Category Archives: Recipes

Wild Rice and Celery Root Gratin

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  • Bechamel (recipe follows)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 small celery root, peeled and grated
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
  • Salt and freshly milled pepper
  • 3 cups cooked wild rice or Calico Rice (about one cup uncooked)
  • 1/2 cup grated Gruyere
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly butter or oil a baking dish and make the bechamel. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the celery root with the lemon juice, garlic, and 2 tablespoons parsley and cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine the wild rice, celery root, and sauce and stir in the cheeses. Turn into the dish and bake until firm, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Bechamel:

  • 1/4 cup minced shallot or onion
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk, scalded
  • Salt and freshly milled pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Cook the shallot in the butter in a small saucepan over low heat for 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes more. Whisk in the hot milk all at once, then cook, stirring frequently, until thickened. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, a little pepper, and the nutmeg.

Serves 4 to 6

From Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

Wide Green Noodles, Cauliflower, and Broccoli in Mustard Butter

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  • 7 oz. fresh pasta noodles (spinach fettucine is ideal)
  • 7 Tbs. soft butter
  • 2 Tbs. strong Dijon mustard
  • 3 green onions, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 2 Tbs. parsley or a handful of arugula, chopped
  • 1 c. bread crumbs
  • 2 sun-dried tomatoes, cut in pieces
  • 3-4 c. broccoli and cauliflower florets, broken into tiny pieces
  • thin strip lemon peel, finely slivered
  • salt
  • pepper
  • parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cream 4 Tbs. of the butter with the mustard, green onions, garlic, vinegar and parsley or arugula.  Melt the remaining butter, add the bread crumbs, and fry them until they are crisp and browned.  Melt the mustard butter over a low flame, add a little of the boiling pasta water and the sun-dried tomatoes.  Drop the broccoli and cauliflower florets into the boiling pasta water, return to a boil, and cook about 1 minute.  Scoop them out and add them to the mustard butter.

Next, cook the pasta; then add it with the lemon to the vegetables.  Toss well with a pair of tongs to mix, season with salt and pepper.  Serve on warm plates garnished with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.

Serves two to four.

Adapted from The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison with Edward Espe Brown.

White Beans and Winter Greens

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  • 3/4  Lb dried navy beans
  • 1 cup finely chopped celeriac
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups stock or water
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 2 lbs winter greens
  • 2 Tbs lemon juice
  • black pepper

Soak the beans in a large saucepan with water to cover by three inches.  Boil for 2-3 minutes, cover remove from heat and let stand 1 hour.  Drain and rinse beans.  Put them in large pot and add celeriac, carrot, onion, bay leaf and stock or water.  Heat to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for forty-five minutes.  Add the salt and olive oil.  There should be enough liquid to barely cover the beans.  If not, add stock or water as necessary.  Continue simmering uncovered until the beans are tender, about 15 more minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Chop greens and wash.  Shake out as much water as possible, preferably in a salad spinner.  Stir the lemon juice into the beans.  Add the greens a handful at a time, stirring until wilted before adding another handful.  When all greens have been added, simmer for five minutes.  Check seasonings, adding salt and pepper as necessary.

White Bean and Winter Greens Gratin

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  • 1 bunch kale or other greens
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 2 cloves chopped garlic
  • 1-2 slices pancetta or ham cut to1/2 in. chunks
  • 1 cup canned or frozen tomatoes
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp thyme
  • 1 by leaf
  • 3 cups canned white beans (canned or cooked)
  • ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth

For Topping

  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°.  Rinse greens, remove stems and cut crosswise into ribbons.  In a large pan, heat oil and sauté garlic pancetta.  When garlic starts to turn translucent (about 2 minutes) add greens and sauté 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the tomatoes, salt, thyme, bay leaf, drained beans and broth.  Mix gently.  Transfer into an oiled 10 inch gratin dish.  Mix topping ingredients, spread over beans and greens mixture and bake 40-50 minutes.

Adapted from Greens: A Country Garden Cookbook by Sibella Kraus.

Warm Red Cabbage Salad

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  • ¾ cup walnuts
  • 2 tsp. walnut oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 small red cabbage
  • 1 crisp red apple
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 2 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 3-4 oz. goat cheese, broken into large pieces
  • 1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
  • ½ tsp. marjoram, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix walnut pieces with walnut oil, some salt and freshly-ground pepper,  Toast them in oven for 5-7 minutes, or until they begin to smell nutty.  Let them cool.  Quarter the cabbage, core, and slice thinly crosswise.  Cut the apple into sixths, core, then slice thinly crosswise.  Put the garlic, vinegar, and oil in a wide saute pan over medium-high heat.  As soon as they are hot, add onion and saute for 30 seconds.  Add cabbage and continue to cook, stirring, for approximately 2 minutes, until just wilted.  Season with salt, plenty of pepper, and more vinegar, if necessary, to sharpen the flavors.  Add the goat cheese, apple, herbs, and walnuts.  Toss briefly and serve.

Serves four to six.

From The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison with Edward Espe Brown.

We’ve made a variation on this salad by eliminating the apple and starting the whole process by cooking a few strips of bacon in the pan before sautéing the onion.  We add the vinegar at the end.

Very Easy Tomato Sauce

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I just quarter the tomatoes (any that don’t get eaten within four or five days), cherry and sungold tomatoes I leave whole, quarter an onion or two and place these in a baking dish. Then I peel and add four or five garlic cloves, fresh basil, rosemary, etc. and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil all over everything. Then I roast it all in allow oven – 300 to 325 degrees, for three or four hours or until everything is mushy. Once it’s cooled, I dump it all in the food processor and voila! thick rich roasted tomato sauce. The most recent batch included a smallish fennel bulb and a coarsely chopped eggplant. The roasting seems to bring out the natural sweetness of those delicious tomatoes.

Vegetarian Baeckoffe

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Translated from the Germanic Alsatian dialect, baeckeoffe means “baker’s oven,” as it was traditionally a dish that was brought to the local baker to cook in his oven. Classic versions are loaded with meat, but our vegetarian riff is equally hearty and rich.

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 pound sliced mushroom caps
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 large thyme sprig
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 2 tablespoons 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
  • Cooking spray
  • 4 cups vertically sliced onion (about 2 medium onions)
  • 1 (8-ounce) Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into (1/4-inch-thick) slices
  • 2 cups packed baby spinach leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 (6-ounce) turnip, peeled and cut into (1/8-inch-thick) slices
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.  Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to pan, and sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add wine; cook 2 minutes. Add parsley, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and cook 6 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat; discard thyme. Add cream cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Remove mushroom mixture from pan. Wipe pan clean with paper towels.  Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium; continue cooking for 15 minutes or until deep golden brown, stirring frequently. Set aside.  Coat a 6-cup baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange potato slices in dish, and top with spinach. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper evenly over spinach. Spoon the mushroom mixture over black pepper, and arrange turnip slices over mushroom mixture. Top with caramelized onions; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and tarragon. Pour whipping cream over tarragon, and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and cheese begins to brown.

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)

Tzadziki

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WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THOSE CUCUMBERS?  Make Tzadziki, of course!  Simply grate whole cucumbers, lightly salt and set aside for 20  minutes.  Drain off the liquid that accumulates, squeeze in a few cloves of garlic and stir in some yogurt and/or sour cream (we find it best to use a 50/50 mix).   Generally, you want to use equal volumes of cucumber and dairy product. Serve with toasted pita bread or crackers.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

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  • 4 baking potatoes
  • 4 Tbs. butter
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • ½ small celeriac, chopped fine
  • 1 small onion, chopped fine
  • 1 leek, chopped fine
  • 3 cups shredded cabbage
  • ½ cup grated cheddar or jack cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Bake potatoes at 350 degrees until tender to a fork.  Meanwhile, sauté leek, onion and garlic in 1 Tbs. butter until soft.  Add celeriac and cabbage and cook until cabbage wilts.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  When ready, cut potatoes in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the flesh into a large mixing bowl, being careful not to break the skins.  Set skins aside.  Mash potato with butter and buttermilk, and salt and pepper to taste.  Add sautéed vegetables and fill potato skins with mixture.  Top with grated cheese and bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts.

Serves 4 as main dish or 8 as side dish.