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:
- 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.
- Meanwhile, heat red pepper flakes, butter, vinegar, and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted.
- Drizzle chili-honey butter over parsnips and toss to coat.
Sautéed Summer Squash
So simple, so flavorful: These summer beauties are excellent served over grilled crostini, tossed into pastas, or scattered over pizza.
Ingredients:
6-8 mixed summer squash, washed, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh green garlic
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped herbs of your choice, such as parsley, basil and mint
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil until shimmering, then add in summer squash and green garlic. Cook, tossing frequently until squash is tender and soft, and garlic is fragrant, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper, then toss with fresh herbs.
Carrots Marinated with Garlic & Oregano
This room-temperature dish packs in the flavor and makes for a lovely side dish.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks or thin diagonal slices
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced
1 cup olive oil
Pinch red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Whisk together garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
2. In a large pot, bring water to a boil, adding 1 tablespoon salt. Add carrots and cook until just crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
3. Drain carrots and add to marinade, letting sit in fridge overnight. When ready to serve, return to room temperature and adjust seasonings if needed. Transfer to serving platter and top with parsley.
Winter Citrus & Fava Shoot Salad
This crisp, citrus-kissed salad is both bold in flavor and beautiful in presentation.
Ingredients:
1 blood orange
1 Navel orange
½ pound fava shoots
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 fennel bulbs, quartered, cored and thinly sliced, plus a handful of the fronds
Vinaigrette:
1 shallot, peeled and minced
â…“ cup freshly squeezed juice from an orange
â…“ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
¾ cup olive oil
Sea salt salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
- Spread the salad greens out on a large, round serving platter to make a bed.
- Using a sharp paring knife, cut the tops and bottoms off the orange. Stand oranges up and slice to remove the peel and membrane. Then, slice oranges crosswise into thin wheels.
- Arrange the orange on top of the salad greens, overlapping the slices slightly. Then layer on the fennel slices. Scatter the onion slices on top of the salad.
- Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad and then season with ground pepper if desired.
Marinated Persian Cucumber Salad
Super simple and healthy, this salad is perfect for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients:
2 Persian cucumbers
1 red onion
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Peel the cucumbers and then half lengthwise before thinly slicing. Then, peel and thinly slice the onion and place in a bowl with the cucumber.
2. Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, and oil in a bowl and whisk together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Pour the vinaigrette over the cucumber and onion mixture and toss well to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1-2 hours before serving cold or at room temperature.
Polenta Cake with Stanley Prune Plums
This luscious cake is kissed with juicy plums and citrus peel.
Ingredients:
4 Stanley prune plums, pitted and cut into wedges
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
1½ teaspoons baking powder
â…› teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
4 egg yolks, plus 2 full eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon or orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
Crème fraîche for serving (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease and flour bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan; line bottom with a 9-inch circle of parchment paper. Arrange plums on parchment in pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over the plums. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and beat until light. Add egg yolks and eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add lemon peel and vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in the flour mixture. Spoon batter over plums in pan and spread evenly.
4. Bake about 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove sides of pan; cool cake completely. Invert cake onto serving platter; remove bottom of pan and parchment. If desired, serve with crème fraîche.
Italian Sausage-Lentil Soup with Leeks
This longtime family recipe is a winning New Year’s dish. Fun fact: Lentils are believed to bring good luck and prosperity throughout the new year because they resemble coins!
Ingredients:
1 pound Italian sausage
1 pound lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, cleaned with white and light green parts chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken stock
2 cans (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes
½ cup red wine
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, for topping
Method:
- In a large pot, brown the sausage until it is no longer pink. Remove from the pan, drain and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the olive oil and then sauté onion, celery, carrot, and garlic until tender. Add stock, lentils, tomatoes, sausage, wine, sugar, vinegar, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 and ½ hours. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.
Salade Niçoise
A classic from the esteemed Julia Child, this colorful salad can be customized to your liking.
Ingredients:
¾ pound green beans, trimmed
1 pound baby red potatoes
½ shallot, chopped
2 heirloom tomatoes, chopped, or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
4 cups salad greens
2 (6-7 ounce) cans tuna
½ cup Nicoise olives
3 hard-boiled eggs
3 tablespoons chopped herbs, such as parsley, oregano and French tarragon
2-3 teaspoons capers, drained and rinsed
Niçoise vinaigrette (see recipe)
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Lift out with tongs and rinse with very cold water.
2. Return the water to a boil. Add the potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a small knife. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
3. As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel if desired and slice thickly. Add ½ cup of the vinaigrette and the shallot. With a rubber spatula, gently toss the warm potatoes with the Niçoise vinaigrette; set aside to cool. In another bowl, toss the beans with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to coat them. In a third bowl, toss the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to coat them.
4. On a large platter, arrange the lettuce. Add the potatoes, beans, and tomatoes. Top with tuna, and olives. Spoon some of the remaining dressing over the salad and sprinkle with the herbs and capers. Peel the eggs, pat them dry, and halve them. Garnish with peeled, hard-boiled eggs.
Variations: This recipe can be modified with an array of seasonal produce, it is especially wonderful with radishes or sweet peppers! You can also try substituting the canned tuna with seared Ahi steaks, or even grilled salmon.
Grilled Spring Onions with Lemon & Herbs
This recipe elevates green onions from garnish to a stunning side dish.
Bright yet smoky from their time on the grill, these spring onions are excellent atop a pile of pasta!
Ingredients:
4-6 spring onions, trimmed of roots and tough outer ends, and rinsed
1 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
- Heat the grill to high. Place onions on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the top then sprinkle with the pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Toss again to spread out the seasonings.
Grill onions until the whites are soft and the tops go brown. Remove from the grill and squeeze a little more lemon juice over top and garnish with the thyme.
Cherry Tomato Salsa with Fresh Herbs
A pico de gallo-style salsa bright in flavor and combined with spring onions and mint.
Ingredients:
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
2-3 spring onions, trimmed and finely diced
½-1 jalapeño pepper, depending on taste, seeds removed and finely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt
Method:
1. Combine tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno pepper in a medium bowl. Add herbs, then drizzle lime juice over the salsa. Season generously with sea salt, to taste. Allow to sit 10-20 minutes on the countertop for flavors to fully combine.