A Very Fine Spritz by Alison Roman

I tasted my first spritz ever in the hill country of Austria. Sounds idyllic, right? Not quite. Don’t get me wrong, an aperol spritz on a European afternoon is about as idyllic as it can get. But there were other factors swirling around my spritz that took away the awe of it all. 

First of all, I was extremely jetlagged. I was running on about 4 hours of sleep, which never feels good, and on top of that, was dealing with some pretty severe nausea and heat exhaustion. I wasn’t in Austria with my husband or friends who could cheer me up, either. I flew there with my coworkers. And let’s just say, they saw no need to comfort me. Only criticize. My stress levels were at an all-time high. I was there for a pretty cool reason, though. Our client wanted to create a commercial about the elderberries that they source for their natural supplement products. So we travelled with a film crew to capture the elderberry harvest. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I spent most of it just trying to convince others that I sort of knew what I was doing. Which can be hard to do when you can’t even convince yourself. 

I look back on that experience and have so much more grace for myself than before. I was brand new to this role. This was my second shoot EVER, and it was in a foreign country that spoke a different language with coworkers who didn’t make my job easier. Amidst the 3:30am wake-up calls and the 14-hour shoot days, my only respite came in the form of spritz’s. The Austrians seem to offer them at every meal! And while my companions ordered beer, my stomach had way too many knots to handle a lager. So I ordered a spritz. 

My dear friend Madeline, who I mention quite a bit on this blog, helped me reclaim the beauty of a spritz shared with a friend. She loves to experiment with simple syrups, liquors and different kinds of bubbly. Madeline herself captures the spirit of very fine spritz. So it was only fitting to make her an Alison spritz when she and her husband Sam came over. 

Alison’s spritz is simple and flexible: one-third liquor, like Campari or Aperol (we chose Rinomato which is on the more bitter side of Amaro’s), one third sparkling water or wine, and one-third regular white wine. Oh, and lots of ice. It’s refreshing, delicious, not anything truly different from other spritz’s, but a nice ingredient ratio to go by. It was a gorgeous evening and we enjoyed our drinks in our sunlit apartment for what would be our last time together there. 

Very fine, indeed. 

128 recipes cooked, 97 to go.

Tiny Peppers with Yuzu Kosho by Alison Roman

I agree with Alison that serving tiny peppers that have been tossed in a paste also made of tiny peppers is kind of funny. Meta, even. But regardless of how odd the concept might sound, these little green dudes were surprisingly a hit. 

The recipe calls for shishito peppers: small, green, slightly wrinkly and mildly spicy peppers widely found at Trader Joes. I’ve never seen them at Whole Foods, but they seem to be at TJ’s every week. These peppers are ever so slightly more spicy than a bell pepper, and most of their kick lies in their seeds. I’m not known for having a particularly high spice tolerance, and I still felt confident enough to eat them whole (save the stem) and in one bite. Believe me, that says something. 

I tossed the peppers with olive oil, salt, and pepper before placing them over the grill, set to medium-high. I could blame this on Alison, or I could just admit that I wasn’t really thinking, but I should have known that the peppers were likely to fall through the grate. An extra 30 seconds of critical thinking could have provoked me to put a grill pan underneath them. In the end, we lost about 20% of our peppers that day. May they rest in peace. 

The survivors were tossed with several tablespoons of yuzu kosho, a tangy pepper paste, and lime juice before hitting the table. Our meal that evening consisted of smoked ribs (my father-in-law is a master), Alison’s Crushed Baby Potatoes (aka her far better version of a potato salad), the peppers, and corn bread. For dessert, we had Alison’s Sour Cherry and Sesame Galette (post to come). Toward the end of the meal, Jordan turned to me and said, “This one goes in my top 3 Alison appetizers.” So I call that a win. 

120 recipes cooked, 105 to go.

Creamy Goat Cheese with Lemony Za’atar by Alison Roman

This recipe was a HIT – 8 oz. of crumbled cheese gone in 20 minutes flat. It also didn’t hurt that I served it with homemade sourdough bread. 

I started by toasting sesame seeds in a skillet until golden and fragrant. Then I added olive oil, finely chopped lemon, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. These ingredients spent only two minutes over the heat before I poured them over the crumbled goat cheese. I let the bowl sit for 30 minutes before sticking it in the fridge. I served this appetizer alongside Alison’s Marinated Artichoke Hearts. 

A few tips: 

• Buy a large log of goat cheese from TJ’s and crumble it yourself. They sell 12oz. Logs of cheese for only $5, whereas the crumbled version only comes in 6oz. containers and they’re more expensive. Don’t even try to look at Whole Foods - you’ll overpay no matter what. 

• Don’t skip the sumac. I get that this is a more niche ingredient for many of us and it can be hard to find. If you don’t have a middle eastern grocery story near you, then it’s worth buying sumac online. If you cook a lot of Alison’s recipes, then you’ll use it up quickly. 

• This is probably a no-brainer for most people, but it was a revelation for me. I’ve recently started buying bags of sesame seeds vs. tiny spice jars. I find that sesame seeds are much more affordable in bulk, and I go through them very quickly when cooking Alison’s recipes. I’ve found the bulk bags hidden on a bottom shelf in the spice aisle at Whole Foods, or in the back corner of the produce dept. at Cub Foods.

For those curious, of Alison’s appetizers that I’ve made thus far (I’ve cooked 10, and have 10 left to go), here are my top 3 favorites: 

1. Spicy-Tomato Marinated Feta

2. Creamy Goat Cheese with Lemony Za’atar

3. Crispy Haloumi with Honey and Pistachio

115 recipes cooked, 110 to go.

Your Very Own Marinated Artichoke Hearts by Alison Roman

With this recipe, I believe Alison achieved her goal of making artichoke hearts that are easily eaten in one sitting. Her main gripe with store bought ones is that they’re too tangy to eat in quick succession. I’ll add that I think they’re too oily, also. For these reasons, I will start to opt for making my very own marinated artichoke hearts, a la Alison Roman. 

The process is quite simple. I started by draining and quartering two cans of artichoke hearts. I like my artichokes in small bites, which is why I opted for quartering as opposed to halving. I placed the hearts in a serving bowl and turned to the oil. I brought a half cup of oil to a very low sizzle over medium heat, along with fresh thyme (Alison calls for oregano), thin lemon slices, and very thin shallot rings. Once the shallot and lemon began to sizzle, I removed the pot from the heat and seasoned everything with salt and pepper. 

I poured everything from the pot over the artichoke hearts, and added a splash of white wine vinegar. The hearts marinated on the counter for an hour before I stuck them in the fridge. We left for dinner at Sam and Madeline’s about 2 hours later. Just before leaving our apartment, I sprinkled the bowl with fresh parsley.

I served this appetizer alongside Alison’s Lemon Goat Cheese, which was clearly the winner between the two. Everyone seemed to eat one or two artichoke quarters, but they completely finished the goat cheese. Over the next few days, I ate the remaining leftovers for lunch with handfuls of kale and almond crackers. Artichokes are an acquired taste. If you really enjoy artichokes, then I think you’ll enjoy this recipe. If artichokes aren’t your favorite, then go ahead and skip it. 

114 recipes cooked, 111 to go.

Fancy Citrusy Olives by Alison Roman

This is the third or fourth time I’ve faced the task of writing about olives, but this time, it’s different. This time, I’m different. For 28.2 years of my life, I thought olives were nothing short of repulsive. Then, I made Alison’s Skillet Chicken with Sumac and Olives, and something started to change. I not only liked the briny pop of flavor in that dish, I actually found myself thinking about it afterward. Those reflections led me to make the dish a second time, which led me to order an olive plate at a restaurant a few weeks ago, which led me to ask my mother-in-law, Queen Olive Lover herself, if we could have an olive happy hour on a Sunday afternoon! I have converted, folks. I’m a believer. I like olives. 

Needless to say, my excitement levels for this appetizer were far higher than when I first saw the recipe at the start of the project. The adventure began with halving and thinly slicing both a lemon and a navel orange. The other halves should be saved for juicing. In a small pot, I let the citrus slices, red chile flakes, and grapefruit peel sizzle in some olive oil. This helps the elements release their flavors a bit before the olives join. Once the olives got in there, I turned the heat to the lowest setting and let them hang out for a little under an hour. 

Alison calls for Castelvetrano olives, which are my favorite. Their strong buttery flavor is perhaps their most distinct quality, next to their firmness. I much prefer these to brown or black olives – both of which I’m still working on liking more. I buy these olives at the Whole Foods olive bar because I just pay for what I need. I could get a large jar of them at Costco for a cheaper ounce to dollar ratio, but I know they’d go bad before I could eat them all. 

The olives need to cool to room temperature, which takes about an hour. Then the reserved citrus halves get squeezed over the pot of olives to impart more flavor before plating – citrus peels and all. 

I served this as an appetizer, but also brought it to the dinner table where my guests continued to snack on them throughout the meal and even afterward. To my tastebuds, the orange juice was a bit too strong and sweet, and I missed the olive’s buttery dominance. But my guests seemed to really enjoy this take on olives, and there were hardly any leftovers. Next, I’d like to try a simpler olive recipe that involves rosemary or thyme, or some combination of herbs as the added flavor. If you have a beloved recipe like this, would you send it my way? 

105 recipes cooked, 120 to go.

An All-OutAlison Meal featuring Clam Pasta, Spring Peas, and Citrusy Olives.