Delicious Stuffed Delicatas (V)

Cooking skills focus: Roasting, sautéing, balancing flavors

Ingredients:

5 delicata squash, cut into quarters & seeds removed

1 T olive oil

Salt & pepper TT

Stems of 1 bu red chard, sliced ¼” thick

½ head garlic, cloves peeled & minced

1 T cooking oil

Salt & pepper TT

3 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well

¼ can Joya tahini

2 lemons, juiced

1 bu parsley, minced

Salt & pepper TT

2 T sumac

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Coat the squash in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until browned and tender.

3. Heat the large sauté pan over high heat, then add the 1 T cooking oil. Add the chard stems and cook for 3-4 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and cook 4-5 minutes more. Put in a large bowl.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients, combine and season with salt and pepper. Stuff in the squash quarters, top with the sumac and serve.

Chimichurri Roast Potato Salad with Winter Veggies (V)

Cooking skills focus: Knife skills, roasting, sautéing, blanching, balancing flavors

Ingredients:

4 # Yukon gold potatoes, diced large (3/4” on each side)

3 T cooking oil

Salt & pepper TT

1 bu chard, stems removed (give stems to the squash group!) and cut roughly bite-sized

1 T cooking oil

Salt & pepper TT

1 ½ # Brussels sprouts, sliced ¼” thick

2 T cooking oil

Salt & pepper TT

1 ¼ # green beans, trimmed and cut bite-sized

[ Big pot of salted water]

1 head cauliflower, cut bite-sized

1 lemon, juiced

2 heirloom navel oranges, juiced

1 T chimichurri spice blend (from World Spice Merchants)

Salt & pepper TT (if needed)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring the salted water to a boil.

2. Toss the potatoes with the first 3 T cooking oil, salt & pepper. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside when done.

3. Toss the chard with the next 1 T cooking oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until roasted slightly crispy. Set aside.

4. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the next 2 T cooking oil. Add the Brussels sprouts and begin to caramelize for 10-12 minutes, or until browned and tender.

5. Blanch (boil quickly) the green beans for 3 minutes, then remove, drain and cool on a sheet pan.

6. Combine all ingredients, season to taste and serve.

Roasted Eggplant Soup (V)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!!!


Cooking skills focus: Knife skills, roasting, balancing flavors

Ingredients:
1 onion, cut into large rough chunks
1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled
1 T cooking oil
salt and pepper TT

3 eggplants, cut into large dice (3/4" on a side)
1 onion, cut into large dice
1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled
3 T olive oil
salt and pepper TT

5 C water
(available vegetable trimmings)
1/2# tomatoes, cut into large rough chunks

1 Fuji apple, diced roughly
1 1/2# roma tomatoes, diced roughly
3 T olive oil

3/4# baby red potatoes, cut in quarters
2 T Harissa powder
salt and pepper TT

1/3 bu parsley, chopped finely
1 grapefruit, juiced

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss together the first onion, the first 1/2 head of garlic cloves, the 1 T cooking oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, then set aside.
3. Meanwhile, toss together the eggplants, second onion and 1/2 head garlic with the 3 T olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, then set aside.
4. While that's roasting, start simmering the water in a large pot over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, vegetable trimmings, and roasted onion and garlic and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat for 30 minutes. Strain when done.
5. In a food processor, puree the eggplant with the onion and garlic, and the Fuji apple, tomatoes and last 3 T olive oil. Thin out with stock if necessary. Add to the strained stock, then add the potatoes. Season the soup to taste with harissa powder, salt and pepper at this point. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat and cook until the potatoes are done. Add the grapefruit juice and parsley and taste for seasoning again. Serve.

Broccoflower Potato Salad (V, if you don't add the sausage)

Sorry to say it like this, but if you can't have fun with this vegetable, I feel deeply sad for you.


Cooking skills focus: Roasting, balancing flavors

Ingredients:
1 1/2# baby red potatoes, cut in half
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper TT

2 T olive oil
1 # crimini mushrooms, sliced in half and thickly sliced
salt and pepper TT

4 sausages, cut or pulled into chunks 1/2" inch on a side

2 t maple syrup
3 T olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 C water
1/2 bu parsley, chopped finely.
salt and pepper TT
1 T Togarashi spice blend

2 heads broccoflower, diced small (1/4" on a side)
1 Fuji apple, diced medium (1/2" on a side)

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss the potatoes with the first 2 T olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 35 minutes or until golden. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, toss the mushrooms with the second 2 T olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until brown and slightly crispy. Set aside.
4. Roast the sausage in the oven for 20 minutes or until well browned. Set aside
5. Whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, lemon juice, water, salt and pepper, Togarashi and parsley.
6. Toss the dressing over the broccoflower and apple in a large bowl. Add the mushrooms and potatoes, toss and serve with the sausage as an optional topping.

Near-Broccoli Naked Casserole (V)

You'll be cooking with broccoflower (above) and broccoli rabe, but not broccoli.


Cooking skills focus: Knife skills, sauteeing, roasting, baking, balancing flavors

Ingredients:
2 T cooking oil
1 onion, julienned
1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled & sliced
salt & pepper TT

1 1/2 # roma tomatoes, cored & diced large (3/4" on a side)
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper TT

2 T cooking oil
2/3 # chanterelle mushrooms, quickly rinsed & dried, then diced small (1/4" on a side)
salt & pepper TT

1 head broccoflower, diced medium (1/2" on a side)
1 bunch broccoli rabe, 1/2" inch trimmed off the end and sliced 1/2" thick
3 T olive oil
salt & pepper TT
1 T Adobo spice blend, ground
1 lemon, juiced

2 C couscous
1 C water
salt & pepper TT

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add the 2 T cooking oil. Add the onion and saute on high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic. Drop the heat to medium and saute for another 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Set the onons and garlic aside. Keep the saute pan out.
3. Toss the tomatoes with the 2 T olive oil in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and transfer to a sheet pan. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Keep the bowl out.
4. Meanwhile, heat the saute pan again over high heat and add the next 2 T cooking oil. Add the mushrooms and saute for 6-8 minutes, or until browned and slightly crispy. Remove and set aside.
5. In the large bowl, combine the broccoflower, broccoli rabe, roasted tomatoes, sauteed onions and garlic, the 3 T olive oil, lemon juice, additional salt and pepper and Adobo spice blend.
6. Put the couscous in the bottom of a baking dish and add the water. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garbanzo beans, then put the vegetable layer on top of the beans.
7. Bake covered in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the couscous is fully cooked.
8. Top with the sauteed chanterelle mushrooms and serve.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Roasted Potatoes & Eggplant Salsa

Thank you Maria, for creating this dish with me!



Ingredients:
5 red potatoes, diced large
1 T cooking oil
salt & pepper TT

1 T cooking oil
8 baby eggplants (or 2 Japanese eggplants), diced small
3 tomatillos, diced small
3 serrano chiles, diced small
salt TT
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 bu cilantro, chopped

1 T cooking oil
3 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob
1 bu kale (we used beautiful red kale)
2/3 lb. Portuguese longanisa sausage (or another sausage of your choice), diced or separated into chunks about 1/4" on a side
4 Japanese leeks (or 2 regular leeks, or 2 bunches of green onions), sliced
salt & pepper TT
1/2 bu cilantro, chopped

4 bell peppers, tops and seeds removed
olive oil
salt and pepper TT

Instructions:
[Roast the potatoes]:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the potatoes with the first 1 T cooking oil, salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Set aside. Keep the oven on for the bell peppers.

[Make the salsa]:
2. In a large saute pan, heat the next 1 T cooking oil over high heat. Add the eggplant and allow to brown well for 6-7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add the tomatillos and chiles, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then add the lemon juice and cilantro, and season with salt to taste. Save the saute pan for the next step.

[Make the bell pepper filling]:
3. Heat the saute pan over medium-high heat and add the last 1 T oil. Add the kale and allow to wilt for 3-4 minutes. Add the corn and sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the leeks and cook another 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Allow to cool and add the cilantro.

[Assemble]:
4. Rub the peppers with a light coating of olive oil and season inside and out with salt & pepper. Stuff with the filling and roast for 8-10 minutes. Serve with the potatoes and eggplant salsa.

Delicious Stock

this is a condensed-format recipe, designed for a pocket recipe book called "Learn to Cook" I made and gave out to random people at the Pike Market for a few months in 2009. some of the ingredients may be difficult to find outside of the market, and can be substituted or disregarded.

to be honest, this is a kind of involved stock. you can make simple soup stocks or complex ones and they'll all be good for what they are. this one will have nice nuance and a great depth and balance of flavors. but you can always just save vegetable scraps in your freezer for a week and throw that in simmering water, and that's a good stock too, with a more straightforward flavor.

makes over 20 servings for under $20
(scale the recipe down if you don't have a large stockpot at home)

7 lbs chicken backs (butcher)
4 shallots, med [peel]
1 yellow onion, med [peel & quarter]
[roast all these together w/ a little olive oil, salt & pepper at 425 for 30 min and then add to 2.5 gal water. simmer 4-5 hours]

3 black lemons (spice shop)
1 tsp tellicherry peppercorns (spice shop)
2 long pepper peppercorns (spice shop)
1 1/2 dried aji mirasol peppers (spice shop)
1 1/2 dried pasilla negro peppers (spice shop)
2 bay leaves
1 bu celery [wash & rough chop]
5 carrots [wash & rough chop]
[add all these and simmer 2 more hours]
[strain]

(this stock makes soup best finished with lemon juice. the black lemon spice is actually just dried lemon, which has a smoky flavor that's both bright and deep. that rich, dark lemon presence balanced with fresh lemon juice creates a delicious effect.)

Baked Salmon over Roasted Root Vegetables in Coriander Broth

(conforms to the elimination diet)
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 C water
½ t coriander
1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled & sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 pinch salt and black pepper
1 turnip
1 parsnip
1 beet
1 carrot
1 T olive oil
½ t salt
1 pinch pepper
2 salmon fillets
olive oil
salt and black pepper
½ lemon, juiced

Method:
Broth: Simmer the water, coriander, ginger, garlic, and 1 pinch each of salt and pepper over medium heat for 15 minutes. Strain and set aside.
Vegetables: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Peel and cut the vegetables approximately one inch on a side.
Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper, then put on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Set aside. Keep the oven hot.
Salmon: Season the fillets with a light coating of salt and pepper, and put in a baking pan over olive oil. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the fish flesh starts to come apart at its seams a little and some white albumen (protein) comes out.

To serve: Warm the vegetables in the broth and put them in a shallow bowl, then put a fillet over each serving of vegetables. Top with lemon juice.