Walnut Olive Miso Magic Sauce

A chunky, walnut olive miso creation worthy of its name. You combine toasted walnuts, olives, miso, a dusting of oregano, and a dollop of tahini into a blockbuster condiment of sorts.

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While, in my book, this will forever be the original magic sauce, this chunky walnut olive miso creation is worthy of the name as well. It works its magic by making everything it goes on more delicious in a deep, savory, nutty, umami way. You combine toasted walnuts, olives, miso, a dusting of oregano, and a dollop of tahini into a chunky condiment of sorts. The tahini lends just the right hint of creaminess.

walnut olive miso sauce in a small white bowl on a marble counter

Walnut Olive Miso Magic Sauce: Ideas

When I say this boosts everything, I mean pasta and crackers, salads and soups, tarts and toasts. You think something is good? A dollop (or more!) of this will make it better. Some ideas:

Variations

This is the sort of thing that is also quite flexible. You can make it with hazelnuts, or pine nuts, or even toasted almonds. I even make it with green olives and then stir it into farro for a quick meal. Delish! You can experiment with the type of miso you use.

More Sauce Recipes

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A Lesson in Juicing

I inherited a professional juicer, juiced everything in sight, and learned some things in the process.

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Let’s take a deep dive into all things juicing. I quite like my juicer(!), and I love the possibilities it lends to expanding the culinary palette. I enjoy the way it makes me think about ingredients in new ways. Fresh juice is invigorating – straight up, blended, or as part of whatever I’m making. That said, I’ve learned somethings over the years and will share some of that here.
A waring centrifugal juicer on a counter

My dad gave me this centrifugal juicer forever ago. It’s a workhorse and although I’ve had my eye on one of the macerating juicers for a while now – I haven’t made the move (yet!). We’ll talk about the different types of juices down below.

The Foundation of Good Juicing

There are a couple keys to getting great juice out of your kitchen. The first (and most important) thing is to use vibrant, healthy produce. Use the best quality produce you can get. It’s important to seek out organic or sustainably grown fruits and vegetables. If that’s not happening, wash it gently, but thoroughly. The second is to get your hands on a decent juicer. We’ll get into the different types and considerations down below.

And while were on the topic, a blender and a juicer are entirely different beasts. I know this seems obvious, but the blender does chop-chop, and the juicer separates all the fibers and solids from the juices. The juicer produces essences that are incredibly intense, alive, and bright. The flavor is main-lined. In both cases beyond fruits and vegetables, you can experiment with grains and nuts (see below).

My perception is that nearly everyone seems to think using a juicer is a royal pain. Primarily the clean-up part. And that is partially true. It seems most convenient to juice in batches, set aside what you might use in the immediate future as well as the forthcoming day or two, and then freeze any juice beyond that immediately. Not as perfect as freshly juiced, but still better than no juice.
A kitchen counter after a juicing session with jars filled with different juices

A Juicer Can Work With Lots of Ingredients!

Before I dive into all the things I’ve used my juicer for, one thing I’ll add is this: read your juicer’s instructions before diving in. What works in mine might not work in your model. There are a range of different types of juicers, and a range of ways they extract juice.
Lessons in Juicing

Juicing Nuts & Seeds

  • Almond Milk: Soak 1 cup / 5 oz almonds overnight, covered, in filtered water. Drain. Add three cups water, and ladle into juicer. This produces a full-bodied almond milk. If you like it a bit thinner, go with 4 cups water. The flavor really sings when you season it with a touch of salt and sugar. Just go with your taste buds, until it tastes good to you. Makes about 3 1/2 cups. Also, be sure to keep the meaty by-product of making the almond milk, just scrape it out of the juicer. Salt it a bit, and it’s a great homemade almond butter.
  • Oat Milk: Soak 1 cup / 3 oz rolled oats (not instant) overnight, covered, in filtered water. Drain, add 3 cups water, and ladle into juicer. Makes about 4 cups. Note to self to try a version with toasted oats. I could imagine experimenting with it as and ingredient in custards, puddings, french toast, and the like.
  • Pistachio Milk: Soak 1 cup pistachios / 5 oz overnight, covered, in filtered water. Drain, combine with 3 cups water, and ladle into juicer. This was my favorite non-fruit juice by a stretch. Really nice. I kept trying to combine it with little accents like orange blossom water, or citrus zest, but in the end I liked it best straight. Makes about 3 1/2 – 4 cups. And like the almond milk be sure to keep the meaty by-product of making the pistachio milk, just scrape it out of the juicer. Salt it a bit, and it’s a great pistachio butter.
  • Sesame Milk: Had high hopes for this one but it really didn’t work. The un-hulled seeds never broke down in the juicer.

Lessons in Juicing Ingredients in the process of being juiced

Juicing Fruits  & Vegetables

Fennel Juice: Trim the root end, but use all the rest of it. 1 large bulb = ~1 cup juice.

Carrots: 1 lb = 1 cup juice. You know, it’s just occurring to me as I’m typing this to try a carrot soup with pure juiced carrot. Use it to make the silkiest, brothy carrot soup ever.

Celery: Lob off the root end and use the rest. And I didn’t bother stringing. 1 medium bunch = 1 1/2 – 2 cups juice. I’m enjoying using the celery juice as a component in all things brothy. The fennel juice as well, but to a lesser extent.

Cucumber: Juice it all. And leave the skin on, it lends a nice color. 1 large (8 oz) cucumber yields about 1 cup of juice. Super cooling.

Cilantro: 1 big bunch, leaves and stems = 1/3 cup juice. I threw a couple serranos (deveined and deseeded) into the juicer here as well for a spicy version. You just know it’s going to be good swirled into yogurt or creme fraiche and spooned into a bowl of roasted tomato soup!

Dill: 1 large bunch (stems and fronds) yields about 3 tablespoons juice. Equal parts dill juice + olive oil and a pinch of salt has been great over greens, savory pancakes, and eggs this week. I imagine like the other intense herb juices, it would be welcome as a vinaigrette component, drizzled over gratins, and tarts as well.

Lessons in Juicing A rainbow of juices in jars

Ginger: 8 ounces unpeeled yields about 3/4 cup ginger juice. Freezes quite well. I’ve been using in teas, broths, citrus juice (grapefruit-ginger is my favorite), dipping sauces, etc.

Grapefruit: 1 large = 1 cup juice. I could live on this during the winter.

Pomegranate: I’m not sure I’d recommend using a juicer here. Mine definitely wasn’t happy. That said, the resulting juice is electric – straight-up incredible. Juice the seeds only, but review your juicer’s guidelines before an attempt. 1 large pomegranate = ~ 1 cup of seeds = 1/3 cup fresh juice.

Sidebar: Pomegranate Juicing Tips

In the comments Elise weighed in about juicing pomegranates, “…regarding pomegranate juicing, my parents have a huge pomegranate tree which produces a gazillion poms every fall. My mom juices most of them. The fastest way is to cut them in half horizontally, and put them in an orange press. This is what we do when we are overwhelmed with the number of pomegranates to juice. What my mom usually does however, is to carefully extract the seeds from the pomegranate, and place them in a blender. Pulse a couple times, just enough to break through the arils, but not enough to pulverize the hard tips of them. Those harder pieces tend to sink to the bottom of the blender. She pours out the juice through a strainer to catch any remaining hard bits. Works great!” Thanks Elise!

Jane also has this insight, “Gently squeeze and massage the whole pom until it feels softened. Avoid breaking the skin. Cut a 1″ hole in the blossom end and just suck out the juice. I grew up in Florida also doing this with oranges.”

Juice Combinations

Here are a few juice combinations I love. I’m also going to include a bunch of the amazing juicing recipes you posted to the comments. I’ll put those in the recipe section down below. 

Pistachio Milk: 1/2 cup pistachio milk, 3/4 teaspoon honey or sugar, 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, tiny pinch of ground clove. But like I said up above, this is really good straight.

Spicy Carrot: 1/4 cup carrot juice + 1/4 cup almond milk + 1/16 teaspoon cayenne + 1/2 teaspoon ginger juice + 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt + 2 tablespoons celery juice.

Pomegranate Almond: 1/4 cup pomegranate juice + 1/4 cup almond juice + 2 drop rose water + pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon lemon juice + sweeten to taste.

Cucumber Celery: 1/4 cup cucumber + 1/4 cup celery + 1/16 cayenne + pinch of salt.

More Juicing Recipes

What To Do With Juicing Pulp?

Juicing leaves you with a lot of pulpy, fiber-rich, by product. A lot of people like to mix this into their muffin and quick bread batter. I’ll add that you can freeze it until you’re ready to use it. There were also some great suggestions in the comments.

  • Rita shares,”…I was also wary of the waste of all the pulp. But you can use it as a filling for wraps, etc. if you add a little nut mayo and seasonings. You can wrap it in a raw cabbage or collard leaf. It’s delicious!”
  • Jonc says,” I use the pulp from the Omega 8006 to make baby food.”
  • My sister has an actual juicer and saves all her “pulp” to make to most amazing veggie burger patties! they are sooo good and nothing goes to waste. I guess if you have chickens or a great compost those are perfect uses for the pulp too.” Love these ideas shared by Kari.

What Kind of Juicer To Buy?

Broadly speaking. There are a number of considerations when deciding which juicer to buy. There are juicers that are centrifugal (like mine, pictured at the top) and others that are macerating. And then there are the high-powered blenders (for example: Vitamix). Blenders turn whole fruits and vegetables into milks and smoothies – different thing from the juicers altogether. The macerating juicers are able to really get an amazing amount of juice from ingredients, leaving you with a dry-ish pulp. Each option comes with a range of price points, but broadly speaking masticating juicers seem to be larger and more spendy. A lot of you have juicing opinions -here’s a list of some that might be helpful.

  • A lot of people love the Brevile. Brittany cites, “I’m obsessed with my breville juicer.” Julia weighs in with, “ received a Breville as an engagement gift and fell in love! The clean up is easy peasy and the combo of pink grapefruit, lemon, lime and orange is heaven in the winter.”
  • Daniella weighs in, “I love our juicer! We just got the Breville one over the holidays and we’re obsessed. Ours is really quite easy to clean up as well. I don’t mind it at all! I’m really liking juice better than smoothies… no seeds and no jammed blender anymore!”
  • A counter point from Jonc, ”I have an Omega 8006 juicer. Love it to death. We also have a Vitamix 5200. Love it to death. Had a breville. Don’t use it anymore.”
  • Then there is the Vitamix camp. This is a bit of a different beast because you’re blending, not really juicing perse. Eadie states, “I’m in the vitamix camp, love my vitamix for all the nutritional reasons (fibre, extra nutrients otherwise lost in the pulp) and generally begin my day with a veggie based smoothie.”
  • Angela says, “After spending some time with my VitaMix, I “moved up” to an Omega juicer and really love it – love making nut milks as well as fruit and vegetable juices. I mostly use it for green juices to drink, but have made some really exquisite compound vegetable sauces by cooking any particularly succulent, seasonal vegetable in it’s own juice and then pureeing.”
  • Sun mentions the Nutri-bullet, “Nutri-bullet, which creates ‘smoothies’ – not “juice” specifically. This gadget is about 1/2 the size & we use about 1/3 of the quantity of fruits/veggies. I still miss some of our “juice” blends but for those wanting a quicker option, here ya go.”
  • Jack LaLane represent in the comments as well. Julie shares,”I have a Jack LaLane juicer that will juice a “rock” Love it!”
  • Ellen says, “I love my Hurom Slow Juicer. It does an excellent job of extracting juice from fruits and veggies, leaving behind very dry pulp, especially compared to the Jack LaLanne juicer that I had prior to investing in the Hurom.”
  • Rita, “I have an Omega VRT and I love it. It’s very much like the Hurom juicer. Super easy to clean, I leave it on the counter and use it at least once or twice a day.”
  • Related, Josh G says, “My wife and I use the Hurom slow juicer and it is amazing. It has approximately 5 parts and is super easy to clean. From chopping to cleaning its altogether 15-20 mins. It has become part of our day and a great energy shot in the mornings.”
  • I love this note from SA, “…next time you’re in Turkey, or anywhere in the Middle East, find a hand cranked heavy duty juicer at the flea markets. They work absolutely best with pomegranates. By the way, by juicing only the seeds of a pomegranate, you lose most of the nutrition they carry. Like an orange, all the good stuff is in the bitter peel. So actually juicing like an orange is the way to go anyway.”

So, as you can see, people are passionate about their juicers! If you’re in the market really dive in and research how you imagine using it. I’ve read good things about the Nama J2. If I was looking to purchase something on a budget, I’d have a closer look at the Tribest Shine. I’ve also noticed the Hurom Slow Juicer has a new “easy clean” model (2023). So, set a budget, think about how it will work within your lifestyle, and go from there! You can keep en eye out for refurbished models at a discount or wait for sales that seem to come around a few times per year.

Lastly. if you’re a juicer, this is a plea to let me know what you use yours for the most. You’ve already proven to me that a good chunk of you don’t allow your juicer to collect dust! Adding a note here (years after the initial post!) – your hundreds of suggestions in the comments are amazing. I’ve threaded some back up into the post, but keep them coming!

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Homemade Labneh Recipe

How to make labneh, lots of ideas for how to enjoy it, different strainers you can use to make it, and a labneh recipe.

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I’ve been straining yogurt, aka making labneh, quite a lot lately. Labneh is an Arabic yogurt cheese often made by draining yogurt. But I started making it more often after receiving a package from Jaipur, India. The package was cloth-covered and hand-stitched at the seams. My address was in massive black penmanship. It was the most intriguing package I’ve received via post in recent memory, sent by my friend Melissa. (Some of you might remember) I met her after sitting down for lunch at the Anokhi Cafe. Melissa runs the cafe, and we hit it off from there.
labneh in a white bowl on a marble countertop

Special Equipment: A Good Strainer

I remember Melissa telling me about her favorite strainer. She described it as an unattractive plastic piece of crap, but one that does a fantastic job on the yogurt front. She sent me one (pictured below)! And she was right, this strainer has a very fine, double lining, which allows the liquid whey to flow from the yogurt leaving a thick silky white yogurt cream behind – perfect for spreading, rolling, and blending. It is a Krishna brand “Marvel/Super Delux” and hard to find online for some reason.

If you don’t have a friend who will mail you one like the strainer pictured below, no worries! Multiple people in the comments love this Cuisipro Yogurt Cheese Maker. For example, in the comments, Patrice is a pro and has some great insight related to this strainer, “I’ve been making labneh for about 25 years and I absolutely LOVE it! I have two of them because I often have more than one batch straining. Oh, and I never use Greek Yogurt for my labneh… the texture just seems not right. My favorite at the moment is the Brown Cow yogurt which I get at Whole Foods. I love all of the suggestions for using labneh. I use it just about anywhere that cream or sour cream is called for, but of course, just as a dip (lots of herbs and sea salt) is as good as it gets!”

Lee said, “made my first labneh this week using the cusipro-donvier strainer that I purchased from Amazon. It was no muss, no fuss and the container fits easily in the refrigerator and cleans up very easily. We had kalamata olive bread slathered with it with chopped arugula and some Za’atar I made. It was marvelous !!!”

And many people simply use a traditional handkerchief or fine cotton cloth, a clean pillowcase, or a couple layers of cheese cloth. Nitza mentions, “ I just use a colander lined with a paper coffee filter and a bowl underneath to catch the liquid. I’ve also used my “Pour over” ceramic coffee filter (with #2 or #4 filter paper) and the mug catching the drippings. I leave it in the fridge at night, have it in the morning or later.” All in all a bit more messy, but they’ll all do the job!

yogurt being strained into a bowl to make labneh

What To Do With The Whey?

Before we brainstorm ideas related to labneh, let’s talk about whey. The liquid that drains off the yogurt in the labneh process is whey. And it is a wonderful, nutritious by-product and ingredient. Don’t throw it out. You can do all sorts of things with it. You can keep whey in the refrigerator for a week or so. And beyond that, it freezes well.

Some ideas:

  • I like to use leftover whey from the ricotta making process as well. It can be used as a base for soup, like a broth. Just season and spice it to your liking. I especially like to make it spicy and then float stuffed pastas or dumplings in it and top with lots of chopped herbs.
  • In the comments, Linda mentions, “I use the whey from making goat cheese for the liquid in bread and quick bread recipes.”
  • Norma suggests to us, “use it in cornbread and pancakes, soups and smoothies.”
  • Love this suggestion from Arti, “We mix yoghurt back into the whey ( to the desired thickness) and add salt, some finely chopped cilantro and green chillies to get a lovely spicy buttermilk. However it’s tasty even without the chillies if you don’t like the spice.”
  • Kate suggests a drive down the fermentation lane, “make lacto-fermented kimchi, salsa, mustard, and many other things. Just search for “lacto-fermented recipes” and lots of options will pop up.”

labneh smeared into a piece of sourdough and topped with an egg and other ingredients

Ways To Enjoy Labneh

Ok, let’s do this! There are a million ways to enjoy labneh. Some traditional, others not so much. I’m going to share all the things I made with my last round of labneh. Then I’ll jump into some of your amazing ideas. And beyond that, I’ll highlight a few ideas from favorite cookbooks and authors.

  • The above open-faced sandwich was on of the first things I made – a fast A+ lunch. Thin toasted bread, a layer of labneh, pan-fried hedgehog mushrooms, poached egg, shredded radicchio and tarragon, sea salt.
  • Smashed a few threads of saffron with brown sugar in a mortar and pestle added a bit of labneh, and used it to fill pitted dates.
  • Spread across a shallow bowl, drizzled generously with olive oil, fragrant Mexican oregano crumbled across the top, served with toasted pita wedges.
  • Shaped into small balls, rolled in za’atar, drizzled with lots of olive oil.
  • Served a dollop alongside an asparagus frittata with loads of fresh herbs and a drizzle of lemon olive oil.
  • Slice of rye toast, bit of salted butter, layer of labneh, layer of jam.
  • I’ve made it with less salt and used it as a beautiful frosting. It kind of ends up being in the realm of a cream cheese frosting. Sweeten the labneh with honey, sugar, sifted powdered sugar, etc – whatever your preference.

Labneh Ideas: From the Comments

There is so much great inspiration and knowledge in the comment section down below. I’m pulling a few to highlight here, but dive in for more ideas. And keep adding as well! Please give a shout in the comments if you make labneh or strained yogurt and do interesting things with it!

  • Nina mentioned, “One of our favorite ways is spreading on rye bread (plain or toasted), topping with thinly sliced cucumbers or radishes. It is simple and wonderful. Great after a trip to the gym, especially in summer time.”
  • If you have access to goat milk yogurt, Ioanna enthusiastically weighs in, “goat Labneh is heavenly! If you can find goat yogurt or make your own, you need to strain it a lot longer and you’ll have the traditional goat Labneh (here we strain it in a special cheesecloth bag hung over the sink). It is then either shaped in small balls dipped in olive oil or in logs. It is very tangy, and usually saltier, blended with a generous amount of olive oil before degustation.” Sheep milk is fair game as well.
  • Megan C notes that she likes it as an alternative to ricotta in lasagna.
  • Another person in the comments mentioned this, “by adding onions, yellow chilli powder, corriander leaves, saffron threads, roasted chick pea flour, sugar, salt, cardamom powder & garam masala to it. Shape them into thick roundels & shallow fry on non-stick pan till golden brown on both sides.”

Labneh Inspiration from My Cookbook

  • In the comments Gemma mentioned, “there’s an amazing recipe for spiced labneh in the Moro cookbook. It uses fenugreek seeds, green chile, garlic and nigella seeds. It’s incredible, I recommend you seek it out! I usually make it that way but sometimes shape some into balls and roll them in something (cumin seeds/rosemary and garlic) and keep them covered in olive oil in a jar in the fridge.
  • Colu Henry caught my attention in Easy Fancy Food with her Lemon Curd Labneh Popsicles. She calls them, “a tart, lemony answer to a Creamsicle.”
  • In the NOPI cookbook Yotam weighs in with a smoked labneh! If you have a stovetop smoker (or a smoker donabe), this is one to try. The smoked labneh is served with baby carrots and mung beans along with crisp pita. Flavors like mint, caraway and thyme also represent.
  • If it’s peak summer and you’re reading this, take the recipe on page 73 of Suzanne Goin’s The A.O.C. Cookbook for a spin. It’s heirloom tomatoes with marinated labneh, purslane, and green harissa.
  • There’s a labneh cheesecake in Sami Tamimi’s Falastin. It features roasted apricots, cardamom, orange blossom water, and orange zest.
  • Diana Henry wrote a book years ago, Crazy Water Pickled Lemons: Enchanting Dishes from the Middle East, Mediterranean, and North Africa. I’ve been making a labneh-centric recipe (Bulgar and Spinach Pilaf with Labneh and Chili Roast Tomatoes) from it for the better part of twenty years. She has you bring all the components of this Turkish dish together over bulgar, but I’ve  enjoyed it over couscous, stuffed pastas, and orzo.
  • And, Carla Lalli Music includes a beautiful fruit compote with labneh, maple syrup, and olive oil in Where Cooking Begins.

Please let me know any other labneh faves in the comments below! Let’s keep this going.

labneh smeared into a piece of sourdough and topped with an egg and other ingredients

More Yogurt Recipes

 

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10 Recipes That Teach You How To Cook Asparagus Like A Pro

Asparagus is the workhorse of the springtime kitchen. Here are a handful of asparagus winners that will teach you how to cook asparagus like a pro!

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If you want to know how to cook asparagus, this is a great place to start. Asparagus is the workhorse of the springtime kitchen. Unlike the fussier darlings (I still love them), fava beans, peas, and artichokes, all of which require copious amounts of preparation time. Asparagus is relatively simple. Instead of partaking in tasks like shelling, trimming, and de-choking, asparagus can be at its pinnacle with a simple trim, quick blanch, drizzle of olive oil, and dusting of salt. We get pencil-thin asparagus here, as well as asparagus thick as a candle – and everything in between. Here are a range of asparagus winners that will teach you how to cook asparagus like a pro. Happy spring, and enjoy!

1. A Simple Aspragus Soup (101 Cookbooks)
A great starter recipe. Everyone should have a good asparagus soup in their back pocket. This one is tops – fresh asparagus, new potatoes, a bit of green curry paste, and coconut milk are pureed to make this spring favorite. Get the recipe here.

10 Recipes That Teach You How To Cook Asparagus Like A Pro

2. Avocado Asparagus Tartine (101 Cookbooks)
An excellent impromptu springtime lunch tartine: avocado smeared across toasted day-old slabs of sesame bread, layered with arugula and garlicky-caraway pan cooked asparagus + toasted pepitas. Get the recipe here.

10 Recipes That Teach You How To Cook Asparagus Like A Pro

3. Grilled Asparagus Plate + Cilantro Pepita Pesto (Sprouted Kitchen)
Cheers to spring produce from Sprouted Kitchen. Love this simple grilled asparagus preparation with a special pesto. It has a surprise kiss of chipotle in it, along with a hint of lime. Perfection. It’s great as a side dish or as a component in something like a grain bowl. Get the recipe here.

10 Recipes That Teach You How To Cook Asparagus Like A Pro

4. Weeknight Ponzu Pasta (101 Cookbooks)
All things green in a quick, weeknight pasta option. It’s feel-good food that won’t weigh you down – garlic and chile ponzu dressing, green vegetables, and the pasta of your choice. Swap asparagus in for the green beans here, and you’re all good. It’s a recipe that demonstrates how to boil asparagus (or other tender green vegetables) in your existing pasta water. Get the recipe here.

10 Recipes That Teach You How To Cook Asparagus Like A Pro

5. Walnut Miso Noodles with Asparagus (101 Cookbooks)
A hearty noodle bowl recipe. Whole grain noodles and asparagus are tossed with a creamy, walnut-miso dressing plus a dollop of chile paste. Get the recipe here.

Miso Walnut Noodles with Asparagus

6. Asparagus Stir-fry (101 Cookbooks)
A favorite stir-fry recipe. Asparagus and tofu form the base, but it has quite a lot going on beyond that. You get a bite of tang from the lime, heat from the red chiles and fresh ginger, mint and basil cool things down, and a touch hoisin sauce gives you just enough sweetness to balance it all out. Get the recipe here.

10 Recipes That Teach You How To Cook Asparagus Like A Pro

7. Fava Bean and Asparagus Salad (Bon Appétit)
Love this Alison Roman recipe. It’s the kind of thing to make when you’re ready to use your vegetable peeler. Also, a good opportunity to get your fava shelling fix on. Get the recipe here.

10 Recipes That Teach You How To Cook Asparagus Like A Pro

8. Asparagus Cilantro Salad (101 Cookbooks)
I love this salad so much. And, unless you absolutely loathe cilantro, you must try it. Simply cilantro leaves and stems tossed with a simple shallot-forward soy sauce dressing, plus peanuts, and asparagus. So good. Get the recipe here.

10 Recipes That Teach You How To Cook Asparagus Like A Pro

9. Grilled Asparagus Spring Rolls (Bojon Gourmet)
Yes to spring rolls. Yes to ginger lime dipping sauce. This recipe will also walk you through how to grill asparagus. Get the recipe here.

10 Recipes That Teach You How To Cook Asparagus Like A Pro

10. Asparagus Panzanella (101 Cookbooks)
A simple asparagus panzanella – a quick, mustard buttermilk dressing accents good asparagus, alongside crusty shards of toasted bread, and a dusting of sesame seeds. Shred a hard boiled egg over the top and you’ve got an even more substantial meal. I also love this using grilled asparagus, especially as the weather improves and the grill gets dusted off. Get the recipe here.

10 Recipes That Teach You How To Cook Asparagus Like A Pro

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Feel-good Lunch Ideas

Leveling up lunch on-the-go with lots of color, clever use of leftovers, and feel-good ingredients. These are two lunchboxes I packed recently.

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One of the things I’ve been trying to be better about is lunches on-the-go. Coming up with inspired lunch ideas takes some effort. Often times, let’s be honest, it’s re-marketing leftovers. Too often, if we’re not going to be home for the day, we just wing it. And I’m nearly always sorry we didn’t make the effort to pack a good lunch. This is especially true if we’re on some sort of trip, towing the Airstream. Because on those days parking dictates where you’re lunching. And just thinking about it is making me cringe. So yeah, we’re trying to do better over here and I thought I’d share some recent wins.
An Assortment of lunch ideas arranged on a table including hard-boiled egg, pickled cauliflower, edamame and a wedge of orange

Lunch Ideas #1 

These lunch boxes (above) came together pretty quickly. Nearly everything was a leftover, or component of a previous meal. To pull it together I peeled and chile-dusted the hard-boiled egg, sliced the avocado and sliced the mandarin.

1. Spicy Sesame Coleslaw: You’ve seen it before, you’ll see it again. Lol. It’s my favorite coleslaw, and I’ll basically tuck in anywhere. Feathery green and red cabbages along with carrots, apples, and scallions tossed with a spicy, creamy sesame dressing.

2. Pickled Cauliflower: The pop of color you need in your lunch. This quick pickled cauliflower delivers a good amount of tang and crunch in the midst of less structured components. I make mine with chiles, mustard seeds and slivered onion, but you can play around.

3. Chile-dusted Hard-boiled Egg: Here’s how to make these. Combine equal parts chile powder and MDH chana masala powder in a small bowl. I like to use this Kashmiri chillie powder, but use what you have (and like). Peel your egg, rinse it, dab it a bit on a clean towel to take off excess water, then roll it around in the spice mixture until completely covered. Slice and serve, or pack into lunch.

4. Turmeric-Scallion Tofu Spread: This is actually leftover wonton filling from my last round of wonton soup. But it’s also great as a lettuce wrap filling, cracker and sandwich spread, and on its own. Here, I nestle it into a stack of 2-3 little gem leaves. Get the recipe – it’s the first part of the recipe on this page, minus the wrappers.

5. Red-spiced Edamame: I’ll write this up as its own recipe soon, it’s a homemade spice blend made by crushing Kashmiri chillies, smoked paprika, brown sugar, sesame, dried onion flakes, salt, and a kiss of cardamom together. Sprinkle generously. There are a lot of other spice blend ideas in the Spice / Herb / Flower / Zest PDF that members get. Just about any of those are great here. Experiment!

6. Pepita & Curry Leaf Tadka: I’ve definitely over-stripped my young curry tree making this lately. Toast a cup of pepitas and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir in 50-ish fresh curry leaves. Continue to stir and when the leaves begin to crisp up add 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds. Keep stirring and when the seeds have toasted a bit and stopped popping, add 1/2 teaspoon chile powder. Pour this over your pepitas, toss well, and salt to taste. good on everything, Including the soba in the next lunch.

Also: purple rice, sliced avocado, mandarin wedge, nutritional yeast kale chips

An assortment of lunch ideas arranged on a table including soba noodles, tamagoyaki, coleslaw, and spiced seeds

Lunch Ideas #2 

The one component of the lunch boxes (above) that wasn’t made ahead of time, was the soba noodles. I boiled them, and ran them under cold water just before packing up. 

6+. Soba with Pepita & Curry Leaf Tadka:  The same pepitas as above (lunch ideas #1), this time tangled with cold soba.

7. Vegan Tamagoyaki: This is a vegan version of tamagoyaki, the much-loved Japanese rolled omelette. I like to make chickpea-tofu version, and this one is lined with nori and seasoned with scallions and herbs. They’re fantastic lunchbox heroes because you can make and roll them ahead of time. They’ll keep for a few day so you can slice and go.

8. Blistered Artichoke Hearts: Leftovers from dinner the previous night. I cooked these from frozen. So easy, so good. I wrote a long post about how to cook artichokes – both fresh and frozen. So, if you love artichokes, but think they’re too much work, read this. Same goes if you think the frozen ones are going to be bad. They aren’t and they’re great in scenarios like this one, quick pastas, casseroles, etc.

9. Fava Beans Tossed with Citrus Olive Oil: These are fava beans that have been shelled, boiled for a flash, shelled again, and then splashed with a bit of lemon olive oil, and tossed with a pinch of salt. From previous dinner. I do the same with edamame, but favas are in season and I they’re worth all the shelling and peeling drama.

10. Kale Chips: Some extra crushed kale chips tossed with the remaining pepitas. My method for epic kale chips is this: buy curly kale, make sure it’s dry if you recently washed it. Toss the kale with olive oil and scrunch it all up with your hands, be sure it’s all coated. Toss with a lot of nutritional yeast, get a good coating going. Season with salt and bake at 375F-ish until the chips at the edges start browning. Toss well. Continue to bake until crispy but still mostly green.

Also: blood orange wedges for dessert

Two bento boxes filled with lunch

A Couple Pro-tips

There’s actually just one main tip, but I’ll add more as I think of them. Line your bentos with parchment paper for easy clean-up.  This isn’t as important with stainless steel containers, they clean up quite quickly. Bentos, often made of cedar, are a bit more fragile and take more care if you want them to last for many years. Also, clean up as soon as you get home. The reset is key to looking forward to your next special box lunch.
Close-up of soba noodles and coleslaw

Favorite Lunchbox Containers

Bentos: I have (and love) my small collection of bento boxes. They’re beautifully crafted and fit the perfect amount of food. They often come with small dividers to create separation between food, but you can also use lettuce, or other small containers to divide things up. 

Tiffins (or dhabbas): These containers have long been used in India to enable healthful, homemade meals outside the home. I have a circular, triple-stack stainless steel version I love for a number of reasons including durability, compactness, and security. The tiers nestle tightly making spills and accidents unlikely. I have my eye on a rectangular version as well.

Both bentos and tiffins have a tradition of enabling meals made with care and love. And continuing this tradition is something I try to channel when I’m packing a lunch for myself or someone I care about.

Lunch arranged and ready to eat
I don’t mind mixing different types of lunch containers. And sometimes I’ll make an individual lunch for each person, each in its own container. But, other times I think it’s fine to load up a few family-style containers and do it that way. I think that works great for components that can be more communal, like edamame, or a bunch of dumplings, a stack of paratha, vegan sushi or quesadillas, quinoa patties, etc.

Hot Lunch!

Use a thermos to bring hot miso soup or tea or rasam or whatever else you can think of. This is always the icing on the cake and unfailingly makes me happy (or happier!) When I really have things lined up, I’ll bring green tea, miso soup, or soba tea and a durable glass or two wrapped in cloth. Simply rewrap when you’re finished.
A sampling of lunch ideas arranged on a marble table
I hope this provides a bit of inspiration! It’s really wonderful to take a bit of time to sit down to a thoughtfully prepared, healthful homemade lunch and I’m never sorry about making the extra effort (in the long run). Even if it can make a morning a bit more demanding than usual, I know when I do it, I’ll eat better, feel better, and get excited about sitting down to lunch. Enjoy! -h

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Pickled Cauliflower

Step by step instructions for how to make quick pickled cauliflower. Cauliflower is combined with slivered onions, mustard seeds and dried chiles and covered in a hot vinegar. The florets are tangy with a kiss of salty sweetness and super good!

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Pickled cauliflower is great to have on hand. You can make it with any color cauliflower you like, although I can’t resist purple cauliflower because the compounds in it react with the hot vinegar solution to turn the florets a beautiful neon. The perfect punctuation to any plate. Keep a jar on hand and serve these alongside tacos and spring rolls, inside bentos and as an accent in salads.
Quick Pickled Cauliflower in a Mason Jar
Here (below) you can see the pickled cauliflower as part of a bento lunch situation. The cauliflower is nestled between a chile-coated hard-boiled egg, spicy sesame coleslaw, purple rice, a curry leaf and pepita tadka, and a bunch of kale chips. It delivers a good amount of tang and crunch in the midst of less structured components.
Pickled Cauliflower in a bowl along with other lunch food

Pickled Cauliflower: The Process

It’s possible to have a jar full of pickled cauliflower done in ten minutes. The steps are straight-forward and quick. The first thing to do is toss your florets with any other ingredients and seasonings you might be using. I like to use onions, mustard seeds, and dried chiles – reflected in the recipe below. You can do the same or play around. Sometimes I’ll add carrot coins, other times I’ll substitute shallots for the onions, etc. 
Cauliflower florets, onions, mustard seeds and chile in a glass mason jar

Pack the Jar

The next step is transferring the mixture to a quart-sized Mason jar. Fill nearly all the way to the top as you can see pictured below.Side view of a jar filled with cauliflower florets, onions, mustard seeds and chiles

Make A Hot Vinegar Solution

The last stage in the process is heating a mixture of vinegar, salt, and sugar in a small saucepan. It simmers until the grains of sugar and salt have dissolved. The hot vinegar is poured over the cauliflower until it is completely covered. This is when you’ll see the color shift if using purple cauliflower.Quick Pickled Cauliflower in a Mason Jar

A Great Make-ahead Component

I love making pickled cauliflower this way because you can enjoy a crunchy hot bite just a few minutes after the hot vinegar hits. And then things get even better in the days following. I tend to try to use any quick pickles within about a week, but they usually are enjoyed before then.
Pickled Cauliflower as a part of lunch spread
If you’re interested in more of the feel-good lunch ideas pictured, here’s where you can find the spicy sesame coleslaw, and the tofu salad is actually just my favorite wonton filling from this wonton soup recipe. Enjoy!


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Homemade Ponzu Sauce

Ponzu is a much loved Japanese sauce appreciated for its tangy, salty, citrus profile. It’s simple to make at home and a great way to use your favorite citrus.

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Ponzu sauce is one of the ways I like to put a dent in the steady supply of off-beat citrus growing on our patio this time of year. Ponzu is often used in Japanese (and Japanese-influenced) dishes and making your own allows for some citrus-centric experimentation. If you’re aiming to make a better version of a grocery store ponzu sauce you’ll likely hit the citrus note by using lemon, but I love to make it with Meyer lemons, yuzu, makrut lime or oro blanco grapefruit (or a blend). My favorite is ponzu sauce made with Rangpur lime. It’s a bit tangy, plenty salty, perfumed with citrus – perfect in and on so many things.Homemade Ponzu Sauce

The Origins of Ponzu

This can be a bit confusing, but let’s dive it. If you want to geek out on ponzu, poke around on the internet a bit, and then read this and this. They’re the most interesting articles I’ve read about ponzu. That said, when you buy ponzu in the U.S. or see it called for in English-language cookbooks, the assumption is that ponzu is made with soy sauce, citrus, vinegar, etc. That’s the recipe on this page, but there is more to know.

According to Sceaphierde’s article, ponzu was introduced by the Dutch to Nagasaki during the Edo period. Nearly every other page about ponzu will deliver a boilerplate about how the word ponzu can be broken down into two parts: pon, related to the Dutch word pons, meaning punch (the beverage); and the Japanese word su meaning vinegar. But what those pages tend to leave out is this – that ponzu was yellow (or not dark). It seems like it may have been a citrus alcohol beverage of the Dutch – no soy sauce. Over time ponzu has evolved. The ponzu you’re likely imagining, or the recipe you’re looking for, is probably more along the lines of “true” ponzu combined with soy sauce – ajipon – flavor (aji) and (pon) ponzu. Or ponzu shoyu – according to Naoko Takei Moore in her Donabe cookbook, “it’s more commonly referred to as ponzu.” That’s what we’re rolling with here.

 

How To Make Ponzu Sauce

I like to make ponzu using the technique I learned from Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat’s The Japanese Grill (Ten Speed Press 2011). I’ve landed on a ratio of ingredients that I’ve tweaked to my liking over the years. The version you’ll see below tends to be a bit citrus-forward, pulled back on the vinegar a shade. To make ponzu sauce you combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, citrus juice, water, kombu, and shaved bonito flakes (katsuobushi). You allow the ingredients to steep for a period of time. Then strain and bottle.

Vegetarian Ponzu Sauce

To make the vegetarian ponzu sauce we use here at home, I omit the bonito flakes and instead use dried mushrooms. Dried shiitake are the obvious choice here for their sea-forward flavor notes, but I typically reach for dried porcini mushrooms. They’re a powerhouse of flavor, umami, and I feel like they round out the ponzu nicely. Play around to see what you like!Homemade Ponzu Sauce

To Cook or Not?

A lot of ponzu sauce recipes you’ll see will have you cook all (or most) of the ingredients together. That’s not what you’ll see here and it’s part of what I’ve always liked about the approach Harris and Tadashi take. The only ingredients you cook together are the sake and mirin. The two ingredients cool to room temperature before they are combined with the citrus juice, vinegar, seaweed, etc. It results in a ponzu with clean lines and a directness that can be muddled with a cooked version. Imagine hot, cooked orange or lemon juice compared to freshly squeezed – they’re just different beasts altogether. So I stick with this version, not hot plus an overnight steeping. You can, of course, play around – do a gentle steeping with a warmed version, etc. Or cook everything and hold back the citrus until late. And you can, of course, experiment with how long you leave the ingredients to co-mingle. I like to go overnight.
Baked Mushrooms with Ponzu Sauce

Ways to Use Ponzu

Ponzu can be used in so many dishes – imagine tart, tangy, and salt accents all at play together. It makes a great marinade for tofu and mushrooms. Splashed over noodles or rice is a no-brainer. I also love it as a component in salad dressings, skip the salt and add ponzu to taste to your favorite vinaigrette.

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Candied Walnuts

Caramelized and toasted, these crunchy candied walnuts use brown sugar and spices to deliver the perfect snack or topping.

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The best candied walnuts are oven-baked. Don’t let anyone tell you different. It’s worth knowing how to make them and there are many reasons to keep candied walnuts on hand. First off, buying them can be wildly expensive. Second, they’re infinitely snack-able. And, they have a knack for making salads, popcorn, crumbles and cheese plates extra special. Once you nail down a great base recipe and technique for candied walnuts you can tweak them a thousand different ways with different spices, herbs and flavors. Today we’re going to talk through all of this.

Candied Walnuts on a Sheetpan

What Makes Good Candied Walnuts?

This is subjective, of course, but I like candied walnuts with a thick, brown sugar bark. So much coating it becomes hard to see the definition in the curves and swirls of the walnuts. The optimal size of the walnut pieces is up for debate. The merit of perfectly candied whole walnut halves is hard to argue with. It’s my preferred size for salads, snacking and the like. But, candied chopped walnuts, in smaller pieces, make a wonderful topping for scoops of ice cream, mixing into popcorn, integrating into fruit crumble and crisp toppings or adding to granola. This round I stuck with halves.
Walnuts in a Bowl coasted with Brown Sugar Mixture

Baking Versus Skillet?

There are two common methods for making candied walnuts – in the oven or in a non-stick skillet. You will likely have success with either method, but let me tell you why I prefer baking the walnuts. Toasting walnuts in a skillet is always awkward. They’re craggy-shaped and where nuts touch the pan they either get too dark or the rest of the walnuts stay too light. It’s more challenging to know when your sugar is hot enough to set when using a skillet. It’s basically automatic in the oven, so you don’t sweat it as much. The oven envelops the walnuts in dry heat and you get much better toasting and browning. The dry heat of the oven also seems to strip the water from the egg whites while the sugar toasts resulting in crunchy snappy candied walnuts. Exactly what you want when they’ve cooled completely.
Candied Walnuts

Candied Walnuts: The Technique 

I’m going to call out a few important techniques and tricks here. This way you won’t breeze over them once you’re deep in the recipe.  

  • Coating the walnuts: You are going to get in there and stir these walnuts at TWO points, for minutes at a time. Once to initially coat the walnuts with the egg whites. And again once you stir in the brown sugar mixture. Really go for it. See photo below.
  • Separate the walnuts for baking: Try to separate the walnuts so they don’t bake into clumps on the baking sheets.
  • Avoid under-baking: Use all your senses to know when to pull the candied walnuts from the oven. I look for a few things. Things should smell toasty when you open the oven. The sugar coating should be nice and deeply golden at the edges, where the coating touches the pan. You need to bake long enough that the sugars bake and will be snappy once cooled.
  • Let the walnuts cool completely: Let the candied walnuts cool  for ten minutes or so before moving them around or taking them off the pan. It will be easier to break them up, the texture is best and they won’t burn your mouth.

Ingredients for Candied Walnuts

Variations:

There are endless ways to switch things up here. How about…

  • Add some zest. Avoiding the white pith, use a vegetable peeler to strip the zest off a lemon, Meyer lemon, or orange. Cut into the narrowest slivers. Stir into the sugar mixture.
  • Experiment with seasonings and spice blends. My rule of thumb here is…if it is good in a cookie or pie, it will likely be good here. Think gingerbread spices, pumpkin pie spice, Bahārāt, quatre épices.
  • Try an alternate nut. Pecans are a great substitute. Or a mix of walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts. I also like to throw some sliced almonds (skins on) into the mix.
  • Crunchy Chewy Candied Walnuts: Add some dried or freeze dried fruit. You can use chopped figs or dates here. Or stir in chopped dried banana and/or pineapple before baking.
  • Rosemary Sesame Candied Walnuts: this is a version I used to make regularly. Add 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary leaves, 1/4 cup sesame seeds and 1/3 cup chopped dates or dried figs to the brown sugar mixture.
  • Less Sweet: Scale back the brown sugar to 1/2 cup.
  • Spicy Candied Walnuts: Add a scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Keep the curry powder from the original recipe or leave it out.
  • Espresso Candied Walnuts: add 2 tablespoons finely ground espresso powder to the brown sugar. Skip curry powder.

Walnuts Coated with Sugar Mixture Before Baking

How To Serve Candied Walnuts

I’ve thrown out some ideas up above, but there are so many great ways to serve candied walnuts. Use them:

  • Always in salads. Use them in kale salad, apple salad, even this wedge salad as a finishing touch.
  • On their own or as part of a cheese platter or (these days) a butter board.
  • As a topping to add crunch to blended soups.
  • As a component in a yogurt or granola bar for brunch.
  • In baked goods. Work them into your favorite quick breads and batters. Imagine a favorite gingerbread or brownies dotted with candied walnuts!

Two Pans of Candied Walnuts Cooling

How to Store Candied Walnuts

You have some options here. But the first step is to let them cool absolutely completely. Then store in any air-tight container, like a mason jar, or re-usable baggy. Always reseal the container tightly after snacking. You can also freeze candied walnuts, in a tightly sealed container, for up to a few months.

Two Pans of Candied Walnuts Cooling

The recipe makes a one pound batch, so you’ll have plenty to share or just keep on hand. Here’s a photo of little baggies filled with candied walnuts accented with rosemary and lots of sesame seeds. So tasty. Enjoy!

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Grilled Pizza

How to make grilled pizza and everything you need to know to get it right – with topping ideas!

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When you pair a hot grill with great pizza dough plus a handful of seasonal toppings, your meal game is going to be next level. Grilled pizza season is on and this post covers everything you need to know to about how to get it right.
Grilled Pizza topped with Corn, Chiles, and Mozzarella”   border=

How to Grill Pizza: The Basics

To grill great pizza start with a hot grill that has been cleaned well with a brush. Also key, it helps to be organized. Have your pizza dough, pizza sauce and all toppings ready. Like, right next to the grill. Once you slide your pizza dough onto the grill, the next steps come in rapid succession. This means, whether you’re ready or not. Brush one side of the pizza dough with olive oil and cook that side first, flip it, brush the grilled side with sauce and toppings. Then finish cooking. If you’re a bit on the slow side arranging toppings, you’ll want to pull the pizza off the grill for this step. This helps to avoid the potential for burning. Return the topped pizza to the grill for final cooking. Happens in a flash!

Grilled Pizza topped with Kale, Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella” border=

General Grilled Pizza Tips

  • Start with a good pizza dough foundation. This is my go-to homemade pizza dough, and it works well on the grill.
  • Similar to baking pizza in an oven, you want to achieve medium-high to high heat here. Pre-heat the grill as long as possible and check the temperature before starting the pizza. I aim for 450-500F-ish. You can go hotter if you’re baking your pizza on an upper grill rack, but run the risk of scorchy (burnt) grill marks if it’s in a more direct spot. If you’re using a pizza stone, ignore this and get your grill hot hot hot.
  • Pizza on the grill differs from baking pizza in the oven in that with grilled pizza you generally flip the dough once before adding toppings.
  • Consider pre-cooking any veggies or other toppings if needed. They won’t have much time to cook on the grill. Arrange each in an individual bowl along with the rest of your toppings bar.  
  • Use a bit of olive oil on the pizza dough to prevent the first side from sticking to the grill.

Close-up photo of a white pizza topped with corn, chiles, and mozzarella” border=

Grilled Pizza: The Dough

Start with the right dough: As I mentioned up above, you need to start with a pizza dough that is on your team. I love this pizza dough. It’s the one you see in the pictures here. You can read all about why I like it, in short: the flavor is great, it’s easy to work with, you don’t need a mixer, and there is no need to proof the yeast you’re using. Great in an oven or on a grill. It’s super flex and adaptable. Alternately, you can experiment with doughs purchased from local pizza spots or stores.

Grill Temperature

Temperature: This is the second pillar after good dough. Controlling the grill temperature is key to your success – and, I’ll be honest, there can be a bit of a leaning curve. If you’re having trouble with pizza dough sticking to the grill, dial up the heat. And when using a gas grill, the lid is your friend. Use the lid to control the heat, and to get the hot air circulating all the way around the dough. If you need your toppings to cook/melt more quickly – slap the lid on for a bit. Keep in mind, you have to be particularly vigilant with pizzas you’ve pulled parchment thin – they’ll burn through in a flash. If you’re worried about burning pizzas, you can move them to the upper rack if your grill has one.

Broadly speaking, whatever type of outdoor oven/grill I’m using I obsessively check the bottom and top of the dough and let it tell me what it needs – more time, more heat, a flip, etc. If you have a grill with dual burners, or a way to set up a hot zone, and a not-so-hot zone, moving the dough around can also be helpful.

Grilled pizza dough arranged on sheets of parchment paper before baking” border=

The Parchment Technique

When grilling pizzas this is the approach I like. First, pull the dough out and shape it on a sheet of parchment paper that has been spritzed with a bit of olive oil. Unlike oven-baked pizza you skip the flour here. You can then gently flip the dough onto the grill with the parchment providing a nice amount of structure (see below). Peel the parchment paper away and proceed.

Placing dough on hot grill

Do you need a Pizza Stone to Grill Pizza?

If you have and use a pizza stone in your oven, you can use it on the grill. That said, you don’t need a pizza stone to grill pizza.

Pizza toppings arranged on a baking sheet

Best Toppings for Grilled Pizza

This is the fun part. The rule of thumb here is to use toppings that really sing after a just a couple minutes on the grill. This means you might want to pre-cook (or pre-grill) any toppings that would take longer than that. Use flavor-packed, fast cooking ingredients that have a tendency to melt (or cook) quickly for your toppings. Don’t go overboard, thoughtfully curate each pizza so the flavors of each ingredient have room to speak. Some favorites include:

  • Vegetables: corn, thin asparagus, roasted cherry tomatoes, peas, roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, olives, fava beans, citrus zests, grilled artichoke hearts, sautéed thinly sliced potatoes.
  • Cheeses: ricotta, fresh mozzarella, gruyere, feta, freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino
  • Finishing touches: lemon olive oil, tangerine olive oil, makrut lime oil, chives and chive flowers, hot honey
  • Herbs: a sprinkle of fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, fresh basil, minced chives, lemon verbena

Spreading tomato sauce on pizza dough” border=

  • Topping Combinations:
    – tomato sauce, mozzarella, crushed kale chips, lemon oil (pictured)
    – mozzarella, roasted corn, pickled serrano chiles, chive flowers, pine nuts (pictured)
    – caramelized fennel & olives
    – spinach/pea & ricotta pesto, potatoes & smoke chile sauce
    – tomato & roasted red peppers with goat cheese
    – a while back I also compiled this page of A+ grilled pizza topping ideas
    – And, here’s a page where I’ve listed a lot of recent favorite pizza combinations

Pizza dough on grill prior to adding toppings” border=

Thick or Thin Pizzas?

Play around with how thick or thin you pull your pizza dough. You’ll get widely varying results. As far as the thick or thin debate goes, I tend to lean into thin. That being said, leaving the dough a bit thicker yields a pizza with a different personality, still delicious – try both to see what you like.

Make-Ahead Crusts

You can pre-grill pizza crusts up to a few hours ahead of time. For example, if you’re feeding a crowd and want to get a bit of a jump start. Lightly grill both sides and then allow to cool on a rack. The key is to go light, knowing they will be going back on the grill later. When you’re ready for prime time, sauce and top each pizza and do the final grilling.

If you’ve never tried this, give it a go! It’s fun to set up for a small crowd because everyone can take a turn making their own custom pizza. Let me know your favorite topping combos in the comments.

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Compound Butters – Adding Things to Butter to Make it Extra Awesome

Compound butters are a lazy cook’s secret weapon. They’re a way to add intense flavor to preparations without a whole lot of extra effort. I’ve included a list of favorites here.

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I thought we could do a dive into compound butters today. Compound butters are a lazy cook’s secret weapon. They’re a way to add intense flavor to preparations without a whole lot of extra effort. They also freeze really well, earning them bonus points as far as I’m concerned. Thaw, stir, and you’ve got a powerful flavor accent at your disposal. To make a compound butter you incorporate ingredients into a butter base. As much as I love good butter, I also can’t help but constantly ask myself – what can I add to this butter to make it extra awesome? I’ve included a few recent favorites here, and I’ll also mention a few things to think about for when you set out to try out your own ideas.
An assortment of compound butters on a counter

Compound Butter Ideas & Variations

The range of possible compound butters is limited only by your imagination. Here are a few past favorites to get you thinking, but please think of them as jumping off points! Have fun and experiment.
Roasted Strawberry Ginger Compound Butter in a small bowl
Roasted Strawberry Ginger Compound Butter

Roasted Strawberry Ginger Compound Butter:
Let’s kick things off with a sweet compound butter. I make it on occasion during strawberry season using strawberries I’ve roasted and cooled. Use a food processor to whip 1 stick (4 oz.) of room temperature unsalted butter until fluffy. Transfer to a bowl and old in 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, 3 tablespoons chopped candied ginger, 15 chopped candied pecans, and a couple teaspoons of runny honey. Stir until everything comes together and then loosely fold in about 1/4 cup roasted strawberries. Great with: brunch.

Lemon Miso Bowl in a small serving bowl
Lemon Miso Compound Butter

Lemon Miso Compound Butter
:
Use a food processor to whip 1 stick (4 oz.) of room temperature unsalted butter until fluffy. Pulse in 1 tablespoon miso, zest of one lemon (or yuzu), 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon ground toasted cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Taste and adjust if needed. Fold in 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds. Great on: brown rice bowls, roasted delicate squash, sautéed vegetables, baked potatoes, roasted tomatoes.

Saffron Date Compound Butter in a small serving bowl
Saffron Date Compound Butter

Saffron Date Compound Butter:
Add 1 pinch of saffron threads in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, allow to sit for five minutes. Use a food processor to whip 1 stick (4 oz.) of room temperature unsalted butter until fluffy. Pulse in 1 tablespoon honey, and 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt. Add the saffron-almond extract mixture, scraping down the sides of the processor bowl regularly. Pulse in five plump dates, leaving them a bit chunky. Great on: hot oatmeal, flatbreads, sautéed greens.

Garlic Green Olive Compound Butter in a Small Serving Bowl
Green Garlic Olive Compound Butter

Garlic Green Olive Compound Butter:
Use a food processor to whip 1 stick (4 oz.) of room temperature unsalted butter until fluffy. Pulse in 1 large clove of peeled garlic, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Start with 1/8 teaspoon, but add more if you like. Pulse in a dozen plump green olives that you have pitted, rinsed, and dried in a clean towel. I like to squeeze the olives between my palms to rid them of as much olive water as possible before pulsing them in. Great on: pasta, polenta, a wide range of vegetables, it’s easy magic.

callion Dill Compound Butter in a small serving bowlScallion Dill Compound Butter

Scallion Dill Compound Butter:
Use a food processor to whip 1 stick (4 oz.) of room temperature unsalted butter until fluffy. Pulse in a scant 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, a large clove of garlic (or 1 head of trimmed green garlic), 2 scallions, and a handful of fresh dill you’ve de-stemmed. Pulse well here, until everything blends together into a vibrant, electric green butter. Great on: just about everything – grilled asparagus, to finish sautéed mushrooms, perfect on corn later in the year, or cornbread. Also, biscuits, polenta, rice bowls, potatoes, egg salad. It’s incredibly versatile.
An assortment of compound butters on a counter

More Compound Butter Recipes!

Dry Desert Lime Compound Butter: I’ve been playing around quite a bit lately using tea as a seasoning. Many times I’ll grind up tea leaves in a mortar and pestle and use it the way you might use a pepper. The fragrance that comes off the ground leaves is wonderful and brings an unexpected element to many preparations. Depending on the tea I am using this can range from smoky to floral to fresh and bright. In this case I choose a dried lime tisane (or herbal tea) instead. There is something haunting, vibrant and ancient in the taste of dried lime and I thought it might lend itself nicely to a compound butter for use on a range of foods like: sweet potatoes (mashed/roasted), grilled corn, or as a spread on sandwiches, etc. To make: 4 tablespoons unsalted organic butter, room temperature 1 or 2 Numi Desert Lime tea bags (depending on how strong you want it), cut open and the contents ground in a mortar and pestle 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt. Combine in a small bowl and refrigerate.

Freeze-Dried Strawberry Compound Butter: Freeze-dried fruit is quite common now. You can get strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and pineapple. Crush and chop these strawberries, whip them into butter and you get a textured, color-flecked spread perfect for pancakes, toast, muffins and the like. The strawberries are on the very tart side of sweet so I sweetened this one up with a bit of sugar – I used Florida Crystals because I didn’t want a browner sugar to impact its bright color. To make:  4 tablespoons unsalted organic butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar, 1/3 cup dehydrated organic strawberries, minced. Combine in a small bowl and refrigerate.

Raw Serrano Compound Butter: This one is for the cornbreads of the world. It has a little heat and a lot of flavor. I used 2 medium serrano chiles, but you can scale up or down on the chile scale depending on your tastes. A pretty pale green butter flecked with dark green freckles I’m also love it on crepes, and grilled corn, and to toss fresh summer shell beans, and for pasta. I think a great variation on this one would be to add roasted garlic and pan-toast the chiles before blending them in. To make: 4 tablespoons unsalted organic butter, room temperature 2 serrano chiles, deveined and seeded, loosely chopped plus 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt. Combine in a small bowl and puree with a hand blender until the chiles are fully incorporated. Refrigerate.

Smoked Paprika Compound Butter: Fragrant, delicious, and a stunning rusty-orange color a little of this butter goes the distance. It will lend itself nicely to brown rice, certain kabobs, sandwiches, corn soup, toasted artisan breads, and zucchini muffins. To make: 4 tablespoons unsalted organic butter, room temperature 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika plus 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt Combine in a small bowl and refrigerate.

Let me know if you come up with any special butters we should know about. Keep in mind, compound butters are a great way to use up smaller quantities of herbs, spices, the odd clove of garlic, the bottom of the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, or capers. Melted, many are great on your favorite pancakes or homemade popcorn. They also freeze really well. I recommend freezing in small quantities, so you can easily pull just enough for a couple of days use. One other tip – concentrated ingredients with little moisture work best. For example, roasted strawberries versus fresh strawberries. Orange zest versus orange segments. Have fun! -h

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