Roasted Carrots, Two Ways
One sweet, the other savory, these easy methods allow freshly-roasted carrots to shine!
Ingredients:
1 bunch carrots, trimmed and peeled
Savory version:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
A few pinches garlic sea salt or Maldon flake salt
Fresh ground pepper
Chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, oregano or parsley
Sweet version:
1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
A few pinches ground cinnamon
A few pinches sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375° with the racks in the middle. Prepare one cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. For the savory version, toss with melted butter and place on a cookie sheet. For the sweet version, combine melted coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Toss the carrots with the mixture.
3. Bake both batches for about 40-45 minutes until slightly browned, caramelized and very soft. Brush the savory carrots with additional melted butter and chopped fresh herbs to finish.
Sweet Cabbage Slaw
Crafted with fresh cabbage, this sweet-and-sour slaw is a true German classic.
Ingredients:
5 cups shredded cabbage, such as this week’s Savoy variety
1 cup sliced apples
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons water
¼ cup sugar
2¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Method:
1. Place butter, cabbage, apples and sugar into a large pot. Pour in the vinegar and water, and season with salt, pepper and the clove.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the cabbage is tender, 1½ to 2 hours. Serve at room temperature.
Smoky Scamorza Toast with Fried Eggs
Start your day off right by topping your avocado toast with some smoky fried Scamorza.
Ingredients:
2 slices of bread, such as this week’s Jewish Rye
8 slices Smoky Scamorza cheese
2 eggs
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Method:
1. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with cooking spray. Once warm, place the cheese slices in the pan and fry lightly, flipping to fry each side. Remove and set aside, then crack both the eggs into the same skillet and fry until the whites are set, but the yolks are still runny.
2. Meanwhile, toast the bread in the toaster to your preferred setting. Then assemble your toast by layering 4 slices of the Scamorza to each slice, then topping with avocado slices and a fried egg each. Season generously with salt and pepper.
German Potato Salad
This ultra-flavorful and satisfying side dish is best served warm.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds fingerling potatoes, such as this week’s Huckleberry Gold variety, washed and cubed into 1-inch pieces (no need to peel)
8 bacon slices, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Fresh chives, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Method:
1. Bring a medium-sized pot of water seasoned generously with salt, to a boil. Toss in the potatoes and reduce to a simmer, cooking until the potatoes are just barely fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the potatoes.
2. Coat a large sauté pan lightly with olive oil. Toss in the bacon and bring to medium heat. When the bacon is getting brown and crispy, toss in the onions and cook until they are very soft and aromatic, 7 to 8 minutes ; add the garlic and cook until soft but not browned
3. Add the stock and vinegar. Toss in the cooked potatoes while they are still warm; mix together and cook until the liquid has absorbed into the potatoes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with chives and parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.
Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
A simple, easy and incredibly flavorful salad vinaigrette to add to your arsenal!
Ingredients:
8 cloves garlic, roasted and peeled
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
Method:
1. Combine the garlic, vinegar, mustard, honey, lime juice and salt and pepper, to taste, in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until emulsified. Set aside until ready to use; the vinaigrette will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Roasted Carrots & Parsnips with Shallots
This recipe works well with any number of root vegetables—use whatever you have in your crisper!
Ingredients:
3 cups carrots, scrubbed and sliced into 1-inch pieces
3 cups parsnips, scrubbed and sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 shallots, peeled and cut into wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly-chopped herbs of your choice, such as parsley and thyme
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
2. Using your fingers, toss the carrots, parsnips and shallots with the oil and a large pinch of sea salt in a bowl and then transfer to the baking sheet.
3. Put the vegetables in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Flip them gently with a spatula and continue to roast until the vegetables are browned and crispy, another 10 to 20 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with freshly-chopped herbs. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Radicchio Salad with Cara Cara & Blood Oranges
This lovely salad from Ina Garten is sure to brighten up even the gloomiest gray day.
Ingredients:
1 cup (2-4) shallots, peeled and thinly sliced into rings, and separated
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 head each of Treviso and Rosalba radicchio, halved, cored and shredded like slaw
8 ounces baby arugula
2 Cara Cara oranges, peeled and sliced into thin half-rounds
2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced into thin half-rounds
â…” cup pitted Kalamata olives
½ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ cup olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Place the shallots in a small shallow bowl and pour the vinegar over them. Set aside for 10 minutes to macerate.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine both radicchio, the arugula, both oranges and olives. Lift the shallots from the vinegar with a slotted spoon, sprinkle them on the salad, and toss lightly to combine (discard vinegar).
3. In a 1-cup glass measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. While whisking, slowly add in the olive oil. Pour enough of the vinaigrette over the salad to moisten well. Sprinkle with an additional pinch of salt, toss well and serve.
Rigatoni with Italian Sausage, Sautéed Kale and Porcini Salt
Also tossed with garlic, onions and a topping of Asiago Pressa cheese, this pasta is incredibly satisfying.
Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni pasta, or other pasta of your choice
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
6 cups baby kale, stripped of larger stems and torn into large pieces
1 sweet onion, peeled and diced
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons butter, divided
¼ cup Asiago Pressa cheese, grated
½ teaspoon Porcini salt
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
2. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat until done, breaking into bite-sized chunks with a spoon. Remove the sausage to a plate and reserve. Wipe any excess sausage grease from the pan and then heat 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter in the skillet. Once warm, add the onions and garlic, tossing to coat with oil and butter. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and sweat until onions are tender and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in kale and cook until just slightly wilted, about another minute or so.
3. Add drained pasta and sausage to the skillet with the kale mixture, then toss everything together with the rest of the olive oil and butter. If pasta seems a little dry, mix in reserved pasta water. Check for seasoning and add a healthy pinch of Porcini salt and the Asiago Pressa cheese. Serve with additional Asiago Pressa-style cheese to sprinkle over pasta as desired.
How-To: Reconstitute Dried Mushrooms
Follow these simple steps to reconstitute the beautiful mushrooms for this week’s risotto.
Ingredients:
Dried wild mushrooms
Tools:
Medium saucepan
Handheld strainer
2-3 cups warm water, stock or wine
Method:
1. Place mushrooms in a medium saucepan. (Dried mushrooms will reconstitute to 6-8 times their dry weight.)
2. Cover mushrooms with warm water, stock or wine. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat. Allow to soak in liquid for at least 15-20 minutes; gradually the mushrooms will begin to soak in moisture and plump.
3. Drain mushrooms of liquid with the strainer. Reserve the flavorful soaking liquid for use in soup, stocks and more! Briefly sauté the reconstituted mushrooms in a little butter or olive oil, add a splash of white wine if desired, add salt and pepper to taste, and then use according to your recipe.
Honey-Balsamic Roasted Carrots
This slam-dunk recipe from Domenica Marchetti’s The Glorious Vegetables of Italy beautiful combines both savory and sweet flavors.
Ingredients:
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Put carrots in a large roasting pan.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, honey and 2 teaspoons vinegar. Pour over carrots. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and a generous grinding of pepper. Toss gently to combine.
3. Roast carrots for 10 minutes; toss, roast for 15 minutes more, or until carrots are tender and browned in spots.
4. Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with a few additional drops of vinegar and a dash of sea salt.