Three recipes from Benny Blanco’s new cookbook

“If you don’t feel like roasting your own peppers, buy the best jarred peppers you can and you’ll be able to make this salad in two seconds,” says songwriter Benny Blanco of his caprese salad recipe.

“Be sure to add the truffle oil. I promise you it’s worth it. It’s the best dressing I’ve ever had in my life. You’ll want to lick the platter when the salad is gone.”

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Serves: 8

Ingredients:

2 red or orange bell peppers, seeded and halved

Olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tsps Dijon mustard

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp honey

2 tbsp mayonnaise

½ tsp truffle oil

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved2 (6- to 8-ounce) balls burrata or fresh mozzarella, torn

Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Method:

1. Preheat your broiler with the rack in the upper third of the oven. Place the peppers, skin side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until well charred. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic. Let steam for about 10 to 20 minutes until softened and cool enough to handle. Discard the skin by rubbing it with a paper towel. You don’t have to remove the skin, but it feels a little bit better to eat if you do. Slice into strips and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the Dijon, balsamic, honey, mayo, and truffle oil. Whisk until well combined. Spread on the bottom of a plate or platter.

3. Build the salad on top of the dressing, sprinkling the peppers and tomatoes to fill the plate. Nestle the torn burrata into the veggies. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with basil leaves.

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According to Benny Blanco, this is the perfect recipe to “make ahead of time and freeze”.

He says: “I make 50 at a time, reheat them later, and give them a new home in my stomach.”

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 medium heads green cabbage, about 3lbs

2 onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2lbs ground beef (80% fat)

¾ cup uncooked white rice

2 eggs

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 cup water

½ cup chopped golden raisins

1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tbsp for baking

½ cup ketchup

3 lemons, juiced

1 orange, juiced

½ cup sauerkraut

½ cup white wine vinegar

½ tbsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Remove the core from the cabbage and separate into leaves. Blanch a few at a time in salted boiling water until pliable, one to two minutes per batch. When cool enough to handle, use a knife to remove the ribs. Chop one cup cabbage and reserve for later.

2. Cook onions and garlic in two tablespoons butter and a large pinch of salt over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.

3. Combine beef, rice, eggs, and half the sauteed onion mixture. Season with one tablespoon of salt and some fresh pepper.

Add a little handful of the mixture to each cabbage leaf and carefully roll it like a little burrito, folding up the sides to create a little package.

4. To make the sauce, combine the remaining onion mixture, crushed tomatoes, water, raisins, sugar, ketchup, lemon juice, orange juice, chopped cabbage, sauerkraut, vinegar, and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Put a thin layer of the sauce at the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan. Tightly pack the cabbage rolls in the pan, and then add the remaining sauce. You want them to be swimming.

6. Sprinkle with one tablespoon sugar.

7. Place a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil on lower rack to catch any drips. Bake cabbage on centre rack at 350F (177C) until meat is falling apart and rice is cooked, two to two-and-a-half hours. Tent with foil if getting too dark.

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“I love pistachios so much,” says Blanco.

“Pistachios and the combination of flaky phyllo dough and honey turns me into a sweet sticky boi.”

Makes: 36

Ingredients:

3 cups toasted walnut halves

1 cup pistachios, shelled and roasted, plus ¼ cup finely ground

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1¾ cups sugar

Pinch of salt

1 lemon, zested

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup honey

3 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled

28 sheets phyllo dough

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).

2. In a food processor, pulse the walnuts, one cup pistachios, cinnamon, half a cup sugar, and a pinch of salt until finely ground. If you don’t have a food processor, chop the nuts by hand or put them in a ziplock bag and crush them with a pan.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine one cup water, one-and-a-quarter cups sugar, and the zest of one lemon and heat over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and stir until the sugar has dissolved, about two minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and honey until combined. Let cool while the baklava bakes.

4. Brush a 9×13-inch baking pan with butter. Carefully layer seven phyllo sheets into the pan, brushing butter between each layer as you build. Sprinkle a third of the nut mixture over the top. Repeat two more times, then place seven more phyllo sheets on top of the last layer of nut mixture, brushing butter between each layer.

5. Brush the top layer with a lot of butter (half a cup). Cut the baklava lengthwise three times to create four equal strips. Then make diagonal cuts at a 45-degree angle about nine times, to create thirty-six diamond-shaped pieces.

6. Bake until deep golden brown, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully pour the syrup over the baklava. Sprinkle with pistachio dust and let cool before serving.

‘Open Wide: A Cookbook For Friends’ by Benny Blanco (Dey Street Books, £25).