Baked Summer Squash

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Serves 6

2 pounds summer squash (such as zucchini, pattypan squash, yellow crookneck squash)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon flaked salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the stem ends and slice the squash cross-wise in 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Toss with the olive oil.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Arrange the squash rounds in a 9-x12-inch rectangular baking dish, or 10-inch pie plate. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another five minutes until the top is bubbling and crispy

Fava Beans

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FAVA BEANS SUGGESTIONS:

fava_beans

There’s a short window for these famed vegetables. The first pick is usually quite tender and there’s no need to peel the outer skin of the bean. However, as the season for fava’s (two weeks) comes to a close the outer skin toughens and is a little bitter and popping is recommended. To do this shuck the bean, steam the beans until soft, the outer skin should pucker slightly. There’s a couple of ways to do this: serve the bean and have your guests do the popping themselves, nipping into the outer layer and squeezing the bright green goodness into their mouths. (They are an aphrodisiac!).  Or nip them with your nail and squeeze them into a bowl for combining with other ingredients.

Warm White Beans and Roasted Fennel

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4 cups sliced fennel bulb

3 Tbls. olive oil, divided

¾ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided

½ tsp. salt, divided

¼ tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)

2 garlic cloves, minced

Cooking spray

3 Tbls. grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

2 (15.8 oz) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

4 cups fresh baby spinach (any greens will do, I used beets tops and chard)

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 450°
  2. Combine fennel, 1 Tbls. oil, ½ tsp. black pepper, ¼ tsp. salt, red pepper, and garlic in a large bowl; toss to coat fennel.  Arrange fennel mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until fennel begins to brown.  Stir; sprinkle cheese evenly over fennel mixture.  Bake an additional 5 minutes or until golden brown.
  3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add beans; cook 2 minutes or until heated.  Add fennel mixture, spinach, the remaining ¼ tsp. black pepper, and remaining ¼ tsp. salt.  Cook 2 minutes or until greens are cooked; serve immediately.

Charred Romanesco with Anchovies and Mint

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  • 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 1 large carrot, minced
  • 1 celery stalk, minced
  • 4 Fresno chiles or jalapeños, thinly sliced into rounds, seeded
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 pounds Romanesco or regular cauliflower (about 2 medium heads), cut into florets
  • 4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup torn fresh mint leaves

PREPARATION

Heat 1/2 cup oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and chiles; season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft but not brown, 12–15 minutes. Let soffritto cool.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of Romanesco and cook, undisturbed, until deeply browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a roasting pan; repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining Romanesco. Add soffritto, anchovies, and wine to roasting pan; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Roast, tossing halfway through, until Romanesco is soft and liquid is mostly evaporated, 25–30 minutes; season with salt and pepper and top with mint.

 

Holiday Brussels Sprouts

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1 pound brussels sprouts
1 large shallot, minced
3 tbsp butter, divided
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 sunflower seeds
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp brown sugar
Salt to taste and pepper, to taste
 
First, prepare candied nuts.  Mix nuts, seeds and cranberries.  Toast in a saute pan over medium-low heat until nuts are fragrant and lightly toasted.  Watch carefully!  Do not allow to burn.  Add 1 tablespoon butter, brown sugar and pinches of salt, tossing to coat nuts and cranberries.  Continue to toast until mixture is slightly caramelized.  Remove from heat and spread out on a plate to cool.  Set aside.
Using a paring knife, cut off the sprouts’ stem ends.  Then, using the knife, peel leaves from the stem end, working in a circular motion around the sprout, a few at a time.  There will be a small piece of stem left at the center that you can discard, or save to saute later.
Next, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add remaining butter and oil.  Saute shallots for about 30 seconds, then add brussels sprout leaves.  Saute leaves until they are slightly caramelized and cooked through.  Do not overcook.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  The leaves should be sweet and softened, but still toothsome.  Add cooled candied nuts and cranberries, and toss to distribute thoroughly.  Serve immediately.

 

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

celery-soup-1 celery-soup-2

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.

celery-soup-3 celery-soup-4

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.

celery-soup-5 celery-soup-6

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.

celery-soup-7 celery-soup-8

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.