Barley Stew with Leeks, Mushrooms and Greens

I came across this recipe while cruising the December issue of Bon Appetit at Peter's parents' house over the long Thanksgiving weekend. It is perfect cold-weather eating.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped leeks (about 2 stalks; white and pale green parts only)
About a pound mushrooms--we used a mixture of shiitake, crimini and button
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup pearl barley
4 cups (or more) chicken or vegetable broth
1 bunch kale, trimmed, center stalks removed, leaves coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add leeks; sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until leeks begin to soften, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary; increase heat to medium-high and sauté until mushrooms soften and begin to brown, stirring often, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice; stir 1 minute. Add barley and 4 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until barley is almost tender, about 20 minutes. Add kale; stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Cover and simmer until kale and barley are tender, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls as needed for desired stew consistency, about 10 minutes.

Foolproof Smoothies

I secretly worked at a smoothie place my first year of undergrad, and have been making smoothies at home ever since. The key ingredient is banana - without it the smoothie will be, well, not as smooth. I recently got a new blender, which is why smoothies are on the brain. They're great for hangovers too :)

The standard:

1/2 c. orange juice or other juice
1 banana
1 scoop protein powder (I prefer Spirutein but haven't found it in Chicago so I've been using Whole Foods' vanilla flavored protein powder with spirulina)
1/4 c. frozen or fresh fruit - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, and/or mango all work well
4 ice cubes

The always-failproof combo is OJ, strawberries, and banana.

Optional add-ons: vitamin C tablet, dash of vanilla, freshly grated ginger, and/or honey, even booze

Toss in blender and blend till smooth. Voila!

Winter Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette

Last weekend in New York I had two fabulous salads. The first was a chopped salad incorporating crunchy hearts of romaine, green apples, corn, carrotts and other goodies with a cumin vinaigrette topped with a poached egg at the Home Restaurant. The second, a simple toss of fennel, cucumber root, and parsely in a lemony garlicky dressing reminiscent of my standard at home salad topper at Frankie's 17. When assigned the duty of making a salad for friendsgiving, I knew that crunchy veggies were the way to go. The resulting mélange was light, flavorful, and worthy of its own meal on other, less gluttonous, days of the year. Today I've made not one, but two meals out of its leftovers and Corrina's amazing cumin scented butternut squash latkes...And, as you might guess, I'm also embracing the hell out of stretchy pants. If you're seeking a light lunch over the next week of recovery, this might fit the bill...And, would probably turn into a satisfying dinner with the addition of some cooked garbanzo beans and a big slice of bread.

Ingredients (Salad)

1 celery root, peeled and cubed
1 fennel bulb, cubed
1 jicama root, peeled and cubed
4 large carrots, peeled and cubed
2 red bell peppers, cubed
1.5 large granny smith apples, cubed
1/2 red onion, cubed
1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup cubed sharp cheese (I used Gruyere and Asagio)
1/2 cup cumin vinaigrette
ground cumin

Blanch the celery root, jicama, fennel, and carrots in boiling water for one minute. Plunge into an ice bath and drain when fully cooled.

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with cumin, season with salt and pepper and toss with the dressing.

Cumin Vinaigrette

Combine the following ingredients in a small jar and shake vigorously to mix. Its best to let the dressing sit and marinate for an hour or two before using.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1 lime juiced
1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1 large clove of garlic (or a shallot), minced
pinch of salt

Pumpkin soup- Thai Style

While New York was beautiful, relaxing, and full of love and art, today found me exhausted after yesterday's travel disaster...2 hours on public transit to LGA (check.); 3 hours sitting on a delay at LGA (check.); 2.5 hour flight with screaming baby (check.); 1 hour ride on the L to get home (check.); etc...So, when I set out to shop for FRIENDSGIVING, I was feeling a bit less ambitious than usual. So, I decided on soup. This soup. Delicious, spicy, healthy soup. Soup that I could make ahead and then try to focus on papers until the eating begins.



While this soup is magnificent, it is still not quite where I want it to be. I've been trying for years to reverse engineer the thai pumpkin soup we served at Restaurant L while I worked there, and nothing yet matches the simultaneous richness and lightness of that perfect soup. I'm getting so close though, so close... I look forward to hearing what you think!

Step one: Roast some squash (I used 2 small sugar pumpkins and one medium sized acorn squash) in a 425 degree oven. I like to brush with olive oil and dust with sea salt and a little aleppo pepper.

Let the squash cool and then peel and cut into chunks. Set aside.




Step two:

Ingredients
Roasted squash
1 large sweet apple chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 can of lite coconut milk
1/2 sweet onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Fresno chile chopped
2 inches of fresh ginger peeled and diced
4 inches of lemongrass chopped
1/2 red bell pepper diced
6 T canola oil
2 T red curry paste (more or less to taste depending on your brand)
2 T Rice Vingegar
2-3 T brown sugar
1 lime juiced

Directions
Heat the canola oil in a large stainless steel stockpot over low/medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, bell pepper, onion, apple and chile to oil and cook until the onion is transparent.

Add curry paste. Stir to coat.

Add squash. Cook until warmed back through.

Add 4 cups of broth. Stir until squash begins to break down. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and purée with an immersion blender or in a food processor.

Taste and add salt, lime juice, brown sugar and rice vinegar.


Serve garnished with chopped thai basil, red bell pepper, toasted pumpkin seeds and fish sauce for non-vegan eaters. This makes about 3L of soup and it freezes well! Enjoy.




Variations:
Garnish with grilled shrimp/ scallops
Sub 1 cup of veg. broth for seafood broth
Include 1-2 fresh curry leaves and/or chopped thai basil while cooking. (Remove curry leaves before puréeing.)

Cider-Roasted Root Vegetables

Brian and I made these for my mom when she was in town. From my Fresh Every Day cookbook, recipes from a cafe I love in Chapel Hill, NC (I use this all the time). Perfect for cooking up mysterious or abundant root veggies. I used whatever I had on hand courtesy of my Fresh Picks box, which included scarlet turnips and rutabagas. To veganize, leave out the butter and double the EVOO. Roasted parsnips are incredible.

Serves 4-6

1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. unfiltered apple juice or apple cider
2 T. olive oil
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. chopped fresh rosemary or thyme or combo or both
2 small turnips, trimmed, peeled, and quartered lengthwise
4 small potatoes, halved
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2-in. wedges
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-in. pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-in. pieces
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 T. chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Whisk the vinegar, apple juice, oil, butter, mustard, and rosemary/thyme together in a large bowl (I skipped this step and dumped everything into the glass baking dish I roasted everything in). Add veggies and toss/stir to coat. Season with salt & pepper and spread veggies into single layer - as best you can. Roast for 45-50 mins, stirring veggies occasionally, until they are tender and light golden brown around the edges (note: I ended up roasting almost an extra hour, as I like my veggies so roasted they start to caramelize). Toss with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Pumpkin Risotto

Peter and I had a ton of pureed pumpkin leftover from a delicious pumpkin cheesecake he made last weekend for the season finale of Mad Men. I've been itching to make something savory with it all week and this is what I came up with. This recipe was inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe for roasted squash risotto, but as you will see, I've doctored it up quite a bit.

Pumpkin Risotto

1/8 lb pancetta (optional)

1 large shallot, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 c. arborio rice

1/2 c. white wine

4 c. chicken broth (vegetable of course would work just as well)

2 T oregano, chopped

1-1 1/2 c. pureed pumpkin or other winter squash

2 t chile paste

1/2 a large bunch of chard, coarsely chopped

1 c. pecorino, grated

About 8 fried sage leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, fry the pancetta over medium-high heat in a bit of olive oil until crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel--don't clean skillet. Put 4 cups of broth in a small saucepan and heat keep warm over low heat. Add about a tablespoon of butter and a bit more olive oil to pancetta skillet (depending on how much delicious pancetta grease you still have in the pan). Add shallot and garlic and saute over medium heat until just softened (about 3-4 minutes). Next add in the arborio and cook until the grains are translucent. Stir in wine, and keep stirring until wine is absorbed. Begin ladling in the warm broth, about 1/2 a cup at a time. I don't usually stir as much as traditional recipes call for, just once when I stir in the broth. Allow the rice to absorb the liquid, then stir in more broth. When the rice is about 75% done, stir in the oregano, and the pumpkin puree, with a bit of broth. The pumpkin will become more liquid as it warms up and the rice will soak it up like broth. Check the seasoning and salt to taste. With the next addition of broth, stir in about 2 teaspoons of chile paste. We had leftover paste from the enchiladas Peter made earlier this week and it added a delicious hint of smoky spiciness to the dish. When the rice has just a few minutes left, stir in the chard to cook in the risotto. Finally, stir in the cheese and serve and garnish with fried sage leaves.

Enchiladas Reinvented

This started out as an invented chicken enchilada drenched in a fresh tomatillo-serrano salsa. Tonight I reconceived it with red enchilada sauce based on a Rick Bayless recipe. You can easily make the sauce a few days ahead. And of course, replace the chicken stock in the sauce with vegetable stock, and replace the chicken with whatever else.

Red enchilada sauce
6 dried guajillo chiles
6 dried ancho chiles
3 garlic cloves (not peeled)
1 ¼ cups chicken stock
1 T brown sugar
1 t. sea salt
juice of ½ lime

Dry roast the whole chiles and garlic cloves in a pan over medium heat, pressing the chiles down with a spatula until they blister on both sides. Soak the chiles in water for 2 hours. Reserve the water. Loosely chop the chiles (discard the stems but keep the seeds) and garlic, and add to a food processor. Pulse a few times, then add the stock, sugar, salt and lime. Process until mostly smooth (there will still be seeds and bits of skin). Adjust seasoning to taste; if it’s too spicy, add some more sugar. The sauce should be thick. Strain through a sieve to remove the seeds and skins, then set aside. You’ll have about two cups of sauce when finished.

Enchiladas
1 onion, chopped
2 fresh poblano peppers
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 chicken breasts, cut into slices
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground pepper
1 can black beans, drained
8 tortillas
4 cups shredded cheese (quesadilla melting cheese works great)
2 C. red enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Roast the peppers over open flame on the stovetop, turning frequently, until black and blistered in places. Allow to cool enough to handle, then scrape off the large piece of skin, discard the seeds and cut into narrow strips.

Saute the onion, poblanos and garlic until the onions are translucent. In a separate pan, cook the chicken until mostly done, then add to the pan with the onions and peppers. Add the cumin, ground pepper and black beans.

Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat and fry the tortillas, about 15 seconds on each side. Drain on a plate.

To assemble the enchiladas
Place a couple of spoonfuls of the chicken/pepper/onion/bean mixture at one end of a tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll the tortilla and place it seam-side-down at one end of the baking dish. Repeat for the rest of the tortillas. Spread any extra filling across the tops of the rolled tortillas. Reheat the red sauce in a microwave for about two minutes, then spread across the tortillas. Cover all that with shredded cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes, broiling the top for a few minutes to melt the cheese, if needed.

Baja's Best Pinto Beans

It's no secret I love dried beans. Really good tasting, good quality beans. What could be healthier or more satisfying? So here's a staple pinto recipe that's refreshingly meat-free. 100% vegan these are. These have a mildly smoky, sweet flavor that's not quite bbq and so they go with everything. I particularly love them for breakfast con huevos y tortillas.

You will need to make these in the biggest pot you have b/c of all the water, and they'll need a few hours on the stove. They freeze well too. Enjoy!

Adapted from Bon Appetit, 2003
Serves 6 or more...

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 large jalapeño chili with seeds, cut lengthwise in half
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 9 1/2 cups water
• 1 pound dried pinto beans, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, chili, oregano, and cumin; sauté 1 minute. Add 9 1/2 cups water and beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 1 hour.

Discard chili. Add sugar and salt to bean mixture. Simmer uncovered over medium heat until beans are tender and almost all liquid has evaporated, about 1 hour longer (or more). Remove from heat. Season with additional salt, if desired.

Yellow Split Pea and Basmati Rice Dal with Spicy Onion Relish

I'm sort of new to Deborah Madison- I grew up on Moosewood, the Vegetarian Epicure, and my mom's amazing ability to make veggie versions of Bobby Flay recipes. But, I'm quickly becoming a fan. This book is so useful when I find myself confronted with vegetables I don't often or have never prepared myself and when my dwindling bank account pleads for simple trips to the store.

This recipe is a one pot meal that I am remarkably impressed with. Madison's original recipe needed a little punch...So, I've made some changes to the spices and added a dash of vinegar at the end to brighten the whole thing up. If I had kept any of my cookbooks from college, you would see that I consider myself a collaborator with the author, and make copious margin notes as I go. This is one of the first of Madison's recipes that I've tried since buying the book...And, I couldn't make it as is. Perhaps if I had time to make her "Stock for Curried Soups" I wouldn't have needed to augment, but as it is...I'm very happy I made the changes I did. I think this would also be really lovely with a handful of golden raisins or dried currants tossed in toward the end of cooking.




Yellow Split Pea and Basmati Rice Dal

Ingredients
2/3 cup yellow split peas
1 1/3 cups brown basmati rice
3 tablespoons of canola oil (The recipe calls for Ghee, but I didn't want to clarify butter)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 cardamom pod, gently crushed (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3- 4 cups water or vegetable stock (I used 2 cups of Imagine Organics No Chicken Broth and 1 cup water)
1-2 teaspoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar

Soak the peas in warm water for three hours and the rice in warm water for one hour. (This cuts way down on cook time and makes the peas and rice more receptive to the flavors of the spices.) Drain.

Heat the ghee or oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet or saucepan large enough to accommodate all the other ingredients.

Add the cumin seeds and cook until they become fragrant.

Add the peas and rice, stir to coat with the oil. Then add- cilantro, garam masala, tumeric, ginger, cardamom pod, 1 tsp of salt and 3 cups of liquid.

Bring to a bowl. Then cover most of the way and reduce heat to low.

Simmer until the peas are cooked and the rice is soft. You may need to add more water... Do so a little bit at a time. It will take 20 minutes or so to cook.

Remove from the heat and taste for salt, stir in 1-2 teaspoons of the unfiltered apple cider vinegar and serve with onion relish. I think that spicy pickled veggies would also make a great accompaniment.

Spicy Onion Relish

1 sweet onion sliced thin
1 jalapeno sliced into thin ribs (optional)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
handful of chopped cilantro
handful chopped fresh mango (optional)

*If you're going to go the mango route, dice the onion and jalapeno instead of slicing them thin.

Mix ingredients in a medium sized bowl and use at will.

Spicy Coconut Beans + Rice

Last one! Anything to avoid Raskin homework, ugh.

I make this ALL THE TIME. Easily adaptable to be vegetarian, just omit the bacon. Using dried beans is better, of course, but you can go canned if you're in a hurry. A West Indian classic. Best lunch ever: top rice with fried egg + lots of sriracha. HEAVEN!

Coconut Rice (adapted from Everyday Food, 2004)
serves 6

• 1 slice bacon, finely chopped (optional)
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno chile, minced (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired) or a pinch of red pepper flakes
  
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• Coarse salt
• 3/4 cup canned light coconut milk (you can use the whole can if you want)
  
• 1 cup cooked dried kidney or pinto beans. Lately I have been using Sea Island Red Peas (or if you're in a hurry, one 15-oz. can red kidney beans, drained)
• 1 cup short grain brown rice (but any rice will do)
  
• 2 scallions, minced
• chopped cilantro (optional)
  

1. In a medium saucepan, brown bacon over medium-low heat, stirring often, about 8 minutes (if using). Pour off fat. Add garlic, jalapeno, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add coconut milk and 1 1/4 cups water; bring to a boil. Stir in beans and rice. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat; stir in scallions. Let sit, covered, until water is absorbed, 10 minutes. Top with cilantro if desired.

Douse in sriracha and enjoy!

Food blogs?

Not a recipe but def. recipe-related: what are your favorite food blogs? Post in the comments!

I'll start:

101cookbooks
Food and Wine slideshows (not a blog, but good for recipe inspiration)
The Minimalist (ditto)
Smitten Kitchen
The Kitchn (sometimes)

Leek + Swiss Chard Tart

I made this last week on a whim, as a serendipitous way to use up a random assortment of veggies + leftovers in my fridge. This is adapted from our favorite Smitten Kitchen, whose recipe I found when I googled "leek chard quiche" - original here. I cheated and didn't make the pastry, instead using the remaining spelt pie crust in my freezer post-sweet potato party. You can get the spelt crust at Whole Foods, and I find it's a healthier, nuttier, much less buttery alternative. Plus, using lots of chard cuts the custard needed so one is green-loading instead. I decadently added bacon to this, which made it extra-delicious and more like a veggie-loaded quiche lorraine, but it's not necessary. It would also be an interesting experiment to go crust-less altogether for a frittata-esque variation. Any way you decide, this is a great, simple, and delicious weeknight meal!

I served this with a roasted beet + goat cheese salad, but a simple green salad would be great too.

Leek and Swiss Chart Tart
adapted from Bon Appetit, October 1999 / from Smitten Kitchen, November 2009

1 pie crust, thawed (I used frozen spelt pie crust, but any sort of pastry would work)
2 tablespoons butter
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped
Handful of fresh thyme, or 1/4 t. dried
A bit shy of 1 bunch Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped (about 2 1/2 - 3 cups; eyeball it)
1 1/4 cups cream (I used a random combo of some remaining creme fraiche I had plus 2% milk, which I whisked and measured to equal 1 1/4 c. Soy would probably work too)
3 large eggs
1/2 c. grated gruyere, fontina, or white cheddar, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 slices bacon, diced, cooked, and blotted (optional)

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until leeks are very tender but not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add chard; saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cool. If using bacon, stir into green mixture at this time.

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Whisk cream and next 5 ingredients in large bowl; reserve some of the cheese. Spread leek/chard mixture across tart shell and pour filling over greens. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top.

Bake tart 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake until filling is puffed and just set in center, about 15 minutes longer (this took my oven about 10 minutes longer). Transfer to rack; cool 10 minutes.

Mega-fusion: Latin America meets Middle East...

I have always been a great fan of sweet and spicy combinations and the search for a new flavor inspired me to bring together dishes from distinctly different regions: rice with Coca-cola, popular in the equatorial part of Latin America (Colombia and Equador in particular), and the Moroccan-style roasted chicken breast with chickpeas and tomatoes. While the instinct might perceive this pairing as an utterly bizarre combo, my cravings have been fully satisfied. As a matter of fact, the resulting fusion of sweet raisins, cilantro, chicken and spicy garlic sauce brings to my mind exotic Persian recipes of my aunt that were my first ventures into "beyond meat and potatoes" kinds of menus.

RICE WITH COCA-COLA (serves 4)

• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped,
• 1 white onion, diced,
• 1.5 c. white (or, unclassicaly - but I prefer this - brown) rice
• raisins - to personal taste
• pinch of salt
  
• 3 c. Coca-Cola

Sautee garlic, onion and jalapeno until soft. Stir in rice and a pinch (or two) of salt and cover with Coca-Cola. Bring to boil and simmer until rice is tender. You want to add the raisins shortly before the rice is fully cooked. Traditionally, this sweet-ish dish is served as a side to go together with meats. I think it is also delicious on its own.

ROASTED CHICKEN BREAST WITH CHICKPEAS AND TOMATOES

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 crushed garlic cloves
  
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• couple pinches of cayenne
  
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt/Greek yogurt
• 4 chicken breast halves
  
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas beans, drained
• 1 12-ounce container cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Stir together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Put aside 2 teaspoons into a smaller container and whisk in the yogurt - that's your yummy yogurt sauce.
3. Rub chicken breasts thoroughly with the oily spice mixture and place in an oven safe dish.
Add chickpeas, tomatoes and 1/2 c. of cilantro to the rest of the spice & oil mixture and toss to coat. Mound around chicken and sprinkle everything generously with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for approx. 25 minutes and serve with the yogurt sauce and the remaining fresh chopped cilantro.

I am not saying you have to serve this with rice with Coca-Cola, but I did enjoy the combination very much.
I will be curious to hear what you think.

Goat Cheese Shells with Arugula Pesto and Sweet 100's

This is a Spring/Summer recipe...But, today is so sunny and warm that it seemed apropos. This recipe emerged from my attempt to reverse engineer a particularly delicious meal at a now-defunct eatery in La Canada California...Not exactly a bastion of culinary innovation, but this place (name long forgotten) was really lovely. I like to make this dish for parties and serve it with simple veggie dishes like sauteed patty pan squash, fresh greens and wildflower salads, etc. It's so rich, that the recipe can easily feed a crowd when served in this way. It's been so long since I wrote this recipe out (and knew where the paper was that I wrote it on), that I am guesstimating a bit when it comes to the amount of cheese to use. I think this is also an issue of personal taste, so you should be sure to taste the spoon a lot when prepping this one.

I've made some nice variations on this over the years, adding cayenne and paprika and serving with spicy grilled shrimp and corn instead of the arugula; adding a ton of spring veggies and some dill into the mix, and on and on...But, this version is still my favorite. I might also mention that this pairs really nicely with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Gruner Veltliner...Sigh, summer.

Goat Cheese Shells with Arugula Pesto and Slow Roasted tomatoes

Arugula Pesto (Can be made 1-2 days ahead)
- Several large handfuls of fresh arugula. I like to mix the softer baby leaves with the larger and more peppery "mature" leaves.
- Good quality olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Salt and Pepper (gray sea salt is great in this)
- The juice of one lemon
- toasted almonds or pine nuts

In a food processor, blend the garlic, oil and nuts until smooth. Add the arugula a bit at a time, using the lemon juice to keep it moving. Once you have a thick green paste, add salt and pepper to taste and blend one last time to combine. If you're making ahead, pour into an airtight jar and cover the mixture with olive oil.

For the Shells & Cheese
- 1/2 pint fresh sweet 100 tomatoes halved
- 1/2 pint sweet 100 tomatoes halved and slow roasted (spread on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, salted and peppered, and cooked until mostly dry in a 150- 200 degree oven...about 45m)
- 1/2-1 cup good quality french goat cheese
- 1-2 cups grated gruyere or similar cheese, sharp white cheddar can be nice, but sometimes makes the sauce grainy
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2-4 cups whole milk (Depends on how much cheese you plan on using)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 clove of garlic, minced and sweated in butter
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large bag of large shells, cooked al dente


- In a heavy saucepan melt the butter over low heat, add the flour and make a roux (whisking briskly for about 2-3 minutes)

- Add the milk in a stream, whisking continuously and bring to a boil, still whisking and reduce heat to a low simmer.

- Add salt, pepper, and garlic.

- Whisk the sauce gently until thickened, and then remove from heat.

- Stir in the cheese until fully melted and incorporated (if you like, you can do this over very, very low heat or just keep the pan on the warm burner with the flame off).

- Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta, you can thin
the sauce with a bit of the warm pasta water if you need to. Stir in roasted tomatoes.

- Serve on a bed of the arugula pesto, garnished well with fresh, halved sweet 100's. If you want to go all out stir in a BIG handful of chopped flat leaf parsley and fresh basil with the roasted tomatoes and add a garnish of chopped kalamata olives in addition to the pesto and fresh tomatoes.

Peruvian Quinoa Soup with African Spices (name corrected by Julio)

This is the soup that I made for Kelly's sweet potato party. I get mixed reviews from people who haven't tried it when I tell them that there is peanut butter in it, but I've made it four times in the last month and it has always gotten rave reviews! It's also great the next day, though it thickens up a lot.


Peruvian Quinoa Soup with African Spices

2 T olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, diced (optional)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, diced
handful of celery leaves, chopped (optional)
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
5 cups of vegetable stock
2 medium-small zucchini, diced (keeping the skin on makes it look better)
1 t ground cumin
1 t dried organo
1 t grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup raw quinoa, rinsed (i use heirloom red quinoa)
1/2 smooth peanut butter
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
cayenne pepper or dried red pepper flakes, to taste

Heat oil in a soup pot. Saute the onion over medium heat until translucent, then add the garlic, bell pepper, and celery. Saute 10 to 15 minutes, or until veggies are golden and softened.

Add the remaining ingredients except the last three. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently until quinoa is cooked and veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the peanut butter, stirring well to blend in completely, then simmer over very low heat for another 10 minutes, or until the quinoa is puffy and the sweet potato is tender.

Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne, and serve.

For Ariel's Pumpkin Butter fix...

The Great Pumpkin
(in the spirit of hot toddies)

4 oz. hot water
2 oz. Flor de Caña rum
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin butter
1 cape gooseberry

Stir together hot water, rum, and pumpkin butter. Garnish with 1 cape gooseberry. Drink while hot!

Black beans, by request of D

Since leaving California, I continually crave Mexican food...While this recipe is far from traditional, and quite easily made vegan unlike most Mexican food, it is really delicious, easily modifiable, and very, very cheap eats. I usually have it with brown rice, and roasted squash and potatoes...In these combinations, it definitely satisfies my cravings. This is a fairly free form recipe, but those who've eaten it, frequently request it...So, here you go!

Ingredients

1-1.5 cups dried black beans (soaked for 8- 24 hours)
1/2- 1 red bell pepper diced
1/2- 1 sweet onion diced
2-3 carrots diced
1-2 anaheim or poblano chilies diced (optional. use serranos if you want these to be punchy and spicy)
2-4 cups of vegetable broth (I use Imagine Organics No-Chicken broth. You can use water to save $$, but the broth adds a lot of richness.)
1-2 teaspoons coriander
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1- 3 teaspoons aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper or cayenne or some mix of the three
1-3 tablespoons of butter
1-3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2- 1 cup sweet corn kernels (optional)

Directions

- In a 3.5 quart sauce pan (with a tight fitting lid) melt equal parts butter and olive oil, about 4 tablespoons of fat. If you want to avoid butter, you can just use oil, but the little bit of butter adds a rich flavor that really makes these beans pop.

- Once the oil/butter is hot, reduce the heat to medium low and add the onion, bell pepper, diced chile, and carrots. You just want enough vegetables to add flavor. I usually use 1/2 an onion, 1/2 a bell pepper, 1 chile, and 2 small carrots, but sometimes I add more or less depending on what I have on hand and what I am in the mood for.

- As the vegetables soften, add the coriander, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, aleppo, and cayenne. I don't usually measure the spices, instead I go on smell. As a guideline, definitely use at least 1 tsp each of the coriander and cumin. You should have about 1 tablespoon of the "red" spices, in whatever combination and ratio seems right to you.

- As the spices become fragrant and the onions become clear and soft, add the rinsed and soaked beans. Stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

- Add enough vegetable stock to just cover the beans. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 1 hour.

- After one hour, adjust the lid so that the top of the pan is half open and add a bit more liquid, a good shake of the balsamic, and the brown sugar. Let simmer for 30 more minutes.

- Remove the lid. The beans should now be pretty soft, but maintaining their shape. If the beans are dry, add about 1 cup more broth. Let the beans simmer, uncovered on low until the liquid cooks out and the beans are very soft. You may have to add more liquid as the beans cook down to get them to cook to your preferred softness. Play it by eye and taste.

- Once the liquid is cooked out, add salt to taste. At this time, add about 1 cup of sweet corn kernels (frozen is easiest) if you wish and stir until they are warmed through.

- Serve with rice, roasted potatoes or as a side dish to enchiladas, a filling for veggie burritos, etc. These beans are great on their own, with an avocado or cilantro garnish, and with a little extra hot sauce.

Lovely Lavender, Apricot and Pomegranate Rice Pilaf with Fresh Herbs

Tonight, in true Sunday Supper fashion Danica, Peter and I whipped up an indulgent meal that, in sum, contained about one solid stick of butter... This rice was a SHOW STOPPER and now officially in my top-5 favorite recipes. I highly encourage you to try it out. The delicious halibut (courtesy of Peter) crusted in almonds and cashews with a hefty amount of lazy persons' beurre blanc was the perfect accompaniment.


Lovely Lavender, Apricot and Pomegranate Rice Pilaf with Fresh Herbs
Serves 4-6 as a side...But, is definitely worth making a meal out of. In which case, I'd say it would serve 3-4 with a nice salad to round out the meal.

Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 4 celery ribs, diced
- 1 garlic clove, peeled & chopped
- 1 cup brown basmati rice
- 2 cups vegetable broth (I always use Imagine Organics No-Chicken broth)
- 2 tablespoons candied ginger diced
- 2 tablespoons dried lavender blossoms
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 big handfuls of fresh pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped dried Turkish apricots
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup roasted almonds and cashews chopped
- 1/2 cup- 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup- 3/4 cup chopped fresh spearmint

Directions
- Melt butter in a large saucepan, add celery and onions and cook until soft.
- Add garlic and rice; stir until thoroughly coated with butter.
- Add broth, ginger, lavender and salt.
- Bring to boil; reduce heat to low.
- Cover and cook without stirring until liquid is absorbed (about 40 minutes).
- When rice is cooked (but still has a tiny bit of liquid), stir in pomegranate seeds, apricots, and lemon juice. Stir on low for about one more minute to warm up the fruit.
- Add chopped nuts and herbs and enjoy a delicious, fragrant meal!

Adapted from here: http://www.recipezaar.com/Savory-Rice-Pilaf-With-Lavender-Apricots-66672

The original recipe called for currants instead of pomegranate, far less chopped herbs and chicken broth...I opted to make it vegetarian, and always think more green is better! While the currants were replaced due to my inability to find them anywhere, I think I liked the pomegranate better, it was less sweet, and added a bright, tart flavor that really rounded out the savory quality of the lavender.

My favorite fall soup...

So this is actually tonight's dinner, but this recipe is one of my favorites for butternut squash. Tonight we made it with the addition of 2 small chopped apples (added at the beginning with the carrot and onion) and we used half a butternut squash and a whole kabocha squash. Finally, we usually roast the squash while we get everything else chopped and sweated to speed up the cooking process. Enjoy!

Thai Squash Soup

Adapted from Whitehouse Crawford

1 onion sliced

2 carrots sliced

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon butter

2 14 oz cans of coconut milk

1 tablespoon Thai yellow curry paste (I've used green curry paste and red curry paste as well)

1 butternut or similar size squash, peeled and cut into chunks (1 1/2" cubes work best)

1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (optional)

1 qt. chicken or vegetable stock

Sweat the onion, garlic, carrot and ginger in the butter until soft. Add the coconut milk and the curry paste, and dissolve the paste into the coconut milk. Add the squash and the fish sauce and simmer until the squash is soft. Puree the soup in the blender, adding stock as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. Season soup with salt to taste.

What I would have made if I hadn't had to work...

The recipe below is a fancy version, courtesy of famous Nigella Lawson.
However, if I am in the hurry, I cut it down to the few basic spices (cumin), chopped onion and garlic, ginger, chopped red pepper, a can of chickpeas, a sweet potato and skip coconut milk altogether in favor of 1/2 cup of water. It is still absolutely delicious.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

2 medium red onions, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 bird’s eye pepper, Thai chili or other very hot small pepper with its seeds
1 2 ½ to 3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp oil
½ tsp hot red pepper flakes
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed (or 1 tsp ground cardamom)
Salt to taste
2 pounds (about 3 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ to 1 inch cubes
1 ¾ cups coconut milk
1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 ¼ cups vegetable broth
4 to 5 cups (about 4 cans) cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

1. In a food processor, combine onions, garlic hot pepper and ginger. Pulse until finely chopped. Place oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion mixture and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add hot pepper flakes, and spices. Stir to mix. Add sweet potatoes and stir until well covered in spices. Stir in coconut milk.
3. Dissolve tamarind paste in hot broth and add to pan. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 25 minutes
4. Add chickpeas and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

formalizing procrastination

fellow culinary procrastinators, go forth and share what you made for dinner last night! in honor of the yam festival, here is my recipe for sweet potatoes au gratin.

adapted from my mother via Bobby Flay

- 2 large sweet potatoes (garnet or jewel are best) peeled and sliced very thin
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 2-3 chipoltle peppers in adobo sauce

- pre-heat the oven to 350
- purée peppers and cream to create a smooth mixture (add or subtract peppers depending on your spice preference)
- using about 1/4 of your sweet potato slices, create an even layer in a small/medium casserole dish
- apply salt and pepper
- evenly pour about 1/4 of the cream mixture over the potato slices
- repeat until you have used all of your sweet potato slices
the top layer should be just barely covered with the cream mixture, and you should leave about 1" between your top layer and the top of the dish
bake at 350 for one hour...and then try not to consume the entire dish yourself