Snacks

Lime, chili and brown butter popcorn

Serves 4

1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup unsalted butter
Zest of 2 small limes
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Kosher salt, to taste

1. Heat a 6-quart pot over medium high heat. You can use a smaller pot but in which case you will have to make more batches. Add 1/4 cup of canola oil. Add one kernel of corn and wait until it is starting to pop. Then add enough corn to the pot to cover the bottom of the pan. Do not overcrowd it the pot. Cover with the lid and wait for the corn to pop. Keep covered until you notice the popping subside. Transfer the popcorn to a bowl. Repeat.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. The butter will bubble and start to turn brown. When the butter smells like nuts and the milk solids have turned brown, remove from heat and add the lime zest and chili powder. Swirl around and immediately pour over the popcorn. Toss it around to coat it. Season with salt and serve warm.

Beet chips with aioli

Serves 4 to 6

2 medium yellow beets, peeled
2 medium Chioggia beets, peeled
2 medium red beets, peeled
Canola oil
Sea salt, to taste
Aioli (recipe follows)

Aioli
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks at room temperature
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons light olive oil
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Thinly slice the beets with a mandoline or a very sharp knife. They have to be paper-thin or they won’t fry well.
2. Add canola oil into a cast iron pan and heat the oil to 350F. If you don’t have a thermometer, just add one slice of beet and watch to see when it start to sizzle and fry to a crisp. Add the beets in batches without overcrowding the pan starting with the yellow beets, then the Chioggia and the red at the end. This will keep their color.
3. Fry the beets until crispy and the edges turn golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon or spider and place them on a plate with paper towels to remove excess oil. Sprinkle the beets with sea salt. Repeat until you have fried all the beets. Serve the beet chips with aioli.
4. To make the aioli, mix the garlic and salt in a mortar and mash it with the pestle until it forms a paste. Combine the garlic paste, egg yolks, and lemon juice in a small blender and blend to combine. While the blender is running, slowly drizzle in the light olive oil. It is very important that the oil is added slowly or the emulsion will break. The aioli will begin to thicken. At this point, add a teaspoon of warm water. Continue by slowly adding the extra-virgin olive oil. If it becomes too thick, add another teaspoon of warm water to loosen the aioli. It will keep for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Avocado toast with radishes

Serves 4

2 ripe avocados, peeled and diced
1 small shallot, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of sea salt, plus more for topping
Pinch of chili powder
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
4 slices of toasted gluten-free bread
1 small watermelon radish, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. In a bowl, mash together the first 6 ingredients. We want to keep the avocados chunky so do not overdo it. Spread the avocado mixture over the toasted bread and top with the slices of watermelon radish, drizzle of olive oil and some more sea salt.