Pea and Mint Pesto

With spring less than a month away I decided to get an early start with this pea and mint pesto courtesy of the frozen food aisle. After defrosting your peas combine in a food processor with a peeled clove of garlic, half a cup of grated parmesan, half a dozen sprigs of fresh mint, and a teaspoon of kosher salt.

With the machine running slowly add about a third of a cup of extra virgin olive oil until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste then toss with pasta, serve on a crostini, or as a dip with toasted pita chips. It tastes better if you close your eyes, clap your heels together three times and repeat to yourself, there’s no place like spring; there’s no place like spring; there’s no place like spring.

Blueberry Ginger Sauce

This is a sauce I used to make cooking for a high-end catering company in Boston, it just goes to show how amazing easy can be. And the complimentary sweet and salty flavors are perfect on lamb, chicken, pork, or turkey.

It’s all about the blueberry jam, the better the jam the better the sauce. In a small sauce pot simmer two parts jam to one part soy sauce along with some fresh minced ginger. Reduce slowly for about a half an hour or until it’s a syrupy consistency then serve. Substituting garlic for ginger works just as well.

Baked Feta Tomatoes and Olives

Once in a while you stumble upon something that’s so easy and delicious it instantaneously becomes part of the rotation; this baked feta is one of those. I discovered it on Smitten Kitchen and it would be a great starter to any meal…romantic or otherwise.

Preheat your oven to 400. In a large bowl combine a heaping handful of halved grape tomatoes, some chopped Kalamata olives, a minced shallot, a minced garlic clove, a little chopped parsley, a few splashes of extra virgin olive oil as well as some kosher salt and black pepper.

Place a whole block of feta, preferably Maplebrook, in the center of an oven proof dish then top with your tomato mixture and bake for 20 minutes. The feta should be soft enough to easily schmear on crackers or a sliced baguette.

Garlic Chicken and Polenta Soup

This is one of the most comforting soups I've made in a long time and perfect for these sub-zero nights. Begin by making a half cup of polenta as directed on the package making sure not to omit the butter and Parmesan. In the meantime brown four skinless boneless chicken thighs in your soup pot for about five minutes per side then set aside until they’re cool enough to cut into half inch pieces.

To the same pot add a little bit of olive oil and sauté some sliced mushrooms for ten minutes before setting aside. Next into the pot, lightly brown at least twenty peeled garlic cloves before stirring in six to eight cups of chicken stock, preferably Better Than Bouillon. Simmer for fifteen minutes or until the cloves are soft and mash with a potato masher as best you can before returning the chicken, mushrooms, polenta as well as a few chopped scallions to the pot. Stir thoroughly to break up the polenta then salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Beet Fries

For all you folks that haven’t found the beauty in beets yet these tasty beet fries may provide the enlightenment you’ve been looking for. They’re sweet, spicy, and irresistibly crunchy…not to mention guilt free.

Start by preheating your oven to 450 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Next, peel your beets and cut into rectangular French fry like pieces before tossing with a little bit of olive oil, kosher salt, and your favorite pepper such as cayenne or Sichuan. If you’re not into spicy you could substitute thyme, mint, or rosemary.

Roast your beets for approximately 50 minutes flipping them halfway through. What you’re looking to do is get them crispy with a little char to bring out all their sugary goodness. Salt to taste before serving.

Kale, Squash, and Pickled Cabbage Tostadas

It’s all about the fried tortillas as you can make tostadas with nearly anything that you find in your pantry or fridge, this time around it was kale, squash, and pickled cabbage. And when I say fried I don’t mean deep fried, these don’t take a lot of oil or make a big mess.

To cut down on the splatter I like to use a pot with just enough vegetable oil to generously cover the bottom. Prep your toppings and immediately before serving get your oil hot but not smoking. With a pair of tongs place a tortilla in the oil making sure the sides don’t curl up and it cooks evenly. After a minute flip, wait another 30 seconds, and then drain on a paper bag.

Once all your tortillas are cooked place a couple on each plate and stack with your warmed toppings, favorite salsa or hot sauce. And you can never go wrong with kosher salt, avocado and cilantro.

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!