Category Archives: Recipes

Fettuccini with Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts

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  • 3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed
  • 1/2 pound dried egg fettuccine
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts

Slice Brussels sprouts in a food processor fitted with slicing disk.  Cook fettuccine in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente.  Meanwhile, heat butter and oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook pine nuts, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then sauté over medium-high heat until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.  Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta and add to skillet, tossing with enough reserved water to moisten.

Fettuccine with Smoked Salmon and Dill

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  • 12 oz. fettuccine or linguine
  • 1 c. bottled clam juice
  • 1 c. whipping cream
  • 4 green onions, diced
  • 2 tsp. dried dill
  • 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 c. cucumbers, diced
  • 4-6 oz. thinly sliced smoked salmon
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Cut the smoked salmon crosswise into 1-inch strips.  Remove the seeds from any large cucumbers and dice.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tsp. salt.  Add fettuccine and cook about 10 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, heat the clam juice and cream to a boil in a small saucepan.  Add the green onions (you can substitute a small onion).  Crush the dill between your fingers before sprinkling into the mixture.  Lower the heat and simmer until reduced and starting to thicken.

Just before serving, add the lemon juice, diced cucumbers and sliced salmon.  Heat mixture, but do not cook it.

Drain the cooked fettuccine and toss with the salmon cream mixture.  Season to taste with pepper and grated cheese. Sprinkle with minced parsley before serving.  Serves 4.

From Foodday.

Fenugreek Chicken, Bengali Style

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  • 2 tsp. canola oil
  • 1 1/2 c. chopped onions
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp. chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1.2 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp. ground turmeric
  • 1/2-1 tsp. cayenne
  • 2 tsp. mustard oil
  • 1/8 tsp. ground fenugreek seed
  • 1 tsp. mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp. lime juice
  • 3 Tbs. chopped fenugreek leaves

8 boneless chicken breast halves
Peel and chop the ginger.  Heat the canola oil in a frying pan.  Add onions, ginger and garlic and stir for 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Add about 2 Tbsp. water.  Continue cooking until onions are golden brown.  In a food processor or blender, process the cooked onion mixture and 1/4 c. water to a paste.  Add the coriander, cumin, cardomom, cayenne and fenugreek seed to the paste mixture.  Process just to combine.  Heat the mustard oil to smoking point in a large frying pan.  Add the mustard seeds and cook until they crackle.  Add the chicken breasts and lightly brown on both sides.  Add the ground paste mixture and stir for 1 minute.  Add about 1 cup of water, bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 10-15 minutes or until chicken is tender and cooked.  Add more water if necessary during cooking to prevent burning and sticking.  Stir occasionally.  Add the fenugreek leaves and cook until tender.  Sprinkle with lime juice before serving.

From Indian Light Cooking by Ruth Law.

Fennel, Orange and Parsley

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  • 2 medium fennel bulbs
  • 5 medium oranges
  • 2/3 cup parsley leaves
  • 2 Tbs. slivered black olives
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Quarter, core and thinly slice fennel bulbs crosswise.  Separate oranges into segments over a large bowl (to catch the juices), then add segments to bowl.  Add fennel, parsley leaves, olives and olive oil.  Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.  Gently toss and serve.

Serves 4.

From Everyday Food October 2003.

Fennel and Celery Soup

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1 large potato, cubed
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 head celery with leaves, chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, and very thinly sliced (reserve feathery top)
1 small onion, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
salt, as needed, to taste

In large covered saucepan simmer potatoes in chicken broth and wine until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, in large skillet over medium heat, sauté celery, fennel slices, and onion in olive oil until tender, about 15 minutes. Mash potatoes right in the broth mixture in the saucepan with a masher. Stir in celery-fennel mixture. Heat through. Season with pepper and salt.  Chop reserved fennel tops and use to garnish each serving. Adapted from Food.com

Fast Sauté of Fennel and Mushrooms

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  • 1 large fennel (with leaves)
  • 1/2 lb whole mushrooms
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • salt & pepper

Thinly slice fennel, discarding any hard core.  Mince 1/2 cup of the leaves and set aside.  Slice mushrooms to same thickness as fennel.  Heat 1 Tbsp. butter and oil in a sauté pan.  Add mushrooms and cook over medium high heat until brown.  Remove and set aside.  Add remaining butter and fennel to pan.  Cook over medium heat until softened but still crunchy.  Add mushrooms, stir together.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in minced fennel leaves.

From The Victory Garden Cookbook.

Famous Fall Roots Soup

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A trio of fall root vegetables — carrots, leeks, and a rutabaga — forms the savory foundation of this soup. Puréed and enriched with crème fraîche, this potage, with its velvety, smooth texture and glorious orange hue, is always a hit — whether it’s a first course or the main attraction.

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2-1/2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (3 to 4 medium leeks)
  • 1-1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 medium rutabaga (1 to 1-1/2 pounds), peeled and diced
  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • Kosher salt
  • 1-1/4 cups crème fraîche
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Heat butter in a large, heavy pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. When melted and hot, add leeks, carrots, and rutabaga. Sauté vegetables until softened, for 10 minutes or longer. Add stock and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, for about 30 minutes.
2. Purée the soup in batches in a food processor, blender, or food mill, and return soup to the pot. (Or use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot.) Whisk in 3/4 cup of the crème fraîche. Taste soup and season with salt, as needed. (The soup can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat.)
3. To serve, ladle soup into shallow soup bowls. Garnish each serving with a generous dollop of the remaining 1/2 cup crème fraîche and a sprinkling of parsley.

LYNNE’S TIPS

• Rutabaga is an often overlooked root vegetable member of the cabbage family. Its pale yellow flesh is slightly sweet. Choose ones with smooth skin and firm flesh that are heavy for their size.
• A sliced yam added to this soup would bring out a sweet touch and play well with the rutabaga.
• This soup can be made ahead and its flavor will only improve.
• When you have time, try roasting the vegetables before cooking them into a soup. Toss the chopped vegetables with a little olive oil, spread them out on a shallow pan and roast at 425 degrees F until they begin to soften and caramelize. Flavors will be more intense.

Makes 8 servings.

Excerpted from Sunday Soup: A Year’s Worth of Mouthwatering, Easy-to-Make Recipes by Betty Rosbottom (Chronicle Books LLC). Copyright © 2008 by Betty Rosbottom.

Elegant Stuffed Pumpkin

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  • 1  pumpkin
  • 2 to 3 cups brown rice, cooked
  • 2 cups crumbled dry whole wheat bread (or part corn bread or other bread)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 to 1 cup chopped celery and leaves
  • 2 apples (tart and unpeeled), chopped
  • 1 cup roasted chestnuts or a handful of cashew nuts, cut in half
  • Herbs: Sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, and paprika to taste
  • 1 to 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup butter, melted, or safflower oil
  • Soy sauce or salt to taste

Cut off top of pumpkin to make a lid. Remove the seeds and scrape out any stringy pulp.   Combine brown rice, bread, onion, celery, apples, chestnuts or cashews, and herbs in a large mixing bowl and mix well with hands. Add stock and butter, and mix well, adding soy sauce and salt if desired. Stuffing should be moist but not wet. Pack loosely into pumpkin, replace lid, and bake on oiled cookie sheet for 1-1/2 hours or more at 325 degrees F. It is done when a fork pushes easily through the pumpkin. Transfer to a casserole dish and serve at the table, scooping out some of the tender pumpkin flesh with each serving of stuffing. You may eat the skin too. (If you have too much stuffing for your pumpkin, place extra in an oiled casserole, cover, and bake for 1 hour.)

Yield: 5 servings Recipe

Source: The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook by Lucy Moll

Easy Strudel Quiche

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  • 2 Tbs vegetable oil
  • 3 cups chopped onions
  • 7-8 cups chopped cabbage
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • 1 tsp dried dill
  • 1tsp salt
  • black pepper
  • 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
  • 1 1/2 c. grated hard cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 9-inch pie crust

Saute onions in oil until translucent.  Add the cabbage, caraway, dill, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently until the cabbage is limp and both cabbage and onions are begining to brown.  Light browning gives a sweeter, richer flavor.  Remove from heat and drain any excess liquid.  In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and grated cheeses (we prefer smoked cheddar) with sautéed vegetables.  Add egg and mix well.  Put mixture into pie crust and bake in 350 degree oven for approx. 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Easy Roasted New Potatoes

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Last night Polly roasted new potatoes in a very simple way.  While I was grilling other things on the barbecue, she made a simple tray by folding up the edges of a small (1 foot square) piece of aluminum foil.  She poured in 2 –3 Tbs. of olive oil then placed halved new potatoes face down on the improvised tray.  She sprinkled them with salt, pepper, chopped scallions (green onion tops would work well, too), and dill.  We placed the tray on the lower level of the barbecue and turned it occasionally to insure even cooking.  When the spuds were tender to a fork, they were easy to pop off the foil and they came out with a nicely crisp cut face and a light fluffy center.  Yum!