Sautéed Broccoli Raab
A variety of broccoli with long, thin leafy stalks, this hearty Italian green (also known as rapini) shines in an easy preparation from Gourmet magazine.
Ingredients:
2 pounds broccoli raab
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
â…“ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
Lemon wedges
Method:
1. Cut off and discard stem ends from the broccoli raab.
2. Cook the broccoli raab, uncovered, in 2 batches in a 6-8 quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 3 minutes, transferring with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain well in a colander. (The broccoli raab can be boiled and drained up 6 hours ahead, then covered and chilled. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
3. Cook garlic in oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden, about 5 minutes.
4. Add broccoli raab and cook, tossing to coat with oil, until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Toss broccoli raab with salt.
Cabbage Salad with Apples and Walnuts
With crisp apples and toasted walnuts, this salad from the Chez Panisse Fruit cookbook is a lively and refreshing first course.
Ingredients:
1 small head Savoy cabbage
2 apples (any crisp, eating variety, such as Braeburn, Granny Smith or Fuji)
â…“ cup walnuts
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons crème fraîche or heavy cream
½ cup olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Tear off and discard tough outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut it in half and cut out its core. Slice the halves crosswise into a fine chiffonade.
2. Toast the walnuts in the oven for 8 minutes. While they are still warm, first rub them in a clean dish towel to remove some of the sins, then chop or coarsely crumble.
3. Prepare the dressing: Mix vinegar with the lemon juice, some salt and a generous amount of pepper. Whisk in the olive oil and then the crème fraîche or cream. Taste and adjust the acid and salt as desired.
4. Peel, core and quarter the apples. Slice the quarters lengthwise fairly thin and cut these slices lengthwise again into a julienne.
5. Toss the cabbage, apples and walnuts with the dressing and add an extra pinch of salt. Let salad sit 5 minutes, taste again and adjust seasonings as needed.
Spicy Honey-Glazed Parsnips
Drizzled with chili-honey butter, this roasted parsnip recipe from Bon Appetit is a real winner.
Ingredients:
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 3-inch-long matchsticks
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Toss parsnips and oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast parsnips, tossing occasionally, until tender and deep golden brown in spots, 35-40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat red pepper flakes, butter, vinegar, and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted.
3. Drizzle chili-honey butter over parsnips and toss to coat.
Cherry Tomato Salad with Chives and Lemon
This incredibly-fresh salad should be made right ahead of serving.
Ingredients:
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 lemons
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. With a knife, cut the peel and white pith from lemons; discard. Cut each lemon crosswise into thin slices; remove seeds if necessary.
2. In medium bowl, toss lemon slices, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients, seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Oven-Roasted Shiitake Mushroom & Vegetable Salad
This room temperature salad is also wonderful served over grilled slices of polenta.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds baby Shiitake mushrooms, washed
1 large sweet onion, cut into large chunks
â…“ cup olive oil, divided
1 medium zucchini
6 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and halved
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup sliced fresh basil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Place mushrooms in a large bowl with onion wedges. Add 4 teaspoons olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Toss well. Arrange in a single layer on large shallow baking pan and roast uncovered on bottom shelf in 400° oven for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. While the mushrooms and onions are roasting, cut zucchini in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1-inch pieces and place in the same bowl and add tomatoes; toss with remaining olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place tomatoes cut side up on another baking sheet with zucchini and roast in oven with mushrooms for another 15-20 minutes or until softened and sizzling. Remove vegetables from oven and spoon into a large serving bowl.
3. In a measuring cup combine the vinegar, basil, garlic, hot pepper flakes and parsley and pour over warm vegetables. Toss lightly; serve at room temperature as side dish or on grilled polenta for main course.
Tip: You can also prepare the vegetables in a grill pan on the barbecue.
Roasted Potato & Veggie Skillet with Poached Eggs
This homey dish makes for a fantastic breakfast-for-dinner dish.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds Amarosa fingerling potatoes, washed, scrubbed and sliced into coins
2 Krimzon Lee peppers, seeded and diced
1 Walla Walla sweet onion, peeled and diced
1½ cups Patty Patty summer squash, washed and sliced into thick coins
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
4 poached eggs
Freshly-chopped parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large cast-iron skillet set over medium-high heat, add in the olive oil and then sauté garlic for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
2. Add the potatoes, peppers and sweet onion and cook, flipping occasionally with a spatula for 10-12 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and beginning to brown. Add in Patty Pan squash slices and then season the entire skillet with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, flipping occasionally, for an additional 5-8 minutes, or until all veggies are tender and browned. Remove from heat and garnish with the parsley.
3. To serve, add generous portions of potatoes and veggies onto four dinner plates and top each with a poached egg.
Variation: This dish is also wonderful with grated English cheddar on top—just sprinkle the cheese over during the last minute of cooking to melt it.
Creamy Smoked Salmon, Leek & Fingerling Potato Chowder
This luscious soup is sure to be a new fall favorite.
Ingredients:
8 ounces smoked salmon
2 leeks, halved and thinly sliced, white and light green parts only
1 bay leaf
4 cups fingerling potatoes, washed and diced
4 cups chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
Small bunch fresh chives, snipped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan and add the leeks and bay leaf. Cook over a low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the leek is soft, then stir in the potatoes and mix until all the vegetables are coated in the butter.
2. Pour over the stock and cream and bring to the simmer, then gently bubble for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add two-thirds of the smoked salmon, stir through and season with salt and pepper. Serve the soup in deep bowls with the remaining smoked salmon and snipped chives on the top.
Poached Duck Eggs with Asparagus
This elegant presentation is sure to wow any dinner guest.
Ingredients:
3-4 duck eggs
½ pound asparagus, ends snapped and sliced into ¼-inch pieces
2 cups morel mushrooms, thoroughly washed and dried
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. To poach the eggs, half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add a hefty pinch of salt. Meanwhile, crack each egg into its own small bowl and add a teaspoon of vinegar to each. Stir the boiling water vigorously with a balloon whisk until you have a whirlpool then immediately (and softly!) slip the egg into the pot. Turn the heat down low, and cook for three minutes. Gently lift eggs out of the pot and drain on paper towels.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter or heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
3. To serve, add a serving of the asparagus to a plate, and then top with a poached egg. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.
Smoked Salmon Salad with Spring Greens & Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette
Tossed with a Meyer lemon vinaigrette, this salad exudes the light, refreshing flavors of the season.
Ingredients:
1 smoked salmon fillet, chopped into bite-size pieces
4 cups mixed greens, such as Mesclun and spinach greens
Preserved lemon vinaigrette (see recipe)
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped parsley
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Chopped tender herbs, such as chives, lovage and French tarragon
Method:
1. On a large serving platter, arrange the salad greens, then top with the smoked salmon and parsley.
2. Toss with desired amount of dressing, then taste for seasoning and add sea salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with freshly-chopped tender herbs of your choosing.
Rigatoni with Chicken Italian Sausage, Swiss Chard & Peppers
Everyone will be asking for seconds of this colorful and extremely satisfying dish.
Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1-2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 Walla Walla sweet onion
1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard, removed from tough rib ends and then roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped parsley
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus an additional tablespoon for finishing
Grana-style cheese, grated
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Cook rigatoni for 5-7 minutes in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, or just cooked through with a bit of bite left. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the chicken Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, breaking the sausage apart with a wooden spoon or spatula. Remove the sausage to a plate and set aside.
3. Wipe any excess grease from the skillet with a paper towel, then drizzle in 2
tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add in garlic, peppers and onions and sauté until all the veggies are tender and begin to brown in spots, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the chopped chard and wine and continue to sauté, stirring until chard is just wilted.
4. Add the pasta and chicken sausage to the skillet and toss to combine with the veggies; season with salt and pepper as necessary. Add chicken stock and simmer for two minutes or until slightly reduced. Finish by sprinkling each serving with grated Grana-style cheese and an additional swirl of olive oil.