Home for the Holidays Recipes

Take a break from the holiday hustle: In the grand tradition of our own Nonna Pat’s long-standing Sunday suppers, this week’s box includes fixings for a simple, satisfying meal to share with your nearest and dearest—from Nonna’s own handcrafted marinara sauce and fresh semolina spaghetti to fresh pillowy focaccia bread and a lovely French Pinot Noir to serve alongside. Also included: Nutty Grana-style cheese from the creamery, sweet and spicy Italian-style cookies and a plethora of winter’s produce that includes curly kale, hybrid winter squash, pomegranates, apples, pears and more. Happy holidays!

Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:

Grana Cheese with Honey & Red Pepper Flakes
The success of this lovely appetizer depends entirely on the quality of the ingredients, so don’t scrimp!

Beet, Carrot & Pomegranate Salad
This colorful salad is sure to brighten up your table.

Roasted Leeks
Seasoned with salt and pepper, these leeks make for a satisfying side.

Kale Gratin with Parmesan Bread Crumbs
This no-guilt gratin skips the cream, but still boasts big flavor thanks to a topping of toasty bread crumbs.

Roasted Carrots & Parsnips with Shallots
This recipe works well with any number of root vegetables—use whatever you have in your crisper!

Preserved Lemons
Toss these preserved beauties with roasted fingerlings potatoes, or whisk the pulp into a salad dressing or a Bloody Mary.

Broiled Heirloom Tomatoes

Topped with crispy Panko bread crumbs and Grana-style cheese, these beautiful tomatoes are a worthy supper side.

Ingredients:
4 heirloom tomatoes, sliced into rings
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
¾ cup freshly-grated Grana-style cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to broil.

2. Lay sliced tomatoes in a baking dish, overlapping a few if needed. Sprinkle tomatoes with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. In a bowl, mix Panko, cheese, garlic and parsley with a spoon until combined. Evenly sprinkle the mixture over top of the tomatoes.

3. Broil for 2-3 minutes, or just until cheese and crumbs are golden. Remove and serve warm.

Fried Squash Blossoms

The ultimate summer starter, incredibly beautiful and flavorful.

Ingredients:
12-16 squash blossoms
1 cup ricotta
1 large egg yolk
¾ cup Grana-style cheese, divided
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¾ cup chilled seltzer water or club soda
¼ cup finely-chopped mint
2 tablespoons each finely-chopped parsley and basil
3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Method:
1. Stir together ricotta, egg yolk, herbs, half of the cheese and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a small bowl.

2. Carefully open each blossom and fill with about 2-3 rounded teaspoons of the ricotta filling, gently twisting the end of the blossom to enclose. Tip: Use a pastry bag for this! (You may have filling left over.)

3. Whisk together flour, remaining cheese, about ¼ teaspoon salt, and seltzer in a small bowl.

4. Heat ½ inch oil to 375° in a 10-inch heavy skillet. Meanwhile, dip blossoms in the flour batter to thinly coat. Fry coated blossoms, turning once, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes total. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain. Coat and fry remaining blossoms. (Return oil to 375° between batches.) Season with salt and serve immediately.

Cornmeal, Parmesan & Thyme Crackers

Crisp and crunchy, these crackers from PCC’s Cooking from Scratch cookbook are delightful served with a schmear of cream cheese on top.

Ingredients:
1 cup medium-grind cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¾ cup warm water
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
Fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, divided

Method:
1. In the work bowl of a food processor, combine the cornmeal, flour, water, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and pepper. Blend until the mixture forms a ball. Remove the ball from the processor and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 4 portions, covering the pieces you are not working with in plastic wrap.

3. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll out one piece of dough to ⅛-inch thick. Sprinkle the surface with ¼ of the thyme and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Gently roll the dough to embed the toppings. Cut the crackers into your desired shape and size. (A chef’s knife, pizza cutter or cookie cutters all work well here!) Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.

4. Put the crackers fairly close together, but not touching, on the sheet. Bake until edges turn golden and crisp, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely; store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

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