up! up! and away!

Hello, friends.

Exciting things are taking place here at Add a Little Lemon. I'm currently redesigning and revamping the blog, while furiously cooking, writing, and photographing in preparation for the big unveiling! The blog will finally be moving to www.addalittlelemon.com once it is ready -- and I promise to let you know when that time comes.

Thank you, always, for your patience and dedication.

Love,
Sara @addalittlelemon

White Bean Ragout; OR, Engaged in Ojai

This week was our four year anniversary. We've been together for four years. Only four. Our lives together feel so natural and fluid that it seems unimaginable that there was a time before us. But there was. What a long and lonely time that was filled with oh so many mistakes! ("opportunities for growth"?) The memory of those days feel like a movie that I only sort of remember but not the details. Or maybe just the details but not the big picture. When I was a kid, elementary school even, I didn't think I would get married or commit to someone. I was one of those kids. No kids, no marriage. Just me. And as I started to get a little older the thought transformed into "Who would want to be with me anyway?" And now it's all different. When Tal asked me to marry him this past June I didn't even think about it. The answer was "Of course." He was taken aback and quickly said "I'm serious." Maybe when I was younger (in the 90s) it was hip to associate loneliness with independence (that's what the women on tv were saying), but as I continue to grow I learn the importance and power of honest relationships. One doesn't need to give up any sort of independence to be connected to another human being. It's always a choice, a daily freedom to choose to be with this incredible individual and share my life with my partner. How freeing! And it's so exciting because every day for four years I have woken up feeling so great about my choice! (That I'm capable of making such a great choice has done wonders for my confidence).  I often think of Into the Wild when Christopher McCandless figures out in all his Waldenesque loneliness that happiness is only real when shared. I never read the book but the movie was poetry. I also think about that scene in Shall We Dance? (the American version) and what Susan Sarandon's character says about marriage:

"We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... 

I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're 

promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, 

the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every 

day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice

 it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness'."

I love that line.

When Tal proposed it was a complete surprise to me. I know I know. It seems obvious. Of course we would be married eventually. I just didn't have a time frame of when. So when he planned a romantic weekend in Ojai I didn't think about it. It was a perfect weekend. We were both so stressed out from work and school and life. It was definitely a necessary and welcomed weekend that worked its magic. What a great guy I'm going to marry. We did the airbnb thing and stayed at the Taj Mahal of Ojai, this incredibly beautiful old church built in the late 20s in the likeness of its namesake that some film producer later converted into a very very large house. I highly recommend staying there if you're planning any romantic weekends in Ojai.

We spent the weekend simply. Walking, laughing, visiting Bart's Books for hours, and, of course, cooking. Luckily both of us prefer cooking over eating out, and it's usually a time and energy equation that pushes us out the door (frequently). In Ojai we cooked all our meals but one. A bottle of wine with every dinner. The night before he proposed we had a white bean ragout with toast. I have since made this meal many, many times it's that good.

White Bean Ragout with Toast

inspired by Bon Appetit (May 2012 Issue)

ingredients:

2 onions, chopped finely

1 bell pepper, chopped finely

2/3 cup evoo

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons tomato paste

4 slices thick fresh bread like ciabatta

quite a bit of shaved Parmesan

2 15 oz cans of white beans or preferred beans

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

salt/pepper/oregano
juice of half a lemon
a bit of chopped parsley to top

directions: 

(note: You really should have a glass of red wine in hand while you're making this. Relax, enjoy, this should be fun.) 

1. Prep for the soffritto. A soffritto is an Italian blend typically of onions and peppers that is cooked down for a while into a base for a dish. Do not be alarmed at how long you will be cooking down these ingredients, it adds so much depth of flavor the to dish -- don't skip it!

1a. How to make the soffritto: Mix the chopped onions and pepper. Heat evoo in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mixture. Season with salt/pepper/oregano. Let cook for about 30 minutes, stirring every often. 

2. Once softened, add garlic and tomato paste. Mix. Don't worry that there isn't enough liquid, cover the vegetables with the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. 

3. When finished let the soffritto cool. 

4. While it's cooling, bake the bread slices. If you love garlic as I do, you can smother some garlic on the bread before baking. I also added a little butter but once the meal is finished the butter doesn't really amplify any of the flavors. So don't feel obligated to butter the toast. Unless you want to have some on the side while you're cooking. 

5. Turn the heat under the soffritto skillet once again. Add the beans and mix well for a minute or so. Then add the broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and add tomatoes. Then lemon juice. Stir. Cook until tomatoes are soft. Add salt/pepper/oregano to taste. Add Parmesan. Lots of it. Yum. 

6. To serve: in a bowl first place the bread then top with the ragout! Finish it with more Parmesan and some parsley. 

Enjoy! 

I'm voting YES on 37

It's a no-brainer.

Curried Cauliflower w/ Shaved Almonds & Golden Raisins

I’m not sure if I told you, but Tal and I moved in together! That’s right, my friends. And we love this place. Ayla (our cat) loves it, too; and since she’s the boss it’s important that she’s pleased. Today was our first brunch here with friends. I can’t tell you how much work we’ve put into this place, and to now see that it isn’t filled simply with tools and paint prep materials but actually resembles a home is utterly delightful. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still so much to do, but at least we have a functioning kitchen. And this, my friends, is how we do brunch. 

The Brunch Menu:

Mimosas (courtesy of Betty)

Kale-Pesto Beet Salad

Curried Cauliflower with Shaved Almonds & Golden Raisins

Citrus Roasted Yams with Mascarpone

Kale, Chard, Spinach Winter Salad with Shaved Fennel and Pomegranates

It’s finally autumn, so I’ve taken it upon myself to roast pretty much everything I eat these days. Everything. You have been warned.

It was Laura Peskin who introduced me to the beets and pesto combination. It’s genius. I’m currently working on a kale-pesto variety that I think works really well with the roasted beets for the project with Jenny. When it’s ready I’ll share the recipe with you. For now you’ll have to wait in anticipation.

The Breakfast Club
(minus the photographer, as usual!)

The Curried Cauliflower salad is inspired by a similar salad at Lemonade, the one at the MOCA. It’s so delicious. Let me tell you, curry flavors go very well with roasted cauliflower. I’ve definitely added my own twist to it, but this is my attempt to recreate that salad at Lemonade.

As for the winter salad, I’m all about using the pomegranates from my mother’s tree. I usually make this salad with cumin-roasted delicata squash, but I didn’t have any on hand this morning. When I do, I’ll post the recipe. It’s divine.

Curried Cauliflower with 

Shaved Almonds & Golden Raisins

serves 4-6

ingredients:

2 heads of cauliflower

3-4 Tablespoons cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper combination, to lightly coat

a liberal amount of evoo, to coat

1 cup shaved almonds

½ cup golden raisins
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup chopped chives, optional

directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.     Chop/separate the cauliflower into small florets, put in a bowl

3.      Toss cauliflower with spice mixture and evoo until completely coated

4.      On a baking sheet roast the cauliflower for 25-30 minutes.

5.      Set roasted cauliflower aside in a bowl until cool.

6.      Toss in almonds, golden raisins, and lemon juice.

7.       Top with chopped chives, optional.

square one

sunday brunch @ square one

I love Los Angeles. I love how it fits so many invisible cities within its borders, forever revealing themselves. The other night Tal, Aaron, and I saw Haushka -- the pianist extraordinaire, Houshka! -- play an original score to the silent film "The Hands of Orlac" at the Silent Movie Theater in West Hollywood. I love Cinefamily and all their original and unique projects.

Did you know I adore silent films? I'm nostalgic for a time I didn't live in much in the same way as Woody Allen. There is something so mysterious about those silent films, the dark ones, the ones filled with such deep loss of love, of purpose. And Haushka, in his haunting way, revealed it all. The music and the film tapped into emotions my cold heart didn't realize existed, the ones similar to nostalgia, loss, regret, and isolation, but oh so different. Then we met up with new friends and had Ethiopian for dinner.

This post doesn't tie into these photos of Square One and the Melrose Flea at all. I hope that's okay.

insert seamless transition.

the lovely Jenny Moore at the Melrose Flea

love these mixed use crates

Betty is a superstar

 

asparagus, squash, basil, and goat cheese omelet with amazing potatoes

bourbon pecan brioche french toast with vanilla whipped cream

tomatillo & cucumber gazpacho with avocado & corn salad

Gazpacho is traditionally a tomato-based cold summer soup which surprisingly did not originate in Italy like I always thought but in Andalucia. There is a possibility that it was brought by the Moors which means its actually closer to my people than I imagined. Nice. This recipe is my attempt to recreate the gazpacho currently served at Four cafe in Eagle Rock. Although I wasn't able to do so successfully -- their gazpacho is incredible -- this is still very good. The ultimate summer meal. Enjoy!

Tomatillo Gazpacho

inspired by Four's summer menu

serves about 6

ingredients: 

1/2 cup pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds)

2 lbs tomatillos, roasted, peeled, halved

1 poblano chili pepper, roasted, chopped

1 large Armenian cucumber (or 2-3 Persian cucumbers), chopped

1/2 cup chilled water

1/2 avocado, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped mint

2-3 cloves garlic (depending on taste)

1/4 cup scallions, chopped

juice of 1 1/2 lemons

about a 1/4 cup of evoo

salt | pepper 

flaxseed oil to top

mint leaves as garnish

note:
I used my parents' Vitamix so I just sort of stuffed everything in there at once after I roasted the tomatillos and pepper and life was easy. If I were to make this in my own kitchen then I imagine roadblocks in terms of order. The following steps are how I think one should handle this without a Vitamix.

directions: 
In a food processor:
1. add the pepitas to crush
2. add roasted tomatillos and peblanos
3. add cucumbers, water, cilantro, mint
4. add garlic, scallions, lemon juice
5. add avocado, evoo
6. add salt/pepper to taste

Let chill in fridge. Top with flaxseed oil and mint leaves.

Avocado & Corn Salad

ingredients

kernels off the cob of 3 stalks of corn

2-3 large handfuls of arugula

5-6 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, diced

1/2 cup chopped scallions

lemon juice of one lemon

some evoo, salt, pepper 

directions: 
toss it all together yum!

pattypan with chanterelle & kale

Did you know that those cute little spaceship squash are actually called pattypan squash? And did you know that Armenian cucumbers exist and that they are gigantic and look more like a gourd? Oh and did you know that fancy dehydrated mushrooms create a lovely mushroom broth when hydrated? I didn't. Hopefully we continue to learn knew things everyday.

A few weeks ago I read an article in the NY Times concluding that the secret to consistent pleasure is buying for others. Surely this is no surprise. I don't enjoy cooking for myself. In fact, I rarely cook anything special when I'm alone. There are many days I eat muesli for dinner. Luckily Janean came over for dinner this week or else I may have let these pattypan squash from my CSA go to waste.

the dinner menu

pattypan squash with chanterelle, kale, & farro

armenian cucumber salad with mint and tomatoes

melon slices with peppermint tea

Pattypan Squash with Chanterelle, Kale, & Farro

for two
inspired by whisked 

ingredients:

3 medium pattypan squashes

1/2 cup dried chanterelle mushrooms

1 1/2 cups boiling water

3 leaves of kale

1/2 cup dried farro 

2 1/2 cups water 

some evoo | salt | pepper 

directions: 

step 1:  place dried mushrooms in a small Pyrex bowl, pour boiling water to cover; let sit about 15 minutes. when done drain mushrooms through a sieve and save the broth for the farro. coarsely chop mushrooms, set aside.

step 2: in a pot on stove bring 1 cup farro, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup mushroom broth, some salt, and some evoo to boil and then let simmer about 25 minutes

step 3: while the farro is cooking, slice pattypans about 1/4" thick

step 4: wash and coarsely chop kale 

step 5: in a large skillet saute pattypans in evoo, salt, and pepper for about 15 minutes making sure to flip sides halfway. until golden. 

step 6: while pattypans and farro are cooking, saute the chopped mushrooms in a separate skillet for about 5 minutes 

step 7: when pattypans are becoming golden, add the mushrooms, kale, more evoo, perhaps more salt and pepper to the pattypan skillet. let cook about 5 or so minutes more. 

step 8: top the farro with the pattypan dish to serve!

_____________________

Armenian Cucumber Salad

ingredients: 

1 large Armenian cucumber, sliced into rounds

a handful of mint, coarsely chopped

a handful of grape tomatoes, halved

lemon juice of half a lemon

some evoo | salt | pepper

directions: 

combine all ingredients in a bowl, toss, serve cooled

in the csa box: yellow squash & basil

Now that I'm back with a CSA -- currently with South Central Farmers -- I have tons of organic produce to go through each week. Hopefully this will be motivation enough for  me to cook most of my meals which sadly continues to be a struggle given my penchant to eat out. And for those of you who pick up from the South Central Farmers hopefully I can help you make use of your CSA box, too -- especially the surprise Armenian cucumbers (whoa!)  that appeared unplanned, but more on that later.

CSA Sauté 

for one

ingredients:

2 yellow squash

1/2 shallot

a few leaves basil (or herbs of choice)

salt | pepper | evoo

directions: 
step 1: slice yellow squash about 1/8" diameter, thinly slice shallot, and coarsely chop herbs
step 2: saute yellow squash in evoo a few minutes before adding salt and pepper
step 3: add shallots, mix in with squash
step 4: let cook until browned
step 5: add herbs to top

fermentation meeting no.1: pickled garlic

Let me tell you, the Aggs and I have plans for pickling and fermenting all sorts of things. We tend to get a bit dreamy-eyed and forget the details so we decided to have a meeting to draw up a game plan. The objective soon became to pickle at least one jar for each of us by the end of the meeting-also-known-as-lunch.

There is this book that I think is perfect for our ambitions called The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz with a forward by my hero Michael Pollan. We want to make sauerkraut and tempeh and dosas, too.

First day's pickling of choice: garlic! My mom used to always pickle garlic until it was black and make us eat it whenever we were sick. She hasn't made it in years and I miss it. So I called her up and she gave me her recipe which I will gladly share with you. I will also share with you the delicious lunch we ate while dreaming of pickley treats. 

Mom's Pickled Garlic

ingredients: 

enough garlic cloves to fill your jars, still in shells

apple cider vinegar to cover more than jars

directions: 
step 1: heat apple cider vinegar over stove on medium heat for about 20 minutes
step 2: placed garlic cloves in jar
step 3: pour warm apple cider vinegar over cloves to cover jar, seal tightly
step 4: don't open until 6 months later! don't store in direct sunlight but somewhere with a little warmth.

Agatha's Chickpea & Beet Salad

ingredients: 

2 beets with greens | steamed, coarsely chopped, and cooled

1 can chickpeas | thoroughly rinsed

1/2 red onion | thinly sliced into half moons

some chopped flat leaf parsley 

vinaigrette: salt|pepper|lemon juice|olive oil

directions:
step 1: toss together the cooled beets, beet greens, chickpeas, red onion, and parsley
step 2: mix vinaigrette ingredients together and toss in with salad. serve cool.

Oven-Roasted Zucchini with Fresh Oregano

(OK this is seriously AMAZING)

ingredients: 

1 large zucchini | from Aggie's garden, super thinly sliced length-wise

a few stems of oregano| also from Aggie's garden
some minced garlic

salt|pepper|olive oil

directions: 
step 1: set oven to 375 degrees
step 2: toss sliced zucchini in garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil
step 3: lay zucchini on baking dish or pan (easier clean on parchment paper)
step 4: sprinkle oregano on top
step 5: bake zucchini for about 30 minutes or until slightly crispy

A few days later we went on a Full Moon Hike and it was beautiful the end. 

summer and a bean salad recipe

I can see it's been a while. Hello, I missed you. How are you?

Last weekend, Tal and I drove up to San Francisco to see friends and their respective cats. We listened to a podcast called Back to Work with Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin that my younger brother suggested. You should check it out if you struggle with ohyouknow procrastination, motivation, an overwhelming amount of someday-maybe projects. The first few episodes are slow, somewhat of a setup but trust me it gets good. I really recommend season 1 episode 7 for the twenty-somethings who feel lost. He also really puts into perspective first world problems. Look, I have a wonderful partner, a beautiful apartment, a fun job, friends, family, hobbies, food -- what do I have to complain about? Sure my job pays just barely enough to get by, but I am getting by just fine. First world problems.

For those of you who have read The Artist's Way -- which I have not but have been told many times to do so -- Merlin suggests a pretty neat website called www.750words.com to fulfill the daily three page "morning pages" to help get the creative energy going for the rest of the day. I started yesterday and am really excited to continue because nothing helps me organize my thoughts better than writing. It is entirely private but there are these really interesting stat generators on the page that make evident things that you might overlook about yourself. For example, yesterday I was introverted, positive, uncertain, and feeling. (I'm not exactly sure what that last one means). It takes something like seven days of writing for more accurate results.

Okay but seriously it's summer and let's talk about this grill-fest my friends Pedrum and Nima had about a week ago at their new house off of Mulholland.

Side note: I recognize that I am extremely lucky to have friends and family who can actually cook. Who wants to live a life where a potluck translates chips and soda? This delicious potluck barbeque was entirely homemade thanks to Pedrum, Delia, Hasen, Nima, my mom, Pedrum's mom, Pedrum's cousin Sara who just moved to LA from Tehran, oh and me. Just look!

You have no idea.

 Delia prepping.

 Hasen and Nima grilling.

Pedrum happily salting the shrimp (half lemon/half curry, seriously)

Just look!

We're from the middle east, we grill tomatoes, what. 

Tal, super excited to eat with his blue vodka cocktail! 

Let me see if I can recall everything on the menu. Meat: skewered shrimp, skewered salmon with bell peppers, grilled beef, grilled chicken, various sausages; Grilled Veggies: zucchini, tomatoes, scallions, corn; Salads: black bean and garbanzo salad, yogurt-cucumber salad (maast-o-khiar), red cabbage salad, diced cucumber-tomato salad; Other: fancy mac-and-cheese, stuffed-breaded portobello, grilled pitas. Did I miss anything? 

But wait! There's more! Dessert, of course...

 Delia's Pavlovas! 

(A brown sugar merangue topped with just-whipped cream, a berry compote, and chopped pistachios!)

Mom a.k.a. Nawal's Phyllo Dough with Custard!

As promised, my bean salad recipe...

Garbanzo and Black Bean Summer Salad

ingredients: 

1 can black beans, rinsed thoroughly 

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed thoroughly

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

3-4 Persian cucumbers, relatively finely chopped

1/2 red onion, diced or finely sliced into half moons

1/4 lb Bulgarian feta, crumbled

juice of 2 lemons

1/4 cup evoo

salt/pepper

about 2 teaspoons sumac

Step 1: Combine beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta in a bowl. Toss. 

Step 2: To make dressing mix lemon juice, evoo, salt, pepper. Pour liberally over salad. 

Step 3: Sprinkle quite a bit of sumac. Toss. 

Step 4: Keep refrigerated until time to eat -- cucumber salads are better cold. 

Enjoy your summer!

sauerkraut summer omelet

Sauerkraut. I love it. I didn't realize it until now. I want it on everything.

 Just a heads up, it's really good on eggs.

breakfast for one

ingredients:

1/2 zucchini, chopped

3-4 mushrooms, chopped

1/4 onion, diced 

a large splash of evoo*

salt/pepper

dried combination of oregano/thyme/marjoram/ basil

2 organic farmers market eggs, whisked 

another large splash of evoo

1 tablespoon sauerkraut of choice or salsa verde

(mine: Farmhouse Culture Raw Organic Kraut Horseradish Leek)

directions: 
This can be made quicker with two pans, but I'd rather do fewer dishes.

in a skillet on med/high:
sautee vegetables in evoo for a few minutes
add salt/pepper/spices and flip around to mix
set veggies aside

in the same skillet on med/low: 
add more evoo
add the whisked eggs to the skillet, making sure to spread egg evenly to create a circle
let sit until solid

move egg to plate | fill with sauteed vegetables | perhaps add some sharp aged cheddar | fold over the egg | top with sauerkraut or salsa verde (or both)

* evoo (extra virgin olive oil)

mother's day lunch

Alas there are no photos, but here are a few from my trip
to Roma, Italia seven years ago this month! 

the menu: 

sangiovese wine

french baguette from la brea bakery

organic pasture butter

olives

roasted asparagus w/shaved parmesan 

a lovely spring salad 

my favorite lentil soup topped with yogurt

dessert: 

dates rolled in coconut

blood orange gelato!

a lovely spring salad

ingredients: 

organic butter lettuce, spin dried

organic colorful radishes, thinly sliced

organic fennel, thinly sliced
organic scallions, finely chopped

organic fresh peas, flash boiled 

bulgarian feta, crumbled

dressing: 

2 cups mint leaves, coarsely chopped

4 dates, pitted, chopped

a liberal amount of extra virgin olive oil

juice of 2 lemons 

zest of 1 lemon 

directions: it’s a salad! you know the drill. as for the dressing: put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor! add more evoo if too dry. 

ciao!