Christmas Fruit Salad

apples
pears
pomegranates
clementines
cranberries
lemon juice
a little sugar

(inspiration)

Spinach-Mushroom Christmas Quiche

I made this quiche for Christmas morning. It was a decadent treat. And, in the background above is the first ever non-vegetarian item featured here, a pancetta and leek quiche that I made for my non-vegetarian family. Word is it was good, though I can't vouch for it myself. What follows is a rough recipe. I was having too much fun/things were too too crazy to take the care to write things down with much precision.

1 prepared and blind baked pie crust (I used the pâte brisée recipe from The Joy of Cooking)
5 small shallots, sliced
about 1 cup of sliced crimini mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
5 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2/3 cup cream
salt + pepper to taste
leaves from 1 bunch of spinach
about 8 total ounces of a combination of shredded gruyere, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses (I'd say 2 parts gruyere and 1 part each of parmesan and mozzarella)

Saute the mushrooms and shallots in the butter for a few minutes until the mushrooms release their moisture and soften. Set aside.

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, salt and pepper.

Cover the bottom of the pie crust with the spinach. Then layer the mushroom/shallot mixture on top of the spinach. Next, form a third layer with the shredded cheeses. On top of that, pour the egg mixture, shaking the pan a bit to help it spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees F four about an hour and 15 minutes, or until the middle is set.

The non-vegetarian quiche was put together similarly, except that I layered some chopped, browned pancetta in the bottom of the crust, topped by the sliced white and green parts of two leeks that had been sauteed in some butter until soft. Next, I sprinkled on a similar combination of cheese and, finally, poured on the egg mixture.

Carrot Fennel Soup

My friend Linda recommended this soup. Thanks Linda! It was way delicious. The only change I made was to swap vegetable stock for chicken stock.

PS. Lots of Christmas cooking to come!

Sloppy Tempeh

I know I was just bad-mouthing ketchup and worcestershire sauce sauces. But I went to the store, and right there before my eyes was a whole selection of vegan worcestershire sauces. Who knew? And I use organic ketchup here, so there's no HFC for miles, friends. I know, not very authentic. But this is quite good, if far from the manwiches of our collective youth.

1 small onion, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 jalapeño, chopped
2 tb olive oil
8 ounce package of tempeh, crumbled
7 ounces whole tomatoes, pureed
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
dash hot sauce
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
salt + pepper to taste

Saute the first five ingredients in the oil. When softened, add the tempeh and continue cooking for a few minutes. Meanwhile, combine the last six ingredients in a mixing bowl and season to taste. Pour the sauce over the tempeh mixture and cook for a couple minutes until hot.

Gnocchi

This was the first time I've made gnocchi, and it didn't turn out quite as I had hoped. It was a bit grainy (maybe the potatoes weren't cooked enough?). Perhaps a little more research is in order. Have you got tips? Send them my way. Anyway, here's what I did.

3 russet potatoes, quartered, not peeled
3/4 - 1 cup flour
1/2 cup loosely packed shredded parmesan
salt+pepper

Boil the potatoes in their skins until well cooked. Once cooked, pull the skins off and mash the potatoes. Add 3/4 cup flour, parmesan, salt and pepper. Knead lightly, adding a bit more flour if necessary, until the dough comes together and can be rolled into 1/2 inch thick logs. Roll out the dough, then cut it into little pieces. Roll each piece off the tines of a fork. Drop a few pieces at a time into boiling water. After they've floated for a minute or so, they are done and can be scooped out and sauced for serving.

Sauce:

3 medium shallots, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
dash of red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine
28 ounce can of whole tomatoes
salt + pepper

Saute the shallots in a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and sugar when the shallots have begun to soften. Pour in the wine and tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat for about 1/2 an hour. Puree and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Radicchio-Swiss Grilled Cheese with Sweet Potato Fries

I meant to go to the grocery store today. But then there was this major snow storm that delayed my commute home by two hours. So, yeah, I made this slightly strange but delicious sandwich by cobbling together some refrigerator randoms.

swiss cheese
radicchio
honey mustard
grilled ciabatta bread

And! Sweet potato fries. They provide maximum comfort. For a non-soggy result, use a large, heavy pot and a lot of vegetable oil. I don't have a thermometer (though I always wish for one while taking no action to obtain one), so I make sure the oil is hot with this kind of dangerous method taught to me by my señora, aka, the wonderful, generous woman who housed me for a year in her home in Sevilla, Spain. Method: heat the oil for a few minutes then sprinkle a very little amount of water into the oil. If it pops right away, it's hot. Once hot, I keep my burner just under high (8/9 in my gas stove). Also important: fry in batches. Don't throw a whole potato in at once. I did four batches for one largish sweet potato. When the fries float and turn a lighter orange color, they are done. Scoop them out of the oil with a slotted spoon, drain on some paper towels, and sprinkle with salt and a little sugar.

Coffee Cake

Coffee cake by Mark Bittman.

This weekend I tested this recipe for Christmas brunch. It passed. The super simple coffee cake is made like this: make a challah or brioche-style bread dough, let it rise per usual, but then form it into little balls, rather than larger loaves. Stack the balls in an 8x8 inch cake pan, and smother on a sweet crumble. Stack more, smother more, etc. My crumble included some thinly slices apples.

Brussels Sprouts Slaw Sandwich with Baked Kale

I've had a low-level, but persistent, obsession with cole slaw sandwiches for years. It all started with Zingerman's Deli (see #36), which sat a convenient three blocks from my apartment in lovely Ann Arbor. And now I live many many blocks from Zingerman's. Sadly. But the cole slaw sandwich is yet near. To my heart.

Sort of a version of the ubiquitous Ruben, the essential components of a cole slaw sandwich are: cole slaw (obviously), melted cheese (swiss, ideally) and grilled bread (rye, ideally). Zingerman's uses "Russian" dressing, and that's where things get tricky for me. I'm sure the kind they use is delightfully natural, but if you buy it at the store, you're likely to get a mouthful of high fructose corn syrup, which contrary to its weird PSAs, isn't a very sweet surprise. And, the Russian dressing recipes I've seen don't do much to entice -- Worcestershire sauce typically isn't vegetarian and all that ketchup and sugar... Anyway, if your cole slaw is a little sweet (honey does that job here), then I don't think you'll miss the Russian dressing much.

For the Slaw:
approx. 20 brussels sprouts, halved and thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and finely grated
1 tablespoon mayo
1 tablespoon dijon
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir well. This slaw, like most, is better after a day of sitting in the refrigerator.

For the Baked Kale:
My friend Emily sent me this great recipe for baked kale. I had never had kale this way before and I was surprised at and pleased with its crisp texture.

Kale, stems removed and leaves cut into bite sized pieces
olive oil
salt

The amounts for the ingredients will vary depending on how much you want to make. Pile your kale into a large bowl and pour on some olive oil. Use enough oil to coat the kale, but don't drown it. Stir everything around so each piece is oiled. On a cookie sheet, spread the kale out in a single layer. Salt to taste. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes. The kale is done when it's very crisp and not at all chewy.

Almond Crusted Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Croquettes

1 large sweet potato
about 1/3 head of cauliflower, florets and un-tough stems
1 small onion, chopped small
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
5 fresh sage leaves, julienned
2 tb fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 beaten egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted and crushed

Steam the cauliflower and sweet potato until well-cooked. Meanwhile, saute onion in butter over medium heat for just a couple minutes until fragrant but not completely softened. Turn off the heat and add the garlic and sage.

Transfer cooked potato and cauliflower to a large mixing bowl. Add the butter-onion-garlic-sage mixture and mash with a potato masher until everything is well-mixed and fully mashed. Stir in the parsley, salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to cool.

Once cooled, stir in the beaten egg. Form the mixture into small patties and dredge each one in 1. flour, 2. beaten eggs (two should be enough) and 3. a combination of the breadcrumbs and toasted almonds. Then, carefully set each patty onto a hot, oiled pan, which should be kept just over medium heat. Cook each side four about 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

BTW, I served these with a simple salad of radicchio and frisée, dressed with a couple clementine slices, clementine juice, and a balsamic reduction. The bitter salad complements the sweet [everything else] quite nicely.

Butternut Squash and Potato Gratin

My friend Rachel pointed me in the direction of this delicious dish. I made just a few modifications based on what I had in the refrigerator:

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, quartered, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
1 large ripe tomato, halved, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup grated Romano
1/4 cup fresh ricotta
1 1/2 pounds red or Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the parsley, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Remove half the mixture and set it aside. Add the squash to the bowl along with the half herb mixture that's left and mix well. Add the tomato and cheeses, and toss to combine.

Toss the potatoes with the reserved herb mixture and add another 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place half the sliced potatoes on the bottom of a generously oiled 2 1/2-quart baking dish***. Cover with the squash mixture, then the remaining potatoes. Dust with flour*, then pour milk over the dish and drizzle with oil.

Bake for 40 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue to bake for 30 minutes, or until the top has begun to brown and the liquid is nearly absorbed. Allow to rest** for 15 minutes before serving.

Mine turned out to be very tasty, but a bit soggy with lots of liquid in the bottom. I suspect this was caused by a combination of factors:
*The recipe I was working from swapped the order of the flour and milk. So, I poured the milk first, then dusted with flour. As you can see from the picture, I still had a bit of flour on top of the dish after it was done baking. So, here, I suggest that you dust with flour first, then pour on the milk. I hope this will help the flour to spread throughout the dish more and soak up some of that extra moisture.
**I was starving and totally did not allow to rest.
***Also, it's possible that the dish I used (narrower and taller than what the Wednesday Chef showed) didn't allow enough moisture to escape during the cooking process.

Carrot Cauliflower Soup

1 russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup reserved potato water
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
3 cup cauliflower florets, roughly chopped
2 tb butter
salt and pepper

When boiling the potato, use only enough water to cover the cubes by about 1/2 an inch. Boil until well cooked. Reserve the potato water. Mash the potatoes and blend with milk, sour cream, vegetable stock, and 1 cup's worth of the potato cooking water. Set aside.

Saute the carrots, celery, and onion in the butter until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic, dry spices, and cauliflower florets and continue cooking for a couple minutes. Stir in the mashed potato/milk/stock/potato water mixture. Bring the soup to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked through. Puree and season to taste.

Latkes and Brussels Sprouts

I followed this recipe for the Brussels Sprouts, except that mine turned out more blackened than goldened. But delicious anyway.

Latkes are the easiest thing in the world to make and so comforting.

2 russet potatoes, grated
1 large onion, minced (or grated if your teary eyes can stand it)
2 tb flour
2 beaten eggs
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Stir together the grated potatoes (btw: I leave the skins on) and onion in a large bowl. Transfer the mixture to a cheesecloth and squeeze from it as much moisture as you can. Return the mixture to the bowl, first wiping out any leftover liquid. Stir in the flour and eggs, and season to taste.

If you want a good fry, use vegetable oil -- enough to rise about a 1/4-1/2 inch up the side of your heavy, wide pan. I wasn't feeling so comfort-ambitious after the indulgent holiday weekend, so I opted for about a tablespoon of olive oil (per batch) and a non-stick pan. Keep the heat on the high side of medium.

To form the patties, I used a shallow 1/3-cup measuring cup. (You could also use a large spoon, or just your hands.) Pack the mixture into the cup and carefully turn it over onto the hot, oiled pan. Cook for about 3-5 minutes per side, keeping an eye on the heat and adjusting if necessary. Serve with applesauce, sour cream, and lots of salt and pepper.

Chocolate-Pumpkin Brownies

I wanted to make this, but I didn't have any bittersweet chocolate to chop. I did, however, have a bunch of really good baking cocoa. So I made, basically, the pumpkin half of the Smitten Kitchen recipe and combined it with a slightly modified version of this super fudgy cocoa brownie recipe, plus walnuts.

Since it took me a while to halve-out the pumpkin portion, I'll save you the trouble:

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/t tb vanilla extract
1 (regular sized -- is that 8 oz?) can organic pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside. Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until fluffy. Carefully, and in batches, beat in flour mixture. Stir in pumpkin, vegetable oil, and walnuts.

Now, for the brownie portion: I made a couple changes:
1 stick butter (not 10 tb)
3/4 cup sugar (not 1 1/2 cup)
+1/2 cup walnuts
Also, please note, this batter will turn out super thick.

When the two batters are ready, layer them (brownie-pumpkin-brownie-pumpkin) in a greased, 9x13 inch pan. Then, use a spatula to swirl and combine the two batters. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.