In classic French cuisine, a pave is a cube or squarish block of food resembling old French paving stones. This potato gratin uses little liquid and is cooked under weight so it is compact. This is a two day affair (for the best results, but could be hurried along. See Notes and Tips) and takes a little work, but tastes great and is a nice addition to a fancy meal. Once made, the second day work to get it on the table goes quickly.
Here’s a riff on a salad I had at a friend’s restaurant. I use baby arugula in lieu of basil, but if you can find basil, use it by all means. I cook the beets longer than I usually would so they take on a texture similar to tomatoes, and you could use different colored beets just as you might use various tomato types, just remember to keep the red beets separate while prepping until the last moment as they will stain everything.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch beets, stems trimmed to 1 inch, well washed
2 cups young tender/baby arugula, washed and dried
1 large fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese ball (approx. 8 ounces), quartered lengthwise and sliced into thin slices (approx. 1/4 inch)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar plus more as needed
1 small shallot, minced
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or as needed
salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped, plus 3-4 sprigs
METHOD:
Heat oven to 425°F. While oven heats, place beets in oven proof dish and drizzle with olive oil (around 1 tablespoon), 1 tablespoon water, salt and pepper, and thyme sprigs. Cover tightly with foil and when oven reaches temperature, place in center of oven and roast for 1 hour. Cook the beets until they are quite tender. While the beets cook, make the dressing. Place the minced shallot into the 2 tablespoons of vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper, and allow flavors to marry 15 minutes. Add the minced thyme and then drizzle in oil in a steady stream, whisking all the while, until the dressing is thick and emulsified. When beets are tender soft they are done. As soon as you can handle beets without burning yourself, slip them from their skins, using a sharp paring knife as needed. Trim the ends and then slice them into ¼ inch slices. Place in non-reactive bowl and drizzle with a little red wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Allow to cool, tossing every once in a while. When cool, toss beets with a little dressing.
Set out plates, and then bowls with cheese and beets. Sprinkle plates with arugula, and then use one hand to place a piece of cheese and the other to place a slice of beet on that, continuing until one quarter of the ingredients are used. Repeat with the other 3 plates. Drizzle plates with dressing and then a touch of salt and pepper, and serve. Chef’s Notes and Tips:
You can just toss the cheese and beets together and sprinkle with the arugula, or mix them all together. If you have basil, tear up the basil leaves and mix in with the cheese or sprinkle over. If you use different colored beets, you might want to keep them away from the red beets until you serve, or else the red beets will stain everything else.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
I usually make a potato salad with caramelized leeks and pancetta, but I needed a vegetarian version for this weekend. I had some lacinto kale in my High Ground Organics CSA box, so I decided to add that.
Start by caramelizing leek coins and sliced kale…Melt a pat of butter with a splash of olive oil in a large flat-bottomed pan. As the oil heats, sprinkle a small amount of salt over the leeks to help draw out the moisture. Put the prepared leeks into the pan and sauté. Once the leeks have wilted slightly, add the kale and 2 T of ginger syrup (or use honey). Add some water to the bottom of the pan and cover. Reduce the heat to low and allow to steam and cook. Stir the contents periodically.
Keep an eye on the leeks and kale. Don’t let them scorch, but allow them to reach a golden brown. Remove them from the heat and add to your recipe.
Wash, cube, and boil potatoes – I used a mixture of purple, Yukon gold, and new red - till they are fork tender. Once they are cooked, drain them. In a large mixing bowl, place the potatoes, leeks, kale. Add mayonnaise, mustard (in this case I had hot and sweet mustard from Trader Joe’s) and season it all with smoked sea salt and freshly ground pepper.Make this the day before you need to serve it so that the flavors have time to develop.
from http://culinary-adventures-with-cam.blogspot.com/2011/10/asparagus-fennel-leek-risotto.html
Tonight I decided to make a risotto – just for the leftovers. My husband accused me of being just like my 9-year-old who wanted to order pizza in a box – just for the box. Thankfully I found out that the box was his actual goal, and not the pizza, so I just asked a pizza place for a clean box and skipped the entire pizza delivery experience. It’s not that I didn’t want to eat the risotto, I just have a recipe that uses leftover risotto. Stay tuned for that tomorrow.
The secret to risotto, as Maria told me, is stirring: usa il cucchiao…sempre. Use your spoon…always; keep stirring.
Maria was the cook for the Nuzzo family who was ordered to teach me all her recipes. Then she was fired and I was tasked with cooking for the family six days a week. Thankfully she didn’t blame me for the impossible situation and we stayed close throughout the year that I was there. And sometimes when I cook, I head her instructions in my head.
Make risotto with whatever you have on hand. Tonight I used sliced fennel, sliced leeks, and chopped asparagus. Stir in the arborio rice – one handful per person you’re serving and un’altro per la pentola (an extra for the pot). Maria’s voice again. Add one ladel of simmering broth* at a time, stirring, stirring, and stirring some more till the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until the rice is soft. Let stand for 5 minutes. Season with sea salt to taste. Stir in marscarpone cheese. Serve with shreds or shavings of parmesan cheese.
*here’s a trick I love: instead of using straight broth, use the cooking liquid from whatever else you’re cooking that night. For instance, tonight I was also cooking artichokes. So when they were done cooking, I used the liquid for additional broth in the risotto. Because the artichokes were submerged in the water, some of the vitamins were leached out in the cooking process, but you’re now getting those back by using them in your other dishes.
INGREDIENTS: Continue reading »
2-3 medium to large Fennel bulbs, stalks removed and halved through the root with the width, 1 frond reserved if you wish
½ large brown onion, peeled and cut through the root
Vegetable stock or water as needed (Around 1 cup)
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pea sized bits
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon fresh thyme
Olive oil as needed
INGREDIENTS: Continue reading »
3-4 medium potatoes such as Romanze or Desiree, sliced into 1/8th inch or ¼ inch slices (around 2 cups or more)
6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1 inch long pieces
1 medium brown or white onion, peeled and cut into medium dice
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon minced thyme
1 teaspoon minced rosemary
Neutral flavored oil if needed
3 eggs
1½ cups half-and-half
Salt and pepper to taste
1 nine-inch pie crust (use your favorite recipe )
Here’s a dessert idea for the squash from http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t–68974/squash-squares.asp
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups squash
Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
From http://blog.sigsiv.com/2010/09/sauted-romanesco-cauliflower-with-pine-nuts-and-garlic.html
INGREDIENTS:
1 Romanesco Cauliflower (Substitute: broccoli or cauliflower)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp thinly sliced shallots
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tsp crushed red chilies
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp lemon juice
From popartichoke.com/2010/09/chioggia-beet-carpaccio-give-beets-a-chance.html:
—inspired by Restaurant Widow—
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
for salad:
1 lb beets (preferably chioggia), trimmed and peeled
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted pistachio nutmeats
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup microgreens (I used radish) for dressing:
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and white pepper
Prepare moschata squash ( cheese pumpkin) either by oven roasting in a covered heavy pan with enough liquid to allow the squash to cook until soft without browning or by allowing cubed squash to cook in a pot of water on top of the stove until tender (check with a fork). Allow the cooked squash to completely drain and cool and puree in a food processor. Add pumpkin pie spices. For every 2 cups of pureed squash add 1 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. of ginger, 1/4 tsp. cloves and 1/2 tsp of salt. Since you’re essentially making a custard, add your custard ingredients: 2 eggs, 1 can of evaporated milk (or 1 cup of whole milk or light cream) and 3/4 cup sugar. Everything should be nice and blended to pour into a deep unbaked pie crust. Bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 45 minutes to an hour depending on your oven and the depth of your pie. Check for firmness toward the end of the baking time (you want a firm custard), but don’t let the pumpkin filling over cook or scorch.
This is a riff on a dish I found in “Vegetables A to Z” by Elizabeth Schneider. The result is sublime. I find it interesting to note the changes in flavor as I eat the different colors of the leek, from the white to the palest green to the more uniform green. Try these as a starter or have as a side with roast chicken, salmon, or braised beef.
I no longer remember where the name came from, but I think it has to do with the fact that the potato is cut into irregular bits, or “chips”. This method allows for some variation in how crispy the potatoes cook. Some will be chewy, or cracking, some meltingly tender, others will be crunchy. That is the joy of this dish. The Carolas are great for this with their nutty sweetness. Using your biggest sauté pan and a really large pot of boiling water are two keys to success with this recipe. Continue reading »
Although it says “creamy”, there is no dairy in this soup. The creamy texture comes from roasting the cauliflower and adding a potato to the soup. Roasting the cauliflower brings out its sweetness and mitigates the funk that wet cooked cruciferous vegetables can show. This easy to make soup is wonderful in that you can flavor it so many ways; curry powder, saffron and smoked paprika, thyme and marjoram, cumin and oregano. Continue reading »
This is a great side dish, and is quite flexible regarding seasonings. With its naturally sweet profile, these squashes do well seasoned with sweet or savory flavors, or both. Curry, cinnamon, garlic, sage, ginger-all of these alone or in combination can work. You can even add some apple juice into the mix. This method takes more work than simply steaming and pureeing the squash, but I think it coaxes a lot more flavor out so I am willing to take the time. The sautéing caramelizes the squash and brings out the sweetness and nutty qualities, where a simple steaming or boiling may leave you with more of a “green” vegetable flavor.
Continue reading »
adapted from Moosewood Cooks at Home
adapted from Linda Romanelli Leahy’s 366 Healthful Ways to Cook Leafy Greens
I love vinegary foods, and I love foods that are quick to make. This hits on both accounts, and keeps well in the refrigerator. The dish is colorful and brightly flavored, and is a riff on the shallot quickles developed for the Harvest Festival.
Radicchio can have a very strong bitter flavor, and it does well with something to mitigate that bite. Here, salty sweet pancetta and balsamic vinegar team up to tame the bite. This goes well with roasts and stews.
This would pair well with a salad made with sturdy bitter leaves such as endive, frisee, and rocket as a contrast dressing, or as a complementary dressing for a salad of butter leaf and oakleaf lettuces, strawberries, chopped roasted almonds and a bit of crumbled blue cheese.
Continue reading »
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