Roasted Chickpea "Potato" Salad

It's almost summertime, the season of picnics, cookouts and family get togethers. In some ways, that season began Memorial Day weekend and is therefore already underway.

This is a variation on a previous recipe that I've made a couple tweaks to, which I think makes it even better. I call it a "potato" salad because it includes ingredients common to the traditional picnic potato salad: sweet onion, red pepper, sweet pickles, fresh herbs and a tangy-sweet dressing.

First, I roasted the chickpeas, which subtly changes their texture and flavor, making their exterior almost crunchy and their interior softer while softening and warming their flavor. I also eliminated the mayonnaise in favor of an olive-oil-and-vinegar dressing. This also makes the salad vegan--a welcome thing if you have vegans in your group given how "meaty" outdoor cookouts can be. This recipe is also delicious enough to please the nonvegans.

Roasted Chickpea "Potato" Salad

2 28-oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
Seasoned salt, to taste
2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 sweet onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, cored and minced
2/3 cup minced sweet pickles
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. wine wine vinegar
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. agave nectar
Hickory smoked sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.

2. Combine chickpeas, 1/4 cup olive oil, seasoned salt, smoked paprika and cumin in a large bowl. Stir to coat the chickpeas evenly. Divide the chickpeas among the two baking sheets and spread in an even layer. Bake chickpeas until golden brown, about 35-40 minutes, stirring at the halfway point. Set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, combine the roasted chickpeas, sweet onion, bell pepper, sweet pickles, parsley and dill. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, agave nectar, smoked sea salt and black pepper, then whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

8-2-Eat (Drinks Edition): 8 Great Gin Cocktails

8-2-Eat is my food-focused list series. A perfect Friday distraction. And it won't be just about cooking--it's about drinking too! Today's list is all about my favorite spirit, gin, and great cocktails to enjoy it in. Here are four classics and four originals.

Classics

1. Gin & Tonic: This is the best place to start with gin, the simple, refreshing combination of gin (I prefer a classic London dry for this) with sweet, effervescent tonic water made ever-so-slightly bitter with quinine. Feeling adventurous? Try the more sophisticated Spanish version, Gin Tonic.

2. Dry Martini: Some people like their martinis made with vodka. They're wrong. (There, I said it!) A martini made with a very good gin (like Plymouth or Leopold's), dry vermouth (I prefer Dolin) and a green olive (not stuffed) or lemon twist is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Vesper

3. Vesper: Vodka, however, is welcome in this martini variation, which originated in the first James Bond novel, Casino Royale (it appears in the 2006 Daniel Craig bond film too). This gin and vodka drink was originally made with no-longer-produced Kina Lillet. Instead, use Cocchi Americano.

4. Negroni: Last week was Negroni week, a celebration sponsored by Imbibe magazine and Campari, so this simple, summery mix of gin, Campari and sweet vermouth has been on my mind (and in my glass) recently.

Originals

Deluxe Appletini

5. Deluxe Appletini: Wanting something more sophisticated that the classic mix of vodka and sweet/tart apple liqueur, I concocted this version made with an American apple-based gin, sour apple liqueur, ginger liqueur, amontillado sherry, celery shrub and lemon.

6. Oscar Cocktails - The Les Misérables: This elegant cocktail, inspired by the 2013 Best Picture nominee, combines gin with Lillet Blanc, St. Germain elderflower liqueur and ginger liqueur.

7. Tipsy Gazpacho: A lot of people make boozy gazpacho by just adding vodka to the cold tomato soup. I went a more interesting route, using a roasted tomato syrup, basil, lime juice, amontillado sherry, habanero shrub and American dry gin to evoke the flavors of gazpacho but in a package that is a true cocktail. This recipe was named a finalist in the 2014 Washington Post tomato recipe contest.

8. Whore's Bath: Rude name aside, this is one of the most popular things I've ever created. This gin, Cointreau, Benedictine and grapefruit cocktail inspired by the television comedy Happy Endings that ran on ABC from  2011 to 2013. Specifically, I came up with it based on an episode in which one of the characters runs a food truck and serve a gin-based cocktail called "Whore's Bath." The show apparently used my recipe in some promotion materials (I don't think I was credited, sadly). It looks like a bar may have served it. It even has a Reddit.

Pasta Primavera with Fresh Herbs and Garlic-Wine Sauce

June means two great things when it comes to fresh food at our house: 1) our neighborhood farmers market, New Morning Farm, resumes its Saturday morning market closed since March, and 2) the herbs I planted in May have grown enough that they are ready to be regularly "harvested" for whatever dish I can find to put them in.

Pasta Primavera is the perfect vehicle for celebrating the arrival of these fresh ingredients. The term refers generally to any type of pasta dish made from spring produce--vegetables like asparagus and sugar snap peas, plus herbs, strike me as perfect for this. Some people put tomatoes in pasta primavera, but as tomatoes are really a late summer vegetable, I don't think they are appropriate here. "Primavera," after all, means "spring."

I brought all those fresh flavors together with a simple garlic-wine sauce enhanced with the nuttiness of a little nutmeg and the kick of a little aleppo pepper.

Pasta Primavera with Fresh Herbs and Garlic-Wine Sauce

Salt, to taste
1 lb. dried fettuccine
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz. sugar snap peas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed off, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeds and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. aleppo pepper flakes
Dash of nutmeg
1/2 cup dry white wine (sauvignon blanc)
1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs (any desirable combination of herbs such as basil, spearmint, Italian parsley, oregano and chives)
Grated parmigiano reggiano, at table

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Drop in the pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, drain pasta and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add sugar snap peas and asparagus, season with salt and cook until tender, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from pan.

3. Add butter to pan. When butter melts, add onion, red pepper and garlic. Season with salt, aleppo pepper and nutmeg and cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add white wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add reserved pasta cooking water, sugar snap peas, asparagus, pasta and chopped herbs and stir to combine. Cook until heated through. Serve in shallow bowls with grated parmigiano-reggiano.

Restaurant: Fat Pete's Barbecue (Washington, D.C.)

I think about food a lot; that's no surprise. But when I think about barbecue, something special happens.

My mouth waters.

Yes, it literally does. There's something so perfectly appetizing about smoky, tender, perfectly seasoned meat served with a spicy-sweet sauce and a variety of sides that define good comfort cooking. Clearly, I really love barbecue.

Unfortunately, until recently, I wasn't getting enough of it. I enjoyed wonderful barbecue during my recent Southwest travels from places like Iron Works BBQ in Austin, Texas; Lockhart Smokehouse in Plano, Texas; and Big John's Texas Barbecue in Page, Arizona. While D.C. has long had some good barbecue places, they aren't particularly convenient for me. That's changed in the last few years though, as we've seen real growth in this segment (recently chronicled by the Washington Post's Tim Carman, who ranked the area's best BBQ establishments).

As luck would have it, one of the best places to open within the last year is a short walk from home, yet I'd be willing to make the trek even if Fat Pete's wasn't so convenient, for it embodies pretty much everything I want in a good barbecue restaurant.

Like quite a few other area BBQ joints, Fat Pete's doesn't adhere to a particular regional barbecue style, so you can get Texas-style smoky sliced brisket alongside North-Carolina-style chopped pork and mix-and-match the sides to your heart's content. This an approach I rather like: I'm partial to brisket, but I tend to like the Southern-style sides best.

Top - sliced brisket with vinegar-dressing slaw and barbecue beans; Bottom - pulled chicken sandwich with creamy slaw.

Although at Fat Pete's I've yet to go wrong with anything I've ordered. The brisket is phenomenal. Each time we've had it, the meat arrives smoky and tender, and the sliced brisket is particularly juicy (you can get it sliced or chopped). In my experience this is a rarity, as brisket can sometimes dry out. It takes skill to cook meat for a long time and have it retain sufficient moisture. The smoky chopped pork is also very good; it arrived lightly sauced and topped with a few strands of coleslaw. Meat entrees are served as "platters" with two sides. Not up to a platter? You can get most of the meat offering generously portioned into a potato-roll sandwich served with one side. I got the succulent pulled chicken this way, a sandwich so large I ended up having to eat it with knife and fork.

Some barbecue snobs turn their noses up at barbecue sauce, claiming that good barbecue doesn't need sauce. I'm not a big fan of that line of thinking. I don't think there's anything "wrong" with serving excellent food with condiments. The more flavor the better, in my opinion. It appears that Fat Pete's shares that view, as they offer a wide variety of homemade barbecue sauces. At the table, you'll find their Memphis-style sweet and Kansas-City-style spicy sauces. Both are tomato based. I like to mix them together for a spicy-sweet kick. If you want to try the others, just ask and they'll bring you beefy Texas mop sauce, South Carolina Mustard sauce, North Carolina vinegar or Alabama white (mayonnaise-based).

Top - burnt ends; Bottom - hush puppies with honey butter.

As if my appetite needed any more whetting, there are a selection of great starters here, the best of which is the burnt ends--fatty end pieces of brisket that have more of the blackened edge (known as "bark"). They are rich, smoky and addictive. Fat Pete's also serves their burnt ends in a decadent grilled cheese sandwich with Vidalia sweet onions and Swiss and American cheeses. Hush puppies are listed as a side, but I like having them as a starter, especially if they're as good as the version Fat Pete's makes, stuffing the fried corn fritters with tangy goat cheese and poblano peppers for just a bit of kick.

Among the sides, the barbecue beans are our favorite, and they do a nice job balancing what I like in a good bean side. Sometimes Texas-style beans are disappointing, as they aren't sweet like the Southern style. Yet too heavy a hand with the molasses or brown sugar in Southern baked beans can be a problem. Fat Pete's manages a nice compromise, serving a blend of pinto, kidney and canneloni beans flavored with beef and pork and just a touch of sweetness. I also really like the braised collard greens, which have a good spicy-sour profile from jerk seasoning and cider vinegar. Coleslaw fans can enjoy their shredded cabbage with a Carolina-style vinegar dressing or a creamy dressing; both are good, but I prefer the former. Fat Pete's also does a decent mac & cheese (although, as Chris points out, I make such good mac & cheese at home it's hard to justify getting it out).

As for drinks, barbecue usually puts me in the mood for whiskey or beer and Fat Pete's full bar has a great selection of beer, wine and cocktails. They make a decent Manhattan (which we ordered made with rye, of course) and it was at Fat Pete's that I first had Rebel IPA, a new American-style IPA from Sam Adams that we are enjoying these days.

Apple pie

If, after enjoying all these delectable dishes, you still have room for dessert, how about a homey slice of apple pie? I'm kind of picky about apple pie (again, it's something I like to make), and theirs, topped with an oaty crumble, was pretty satisfying.

Service at Fat Pete's is also very good and always friendly, even if it gets a little slow when they are very busy (like they were on Memorial Day). A real plus at Fat Pete's is that they offer full service. A lot of barbecue places make you stand in line to get your food, or worse, separately for both your food and drinks. At Fat Pete's you sit down and order like a normal restaurant. I really like that.

Fat Pete's opened last summer in Cleveland Park, an area long-known for great food that has struggled in the last couple years as it suffered a number of notable restaurant closures. The space Fat Pete's occupies has been particularly challenging: after the space's McDonald's closed in the mid '00s (something you didn't see much back then), it sat vacant for a long time before becoming a seafood restaurant (Tackle Box) and then a Spanish tapas joint (Pulpo)--neither of which lasted very long. Here's to hoping that Fat Pete's satisfying barbecue fare has true staying power.

Fat Pete's Barbecue, 3407 Connecticut Avenue NW (1/2 block south of Cleveland Park Metro Station), Washington, D.C. (Cleveland Park). (202) 362-7777. 

8-2-Eat: 8 Things to Do with Asparagus

It's 8-2-Eat, my new food-focused list series. A perfect Friday distraction. For the first edition, I take on a favorite spring vegetable--asparagus--and suggest 8 great ways to serve it.

1. Broil it. This is what I usually do with asparagus because it goes great with salmon and is so easy, such as in Salmon and Asparagus with Tarragon-Lemon Yogurt Sauce.

2. Make it into soup. Asparagus and sweet potatoes make great partners in the springtime pureed soup, Asparagus and Sweet Potato Soup.

Crispy breaded asparagus

3. Make it Crispy. A quick egg dip and panko coating turns typical broiled asparagus into a crispy delight in Crispy Breaded Asparagus.

4. Shave it. Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin strips of raw asparagus into Spring Shaved Asparagus Salad.

5. Make it into Pesto. Pesto isn't just for herbs; it can accommodate this spring vegetable too in Pasta Primavera with Asparagus Pesto.

6. Serve it with Quinoa. Quinoa is still the seed du jour, but a flavorful partner like asparagus gives it a needed lift in Quinoa with Chicken, Asparagus, Lemon, Yogurt and Hazelnut-Mint Pesto.

7. Serve it in Risotto. It's the perfect time of year to make a springtime risotto, such as Cauliflower, Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto.

8. Serve it for Breakfast. With bacon, toast and hard-cooked eggs, make asparagus something served not just at dinner in Asparagus with Mustard Dressing, Bacon and Eggs.

Snap Pea and Bacon Salad with Ricotta and Roasted Chickpeas

This colorful spring salad is all about contrast, both in flavor and texture. It mingles smoky chewy bacon with crisp raw sugar snap peas, earthy roasted chickpeas and creamy fresh ricotta. A drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar adds a touch of sweetness.

Snap Pea and Bacon Salad with Ricotta and Roasted Chickpeas

Makes 2 salads

15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. plus 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Seasoned salt, to taste (about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.)
Smoked paprika, to taste (about 1/4 tsp.)
4 oz. thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch wide pieces
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
8 oz. sugar snap peas, cut into halves or thirds
3 radishes, thinly sliced
10-12 spearmint leaves, torn into pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 oz. fresh ricotta cheese (if time permits, use homemade)

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Combine chickpeas, 1 tbsp. olive oil, seasoned salt and smoked paprika in a medium bowl and toss to combine. Spread chickpeas in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast until browned and a bit crispy, about 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside to cool.

2. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon until cooked through (lightly browned and crisp). Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside.

3. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook until reduced by half.

4. In a large bowl, combine sugar snap peas, radishes and mint. Whisk together remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil with salt and pepper and pour over salad ingredients. Toss to combine.

5. Divide the ricotta and spread it on the bottom of two plates. Divide the dressed ingredients and place on top of the ricotta. Top each plate with half of the roasted chickpeas, half the cooked bacon and a drizzle of half the reduced balsamic vinegar.

Negroni Week: Fail-Safe

Last week was my 2015 Summer Cocktails Week, but this week is Negroni Week (a partnership between Imbibe magazine and Campari), so I couldn't resist sharing one more cocktail.

This one is from the Death & Co. book, which you're probably tired of me talking about, but I really can't stress enough what a great resource it is.

Near the back of the back is a variety of recipes that are variations on popular cocktails, including nine variations on the Negroni.

A basic Negroni, which I shared a recipe for last week, is gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. Thus, it's a base spirit plus something bitter and something sweet in equal parts, which the book notes makes a great starting point for variations.

Wanting a Negroni variation made with Aperol, an Italian aperitif that's less bitter and a little sweeter than the Negroni's usual Campari, I was attracted to the Fail-Safe. The drink, invented by Scott Teague, combines navy-strength gin and Aperol with sloe gin, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao and angostura bitters. The drink is a little less sunny, a littler darker than the usual Negroni, and for that, I absolutely love it.

The drink calls for Perry's Tot Navy-Strength Gin, which is produced by New York Distilling Co. I don't have that on hand, so I just used a typical London Dry gin, beefeater. I do, however, have the other ingredients, and I definitely recommend seeking out the Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, as it's a unique ingredient less sweet than typical orange liqueurs.

If you like the idea of making variations on favorite cocktails, Death & Co. gives a similar treatment to the Sazerac, Daiquiri, Manhattan and Old Fashioned.

Fail-Safe
From Death & Co.

3/4 oz. Perry's Tot Navy-Strength Gin (note: lacking this, I used Beefeater, and the drink was still good)
3/4 oz. Plymouth Sloe Gin
1/2 oz. Aperol
1/2 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass. Add ice and stir until very cold. Strain into a rocks glass with a single large ice cube. No garnish.

Related
Like Aperol? Here are a few more cocktails made with it:

Aperol Spritz - A classic summer cocktail with sparkling wine and orange juice.

Oscar Cocktails: Her - Aperol and Campari join hands with gin, ginger, lemon and rosemary in this colorful drink inspired by the 2013 film.

Tomato at Midnight - A summery drink with moonshine, lemon and roasted tomato syrup.

Light My Fire - A smoky/spicy use for Aperol mixed with Mezcal, jalapeño syrup and lime.

June Sunrise - A smoky cocktail with Laphroaig Scotch and whiskey-barrel-aged bitters.

August Sunset - A refreshing end-of-summer gin drink with lemon, elderflower liqueur and bitters.