Recipe Zest

Ingredients Pork chops Green beans Mushrooms, quartered Butter 1 sprig rosemary Butternut squash, cubed 2 cloves, ground 1/8 tsp paprika 1 dash cinnamon  Goat cheese Plum, small cubed Pecan pieces Method Preheat bbq to high Preheat oven to 400F Toss cubed butternut squash with ground cloves, paprika, cinnamon and salt.  Toss with olive oil to coat.  Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake, turning once browned on bottom.  Remove from oven and let cool before handling (they are squishy when hot) Grill pork chops until done, about 150F.  Let sit for about 5 minutes before plating Melt butter over medium heat in frying pan.  Add rosemary to flavour butter.  Add mushrooms cook for about 3-4 minutes until desired doneness Cook green beans with a little water in a wok until cooked but still firm Plate pork chops, beans, mushrooms and butternut squash.  Sprinkle pecans pieces, plum cubes and crumble goat cheese on top of squash Notes We paired with a Pinot Noir from Oregon which went r

Ingredients 1/2 lb scallops 2 tbsp unsalted butter 1/2 cup Puy lentils 2 strips bacon 1 small carrot, cubed 1/2 stalk celery, cubed 2 shoots garlic scapes, sliced 1 bay leaf Fresh sprouts Method Rise lentils and then bring to boil with about 1 cup water and bay leaf.  Chop carrot, celery, garlic scapes and bacon into equal-sized pieces.  Add to lentils.  Simmer for about 45 minutes, until lentils are cooked.  Add water as needed - when ready, there should be minimal liquid remaining Bring cast iron frying pan to very high heat.  Add butter.  Add scallops, and leave untouched until seared.  Flip once and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 130F Plate with fresh sprouts Notes We used garlic scapes because they were in season.  Onions, leeks, shallot etc will also work -- just have equal amounts of allium, carrot, celery and bacon We use the side burner on the bbq so we don't set off the smoke alarm Paired with a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc which went really well

Ingredients 1 can sardines Fresh bread for toasting Cherry tomatoes, halved Green onions, sliced Method Toast bread Open can of sardines Place sardines on toast, topped with tomato and green onion Notes This can hardly be called a 'recipe' The best sardines in our opinion are Nuri / Pinhais brand You're supposed to eat with the bones but I remove them For bread I used Kensington Sourdough white from Blackbird Baking Co Based on a pic on how they are served in Aduela, in a NYT article  

Ingredients 140g spaghetti 1/2 lemon juice 4 tsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano 1/2 lb shrimp 3 tbsp capers Ground pepper Method Place capers on baking tray and bake in 300F oven until crisp Cook shrimp, either in frying pan or on barbecue Bring pot of water to boil, then add pasta and cook until about two minutes before done Use tongs or pasta utensil to remove pasta; then reserve pasta water Move pasta back to pot, add a little water and wait a couple minutes for water to not be at boiling temperature Add shrimp, baked capers, grated cheese and lemon juice to pasta.  Add more pasta water as needed Serve with ground pepper to taste Notes The less water used to cook the pasta, the more starchier and creamier the sauce Authentic pasta al limone does not include shrimp or capers, but adding the shrimp makes it a one-course meal We had with a Pinot Grigio which went excellent Alternatively you can fry the capers in vegetable oil.  They come out crispier

Ingredients 100g spaghetti (for two people for 1st course) 3/4 tsp ground pepper 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 2 anchovy fillets 2 tbsp capers 100g cherry tomatoes, halved 7 Italian olives, sliced 1 handful parsley, chopped Olive oil Method Bring pot of water to boil.  Less water is better - this will make for starchier water.  Add spaghetti Heat olive oil at medium-low in pan large enough to hold the pasta Add pepper, garlic and anchovies.  The anchovies will melt Once the garlic starts to brown, add in the tomatoes, olives and capers.  Add some pasta water to start a sauce A couple minutes before the pasta finishes, move to pan with the sauce.  Add more pasta water and allow pasta to finish cooking.  You may need to add more pasta water, but don't add too much - when the pasta is ready, you want the sauce to be too watery Sprinkle parsley and serve Notes Based on a recipe by The Pasta Project Had with a 2nd course of grilled lamb chops and grilled broccolini.  Went really well w