Spicy Caramelized Leeks with Fresh Lemon by Alison Roman

I can’t remember the first time I ever bought a leek, but I do know it wasn’t until my 20’s that I even knew what a leek was. My father has a rather strong aversion to onions - the smell and taste of them. So growing up, my mother never cooked anything with onions, and by extension, alliums of any variety. Even garlic hardly made it into our food. The closest she usually got was garlic salt. 

To eat a leek, just a leek, would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Now, a plain leek (with salt and harissa, of course), is something I crave. 

In case your familiarity with leeks is also lacking, I must point out something Alison emphasizes in the book: leeks are always dirty. Their tightly wrapped layers of green and white trap dirt in hard-to-reach crevices. Without thoroughly cleaning a leek, that dirt will turn into a muddy seasoning for your food. Alison’s cleaning method is to trim the dark green parts of the leek off first, and then soak the light green/white part in a bowl of cold water. This allows the dirt to loosen, so you can rub it off easily as you inspect each layer of leek. This is an unskippable step. 

My favorite step in this recipe involved slicing the leeks like party streamers. I first cut them in half lengthwise, and then, using the longest, sharpest knife I own, cut the layers into thin strips, leaving the base intact. I could have strung them on a piece of yarn and taped them on the wall like party streamers! Maybe I’ll do that for my birthday next year…. 

Before placing them in the oven to sizzle, I massaged the leeks with a harissa and olive oil mixture, making sure to get in between all the cracks and layers. I then seasoned them with salt and pepper. 

Note: This recipe calls for 4 leeks. However, I could barely fit two in my large lasagna pan. If you buy four, be prepared to use two baking pans OR search for small leeks. 

The trend with my new Chicago apartment oven is for things to take at least 5-10 minutes longer than indicated, and these leeks spent an extra 10 or so minutes in the oven to begin to achieve the same level of crispy as the picture in the cookbook. The leeks in the book have an incredible evenness to their caramelization, every strand looks equally frizzled. Perhaps if I tried to spreading the layers out more, this could have been achieved, but something tells me you’d need special equipment to achieve this level of perfection.  

Evenly caramelized or not, the leeks were delicious. The harissa carried the right amount of heat, and the flaky salt and fresh lemon bits brightened up all of the oily goodness. Our dinner guests even loved them, too. The presentation didn’t wow, but the taste sure did. 

I served this with Alison’s Overnight Focaccia, Tonight and Skillet Chicken with Crushed Olives and Sumac for another All-Out-Alison meal. 

147 recipes cooked, 78 to go.

These are our Chicago pals, Christian and Elli!

Grilled Squid with Spicy, Garlicky White Beans and Vinegared Tomatoes by Alison Roman

I had a dream. That I’d cook all ten of Alison’s recipes intending for grilling with an actual grill. I got so close -- I made it to eight out of ten. Until recently, we lived a short drive away from my in-law’s who graciously let me use their grill for these recipes. I fed them great food, so why wouldn’t they? Then, three weeks ago now, we moved to Chicago. A city I love with all my heart, though it lacks many of the people I love in it. And once again, I’ve found myself grill-less. The last two grilling recipes -- this squid and the shrimp I posted over the weekend -- had to be cooked in a skillet on my stove, which, though a fine substitute, did not deliver the same flavor or texture that a grill could accomplish. If you make either of these recipes, do yourself a favor and find a grill. Even if that means a community grill at your local park. But bring a grill pan. Shrimp and squid will most definitely fall through the cracks! 

The flavors in this dish are right up my alley -- vinegary, a tinge of spicy heat, and the right balance of acid and creaminess between the tomatoes and beans. I got home from my commute around 6:10pm, and we were ready to eat by 6:40pm! This is a quick, satisfying, don’t-need-another-side-dish, kind of meal that’s perfect for a summer night after work. 

One of the very first recipes I cooked for this blog was Alison’s Spicy Garlicky White Beans. That was eight months ago now, and I had forgotten how simple they are! You can read all about them in the link above. I started the beans first before moving onto the squid. 

Want to know about my prep process for squid? Read about it here. Essentially, if you’re going to use a skillet instead of a grill, the tubes should be cut into half inch pieces, and the tentacles cut in half lengthwise prior to cooking. If you use a grill, Alison recommends cutting them after cooking, which makes sense. Squid shrinks quite fast, and it could prove challenging to keep them from falling into the grates.  

In her instructions for both grilling and sauteing, she tells us to look for the squid to turn a golden brown color. I’m not sure what she means. A very pale golden tint, maybe. But golden brown? Not only do I not see my shrimp turn that color, but the picture in her book doesn’t show squid that color either! So if you too don’t see that color appear, don’t be disheartened. Give it the six to eight minutes she instructs, and then move on. 

While sauteing the shrimp in batches till “golden brown,” I sliced the tomatoes. I couldn’t find heirloom tomatoes at my TJ’s, so I used organic tomatoes on the vine instead. They were delicious. (Do your best to find tomatoes that won’t be mealy or watery. That will honestly ruin the dish.) Then I covered them in red wine vinegar, and topped them with the beans and squid.

Like I said, Jordan and I ate this as our only dish for dinner, and nearly finished the whole plate. The tomatoes paired perfectly with the beans (which pack quite the heat!), and the salty squid added the right balance of protein and chewiness. 

137 recipes cooked, 88 to go.

Scallops with Spicy Beans, Tomatillo, and Citrus by Alison Roman

Drumroll please…. I have SCALLOP INTEL! 

Remember when I made Alison’s Scallops and Corn recipe a few weeks back? No? That’s okay. Well that recipe was my first scallop-cooking experience, and I was disappointed and truly befuddled with how differently they turned out from what Alison described. They produced a ton of liquid, and shrunk down to an unexpectedly small size, and were far fishier than my tastebuds preferred. Upon reading that post, my pal Margaret reached out and astutely asked if I had used bay scallops or sea scallops, and which one Alison specified. 

Lo and behold, Alison HAD specified sea scallops, but I had purchased bay scallops. Not only did I miss Alison’s instructions, but I had no idea there were different types of scallops. Second time around, I purposely sought out sea scallops, which were noticeably bigger, cooked exactly as Alison said they would, and were far less fishy (not in smell, but in taste at least). Though they were noticeably pricier, I must admit they made me far more likely to cook them again. 

And now for the recipe. First step is to combine sliced tomatillos, sliced tangerines, diced jalapeno, shallot, lime juice and olive oil. (Confession: I forgot to buy a shallot. End of confession.) 

The scallops take 3 minutes per side to sear in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet. I needed to cook them in two rounds so as not to crowd the pan. Before turning off the skillet, a can of cannelini beans need sauteeing in the tasty juices. The elements get plated with tomatillos and citrus on the bottom, then beans, and then scallops, with more lime juice sprinkled over. 

This meal redeemed my scallop experiences. It was also enjoyed as part of yet another tasty All-Out-Alison Meal. 

The menu: 

• Side Dish: Raw and Roasted Kale with Pistachios and Creamy Pecorino

• Side Dish: Smashed Cucumbers with Sizzled Turmeric and Garlic

• Main Dish: Scallops with Spicy Beans, Tomatillo, and Citrus

97 recipes cooked, 128 to go.

Spicy Marinated Anchovies with Potato Chips by Alison Roman

little buddies

Anchovies are wildly misunderstood. Something about tinned fish makes a large percentage of people get squirmy. And I understand! Sometimes I’m still one of them. But the more I cook Alison’s way, the more I can attest to the distinctly salty power of an anchovy. Anchovies elevate. They transform tomato sauce, chicken, lamb, white beans, and yes, potato chips! 

At the beginning of this project, I put this recipe into the not-looking-forward-to-it category. But it’s slowly migrated to the alright-yea-alison-knows-what-she’s-doing category. Not full on literally-drooling-can’t-wait category, but getting there. Which is why I made about a fourth of the recipe portion – I wasn’t sure how this would be received. 

I opened a tin of anchovies and reserved a few for this appetizer (the others went to the Tomato Dressed in Toasted Fennel and Anchovy recipe – post forthcoming). I covered the little guys in distilled white vinegar and very thinly sliced serrano pepper. The recipe calls for calabrian chiles, but I could not find that pepper variety for the life of me. The anchovies marinated for about an hour before Jordan and my in-laws all dared to try one with me. 

The serrano peppers packed quite the heat, but boy was it an exciting bite. I served the fish with toothpicks and TJ’s potato chips. If it weren’t for this project, I’d never have tried something like it. But once again, I’m so glad I did.

85 recipes cooked, 140 to go.

Spicy Tomato Marinated Feta by Alison Roman

Admittedly, I’m more of a “Martha” than a “Mary,” to invoke a biblical reference. Like Martha, I’m a task-oriented person who appreciates always having a clear “purpose.” I feel most clear-minded and confident when I’m “accomplishing” something. Opposite Mary, sitting still is hard for me, as is just being. Though sometimes, I do feel a small inward tug to stay in my seat and dwell with whoever else is in the room. Every time I choose to lean into that inclination, I am much the better for it. 

Last night, as I prepared the feta dish, I felt that wordless tug… “enjoy this with your friends, Annie… the rest of dinner can wait.” So I gave in. 

The four of us lounged on our city-facing balcony, sharing life updates and a plate of marinated cheese with almond crackers and cold white wine. Sam and Madeline are the sort of friends that make me want to take off my apron and savor their company, instead of standing over the oven until dinner. 

This appetizer made my choice to relax all the easier. A half cup of olive oil is heated over medium heat. Two thinly sliced garlic cloves spend the first few minutes in the sizzling oil to turn a light golden yellow. Then tomatoes are added to warm through and begin falling apart. Alison specifies using either 1 large ripe tomato, or two smaller ones. However, I had a box of tiny red vine tomatoes already on hand, which worked just as well. I halved them before tossing them into the pan. After about five minutes, two tablespoons of harissa paste are stirred into the pan to form a loose sauce. Several minutes later, the pan is removed from heat and a tablespoon of white vinegar, with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, finish it off. 

The spicy tomato mixture is poured over a thinly sliced block of feta cheese. I let it sit about 20 minutes and then our friends arrived. It was a (small-sized) crowd pleaser; there were no leftovers. I’ll be making, and enjoying this one relaxedly, all summer long. 

68 recipes cooked, 157 to go.