Radish, Apple, Arugula Salad

Here’s an unlikely combination and a great one for the season.  Thinly slice equal amounts of radishes and apples and combine with some loosely chopped arugula.  Toss with cider or white Balsamic vinegar, some extra virgin olive oil, and kosher salt and white pepper to taste. 

The Best Turkey Burger

I never thought I’d say this but I had the most amazing turkey burger last night, and I know what you’re going to say but I think it’s because I baked it…350, about seven minutes a side.  Into my ground turkey I mixed chopped garlic, a half cup of panko bread crumbs, kosher salt, pepper, and a scrambled egg.  After I formed the patties I placed them on a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment.  I flipped the burgers after about seven minutes and spread a spoonful of spicy tomato sauce over the top of each.   After another five minutes I added a slice of fresh mozzarella and baked for another few minutes when I saw the cheese was completely melted.  I served them on a toasted English muffin but a baguette would have been better. 

Mushroom Pizza with Truffle Oil

I’m hooked!  Someone gave me a small bottle of white truffle oil as a gift a while back and I’ve found it an incredibly easy way to make a pizza or pasta dish a bit more out of the ordinary.  For my mushroom pizza I sliced and sautéed my mushrooms along with a few chopped scallions and some garlic until they were slightly soft.  After lightly covering my rolled out pizza dough with some shredded pecorino I spread out the mushroom mixture and garnished with a little kosher salt before baking until crisp.  Then, just before serving I sprinkled it all over with the truffle oil.  Did the same sort of thing for an appetizer the other night but instead of spreading the mushroom mixture on a pizza dough I spooned it onto lots of baguette slices and served it at room temperature…very fancy…but not really.

Roasted Carrots and Fennel

Speaking of roasting...here's a great combination, carrots and fennel.  It really makes a difference in a simple dish like this to spring for the organic or farmer's market carrots.  Preheat your oven to 400, cut up your carrots and fennel bulbs, toss in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and ground white pepper then pop in the oven.  I like to stir them around a bit after 30 minutes, total cooking time 50 minutes to an hour...and maybe add a couple of chopped garlic cloves five minutes before you pull it out.  A little more kosher salt wouldn't hurt either.

Potato Olive Soup

It’s soup season and for a change I jazzed up my first potato soup of the Fall with some chopped olives, great combination.  Start by sautéing a couple of chopped onions in a soup pot until they are soft then add four or more cubed potatoes and fill with enough water to cover.  Before bringing to a boil add a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon or your favorite chicken stock and a generous amount of ground black pepper.  Once it comes to a boil turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are soft.  At this point I like to taste the broth and decide how much more chicken stock and kosher salt to add before simmering for another five minutes or enough time for the chicken stock to dissolve.  Next, I run it in batches through the cuisinart transferring the soup to a second pot.  Time for the chopped olives, add several heaping tablespoons or more of prepared or freshly pitted and chopped kalamata olives and simmer for another ten to twenty minutes so they can impart their flavor.  Eat up.

Salmon Couscous

Was trying to be a little Moroccan on this one.  I first dusted my skinless pieces of salmon with salt, cumin, and five spice powder and cooked for a few minutes on each side in a straight sided pan.  I could easily have used ginger, garam masala, cayenne, or curry powder instead, just depends what you have around.  After removing the salmon I added some additional oil to the pan and sautéed a chopped onion and several celery stalks with a heaping tablespoon of jarred minced ginger, a few chili pepper flakes, and some kosher salt.  Once browned I poured in a few cups of water, some halved cherry tomatoes, a teaspoon of curry paste and some Better Than Bouillon fish stock, a couple of jars of clam stock would have been fine instead. 

I used kale this time around but spinach would have worked, and since kale takes a while to cook at this point I added it to the stock and let it simmer for half an hour.  About ten minutes before serving I threw in a handful of Kalamata olives, some shucked corn that I found in the back of the fridge, juice from half a lemon, the salmon filets, and salt to taste.  I served with plenty of broth over Israeli couscous and garnished with chopped green scallions.

Brussel Sprout Salad

I wasn’t actually a big brussel sprout fan until I tried them raw, now it’s a staple veggie in our house.  After peeling away any brown outer leaves I shred them individually by holding the stem end and slicing them thin, about a sixteenth of an inch thick, right down to the base.  Then it’s just a matter of tossing them with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and kosher salt.  Parmesan is also a great addition and this time around I found a quarter bag of sliced almonds in my pantry so I threw those in too….great crunch.  I plan on about four sprouts per person but unlike a typical salad they are great the next day so no problem over shredding.  Give them a try…I guarantee you will be very surprised.

Tomato Soup

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, what could be better on a cold rainy day?  Reason enough to keep a can of crushed tomatoes in the pantry.  This time around I heated up a splash of oil with some fresh chopped rosemary before adding the tomatoes to the pot but definitely not necessary…I just happen to have some around from a lamb dish the night before.  After heating up the crushed tomatoes I added a cup of chicken stock and let it simmer for five minutes before going at it with a stick blender until silky smooth.  Then salt and pepper to taste, that’s it.  Don’t forget to dip.

Fresh Corn...Hot or Cold

The local corn is amazing this time of year and there are so many ways to enjoy it…hot or cold.  Here are a couple of my favorites.  After shucking I cut off any excess cob so the wide end is flat on the bottom.  Then holding the narrow end of the cob with my left hand I stand it upright in a deep salad bowl and with a chef’s knife slice the kernels from the cob top to bottom.  It’s best to try and cut them away whole by making sure you are slicing fairly close to the cob.   I love tossing the kernels fresh from the cob with a little bit of olive oil, minced shallots or onion, and kosher salt, then roasting it at 400 for 45 minutes…it’s best when you start to see some browning on the edges of the kernels…so sweet.  It’s equally delicious with olive oil and kosher salt but when serving it cold I often add one or two other ingredients such as mint, scallions, tomatoes, green peppers, basil, basically whatever you have in your veggie drawer.   Take advantage of the season and start shucking!

Gnocchi with Chicken Meatballs and Pesto

This one is all about the chicken meatballs, no frying and a nice change from the traditional beef and pork meatball.  Preheat your oven to 350 and cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  In a small bowl add a half a cup of milk to a cup of panko bread crumbs and let sit.  Saute a couple of finely chopped shallots and three cloves of garlic then put in your Cuisiart with approximately two pounds of chunked boneless chicken thighs and one pound of breasts.  Pulse until it is the consistency of hamburger then combine in a large bowl with a cup of grated parmesan, some chopped parsley or scallion tops, a lightly scrambled egg, ground pepper, a generous helping of kosher salt, and the soaked panko.  Thoroughly stir the mixture then roll with your hands into one to one and a half inch balls and set them on the cookie sheets.  Bake for fifteen to twenty minutes rotating the trays about half way through. 

For this dish I combined my cooked meatballs with a basil pesto and some dried store bought gnocchi that I just had to boil for ten minutes.  Other times I’ve added the meatballs to a pot of marinara and served them over ziti or spaghetti, melted mozzarella over them for a meatball sub, or added them to a chicken or potato soup.  They’re even amazing cold right out of the fridge the next day.

Open Face Tomato Melt

My lunch today exemplifies the saying that sometimes the simplest things in life are the best…or in this case, the tastiest.  In Vermont we only get tomatoes this good for a couple of months a year, but the Cabot Cheddar and artisan bread are available year around and the combination is pretty awesome just plain.  Or if you want to get fancy you could top with bacon, mushrooms, kalamata olives, or whatever leftovers you have around from last night's dinner.  After putting a little bit of oil into the pan I grilled the bread on one side, flipped it, then covered it with some shaved cheddar…that’s the secret, putting the cheese on the just grilled side so it melts before your bread burns.  Once the cheddar melted I laid down my sliced tomatoes and topped with some kosher salt.  Could have also done it in the toaster but I don’t think it’s as good.

Ricotta with Basil

I had twenty minutes last night to come up with an appetizer for a potluck board meeting and pulled this one off with five minutes to spare.  In a bowl I mixed together a pint of my favorite locally made ricotta, a large handful of freshly chopped basil, and more extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt than you think you will need.  Keep tasting as it’s hard to remove the salt once you’ve crossed the line, but the salty crunch is what makes it really good.  I served it up with a sliced baguette.  It’s also nice to drizzle some additional olive oil over the top just before serving.