The Joy of Simplicity

Recipes don't need to be difficult to be impactful. You don't need a page long list of ingredients and a million pots and pans and fancy technique to produce satisfying and beautiful meals. This month I'm reveling in the simple recipes. It's a wee-bit crazy at work at the moment so I've been fully embracing simplicity wherever I can find it.

Twice last month I had dinners consisting of zero cooking. I opened a couple tins of fish, tossed some bitter greens with vinaigrette, tore up some baguette and picked at pickles and a couple fresh cheeses. Very European of me I know. Also very easy and very satisfying.

On the nights I did feel like cooking I kept the ingredient list to under 10 (not including pantry staples like salt, pepper, cooking oil and spices) and I used just one skillet and prep and cook time was under 40 minutes. And guess what. Everything was delicious and enjoying those simple recipes gave me more time to obsess over work and FaceTime with my almost 2-year-old niece. Give them a try and see what you can do with those extra minutes.

Spanish Mussels with Serrano Ham

Serves 2
*This recipe allows for a lot of playing around. You can substitute different ingredients depending what you have on hand. You can use clams instead of mussels, you can use onions or scallions instead of shallots, you can use chorizo instead of ham, you can add tomatoes or roasted red peppers, you can leave out the smoked paprika and really it will taste good as long as you’re using quality ingredients. So don’t stress if you tweak it to suit your needs, it’ll be great.


Ingredients
1 lb mussels, scrubbed clean
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for finishing
4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 shallot, sliced thinly
6 slices Serrano ham, torn into pieces
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper


Prep
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot and cook until translucent. Add the smoked paprika and mussels. Cover and cook until mussels begin to open, about 4 minutes (throw out any mussels that don’t open).

Add ham and a gentle sprinkle of salt and pepper. Shake the pan and continue to cook just long enough to warm the ham through and have the wine reduce a bit.

Take the mussels of the heat and add parsley. Gently toss. Plate immediately and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some crusty bread.





Savory Dutch Baby with bacon and green onions

Serves 2
*A Dutch Baby is basically a giant popover. It puffs up and is rather impressive and can be made sweet or savory. Great served with a green salad and a glass of rosé.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 large eggs
⅔ cup milk
⅓ cup flour

11/2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon kosher salt and pepper
4 slices bacon, chopped
4 green onions, chopped (use ramps if in season)
4 oz ricotta
1 tablespoon chives, chopped finely
1 teaspoon honey


Prep
Preheat to 450 degrees. Heat ovenproof skillet (I prefer cast iron) over medium heat.

In a blender or food processor, add eggs and blend until foamy, about 30 seconds. With motor running add milk and the melted butter. Then add flour, cornstarch and salt and pepper and blend until just combined.

Add bacon to hot skillet and cook, stirring often until crisp. Remove cooked bacon and set aside. Put skillet with rendered bacon fat into hot oven for about 5 minutes to get it nice and hot. Carefully remove pan from oven, pour in batter then quickly sprinkle in green onions and return pan to oven. Bake until dutch baby is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Place ricotta in a small bowl and stir in chives and salt and pepper to taste.

Once the Dutch baby is baked, carefully remove from oven and working quickly (so it doesn’t deflate) dollop ricotta mixture and drizzle with honey. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.