Author: christineouteraisle

Leek, Potato & Oyster Mushroom Gratin

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4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 pound oyster mushrooms, halved if large
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 4 large)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 3/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1 3/4 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 3/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds (about 8 cups)
2 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (about 10 ounces)
 
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until mushrooms are tender and golden, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer mushroom mixture to bowl. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and thyme and sauté until leeks are tender and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add leek mixture to bowl with mushrooms. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Whisk broth, cream, wine, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large bowl to blend. Layer 1/3 of potatoes on bottom of prepared dish. Top with half of mushroom-leek mixture, then 3/4 cup cheese. Top with half of remaining potatoes. Pour half of cream mixture over. Top with remaining mushroom-leek mixture and 3/4 cup cheese. Cover with remaining potatoes. Pour remaining cream mixture over; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake gratin uncovered until potatoes are tender and sauce bubbles thickly, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Let gratin stand 30 minutes before serving.

Mushroom, Apple and Potato Cake

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serves 6

3 TBS olive oil

1 lb mushrooms (shittake, oyster, trumpet)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 Granny Smith apple

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp black pepper

1 lb Yellow Finn potatoes

Heat 1 TBS oil in a 10-inch well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute mushrooms and half of onion, stirring, until mushrooms are tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out skillet.

Peel and coarsely grate apple and stir into mushrooms with thyme, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Preheat oven to 450. Peel potatoes and slice 1/8 inch think. Toss with remaining onion, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Heat remaining 2 TBS oil in skillet over moderately high heat. Add one third of potato slices in 1 layer, overlapping slightly. Top with half of mushrooms, spreading in an even layer. Repeat layering with half of remaining potatoes, remaining mushrooms, and then remaining potatoes. Put skillet in middle of oven and bake 20 minutes. Invert a pizza pan or round platter over skillet and, holding pan or platter firmly against skillet, flip potato cake onto platter. Carefully slide cake back into skillet and press layers together with a spatula. Bake until underside is golden and crusty and potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes more. 

Cream of Celery Soup

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Our celery is simply the best! Crisp, fresh and flavor unlike regular store bought celery.

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp butter, divided into 2 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
  • 5 cups of chopped celery, and 1 1/2 cups of diced celery  (from one large bunch of celery or two small bunches)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon to 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, to taste
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup of cream
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Fresh chopped chives or parsley for garnish

Method

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1 Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a thick-bottomed 4 to 5 quart pot on medium heat. Add the diced onion, the leaks, and 5 cups of the chopped celery. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute more.

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2 Add the chicken stock and bay leaves to the pot. Taste for salt and add salt. (If you are using unsalted butter and unsalted stock, you will need to add more salt than you expect, if not, maybe just a little salt will be needed.) Increase heat to bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.

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3 While the soup is simmering, prepare the extra celery that will be added later to the soup. In a separate small sauté pan, melt 1 Tbsp of butter on medium heat. Add 1 1/2 cups diced celery to the butter. Ladle 1/2 cup of the simmering stock from the soup pot into the sauté pan. Simmer on low for 5 or 6 minutes to soften the celery. Set aside.

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4 Remove the soup pot from heat, let cool slightly. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender, filling the blender no more than a third full at a time (keep your hand on the lid so the hot liquid doesn’t explode). Return the puréed soup to the pot. Stir in the cream and the braised diced celery.

Taste for salt and add more if needed. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and chopped chives or parsley to serve.

Print

Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/creamy_celery_soup/#ixzz3Mq08nRld

ROASTED RAINBOW CARROTS

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Ingredients

  • 2 bunches of rainbow carrots, peeled and wash, patted dry
  • olive oil, for drizzling
  • honey, for drizzling (local and organic preferably)
  • freshly ground pink himalayan salt and pepper, to taste

 

How to make it

  • place carrots on parchment lined baking sheet (if any of the carrots are super thick, slice in half the long way). Drizzle with olive oil, honey and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with rosemary.
  • Roast at 400F degrees for about 30 minutes, tossing after the 1st 15 minutes. Simple and delicious!

 

 

Radicchio, Avocado and Pecan with Lemon Maple Ginger salad dressing

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radicchio

Some vegetables you try for the first time and fall in love with them. Last week we tried Radicchio for the first time. An Italian favorite, used raw and also cooked. The petal-like leaves we roughly tore to make a salad and combined with the bitterness of the radicchio, the buttery-ness of avocado, the density of toasted pecans, the sweetness of maple syrup and Meyer lemons.

1/2 cup of Meyer lemon juice

1/2 cup of Olive oil

1 inch cube ginger, peeled and chopped roughly

3 TBS Maple Syrup (adjust taste as necessary)

3 TBS Tamari or soy sauce (adjust taste as necessary)

Combine well and toss with Radicchio, avocado and toasted pecans. Marinate for 1/2 hour before serving.

Holiday Kale Salad with Persimmon & Pomegranate

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Ingredients:

Salad: 

  • 1 large bunch kale 
  • 1-2 ripe fuyu persimmons
  • 1 pomegranate, seeded
  • 1 cup shelled edamame
  • 1/2 cup almonds, toasted 
Dressing:
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp tahini
  • 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp grape seed oil oil 
  • 1 tsp grade Maple syrup
Instructions: 
  1. Throughly wash kale & dry well. Pull leaves from stems & shred leaves by hand into bite sided pieces. Add to large salad bowl. 
  2. In a small bowl combine the dressing ingredients, & wisk until blended. 
  3. Pour dressing over kale & toss with tongs until evenly distributed, or “massage” with your hands if you prefer your kale to be more tender. Allow kale to “marinate” while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 
  4. Cut persimmons into bite sized pieces ( prefer to leave the skin on) & deseed the pomegranate. 
  5. Fold in persimmon, pomegranate seeds & edamame.Top with pecans.
Serve & enjoy!
 

 

Thanksgiving Sides Recipes: Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Persimmons, Apricots, and Walnuts

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shredded-brussels-sprouts-with-persimmons-apricots-walnuts-opt
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped coarsely
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
  • 3 tablespoons bacon fat (or butter, or olive oil)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
  • 2 Fuyu persimmons, chopped
Instructions
  1. Place apricots in a bowl with warm water and let sit for 20 minutes. Drain apricots and set aside, discarding water.
  2. Wash and dry Brussels sprouts. Slice thinly using either a knife or the disk attachment of your food processor.
  3. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and add walnuts, agitating occasionally. Toast until they darken in color a bit and become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
  4. In a medium saute pan, melt bacon fat (or oil of your choice). Add the Brussels sprouts, salt, pepper, persimmon, and apricots, stirring well, cooking just until the Brussels sprouts turn bright green and are tender to the bite, about 5 minutes. Stir in walnuts and cook for 1 minute. Serve hot.

 

Persimmon and Avocado Salad

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Prep time:  15 mins
Total time:  15 mins
Serves: 4
Brighten up a dreary winter day with peppery arugula greens topped with crisp slices of sweet persimmon, buttery avocado wedges and tangy pomegranate arils, all tossed in a tangy mustard and white balsamic vinaigrette.
Ingredients
Dressing
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Salad
  • 8 cups baby arugula
  • 1 firm-ripe Fuyu persimmon, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 1 large avocado, cut into wedges
  • ½ cup fresh pomegranate arils
Instructions
Prepare the Dressing:
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegars and mustard until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assemble the Salad:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, toss arugula with dressing until well coated. Distribute between four individual salad bowls, or transfer to a single large salad bowl.
  2. Arrange persimmon and avocado slices on the arugula, then scatter with pomegranate. Serve immediately.
Notes
The beauty of this salad is the contrast between the crisp, sweet persimmon against the soft, buttery avocado. Make sure to purchase the small, squat tomato-shaped Fuyu persimmons for this salad, as they’re sweet enough to eat even when slightly crisp, as opposed to the larger acorn-shaped Hachiya that are too tannic to eat until completely soft.

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Radishes

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This method is really the god-send for the hurried household. Most vegetables not only improve with a high-heat roasting, around 400 degrees, but it’s easy, and quick – you can roast a whole chicken in an hour this way, just turn the oven down to 350 after a half hour. Carrots, potatoes, turnips, radishes (yes, radishes!) and even kale can be roasted and served immediately or bagged and thrown in the fridge for later meals.

And as a good roasting releases and caramelizes the natural sugars, a pre-roasting for soup and stew ingredients can add a richness and depth of flavor that raw veggies can’t match. Some veggies, like these sprouts, benefit from just the lightest of tossing in oil and seasoning, while others, like yams, sweet potatoes and carrots need a more generous coating. Experiment with fresh and dried herbs, roasting garlic along with your veggies to impart that golden roasted flavor and finishing with a bright acid, like lemon juice or vinegar. You really can’t go wrong.

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved
  • 1/2 pound red radishes, halved, quartered if large
  • 1 T olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, reduced by at least half, until thick

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut sprouts from stem, cut large ones in half, peel stem and cut into similar sized chunks. Toss in large bowl with olive oil and radishes. Space on a large roasting pan and place in top rack of the oven. If you have a convection oven turn it on, watching they don’t burn as this will cut your cooking time in half. Roast until leaves are brown and crisp and heads are tender and brown. Radishes will be brown but still slightly crunchy. Remove and plate, sprinkling with balsamic reduction.

Benefits of Radishes

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Chinese-Green-Loubo-web-1

Chinese Green Luobo Radish

1. Naturally cooling

Radishes are a naturally cooling food and their pungent flavor is highly regarded in eastern medicine for the ability to decrease excess heat in the body that can build up during the warmer months.

2. Sooth sore throats

Their pungent flavor and natural spice can help eliminate excess mucus in the body and can be especially helpful when fighting a cold. Radishes can help clear the sinuses and soothe soar throats too.

3. Aids digestion

Radishes are a natural cleansing agent for the digestive system, helping to break down and eliminate stagnant food and toxins built up over time.

4. Prevents viral infections

Because of their high vitamin C content and natural cleansing effects, regular consumption of radishes can help prevent viral infections.

5. Eliminates toxins

In Eastern and Ayurvedic healing practices radishes are said to have effective toxin-purging effects, helping break down and eliminate toxins and cancer-causing free radicals in the body.

6. Protects against cancer

As a member of the cruciferous vegetable family (same family as broccoli and cabbage) radishes contain phytonutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals that are cancer protecting.

7. Relieves indigestion

Radishes have a calming effect on the digestive system and can help relieve bloating and indigestion.

8. Low in calories, high in nutrients

With a very low calorie count, less than 20 calories in an entire cup, radishes are a great way to add nutrients, fiber and tons of flavor to your meals without compromising your health.

9. Keeps you hydrated

With a high water content and lots of vitamin C as well as phosphorus and zinc, radishes are a nourishing food for the tissues and can help keep your body hydrated and your skin looking fresh and healthy all summer long!