Cowgirl Chef: Valentine’s Day tapas for two

Roasted eggplant:

• 1 eggplant, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Homemade tomato sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
• 1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Roasted potatoes:

• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, sliced in flat pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Pizzettas:

•  1/4 of a recipe pizza dough (recipe follows)
• 6 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 ball fresh mozzarella
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 3 tablespoons goat cheese
• Handful of arugula

1. Roast eggplant. Heat the oven to broil and lay the eggplant slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush olive oil on both sides of the eggplant slices, and lightly salt and pepper one side. Slide into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned, then turn to the other side and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Let cool. Note: You can do this in advance and keep the roasted eggplant in a sealed container in the fridge.

2. Make the tomato sauce. Put olive oil and basil leaves in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When you can smell the basil, add the tomatoes and sugar, then add salt and pepper to taste. Let cook until it bubbles and reduces slightly, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then puree using a blender or hand blender. Note: You may also make this a day in advance and store in the refrigerator.

3. Roast the potatoes. Heat oven to 450 degrees and put the potato slices on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle them with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper them. Slide into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until browned on the bottom. Flip potatoes and cook for 10 more minutes, or until also lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool. You can also do this step a day in advance, too, and keep them refrigerated.

4. When it’s pizza time, heat the oven to broil. Using two precooked crusts, spoon a couple of tablespoonfuls of the homemade tomato sauce, a few slices of eggplant, the chopped Kalamata olives, and tear off some pieces of mozzarella and scatter it around one. On the second crust, spread the pesto, then top with the cooked potato slices (as many that you can fit onto the crust), and the goat cheese. Slide both pizzettas into the oven — directly on a rack quite close to the heat — and cook until the cheese has melted, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the eggplant pizzetta with a handful of arugula on top and the pesto-potato pizzetta as is. Slice both before serving.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 1,072 calories, 54 grams fat, 127 grams carbohydrates, 26 grams protein, 28 milligrams cholesterol, 1,517 milligrams sodium, 11 grams dietary fiber, 44 percent of calories from fat.

Pizza dough

Makes 8 pizzettas or 2 regular-size pizzas

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1  1/3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (plus a bit more for dough)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 3/4 cups flour, plus extra for dusting the board and rolling pin

1. Put the yeast, water, honey and olive into a bowl and stir. Let rest for 5 minutes, until foamy.

2. Add salt and flour, and knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed.

3. Drizzle a bit of olive oil into a large bowl, put the dough inside, cover with plastic, and leave in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.

Cowgirl tip: Put unused, precooked crusts in the freezer, with waxed paper between them, in a large zippered plastic bag. To make pizza, simply add sauce, toppings, etc., and slide into the oven — no need to thaw.

Nutritional analysis per pizzetta: 232 calories, 2 grams fat, 46 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, no cholesterol, 236 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber, 9 percent of calories from fat.

• 24 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
•  1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1/3 cup ricotta
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of cayenne
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Lemon wedges for serving

1. Squeeze out all of the water from the spinach (I like to use a potato ricer for this), roughly chop, and put into a large bowl.

2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, except the olive oil and lemon wedges, and taste for seasonings.

3. To cook, heat the olive oil on medium high in a very large skillet. When it’s hot (when you can easily swirl the oil so it covers the entire bottom of the skillet), scoop the spinach mixture using a tablespoon or soup spoon and drop into skillet, pressing down (so it’s a bit like a tiny pancake). Repeat with as many as will fit in the skillet. Let cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the bottoms are brown and they can easily be flipped to the other side. Cook for another 2 minutes or so on the other side. You may need to do this in batches. Serve warm with lemon wedges on the side and fresh dill on top.

Cowgirl tip: Make these a day in advance and simply warm for 10 minutes in a hot (400-degree) oven.

Nutritional analysis per love bite: 47 calories, 3 grams fat, 3 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 13 milligrams cholesterol, 75 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 56 percent of calories from fat.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, sliced into half-moons
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (29-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Pinch of cayenne
• A few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed, plus more for serving
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or more to taste)
• Salt, to taste
• 1 baguette, thinly sliced and toasted

1. Caramelize the onions. Put the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onions and cook, stirring every now and then, until they become dark brown, and salt and pepper to taste. (Caramelizing isn’t a quick process — it usually takes at least 45 minutes, so take your time, or cook them a day in advance.)

2. Put the drained cannellini beans in a food processor along with 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water (you may need a bit more) and pulse until it’s a smooth puree.

3. Add the paprika, cayenne, thyme, lemon juice and salt to taste and pulse a few times to combine. Add  1/3 of the caramelized onions and pulse until they’re completely mixed in. Pour this mixture into a bowl and stir in an additional 1/3 of the onions. To serve, spread about a tablespoonful onto baguette toasts, and top with a few more caramelized onions and some fresh thyme.

Nutritional analysis per 1-tablespoon serving: 25 calories, 1 gram fat, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 49 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 41 percent of calories from fat.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, plus more for ramekins
• 16 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate
• 5 eggs
•  3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• Pinch of sea salt

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees, generously grease the insides of 6 ( 1/2 cup) ramekins with butter (the buttered sides will help them slide out easily, so don’t skimp) and put them on a cookie sheet.

2. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the top of a double-boiler (and if you don’t have one, simply use a bowl over a pot of boiling water, like I do), stirring every now and then. When the butter and chocolate have melted, remove from heat.

3. Using a mixer, beat the eggs until fluffy and light, for about 3 or 4 minutes. Now add the sugar, flour, pinch of sea salt, and mix well. Add the cooled melted chocolate.

4. Divide the batter among the ramekins, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the little cakes begin to slightly lift out. Turn over onto serving plates, and serve immediately.

Nutritional analysis per cake: 847 calories, 57 grams fat, 85 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams protein, 259 milligrams cholesterol, 399 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber, 57 percent of calories from fat.

Adapted from “Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking With a French Accent” (Running Press)