Roasted Beets
Our favorite way to cook beets, this method creates tender, delicious beets that are easy to peel and serve in a salad.
Ingredients:
3-4 red beets, trimmed of green tops
1/2 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup water
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° and place the beets in a roasting pan and coat with oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Add the water to the pan and cover with foil. Put the pan in the oven.
3. Roast the beets until they are tender, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour – larger beets may take a bit longer. They are done when you can easily insert a paring knife into the center and meet only a little resistance.
4. Let them cool until just warm enough to handle. Use your fingers to gently rub off the skin (this is much easier when they are still warm).
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Grilled Fennel
A wonderful side for roasted chicken or steak.
Ingredients:
4 medium fennel bulbs, thick outermost layers peeled, and then sliced lengthwise about ½ inch thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Toss fennel on a rimmed baking sheet with oil; season with salt and pepper.
2. Grill fennel until lightly charred, about 4 minutes per side.
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Broccolini with Vin Cotto
Coated in a balsamic vinegar glaze, this garlic-flecked broccoli makes for a lovely supper side.
Ingredients:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 pound broccolini, washed and trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Sea salt
Method:
1. Pour balsamic vinegar and sugar into a small saucepan set over medium heat. Let reduce by a half to a third, 25-30 minutes. Set aside.
2. Set a 6-quart pot of water to boil. When boiling, add the broccolini and blanch for about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside.
3. Set a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook to season the oil for a minute or two. Add the blanched broccoli and sear, tossing carefully after a minute. After 3-4 minutes more, remove from heat. (The broccolini should be tender yet retain a definite crunch.)
4. Transfer the broccolini, garlic and pepper flakes to a serving platter and pour any remaining oil from the skillet over the veggies. Drizzle generously with the vin cotto glaze. Season with more salt and pepper as desired.
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Roasted Ratatouille Toasts
A delightful spin on the classic stew, this time slathered on toasted bread as a starter!
Method:
1 heirloom tomato, roughly chopped
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, some sliced in half, others left whole
½ eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 zucchini or summer squash, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 sweet pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
â…“ cup olive oil
2½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 loaf rustic bread or focaccia, sliced into ½-inch-thick slices
½ cup crumbled sheep’s milk feta or fresh ricotta
½ cup basil, thinly sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large roasting pan, toss the tomatoes, eggplant, squash or zucchini, pepper, onion and garlic with red pepper flakes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned and the tomatoes have released their juices. Stir the vegetables halfway through cooking, and then toss again once they have been removed from the oven.
2. Remove the vegetables from the oven and increase the temperatures to a broil. Lightly brush each slice of bread or focaccia with olive oil. Place them on the upper rack of the oven and toast until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.
3. Top each toast with a generous portion of the ratatouille mixture, and then add a little crumbled feta or dollop of ricotta on each. Garnish with the basil and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
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Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing & Roasted Hazelnuts
The salad makes for an excellent accompaniment to this week’s Butternut squash soup.
Ingredients:
1 head Romaine lettuce
F&L blue cheese vinaigrette
½ cup roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Wash Romaine lettuce and drain, patting dry with a paper towel. Remove the core end of the lettuce, and coarsely chop the greens.
2. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and drizzle with the dressing, scattering the roasted hazelnuts over the top. Season generously with fresh ground pepper and serve.
Variation: This salad is also wonderful with chopped bacon bits!
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Smoky Summer Pepper & Eggplant Salsa
This smoky salsa is a wonderful boost for burgers, sausages and more.
Ingredients:
4-6 Jimmy Nardello red peppers
1 Italian eggplant
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill
Method:
1. Roast the eggplant and the peppers directly over the flame of a gas burner, or put under a preheated broiler, turning frequently, until completely blackened and soft. Place in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sweat for about 10 minutes. Then, remove and peel off all blackened skin and discard. Remove stems and seeds from the peppers and chop finely; cut stem off eggplant and chop finely.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet, add shallots and garlic, and sauté for about 3 minutes until soft. Transfer to a large bowl and add the peppers, eggplant, the oil, sugar, salt, lemon juice, cilantro and dill, and mix well.
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Grana Cheese-Roasted Broccolini
Tossed with garlic breadcrumbs and nutty Grana cheese, this tender broccolini is fantastic tossed with pasta or served atop grilled bread.
Ingredients:
1-2 bunches of broccolini
2 cloves garlic
2 slices of rustic bread, such as Italian Rustica
Pinch red pepper flakes
½ cup Grana cheese, grated
Olive oil
Sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425°. In a food processor, pulse the bread slices and garlic until the bread forms coarse crumbs and the garlic is chopped.
2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the broccolini and red pepper flakes with about 2 tablespoons oil and then season generously with salt. Add the grated Grana and bread crumb mixture and toss to combine. Spread in an even layer and roast until the broccolini is tender and beginning to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
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Heirloom Tomato Salad with Roasted Sweet Onions
Roasted sweet onion adds a wonderful depth of flavor to this refreshing salad.
Ingredients:
2 sweet onions, peeled and sliced into ½-inch-thick rings
2 heirloom or other summer tomatoes, chopped
2 small ears of corn, shucked, blanched and kernels removed
1 scallion, diced
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
10 basil leaves, thinly sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange the sliced onion rings on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt, tossing to coat onions on both sides. Roast for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through until onions are brown and soft. Remove from onion, allow to cool, then roughly chop.
2. In a large bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, corn kernels and scallion. Add roasted onions and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together honey with sherry vinegar, then add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper then whisk well to combine. Drizzle dressing over the salad to taste and top with basil.
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European-Style Buckwheat Cake
Known as schwarzplententorte in German or torta di granosaraceno in Italian, this wonderfully moist and dense cake is usually eaten for breakfast together with a big cup of coffee—or as a morning or afternoon snack.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups sugar
6 eggs, separated
2¼ cups buckwheat flour
2¼ cups almonds, skins on if possible, pulverised into almond meal
1 apple, peeled and grated
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Your favorite berry preserves
Powdered sugar
Method:
1. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks and beat until pale and creamy. Add the buckwheat, almond meal, grated apple and vanilla extract until just combined.
2. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold in, bit by bit, into the batter until well combined and pour batter into a greased and lined round baking tin.
3. Bake at 350º for about 50 minutes or until the cake is deep golden brown on top and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. When cool enough to handle, remove cake from tin and slice in half lengthways. Spread the bottom layer with a healthy spreading of jam and replace the top layer. Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar.
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Green Bean Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
Tossed with a Dijon mustard and sherry vinaigrette, these beans boast bright, zesty flavor.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup toasted almonds, sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Boil a large pot of water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the green beans and cook until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Transfer to a serving bowl.
2. Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Drizzle over the green beans.
3. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve.
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