SIO Recipes for Week 25
It’s going to get cold this week and but I did include a few hearty salad recipes along with the warm dishes like the braised radicchio, the leek and chicken dish and the stuffed delicata recipe. Pick up a bunch of cilantro this week (if you like cilantro) for the beet salad and the Brussels sprout dish. Happy cooking and stay warm!
Beet, Fennel and Walnut Salad with Garlicky Dressing
Brussels Sprouts with Thai-style Fish Sauce Dressing
Radicchio, Orange and Olive Salad
Quickly Braised Radicchio
Stuffed and Baked Delicata Squash
Chicken with Leeks and Lemon
Leek Notes
Beet, Fennel and Walnut Salad with Garlicky Dressing
This photo was taken of my version with celery but sub fennel in this week.
I toss together a lot of beet salads, some of which make it into the recipe collection. This one, as they always do, resulted from what I happened to have on hand. Adapt as you see fit and originally I made this with celery but fennel makes a great, crunchy substitution with the sweet, robust beets and the sharp zing from the garlic is a particularly fun combination.
Serves 2-3
4 roasted (or boiled), cooled and peeled beets, cut into large dice or wedges
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and then sliced 1/8-1/4-inch thick and then diced
2 cloves garlic, minced and then mashed into a paste with some coarse salt on the cutting board with the side of a chef’s knife (or put through a press)
1/3 cup (or more) cilantro, stems and all, roughly chopped
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
1-2 ounces feta, crumbled
1 scallion, thinly sliced (optional–use a little onion or shallot if that’s what you have)
1 tablespoon (or more) sherry or red wine or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons (or more) good olive oil
Salt
Whisk the mashed garlic with the olive oil and vinegar. Toss this dressing with everything else, except the beets. Gently toss in the beets. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Brussels Sprouts with Thai-style Fish Sauce Dressing
–inspired by Food52.com
I used both cauliflower and Brussels sprouts in this version but just Brussels sprouts are delicious.
The first time I made these for dinner I ate 2/3 of it by myself. This is a strong, fresh flavored dish. I make it just with Brussels sprouts or a mixture of cauliflower and Brussels sprouts or just cauliflower. You can certainly use broccoli or other roasted vegetables too. I misread the quantity of Brussels sprouts we were sign to get this week so if you decide to make this and halve a half share I would suggest dicing your delicata squash and roasting it alongside the sprouts to make a what will I”m sure be a beautiful and delicious variation on this dish. . .or try it with fennel–I bet that would be good too.
Serves 4
2-3 tablespoons very thinly sliced cilantro stems, plus 1/2 cup leaves
3 tablespoons chopped mint (optional—it’s great with and without so don’t make a special trip for mint)
1 lb pounds Brussels sprouts (family share gets 1 lbs this week) or 1/2 lb and 1 delicata (see headnote)
Fish Sauce Vinaigrette
2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (adjust to taste — some fish sauce brands are saltier than others)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 to 3 Serrano chilies very thinly sliced, seeds intact (or more traditionally Thai birds eye chilies which are hotter)
For the vinaigrette, combine the fish sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and chilies in a jar. Taste; If too salty, add more water and/or lime juice. This vinaigrette will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Combine the vinaigrette, cilantro stems, and mint in a bowl, and set aside.
Peel away any loose or discolored outer leaves of the Brussels sprouts, trim the ends and cut the sprouts in half. Cut any especially large ones in quarters. Wash well and pat dry.
Now you can either roast the Brussels sprouts in a 400 degree oven tossed with a bit of olive oil or you can start them on the stove top in 2 large skillets, cut side down in a splash of oil. If you do the latter, cook them undisturbed like this over medium high heat for about 8-10 minutes until nicely browned on the cut side. Then move the skillets to the oven and continue roasting for about 15 minutes until tender but not at all mushy.
And if you don’t have two large skillets or are cooking more sprouts for a larger crowd, roast them in the oven: toss them with 1 tablespoon of oil per pound and spread them on a baking sheet, cut sides down. Roast in the oven, checking for browning every 10-15 minutes, tossing them around with a spatula only once they start to brown nicely. The sprouts are ready when they are tender but not soft, with nice, dark brown color.
When ready to serve (warm or at room temp), toss the Brussels sprouts with the dressing to taste and cilantro leaves and mint, if using, and toss once or twice to coat. You might not need quite all the dressing so start with 2/3 of it.
Radicchio, Orange and Olive Salad
This is a gorgeous salad with robust flavors and citrus fruits are just starting to show up and it’s getting COLD this week so I guess it’s time!
Serves 4
1 small to medium head radicchio, washed, dried and cut into bite-sized pieces (you want about 4 cups of radicchio)
1 orange
Handful of cured black olives, pitted
2-3 tablespoons parsley leaves (optional)
1-2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion or shallot
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon vinegar of your choice
About 2 tablespoons good olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cut the top and bottom off the orange and set it on one end. With a sharp serrated knife cut away the peel and pith and then cut the sections way from the membrane. Reserve any juice to add to the salad.
Put the radicchio in a salad bowl and add the orange slices, halved, if large, and the remainder of the ingredients. Toss gently and taste and adjust seasoning.
Quickly Braised Radicchio
Serves 4
This is simple and delicious and a good foil for any meat or stewed bean or lentil dish.
Olive oil
½ onion, thinly sliced
1 head radicchio, washed and roughly chopped into large bite-sized pieces (no need to dry it well—you want a little water clinging to the leaves)
Sea Salt
2 tablespoons sherry, red or cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
In a large, heavy skillet heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat until softened a bit. Add the radicchio and a few pinches of salt and toss well. Sauté for about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the vinegar and sugar or honey and combine well. Cook for another minutes or two. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot or warm.
Stuffed and Bake Delicata Squash
I made this with Sweet Dumpling squash but it’s just as good with Delicata.
This is a beautiful, fairly quick and highly adaptable dish. Unlike my usual stuffed pumpkin recipe, you steam the halved squash on the stove top which speeds things up considerably. I tested this with Sweet Dumpling squash as you see in in the photo but delicatas will work perfectly. Some other ideas for variations.
- Use cooked quinoa, barley, lentils, orzo pasta, or bread instead of rice.
- Use oregano, rosemary, marjoram, savory, chives or any combination of herbs you’d like.
- Use any kind of cheese you’d like or omit entirely.
- Add diced, cooked bacon or sausage or leftover meat of any kind.
- Use cream or a meat stock instead of the broth.
- Use coconut milk instead of the stock and add a little ginger, cumin, turmeric or coriander.
Serves 4
2 Delicata squash
2 1/2 cups cooked rice (or other grain/filling, see above)
Scant 1 cup veggie bouillon broth or any kinds of broth or stock or milk or cream (see above)
4 tablespoons herbs, chopped (I used parsley, thyme and sage here)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or any cheese you like)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
2 teaspoons harissa (optional)
Olive oil
*Note: make sure you salt the filling well.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and membrane to expose the cavity. Set the squash cut side down in a wide, heavy skillet. Pour water in to about 1/2-inch up the side of the squash. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the pan. Bring to a lively simmer and cover until tender, about 10 minutes. Check occasionally to see if there is enough water and to check the squash. It cooks remarkable quickly. Remove the squash from the pan and set aside.
In a bowl mix the remaining ingredients and taste and adjust seasoning. Fill the squash with the mixture, packing it in well. Drizzle the top of the filling and squash with olive oil. Set in a baking dish–an 8 x 8-inch pan works well for 2 sweet dumplings bake for about 35 minutes until hot through. Run under the broiler for a bit more color if you’d like.
Serve cut in halves or quarters.
Chicken with Leeks and Lemon
I think of this as both comfort and company food. It’s fairly straightforward to make and is always delicious and elegant. For a quicker alternative you can cook the leeks down with the broth and wine until silky and then toss in pieces of chicken breast (instead of whole thighs) that will cook very quickly.
Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken thighs (bone in with skin)
4 leeks, well rinsed, cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 3-inch lengths
1 small glass (4 ounces) of dry white wine (or dry vermouth)
1 ½ cups chicken stock or veggie stock or bouillon (see recipe below)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
3-4 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs skin side down and cook until pale golden, then turn and cook a few more minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the leeks to the pan. Cover and let them cook gently until they are soft over medium heat. You don’t want to brown them so turn the heat down more if they start to darken. When they start to soften add the wine, broth, lemon juice and zest and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, return the chicken to the pan and then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in the parsley, adjust seasoning with salt and/or lemon and serve over rice or with boiled potatoes.
Leek Notes
If you don’t want to make the chicken dish with the leeks, just sauté them slowly I a bit of butter or olive oil and a little fresh or dried thyme until soft and then spread them on toasted bread and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil or stir them in scrambled eggs or start a soup this way and add carrots and fennel to it.