Searching4Zen

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  • Israeli-Style Extra-Smooth Hummus

    2 hours 15 minutes, plus overnight soak if using dried chickpeas
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    I love hummus, especially the Israeli version made with tons of tahini and a touch of cumin, but it’s hard to find a perfect batch. Store-bought hummus typically has a great, ultra-smooth and -creamy texture, but it lacks flavor and is not easily customizable to our own personal tastes. Homemade hummus, especially when made with […]

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  • Eggplant Rollatini with Goat Cheese and Pesto

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    Ingredients 3 medium eggplant ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus about ⅓ cup for brushing Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup soft fresh goat cheese, such as Coach Farm ½ cup Pesto ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 cup Basic Tomato Sauce Generous 2 tablespoons fresh marjoram leaves Instructions Preheat a gass […]

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  • Tahini Sauce With Garlic and Lemon

    5 minutes
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    The technique of blending whole unpeeled garlic with lemon to make tahini sauce was something I read in Michael Solomonov’s Zahav. With this much garlic you’d think it’d be overwhelming, but don’t worry, it stays quite mild due to blending it in the lemon juice. – J. Kenji López-Alt Why It Works Blending whole garlic […]

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  • Roasted Eggplant With Tahini, Pine Nuts, and Lentils

    1 hour
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    This dish of eggplant roasted until caramelized and tender, served over stewed lentils with an extraordinarily light and creamy tahini sauce and crunchy pine nuts, was dinner and lunch for more meals than I care to count a couple of weeks back. Not that I’m complaining: It’s extremely good. It’s very rare that I’m completely […]

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  • Spaghetti Carbonara

    25 minutes
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    This dish is a deli egg-bacon-and-cheese-on-a-roll that has been pasta-fied, fancified, fetishized and turned into an Italian tradition that, like many inviolate Italian traditions, is actually far less old than the Mayflower. Because America may have contributed to its creation, carbonara is Exhibit A in the back-and-forth between Italy and the United States when it […]

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  • Grilled Mozzarella Sandwiches With Mortadella, Pesto, and Artichokes

    20 mins.
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    Each of these crisp, thin sandwiches is filled with melted mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced marinated artichoke hearts, pesto, and mortadella. A little anchovy punches up the savory flavor of each bite. – Daniel Gritzer Why it Works The flavors of Italy, between two slices of bread. Toasting both sides of the bread slices gives the […]

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  • Italian Seafood-Salad Pasta Salad With Vietnamese Noodles

    30 minutes
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    Two classic dishes—Italian-style seafood salad and refreshing pasta salad— collide in this perfect summer dish, bright with lemon and olive oil. The secret is in the selection of pasta: Asian rice noodles deliver the perfect texture and flavor-absorbing powers to make every bite taste like pure seafood-salad bliss. – Daniel Gritzer Why It Works Two […]

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  • Duck Scaloppine with Warm Bacon Lentils

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    Ingredients 1 cup dried brown lentils, preferably Castelluccio 1 carrot, cut into ¼ in dice 1 onion, cut into ¼ in dice 1 celery rib, cut into ¼ in dice 2 oz bacon, cut into ¼ in lardons ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard 1 whole fresh magret duck breast (about 1 […]

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  • Scallops with Peppers and Anchovy Butter

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    Ingredients 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 anchovies, drained Finely grated zest of ½ lemon 1 ½ pound bay scallops ½ cup flour mixed with salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 2 each red and yellow bell peppers, cored, and cut into thin strips lengthwise ½ teaspoon hot pepper […]

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  • Ricotta and Egg Gnocchi with Olives, Capers, and Tomato Sauce

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    These soft gnocchi from Tuscany are the ultimate version of the kind most commonly served at Italian-American restaurants. The dish is amped up with briny chopped capers and green olives. Featured in: All the Gnocchi. Find this recipe in the cookbook, SAVEUR: Italian Comfort Food. Ingredients For the Gnocchi 2 lb. medium Yukon Gold potatoes, […]

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