Portobello Mushrooms Quattro Formaggi

Since you might have some fresh salsa hanging around after making the lentil soup below, use it on some mushrooms and get mellow.  I am reminded of cafes in Florence, where you might see these mushrooms adorned with fresh basil.  Here, I enrich with fresh pico de gallo salsa.

4 large Portabello mushroom caps
2 cups grated quattro formaggi cheese blend
8 Tbsp fresh salsa (preferably hot)
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F.  Drizzle some oil into the fins of each mushroom.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese onto each cap.  Top each cap with 2 tablespoons salsa. 

Bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and mushroom caps are cooked through.

Serves 4 as appetizers.

Side street, Florence, Italy

Fast Lentil Soup with Fresh Salsa

This soup will be done before the snow melts off the boots in the mudroom! 

1 onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 carrots finely diced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 fresh ripe tomato, diced
2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
1 15-oz can lentils, lightly drained
1/2 cup fresh hot salsa

Heat a slug of olive oil in a soup pot.  Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook down over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic along with the cumin, rosemary and red pepper flakes, and cook another 2-3 minutes. 

Turn the heat up high and add the tomato.  Make sure there is enough olive oil to fry, not boil the tomato.  Let the tomato mixture sizzle 3-5 minutes to darken and caramelize a bit.  Add the broth and the lentils and bring to a boil.  Stir and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for another 15 minutes.

Serve the soup in shallow bowls with 1-2 tablespoons of fresh salsa piled in the middle.

Serves 4.

Cook's note:  Of course, you could cook this soup with fresh dried lentils.  I'd guess you'd need 1/2 cup dried lentils, and probably need to double the broth.

Continuing on with our series on fresh salsa, and the myriad ways to enjoy it (that is other than just eating it with a spoon):

There are so many great fresh salsas in the markets these days, you sometimes have to ask if its worth making your own, even though I have several recipes in these pages.  I like a certain hot, vinegary brand at my local market that adds a spicy and sour note to this otherwise subtle soup.  As Emeril always said "Kick it up a notch!"

Pan Seared Halibut with Saffron and Fresh Salsa

Two great cooks - Jacques Pepin and my mother - have both said "Simplify." Nothing could be more true for fish.  Find yourself some good fish and reduce some complexity in your life. 

1-1/2 lb halibut fillet cut into four portions
1/2 tsp saffron threads
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup fresh pico de gallo salsa
2 ripe avocados, peeled, cored and sliced

Melt the butter in the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle the halibut fillets with the saffron along with salt and pepper.  When the butter has frothed and bubbled and is just about to begin to brown, place the fillets into the pan, saffron-side down.  Allow the fillets to sizzle for about 5 minutes, gently shaking the pan from time to time.  Check the fillets to see if they have browned.  When you see browning around the edges, flip the fish and cook on the other side about 2-3 minutes.  The fish should just be cooked through.

Plate the fish and top with a few tablespoons of fresh salsa, and garnish with half an avocado.

Serves 4.

Chicken Sriracha Ras

Tenderized with a yogurt marinade, infused with Moroccan Ras el Hanout and jacked up with Sriracha - what more can you ask of a humble roasted chicken?

1 roasting chicken, cut into 6 serving pieces

Marinade:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
2 green onions
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp Ras el Hanout, Moroccan spice powder
2 tsp salt

The day before you want to eat, whip together the marinade ingredients in a blender until very smooth.  Place chicken pieces in a large bowl and toss well with the marinade.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator.

The next day, preheat oven to 450F.  Remove chicken from refrigerator, and ideally allow to come to room temperature.  Oil 1-2 large rimmed baking sheets, enough to hold the chicken in a single layer.  Lightly squeegee the chicken pieces of the marinade with your fingers and place on the baking sheets with as much space as possible between the pieces.  Sprinkle with salt and crushed red pepper flakes if desired.  Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is well browned and cooked through, where juices run clear when pierced.

Remove from oven and serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4-6.

Turkey Shiitake Asian Fusion Risotto

By this time, you've carved up the leftover turkey and made some stock.  You might have even gotten sick of traditional comfort food, no matter how many group walks you take.  So use your leftovers in a completely different way.

Time for variety - we took the crew out for awesome Fusion Asian, Friday night after Thanksgiving, at Yama Zakura, just outside of Boston.  Besides their creative sushi [try the Lobster Bomb] they make a delicious Pad Thai with subtle sweet and sour notes, which I pull together in a risotto here.

Alessandro, my dear Italian friend, I hope I'm not going to hell for this!

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 leek, cleaned and diced
1-1/2 cups short grain white rice
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2-inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 quart turkey stock (low salt)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Nam Pla, Thai fish sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup frozen peas
12 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 cup dried kizami nori, shredded roasted seaweed

Heat a slug of canola oil in a pot or small wok.  Toss in the carrot and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Add the leek and the rice and continue cooking, stirring often.  Add the garlic and ginger after about 5 minutes. Cook until the rice turns from translucent to white and the veggies begin to brown, about 8-10 minutes in total. Be careful not to let the rice burn.

Meanwhile, heat the stock to boiling.  Turn heat down to a low simmer.  Spoon a ladle of stock into a small bowl and add the dried mushrooms.  Stir them up to mix with the hot stock.  Set aside.

Add the wine and a ladle of stock to the rice and stir well.  Continue cooking, over a heat just high enough so the risotto gently bubbles.  Stir fairly often. Streak a wooden spoon across the rice, scraping the bottom of the pan.  When you can see the bottom of the pan, without rice and liquid re-filling the trough, you know you are ready for another ladle of stock.  Add another ladle of stock and continue cooking in the same way, until all the stock is used up.

While the rice cooks, check the mushrooms.  After about 10-15 minutes, they will be softened.  Pick them out of the stock and slice.  Return the stock to the pot with the remaining stock. 

Continue cooking the rice until you have only about 2 ladles of stock left.  Check the rice for doneness; it should begin to be al dente.  Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil, along with the mushrooms, peas and chicken to the rice.  Add the last ladles of stock.  Cook through until risotto is creamy and just al dente.  If necessary heat another cup or two of water in the microwave and add to rice as needed, until just cooked.

At the last moment, stir in the seaweed and serve in bowls, topped with a bit more seaweed.

Serves 4.

Chick Pea Veggie Pie with a Pistachio Quinoa Crust

Still looking for something festive, regal, yet vegetarian for a Thanksgiving day feast centerpiece?  This outstanding torte will fit the bill.  Start with a soup, accompany with a few crispy vegetable sides and end with pies.  Now get to work - you only have a few hours...
3/4 cup brown rice
1/4 cup red quinoa
2 cups water
1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp butter
2 cups sliced Brussels Sprouts, about 12-18
2 cups sliced cabbage
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, sliced
1/2 tsp Pimenton, Spanish smoked paprika
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachio nuts
1 Tbsp golden raisins
1 clove garlic, cubed

3 eggs
1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
dash freshly-ground nutmeg
18 grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
1 cup cubed melt-able cheese, such as mozzarella or Monterrey Pepper Jack

In a small 1-quart pot, toast the rice and quinoa in a tablespoon canola oil for about 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly.  Let the grains change color - the rice will go translucent, and their aroma will become very nutty.  Add the water and salt and bring to a boil.  Stir, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, saute the veggies.  Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet.  Tip in the cabbage Brussels sprouts, onion and carrot.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Sauté for about 15 minutes, add the pimenton and chick peas and cook another 15 minutes, allowing the veggies to soften and color up a bit.

Put the pistachios, raisins and garlic into a small food processor and pulse 10-12 times, until you get a coarse grind.

When the rice has cooked 20 minutes, remove from the heat, uncover, and place a clean kitchen towel on the pot.  return the cover and let sit another 10 minutes.  Then remove the cover and towel, and turn rice out onto a large baking sheet to cool down a bit.  When it is nearing room temperature, tip grains into a bowl and mix well with the pistachio mixture.

Preheat oven to 375F.  Line a well-butterred 9-inch springform pan with the grain mixture, forming an even crust.

Now in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg and tabasco.  Tip in the veggies, tomatoes and cheese, and mix well with the eggs.  Tip the veggie mixture into the crust and even out. 

Bake for about 45 minutes.

When the top has browned well, remove pan from the oven and carefully run a thin knife around the crust.  Release the springform and slide pie into a serving platter.  Cut into slices and serve.

Serves 4-6.

Creamy Mirepoix Soup with Roman Beans

Thanksgiving is coming and many are getting back to family and back to basics.  We are giving thanks for all our bounty - today we have the potential to eat so well compared to so many generations past.

We just got the most beautiful head of celery from our CSA farm and it reminded me of how our Mother would simply braise celery in a bit of broth, wine and butter as a veggie side dish. 

Basic, good cooking with simple, fresh ingredients.

Here's a celebration of the fresh and simple: a cream of celery soup.  I use the basic ingredients of the mirepoix, which is the triad of celery, onion and carrot.  But I use the beautiful green leaves on top of the carrot in this green soup.

10 stalks celery, cleaned and coarsely diced, leaves desirable!
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
Green tops of about 4 fresh carrots, trimmed, washed and spun dry
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 quart stock, vegetable or chicken
Freshly ground nutmeg, about 1/4 tsp
2 cans Roman (or Pinto) beans, drained
freshly grated nutmeg. about 1/4 tsp

Nutty Roux:
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup flour

Saute the celery, onion and carrot tops in a bit of olive oil, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot, for about 15 minutes.

The veggies should soften and brown a bit, as they sweeten.  Add the potatoes, stock and nutmeg and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and set to cook about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter in the oil and add the flour.  Cook together, whisking almost continuously, for about 5-8 minutes.

Cook until you form a nutty, light brown brown roux, about another 8-10 minutes.  This will be a relatively thick roux, which is needed for the volume of soup.  Set aside off the heat.

When the veggies have cooked about 30 minutes, and the celery is softened, use a slotted spoon to transfer the veggie solids into a food processor.  Work in about 3 batches to purée the veggies until very smooth.  Return pureed veggies back into the pot.  You could also use an immersion blender to cream the soup.  After all the veggies are added back to the soup, raise to a gentle boil and then whisk in the roux mixture.  Allow the soup to thicken.  Adjust consistency with water if necessary.  Add the beans and simmer gently for another 10-15 minutes.  Remove soup from heat and serve soup in bowls.  Adorn soup with cilantro or shaven Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6-8 as a first course.

Cook's note: If you can't find good fresh carrot tops, you could substitute the carrot root itself, say 2-3, diced.  It may darken the color a bit, but will be wonderful nonetheless.

Veggie Stuffing with Chick Peas and Apple

12-oz box favorite cornbread stuffing mix
water and butter according to package directions

1 lb frozen pearl onions
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cans chick peas
6 sage leaves
1 tsp fresh (or 1/4 tsp dried) thyme leaves
1 Tbsp fresh (or 1 tsp dried) rosemary leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
3 cups grated cheddar cheese

Prepare the stuffing according to package directions.  Set aside.

Preheat over to 375F.  Meanwhile saute the veggies with a bit of olive oil in a large skillet.  Cook over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, until the veggies are really beginning to brown and caramelize a bit.  Add the sage, thyme and rosemary about halfway through.

Melt gutter in a medium non-stick skillet and stir in the apples.  Sauté for about 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat to brown the apples just a bit.

Fluff the stuffing in a lage mixing bowl.  Toss with the veggies, apples and half the cheese.  Pour mixture into an oiled 13x9-inch casserole.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and browned and the stuffing is cooked through.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Mother Earth Roasted Veggies with Peanuts

What makes this mix of roasted carrots, potatoes, onion and peanuts so wholesome?  The fact that each ingredient was nurtured and grown within a soil womb, and is therefore so connected to Mother Earth?  Or is it just the sweet, brown, crispy caramelization that happens to each one when roasted in a hot oven?  Either way, this is a rich, warming side dish for either turkey or a vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish.

1-1/2 lb mixed fingerling potatoes, cut into wedges
2 cups baby carrots
1 large onion, sliced
3 green onions, diced
1/3 cup roasted peanuts
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh (or 2 tsp dried) rosemary
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp Pimenton, smoked Spanish paprika
generous dash salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450F.  Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl. 

 Spread out in a single layer in 1-2 rimmed jelly roll baking pans.

Roast for about 30-45 minutes, turning once or twice, until the veggies are softened and well browned.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Sausage and Mushroom

More and more people are coming out of the closet - and admitting they don't really like turkey.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.

If you are looking for an alternative Thanksgiving main course, rich enough for a King - stuff some acorn squash with a rich mixture of rice, sausage, mushrooms and golden raisins. What's not seasonal about acorn squash?

Want vegetarian?  Swap the sausage for black beans - just keep those herbs going. 

1 large acorn squash, quartered lengthwise, and seeded
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1 cup short grain brown rice
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 cups water
1 tsp salt

10-12 oz fresh button mushrooms, chopped
1 Tbsp butter

1 onion, diced
1 lb pork sausage
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 Tbsp sundried tomatoes, minced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp fresh (or 1 tsp dried) rosemary, chopped
6-8 leaves fresh sage (or 1/2 tsp dried)

Heat oven to 400F.  Place acorn squash quarters on a baking pan.  Salt and pepper generously and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly on top of each quarter. 

Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the squash are soft to the tip of a knife and well browned.

Set the rice to cook.  Toss the rice and oil in a small pot and sauté over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly.  When the rice is fragrant and starting to change color, add the water and bring to a boil.  Add the salt, stir, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile sauté the mushrooms in a large skillet over very high heat with a bit of canola oil.  When they have lost most of their water, add the butter and continue cooking over lower heat to lightly brown the mushrooms.  Set aside in a bowl.

Add the onions and a bit of olive oil to the skillet and sauté over medium-high heat, for about 5 minutes to color a bit, and then add the sausage and the rest of the ingredients. 

Brown the sausage well for about 10 minutes.  By this time, the rice should be done.  Remove the top, fluff with a fork and allow to dry out a few minutes.

Add rice to the sausage in the skillet along with the mushrooms, and mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Now check the squash - they should be done.  Plate each squash and top with a quarter of the sausage-rice mixture.

Serves 4