Root Vegetable Tarts with Rosemary

This recipe is versatile - we used parsnips, carrots and potatoes, but I think a fennel would be nice too, or whatever other root vegetables you have.

1 14 oz package of frozen puff pastry (pepperidge farms makes some that tasted good)
4 small turnips, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch wedges or chunks
4 medium new potatoes, scrubbed adn cut into 1 inch chunks
1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 medium carrots, peeled adn cut into 1 inch chunks
2 tbls olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tsps balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1. Defrost teh puff pastry according to package instructions.
2. Move oven rack to middle position adn heat the over to 400 degrees. Spread out the veggies on a large rimmed baking sheet (i did mine in a baking dish because i wanted less chance of spillage in the oven). Drizzle olive oil over the veggies and toss them to coat evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roast, turning after about 25 minutes, until golden brown in spots, about 40 minutes. Remove veggies from oven, but don't turn it off.
3. When the veg goes in the oven, unfold the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 4 rectangles. Refridgerate or freeze 2 of these for another use. Roll the rest into 7-inch squares. (I rolled up the edges to create a rim).Transfer the rolled puff pastry squares to a large baking sheet.
4. When the veggies are done, toss them in a bowl with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and rosemary. Spoon the veg into the puff pastry squares, leaving a 3/4 inch border around the edges.
5. Bake the tarts until the pastry is deeply browned, 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temp. We topped ours with goat cheese and it was the right choice.

Whole grain chocolate chip cookies

Multigrain Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  
• 1/2 cup natural brown sugar
  
• 1/2 cup organic sugar
  
• 1/2 cup organic peanut butter
  
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  
• 1 cup + 2 Tbs white whole wheat flour
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
  
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  
• 1/4 cup millet
  
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  
• 1/2 cup walnuts
  

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, or lightly grease.
   
2. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda then set aside.
   
3. In a large bowl beat sugars with softened butter for 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and peanut butter. Add oats and beat at reduced speed until combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
   
4. Stir in millet, chocolate chips, and nuts. Scoop dough into balls on parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
   
5. Allow cookies to cool for three minutes before removing them from the baking sheet.
   

Notes:

• Yields about 25 cookies. You can scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a cookie sheet.
  
• Once frozen, transfer them to a zip-lock freezer bag and they will keep for weeks and bake up as well as when fresh. You will need to add two minutes to baking time.
  
• If doubling this recipe use three eggs.
  

Kale and Chickpea Soup

2 tbsps olive oil
2 med onions, finely chopped
2 med carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
6 med garlic cloves, minced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
salt
1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
6 cups water
1 parmesan cheese rind
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
3/4 lb kale, leaves stripped from stalks, stalks discarded, and leaves chopped
3/4 grated parmesan cheese

1. heat oil in a dutch oven over med heat until shimmering. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occassionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Add the water, cheese rind, bay leaves, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Reduce heat adn simmer to blend the flavors, about 30 mins. Add the kale and continue to simmer until kale is tender, 10 - 15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings, adding more salt to tast. Remove the cheese rind, bay leave and rosemary and discard.

Serve with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Hot Fudge Recipe

Pauline's delicious hot fudge…

• 2 CUPS SUGAR
  
• 1 CUP HEAVY CREAM
  
• 1 CUP KARO SYRUP (clear one)
  
• PINCH OF SALT
  
• 2 STICKS OF BUTTER
  

Place above ingredients in large saucepan, stir on medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, remove and add

• 1 PKG OF BAKERS UNSEETENED CHOCOLATE (8 pieces)
  
• 2 TBLS OF VANILLA
  

Stir until all is well blended. Store in glass container and refridgerate. Reheat in microwave.

Winter squash risotto with sage and parmesan

This one takes some time and effort, but is worth it in the end. Makes plenty for 4 people as a main course.

2 1/2 lbs winter squash, halved, seeds and strings removed with a spoon and reserved
3 tbls unsalted butter, 1 tbls melted
Salt
1 quart vegetable broth
1 tbls olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tbls minced fresh sage leaves
freshly grated nutmeg

1. Move oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the squash, flesh side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the squash with melted butter (I sometimes do this with olive oil) and sprinkle with salt. Bake until tender, 45 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set the squash aside. When cool, use a spoon to scrape the flesh from the skins into a bowl. Discard the skins and lightly mash the flesh with the spoon until smooth. (You should have 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups).

2. Meanwhile, place the squash scrapings (the seeds and strings) in a medium saucepan. Add the vegetable broth and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and cover, and simmer until the flavor has been extracted, about 20 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large measuring cup, pressing the squash scraping to extract as much liquid as possible. (Do not wash the saucepan). Return the squash broth to the empty saucepan along with enough water to make 6 cups. (You'll probably have to add about 2 cups of water). Bring the squash broth to a simmer. Turn off the heat and cover to keep the broth warm.

3. Heat the remaining tbls of butter and the oil in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. When the foaming subsides, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, add the rice and cook for 1 minute. Add teh wine and cook, stirring often, until the wine nearly evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the hot broth and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice absorbs the liquid. Continue adding the broth in 3/4 cup increments and stirring often until the rice is creamy (not soupy) and soft, but still a bit al dente, about 25 minutes. (You probably won't use all of the broth. )

5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and vigorously stir in the roasted squash, cheese, sage, and remaining 1 tbls of butter. Adjust the seasonings adding salt and nutmeg to taste. Serve and pass grated cheese at the table.

Eggplant Risotto with fresh tomatoes and basil

Hooray for discovering Jack Bishop! This is from the Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook.

3 tbls olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 large, ripe tomatoes (1 1/2 lbs), peeled, cored, seeded and diced small
salt and black pepper
2 medium eggplants (about 1 lb), ends trimmed, cut into 1/2 cubes
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigan
2 tbls minced fresh basil leaves

1. Bring 6 cups water to simmer in a medium saucepan, keep it warm on low heat.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed medium pot. Add the garlic and saute over medium heat until gold about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste, cover and cook until they soften, about 4 minutes.
3. Stir in the eggplant and cook, covered until it softens, about 15 minutes. if it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, add 1/4 of hot water and continue cooking.
4. Using a wooden spoon, stir in rice and cook for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of the warm water adn cook, stirring frequently, unit the rice absorbs the liquid. continue adding 1/2 cup increments, sitrring, until the rice is creamy and soft, but still a bit al dente, about 25 minutes.
5. Remove the pot from heat and vigorously stir in the 1/2 cup cheese and basil. Adjust the seasonings.

Chewy ginger cookies

I searched all over for a chewy ginger cookie recipe. Alton Brown came through for me.

Makes 3 dozen.

2 1/4 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
3/4 c butter
1 c packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c molasses

1/4 c sugar for rolling

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the first 6 dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the brown sugar, egg, butter and molasses in a separate bowl. Mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture.

Roll into tablespoon balss and coat in sugar.

Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Banana fritters

I want to try these next time we make brunch for a group.

Makes: 15-20 fritters.

2 medium bananas, ripe, but firm, peeled adn coarsely chopped
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tbls sugar
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 cup milk
3 cups vegetable oil
powdered sugar, for sprinkling
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine bananas, flour, sugar, egg, salt and baking powder. Add enough milk to form a thick pancake batter. You may not use all of the milk.

In a deep sauce pan or fryer, heat oil to 360 degrees. Drop batter in large spoonfuls, a few at a time, and fry until the fritters float to teh surface and are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer fritters to a paper towel to drain, then sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

101 Simple Salads for the Season - NY Times

Moroccan carrot salad:
Shred carrots; toss with cumin seeds (I tossed with ground cumin and it totally worked), olive oil, lemon juice and cilantro. I also added golden raisins.

100 more salad recipes in this ny times article.

Nana's Pecan Pralines

My nana sent me this recipe, I haven't tried it yet.

3 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups pecan halves

Combine sugar, cream of tartar, salt and milk in a heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves - wipe crystals occasionally from the side of the pan.

Cook to 238 degrees or until mixture forms a soft ball in a cup of water. Cool to 220 degrees.

Add butter, vanilla and pecans; beat until creamy.

Drop from a large spoon onto a buttered surface or wax paper.

Makes 1 1/2 - 2 dozen pralines.

Complex veggie burgers

You might be able to tell from the incredibly dense recipe that this is from Cook's Illustrated. It makes a ton of burgers, you could make it at the beginning of summer and freeze them individually to have for the rest of the summer. Warning, this take a couple of hours to make...

3/4 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed and picked over (if using canned, a 15 oz can will work, strain in mesh strainer with cold running water and spread them out on paper towels to dry)
2 1/2 tsps salt
3/4 bulgar wheat
2 tbls vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped fine (2 cups)
1 large celery rib, chopped fine ( 1/2 cup)
1 small leek, white and green parts only, chopped fine (1/2 cup)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (2 tsps)
1 lb cremini or white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced about 1/4 in thick (about 6 1/2 cups)
1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1/3 mayonaise
2 cups panko
ground black pepper

1. bring 3 cups water, lentils and 1 tsp salt to boil in a medium sauce pan over high heat; reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are just beginning to fall apart, about 25 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh strainer. Line baking sheet with triple layer paper towels and spread drained lentils over. Gently pat dry lentils with additional paper towels. Cool at room temp.

2. While lentils simmer, bring 2 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt to boil in a small saucepan. Stir bulgar wheat into boiling water and cover immediately. Let stand off heat until water is absorbed (15-20 minutes). Drain in a fine mesh strainer, use a rubber spatula to press our excess moisture. Transfer bulgar to medium bowl and set aside.

3. Heat 1 tbls oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, celery, leek and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies begin to brown, about 12 minutes. Spread mushrooms on baking sheet with veggie mixture; cool to room temp - about 20 minutes.

4. Process cashew in food processor until finely chopped (about 15, 1 sec pulses). Do not wash blade or bowl. Stir into bowl with bulgar, along with cooled lentils, veggie mushroom mix and mayo. Transfer 1/2 of mixture to now empty food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, 15-20, 1 sec pulses- mixture should be cohesive, but roughly textured.

5. Transfer processed misture to large bowl; repeat with remaining unprocessed mixture and combine into first batch. Stir in panko, 1 tsp salt, and pepper to taste. Line baking sheet with paper towels. Divide mixture into 12 portions, about 1/2 cup each, shaping into tightly packed patty, 4 inches in diameter adn 1/2 inch thick. Set patties on baking sheet, towel will absorb moisture.

Grill cook: build a medium hot grill charcoal grill or gas grill on high. Using tongs, wipe grate with towels dipped lightly in veggie oil. Grill burgers, without moving them, until well browned, 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes. Hooray! You've successfully made the world's most complex veggie burger. Enjoy!

Carrot and cabbage slaw

This went well on a puerco pibil sandwich...

1/4 or 1/2 green cabbage, shredded
1/4 red cabbage, shredded
1/2 yellow onion (I used red onion and it gave it a nice added sweetness)
2-3 carrots, shredded
sesame oil
rice vinegar
pepper

optional:
scallions
fresh ginger, grated
jicama

Combine all veggies in a large bowl (or tupperware, easy for shaking to mix it all up). Drizzle with sesame oil, rice vinegar and toss. Sesame oil has a strong flavor, so do just a little at a time. Add pepper to taste. Refridgerate for at least an hour. Enjoy!

Robert Rodriguez 10 minute cooking school - Puerco Pibil

Joe found this recipe on the Once Upon a Time in Mexico DVD and we recently tried it out.

Here's the 10 minute cooking school with Robert Rodriguez, the director.

Someone already posted the recipe.

You can get the annato at Christina's in Inman Square in Cambridge. Let us know if you find a good place to get banana leaves.

Squid Stew

3-4 lbs squid (cleaned)
1 cup of fresh parsley or mint
5-6 canned whole plum tomatoes, chopped and seeded
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp red chili pepper
3-4 vinegar peppers, sliced
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 cans of tomato puree, crushed tomatoes etc
1/2 celery stalk, chopped (optional)
3-4 potatoes, chopped into 1/4 in cubes

Cut squid with scissors or a knife (into rings) into a medium saucepan.
Saute over medium heat so that the excess water is drawn out of the squid (1 minute), drain and set aside
In a large stock pot, add the chopped garlic, herbs, plum tomatoes, celery, potatoes, peppers adn olive oil. Simmer over medium heat until the potatoes become soft.
Add can of tomato puree and a dash of chili pepper. Cook for 15 - 20 mins. This will actually be better if you have the time to let it simmer for 1 hour or 1 hour and 30 minutes, before you add the squid.
Add squid to sauce adn cook for 8-10 minutes.

This can also be a sauce for past, add more tomato puree and omit vegetables.

Pesce alla Siracusana (shrimp with fennel seeds)

I tasted and watched this recipe get prepared in a traditional Italian Christmas dinner cooking class last winter.

2 lbs fresh shrimp (tuna or swordfish also work well)
3 tbsp fennel seeds
white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon

Spread out fennel seeds on a flat dish and press the shrimp into the seeds until fully covered.

Heat a skillet with olive oil adn sear the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on both sides. When shrimp are pink, add a splash of lemon juice and/or white wine and heat until it becomes a glaze. Serve shrimp over couscous or pasta and with a fresh drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon.

Simple tomato wine sauce

I tasted this recipe at one of those whole foods sample stations where they were serving it with cheese ravioli. I haven't actually made this yet, but it sounds simple and it was delicious when the sample man made it.

2 tbl olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 c chopped tomato
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
pinch of chili pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 tbls grated parmesan
chopped basil
chopped parsley

Heat olive oil in a saute pan; add garlic and tomato. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, oregano and chili pepper flakes. Add wine and cook for 1 minute. Add basil and parsley and turn heat to low. Add cooked pasta and toss. Sprinkle in parmesan.