Witchy Kitchen

Tag: aleppo pepper

  • Asparagus with Lemon, Aleppo Pepper and Burrata

    Asparagus with Lemon, Aleppo Pepper and Burrata

    Asparagus for dinner again. I hate asparagus. Does this mean I’ll never grow up?

    This is such a dead simple non-recipe, but it’s currently one of my favorite way to prepare vegetables, as elegant as Laura Palmer’s slinky black red room dress. The asparagus is broiled so it takes minutes to cook, and keeps it’s lovely green color with a hint of a char. The simple flavors of lemon and aleppo compliment each other perfectly, and the burrata is creamy just a little melty.

    Maybe Laura would have liked it prepared this way, maybe not; but that’s ok, you can absolutely do other vegetables. Burrata is a little pricey, but I buy it in a package with two four ounce balls, and can make different veggies on different days – with the other ball I roasted half a butternut squash with the same seasonings, equally lovely.

    Asparagus with Lemon, Aleppo and Burrata

    • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
    • olive oil, sea salt, aleppo pepper (or substitute paprika)
    • 1 lemon
    • 4 ounce ball burrata

    Set oven to broil.

    In a roasting pan, toss asparagus with olive oil, a generous sprinkle of sea salt, a good pinch aleppo pepper and the zest of one lemon. Broil for five minutes then roll with a spatula, then broil for two or three more minutes, until asparagus is soft but keeps a bite.

    Slice the burrata and lay in a line on a plate, arranging the warm asparagus over it. Sprinkle with a little more aleppo pepper and a spritz of lemon juice.

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  • Maple Aleppo Corn on the Cob

    Maple Aleppo Corn on the Cob

    maple-aleppo-corn-on-the-cob

    We grill corn a lot in the summer, usually Pakistani style (plain, charred, then rubbed with lime and red chili), but I was looking for another way to fix the last corn of the season. I had seen a bunch of recipes for maple chipotle corn on the cob – which sounds awesome, I love chipotles in adobo – but I’ve had these aleppo pepper flakes sitting around and I’ve been looking for new ways to use them. This turned out fantastic, spicy salty sweet, even though I had to cut mine off the cob. Brace life.

    Maple Aleppo Corn on the Cob

    Adapted from Epicurious

    • 1/2 cup maple syrup
    • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
    • 2 garlic cloves, grated
    • 1 tbsp aleppo pepper flakes
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 6 ears corn, husked

    In a small saucepan, simmer (low) maple syrup, butter, garlic and aleppo pepper until it makes a thick glaze (be careful not to burn, mine got a little too done).

    Ideally you can grill these, but I roasted these in a 500° oven – lay on a wax-paper lined baking sheet and brush with glaze. Roast for 10 minutes, turn, brush again with glaze and roast 10 minutes more and brush with remaining glaze.

  • Devilish Eggs

    Devilish Eggs

    I’m still a Southern girl…of course I have a deviled egg plate.

    For deviled eggs, most use a sprinkle of paprika or aleppo pepper as a garnish, but the hedonistic and excessive use it by the spoonful. Since the flavors are otherwise subtle, the aleppo pepper shines – or smolders.

    A couple gathered tips: Virginia Willis’s deviled eggs in Bon Appetit, Y’all contain her French secret ingredient: butter. I never miss an opportunity to hide butter in things, and it really does take these to the next level (of hell! muhahaha). Also, for easy-to-peel eggs, use eggs that have been in the fridge a week or so. Much recommended – mine were super fresh since we go through eggs like chickens were going extinct, so they were annoying hard to peel.

    Edit: I have a new hard boiled egg technique, which I saw on The Kitchn (replacing my previous method of just boiling them to hell). It works perfectly (as I instagrammed in my excitement).

    Devilish Eggs

    (recipe can be doubled)

    • 6 eggs
    • 1 scant tablespoon aleppo pepper (or an equal amount using 3 parts paprika to 1 part cayenne)
    • generous pinch or two cayenne
    • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
    • 1 tbsp butter, softened
    • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
    • coasre salt and fresh cracked pepper
    • green onions, chives, or other herbs for garnish

    Hard boil eggs. Technique of perfection: put in a pot and cover with an inch of cold water. Bring the water to a rolling boil, then remove from heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove to a bowl and cover with cold water for a couple of minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, peel.

    Slice in half and remove yolks to a medium bowl. Smash yolks as smooth as you can get them. (Alternately you can use a food processor and mix with the other ingredients).

    In a dry pan, lightly toast spices to wake them up a bit. Add to yolks, plus mayonnaise, butter and salt and pepper to taste. Combine thoroughly.

    Spoon mixture back into eggs (piping is lame), garnish with greenery.