Four ingredients to the perfect comfort food: Cauliflower Gratin

Whenever we are looking for cozy and simple comfort food in our house, this is one of our go-to dinners.  With just four ingredients (often already in house), thirty minutes, plus a green salad, we are set!





Cauliflower Gratin

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into large florets keeping much of the stem
• 1 cup heavy cream (comfort food, not diet food)
• 1 cup grated cheese such as cheddar and Parmesan
• 2 tbs. Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 425.

Drop the florets into boiling salted water and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and set on a kitchen towel to help them to dry.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream, mustard, 1/2 tsp or more of black pepper and 1 tsp. salt. 

Place the cauliflower into a baking dish and it should fit in one layer with only some overlapping of florets.  Stir in the grated cheese to mix well. Then pour over the cream mixture.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes or until the edges are dark brown and the center is bubbling.

Vegan Hearty Winter Stew

This is a full flavored winter stew that makes the most of the fresh produce available at our markets this time of year.

And it is only vegan because the flavors and textures are so rich, you don't need to add any dairy to complete the dish.

Vegan Hearty Winter Stew

• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 medium leeks, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced
• 2 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 bunch watercress, chopped
• 1 bunch kale or other dark hearty green, chopped
• 2 large parsnips, peeled and diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 6 medium potatoes, diced
• 8 cups vegetable stock (see note at bottom of post)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 4 tbs. flour
• 6 tsp. Dijon mustard

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, saute the onions, leeks, salt and pepper in olive oil over medium heat for 7 or 8 minutes.

Add the parsnips, carrots and potatoes and saute for 5 minutes.

Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil over high heat.  As soon as the soup is at a boil, reduce the heat to  medium low and simmer until the root vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Then add the kale, parsley, watercress, peas and corn.  Continue to cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove 1/2 cup of the broth and put it in a small bowl or glass jar along with the flour and mustard. Stir to combine. Then slowly stir into the soup. The flour will thicken the soup slightly and the mustard will add a wonderful burst of flavor.  Cook the soup for 5 more minutes and serve with crusty bread.

Check out the recipe for the Vegetarian Pot Pie with Chive Biscuit Top that uses the left overs of this soup.

*Whenever a recipe calls for vegetable broth or stock, I use Better-Than-Bouillon Vegetable Base. You can find this at Bloomingfoods and Marsh in the soup and bouillon section. I always have a jar in my pantry. Simple stir in one teaspoon for each two cups of water and you'll have instant broth that adds tremendous depth of flavor instantly.

Vegetarian Pot Pie with a Chive Biscuit Top

Whenever I make a chowder, stew or hearty soup, I always make extra so we can have pot pies later in the week. The base for this soup is my Vegan Winter Vegetable Soup. Sometimes I use this biscuit topping, sometimes a store bought pie crust, and sometimes I go with a shepherds pie and use left over mashed potatoes. Anyway you go, this is a wonderful country style meal.

The biscuits in this recipe have butter. Using a pie crust or mashed potatoes that are vegan would make this dish vegan as well.

Vegetarian Pot Pies with a Chive Biscuit Top serves 4

• 4 cups left over Vegan Winter Vegetable Soup (or any left over soup you have made this week)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/3 c. cold butter, cut into cubes
• 2/3 cups cold milk (you may need more or less)
• 1/2 cup chopped chives or fresh herb of your choice

Preheat the oven to 375 and butter 4 individual ramekins or one 8" x 10" x 2" baking dish.

To make the biscuit topping, put the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times which will mix the ingredients and act as a sifter. Then, with the motor running, add the cubed butter a couple of pieces at a time until all has been used and the flour mixture has small pea sized pieces of butter throughout. This will only take a few seconds. Then add the herbs and pulse two or three times.

With the motor running, slowly add the cold milk a little at a time until the dough begins to form a ball around the blade. Stop the processor and turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.

Kneed the dough a few times, adding a little bit of extra flour if the dough is sticky. Then roll out into a square that is about 10" x 10". If making individual pot pies, cut

out the pie crust into circles that are just smaller than the tops of the ramekins. If are using a larger baking dish, cut the dough into 4" x 4" squares.

Ladle the soup into the ramekins or baking dish. Place the biscuit dough on top. You can brush egg wash over the top if you want an extra golden crust. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little kosher salt. Place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pot pie is bubbling around the edges.

Serve once the pot pies have had a few minutes to cool.

Maple Roasted Winter Squash

This all started last fall. I bought a few mini squash to use as decoration in my house. And since I try to be an organic gardener and environmentally responsible, I tossed the squash out into my garden once the Christmas season approached and it was time to swap squash for pine cones (I do love a predictable holiday decor sometimes).

Spring came and my garden was coming to life with herbs, cucumbers and tomato plants. Then summer came, the dry heat arrived, and along with this came squash vines. And these vines grew and grew and grew. As fall approached, beautiful mini squash appeared everywhere!

I harvested twenty or so to use as decorations for a large tented dinner that we hosted in October. My three year old niece, while visiting from North Carolina, was able to harvest these mini pumpkins just days before Halloween.

Then Thanksgiving came and of course I had to used these gorgeous gourds to showcase the bounty of this fall feast day.

Anyway, practicality came into play the other night. I was hungry, there was nothing in the house to eat, and it was raining and I didn't want to go the grocery store. And then my eyes lit on the pile of mini squash that were still scattered around my dining room.

So a year after my purchase of some ornamental chachka, dinner was finally served.

Maple Roasted Squash

• Your choice of a winter squash
• olive oil
• maple syrup
• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half through the stem end. Remove the seeds (save for composting and next year's bounty). Put the squash cut side up on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Mix equal parts olive oil and maple syrup. Brush liberally over the squash. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Roast in the oven for 35 minutes or until the squash are fork tender.
To use any leftover roasted squash, check out the recipe for Pasta with Roasted Squash, Kale and Brown Buttered Sage in the 'main course' category.

Pasta with Roasted Squash, Kale and Brown Buttered Sage

This is a quick and simple pasta dish that is a complete meal in one bowl...my favorite kind of pasta dish.

Created to use up left over roasted squash from another meal, you could certainly use frozen butternut squash. Simple thaw and saute in a little olive olive oil and maple syrup. Then add to this recipe as directed below.

Pasta with Roasted Squash, Kale and Brown Buttered Sage Leaves serves 4

• Olive oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 6 anchovies (optional)
• 2 cups roasted squash, cubed (or frozen and prepared as noted above)
  
• 4 cups kale (or other dark greens) shredded or chopped
  
• 1 lb. penne or your favorite pasta
• 1 tbs. butter
  
• 10 sage leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the greens. Cook for ten minutes if using a thick sturdy leaved green like kale, or 5 minutes if using chard or another softer leaved green.
While the greens are cooking, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, brown sugar, anchovies, salt and black pepper. Once sizzling, reduce the heat to medium low to let the onions caramelize.
When the greens are cooked, scoop them out of the pot with a slotted spoon right into the saute pan with the onion mixture. Reduce heat to low and add the squash. Continue to cook.
Meanwhile, in the same pot that you cooked the greens, bring the water back to a boil (add more water if needed) and add the pasta. Cook for 8 minutes.
Add the pasta to the saute pan with the greens along with one or two ladles of pasta cooking water. Raise the heat to medium and cook to let the pasta water reduce and become a sauce.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small saute pan. Add the sage leaves and let the butter brown for two minutes or so. Turn off the heat and reserve this for plating.
When the pasta has cooked for 5 or so minutes, turn off the heat. Add 3/4 cups of the cheese, stir combine and cover the pan. Let stand for 5 minutes while you bring people to the table.
To plate, put pasta in 4 bowls, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the pasta and top with the brown butter and sage leaves.

Pasta de Provence

A dear friend just returned from NYC. While there, she visited her favorite herb shop and brought me a gift of a package of herbs de provence. The french blend of herbs traditionally contains savory, basil, thyme, lavender and fennel.

So with a cold wintry night at hand and a bag of herbs de provence in hand, I came up with this lovely french themed pasta dinner.

Pasta de Provence for 4

• 1 1/2 lb. roma tomatoes (about 6 medium) quartered lengthwise and de-seeded
• 2 tbs. herbs de provence
• 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 5 oz. box of baby arugula
• 1 lb. fettuccine
• 8 oz. brie, cut into small cubes (this is much easier to do when very cold)
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs made from fresh bread, pulsed in a food processor
• Olive oil
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 425. Place the quartered and seeded roma tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and 1 tsp. of herbs de provence. Roast for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet until you are ready to incorporate them into the dish.
Boil the pasta in water with 1 tbs. salt until al dente, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium to medium low heat. Add the shallots, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the roasted tomatoes, arugula and wine. Raise the heat to medium and cook until the greens are wilted and the wine has reduce, about 5 minutes.
Add the pasta to the pan with the greens, along with a half cup of the pasta cooking water. Stir to combine and let sit, covered, for 3 minutes.
While the pasta is resting, place the bread crumbs on the baking sheet that the tomatoes were roasted in. Drizzle a little olive oil over the bread crumbs with a little salt. Stir and put into the oven which is still at 425. Cook them for two or three minutes until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and, using a spatula, scrape up the bread crumbs and any brown bits left from roasting the tomatoes.
Transfer the hot pasta to a serving bowl. Add the brie cubes and stir to combine. The brie will melt within a minute or so. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the pasta along with 1 tbs. herbs de provence and the parsley. Then drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the pasta.
Serve immediately and enjoy the hardy flavors of France.

Eleven Madison Park Granola is perfection

Two years ago we were in NYC and Eleven Madison Park had just received four stars from the New York Times, a very noteworthy event. So we decided that we had to have lunch there will in the city (dinner was way out of our budget). The food was truly amazing as was the service and the decor.

Now visitors to Eleven Madison Park are given a small gift bag of this granola as they leave. And this is the bests granola I have ever had by far. The recipe is straight from the NY Times Magazine and has not been altered in any way from its original printing.

Eleven Madison Park Granola from Daniel Humm

• 2 3/4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup shelled pistachios
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut chips (I do use shredded as it is easier to find)
• 1/3 cups pumpkin seeds
• 1 tbs. salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup dried sour cherries

Preheat the oven to 300. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, pistachios, coconut, pumpkin seeds and salt.
In a small sauce pan set over low heat, warm the sugar, syrup and olive oil until the sugar has just dissolved, then remove from heat. Fold liquids into the mixture of oats, making sure to coat the dry ingredients well.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and spread granola over it. Bake until dry and lightly golden, 35 to 40 minutes, stirring granola a few times along the way.
Transfer to a bowl, add the sour cherries and mix well. Let cool completely before putting in an air tight container.
This is fabulous for breakfast with yogurt. It is also perfect for a snack on its own any time of the day. PS. it goes great with a gin martini too.
Note: this is a great recipe to take advantage of the bulk section of Bloomingfoods to cut costs and keep extra ingredients down.