A Roman Spring

Tomato and Basil Crostinis

1 box grape tomatoes

5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

Bunch of basil leaves, chiffonade

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Greek yoghurt

Whole wheat baguette, sliced thinly

Heat a cast iron skillet with oil. Once it begins to smoke, add the tomatoes and flash fry until the skins burst.

Add the garlic and toss until the garlic chives begin to brown, then season. Take off the heat, mix in the basil and then top over a toasted crostini spread with Greek yoghurt.

Cannellini Bean and Red Capsicum Crostini

1 can cannellini beans

1 streak of pancetta or bacon, roughly chopped

Half red capsicum, finely chopped

Half red onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

Few leaves of basil, chiffonade

Greek yoghurt

Whole wheat baguette, sliced thinly

In a medium sized sauce pan, add some oil and the pancetta and cook on medium-high heat. Once the pancetta begins to crisp, add the onions, red capsicum and carrots, cooking over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the cannellini beans and toss, then add enough water just to cover the beans. Simmer until the water has nearly boiled out and you are left with a thick, porridge-like stew, about 8 minutes.

Stir basil into the cannellini bean stew and top over a toasted slice of baguette spread with Greek yoghurt.

Blood Orange, Radish and Basil Salad

4 blood oranges

6 small red radishes, washed

300g spinach

100g mixed greens (lollo rosso, rocket, frisee etc.)

Handful fresh basil

1 tbsp capers, drained

2 tbsp dijon mustard

100ml olive oil

Anchovies (optional)

Coarse sea salt and pepper

To make the dressing, roughly chop the capers. Mix with the mustard, then slowly pour the olive oil in a thin stream whilst whisking until you reach a thick, vinaigrette consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice the radish so that they are paper thin. If not using immediately, soak in cold water and refrigerate. Chop and discard ends of oranges, and one by one stand the orange upright on a chopping board and cut downwards to remove the skin and pith. With each slice, follow your knife along the edge of the pith so that the skin is peeled neatly. Cut each orange into thin slices and place in a bowl.

To assemble add the spinach, mixed greens, basil, blood oranges, anchovies (if using) and radish slices (drained and dried with paper towels) in a big bowl, and add a tablespoon of the dressing. Toss with clean hands, and add more dressing if needed. You want it lightly coat the leaves, not drench it so that it becomes soggy. Taste and season with coarse sea salt and pepper if needed.

Linguine with Savoy Cabbage, Pancetta and Mozzarella

Half head of savoy cabbage, thinly sliced

400g pancetta, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large ball of Buffalo Mozzarella, torn into small chunks

1/2 cup White Wine

3/4lb of Linguine

Handful of pine nuts, toasted

In a large sauce pan, saute the pancetta with a little olive oil on medium-high heat until the pancetta begins to brown.

Add the garlic and saute for a minute, then add the cabbage and saute for a minute. Deglaze the pan with white wine and then turn the heat to medium, cover the pan and let the cabbage cook until it softens for 5 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the linguine. Cook according to the package's instructions until it is al dente, making sure you stir the pasta regularly. Linguine has a tendency to stick together so it is very important that you constantly stir it.

Once it is cooked, scoop a laddle of the pasta water into a bowl, pour the pasta into a colander and drain. Add the linguine to the cabbage mixture and toss, adding some of the pasta water. Add the buffalo mozzarella and pine nuts until it begins to melt. Transfer to a large serving dish and serve immediately.

Almond and Hazelnut Sponge Cake with Honey Greek Yoghurt (Adapted from David Tanis)

250g shelled hazelnuts

250g unblanched whole almonds

4 large eggs, at room temperature and separated

1/2 cup sugar

Grated Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp flour

Pinch of salt

Confectionary sugar, for dusting

1/2C Greek Yoghurt (or more)

1 tbsp Honey

2 tspn confectionary sugar

Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Line a 10 inch spring form pan or cake tin with parchment paper and set aside.

Roast hazelnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes or until the skins blister and nuts are lightly toasted. Put the nuts in a dry dish towel and rub them together to remove the blistered skins. When cook, coarsely chop in a food processor with the almonds. Do not blitz into powder.

In a mixing bowl, beat yolks with sugar until creamy, then add lemon zest, juice, flour, salt and chopped nuts and mix well. Whip egg whites until stiff, then fold into the batter in three parts to lighten the batter. Visible white streaks are perfectly fine, so long as the batter is well-incorporated.

Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 15 minutes on 175C/350F. Turn down the heat to 160C/325F and bake for another 25-30 minutes until it is cooked through, using a skewer to check if it comes out clean. Let the cake cool before removing from tin.

To make the honey greek yoghurt, mix the yoghurt with the honey and sugar. Taste and add more honey if you like it sweeter. Serve a slice of the sponge cake with a dollop of the yoghurt.

Store basil by leaving it out in a container of water. It will keep for longer and will not brown as quickly.

Tonight's dinner ingredients were all purchased at Chelsea Market: the whole wheat baguette was bought at Amy's Bread, the linguine at Buon Italia, all produce at the vegetable market and the pancetta at Dickson's meat farm stand.

Most of these photos were taken by Artsynthesis.com, another fellow food blogger/graphics designer/photographer.

The Trial

Dinner for 3 under $30.00

Chargrilled Cauliflower with Tomato and Capers (Adapted from the Ottolenghi Cookbook)

2 tbsp capers, drained and roughly chopped

1 tbsp French wholegrain mustard

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

120 ml olive oil

1 small cauliflower, divided into florets

1 bag of mixed greens (spinach, rocket, lollo rosso, frisee, radicchio, etc.)

20 grape tomatoes, halved

coarse sea salt and black pepper

Make the dressing: mix together capers, mustard, garlic, vinegar and some salt and pepper, whisking vigorously while adding half the olive oil in a slow trickle until you have a thick, creamy dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Add the cauliflower florets to a large pan of boiling salted water and simmer for 3minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop it from cooking and leave in a colander to dry well. Once dry, place in a mixing bowl and toss with remaining olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place a ridged griddle pan over the highest possible heat and leave until very hot. Grill the cauliflower in a few batches, and make sure they are not cramped! Once nicely charred, transfer to a bowl and while still hot, toss with dressing, salad greens and tomatoes. Taste and season and serve warm or at room temperature.

Braised Veal Breast with Fettucini

As a cheap cut of meat, Veal Breast becomes surprisingly tender after it's been braised for a couple of hours. If you like sinewy tendons, this dish screams your name. I've recently acquired a torrid love for anchovies, so you will notice that many of my recipes will contain these salty but high in omega-3 critters in many of my dishes. Please omit the anchovies if you aren't swim fans.

2 lb Veal Breast

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery sticks, washed and diced

1 sweet onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 fillets of anchovy, minced

2 cups White Wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup of water

Sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup of whipping cream

3/4 pack of Fettucini

Fresh Italian parsley to garnish

Begin by marinating the veal. Using a mortar and pestle, bash the minced garlic with a little salt, freshly ground black pepper, the leaves of 3 thyme sprigs and the 2 pieces of anchovy until you obtain an aromatic paste. Rub it all over the veal and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 170C/350F. In a dutch oven, add olive oil and heat until it's just about smoking. Caramelize the veal on both sides until it's nicely browned, about 8 minutes per side.

Add mire poix (carrots, onion, celery) in rendered veal oil and saute for a few minutes, then add the white wine to deglaze, using the back of a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan. Then add veal with its jus, chicken stock, thyme sprigs and bay leaves, cover and bake in oven for 2 hours or longer until tender.

Once the veal is tender, take the veal out and tear the meat off the bone. It should fall off effortlessly, and then shred the meat with your fork. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, then place the dutch oven on the stove. Turn the heat to high, add the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the sauce until it is a thick consistency, at least 10 minutes. Once thick, turn the heat down to a low simmer, taste and season with salt and pepper, and then return the veal back into the pot.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Once cooked, add the fettucini directly into the dutch oven, toss the pasta, then serve on platter with some chopped parsley.

Cranberry and Pear upside-down Cake (Adapted from Ottolenghi)

Poached pears

3 ripe but firm pears
750ml water
150g sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
2 strips of zest and the juice of 1 lemon
Caramel Topping
90g sugar
20g butter
40g dry cranberries or 50g fresh
Cake batter
200g butter
200g sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
200g ground hazelnuts
¼ tsp salt
80g plain flour
1 orange zest
1 lemon zest
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Peal the pears and cut into 2 lengthways. Scoop out the core. Immediately place in a saucepan containing the water, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, lemon zest and juice.

Bring to the boil and then simmer until the pears are just slightly undercooked. This should take anywhere between 10 and 15 minutes. Check with a sharp knife that they tender outside but firm in the centre. Leave them aside to cool down in their liquids.

Heat up the oven to 170C/350F. Lightly grease a 20cm round cake tin and line its bottom and sides with greaseproof paper.

Place the sugar for the caramel in a clean heavy-based saucepan and place on a low heat. Without stirring watch the sugar turn into a rich caramel colour. Make sure to keep your eyes on the sugar at all times as it can easily burn. As soon as you reach the desired colour, remove the pan from the heat quickly but carefully. With your face at a safe distance, throw the butter in in a few chunks. Stir with a wooden spoon and pour onto the base of the cake tin. Carefully tilt it to spread evenly.

Drain the pears and cut each half into 3 wedges. If using dry cranberries, soak them in some of the hot cooking juices of the pears. Drain after 10 minutes. Arrange the pears and the cranberries over the caramel.

To make the cake, sieve together the flour and the spices. Use the paddle attachment of the mixer to cream the butter and sugar until light and airy. Gradually add the eggs and vanilla. Add the ground hazelnuts and mix just to combine. Repeat with sifted flour, salt and zest. Make sure you don’t over mix.

Once the batter is homogeneous and smooth pour it carefully over the pears and cranberries making sure you don’t move them out of their place. Smooth the batter with a palette knife. Bake for 35 minutes. Test with a skewer to make sure the cake is dry inside. Remove from the oven. Whilst the cake is still warm, but not hot, place an upside-down flat plate on top of the tin and briskly turn over. Remove the tin and the paper. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Here's the breakdown of the budget. The total came out to $27.45 (if my math is correct). I found the veal by chance at a local meatshop in Brooklyn when I was walking to the subway from Prospect Park, the wine was bought at Trader Joe's in Union Square, and the rest of the products were purchased at Wholefoods on Columbus Circle.

Fennel and Feta with Pomegranate Seeds and Sumac

This salad is to quote Ottolenghi, a festival in itself. Make it to celebrate life's variety of culinary flavors or when these seasonal ingredients burst into the spotlight. Fennel and tarragon provide a licorice crunch to the colorful sweetness of pomegranate seeds, fruity sumac and salty feta, which manifest themselves extraordinarily fresh in this salad. The fennel for this recipe should be round and bulky, as they are are crisper and sweeter than the long variety.

Adapted from the Ottolenghi cookbook:

1/2 pomegranate

2 medium fennel heads

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons sumac, plus extra for garnish

juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons of honey

salt and black pepper

4 tablespoons tarragon leaves

2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

60g rocket leaves

70g Greek feta cheese, sliced

Release the pomegranate seeds, as instructed in this recipe.

Remove the leaves of the fennel, keeping a few to garnish later, and trim the base, making sure you leave enough of it still attached to hold the slices together. Slice very thinly lengthwise (use a mandolin if you have one).

In a bowl, mix the olive oil, sumac, honey, lemon juice and parsley and some salt and pepper. Add the fennel, tarragon leaves and rocket and toss. Taste of seasoning, but remember that the feta will add saltiness.

Sprinkle pomegranate seeds and feta, then garnish with fennel leaves and sumac.

Serves 4.

Pear, Prosciutto and Pomegranate Seed Salad

Pomegranates are currently in season, and they are such a versatile seasonal delight. The fruits can be eaten whole, and the seeds are slightly sweet and surprisingly sour. The seeds do not soften and retain a sharp crunch that is just delicious tossed in salads, mixed into rice pilaf or sprinkled in ice cream or on a fruit tart. Pomegranates are native to Iran, but can be found all over the Caucuses and Asia, from Afghanistan and India to Azerbaijan and Malaysia.

Half of a pomegranate

50 grams prosciutto (6 slices)

3 ripe pears, sliced in half and in eighths

1 tablespoon olive oil

100g rocket

coarse sea salt and black pepper

Dressing

1 tablespoon good-quality balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Start by releasing the pomegranate seeds. The best way to do it is to halve the pomegranate along it's belly, then hold the half firmly in your hand with the seeds facing your palm. Over a large bowl, begin to bash the back of the fruit with a wooden spoon. Don't hit too hard or you'll bruise the seeds and break the skin. Effortlessly, the seeds will magically from the pith. Pick out any white skin that falls in.

On a serving platter, arrange layers of spinach and rocket, pears and shreds of prosciutto and then sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Whisk syrup, garlic and vinegar, then slowly pour in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then toss with salad and serve immediately.