Baked Garlicky Mushrooms, Cherry Tomatoes and Cheese

If you're looking for a meatless meal, this is a great (and easy) choice that bakes in one pan if you don't count the mashed potatoes or polenta.  The key is to choose fresh portobello mushrooms that are big enough to hold the cheese when you scoop out the gills.  Depending on their size, you'll need one, two, or even three per person.  They're rich and meaty with melted cheese, plus the tomatoes, herbs and onions add flavor and the potatoes (or polenta) add creaminess.  All in all it's a very satisfying and cozy fall or winter dinner.

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Baked Garlicky Mushrooms, Cherry Tomatoes and Cheese

Serves 2

4 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (picked off the stems but not chopped) or sage leaves

8 oz cherry tomatoes

1 cup frozen pearl onions (no need to thaw)

3-4 medium to large portobello mushrooms (1 large or 2 medium per person)

1 T shredded Cheddar or Gruyere cheese per mushroom (3-4 tablespoons total)

1 T olive oil

1 T good-quality red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Hot mashed potatoes or polenta, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Peel and very finely slice the garlic. Halve the cherry tomatoes.

Wipe the mushrooms. Trim the stems and scoop out the gills with a small spoon.

Place the tomatoes and pearl onions in a 8” x 10” baking pan (or whatever size fits the mushrooms snugly) and drizzle with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and red wine vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon thyme or sage leaves, a pinch of salt and black pepper and toss together.

Pick out 9-12 perfect garlic slices (3 per mushroom) and save for later, then place the mushrooms stalk side up on the top. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, crumble the cheese into the mushroom cups and sprinkle over the reserved garlic and remaining thyme or sage leaves, saving a few for garnish.

Return to the oven for 15 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden.  Spoon the onions and tomatoes over hot mashed potatoes or polenta, spooning any remaining pan juices over the top.  Top with the mushrooms and sprinkle with reserved herbs.

Ground Meat Flatbreads with Cranberry Chutney

This is cranberry time of the year, but this is definitely not your normal cranberry recipe.  Your ground meat of preference (lamb, turkey, chicken) is combined with garam masala and sprinkled over toasted naan bread that's spread with Greek yogurt, then it's topped with a sugar/vinegar cranberry chutney and fresh mint.  It's a very unique dinner that feels part Middle Eastern and part Indian to me, but it's all good, not to mention fast and easy. 

You need a break from all the heavy holiday foods, and this is a great option.

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Ground Meat Flatbreads with Cranberry Chutney

Makes 4 flatbreads;  each flatbread serves 1-2 people

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb ground lamb, turkey or chicken

1 ½ tablespoons garam masala

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 cups frozen cranberries, thawed

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 naan breads, toasted

1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup fresh mint leaves

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Mix the ground lamb, turkey or chicken with the garam masala, salt and pepper, then add it to the skillet and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until almost cooked through and crumbled.  Spread the meat in an even layer and let cook undisturbed until the bottom is browned, about 3-4 minutes.  Stir and let cook another minute or two for a little more browning, then removed the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

In the same skillet, add the cranberries, sugar and red wine vinegar.  Cook, stirring, until cranberries burst and sauce is reduced, about 5 minutes.

Top the toasted flatbreads with yogurt, browned meat, cranberries and mint.  Cut each flatbread into 4 pieces to serve.

Lentil, Walnut and Mushroom Wellington with Saffron Sauce

This is an elegant and delicious vegetarian entree, perfect as a dinner party centerpiece or part of a holiday buffet table.  I was surprised at how much I love this recipe, because I never used to like lentils.  Over time I learned to like lentil soup and French lentil salads, but brown lentils?  Nope.  I think what makes the big difference here is that the brown (or green) lentils are joined by lots of other flavors and textures to make a really savory dish.  Sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce all add a depth of flavor, but the key is the walnuts - toasted and chopped coarsely, they add crunch to every bite.  Be sure not to chop them too finely.  Of course the puff pastry is a delicate and crisp wrapping that makes it special also.  What really takes it over the top is the creamy, lemony saffron sauce that's a wonderful contrast to the earthy flavors.

So what is a wellington?  Normally it's a piece of meat (beef or salmon are common) wrapped in puff pastry and baked, then sliced .  This is a vegetarian version that you could probably also call a savory strudel.  There's a fair amount of prep work for the filling, but you can make it in advance.  For that matter, you can form the wellingtons in advance also and just bake them right before serving, which is perfect for entertaining.  They can also be prepared and frozen, then thawed before baking.

As written, the recipe is vegetarian but you could make it vegan by eliminating the cheese and using vegan substitutes for the egg, mayonnaise, puff pastry and Worcestershire sauce (if you're vegan I assume you know all about those).

I think you'll be surprised by how much even non-vegetarians will like this dish.  Serve with a side salad and you've got a great dinner.

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Lentil, Walnut and Mushroom Wellington with Saffron Sauce

Serves 6-8

Note that the lentils need to be cooked in advance so plan ahead.

1 tablespoon olive oil

6-8 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped

½ medium onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (preferably oil packed, drained)

 ¼ teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ cups cooked brown or green lentils

½ cup toasted coarsely chopped walnuts

2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or a blend)

2 eggs

2 puff pastry sheets, thawed according to directions

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their water and are golden brown.  Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the salt, thyme, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce and lentils and cook for a minute or two to let the flavors blend.  Set aside to cool.

Lightly beat one of the eggs.  When the mixture has cooled, add beaten egg and cheese and mixture thoroughly.  The filling may be made up to a day in advance and refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 400d.

Unfold one piece of puff pastry at a time and lightly roll out to a slightly larger rectangle, approximately 12” by 10”.  Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and use to brush the two short sides and one long side of the pastry.  Place the long side without egg wash nearest to you, then put half of the lentil filling

 across the middle of the pastry lengthwise (to form a log shape) leaving a 1½” border on each short side.  Fold the short sides over the filling, then fold the edge nearest you up and over the filling.  Finally, fold the top edge down and over the filling, pressing gently on the edge to seal.  Turn the log over so the sealed edge is on the bottom.  Use some of the remaining beaten egg to brush the outside of the wellington and make one shallow cut in the top to allow steam to escape.  Repeat with the second puff pastry sheet and remaining filling and egg.  The wellingtons may be refrigerated at this point for up to a day, or tightly wrapped and frozen for several weeks.  Thaw in the refrigerator before proceeding.

Place the wellingtons on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until golden.  Let stand 5 minutes before cutting with a serrated knife.  Serve with saffron sauce, below.

Saffron Sauce

2 tablespoons water

¼ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Warm the water and saffron in the microwave for 30 seconds or so, then let steep for 10 minutes.  Stir.  Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar and lemon juice.  Add the saffron water and whisk again to blend.  Refrigerate if not using immediately.  Bring to room temperature before serving; add more lemon juice if necessary to achieve the right pourable consistency.

Hainanese Chicken and Rice

Hainanese chicken and rice is a delicate dish, perfect for someone who's under the weather or when you just want a comforting and healthy chicken dish.  Chicken breasts are gently poached/steamed over rice until they're moist and tender, while the fragrant rice is scented with ginger and a touch of soy sauce. I think steaming the chicken on top of rice is genius because it's an incredibly simple one pot wonder.   Green onions and toasted almonds add flavor and texture as garnishes, and the dipping sauce are important as well because the chicken is, well, chicken.  That's the basic dish.  From there, you can choose the fast and simple route to the finish line, or the slightly more complex but interesting route.

For the fast and simple route, slice up some fresh cucumbers and serve the dish with soy sauce, sweet chili garlic sauce and pickled ginger on the side.  You can pick up both the sweet chili garlic sauce and pickled ginger in the Asian section of your grocery store.

For the slightly more complex route, start by making quick pickled cucumbers (below) before you make the chicken and rice so they have time to marinate for a little while.  Make the ginger sauce (below) while the chicken and rice cook.  Serve the pickled cucumbers, pickled ginger, sweet chili garlic sauce and ginger sauce with the chicken and rice.  Even with making the cucumbers and ginger sauce you can still have dinner on the table in under an hour.

You can never have too many chicken and rice recipes, right?

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Hainanese Chicken and Rice

Serves 4

10 oz rice

1 ½ cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons butter

1 tsp salt

½ large carrot, shredded

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (lightly pounded if uneven in thickness), seasoned with salt and pepper

2 green onions, sliced

3 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds

Sweet chili garlic sauce (comes in a bottle in the grocer’s Asian section)

Ginger sauce (below) or soy sauce

Pickled cucumbers (below) or fresh sliced cucumbers

Pickled ginger, optional

Cilantro sprigs

Wash the rice with cold water and put it into a pan. Add the chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, butter, salt and carrots. Mix the ingredients thoroughly before placing the chicken breasts on top. Press gently on the chicken to partially submerge in liquid. Put the lid on the pan and let simmer on low heat for 14 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pan sit covered for another 10 minutes. 

Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and slice crosswise into ¾” slices.  Stir the green onions into the rice, reserving a few for garnish. To serve, divide the rice between plates and top with sliced chicken.  Garnish with cilantro sprigs and reserved green onions.  Add pickled cucumbers and pickled ginger on the side.  Serve with ginger sauce (or soy sauce) and sweet chili garlic sauce for dipping.

Ginger Sauce

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

½ lemon, juiced

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon white vinegar

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small food processor and process until smooth.  Serve at room temperature.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers

½ seedless cucumber, very thinly sliced

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients except cucumbers until the sugar is dissolved.  Add cucumbers and toss well.  Marinate for at least 15 minutes and up to a day.

Cardamom Cognac Apple Cake

It's almost officially fall, and that means apples.  This is not your typical apple pie or tart or crumble - it's a very moist, thin cake completely filled with apples and pecans and flavored with cardamom and cognac.  It's sophisticated and tastes quite French, which is a good thing in my world.  Normal people might think of this as a dessert, in which case you might want to add a little sweetened whipped cream or vanilla yogurt on the side.  I'm not much of a dessert person so to me this is weekend brunch fare with a good strong cup of coffee on the side.

As I said, the cake is very moist and actually there isn't much actual cake because there are so many apples.  It's almost like an apple pie with a little bit of cake batter.  The cognac adds a complex flavor note and the cardamom adds warm spice.  If you like cardamom, I guarantee you'll like this cake. 

If you have it for brunch (or not), cut the leftovers into individual slices and freeze (wrapped tightly) for breakfast during the week. 

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Cardamom Cognac Apple Cake

Serves 6-8

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cognac (Calvados or bourbon work well too)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

½ cup pecans, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

3 medium Honeycrisp apples

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan

1 tablespoon coarse (sparkling) sugar

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting, optional

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place a piece of parchment paper into a 9-or 10-inch cast iron pan and grease with butter.

 In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. In a separate larger bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Whisk in the granulated sugar, cognac, and vanilla extract. Pour in the buttermilk and whisk to combine. 

Peel, halve, and core 2 1/2 of the apples, then cut them into 1/2-inch cubes. Reserve the remaining ½ apple (unpeeled, and cut into very thin slices) for the top. 

 Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined, then gently fold in half of the melted butter. Repeat with the remaining flour and butter. Gently fold in the pecans and cubed apples (reserving the slices). Transfer the batter to the pan and arrange the apple slices in groups on top of the batter. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar.

Bake until the cake turns golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55-65 minutes. Transfer the skillet to a cooling rack and let sit for 5-10 minutes before carefully lifting the cake and paper out of the pan (have an extra set of hands helps to do this). The cake may be served warm or at room temperature.  Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving, if desired. 

Quick Pickled Onions

I don't normally post recipes for garnishes or condiments, but this one is good enough to deserve attention.  Sometimes the right condiment can make a big difference in a finished dish as a contrast to the other flavors and textures, but it needs to have big flavor to stand out.  In this recipe red onions are pickled for just a few hours so they retain some crunch but pick up a vinegary pop and complexity from the whole spices.

I first discovered this recipe as a recommended garnish for fried rice of all things, but I've noticed that chef Rick Bayless often recommends pickled onions as a garnish for Mexican dishes such as tacos, enchiladas, tortas and meatballs.  I've used pickled onions as a topping for burgers and find them to be much better than regular onion, and they also work well in rice bowls and noodle bowls.  And they're the perfect accompaniment for any grilled or barbecued meats such as pulled pork or ribs because the vinegar cuts through all that fatty richness.  Finally, hot dishes that are creamy also benefit from a garnish of a few pickled onions for contrast.

Basically, they go with pretty much everything so I find myself making them often.  They're extremely easy to make and marinating them for just a few hours ensures the onions don't get too soft.  If you have barbecue or burgers or Mexican food on the menu, do give them a try.  They're worth it.

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 Quick Pickled Onions

Serves 6-8

½ red onion, thinly sliced

½ cup white vinegar or apple cider vinegar

½ cup water

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ½ tablespoons sugar (or honey or other substitute)

1-2 teaspoons whole spices, optional (any combination of whole peppercorns, fennel seed, cumin, caraway seeds, coriander)

  

Place the vinegar, water, salt, sugar and whole spices in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Simmer 2-3 minutes, stirring.  Remove from the stove and let cool completely.

Place the onions in a jar and pour over the liquid and spices.  Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to 6 hours before use, shaking occasionally.

The pickled onions may be kept in the refrigerator for several days.

Zucchini Gratin with Gruyere

It's zucchini time again, whether it comes from your garden, the farm stand, or the grocery store.  This is a Provencal-style gratin where the veggies are bound with rice and a small amount of eggs and the flavor is boosted by herbs, Gruyere and parmesan.  Pine nuts are sprinkled on the top for some crunch, but if you don't have pint nuts you could use some slivered almonds or even some panko bread crumbs moistened with olive oil.

I thought about adding some corn but ultimately decided against it because I wanted the zucchini to be the star (but you certainly could).  To make it even more summery (and because you're probably growing herbs in your garden as well), make the herb sauce to go with it.  Add some crusty grilled bread and you have the perfect summer vegetarian meal.  Or, sneak in a little cubed ham and the meal becomes a little more substantial while still remaining vegetable-centric.

And my favorite part?  The last line of the recipe: "The gratin is good hot, warm, or room temperature."  Perfect warm for dinner, and cold for lunch the next day.

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Zucchini Gratin with Gruyere

Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup chopped)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Fresno chile, diced

1 pound zucchini, cut lengthwise into quarters and then crosswise into ½ inch pieces

1 small red bell pepper, chopped into ½ inch pieces

 Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 large or extra-large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

 Freshly ground pepper

½ cup milk

1 cup cooked Arborio or Carnaroli rice (1/3 cup raw)

1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

½ cup (tightly packed) grated Gruyère cheese

¼ cup (tightly packed) freshly grated Parmesan

1 cup cooked cubed ham, optional

2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted

Green herb sauce, for serving, optional (see recipe below)

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes, and add the garlic, Fresno chile, summer squash, red bell pepper, and about 3/4 teaspoon salt. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the squash is translucent and the red pepper tender, about 10 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt. Stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.   Let cool.

Preheat the oven to 375d.

Oil a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, salt, pepper, and milk. Stir in the rice, thyme, basil, the sautéed squash, the cheeses and optional ham. Scrape into the baking dish.  Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until nicely browned on the top and edges. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes before serving, or allow to cool. The gratin is good hot, warm, or room temperature.

Green Herb Sauce

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped cilantro, basil, or a combination

¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley

¼ cup finely minced shallot

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a small food processor until well combined.