Recipes

Ingredients:
6 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced into ¼-inch strips
1½ tablespoons sesame or mustard oil
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, including 2 inches of the green, chopped
1 small onion, quartered and thinly sliced
½ cup toasted cashews
sea salt
2 tablespoons lime juice to taste

Directions:

1. Steam the Brussels sprouts until barely tender, then rinse and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok, add the cumin seeds and fry until they are aromatic and slightly browned. Add the garlic, and as soon as it begins to color, add the scallions and onion. Stir-fry until the onion is translucent, 3-4 minutes. Lower the heat and add the Brussels sprouts and cashews. Cook, uncovered, for 1 minute more or until heated through. Remove from heat and season with lime juice to taste.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 large fennel bulbs, trimmed, fronds reserved, and each bulb cut through core into 6 wedges
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
¾ cup pureed canned or fresh plum tomatoes
¼ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Directions:

1. Place rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Chop enough of the reserved fennel fronds to get 2 tablespoons. Set aside.
3. Put the butter in a 12 x 10 x 2-inch roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven for 1 minute to melt the butter. Remove from the oven. Toss the fennel wedges into the pan, turning to coat evenly with butter.
4. Roast the fennel for 17 minutes. Turn the wedges and roast for another 10   minutes or until golden brown. Remove pan from oven.
5. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
6. Pour the tomato puree and stock over the fennel. Return pan to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until tender, turning the fennel once halfway through the cooking. Remove the fennel to a platter with a slotted spoon. Add the lemon juice and salt to the sauce in the pan. Pour over the fennel and sprinkle with the fennel fronds.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup mustard vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1 celery root (celeriac), peeled, and sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
1 large apple, quartered and cored, and sliced into slivers

Directions:

1. Make the vinaigrette.
2. Stack the slices of celery root and cut them into long, thin julienne strips.
3. Drop the celery root into a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute (don’t wait for the boil to return or it will be overcooked).
4. Drain the strips, rinse with cold water and pat dry. Toss with the apple and vinaigrette until well coated. Serve mounded on a salad platter.

Serves 4-6

Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, or lemon juice
2 shallots, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons crème fraiche or sour cream or plain yogurt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons snipped chives or green from scallions
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed

Directions:

1. Combine vinegar, shallots, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes then vigorously whisk in the mustard, crème fraiche, and oil until thick and smooth. Grind in a little pepper then stir in the herbs and capers. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Ingredients:
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup cooked winter squash, mashed
1 head radicchio, cut into wedges, 1-2 inches wide
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, finely diced
1½ cups Arborio rice
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Brush the radicchio generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet, add the radicchio and cook on both sides until wilted and brown, about 5 minutes per side. Douse lightly with the vinegar, then transfer to a cutting board and chop coarsely.
2. When you are ready to begin cooking the risotto, have the stock simmering on a burner. Melt the butter in a wide soup pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until wilted and lightly colored, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the rice, stir to coat, and cook 1 minute. Turn up the heat and add 2 cups of the simmering stock, and cook at a lively boil, stirring a few times. When the first batch is fully absorbed, begin adding stock ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly. Once you’ve used 4 cups in all, stir the squash into the rice. Continue cooking, stirring and adding liquid until the rice is tender, but still a little resistant, and the sauce is creamy.
3. When the rice is done, add the radicchio. Cook for a minute more to heat the radicchio, then turn off the heat and stir in the cheese. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Divide among heated plates and season with pepper and drizzle a little olive oil into each dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2-3 pound butternut squash
1-3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for the squash
2 onions, finely chopped
10 fresh sage leaves, chopped; or ½ teaspoon dried
3 thyme sprigs, leaves stripped and chopped; or ¼ teaspoon dried
¼ cup chopped parsley
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 quarts vegetable stock

To Finish:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 head radicchio, cut into wedges, 1-2 inches wide at the center
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
pumpkin seed oil or olive oil, a few drops per bowl
thin shavings of Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds then brush the surfaces with oil. Place the halves cut-side down on the baking sheet and bake until tender when pressed with a finger, about 30 minutes. Scoop out the flesh making sure to include any caramelized bits. De-glaze the pan with 1 cup water and reserve.
2. Heat oil in a soup pot. Add the onions, sage, thyme, and parsley and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onions have begun to brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. Add the cooked squash, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and the stock plus the deglazing liquid. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes. If the soup becomes too thick, add more water to thin it out. Taste for salt. Add a few grinds of pepper. Puree the soup until it is silky and smooth, or if you prefer, leave a little texture.
3. To finish, heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of oil. When hot, add the radicchio, pressing wedges into the pan. Season them with salt and pepper, and brush with remaining oil. When the leaves have browned, after 4-5 minutes, turn the radicchio over and brown the second side. Remove from heat and sprinkle with vinegar. Chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
4. To serve, ladle the hot soup into soup plates, add the radicchio and drizzle a few drops of pumpkin or olive oil into each bowl. Shave a little Parmesan into each bowl, add cracked pepper and serve.

Makes 2 quarts

This is similar to an Italian frittata or Spanish tortilla.

Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
¼ medium head cauliflower, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1½ cups)
½ cup chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne
6 large eggs
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon flour of choice
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 ounce parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat an 11-12 inch ovenproof frying pan. Add the oil and tilt to coat the entire bottom and sides of the pan. Add the onion. Cook over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, or until translucent. Increase heat to medium. Add the cauliflower, parsley, garlic, and spices. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender. Spread in an even layer in the pan.
2. Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, and baking powder. Pour the eggs over the cauliflower mixture. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 12 minutes. The sides will be set, but the center will still be runny.
3. Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Place the pan under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, until the center is set and the top is nicely browned. Loosen the edges of the kookoo, slide onto a plate and cut into wedges to serve.

Serves 6 for lunch, 8-10 as first course

Ingredients:
1 pound carrots, cut into chunks
2 small potatoes, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into chunks
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1-4 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 hefty thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 quart vegetable stock
½ cup light cream
2-3 tablespoons crème fraiche, or sour cream, or Greek yogurt, stirred with a fork until loosened
2-3 tablespoons minced parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the vegetables with olive oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt and some pepper. Put them in a large baking dish with the thyme and bay leaf and roast until tender and glazed, about 1 hour, turning them 2-3 times.
2. Transfer vegetables to a soup pot, add the stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 20 minutes, then purer until smooth. Return to the pot, taste for salt, and season with pepper. Stir in the cream.
3. Ladle the soup into bowls, swirl a spoonful of crème fraiche into each bowl, add a little parsley, and serve.

Makes about 6 cups

Ingredients:
2 sweet peppers, cut in half, seeds removed
2 cups water
1/3 cup polenta
¾ teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, or cheese of your choice, plus 1 tablespoon for top
1/3 cup ripe olives, sliced
1½ tablespoons minced smoked sundried tomatoes
2 teaspoons pine nuts
fresh snipped basil for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Place peppers on a baking sheet and cook 10 minutes to soften.

3. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan and slowly stir in the polenta. Cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta begins to thicken, about 10 minutes, or more. If the polenta is thick and not quite done, add a little more water. Stir in parmesan cheese, olives, and sundried tomatoes. Spoon into peppers and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Cook for 5 minutes more, or until golden brown on top. Sprinkle with snipped basil if you wish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups peeled, chopped turnip
1 cup EACH chopped apple and peeled parsnips
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup peeled, chopped celery root (celeriac)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup half-n-half or coconut milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the turnip, parsnips, apple, onion, and celery root. Cook for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic.
2. Add the broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly then puree in a blender until smooth.
3. Add half-n-half, salt and pepper and cook a few minutes more until hot. Ladle into bowls.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed
¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
sea salt freshly ground pepper
1½ pounds butternut squash

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toast the pecans for 15-20 minutes, or until fragrant. Allow to cool then chop coarsely. Set aside.
2. Combine the cranberries, orange juice, and ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries have begun to break apart, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add the oil, maple syrup, and some salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
4. Meanwhile, peel and grate the squash by hand or food processor. Transfer the squash to a large bowl. Add the warm cranberry dressing, and toss to combine.
5. Top salad with toasted pecans. Serve at once or at room temperature.

Serves 8