Hearty pasta with greens, beets, feta and maybe some Sausage

My frustration with the lack of cold weather is what brought this one to life. Hoping to summon some relatively seasonal weather, I mixed up some fair weather friends with some heartier staples for a very easy and satisfying  supper.  I happened to have a bratwurst in my freezer and beets in the fridge, so all I needed was some greens and inspiration.

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 60-90 minutes, depending on your beets

Ingredients:
4 large (baseball sized) red beets, tops removed and bellies well scrubbed
1 T rosemary
1/2 lb bratwurst or other savory mild sausage
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
12-16 leaves of Swiss chard, ribs removed and chopped, leaves roughly chopped and well washed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb whole wheat cavatappi pasta, cooked al dente
1 T olive oil
1/2 - 1 c crumbled feta
s and p

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400*, place the beets in a shallow roasting pan with about a half an inch of water.  Sprinkle with s&p and crushed rosemary.  Tightly cover with foil and roast until they are easily poked with a fork, but still offer a bit of resistance.  A baseball sized guy will go 60-90 minutes.  Several smaller fellas will go as quickly as 30-60 minutes, but are more work to peel.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook pasta until just done (it will cook a little more, so you can even go under) about 8-9 minutes.  Toss with some olive oil and set aside.
• In a large lidded saute pan over medium low heat, cook the sausage through (whole, crumbled or sliced*). As it nears done, add the onions to the pan and cook until translucent.
• Add the greens and chopped stems, reduce heat low and cover to wilt the greens.  After a minute or 2 add the garlic and stir it all around.  Cover and allow to continue cooking over very low or no heat until the beets are ready.  If the beets have a ways to go, just leave the lid on and turn off the flame until you take the beets out.
• Once the beets are out of the oven and cooled enough to handle, return the greens and sausage to low heat and add the pasta to warm through.
• Meanwhile, peel the beets* and chop into cubes.
• Toss the pasta mixture to evenly distribute and serve in warmed shallow pasta bowls.  Top with beets, feta and a healthy crack of pepper.

If you opt to go veggie with this and leave out the sausage, add a little oil to the pan before you add the greens.  Bring up the flavor with some rosemary, sage, and fennel.  Add a splash of apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar just before serving.

Or...throw it all in a baking dish, top with mozzarella or swiss and bake until bubbly!

This would also be a fantastic side to any roasted or braised meat, less the sausage.

*Helpful Hints:
Cooking sausage: I don't work with sausage much, and I'm not very good at cooking it.  I can never seem to get a while link to cook through, so I either slice it long ways and cook it in a pan, or just pull it out of the casing and crumble it.  Personally, I find the crumbles more appealing than slices anyway.  I find that in German applications, the links are either steamed or boiled.  For this dish, you could just as easily roast it in the oven along side the beets, then add it to the onions.
Peeling Beets: beets are really easy to cool once they are cooked and allowed to cool a little bit.  I always recommend wearing rubber dish or latex medical gloves, cuz the red will last for days.  Any way you go, just pick up the beet and rub it gently between dry paper towels. The skin should just roll right off for you.  If you get some stubborn spots, try a small paring knife or a veggie peeler.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Puffs

This is a twist on my mom's tried and true Sausage Cheese Balls. They're great to have on hand for the holidays or for movie night.  They are in no way vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or remotely good for you, but man they taste good.

Yield: 7 dozen puffs
Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 T dijon mustard
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 T dry mustard
1 T high quality dried tarragon
3 T minced shallot
1 lb grated high quality swiss cheese (I used half emmenthaller and half jarlesburg)
4-6 oz ham steak, chopped small (pencil eraser or smaller)
3 1/2 cups bisquick bake mix
Salt & Pepper

Method:

• Preheat oven to 375*.
• Lay out the chicken so the messed up part where the bone was is facing up.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, dry mustard and taragon.  Fold over so all the yum is in the inside and arrange seam side down in a small baking tray.  Sprinkle top with a little more S&P, smear with 2 T of the dijon mustard and add wine to the pan.  Sprinkle in the shallot then cook until done, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the chicken and allow to cool.  Once cooled, chop the chicken to about the same size as the ham, include the gooey mustard and the shallots.
• Toss the meats with the bisquick.
• Met the cheese in the microwave until runny.  Carefully combine the cheese with the meat and bisquick...its not easy, but get it as mixed up as you can.
• Using about a tablespoon full, form into balls and place on cookie sheets.  Bake until just golden, about 16 minutes.  Or par-bake and freeze for later.  Always defrost before cooking.

Asian Pork Dumplings

These dumplings are great to have on hand for impromptu gatherings, to round out a stir-fry dinner, or to plop in simmering chicken & ginger stock for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.

Time: 90 minutes
Yield: 20-24 dumplings

Ingredients:
3/4 lb gound pork
1 c. napa cabbage, minced (or about 6 large brussels sprouts...cuz that's what I had on hand)
2 scallions, minced
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. chinese 5 spice powder
2 egg whites, lightly whipped
1 t salt, 1/5 t pepper
2 T low sodium soy sauce
1 package 3.5 inch wonton skins

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and chill for 1 hour.  Lay out wonton wrappers about 6 at a time, on an angle, since you'll be making triangle shapes.  Put 1 t filling on the top half of each wrapper.  Dip your finger tips in water and spread it across the 2 edges of the wraper closes to the filling.  Fold the dry point over to the wet point and gently seal the wrapper all around the filling, being careful to mush out as much air as possible AND to avoid ripping the wrapper.  Repeat until all filling has been wrapped.  Freeze on cookie sheets and transfer to freezer bags, or cook and serve with the dipping sauce below.

To cook (fresh or frozen, no need to defrost)
Place a fry pan over medium heat and coat with cooking spray.  Lay 1 layer of dumplings in the pan and cook over medium heat to brown on one side.  Add 1/2 cup water to the pan, reduce the heat to low.  Cover and simmer until the filling is cooked though, about 7 minutes.

Sauce:
1/2 c. low sodium soy
1 T toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 inch ginger root, grated
1/2 c. mirin
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1 t red pepper flakes
1 t sugar

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a measuring cup, microwave for 1 minute and whisk together.

Mushroom Soup, creamy or otherwise

I heart mushrooms...B does not. Not even a little.  I always want to order mushroom soup when we're out, but half the time its terrible fungus-y dishwater.  When you find a good soup with strong rich flavor (that's not too salty, not too thick, not made with 9lbs of butter and actually tastes like mushrooms instead of beef) its pretty heavenly.


This past weekend, I set out to make the best mushroom soup I could come up with AND keep B happy by sating him with a pot of Loaded Baked Potato Soup (which was rich, salty, calorie & carb laden and pretty terrific, too).  Give this a whirl and let me know what you think.


Yield: 6-8 servings

Time: 60-90 min


Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 large leek, cleaned and sliced*

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

2lbs mixed mushrooms, white, portobello, shitaki, etc, rough chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried tarragon*

1 c. dry white wine or 1/2 c. sherry or cognac

6 cups rich homemade veggie stock* or really good store bought (more or less depending on how thick you like it)

1 cup half n half or cream (optional)

s&p


Method:

• Heat the butter and oil in a heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat until melted.  
• Add onions, leeks, celery, carrot; partially cover and sweat*, 7-10 min.
• Add garlic and tarragon, stir for a minute or so
• Scoot* the veggies to the side, add all mushrooms and partially cover ad cook over medium / low until mushrooms are cooked through.  Reserve about a cup of mushrooms if you want to stir them through your finished soup for texture.  
• Remove cover and add the booze, cook until reduced by half.
• Add 4 cups broth and simmer 10-15 minutes.  
• Blend the soup with an immersion blender until completely smooth.  Add more stock if desired.
• Partially cover and simmer a while, 20-40 min.
• Taste, add s&p, add half and half and maybe a splash more booze.
• Warm through and serve with warm bread...maybe a fancy lil grilled gruyere cheese sammich...

Serving ideas: ...aside from the sammich.  Top with high quality prosciutto, the fennel in the curing rub will rock out with the tarragon and mushroom.  Sprinkle with crumbled bacon (softer rather than crispier). Top with a dollop of fresh goat cheese or float a crouton of brie in it.  Sprinkle with a bit of white truffle sea salt.  Throw a handful of asparagus tips in there.  

*Helpful Hints:

Leeks - eeks can be dirty, but are not always. Look for one with as much white as possible.  Cut off the dark green part (lite green is fine to use) and the little root fuzzies.  Once you have your leek log, slice it long ways (from end to end).  Take a look at it sliced side up - it may or may not be dirty between the layers.  If it is, just run it under cold water till its clean and set it sliced side down on a towel to dry out.

Veggie Stock - made from scratch, this is the best yet.  I have not found a good prepared one, let me know if you have any recommendations.

Tarragon - this is a pretty critical ingredient for this dish, tarragon has a licorish-y flavor and brings out the richness of the mushrooms.  If you can't get your hands on it, reach for something else with a similar flavor profile like fennel or basil.  If using dried, add at this time.  If using fresh, add in the last 5 min of cooking before puree.

Sweat - not you, the veggies.  This is a low cooking method that is not intended to bring any color to the veggies at all.  Think of it as time for them to get to know each other and start sharing flavors.

Mushroom Scoot - If you're not reserving to add back to the puree, you can skip the scoot and just stir all the veggies up together.

Funky Tabbouleh

B and I recently dined a little farm-to-table place before an evening at the theater.  Something like this was served in lieu of pre-meal bread - just about a tablespoon of it to share with 2 little demitasse spoons.  It was love at first bite, so we focused most of our energy on figuring out all the flavors and kinda forgot to enjoy it after that first bite.  The dish below is my first pass at it - tastes great, but check back for revisions once in a while.

Yield: 6 sides / first course

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

3/4 c. dried Israeli couscous, cooked per package directions with a crushed garlic clove added

1 can unsalted chick peas, drained or 1.5 cups soaked, cooked dry ones

2 T minced fresh mint

6 olives, minced*

1-2 T sun dried tomatoes in oil, minced

2 T carrot minced or grated

1-2 T golden raisins 

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

2 T olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 fresh lemon, juiced

something nutty like 1/4 tsp sesame oil, a bit of tahini, 2 T toasted walnuts or cashews finely chopped, 1 T toasted sesame seeds

Method:

While couscous is still warm, toss everything together, season with s&p, taste, adjust oil and lemon as needed.  Serve warm or at room temp.

Alternatives: dice up quinoa spaghetti or minced cauliflower florets in lieu of couscous for a gluten free option, add feta cheese to bulk it up, replace carrots and raisins with cucumber and radish in the summer.

Serving ideas: 

• warm through, fill a roasted eggplant half, top with feta and broil
• use as a bed for any roasted meets or nutty fish like trout
• top a field greens salad for healthy hearty lunch
• butterfly a flank steak or lamb shoulder, spread with tabbouleh, roll and roast

*Helpful Hints
Olives - not canned black olives, nice Mediterranean olives. I rolled a few out of a jar of "mixed greek olives," I would recommend kalamatas or nice fat green olives if you're not sure, but just use what you like.

Lamb and Chick Pea Stew

A strong craving for lamb and chick peas is what inspired this dish.  I happened to find fresh turmeric root in the market, so that took me down this kinda Moroccan path.


Ingredients
1T olive oil
1 small onion, small dice
1 lb round lamb, lightly seasoned with s&p
3 coves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh turmeric root, grated or 1 t ground*
1 inch fresh ginger root, grated or 1 t ground*
1 t. cumin
1 pinch cinnamon
2 fresh ripe tomatoes chopped, with juices or 1 14oz can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked and simmered till tender or 1 can no-salt chick peas
4 cups rich veggie broth* or good quality chicken stock (no salt or low salt)
1 cup cooked spinach, well drained*
1 T. cider vinegar


Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed soup pot until shimmering, cook onions until just beginning to soften and add the lamb.  Cook over medium until the lamb is just cooked through.  Depending on how fatty your lamb was, you may want to drain off some fat after cooked...but you'll be pouring out a ton of flavor.
2. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and tomato.  Cook over hight heat stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.
3. Add chickpeas, stock and spinach, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer partly covered for about 20 minutes or until you reach desired depth.
4. Season with salt and pepper, add vinegar about 2 min before serving.  Serve with warm naan or pita.

Alternatives:
Vegetarian - leave out the lamb, reduce the stock a bit so you have a very thick stew and top with a poached or fried egg.
Vegan - skip the egg and the meat.


*Helpful Hints 
Ginger - select ginger that is big enough around for easy peeling, use a carrot peeler or a small sharp knife to get the tough skin off.  There is a device called a ginger grater with is worth the couple of bucks if you cook with fresh ginger a lot.  Otherwise you can squish it thru a garlic press, slice into thin disks and mince or use a micro-plane.
Fresh Turmeric - I stumbled upon this in Whole Foods, its pretty hard to find.  If you happen to see it, grab it but don't kill yourself trying to find it.  Note: this stuff STAINS everything and will last on your hands for days.  Wear gloves.
Veggy Stock - this is a great recipie
Spinach - to drain it well, twirl it through a paper towel lined salad spinner or press it into a sieve.

Minted Lamb with Green Lentils and Shaved Asparagus Salad

Decadent springtime bliss as far as I'm concerned....

Time: 1 hour (+1 or 2 days for marinating)
Yield: dinner for 2

Ingredients:

1 lb lamb shoulder blade steaks (or any cut of lamb you like)
6 oz plain greek yogurt
1/2 c chopped fresh mint leaves
2 clove garlic, 1 minced, 1 smashed
1 T lemon juice
2 t lemon zest
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup dried green lentils
1 c water
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, minced or 1 t dried & crushed
8 spears of fresh fresh fresh asparagus, super thinly sliced on the bias (diagonal) tender tips reserved
2 canned or frozen marinated artichoke hearts, chiffonaded or julienned (sliced in thin ribbons)
1/2 T liquid from arty hearts
2 T minced crazy fresh ripe sweet tomato...if its not crazy fresh ripe and sweet, skip it

Method:

• For the meat, whip together the yogurt, mint, minced garlic, a little s&p, lemon juice and 1.5 t zest.  Depending on the cut of the lamb, poke it a bit with a fork and coat in the yogurt mix.  Place this in a shallow, non-reactive (pyrex, glass, porcelain) dish and cover everything with plastic wrap. You want the wrap touching all the food with no air gaps - you don't want it tight across the top of the container.  Refrigerate and let marinate 24-48 hours.
• Combine lentils, water, bonked garlic, sp and rosemary in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook covered for about 35 min.  Remove the cover and let reduce another 10 min until most liquid is absorbed and the lentils are a little tender.
• In the mean time...retrieve the lamb, wipe it off somewhat (it will be super gross looking), heat the grill to high, oil the grate and grill mark the lamb.  Once marked (about 90 seconds per side), turn off the center burner, reduce the side burners to medium low and cook indirectly about 7 minutes on each side.  Remove from heat, tent with foil for about 5 min, then serve.  You're not going for rare or mid rare here - you're looking for lightly pink and crazy tender.
• If you don't have a grill, pre-heat your oven to 350*.  Then heat an oven proof sautee, cast iron pan or dutch oven with some oil and quickly brown the lamb on both sides.  Finish in the low oven for about 15 minutes and then rest per above.
• Once your lentils are on and your lamb is working, toss together the shaved asparagus and chiffonade of arty heart with the extra arty juice, lemon zest, a LITTLE salt and a healthy crack of pepper.  Set aside to come together at room temp.  Top with tomato at when plating... this salad WILL blow your mind.
• To plate: use a spoon to drain off the liquid from your lentils and spread them on the plate.  Top with the lamb (the lentils and lamb jus will do something magical) and then either top the lamb with the salad, serve to the side or as a first course. 

Pairings: Chateau Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 is killer with this, even in springtime.  If you're feeling crazy, top the lamb with a little creamy feta or goat, but its really kind of over the top.  Serve with some naan or lavosh or pocketless pita - something nice an soft.

Plain yogurt with honey, lemon sorbet, fresh berries with cream and mint leaves, or dark chocolate with strawberries and mint would be great endings.