Recipes
I hope the below ideas are a nice follow up or antidote to the Thanksgiving menus–fairly light for the most part. The parsnip dumplings can be made with turkey stock to delicious effect and the red lentil dhal with winter squash is one of my all time favorite dishes and perfectly comforting and soothing this time of year. Enjoy!
Roasted Beets with Barley and Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Roasted Carrots
Red Lentil and Winter Squash Dhal
Caldo Verde (Kale/Cabbage and Potato Soup with Chorizo)
Greens & Grains Gratin with Browned Yogurt Topping
Parsnip Dumplings in Broth
Parsnip and Celery Root Cake
Roasted Beets with Barley and Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
This salad came about a bit by accident. I make this dressing, from Crescent Dragonwagon’s wonderful cookbook Bean by Bean to go with black beans and roasted sweet potatoes. The recipe for the vinaigrette makes more than enough for one salad so I had half a jar of it in the fridge. I also had roasted beets and celeriac and cooked barley. And voila, add a few thinly sliced scallions and a wonderful salad is born.
For salad:
2-3 cups cooked barley (or other grains or beans for that matter—white beans would be lovely here)
3 medium beets, roasted (or boiled), cooled, peeled and cut into medium dice or wedges or slices
½ of the below dressing
2-3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
some feta or goat cheese, crumbled (optional)
For the vinaigrette:
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves and most of the stems
Scant 1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup honey
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
Dash or two or three of Tabasco or similar hot sauce
Juice of 1 – 1 ½ limes
3/4 cup olive oil
For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except the oil in a food processor and process until smooth. You may need to scrape the processor sides once or twice. Add the oil and process a bit more to emulsify. Taste for seasonings, then transfer to a lidded container or jar and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Combine all the salad ingredients except the optional cheese and gently toss with ½ the dressing. Taste, adjust seasoning with more lime juice and/or salt. If using, gently mix in the cheese.
Roasted Carrots
The two things that make this simple, simple dish outstanding are the shape the carrots are cut into and the high heat of the oven. I had a version of this made by John Taboada of Navarre and Luce restaurants at a winery event. I literally couldn’t keep my fingers out of the dish!
However many carrots you have the patience and time to cut into long, thin strips (about 1/4-inch thick and 4 inches long
Olive oil
Salt
Chopped fresh tarragon and parsley
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Toss the carrots strips with a bit of olive oil to coat and sprinkle with salt. Spread the carrots out onto a large sheet pan and roast, tossing occasionally until well-caramelized and tender. Toss with chopped herbs and taste for salt. You might add another drizzle of your best olive oil.
Red Lentil and Winter Squash Dhal
Serves 6 – 8 (freezes well!)
Despite the long list of ingredients the dish comes together quite quickly. If you use veggie bouillon you’ll need less salt than the recipe below calls for. It’s delicious with the homemade bouillon so by all means use it if you have it. You can either add the squash raw but that means you have to peel it raw which can be a bit of a pain. You can just as easily bake whatever winter squash you have in a hot (400 degree) oven for 30 or so minutes. It will be much easier to peel when partially cooked. You can also bake it until completely tender before adding to the dhal.
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tsp. black or brown mustard seeds (can omit in a pinch)
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 ½ inches of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno chili, seeded, finely chopped (can omit and just use more chili flakes)
1 ½ tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. chili flakes
Salt – about 2-3 tsp. kosher salt (it takes more salt than you might think unless you’re using veggie bouillon or other salty stock or broth)
2 cups red lentils
3 cups baked winter squash, cut into bite-sized pieces (see headnote)
5 cups veggie bouillon or water
1 15-oz. can coconut milk (preferably full fat)
Juice of 1 lemon
½ a bunch of mint, chopped (can omit in a pinch)
½ a bunch of cilantro, chopped (can omit in a pinch or substitute parsley)
Heat just enough oil to coat the bottom of a large pan and add the mustard and cumin seeds. As soon as they begin to pop (only takes about 30 -90 seconds) add the onion, turn down the heat to medium, and cook until softened – about five minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, minced jalapeno, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and chili flakes and fry for 3 minutes.
Add the lentils and stir to coat with the oil and spices. Add salt, water, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the dhal is at a simmer. Cover partially and cook, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom, until the lentils and squash have partially lost their shape and are almost tender– about 15 minutes. Add the squash and stir in a little more liquid as necessary for the consistency you want and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the chopped herbs. Cook for a minute or two then season with more sea salt and add the lemon juice to taste. Serve warm over long grain white or brown rice and with plain Greek or other whole milk yogurt if you’d like. This dhal freezes well.
Caldo Verde (Kale or Cabbage and Potato Soup with Chorizo)
–adapted from Tender, by Nigel Slater
This is often made with savoy cabbage (which you will get in your next share so I’ll remind you of this recipe then but it’s also good with kale). One chorizo is really plenty to flavor this soup well but if you’ve got meat lovers at the table feel free to toss in another. If you’d like to make this without the meat, I would add a teaspoon of smoked Spanish paprika (Pimenton) and another clove or two of garlic at the beginning.
Serves 4
Olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 -4 medium waxy potatoes, scrubbed and cut into medium dice (or ½ parsnips/1/2 potatoes – see headnote)
4-5 cups water or broth or veggie bouillon
2 bay leaves
1 chorizo sausage (about 4 oz), cut into thin rounds
4 -5 cups kale, cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper
Good olive oil for drizzling
Sauté the onion and garlic over medium-low heat in a large pot in a bit of olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for a few more minutes before adding the water (or broth), bay leaves and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender, then add the kale and cook for another 15 minutes until the kale is tender and the potatoes are beginning to fall apart. Meanwhile fry the slices of chorizo in a small pan until they are crisp and the fat has been rendered.
Mash the potatoes in the pot with a fork or potato masher until partially broken down. You want the potatoes to thicken the soup but also leave plenty of lumps. Add the chorizo; adjust for salt and serve the soup generously drizzled with good olive oil and another grind of pepper.
Greens & Grains Gratin with Browned Yogurt Topping
–from theyellowhouse.com
The yogurt topping was inspired by a Martha Shulman New York Times recipe, and it is wonderful despite sounding a little strange.
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus a little more for oiling the baking dish
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
4 cups kale, well washed chopped finely
1 cup parmesan, grated (another hard cheese could also work)
3 cups grains, cooked (brown rice is lovely here)
1 cup Greek-style yogurt
3 eggs
Coarse salt
Pepper
Paprika (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Oil a 3-4 quart baking dish.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring a bit, until the shallot begins to become translucent and aromatic, about 3-5 minutes. Add the chopped greens and give a few quick stirs to coat in the oil and allium mixture and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the grains, the greens mixture, and 3/4 cup parmesan. Taste for salt and pepper and season if necessary. Then, stir in just one of the eggs and mix until well incorporated. Spread the mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
In another bowl, mix the yogurt, remaining two eggs, and remaining 1/4 cup parmesan. Throw in a few pinches of paprika if you want. Spread this mixture in an even layer over the grains and greens.
Bake, 35 minutes or so, until the egg-yogurt topping sets and becomes speckled brown. Serve hot.
Parsnip Dumplings in Broth or Turkey Stock
–adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
In the original recipe the author has you make a lovely, deeply flavored vegetable broth (with prunes in it!) with carrots, celery, celeriac, thyme, parsley, garlic, etc. I simple use my homemade veggie bouillon or chicken or turkey stock that I sometimes have in the freezer and will probably have fresh post Thanksgiving. Use anything you want but if it’s bland, make sure to season it well with salt and pepper and add some fresh, finely chopped herbs such as thyme or parsley.
~5 cups broth (See headnote)
½ lb potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups diced parsnips (peel only if the skin seems too fibrous and stringy)
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1/3 cup semolina flour (or more all-purpose flour)
1 large egg
Salt and pepper
Parsley, finely chopped
Lemon zest
Olive oil
Cook the potatoes, parsnips and garlic in plenty of salted, boiling water until soft; drain well and then place in a wide skillet with the butter. Heat through and stir for a few minutes to get rid of any excess moisture. Mash the veggies in the pan with a potato masher or take them out and use a potato ricer. You want them to be pretty smooth. Then add the flour, salt, baking powder and semolina flour and freshly ground pepper and mix until incorporated. Chill for 30 – 60 minutes, covered.
Heat your broth and taste for seasoning and have at a light simmer. Use a teaspoon to scoop small dumplings into the simmering broth. Once the dumplings come to the surface, leave to simmer for about 30 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon. When all dumplings have been cooked divide between bowls and pour over the broth. Garnish with finely chopped parsley mixed with a little lemon zest and olive oil.
Parsnip and Celery Root Cake
–adapted from Tender by Nigel Slater
Serves 3-6, depending on whether as a side or main
You can make this if you have celeriac leftover from last week’s share in which I included this recipe as well.
Parsnips can have woody and fibrous cores but if they are quite fresh they probably don’t and you don’t need to cut out the core. Taste a thin slice raw and see how it seems. I’ve found that local, fresh parsnips are quite tender all the way through, even the really big ones.
You want to slice your veggies very thin. A sharp knife works great if you’re comfortable and a bit practiced and the food processor is a good alternative too.
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 medium or 3 smaller parsnips, scrubbed and thinly sliced
1/2 a medium celery root, peeled and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme, chopped up a bit
6 tablespoons vegetable broth or stock (I use veggie bouillon)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F.
Toss the sliced onion and veggies in a large bowl with they thyme, at least a teaspoon of sea or kosher salt and plenty of pepper. You need to be generous with the salt.
Put the butter in a baking dish and place it in the oven while it’s preheating. When the butter is melted add the veggie mixture and combine well and pack the veggies down as evenly as possible. Pour the stock or bouillon over the mixture. Place a piece of wax paper or aluminum foil over the veggies and press down firmly. Bake for an hour and then remove the foil and turn your oven up to 425 (or to broil if you’re in a hurry) and cook for another five minutes or so until the top is nicely browned and the veggies are very tender.