A cup of tea, a great novel and the aroma of a roast cooking in the oven—the perfect ingredients for a rainy weekend afternoon at home. That’s the way I spent my Sunday a couple of weeks ago when I made this very tasty roast pork loin with potatoes. The recipe is adapted from one in Bon Appetit’s June feature about Brunello Cucinelli, an Italian designer who serves this dish (among others) to his workers in their Umbrian company headquarters. He employs three home cooks who produce this quality of food everyday for their luncheons—how’s that for an idyllic place to work?

Roast Pork Loin and Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic

8 servings

To make the roast:

Ingredients

8 garlic cloves
¼ cup fresh rosemary leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
2 tablespoons olive oil
1- 4 pound boneless pork loin, butterflied (the easy way is to ask your butcher to do this)
Ground black pepper
2 cups dry white wine

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and position one rack in the middle for the roast and one rack in the bottom third for the potatoes. On a cutting board sprinkle the garlic cloves and rosemary leaves with ½ teaspoon of salt. Mince the mixture as finely as you can and mash it all together with the side of the knife so that the mixture almost becomes a paste. Transfer the mixture into a small bowl and add the olive oil.

Unfold the pork loin with the skin side down and the shortest end toward you. Spread the garlic and rosemary paste all over the meat and then sprinkle it all with additional kosher salt and ground black pepper. Starting at the bottom nearest you, roll the roast as tightly as you can and then tie it with lengths of kitchen twine about 1” apart.

Season the rolled and tied roast all over with additional salt and pepper and then put it in a shallow roasting pan. Pour the wine into the pan with the roast, place in the preheated oven and roast for about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Check to see if the roast is done (145 degrees) using an instant read thermometer at the 1 hour 15 minute mark.

When the roast is done, move it to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes and up to 30. Skim the fat from the roasting pan and discard it. Pour the remaining liquid into a small saucepan, bring it to a boil and let it gently boil while the roast is resting. Slice the roast, and serve it with the pan juices.

To make the potatoes:

Ingredients:

1 cup white vinegar
¼ cup kosher salt plus more
3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” squares or wedges
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the side of a large, heavy knife
6 small sprigs rosemary
¼ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, put the vinegar, ¼ cup of salt, and 4 quarts of water and bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 7 minutes. (They will not be done) Drain into a colander and toss so that the steam rises from them and leaves the potatoes dry. Transfer the potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss with the garlic, rosemary, wine and olive oil and then season with kosher salt and ground pepper to taste. Put the potatoes in the oven on the bottom rack 45 minutes before you plan to serve the roast. Turn them once after about 20 minutes and then continue to roast them for another 25 minutes or until nicely browned.

For a nice presentation, place the roast slices in the middle of a platter, and surround them with the potatoes and a few rosemary sprigs.

My husband hasn’t ever actually confessed to this, but I know that his favorite meal is breakfast. I have known him for 25 years and there are clues. First, he always eats breakfast—and with gusto—oatmeal, berries with yogurt and granola, toast with butter and jam—some combination of these every single workday. If, some morning, we discuss going out for lunch, he will often suggest that we go for brunch instead, and when we get there, I’m ordering the salmon salad, he the scrambled eggs, sausage and grits. I could serve breakfast food for dinner and get no complaints (what’s not to like?) And I always get a delighted smile on a day when I start measuring flour into a small bowl on a Sunday morning—because that usually means that I’m making pancakes. Specifically these pancakes which are his (and my) favorite. Nothing fancy here, just light, lovely, perfect buttermilk pancakes.

The recipe is adapted from Marion Cunningham’s Breakfast Book and as you can see from the photo below, I have used it so often over the years that the binding is broken and the book falls to this page every time it is opened (although I don’t need to open it anymore because I know this one by heart.) The book is filled with lovely things to eat in the morning—or, for that matter, anytime of day.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Makes about 10 pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg at room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled a bit

Preparation:

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside. In a larger bowl, combine the buttermilk, the egg and the butter and whisk until smooth. (Note: the reason the butter needs to be cooled is so that it won’t curdle buttermilk and cook the egg—I learned that the hard way.) Stir in the dry ingredients, but just until combined, lumps are fine and you don’t want to overwork this batter.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Grease it lightly. Spoon the batter into the pan (I can fit three pancakes in my large skillet) but don’t overcrowd. Cook until bubbles start to appear on the top, check the bottom by raising it just a bit with the spatula, and wait for it to be a lovely golden brown. Then flip the pancake and cook the other side for just a minute until it is also lightly browned. Transfer to a platter and keep cooking until all of the pancakes are done. If your pan has dried out, lightly grease it again between batches. Serve immediately with maple syrup (which I heat in a small pitcher with 1 tablespoon of butter added—great flavor and then you don’t have to butter your pancakes.)

Note: This recipe doubles easily (the ingredients shown are for a double recipe) and if you have pancake lovers in your house, you should—these disappear quickly. If you don’t need quite all of the batter, you can store any remaining in the refrigerator and use it later. It’s great to be able to make a pancake or two to order on a busy school morning or workday.

Some weekend mornings in our household are mad dashes out the door for a sporting event, the farmer’s market, to run errands, shop or get somebody where they need to be. Others are blissfully lazy, quiet hours at home to read the newspaper, watch the morning news and political programs, or just dabble one’s toes in the pool and meditate on what to make for breakfast.

This recipe lets you be very creative with what you buy or what you have—just keep the proportions right and you can change the meat, the cheeses and the onion into all kinds of terrific combinations. The meat can be turkey, sausage, ham, or whatever you’ve got. The cup and a half of grated cheeses can be any combination you’ve got—and a smoky Gouda or Gruyere would be pretty special. The cream cheese can be goat cheese, the onions can be mushrooms or herbs—or if you like, you can make it the way I usually do, just like this.

Crustless Breakfast Pie

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

4 ounces pancetta
¾ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
¾ cup grated Fontina cheese
3 ounces cream cheese, cubed into small bits
3 green onions, thinly sliced
4 large eggs
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoon melted butter
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon hot sauce
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon butter at room temperature (for greasing your dish)
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Panfry the pancetta until it is crisp, drain it and set aside.

Grease a 9-inch round pie pan or dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese into the pan and then turn and tap the pan until the cheese has evenly coated it. In a mixing bowl, combine the cheddar and the Fontina cheeses, the cream cheese, onions and bacon and toss the mixture with two forks until it is well combined. Sprinkle the mixture evenly into the pie pan.

In the same mixing bowl that just held the cheeses, combine the flour, salt, pepper and baking powder. In a large measuring cup or a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, mustard, hot sauce, cooled melted butter and half and half. Whisk the egg mixture into the dry ingredients until smooth. Pour the mixture evenly over the ingredients in the pie pan.

Bake until the filling is light golden brown and set, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing

In the kitchen certainly, it takes just a little effort to make the ordinary a little more special. Asparagus in the spring is so readily available and so versatile that I find myself buying it at least once a week and frequently more. To change it up a little bit, sometimes I cut the spears into pieces and sauté them with peas and onions. The different cut and the combination of flavors does just enough to make this a side dish that I love to make for family and company.

Spring Green Vegetable Sauté

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, tips set aside
1 cup fresh or frozen spring peas
1 bunch green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a sauté pan, melt the butter and the olive oil together. Add the asparagus pieces and green onions and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes until crisp-tender. Add the peas and the asparagus tips and cook for an additional 2 minutes until the peas are warmed and the tips are tender. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Revolutionary…Palace Malice…Normandy Invasion…Vyjack…Lines of Battle…Overanalyze…I’d love to know the stories behind the naming of these horses– some of the contenders that will compete at this Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Kentucky Derby celebrations are fun for everybody—sports lovers or not. First, this day is an excuse to eat a very good sandwich and wear a terrific hat. Second, you can watch the coverage all day if you want. Or, if you are a sports minimalist, just start with mint juleps and Benedictine dip at cocktail time before the race. At about 6:15 turn up the TV and get ready to watch the exciting two-minute (or so) Derby and toast the winner. Watch a bit of post-race coverage and the presentation of the 18 carat gold trophy and then sit down and enjoy the aforementioned Kentucky Hot Brown This complex and very satisfying open-face sandwich was created in the 1920s by Chef Fred Schmidt of the Brown Hotel in Louisville as a late-night snack for guests at the hotel’s famed nightly dinner dance.  The transition to Derby Day favorite is a happy evolution for this creation.  My version is a bit non-traditional since I have added scallions and parsley to the Mornay sauce, but I like the zip and color that they add to the dish.   I serve these with Spinach Salad with Lime Soy Vinaigrette and for dessert—what else but Winner’s Circle Pie!

Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 recipe of Herbed Mornay Sauce (below)
1 pound sliced roasted turkey breast
4 slices of bread, lightly toasted
8 slices of bacon, cooked until crisp
8 tomato slices
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Extra sliced green onions and parsley for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat the broiler. On a baking sheet, place the four slices of lightly toasted bread. Top each piece of bread with 4 ounces of turkey and two tomato slices. Top with a generous spoonful of the Herbed Mornay Sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Place the baking sheet under the broiler and cook until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted and browned. Place one sandwich on each plate and top with two slices of bacon and a sprinkle of green onions and parsley.

Herbed Mornay Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

3 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped green onions
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups cream
4 ounces shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
4 ounces fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the green onions and parsley and cook, stirring, until the green onion has softened. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.

Raise the heat slightly, add the cream and cook until the cream begins to simmer and the sauce has slightly thickened. Lower the heat back to medium, add the cheese and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roasted cauliflower is a side dish for all seasons. In the winter, it comforts, in the spring it satisfies. It serves as well with a barbecue in the summer as it does as a basis of a hearty, creamy fall soup. Plainly roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper, cauliflower makes a frequent turn in my dinner rotation, so it’s nice to dress it up now and then to keep the family from taking this beauty for granted.

Roasted cumin, handfuls of herbs, spoonfuls of Parmesan or crumbles of goat cheese are some of the adornments I’ve tried—all good. Here’s my latest, capers and breadcrumbs with a little lemon zest and anchovy—a traditional Mediterranean combination that doesn’t disappoint. If you’re serving this for a crowd, it doubles easily. You can also roast the cauliflower and make the breadcrumb mixture earlier in the day and reheat and combine just before serving.

Roasted Cauliflower with Capers and Breadcrumbs

6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 anchovies, drained and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
¾ cup fresh or Panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Champagne or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice the cauliflower into 1-½ inch slices and then break the slices into bite-size florets. This will make lots of flat sides on the cauliflower pieces and help them to caramelize nicely. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Spread the cauliflower in one layer on one or two baking sheets. Roast for 20 minutes, toss to turn and continue to roast for 25 more minutes or until crispy and browned at the edges.

While the cauliflower is roasting, heat the remaining three tablespoons of oil in a small saucepan. Add the anchovies and saute until they almost melt away into the oil. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the capers and lemon zest and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and stir the mixture to coat the breadcrumbs and thoroughly combine the mixture.

In a serving bowl, combine the cauliflower, breadcrumb mixture and parsley. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, toss to combine and serve.

My favorite everyday breakfast is a cup of blueberries, a dollop of Greek yogurt, a drizzle of local honey and a small scoop of granola. I never grow tired of this combination of creamy, crunchy, sweet and tart ingredients. This breakfast is also a powerhouse for morning energy and nutrition. The choice of granola is the creative part of the dish, also the variable one. There are so many varieties of granola available in our stores these days—everything from high-end gourmet varieties that will set you back $20 or more for a bag or a box, to big-box containers for just a few dollars, to homemade-the reason for today’s post.

I wanted a mixture that I knew had no preservatives/chemicals/etc. and I wanted to include coconut oil, which is so very healthful. Here is the result that has also become a run-through-the-kitchen-and-grab-a-handful-snack for the family. This is low-stress cooking at its best.

Homemade Granola

Ingredients

½ cup butter
¼ cup coconut oil**
¾ cup local honey
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
½ cup coarsely chopped almonds
½ cup coarsely chopped cashews
½ cup sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup dried berries (cranberries, cherries, blueberries, whatever you like the best)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small saucepan, gently heat and stir the butter, coconut oil and honey until melted and combined.

In a large bowl, toss together the rolled oats, walnuts, almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds. Add ½ of the hot honey mixture and toss to combine well. Spread the mixture out on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the kosher salt and the coconut flakes and toss gently with a spatula. Drizzle the remaining honey mixture over and toss again. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Add the dried berries, stir again and bake for another 5 minutes or until the mix is a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool. Store in an airtight container.

**If you don’t have coconut oil, just use a full cup of butter—it will be delicious if slightly less healthful.

In Florida, our February is punctuated by the arrival of beautiful strawberries in our markets. They are locally grown, luscious and economical. I’m always on the lookout for great ways to serve them. Ina Garten has a wonderful recipe in her book Back to Basics for Fruit Salad with Limoncello. She tosses fruit with sugar and Limoncello liqueur, lets it stand for a bit and then tops it with a lemon yogurt topping. That’s a great idea for brunch or dessert, but I wanted something without the liqueur for everyday breakfasts. My version cuts back on the sugar a bit and trades the Limoncello for lemon juice. Made either way, it is a fresh and delicious way with fruit.

If you would like more information about Ina Gartens book, click here: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup Greek Yogurt (I use Fage)
¼ cup lemon curd
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups of fresh fruit, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces

Preparation:

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, lemon curd, honey and vanilla extract. Put the fresh fruit in a serving bowl, sprinkle with the lemon juice and sugar and toss gently. Let rest on the counter for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve the fruit with the yogurt topping.

Back to Basics was released in 2008 and has become one of my favorites of Ina Garten’s books even though it doesn’t really have many “new” recipes in it. Most of the recipes are, in fact, things that good home cooks make in rotation, but what Ina Garten does so well is really study what we’re cooking and give us tips and ideas to heighten the flavors and make our same-old, same-old into something really special.

As an example, I make a flank steak that is very similar to her Mustard-Marinated Flank Steak. The ingredients: white wine, olive, oil, mustard, shallot, garlic, pepper are the same. Her trick that makes it better is to score the top of the steak before marinating—making both an attractive diamond pattern in the meat and allowing the marinade to penetrate a bit more deeply. Smart—and a great tip to use with other meats and marinades too.

I’m working my way through the whole book, but her takes on Roasted Shrimp Cocktail, Italian Wedding Soup, Mustard-Roasted Fish, French Apple Tart and Brownie Pudding are all now family favorites.

If you would like more information about the book click here: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients.

Oscar night is always fun and we’re looking forward to watching this year since the crop of movies has been so good. Of the nominees, so far we’ve been to see Argo, Lincoln, Django Unchained, Les Miserables and Zero Dark Thirty—five out of nine is pretty good for our family—although we had hoped to make it to Life of Pi and Silver Linings Playbook before the awards show. Alas, busy-ness and conflicting schedules intervened. But we know enough to enjoy the show and will be tuned in and watching from the red carpet on. In keeping with our tradition, dinner will be something simple to make and eat so as not to require too much of the cooking and cleaning staff who will be watching.

To curb the appetite and add a festive tone to the night, I will fuss a bit and make this appetizer for us to enjoy before dinner. I love hearts of palm in salads and have wondered if they would make for a good dip in the way of canned artichokes. So I made this dip for the first time during the holidays and it got great reviews. You could easily substitute canned artichokes if you’d rather, but this way is very, very good. This bubbly mixture is filling and satisfying and is the perfect thing when you don’t have a big meal planned for dinner. (Truth be told, it might end up being dinner….)

Hot Heart of Palm Dip

Makes about 2 cups

2 cans Hearts of Palm, drained and finely chopped
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup grated Parmesan Reggianno cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to top

Preparation:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the hearts of palm, cream cheese, mayonnaise and lemon juice and pulse until combined (it should not be a puree, but have small chunks that are easy enough to spread). Transfer to a mixing bowl.

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and then sauté the shallots and garlic until they are soft and lightly browned. Add the mixture to the heart of palm mixture, add the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof serving dish. Sprinkle the top lightly with cayenne pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and serve with toasted French bread rounds or crackers.