American Chop Suey

What better way to start the new year than with one of the ultimate comfort foods, American Chop Suey. Preheat your oven to 350 then boil a pound of elbow noodles for a couple of minutes less time than it says on the box for al dente. Remove and immediately rinse the noodles with cold water and drain well.

Sauté a chopped onion, a green pepper, and some sliced mushrooms for five minutes before adding a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes, several cloves of minced garlic, and a pound of hamburger. Once the meat is cooked through add a jar of your favorite marinara, simmer for five minutes then salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl combine the saucy vegetables, noodles, and two cups of shredded mozzarella. Transfer to a baking dish then cover the top with grated parmesan…more is better. Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes or until the top is slightly brown and crusty. Happy 2015!

Salmon Tartare

As easy is Salmon Tartare is to prepare it just seems too special to have it on just any old day, but New Year’s Eve isn’t just any old day. Of course your tartare is only going to be as good as your salmon so splurge on the best salmon available.

Start by cutting your skinless salmon into quarter inch chunks, it’s a lot easier to cut if you throw it in the freezer for twenty minutes first. I think a little bit of lime juice, minced shallot, diced cucumber, kosher salt, black pepper, and your best extra virgin olive oil are essential but after that what you toss it with is all about personal preference; Options include cilantro, ginger, jalapeno, sesame oil or lime zest.

For a special presentation form the tartare using a clean empty tuna can with the lids cut off and plate individually with homemade tortilla or potato chips. Cheers!

Warm Squash, Red Onion, and Apple Salad

Anyone who has cooked a holiday dinner knows it takes hours to plan, shop, and cook, and on average it’s over in about 45 minutes…unless of course it’s prolonged by a heated family argument. For Thanksgiving this year I served five smaller courses over seven hours with plenty of time in between for football, board games, walks, naps, and heated arguments…not sure we’ll ever go back to the monster feast again. But whether you stay traditional or break it up into courses this squash, onion, and apple salad is a fantastic seasonal combination.

Preheat your oven to 450 then seed and slice your delicata or acorn squash into quarter inch pieces. Peel and sixteenth an equal amount of red onion halves trying to leave as much of the stem ends intact so your layers stay together. Toss both with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper and roast in a single layer on parchment lined cookie sheets for about 25 minutes, flip and roast for another 20.

To serve toss the squash with some thinly sliced apple, chopped mint, and a lemon vinaigrette before topping with Vermont's own crumbled Bayley Hazen Blue cheese. Happy Merry!

Sweet Potato Latkes with Corn and Scallions

I know I ask this every December, but why don’t I make latkes all year long? They’re so good on their own, as a side dish, or with an egg on top and there are so many ways to go with them including this sweet potato version with corn and scallions.

It doesn’t take much vegetable oil, just enough to barely cover the bottom of your frying pan. While that’s getting hot coarsely grate a couple of sweet potatoes on a box grater then mix well in a large bowl with a box of corn, three chopped scallions, two lightly scrambled eggs, a half cup of flour, a tablespoon of salt, and a teaspoon of pepper.

I have found the best technique is to fill a large slotted spoon with a small amount of the mixture and squeeze out any excess liquid by pressing it into the spoon with your hand. Then simply turn out into the hot oil, flatten with a spatula, and brown for a few minutes on each side. Some curried sour cream would be a perfect accompaniment. Let the holidays begin….

Edamame with Feta and Grape Tomatoes

Whether you spent way too much time cooking, eating, or cleaning up last week this refreshing veggie side dish totally satisfies with the most minimal of effort. You can find the shelled edamame in the frozen food section of the market.

Defrost and bring your edamame to room temperature by leaving out for a few hours or soaking the package in a bowl of warm water. Just before you’re ready to serve toss them in bowl with crumbled feta, tomatoes, scallions, the juice of half a lemon, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

That’s it! I know, way too easy for such a great little dish right?

Maple-Whipped Sweet Potatoes

You have enough to think about on Thanksgiving and sweet potatoes shouldn't be one of them. Adapted from, An American Place, this simple preparation demonstrates how good they can be with just a bit of butter, sour cream, and maple syrup.
Bake four large sweet potatoes until soft before scooping the pulp into a bowl along with a tablespoon of melted butter and two tablespoons each of sour cream and maple syrup. Mash and beat until smooth, salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to a baking dish for reheating before serving.
This dish can be prepared a day ahead of time as well so you have more time to make sure your green beans are crisp and your Turkey isn’t overcooked. And depending on your tastes you could easily jazz things up with some fresh ginger, cardamom, or hot sauce. Happy Thanksgiving!

Blackened Cod

With Thanksgiving a week away I’m thinking light and easy, and blackened cod fits the bill on both of those counts. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet your heaviest frying pan will do, regardless, the key is to get it real hot.

While you’re heating your pan combine enough of the following spices in a small bowl to completely cover your filets: paprika, granulated onion, granulated garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chipotle or regular chili powder, oregano, thyme, and salt. No need to worry about exact quantities but use less oregano and thyme than the other spices and just a little bit of salt.

Lightly salt both sides of the fish before covering both sides with your spice mixture then fry in a couple tablespoons of butter and olive oil. Four minutes per side should be enough to get them good and black as well as cooked through. Serve with lemon.

Kimchi Rice

If you don't eat lots of kimchi you should, not only does it make everything taste special but it's also really good for you. For this dish start by making half a cup of rice and once fully cooked set aside to cool, last night’s rice would be even better. Next, splash some oil into a large frying pan then sauté a sliced shallot and some minced garlic until translucent before adding a third to a half bottle of kimchi. 

Continue to sauté over medium heat until everything begins to brown. Ten minutes before you’re ready to serve add the rice to the hot pan and stir everything together with a little bit of soy sauce and sriracha to taste. I recommend serving with a piece of red meat...so good!

Covered Eggs

It’s a great time of year for brunch and there’s never a hesitation about my eggs when I go out, it’s always over easy. But they don’t always work out for me at home, turning out four pairs of over easy eggs simultaneously just isn’t that easy with just two pans, and even if it’s just me I still end up breaking a yolk half the time. I asked a professional breakfast cook about it and she said it’s all about having the right pans in perfect condition.

Since that’s not a reality I’ve resorted to the next best thing, covering my eggs. Add a little bit of oil or butter to a Teflon pan and heat on medium for a couple of minutes. Break two eggs into a small bowl then gently slide them into the pan and immediately cover with a tight fitting lid. Within a few minutes your eggs will be perfect, and depending on the size of your pan you can cook two or three pairs of eggs all at once. No need to ruin your Sunday morning with a broken yolk any longer.

Curried Squash Soup

It’s a great night to go orange and your local farm stands still has a lot of squash to choose from for this tasty curry soup. Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large soup pot before adding two peeled and chopped squash, a chopped onion, and some freshly ground black pepper.

After ten minutes add about six cups of chicken stock or enough to cover your squash, as well as a couple of heaping teaspoons of Thai red curry paste. Bring to a boil, add a can of coconut milk and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add salt and Sriracha to taste in addition to more curry paste if needed. Puree with a stick blender or food processor, if it’s too thick you can always thin it out with some more chicken stock. Serve topped with crispy spiders.

Couscous with Pistachios and Mint

It doesn't get any easier than couscous and the last of the mint from the garden along with some nearly stale pistachios made for the perfect last minute side dish.

The hardest thing about cooking couscous is measuring; it’s a cup and a half of water for each cup of couscous. Add the water and a tablespoon of butter or oil to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then remove from the heat, stir in the couscous along with a half a teaspoon of salt, cover, and let sit for at least ten minutes. That’s it.

At this point I stirred in a quarter cup of chopped pistachios, mint, and the juice of half a lime. However the possibilities are endless; herbs, dates, apricots, raisins, olives, pine nuts, fennel, and lemon come immediately to mind. And probably lots more possibilities lingering in the back corners of your fridge or pantry…you just need to have the couscous on hand.

Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions

Here’s a great one for the world series regardless of your team, Italian sausage with peppers and onions. Heat up a bit of olive oil in a large non-stick pan while slicing half an onion and green pepper for each sausage you’ll be making. Sauté over medium heat with salt, black pepper, and a pinch of chili flakes for at least thirty minutes while stirring frequently. Add a couple of minced garlic cloves ten minutes before serving.

In the end your onions and peppers should be very soft and brown around the edges. There are no shortcuts, better to start early and leave them on a low heat to ensure perfection. Grill or fry your sausages until cooked through and serve. Bun is optional…cold beer is not.