Basmati Rice w. Dates, Cardamom & Clove

There are few things more comforting than a great bowl of rice.

This sweet, savory, fragrant basmati rice is no exception. Serve it as a side with just about anything from vegetables to proteins, or add chickpeas and make this the main event, finished with a drizzle of yogurt and Tamarind chutney.

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Basmati Rice with Dates, Cardamom and Clove

  • 1 cup basmati rice

  • 3-4 dates, pits removed and loosely chopped 

  • 11 whole cloves

  • 2 whole cardamom pods, crushed 

  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil 

In a pot add 1 Tbsp coconut oil, 2 lightly crushed cardamom pods, 11 whole cloves and 3-4 dates chopped into small pieces.

Cook together for a minute or two over medium heat, letting the spices get fragrant. Then add your rice to the pot and stir to combine. After a minute, add 1 3/4 cup water to the pot.

Bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked (follow directions for the brand of rice you’ve chosen).

Once cooked, remove whole cloves and cardamom pods. Add a pinch of kosher salt, mix and enjoy.

Honey & Za'atar Smokey Roasted Pistachios

Addictive and very snack-able.

These pistachios have found themselves a consistent presence in my fridge. I reach for them as a solo snack, tossed into nearly every salad I make, on top of morning kefir bowls and also crowning a soon-to-arrive recipe for Rose Cardamom Pudding.

 
Micole Rondinone Honey & Za'atar Pistachios
 

Honey & Za'atar Smokey Roasted Pistachios

1 Serving 

  • 1 cup raw shelled pistachios

  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

  • 1/2 tsp za’atar

  • Kosher salt

  • Honey

  • OPTIONAL: zest of a clean lime

Preheat your oven to 300 F

Put some parchment down on a half sheet baking tray.

Add 1 cup of raw shelled (or unshelled) pistachios to the parchment. Drizzle with honey and then sprinkle with 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp za’atar and a good pinch of kosher salt.

Use a utensil to give the pistachios a mix before flattening them into a single layer.

Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. They should be fragrant!

You can finish them with a bit of lime zest if you want! Serve immediately warm, or bring to room temperature before storing in the fridge up to 2 weeks.

Date Roasted Carrot Salad w. Burrata, Mint & Chili

I love the transformation of humble ingredients.

Carrots are so simple and a thought I had recently was that I don’t make them enough. Though I occasionally think of baby carrots as a counterpart for hummus, for the most part, right size, whole carrots fall out of my consciousness when it comes time to grocery shopping. I find that, like eggplant or other certain vegetables, the deliciousness of a carrot is all about knowing how to treat it: not well seasoned or well cooked, a carrot would gladly be easily forgotten. So, yes, you are going to be sure to bathe these in a mixture of butter and sweet date (or fig) jam and cook until caramelized and completely melt in your mouth tender. To go the no-food-waste mile, be sure to use some of the carrot stem as a garnish.

 
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Date Roasted Carrot Salad with Burrata, Mint & Chili

Serves 2

  • 7 thin carrots, or cut in half if they are wide, total 8 oz

  • 1.5 Tbsps unsalted butter 

  • 1 Tbsp date jam (or use fig jam)

  • Small bunch of fresh thyme

  • Toasted sunflower seeds

  • 1 ball of burrata 

  • 1/2 small hot red chili, finely sliced

  • Fig balsamic

  • Fresh mint for garnish

  • OPTIONAL; carrot stems very finely minced

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • Neutral oil

Preheat your oven to 400F. First rinse & scrub your carrots. Trim the carrot stems down so that just a short stem remain. Keep a few of the stems without any of the leaves.

Dry your clean carrots and in a high-heat, oven safe pan (like stainless steel or cast iron), heat a little neutral oil over high heat until hot and just barely smoking. Add the carrots, making sure they can sit in a single layer. You’ll probably need a 8-10 inch pan. Add two pinches of kosher salt and a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper and toss the carrots a bit in the pan. Sear, turning occasionally, 5-7 minutes, until golden brown on all sides.

In the meantime, mix 1.5 Tbsps of melted unsalted butter with 1 Tbsp of date (or fig) jam. Add a pinch of kosher salt and stir well.

When the carrots have a slightly golden hue all over, remove the whole pan from the heat. Set on a cool burner and wait a few minutes to allow the pan to cool slightly.

Using tongs, lift carrots and place your bunch of thyme down in the pan. Place carrots back on top of the thyme, brush evenly with the butter and date (or fig) glaze and then put the pan in the oven 12-15 minutes or until carrots are fork tender all the way through.

While the carrots are in the oven, very, very finely chop a bit of thin, clean carrot stems.

Slice a hot red chili into very thin rounds. When the carrots are ready, carefully remove the pan from the oven. Pull off the bundle of thyme and move carrots to a cutting board.

Cut them on the bias into smaller segments and place into 2 bowls, layering the carrot. Cut burrata open and place a half of burrata in each bowl next to the carrots.

Top with rounds of hot chili, a few small leaves of fresh mint, toasted sunflower seeds a sprinkle of the very finely cut carrot stem.

Cut burrata open, and drizzle with fig balsamic.

Crispy Chicken Thighs w. Black Peppercorn Mayo

Crispy chicken, savory garlic and the heat of peppercorn mayo.

Growing up, my dad would make us a simple snack that delighted me to no end: sliced deli meat streaked with a thin layer of creamy mayonnaise, rolled up and consumed in two quick bites. As an adult, I have continued to revisit this snack during late evening, post-gym fridge raids, adding a little dijon mustard to the mix. Lazy eating at it’s finest. At some point, though, my taste for fine dining kicked in and I decided it was time to elevate the ingredients and morph this delicious tidbit from my past into a full blown meal. I traded plain old deli meat for crispy roasted chicken and flecked the mayonnaise with whole black peppercorns, coarsely ground. When serving I still like to follow in the footsteps of tradition, using the back of a spoon to spread a dollop of peppercorn mayonnaise into a thin flourish on the plate, followed by the chicken and rendered, garlicky juices. Serve next to Warm Israeli Couscous Salad and roasted vegetables adorned with Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.

 
Micole Rondinone Crispy Chicken Thighs
 

Crispy Chicken Thighs w. Black Peppercorn Mayo

Serves 2

  • 4 chicken thighs

  • 8-9 cloves garlic

  • Sea salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • Whole black peppercorns

  • Mayonnaise

  • 1 lemon

  • Neutral oil, like canola or safflower

  • Cast iron or stainless steel pan

Preheat oven to 400.

Coat chicken thighs evenly all over with sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Let sit anywhere from 15 minutes at room temperature to 3 hours, refrigerated. Bring chicken to room temp before cooking.

Smash 7-8 large garlic cloves with the flat side of a sturdy knife, like a chefs knife, remove skin and place smashed garlic to the side.

Heat neutral oil in a large, high temperature, oven-safe pan (like a cast iron or stainless All-Clad) over med high heat.  When oil is shimmering and hot, add chicken to the pan skin side down. It should sizzle. If it doesn’t, take the chicken out and let it get sufficiently hot. Allow skin to brown about 5-8 minutes, adding a little more freshly ground black pepper about halfway through.

When skin is generously browned and separates easily from the bottom of the pan, turn the heat off. Using tongs, gently flip thighs skin side up. Add smashed garlic cloves to the pan and transfer to the oven. Cook another 15-20 mins or until your chicken is cooked through but still moist and juicy (the proper internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165). When your chicken is done, carefully remove your pan from the oven and move the chicken out of the pan to rest. Be sure to place a dry, well folded kitchen towel or oven mitt over the handle once you remove it from the oven as a “flag”, as the handle will be very hot & you don’t want to accidentally grab it.

When the chicken comes out, tilting the pan away from you, use a big spoon to baste the chicken with the rendered fat and garlic.

While the chicken rests, add a few tablespoons of mayonnaise to a ramekin or small bowl. Again, using the flat side of a sturdy knife, or a mortar and pestle, crush 10-12 whole black peppercorns. Add to mayo along with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Mix well. You can also make mayonnaise up to a day in advance.

When ready to serve, warm your remaining cooking fat with crispy garlic and spoon over chicken. Serve with peppercorn mayo on the side.