Spaghetti with pistachio pesto and roasted cherry tomatoes + The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

After months of anxiety and high expectations I could finally watch "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"; as much as I did not want to resort to a cliché to describe the film it’s impossible for me to avoid it: it is a masterpiece. Perfect in every detail, visually stunning, with a fantastic cast and amazing music. Dark and gloomy as the book itself and as only Fincher – or maybe Cronenberg – could deliver. The text below might contain spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the movie yet, please, scroll down to the recipe.

I tried watching a movie last night but simply could not concentrate on it – I’d start to think of scenes of “TGwtDT” every 5 minutes or so, to remember the details, to connect them with the book, and to analyze the performances... The movie stays with you, you just cannot help it – it sticks to your head like glue. Rooney Mara blew me away – forgive me the purists, but she completely erases Noomi Rapace from one’s memory. Christopher Plummer is exactly what I expected Henrik Vanger to be. I am a die-hard fan of the book but did not mind the changes on the script – I thought the whole thing worked. The violent scenes are not easy to watch but they’re there for a reason – the audience cheers for Lisbeth, we want her to have her revenge. She’s not your regular heroine and her behavior is nothing like a fairy-tale girl’s, but that is exactly what makes her so special, so unique, and I think that Fincher and Mara captured that perfectly and brought it to a whole new level – that is the Lisbeth I imagined while reading the book, that is the girl that made me devour 2,000 pages.
I drove home trying to remember the last time a movie had had this effect on me and after hours of thought I came to the conclusion that it’d been "The Social Network". Fincher, my hero. No wonder I feel joy in my heart every time I read he’s into a new project – I know for sure it will be something amazing. Now all I can do is cross my fingers and hope he directs the next two movies of the trilogy.

Wow, that is a long post. I almost forgot to tell you about the pasta dish: this pesto is greenest and most delicious pesto I have ever made or tried. Forgive me the purists, but I liked the pistachio version better; to be honest what really made me curious about this recipe was the blanching of the basil before turning it into pesto, which is something I first saw on Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s beautiful book – sometimes being a curious person pays off. :)

Spaghetti with pistachio pesto and roasted cherry tomatoes
adapted from the gorgeous Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes

Roasted tomatoes:
400g cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
salt and freshly ground black pepper
about 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
4-5 fresh basil leaves, torn

Pistachio pesto and pasta:
3 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 cup (240ml) extra virgin olive oil
about ½ teaspoon table salt or 1 teaspoon sea salt (such as Maldon)
1 cup (130g) unsalted pistachios, lightly toasted and cooled
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
400g spaghetti

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and brush the foil with olive oil.
Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, onto the prepared sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and scatter the garlic and basil over the tomatoes. Roast the tomatoes for 30-35 minutes or until soft.
Meanwhile, make the pesto: bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Fill a medium bowl with ice cubes and water. Add the basil leaves to the boiling water, cook for 30 seconds, then drain and transfer to the ice water. When cool, drain well then squeeze the basil between sheets of paper towels until almost completely dry.
Put the basil in a food processor with the garlic, lemon zest, oil, and salt. Puree until smooth. Add the pistachios and pulse until coarsely chopped (or to your liking). Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese.
Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta (set aside some of the cooking water). Toss the pasta with the pesto, adding a bit of the water if necessary to loosen up the sauce. Divide the pasta into plates and cover with the roasted tomatoes. Serve at once.

Serves 4

Peach cobbler + Mr. Clooney

One of my all time favorite cookbooks is "Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes" – it’s beautiful and packed with great layer cake recipes; I’ve tried several cakes so far and they were delicious. Therefore, when I saw that Alisa Huntsman was the mind behind this book I bought it immediately – and I have not regretted doing so.
Being a crumble addict – I do love fruit desserts – I thought I should give cobblers a chance, too, and decided to start with peaches since they’re in season. The juicy, warm filling combined with the soft biscuits make for a perfect dessert – I think that my beloved crumbles have found some serious competition. :)

Speaking of competition, as much as I want Gary Oldman to take the award home next month I believe that George Clooney will win; I watched "The Descendants" a couple of days ago and not only the movie is excellent but Clooney is absolutely perfect in it – I adore him as an actor and seriously doubted that his stunning performance in "Up in the Air" could be matched – apparently, I was wrong. :)

Peach cobbler
from the gorgeous and delicious Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe: Simple Southern Pies, Puddings, Cakes, and Cobblers from Nashville's Landmark Restaurant

Fruit filling:
2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 cups sliced ripe peaches – 1,125 to 1,350g (2 ½ to 3 pounds) fresh peaches

Sweet cream dumplings:
¾ cup (105g) unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons (28g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Lightly butter a 1- to 1 ½ quart (liter) ovenproof baking dish and place it on a sturdy baking sheet.
In a mixing bowl, stir the granulated sugar, flour, lemon zest, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Add the peaches and toss gently to coat them with the sugar and spices. Scrape the peach mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Make the sweet cream dumplings: in a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and rub the ingredients together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour in the cream and mix lightly with a fork to form a soft dough (I needed to add 2 tablespoons of flour to the dough). Transfer it to a lightly floured surface and pat into a 1.25cm (½in) thick disk. Using a 5cm (2in) round cutter cut into individual biscuits, reworking the scraps once to make more biscuits. Arrange the biscuits on top of the peaches and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until biscuits are golden and fruit is bubbly. Let the cobbler cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Serve with cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 4 – I made an individual portion using a 1 ½ cup (360ml) capacity baking dish, ¼ of the fruit filling recipe and ½ of the sweet cream dumplings recipe

Caramelized pecan-orange biscotti

I was writing something about my newest obsession – biscotti – but then I heard the news that Gary Oldman has finally been nominated for an Academy Award and I simply forgot what I was doing. :) Being the walking contradiction that I am – someone who doesn’t care for the Oscars but always hopes that her favorites win – my heart just lit up. ♥

Oh, the biscotti: these are delicious beyond imagination. I mean, really: chopped praliné? In cookie form? How can that not be fantastic? ;)

Caramelized pecan-orange biscotti
from the delicious The Good Cookie: Over 250 Delicious Recipes from Simple to Sublime

Pecan praliné:
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) water
1 cup (110g) pecan halves

Biscotti:
3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
finely grated zest of 4 oranges

Make the pecan praliné: lightly brush a baking sheet with vegetable oil. In a medium-sized heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and water and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and bring the syrup to a boil. Cook without stirring, occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush, until the syrup turns a dark caramel. Immediately add the pecans and stir to coat with the caramel. Quickly turn the mixture out onto the oiled baking sheet. Cool for 20 minutes, or until hardened. Transfer the praliné to a cutting board and, using a large knife, finely chop it. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt on low speed until combined. In a large glass-measuring cup, gently whisk together the olive oil, eggs, yolk and orange zest. Add this mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and mix, still on low speed, just until combined; do not over-mix. Add the chopped pecan praliné and mix for a few seconds, until blended.
Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide it into thirds. Shape each portion into a 30cm (12inch) long log. Transfer the logs to one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 7.5cm (3in) apart (the logs will spread). With the heel of your hand, flatten the logs slightly, until they are about 5cm (2in) wide. Place the baking sheet on the upper oven rack and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the dough is set. Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool for 10-15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/325°F.
Slide a pancake turner under each log to loosen it from the parchment paper. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting surface. Line the baking sheet with clean parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into 1.25cm (½in) slices. Arrange the slices cut side down and 2.5cm (1in) apart on the two baking sheets and bake for about 15 minutes, or until dry and crisp. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 54 biscotti – I halved the recipe above, shaped the dough into a 30cm (12in) long log and got 16 large biscotti

Golden mixed greens pie

It might look like I live on sweets, but no – I eat savory food, too, and try to eat my greens as frequently as possible. :)
This tart is delicious and not difficult to make – you just need to plan accordingly so the dough has time to rise and the good thing is: you can make it in advance and reheat it before serving.

Golden mixed greens pie
slightly adapted from the absolutely gorgeous Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Traditions from Around the World

Dough:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm whole milk
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (60g) cake flour*
melted butter, for brushing

Filling:
1 large bunch dandelion greens or other bitter greens – I used escarole
1 large bunch spinach
½ tablespoon olive oil + more if necessary
1 garlic clove, minced
1 scallion, white and most of green parts, chopped
salt, to taste (about ¾ teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 ½ tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted and cooled

Dough: dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk and stir in 1 ½ tablespoons of the all purpose flour.
Break the eggs into the large bowl of an electric mixer (attached with the dough hook) and lightly whisk them with a fork. Add the yeast mixture and the remaining all purpose flour and mix on low speed until very smooth. Add the sugar, salt and butter and mix well. Add the cake flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes or until smooth.
Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered large bowl, cover well with plastic and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make the filling: chop the greens into 2.5cm (1in) pieces, discarding any thick stems.
In a very large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and scallions and cook for about 1 minute, until the scallions begin to soften. Raise the heat to high, add the chopped greens, salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute or until greens are wilted (work in batches if necessary). Transfer the greens to a plate and let cool to room temperature. Taste for salt the stir through the nutmeg and pine nuts.
Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil then lightly brush the foil with oil.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 2 slightly unequal pieces: the larger one will be the bottom crust. Flatten the larger piece of dough onto an oval about 40x25cm (16x10in) and transfer onto the prepared sheet. Press the filling onto a colander, using your hands too, to extract the maximum water possible. Spread the filling over the dough leaving a generous 2.5cm (1in) rim all around uncovered. Roll the remaining piece of dough onto an oval about 37x20cm (15x8in). Place it over the filling and fold the edges of the bottom dough up over the edges of the top to seal the edges in the filling, then twist it, making a twisted rolled edge all round. Use a sharp knife to make slits in the top crust. Brush with the melted butter (I forgot to do that).
Bake the pie for 8 minutes, then lower the heat to 200°C/400°F and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until pie is deep, rich golden brown.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

Serves 8-10

Dulce de leche pound cake

As I was updating my list of books – a couple of new additions as I told you a while ago – I kept thinking of ways to make it more functional and interesting: therefore, I’ve changed it a bit. I hope you all like it.

Oh, aside from books, there is cake here today, too – and it is absolutely divine. :)

Dulce de leche pound cake
slightly adapted from O, The Oprah Magazine

1 ½ cups (340g/3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dulce de leche
2 cups (350g) light brown sugar, packed
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
6 eggs
3 cups (420g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter two 22x12cm (9x5in) loaf pans*.
In a large bowl, beat butter, dulce de leche, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; beat again until combined.
Transfer batter to prepared pans, smooth out the tops, and bake until loaves turn a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes. Set aside to cool in pans about 45 minutes; then carefully unmold onto rack. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

* I’ve made this recipe twice, using different pans: I halved the recipe above and used a 25x10cm (10x4in) loaf pan and I made 2/3 of the recipe above using a 20x30cm (8x12in) baking pan. In both cases the cake sunk a bit in the middle; according to Dan Lepard – I cannot tell you how much I’m enjoying his "Short and Sweet" – that happened because the batter needed more flour, so next time I make this cake (and there will be a next time, because it is so delicious) I’ll increase the flour amount

Makes 2