Grilled Pluots with Honey & Mint
This elegant, low-effort dish highlights the natural juiciness of ripe pluots, caramelized ever so slightly by the grill. A drizzle of honey and a handful of torn mint leaves are all you need to finish things off.
Ingredients:
4 ripe but firm pluots, halved and pitted
1 tablespoon olive oil
2–3 tablespoons good-quality honey
A few sprigs of fresh mint, torn or chiffonade
Optional: flaky sea salt, vanilla ice cream, or Greek yogurt for serving
Method:
1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Clean and oil the grates. Lightly brush the cut sides of the pluots with olive oil.
2. Place pluots cut-side down on the grill. Grill for 2–3 minutes, or until they have defined grill marks and begin to soften slightly. Flip and grill for an additional 1–2 minutes on the skin side, just until warmed through but still holding their shape.
3. Remove from grill and arrange on a serving platter or individual plates. Drizzle with honey while still warm, and scatter the fresh mint over top. Optional: Sprinkle with flaky sea salt to balance the sweetness, or serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a more indulgent finish.
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.
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.
Slow-Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes
Slow-roasting these beautiful tomatoes concentrates their unique flavor—try these with a drizzle of pesto!
Ingredients:
1 pound heirloom tomatoes
2 tablespoons ultra-fine sugar
1 tablespoons green peppercorns
Good quality olive oil
Sea salt
Method:
1. Cut off the stem end of the tomato and then slice it into approximately ½-inch slices. When all the tomatoes are sliced, place them on a rimmed sheet pan and brush or drizzle olive oil over each tomato slice.
2. Mix the sugar and the salt together. Sprinkle some of the sugar/salt mixture on each tomato. In a mortar, grind the peppercorns until very crushed but not totally pulverized, then sprinkle over tomatoes.
3. Put the pan of tomatoes into a 175° oven for about 3 hours until caramelized.
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.
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.
Crème Fraîche Salad Dressing
Creamy, yet light, this dressing is fantastic tossed with greens and thinly-sliced radish.
Ingredients:
¼ cup crème fraîche
¾ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1-2 scallions, white parts only finely-minced, or 1 shallot, peeled and finely-minced
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Sea salt and pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, olive oil, and honey.
2. Add the scallion or shallot, vinegar, salt, and pepper and whisk again. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste, or a touch more vinegar if you prefer your dressing on the acidic side.
Italian Parsley-Caper Vinaigrette
This adaptation of the pungent vinaigrette from Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables is magical drizzled over roasted cauliflower!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
â…“ cup golden raisins
3 garlic cloves, peeled
4 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 cup lightly packed Italian parsley leaves
â…“ cup olive oil
Sea salt
Method:
1. Put the vinegar and raisins in a little bowl and let the raisins plump for about 30 minutes.
2. Place the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely minced, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the capers and pulse until you have a coarse paste. Add the parsley and pulse again until completely chopped.
3. Add in the raisins and vinegar and pulse until the mixture is blended, but still slightly coarse. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the olive oil to make a slightly chunky dressing. Taste and adjust with salt or more oil, if needed.
Carrot & Apple Saute with Rosemary
This beautiful combination sings with fresh flavor.
Ingredients:
1 bunch carrots, trimmed of greens, peeled and chopped into matchsticks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch wedges
2 tablespoons finely-chopped shallots
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Put the carrots in a skillet and add just enough salted water to cover. Cover and bring them to a boil over high heat. Reduce the carrots to medium-low and simmer until the carrots are crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain and set the carrots aside.
2. Dry the skillet and return it to the stove. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and melt it over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 1 minute.
3. Add the carrots with the remaining tablespoon butter and rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they are well combined and the carrots are hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Fava Bean Dip
This simple, fresh dip enhances the inherent nutty flavor of fresh fava beans.
Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh fava beans, peeled, blanched and steamed (see method)
â…“ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese (or use this week’s herbed cream cheese!)
1 tablespoons Grana-style cheese, grated
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Combine the cooked beans with the olive oil, mint, garlic, lemon juice and both cheeses in a food processor and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and process again until just combined.
2. Transfer dip to a small serving bowl and garnish with additional chopped mint. Serve at once.