes it as having “amazingly full flavor with just a moderate amount of heat.” I tried a little before using and it definitely had a kick, but not enough to stop me from using a sizeable amount in my meal. Also, it was insanely delicious. I decided to make a tomato sauce with the pepper flakes, some red bell pepper, and olives with bucatini pasta and shrimp. If you’ve never had bucatini, it’s kind of like thick spaghetti but with a hole running through the center like a tube. Not only is it really fun to eat, it’s nice and sturdy so it holds up well with a thick tomato sauce.

¾ lb. bucatini
½ c. red bell pepper, chopped
½ c. shallot, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
Red pepper flakes (generous pinch)
Olive oil
12 black olives, sliced (I used canned, but we both agreed that it could have benefited from some better quality ones…and maybe more of them)
3 ½ c. peeled and seeded tomatoes, roughly chopped
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Shrimp (3-4 medium per portion)
Parsley, chopped (for garnish)

1. Cook the bucatani until al dente in salted water and reserve some of the pasta water.

2. In a large sauté pan, sauté the pepper, shallot, garlic, and pepper flakes in some olive oil until soft. Add the olives and sauté for a few more minutes.


3. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add some kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Cook these down until they become sauce-like.

4. Add the pasta to the sauce with a little bit of the pasta water.


5. Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and saute in some olive oil.

6. Top the pasta with a few shrimp, some chopped parsley, and another dash of pepper flakes. The shrimp is of course optional - the vegetarian went without.

Here’s another view of the final dish. It was pretty tasty!

Choice Greene

I’m spending the day kind of playing around with my blog while Matt is working/GRE studying/trumpeting, so I thought I’d check out some of the places in his neighborhood while I’m at it. I went to Choice Greene when I was here about a month ago and had an over-priced, kind of funky tasting egg sandwich. I’m drawn back today because of the outdoor patio with wifi and am enjoying some surprisingly good sushi. I’m not usually a fan of grabbing sushi from the refrigerator case, but I saw them making it fresh behind the fish counter so I figured it must be decent. I picked up a Salmon Avocado Roll ($6) and some Wakame Seaweed Salad ($4).



Both were really fresh and (I think) reasonably priced. Note to self: avoid the eggs, get the sushi.

Gazpacho with Smoked Paprika Croutons

I‘ve been making a lot of gazpacho this summer to make the most out of tomato season. In the past, I’ve made it the very traditional way with stale bread to thicken the soup, but we had a huge heirloom tomato from my neighbor’s garden last week that was so good that I just pureed it with some cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and sherry vinegar. I tried to roughly measure out what I used:

1 large heirloom tomato (about 2 cups chopped)
2/3 c. cucumber
½ clove garlic
½ Tbsp good quality sherry vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

I was going to strain it to remove the seeds and skin, but I found it not even necessary. This one tomato was kind of freakish in that it didn’t have many seeds and had a really thin skin. It was completely delicious, and less work for me!

To go on top, I made some smoked paprika croutons. I would normally use some kind of leftover, crusty bread to make croutons, but the only leftover bread I could find in the house was frozen hamburger buns. Not ideal, but it worked in a pinch! I removed the crust, cubed, tossed in some olive oil, salt, and smoked paprika. I put them in a 350 degree oven for probably about five minutes, until they were browned and crispy.

I served the gazpacho topped with some of the croutons, chopped chives, and a drizzle of really good extra virgin olive oil.

Gnocchi (and Football)

Matt was psyched for the first Patriots game of the season last Sunday and we had been talking about making homemade gnocchi for awhile, so we combined the two and made a day out of it. We slow-roasted some amazing tomatoes from my neighbor’s garden and pureed it into a sauce to go with the gnocchi.

I had never made slow-roasted tomatoes, probably because I don’t usually have the time or patience. Matt insisted that it was worth it, so we cut them in half, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with plenty of salt, and let them sit in a 175 degree for about 4 hours.


Eventually, they shrivel up and get super sweet. You can actually roast them on an even lower heat overnight if you plan ahead.


We followed Mario Batali’s Gnocchi recipe, which calls for just russet potatoes, flour, an egg, salt, and oil. The recipe is really simple; the key is to use a food mill to mash the boiled potatoes so that they are smooth, but not gummy from being overworked.

Our shaping of the gnocchi was kind of…rustic. At least they looked homemade! We first rolled out the dough into ¾-inch dowels (roughly):


Then, we cut them into one-inch pieces and “flicked” with a fork:


To cook the gnocchi, we dropped them in batches into a huge pot of boiling water and took them out as soon as they floated to the top (about a minute). Then, we shocked them in ice water and tossed them in olive oil to keep until our sauce was ready.


When the tomatoes were done, we pureed them whole and then strained to get rid of most of the seeds and skin. What resulted was an intensely flavored, sweet tomato mixture. The only thing we decided to add was some garlic, which we sautéed in a skillet with some olive oil before adding the tomato puree. We cooked that down until it thickened a little and then added some of the gnocchi, cooking just until they were heated through.


We tossed in some torn basil leaves at the very end and topped with some parmesan cheese. Finally, time to eat!

Brunch: Biscuits and Eggs

Matt took an overnight bus from New York last Saturday, so I made us brunch while he caught up on some sleep: scrambled eggs with chives, homemade biscuits with pepper jelly, and sliced heirloom tomatoes that my neighbor gave us from her garden. I also may have felt a little bad for being too tired and cranky to pick him up from the T at 6am :)


When I was living in New York, Matt and I got a little tired of the over-priced brunch options by my apartment. Instead, we started getting take-out biscuits from Northern Spy – which has biscuits to die for, but an otherwise mediocre brunch – and making scrambled eggs with chives. Since I’m no longer around the corner from Nothern Spy, I thought why not make my own?

It turns out biscuits are really easy to make. I’m sure it will take a lot of practice to make them as good as Northern Spy’s, but mine were passable. I used Alton Brown’s Southern Biscuit recipe, but upped the butter and shortening by a couple of tablespoons. I might even add some more the next time (Shhh).


I’m kind of a stickler about scrambled eggs. Too many restaurants overcook them or add too many unnecessary ingredients. I used six eggs, a drop of milk, and about a tablespoon of butter for this batch. I heat the butter on medium-low and added the eggs while stirring with a spatula. I think the key is to keep stirring them and to not let the heat creep up too much. Browned scrambled eggs are the worst! I turn off the heat just shy of them done and stir in some chopped chives. They finish cooking after you take them off the heat, at which point I add some more chives on top.


The only thing that was missing was some Bloody Marys. Next time!

Make That Sandwich!

I’ve decided to try out my luck again in another recipe contest - Mezzetta’s Make That Sandwich. I don’t want to get my hopes up because the huge cash prize has probably drawn tons of people, but I thought I’d share my recipe anyways. I think it’s pretty darn good!


Smokey Spanish Potato and Egg Sandwich

2 Tbsp Mezzetta Brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
4 baby potatoes (1 1/2 - 2 inch diameter)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp Mezzetta Brand Crushed Garlic
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 Tbsp Mezzetta Brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Mezzetta Brand Roasted Bell Peppers
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp spicy smoked paprika
2 Tbsp Napa Valley Bistro Brand Pitted Greek Kalamata Olives , chopped
2 Tbsp celery, chopped
4 Tbsp Mezzetta Brand Gourmet Baby Carrots, chopped
2 tsp liquid from Mezzetta Brand Gourmet Baby Carrots
Few pinches of kosher salt
1 large French baguette
4 romaine lettuce leaves

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the sliced onions and cook on low for 35 minutes, or until caramelized.

2. While the onions are cooking, start the boiled potatoes and hardboiled eggs, as these will each take about the same time to cook. Add the potatoes to one pot and fill with water so that the potatoes are covered with about an inch of water. Do the same with the eggs in a separate pot. Put both pots on the stove on high heat.

3. When the eggs begin to boil, take the pot off of the heat and let sit (covered) for 15 minutes. Let the potatoes boil for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.

4. While the eggs, potatoes, and onions are cooking, prepare an aioli by combining all of the ingredients from the mayonnaise through the paprika in a food processor. Set aside.

5. Prepare a relish by combining the olives, celery, carrots, and carrot liquid. Set aside.

6. When the eggs and potatoes are cooked, submerge in ice water to cool. Peel the egg and slice both the eggs and potatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Sprinkle the slices lightly with kosher salt.

7. Split the baguette and pull out some of the bread on the inside to make room for the fillings. Spread about four tablespoons of the aioli on each side of the baguette. Add the romaine lettuce to the top side of the baguette on top of the aioli. Spread the relish on the bottom half of the baguette on the aioli. Top the relish with a single layer of egg slices, then a thin layer of the caramelized onions, then a single layer of potato slices*. Place the top half of the baguette with the romaine onto the bottom half Cut the sandwich crosswise into fourths and enjoy this hearty vegetarian sandwich!

*Note: there might be some potato and egg slices left over depending on the size that you're using.

Pimientos de Padrón

Pimientos de Padrón are something my mom always talks about from when she lived in Spain. The great thing about these little green peppers is that some are sweet, and some are spicy. Really spicy. There is really no way of knowing until you put one in your mouth. It’s like Russian Roulette!

I was really excited to try them when I saw them at Union Square Greenmarket (in NYC) this summer. I found myself addicted to the spicy ones, eating more and more hoping to get another. Since my mom has been dying to try them again, Matt picked up some at Bodhitree Farms at the Greenmarket last weekend on his way to Boston.

Besides being a lot of fun to eat, they are also very tasty. They’re typically fried in olive oil, sprinkled liberally with salt, and served tapas style. Matt made Jose Andres’ Romesco sauce to spread underneath the peppers, for another layer of flavor.

Pimientos De Padrón

Olive Oil
Pimientos De Padrón
Coarse Salt

Wash the peppers and dry them completely. Pour a generous amount of olive oil in a skillet over high heat. When the oil is piping hot, add a single layer of peppers. Sauté for a couple of minutes, until the skins on the peppers are blistered. Transfer the peppers to a plate lined with a paper towel and sprinkle with coarse salt.