Winter Comforts Recipes
As last week’s frosty temps and snow sightings have been followed by a string of gray and drippy days, now is the time to cozy up to this week’s lineup of warm-and-wonderful offerings—rich, flavorful risotto accented with earthy mushroom duxelles and baby Shiitake mushrooms, plus Gruyère cheese bread, farm-fresh eggs and a vibrant produce selection that includes micro pea shoots, rainbow beets and pink Cipollini onions. Also complemented by crème fraîche and Fontina, plus an appealing blue cheese dressing, this lovely winter’s meal begs to be eaten fireside, tucked in your favorite chair, with a glass of wine in hand.
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Duxelles & Baby Shiitake Mushroom Risotto
Mixed with our own duxelles and then topped with sautéed mushrooms, this creamy and delicious risotto is a favorite here at the farm.
Italian Fontina ‘Fonduta’
Serve this classic Italian-style fondue with crudité and warm crostini, or with a poached fresh-farm egg on top!
Mushroom, Leek & Fontina Frittata
Perhaps best served at room temperature, this luscious frittata from Bon Appetit is a fantastic do-ahead entrée.
Micro Greens & Pea Shoots Salad with Hazelnuts
This stellar salad from Food & Wine is beautifully balanced with peppery micro greens and sweet micro pea shoots.
Warm Roasted Beets with Curry Spices
This heavenly side dish is fragrant with warm spices; a must-try for a chilly winter’s night.
Roasted Pink Cipollini Onions
These tender little onions are fabulous mixed into scrambled eggs.
Tagliatelle Pasta with Grana Fonduta & Broccoli Rabe
The sauce for this delectable creamy pasta is crafted from duck egg yolks, Grana-style cheese and crème fraîche.
Ingredients:
2 large duck egg yolks
1½ cups crème fraîche
5 ounces Grana-style cheese, finely grated, plus a bit more for finishing
1 medium garlic clove, finely grated on a rasp-style grater
1 bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed of tough ends and separated into florets
1 pound tagliatelle pasta, or other favorite pasta noodle
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, bring an inch or two of water to a boil in a small pot. Whisk together the egg yolks, crème fraîche, Grana and garlic in a heatproof bowl that will fit snugly inside the pot without making contact with the boiling water.
2. Set the bowl in the small pot and whisk the egg mixture constantly, occasionally scraping the sides and removing the bowl from the pot every couple of minutes as you whisk to keep the cooking nice and slow (don’t let it boil). Cook just until the sauce has thickened slightly (it should thinly coat the back of a spoon), 6 to 8 minutes. Set the bowl aside in a warm place.
3. Add the noodles to the boiling salted water and cook until al dente, dropping in the broccoli rabe during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain the pasta and broccoli, then return to the pot, tossing to coat with most of the fonduta sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add more fonduta as desired. Serve with additional freshly-grated Grana-style cheese.
