So much warm deliciousness in these recipes this week. Stay warm and happy cooking!
Oh and with that cabbage, cut into wedges (leave core attached so they stay together) and drizzle with olive oil and some salt and bake on a sheet pan at 425 until the edges are quite browned and the cabbage is tender. Serve as is with a bit more salt or drizzled with a simple vinaigrette and a dusting of Parmesan if you’re feeling fancy. Delish!
White Bean and Chicory Soup
Wilted Chicory
Cumin Lime Coleslaw
Roasted Pumpkin Wedges with Sriracha Yogurt Dressing
Warm Celery Root and Green Lentil Salad with Hazelnuts
Celery Root Soup
Kale and Bean Soup with Pasta
White Bean and Chicory Soup
This is my idea of a perfect wintery bowl of soup. You could make it heartier if you serve the soup over a garlicky slice of toasted bread. Of course you could add bacon or sausage or any kind of leftover meat but I like the simplicity of the white beans and escarole, just finished with good olive oil and black pepper. If you have cooked white beans on hand this comes together in 30 minutes, tops. And this is even better the next day.
Serves 6 -8
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon fresh or dried oregano or sage, finely chopped
6-7 cloves garlic, mashed and roughly chopped
3 -4 cups white beans, cooked and drained (cooking liquid reserved)
1 head Sugarloaf chicory (about 1 lb), torn or chopped into bite-sized pieces
4-5 cups liquid–I use a combination of bean cooking liquid and veggie bouillon broth (you can use water or chicken stock or vegetable stock too)
Good olive oil for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and herbs and cook for a few more minutes. Add the beans, liquid and escarole and bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until the escarole is tender. You can serve as is or remove a few cups of the soup and then return to the pot, for a creamier texture. Adjust seasoning with salt. Serve, not too hot, drizzled with good oil and plenty of black pepper.
Wilted Chicory
This is a very simple technique that just begs for a fried or poached egg or maybe some fish or a lovely bowl of beans and good olive oil as an accompaniment.
Wash and trim the chicory. Cut the leaves into wide strips. Sauté in olive oil, covered, until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add a splash of vinegar, and serve.
Cumin Lime Coleslaw
I’ve made several versions of this salad lately and it’s a nice compliment to the richer, warmer foods of the season. And the carrots are so sweet and crunchy are such a colorful addition.
½ a small to medium cabbage (about 6 cups sliced), cut as thinly as possible
2 medium carrots (optional), grated on the large holes of a box grater or in the food processor
2-3 green onions, very thinly sliced (optional–or just use some thinly sliced regular onion instead of green onions)
handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped (optional)
1/2 cup toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds (optional)
Dressing
Juice of 1 lime (or lemon)
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons good-tasting olive oil or more to taste
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or sour cream or mayonnaise
1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (if you’d like you can toast 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds in a dry skillet for a couple of minutes until fragrant and a shade darker-be careful not to burn-and crush those for a more vibrant flavor)
pinch of red pepper flakes or a small hot pepper like Serrano or Jalapeño, minced (or more if you like spice)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the cabbage in a large salad bowl. Add scallions and cilantro and/or mint and carrot, if using. Mix all dressing ingredients well in a small bowl and pour over veggies. Mix well. Let rest for 20 minutes or more, to soften vegetables and let flavors meld. Toss in sunflower or pumpkin seeds, if using and adjust seasoning.
Roasted Pumpkin Wedges with Sriracha Yogurt Dressing
–slightly adapted from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi
I made this with butternut squash the other day, as that was what I had, and it was divine. I’m sure it will be good with pumpkin too and since I actually prefer to make pumpkin pies with butternut squash I use my pumpkins for more savory dishes, like this one.
And I’m SURE you will easily consume all of this even if you use both of your pumpkins.
1 (or two) pie pumpkins, cut in half, seeds and strings removed and cut into1-inch or so wedges, leaving skin on
½ – 1 teaspoon cinnamon (depending on size or quantity of pumpkin(s)
1 teaspoon or more sea salt
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup Greek yogurt (or plain whole milk regular yogurt)
2 teaspoons Sriracha or comparably hot sauce
½ – ¾ cup very finely chopped cilantro, stems and all
1 garlic clove, minced and then mashed with some coarse salt with the side of a chef’s knife on the cutting board until you have a paste
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
A little more salt
1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts or hazelnuts (chopped up if using the nuts)
Preheat Oven to 425 degrees
Toss the pumpkin wedges with the cinnamon, some salt and olive oil and spread on baking sheets and bake until tender and starting to brown. Let cool a bit and peel off skins.
Meanwhile, stir the Sriracha and yogurt together in a small bowl. In another bowl mix the cilantro, garlic, salt and olive oil.
Put the warm pumpkin wedges on a platter and dollop with yogurt sauce, drizzle with herb sauce and sprinkle with seeds/nuts—how’s that for a lot of good adjectivesJ!? Enjoy!
Warm Celery Root and Green Lentil Salad with Hazelnuts
–adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
This dish is substantial enough to make a light main course. The earthy flavors of the nuts and the lentils are balanced by the sharpness of the vinegar and the fresh mint. Don’t skimp on the salt – lentils need a lot of it. You can serve this warm or at room temperature.
Serves 4
1/3 cup hazelnuts, roasted and roughly chopped (optional but very good)
1 cup small French green lentils
(these hold up well when cooked and are thus good for salads—don’t use the larger, brown lentils as they’ll get too mushy)
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 small celery root, peeled and cut into ¾-inch x 1/4 –inch chips
(more or less)
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons fresh mint, roughly chopped (or parsley)
Put the lentils, water, bay leaves and thyme sprigs in a small saucepan. Simmer for about 20-22 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but just a bit al dente, then drain in a sieve. Remove and discard the bay leaves and the thyme sprigs.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring plenty of salted water to a boil, add the celery root, and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until just tender. Drain.
In a large bowl, mix the hot lentils (make sure they don’t cool down – lentils soak up flavors much better when they’re hot) with the olive oil, the vinegar, a few grinds of black pepper and plenty of salt. Add the celery root, stir, taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Add the mint and hazelnuts and stir again.
Celery Root Soup
–adapted from Davidlebovitz.com
David Lebovitz is one of my favorite bloggers/chefs. His writing is witty and transporting and I trust his recipes implicitly and only tinkered a bit with this one. This is delicious, elegant and easy to make. If your celery root is smaller or you want to make a smaller batch just adjust everything accordingly.
8-10 Servings
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced (or 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped)
Sea salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
One large celery root (about 3-pounds), peeled and cubed
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
or broth
3 cups water
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
, more to taste
Scant 1/8 teaspoon chile powder
Croutons and good olive oil for serving
In a large pot, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the onion (or leeks) and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic cloves and season with salt, and continue to cook until the onions and garlic are soft and translucent.
Add the celery root and stock or broth. (Or use all water.) Bring to a boil, then reduce to a lively simmer. Cook, partially covered, until the celery root pieces are soft about 40 minutes–the time will depend on the size of your celery root chunks.
Add pepper and chile powder, then purée using an immersion blender or transfer to a blender or food processor and do in batches. Be really careful with the hot liquid if you’re using a blender or processor. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. If the soup is too thick, it can be thinned with water or stock or even a little cream but I like the purity of the soup without.
I like the soup served with good, crusty croutons and a little good olive oil and more black pepper. You can vary the soup by adding some pieces of crisp bacon as a garnish or a dollop of sour cream. Chives or parsley would be a nice garnish.
Kale, Bean and Pasta Soup
–inspired by Amy Scattergood via the Wednesday Chef
This makes a lot but it keeps well too, though the pasta gets a bit softer but I don’t mind that the second day. This is written for a full share but feel free to reduce the quantity, however you need to, for your share size.
Serves 8 to 10
1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons, divided
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced or 2 onions, finely-diced
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 cups dried pinto or cranberry beans
Sea salt
2 bunches lacinato kale, cleaned, stemmed and coarsely chopped
3 cups orecchiette pasta or 2 cups tubetti or something like that
1 tablespoon fresh minced sage
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon lemon juice or cider vinegar
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
In a 4-quart soup pot heat 1/4 cup of olive oil and cook the leeks, carrots and onions over medium heat until softened, 8-10 minutes.
Add the dried beans and 12 cups of water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with the lid, stirring occasionally. After about 35 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of sea salt. Continue to cook, covered, until the beans are soft, another 10-15 minutes or so—will depend on the freshness of your beans.
With a slotted spoon, remove 1 cup of the beans and, separately, 2 tablespoons of bean cooking liquid and set both aside. Add the kale to the soup, stirring in a few cups at a time as the greens wilt. Cover, and continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes more until the greens are tender, then remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and reserve.
In a food processor, combine the reserved beans and bean cooking liquid, sage, parsley, paprikas and lemon juice, the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, then check for seasoning, adding more salt if desired, or bean liquor to aid in blending.
Just before serving, stir the cooked pasta into the soup. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with about 2 tablespoons of spiced bean purée. Grate Parmesan over the top of each bowl to taste and serve immediately.