A taste of Italy, by way of Alaska. Combining multiple Caputo’s house favorites, this dish is all about simplicity, elevated. Enjoy fresh, Alaskan octopus from our friends at Wildfish Cannery, marinated in Bullwhip Hot Sauce from their neighbors at Barnacle, sitting atop perfectly seasoned beans. Take these flavors to the moon with a heathy drizzle of our favorite condiment grade olive oil from Italy: Viola Colleruita. This one was going to be kept a secret for our Culture Club subscribers, but it’s too damn tasty not to share. You’re welcome.

INGREDIENTS

• EVOO (for cooking)
• 4 cloves garlic (divided)
• 1/3lb cannelini beans, dried
• 2 medium lemons
• 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
• Viola Colleruita (NOT for cooking – for dressing)
• 1 tin Wildfish Octopus in Barnacle Bullwhip Hot Sauce (2 tins if you love each other)
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak your beans one of two ways:
   1. Soak beans for 12-24 hours before cooking in cold water
   2. Add beans to a medium pot and completely cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Cover with lid and turn off heat. Let beans sit in the hot water for 1-2 hours.
2. Once beans are soaked and ready to cook, heat 2-3 tablespoons of cooking olive oil in a separate, medium pot.
3. Peel and smash two of the garlic cloves and add to oil in the medium pot, stirring occasionally until browned and fragrant.
4. Add beans and their liquid to the pot with garlic. Cover beans with more water if needed (you’ll want 2-3 more tablespoons than what covers the beans). Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. This will ensure the beans don’t break in a rolling boil.
5. Skim off any bean scum, then add more cooking olive oil to create a layer above the simmering water. Now’s a great time to also add a couple pinches of salt, a few parsley sprigs, and any other ingredients you want to flavor your beans with. (We’re building some layers, here!) Suggestions: bay leaves, a charred lemon half, other herbs, peppercorns, etc.
6. Allow the beans to simmer for 30-45 minutes until tender. Be sure to test three beans before making your determinations – (never trust just one bean!). Once done, drain and discard (or save) your bean liquid. (People who save bean liquid for other soups or simmers go straight to Heaven!)
7. While the beans are still steaming, grate two garlic cloves directly into the bowl of beans and stir. Adding to hot beans will heat them just enough to remove the fresh bite, but still keep them quite flavorful.
8. Grate the zest of one lemon into the beans along with the juice of the same lemon. Add chopped parsley and season with salt, pepper, and a glug of Viola. Stir, taste, and adjust your seasoning. Set aside.
9. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and crack open your tin of octopus. Add a tablespoon of cooking oil to the skillet and then the pieces of octopus. Save the juices from the tin! We’ll use those in just a moment!.
10. Allow the octopus to warm through and begin to brown. Remove after a few minutes, turn off the heat but leave the skillet in place, and cut any large pieces of octopus into bite sized chunks.
11. Take the skillet off heat and pour in the liquid from the tin, stirring frequently to allow the juices to thicken. Pick up any undesirable straggling bits of octopus.
12. Heap your delicious beans onto two plates, top with octopus, then pour the thickened juices over each bowl. Finish with another drizzle of Viola and lemon wedges.
13. Lastly, taste the vibrant flavors of this dish with friends or family – or keep it all to yourself!

It’s Fulvi week here at Caputo’s. We’re celebrating the centuries long tradition of Pecorino Romano cheese made from Roman sheep’s milk by highlighting the only true Roman pecorino available in the US – Genuine Fulvi. While Pecorino Romano is part of the noble list of legally protected cheeses in Italy, there is a surprising amount of latitude for production spanning from Sardinia and  Lazio as well as the province of Grosseto in Tuscany. The allowance of other regional milk not only makes the name less true, but it disregards the terroir of milk. We often reserve the use of the term for wine and, more recently, chocolate; however, cheese holds the same key environmental factors that affect a food item’s flavor from farming practices and specific growth habitat from the milk of the animals and the plant matter consumed to create that milk. With that in mind, Pecorino Romano Genuine Fulvi holds true to the name, place, and intrinsic flavor we believe people should know, taste, and enjoy. This is our chance to shed light on these practices and to celebrate the artisans producing the truest form of this more than 2,000 year old cheese making heritage.

Join us in our celebration of Genuine Fulvi by trying any of the Fulvi-centric specials at our Caputo’s locations, by creating your own traditional dishes like Cacio e Pepe and Carbonara, by enjoying this Spring with fresh fava beans just like the Romans do, or try my contribution to Fulvi week – a sweet, bitter, earthy, and very Fulvi salad.

A Very Fulvi, Very Italian Salad
Serves 4

• 1/2 cup walnut halves and pieces
• One head radicchio, core removed and roughly chopped
• One cup arugula
• 2 pears, D’anjou or Bosc, quartered, core removed, and thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup Honey Som Cane Cordial  
• 1/3 lb Pecorino Romano Genuine Fulvi
• Condiment grade olive oil (Viola, obvi)
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and toast walnuts on a baking sheet for 12-15 minutes. While the walnuts are toasting, mix radicchio, arugula, and pear slices in a large bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt and mix with your hands to pre-season. Drizzle half of the Honey Som over the mixture and toss. Taste before adding more to ensure it suits your taste. Using a fine rasp grater, grate the Pecorino Romano Fulvi over your greens and pears. Add walnuts and toss to combine. Portion the mixture onto plates and finish with a drizzle of condiment olive oil and a fresh grind of black pepper. Serve immediately.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I could feel the pie-anxiety sneaking up on me one chilly fall morning. Baking pies has never been my forte. I had a few hours to kill and some seasonal ingredients in the fridge begging to be used. I figured it was time to come up with what I intended to contribute to Thanksgiving dinner. As the baker in my family, a pie seemed to be the best option. I cracked open my favorite baking book for ideas and was almost immediately swayed away from making a pie, thank God! A gorgeous galette called my name from the first page I flipped to.

A galette is essentially a pie without the dish. Although this free-standing “pie” of sorts is not meant to hold your creamy pumpkin or other custard pie filling from your grandma’s recipe book, it never hurts to switch things up. It may even help you win the unspoken Thanksgiving cook off between relatives. A galette is best suited to be filled with more texturally diverse ingredients such as pieces of sautéed apples, pears, squash, or root veggies and served as a delightful hors d’oeuvre or dessert. It saves a dirty dish, and looks just as, if not more, impressive for the Thanksgiving table.

The pastry dough I used for this recipe is a bit more delicate than your average pie crust; therefore, it requires a more attentive process. As a result, the finished product has much less of a risk of a soggy bottom and is much flakier and easier to handle than a piece of pie. Don’t hesitate to use a pastry dough recipe that has always worked for you. This, or any galette, is versatile enough to be made using any pastry dough of your choosing.

The filling is a simple combination of caramelized onions, roasted squash, herbs, a little spice, and my favorite goat milk cheese, Chabrin! I used Caputo’s cave aged Chabrin Reserve. This Chabrin is aged an additional 6 months in our cheese caves, making a more delicate, fudgy version of its original French-basque version. This cheese lends the perfect amount of funk to the filling to balance out the sweetness from the squash and onions, without feeling like you’re getting kicked in the teeth by a goat in each bite. A young Chabrin would also be a wonderful alternative to the reserve, as well as any other mild goats cheese (or any funky cheese that suits your fancy).

This is perfect to serve before your Thanksgiving meal, or even just as a seasonal snack to share with friends or loved ones.

Chabrin, Squash, and Onion Galette
Serves 6-8

Tartine bakery’s Flaky Tart Dough
*recipe is halved from original version, to fit single galette

• 1 cup unsalted butter, very cold
• ½ cup water
• ¾ tsp salt
• 2 1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour

To make the dough, cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and put them in the freezer. Measure the water, dissolve the salt into it, and put it in freezer as well. Chill the butter and water for about 10 minutes.

Measure all of the flour onto your work surface. Spread the flour out into a rectangle about 1/3 inch deep. Scatter the butter cubes over the flour. Toss a little of the flour over the butter so that your rolling pin won’t stick and then begin rolling. When the butter starts flattening out into long, thin pieces, use a bench scraper to scoop up the sides of the rectangle so that it is again the size you started with. Repeat the rolling and scraping 3 or 4 times. Make a well in the center and pour all of the water into the well. Using the bench scraper, scoop the sides of the dough onto the center, cutting (mixing in with the bench scraper) the water into the dough. Keep scraping and cutting until the dough is a shaggy mass, and then shape the dough into a rectangle about 10×14 inches. Lightly dust the top with flour. Roll out the rectangle until it is half again as large and then scrape the top, bottom, and sides together again to the original size and reroll. Repeat 3 or 4 times until you have a smooth cohesive dough. You should have a neat rectangle measuring about 10×14 inches. Transfer the dough to a large baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill well, about 1 hour.

Filling

• 2 cups butternut squash, cut in ½ inch cubes
• 1 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 large or 2 small sweet onions, cut into thin strips
• 1 tsp fresh sage
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 1/3 lb Chabrin Reserve cheese, grated
• salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbs water

Preheat oven to 350. While dough is chilling, toss butternut squash in olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and roast on a lined sheet pan for 30 minutes, or until squash can be easily pierced with a fork.
While squash is roasting, melt butter in a pan, and add onions. Cook on medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once onions are half-way caramelized, season with salt and herbs. Add a tablespoon of water if needed.
Remove squash from oven and carefully combine with onions. When cool enough, fold in Chabrin (or cheese of choice), and season to taste.

Assembly

When dough has chilled, fold dough over itself 2-3 times and re-roll until you have a circle measuring about 14 inches in width. Transfer back to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill until firm, about 10 minutes. When chilled, fill the center of the dough with prepared filling, leaving 3-4 inches of dough to fold over filling.
Beat egg and 1 Tablespoon water, and lightly brush over the dough. Bake on a lined sheet pan 50-60 minutes, or until galette looks golden. Top with flaky seat salt of choice.

While the best season of the year was in full swing (a.k.a., cherry season), I found myself with heaps of gorgeous cherries from the Farmers Market. With an intense desire to bake something unique and seasonal, I could not seem to find a recipe that didn’t require the tedious task of pitting each cherry.

A few days later while discussing the upcoming Tour of France class in a meeting with Adri, she suggested I make a clafoutis as the dessert. The clafoutis originated in Limousin, in the southwest-central region of France. It is a traditional French baked custard with whole cherries—emphasis on the ‘whole’ part. The most important part of baking with whole cherries is that they consist of the primary chemical in almond extract. That gives the dessert a subtle almond essence serving as a beautiful compliment to the final product. I quickly came to find out that the annoying little pit inside those juicy cherries contain a chemical that creates cyanide, however completely safe in small amounts… I promise!

While traditionally made with the early summer fruit, the base is versatile enough to be baked as the seasons change. It is delicious to be made with various berries, late summer’s plump stone fruits, or even chunks of ripe apples, or pears. What’s not to love about that?

After some more research, I finally was set to try out Tartine’s recipe, to gain my own understanding of what a clafoutis is really like. I followed the recipe precisely (a rare occurrence for me), but was still uncertain of what I was looking for. I pulled a slightly wobbly custard from the oven, smelling of caramel and looking stained sporadically with vibrant cherry juices. I indulged in a small piece and took the rest for an inspection from my coworkers—who only had positive reviews to give. While gratifying to hear, I wasn’t sure it was the clafoutis for me, it seemed a bit too wet.

After some more research, David Lebovitz’s recipe seemed to be the next best option, calling for a touch more flour and less milk. Clafoutis pt. 2 came two days later. With pt. 2, came more ambiguous feedback from coworkers. Being the stubborn gal I am, I insisted on making it ONE last time before deciding a final recipe to present at the class.

Clafoutis pt. 3 came with a similar recipe to pt. 2, however with one big difference. Rather than using fresh whole cherries, I used the Italian Luxardo cherries and cut down some of the sugar. This last one only seemed to make my life more difficult. After hearing feedback from all sides giving me even less of a sense of direction, it was finally the time that I resulted to using my own baking intuition.

After discovering the beautiful role that both fresh cherries, and Luxardo cherries had in this dessert, my final recipe combines the best of both worlds. To respect the rarity of the original dessert’s use of whole cherries, they remained. I also used some syrup from the Luxardo in place of some of the sugar. That syrup gave the dessert another level of moisture that I didn’t find in David Lebovitz’s original recipe, and a richer sweetness that white sugar simply did not give on its own. It was perfect once chilled, and drizzled with more Luxardo syrup, and a cherry on top.

Clafoutis

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbs Luxardo syrup
• pinch salt
• 1 ¾ cup milk
• ½ vanilla bean, split
• ½ cup flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 lb whole cherries (or fruit of choice)
• raw sugar
• Luxardo cherries, plus additional syrup

Preheat over to 375. Butter a ceramic tart dish or any shallow baking dish, and disperse the whole cherries in the greased pan.
Combine sugar, Luxardo syrup, salt, milk and vanilla bean in a small saucepan. Cook until sugar dissolves and the mixture is steamy. While that is heating, whisk eggs in a medium size bowl. Sift flour into egg mixture and mix just until combined.
Remove milk mixture from heat, and slowly pour through mesh sieve into the egg mixture, while whisking.
Once the batter comes together, pour it over the cherries and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and raise the heat to 450. Sprinkle raw sugar evenly across the surface and return to oven for 5-7 minutes, or until it looks caramelized. Remove and let cool on a wire rack until serving.

Substitutions for cherries:
-Berries such as blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries, can be used as a direct substitution for the whole cherries.
-If using juicier stone fruits such as peaches, nectarines, or plums, cut back on the amount of milk by 1-2 Tbs.
– Cut pieces of fruit into ½ inch chunks.

I have a cold. Or a sinus infection. Or maybe it’s allergies. I have symptoms pointing to all three possibilities and I’m bamboozled by my body’s ability to feel so ambiguously yucky. The weather is warming up, the skies are mostly clear, and I’m in bed with a box of tissues and a queue or Real Housewives reruns.

While the weather works out its springtime kinks, I’ll be working out the kinks in my sinuses. After all the vitamins, supplements, tea, and vegetables, I find myself aching for something more comforting and warm (read: pasta). On this eve of our upcoming Cheese Caves Week, a bowl of hot pasta sounds like the perfect thing to soothe my soul while I spend hours on WedMD self diagnosing.

This sick gal wants carbonara but is missing ingredients and has no energy to get to a grocery store. Said sick gal has loads of cheese in the fridge (after all, who do you think I am?) and a head full of either stubborn American ingenuity or enough muck to cloud my classic culinary judgments. A lovely chunk of Grotte Tartufo sat atop my pile of cheeses, begging to be grated atop my ‘kinda sorta’ carbonara. Grotte Tartufo doesn’t melt the way alpine style cheeses do and will rather wilt atop hot pasta rather than coat it. I began imagining a pure white iteration of carbonara and didn’t look back from there. This is how Grotte Tartufo met a partial Pasta Carbonara and how the working title was born. Friends, meet Tartufonara. Partially carbonara, but mostly carbonara technique applied to loads of cheese and pasta.

Use this recipe as a blank canvas and add other cheeses, spring vegetables, or not much else for your own (insert ingredient here)-onara. I felt better after a bowl of this, and I hope you do too.

Pasta Tartufonara
Serves 6-8

• kosher salt
• 1 lb bronze dye cut pasta (This isn’t a classic recipe, so there are no rules! We loved it on calamarata, but a long noodle like spaghetti would make this feel more traditional)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
• 3 ounces Grotte Tartufo, roughly grated or chopped.

Bring a large part of water to a rolling boil and season with kosher salt. Add pasta and cook just past al dente. (The pasta will finish cooking as you toss with the sauce, but since this won’t happen over heat, we want the pasta to be just moments from being finished rather than minutes)

While pasta cooks, whisk eggs and Parmigiano in a large bowl until a pale yellow paste forms. When pasta in nearly ready to be pulled from the water, take a cup of pasta water from the pot and, while whisking the egg and Parm paste, slowly drizzle the pasta water into the paste. This will temper the egg so as not to become curds and help create a silky sauce. Remove pasta directly to the bowl with egg and cheese and toss to coat and finish cooking, adding more pasta water as needed. Just before serving, toss in Grotte Tartufo and any other ingredients you’d like to include (think blanched peas, chopped greens, or crispy prosciutto). Serve immediately.

Sometimes life has a way of leading you right back to where you started. I was born and raised in Salt Lake City by a Greek mother and a Louisianan father from Cajun country. Growing up, I helped my mom cook for various holidays – sometimes Cajun, sometimes Greek, and sometimes a mixture of both. I left for college in Atlanta, Georgia and then went on to England to pursue a degree in Ethnobotany, which culminated in my research of how small farms on the island of Sicily are adapting to globalization by turning old family recipes for things grown on their land into delicious products for the larger global market. When I moved back home to SLC after school, I felt lost and thought I’d move again. But instead, I ventured into Caputo’s and saw all the possibility here. Four years later, here I am. 

Living in Salt Lake again has given me some quality time with my parents and taught me some valuable lessons in baking and cooking. As the youngest of 5 girls, my mom was never short of help in the kitchen. Now, baking with my mom has become less sweatshop and more of a lesson in productive bickering (I mean that in the best way possible, Mom!). For instance, when I suggest a change to the recipe that she doesn’t like, she responds with “hmmm, I’ll take that into consideration.” However, when I suggest something she might like, the response is, “let’s try it and see how it goes.” 

This koulourakia recipe was no different – koulourakia are likely some of the best recognized Greek cookies as they are buttery, not too sweet, and perfect for dipping in tea and coffee. Typically made and eaten around Easter, but lovely year round, they’re generally made in a large batch and formed into twists or wreaths that look elegant and complicated but are quick to form and bake. This recipe should make about 60 cookies, which may sound like a lot, but I assure you it’s the perfect amount. I like to have them for breakfast dipped in some earl grey tea or coffee. 

Our family recipe calls for a few warm spices like cinnamon, anise and orange peel as well as some Metaxa, a Greek brandy (whiskey is fine to substitute.) If you want a more classic version, leave these spices out. Whether you need a grab and go breakfast or a snack to share with friends, koulourakia are a perfect treat for any occasion. 

KOULOURAKIA
Makes approximately 60 cookies
Total time: 1 h 15 mins 

• 1 c butter softened
• 1 c sugar
• 3 eggs (save 1 egg white for egg wash)
• 1/4 c whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 5 c flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground anise 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon orange peel (dried or fresh)
• 2 tablespoons Metaxa or whiskey 

In a mixing bowl, whip butter until light and fluffy. Add in sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and whiskey and allow to incorporate. Make sure all ingredients are room temperature!

In a separate bowl sift in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, orange peel. Mix up so ingredients are evenly distributed and then slowly add into wet ingredients until incorporated. Allow the dough to rest for about 15-20 minutes. Once rested, preheat oven to 350 and flour a surface to begin rolling cookies. 

To create the twist roll about a tablespoon of dough into a long thin pice and fold in half (see diagram). Then twist one leg over the other twice. For a wreath you can twist a few more times and connect the ends of the twist. You will need about 4-5 trays lined with aluminum foil for baking. Leave about 2 inches between each cookie as they will rise. Once all rolled out, mix remaining egg white with a dash of water until it’s a bit frothy. Apply to the top of the cookies with a pastry brush. If you want a glossier finish, add an egg yolk to this mixture as well. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until slightly browned and cookies no longer stick to tray when picked up. We rotate them every 8 minutes or so between racks so each cookie sheet gets even browning. Koulourakia will freeze well and keep well in a jar on the counter top. My bet is they won’t have to last too long though! 

This is the OG of the Caputo’s Cheese Caves. This oldie but goodie dates back to our early Cave days, and has only gotten better with age. After a minimum of 16 months in the Caves, Grotte Caputo emerges with the coveted amino acid crystallization, often referred to as “flavor crystals,” along with rich flavor and slightly crumbly (read: perfect table cheese) texture.

Constantly a crowd pleaser, Grotte Caputo is best described as a hybrid of piquant Asiago and a sweet, nutty 4 year-old Gouda, with notes of brown sugar, cream, grass and coffee.

Order yours here or stop by any of our Utah stores for a sample!

If anyone knows a thing or two about fabulous salumi, it’s our friend and hero, Eli Cairo. Eli is one of our most beloved SLC expats and the owner/master of Olympia Provisions. We’re very lucky to be the only retailer of his Cotechino, the base of the most popular New Year’s Day dish in Italy said to bring luck and wealth in the coming year. Here’s Eli’s own recipe:

—

Probably one of my all-time favorite eating traditions involves gorging myself on super tender lentils that have been cooking with a juicy, flavor-packed sausage… FACT. The tradition comes from the Emilian-Romagna region of Italy, where they believe that the more coin-shaped Cotechino and lentils you eat on New Year’s Day, the more luck and wealth you will have in your next year… PROBABLY FACT. I am a superstitious Greek man who cannot turn down the opportunity to get lucky and prosper… FACT.

Cotechino is known for its unique texture (slightly “sticky” from skin) and big flavors (sweet cinnamon and spicy chili flake). I make it once a year, for luck, and this year I want to share it with all of you! After all, who can’t use a bit more luck in the coming year?

I hope you enjoy!

Elias Cairo

COTECHINO CON LENTICCHIE
A NEW YEAR’S TRADITION

Serves 6 slightly hungover soon-to-be-lucky folks on New Years Day

3 hr cook time

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 2 small celery stalks, diced
• ½ pound green lentils
• 3 quarts chicken stock
• 1 bunch thyme, washed and tied with butcher twine
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 Cotechino, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices
• Salt to taste
• 2 bunches of green onions, cut on a bias

1. Pre heat your oven to 350F.
2. Place a medium size pot with a tight fitting lid on your stove top on medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 15 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon taking care not to burn them. You are looking for a really tender veg with minimal color.
3. Add the lentils and give them a good stir. Add 2 quarts of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer stirring to ensure that you do not scorch the lentils to the bottom of the pan. Once the lentils have started to simmer add the bunch of thyme and a good pinch of salt. Place a lid on top of your pot and place it in your oven for one hour.
4. At the hour point check your lentils. You are looking for a really tender lentil. NO CRUNCH AT ALL!! If they need a bit more time check that there is enough liquid. They should be “soupy” if they need more liquid add the remainder of the chicken stock.
5. When you are happy with the texture of you perfectly tender lentils remove them from your oven and place them on a very low heat on your stove top. Add the sherry vinegar give it a good stir taste for salt then add the sliced sausages to the lentils. Place the lid on top and allow the sausages to heat through. About ten minutes.
6. At this point you should take out the champagne that you so wisely did not finish from last night and pour a glass for yourself. Add the scallion to the lentils (not the champagne), and portion into 6 bowls. Remember that the more you eat the luckier you will be and how much we here at op appreciate you all.

I was fully prepared to skip Thanksgiving this year. I’d phoned in my regretful absence to all invitations with the hopes of spending my Thanksgiving alone. I’ve been really enjoying the quiet of my home and wanted to let that particular gratitude sink. I’m grateful for my able body, my safe space that is home, and my own growth and newfound comfort in being myself all on my own. Plus, I hate being told what to make or how to do it. Cereal sounded just fine. The ol’ turkey day classics seemed wholly unappetizing to me this year.

And then it happened.

You’ll be shocked to know that we sample many, many things at Caputo’s meetings. Once your surprise subsides, carry on reading. At one such meeting yesterday while discussing the many things I love to make with honey in this particular season, my fennel pollen and honey glazed carrots came up. Yelena’s face lit up, Matt made a weird grunty noise, and just like that, I was planning a Thanksgiving meal, all for me. These are the carrots that put me back in the mood to celebrate, even if it’s a party of one. A turkey is simply out of the question when cooking for one, but the rest of what I’m making is easily scaled down for one eater, plus leftovers, of course. Cranberries, stuffing, carrots, root veg gratin, and the smallest chicken I can find are on the menu this year, followed by a tarte tatin that will likely be brought to work the next week.

So here you have it, the carrots that inspired a real Thanksgiving. When I’m long gone from this world, I hope my family and friends continue to enjoy this dish for generations to come. They’re one of my favorite recipes, and, this year, they saved me.

Fennel Pollen and Honey Glazed Carrots
Serves 4 as a side

• 30 petite carrots or 16-20 medium carrots, peeled and cut to a uniform(ish) size
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1-2 large spoonfuls honey
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon fennel pollen

Heat a large stainless steel skillet and melt butter over medium heat. Add carrots in one even layer, and raise heat to just to medium high. Turn carrots a few times over the course of about 15-20 minutes so all sides are browned and carrots are tender, but still slightly crisp in the center. Drizzle a spoonful of honey over the carrots, toss, and keep on the heat for another 1-2 minutes. Add salt to taste and finish with the sprinkling of ¾ of the fennel pollen. Toss once more and transfer to a serving dish and finish with the remaining fennel pollen, and maybe some flaky salt, before serving.

Spain is underrated. Spanish food is even more underrated than Spain itself. The Land of Cervantes is similar to Italy as far as culinary ethos goes. Simple, high quality ingredients are key for simple, delicious recipes. It’s a wonderful ethos to live by and makes cooking and home entertaining a breeze.

Meet the Basque Piparra. This long, slender pepper looks very similar to a green beans and is native to the Basque region of Spain. It’s traditionally quite sweet and unassuming when fresh, but these little peppers are almost always preserved in an acidic brine and stored away to use for tapas and pintxos year round. You’ll see these most often in a pintxo called a Gilda, a toothpick speared through an olive, a Basque piparra, and a white anchovy (aka boquerones), then sometimes repeated on the same toothpick. It’s a briny, salty snack that does exactly what every bartender wants… for you to keep drinking. I love serving these at parties. Minimal effort and no heat application are the way to go when you’re expecting company, nothing can really go wrong.

Want to enjoy your Basque Piparras in more than one way? Their acidic, briny flavor is the perfect matched for smoked fish dishes and tinned seafood. Try dicing them up and mixing into an aioli for sandwiches or spearing into your next Bloody Mary. They’re even mild enough to adorn your next cheese board. The only danger of popping open an jar is closing it up again after your first pepper. This little taste of the Basque region is quite addictive, you’ll be ready for a siesta in no time.