from cooksillustrated.com
Brussels sprouts with garlic and pine nuts
1 pound Brussels sprouts, small, firm, bright green, rinsed with stem ends and discolored leaves removed
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1. Bring sprouts, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil in 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Lower heat, cover, and simmer (shaking pan once or twice to redistribute sprouts) until knife tip inserted into a brussels sprout center meets no resistance, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add nuts; cook, stirring frequently, until nuts begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook until softened, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in sprouts and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
from the chicago tribune
Tomato and fennel soup with blood orange
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Servings: 6
Adapted from "Love Soup: 160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes from the Author of The Vegetarian Epicure," by Anna Thomas. If you can't find blood oranges, regular oranges may be used and add a drop of red food coloring.
Ingredients
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large fennel bulb, chopped, some fronds reserved
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cans (48 ounces each) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 ½ cups vegetable broth
¾ cup fresh blood orange juice plus grated zest of 1 blood orange
Ground red pepper
1 cup drained yogurt or creme fraiche
1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven; add the onion and fennel, sprinkled with a big pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until soft and golden but not brown, 20 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juice, broth, blood orange juice and a pinch of ground red pepper. Lower heat to a simmer; cook covered until the fennel is entirely soft and the tomatoes have released their juice and turned dark, about 30 minutes.
3. Allow the soup to cool slightly; puree until smooth in a blender in batches or with an immersion blender. Return the soup to the heat; heat to a simmer. Taste; adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Add a touch more broth if it seems too thick.
4. Serve in shallow bowls garnished with a pinch of grated zest, a spoonful of the yogurt and sprigs of fennel fronds.
Nutrition information per serving: 198 calories, 19% of calories from fat, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 33 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 1,684 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.
Standoffish cinnamon loaf
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 50 minutes
Servings: 1 large loaf
Provenance: Inspired by (but no longer closely related to) Amish Friendship Bread.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper
½ cup walnuts
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1. Brush a large loaf pan with the melted butter. Stir together 1/2 cup of the sugar, the cinnamon, a fat pinch of salt and a few grinds pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture along the bottom and sides of the pan. Grind the rest with the walnuts and set aside.
2. Cream softened butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar with an electric mixer. Crack in eggs; fluff. Measure in sour cream and vanilla; fluff. Whisk together flour, soda and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle flour mixture over sour cream mixture; fold gently. Cast on half the nut mixture; fold once or twice, aiming for a marbled effect.
3. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan. Top with remaining nut mixture. Slide into a 325-degree oven and bake until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean, 50 minutes. Cool a bit, turn out, slice and savor, with or without friends.
from the los angeles times
Kabocha squash soup with pomegranate seeds and spicy candied pecans
Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8
Note: Adapted from Craig Strong, chef de cuisine, the Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa. This recipe requires the use of a candy thermometer (or a thermometer reaching 265 degrees).
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 (2 1/2 pound) kabocha squash, peeled, cleaned and diced into 3/4 -inch pieces
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup pecan halves
1/8 teaspoon espelette or cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1. Heat a 4-quart sauce pan or small pot over low heat. Add the butter and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the squash, broth and cream, and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and one-fourth teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, loosely covered, until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Puree the soup in a blender, or using an immersion blender, and pass through a strainer to remove any remaining solids. You should have about 9 cups soup. Set aside in a warm place until ready to serve.
4. While the soup is cooking, candy the pecans. Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan, stirring to moisten all of the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook, evaporating the water and cooking the sugar, until a thermometer inserted in the liquid reads 265 degrees (hard ball stage for sugar), 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately remove from heat.
5. Add the pecans and pepper powder to the sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until cool. The sugar will crystallize (or seize) as it cools, forming a cloudy hard coating around the nuts; this is fine.
6. When the nuts have cooled, heat a clean, medium pan over moderate heat. Stir in the crystallized nuts and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar coating on each nut caramelizes. Remove from heat and allow the caramelized nuts to cool on a sheet of parchment paper.
7. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve garnished with a small handful of spiced candied pecans and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.
Each of 8 servings: 411 calories; 5 grams protein; 28 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 33 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 85 mg. cholesterol; 609 mg. sodium.
Roasted pumpkin salad
Total time: About 1 hour, 15 minutes, plus cooling time for the vegetables
Servings: 8 to 10
Ingredients
10 cups cubed pumpkin (peeled and seeded), cut into 1-inch pieces (from about 7 pounds of pumpkin)
3 cups red pearl onions, peeled and trimmed
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/8 teaspoons salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon minced rosemary
1 teaspoon minced thyme
6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4 -inch strips
1 medium leek, trimmed (root end and tough outer greens), halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4 -inch strips
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup walnut oil
1 cup walnut halves
2 heads frisée, leaves separated from the root
6 cups lightly packed mesclun mix or mixed greens
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin and onions with 3 tablespoons olive oil, one-half teaspoon salt, several grinds of pepper, the rosemary and thyme. Place the vegetables on a foil-lined baking pan and roast until softened and lightly caramelized, about 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes for even coloring. Remove the pan and allow the pumpkin and onions to cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Drain all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat, discarding or reserving the rest for another use.
4. Add the leek strips to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until they soften and just begin to color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the white wine and cook, scraping any of the flavorful bits that stick to the bottom of the pan, until the wine evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Place the leek strips and any cooking liquid in a medium bowl. Whisk in the vinegar and mustard. Drizzle in the walnut oil while whisking to emulsify. Season with one-eighth teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, or to taste. Set aside in a warm place.
6. Toss the walnuts with 3 tablespoons olive oil and one-half teaspoon salt. Spread on a sheet pan and toast in the 375-degree oven until the nuts are fragrant and a rich brown color, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and cool slightly. Set aside. The salad components can be made up to this point 1 day in advance. Refrigerate the components separately, and warm the dressing before folding into the salad.
7. In a large serving bowl, toss the greens with two-thirds of the vinaigrette. Gently fold in the roasted pumpkin and onions, the bacon and toasted walnuts. Add extra vinaigrette as needed to lightly coat the contents.
8. Serve immediately, or cover and chill until needed, up to several hours in advance. Allow to warm slightly before serving.
Each of 10 servings: 357 calories; 7 grams protein; 25 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 27 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 8 mg. cholesterol; 426 mg. sodium.