Tomato Stew With Basil Dumplings from washingtonpost.com

Posted on January 18, 2018 by admin

FOR THE STEW
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Three 14-ounce cans chunky tomato puree
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
FOR THE DUMPLINGS
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small bits and chilled
3 tablespoons finely chopped basil leaves, plus torn or ribboned basil, for garnish
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk

For the stew: Melt the butter in a large saucepan or small Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir the onion, bell pepper, salt, dried basil and black pepper; cook, 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the tomato puree, brown sugar and vinegar. Reduce the heat to medium; let the stew cook while you make the dumplings.

For the dumplings: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil.

Whisk together the egg and milk in a liquid measuring cup. Pour over the flour mixture and stir just long enough to form a soft, sticky dough.

Bring the stew to a boil over medium-high heat. Use a 1-ounce spring-release scoop or two soup spoons to drop golf-ball-size dumplings evenly over the surface of the stew. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dumplings are firm, fluffy and somewhat dry on top.

Uncover and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the torn or ribboned basil and serve warm.

Vegetarian Swedish Meatballs from joythebaker.com

Posted on January 16, 2018 by admin

For the Meatballs
3 cups cooked lentils (I used green lentils because they told their shape after being cooked)
1/4 cup sautéed mushrooms
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, plus MORE to taste
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
olive oil, for topping

For the Gravy

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoon finely diced onions
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari)
1/3 cup heavy cream
salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme and/or fresh sage
1 cup sautéed mushrooms

*To make the lentils, in a large saucepan bring 6 cups water to a simmer. Add salt (like you’re salting pasta water), crushed garlic clove, wedge of a yellow onion, and a bay leaf to the simmering water. Add 2 cups dried lentils and cook for 25-30 minutes until tender and cooked through. Strain through a colander and discard the garlic, onion, and bay leaf. This method will leave you with extra cooked lentils for salads of dinner.
To make the meatballs, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, add lentils and mushrooms. Blend and pulse until relatively smooth, about 2 minutes. Mixture will be slightly dry and still a bit chunky. That’s right! Transfer to a large bowl.
To the pureed lentil mixture add onion, garlic, fresh herbs, spices, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs.
In a medium bowl whisk eggs until well combined. Whisk in the ricotta cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Add the wet ingredients to the lentil mixture and use a wooden spoon to combine all the ingredients. Stir until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Use a large tablespoon scoop to meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1-inch between each meatball. Drizzle literally with olive oil and bake for 20 to 22 minutes until cooked through and lightly golden on the bottom. Remove from the oven and allow to rest while the rest of the ingredients come together.
To make the gravy, in a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and whisk immediately, allowing the butter to absorb the flour and whisking constantly for 1 minute. Slowly stream in the vegetable broth, whisking constantly. The mixture will thicken and then appear thin again once all of the vegetable stock is added. Add the soy sauce. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the cream, salt, pepper, thyme, and mushrooms. Simmer until thickened again, about 4 minutes more. Keep the gravy warm over very low heat.
To serve, just before serving, toss lentil balls in warm gravy. Place on a plate alongside mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Top the mashed potatoes with cranberry sauce as well. Enjoy warm.

Notes

I find that it’s easiest to make the potatoes and cranberry sauce before the lentil balls and the gravy.

fish with toasted almonds from nigella lawson

Posted on January 13, 2018 by admin

½ cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 6-ounce cod fillets (or any other meaty white fish), with skin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Place a large dry nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add almonds. Stir constantly until they are tinged with color. Take from heat, and transfer to a bowl to cool.

Season both sides of the fish well with salt and pepper. Place the same pan over medium heat, and add butter and olive oil. When both begin to bubble, add cod fillets skin side up. Brown fish until opaque all the way through, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes a side. Transfer fish to a warm serving plate, skin side down.

Reduce heat under pan to low, and add lemon juice. Stir to blend with butter and oil, then pour this sauce over fillets. Scatter parsley over cod, and scatter with toasted almonds. Serve immediately.

Easy Butternut Squash Ravioli from tasty.co

Posted on January 13, 2018 by admin

Squash filling
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped
½ onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 oz grated parmesan cheese

Fish pasta
2 cups flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil

Hazelnut brown butter sauce
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup roasted hazelnut, chopped
10 leaves fresh sage
salt, to taste
1 lemon, juiced
1 oz grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425˚F.
Add the diced butternut squash, chopped onion, whole garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a baking sheet, tossing until fully coated.
Bake until the squash is golden brown and tender, about 30 minutes.
While the squash is in the oven, make the dough.
When the squash is finished cooking, add it to the food processor along with the brown sugar and Parmesan cheese. Pulse until it becomes smooth. Set aside to chill.
Rinse the bowl of the food processor.
To the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, eggs, and olive oil, and pulse until the dough comes together into a large ball and swirls around the processor.
Removethe dough, wrap in plastic wrap, and rest it the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Cut 2 ounces of pasta dough from the ball and roll out into large, wide, thin sheets of pasta.
Lay a sheet over an empty ice cube tray, and press the dough down gently into each of the holes.
Fill each hole with a tablespoon of the butternut squash filling. Place a second sheet on top of the ice cube tray. Press down on all the sides of the raviolis. Flip the ice cup tray over to release the pasta and cut off any excess dough.
Separate each ravioli with a knife or cutting tool.
Gently place a few raviolis into boiling salted water and cook until the raviolis float and firm up slightly, 2-3 minutes. Scoop out the ravioli and set aside briefly to cook a new batch or dump out the water and start the hazelnut brown butter sauce.
In a pan, add 3 tablespoons of the butter, sage leaves, and hazelnuts. Cook until the butter browns deeply, the nuts are heated through, and the sage is fried and crispy. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice and season to taste.
Swirl in 2 more tablespoons more of chilled butter, to thicken the sauce. Add the cooked raviolis back in and toss gently to coat the pasta.
Serve the pasta with brown butter sauce.
Enjoy!

Instant pot creamy butternut squash risotto

Posted on December 5, 2017 by admin

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
4 cups of butternut squash, peeled and largely diced
2 cups Arborio rice
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms
1 – 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
5 ounce bag baby spinach
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Add the butter and oil to the Instant Pot. Hit “Sauté” and “Adjust” so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting and wait until the butter has melted and it bubbles.

Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes so it softens and just lightly browns. Add in the butternut squash and stir with the onions for another 1-2 minutes (the squash will be very hard, but don’t worry – it will completely soften up after pressure cooking). Next, add in the mushrooms, stir and cook for another minute. Finally, add the garlic, stir with everything else and cook for another 3 minutes.

Add in the white wine and once it bubbles, let it do so for another 2 minutes so some of the alcohol burns off. Add rice and stir. Add in the broth, seasoned salt, white pepper, black pepper, nutmeg, Italian seasoning and dried parsley. Stir well, deglazing the bottom of the pot and then place the spinach on top (but do NOT mix in with everything else – just let it rest on top. Also, it may look like a LOT of spinach is in there but you’ll be shocked at how it cooks down).

Secure the lid, hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 6 minutes. Quick release when done and stir the spinach in with the risotto (when you do this, the spinach will have become nothing but little green strands).

Add in the grated Parmesan, stir and transfer to a serving bowl.

Spicy Roasted Broccoli Pasta by Melissa Clark

Posted on December 2, 2017 by admin

2 ½ pounds broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (optional)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

12 ounces chiocciole or other tube-shaped pasta
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces best quality, whole milk ricotta
Fresh lemon juice, for serving (optional)
Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together broccoli, oil, cumin (if using), 3/4 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes. Roast until tender and browned at the edges, 18 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove from oven and set oven to broil.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
In a small bowl, stir together Parmesan, panko, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and the black pepper.
Toss cooked pasta with broccoli on baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then dollop with ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan mix, drizzle generously with oil, and broil until topping is crisped and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice to taste, and serve.

Okonomiyaki from food52.com

Posted on December 1, 2017 by admin

Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sriracha, more or less to taste
Pancakes
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cabbage, shredded with a mandoline or finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
3/4 cup (roughly) baby or chopped shrimp
Canola oil for frying
1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Bonito flakes (optional)

Whisk the first set of ingredients together and voila, your sauce. Set aside while you make the pancakes.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt. Gradually add the flour until incorporated. Fold in cabbage, scallions, and shrimp.
Warm a couple glugs of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until glistening. Ladle the batter into the skillet as you would for regular old pancakes. I usually make them about the size of saucer. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Keep pancakes covered in a warm oven as you make the rest. Scatter sesame seeds and/or bonito flakes on top of pancakes and serve with dipping sauce and a cold pilsner.

Somen with Broccoli, Butter and Soy from food52.com

Posted on December 1, 2017 by admin

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided (2/1)
3 to 4 cups small broccoli florets
1/2 cup water
4 ounces Somen noodles (or other very thin wheat noodles)

Start boiling a pot of water for the noodles. They will only take a couple of minutes to cook.
In a large saute pan with a lid, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the garlic and cook on low heat just until the garlic becomes fragrant. Stir in two tablespoons of soy sauce.
Add the broccoli florets and pour the water over. Stir, cover and cook on medium heat just until the broccoli becomes crisp tender.
Cook the noodles in the boiling pot of water while you’re waiting on the broccoli Like I said, they will cook very quickly. Drain, saving a little of the cooking liquid.
Stir the noodles into the broccoli along with the last tablespoon of butter and the second tablespoon of soy sauce. Add a little of the noodle cooking liquid to loosen everything up and serve right away. Makes about 3 sides or two mains
I used ramen noodles

Baked honey-marinated cod from nogojisnoglory.com

Posted on October 6, 2017 by admin

- 4, 6-oz black cod fillets (aka sablefish)
- ¾ cup honey
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup toasted sesame seed oil
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp freshly chopped ginger

Combine all ingredients (except for fish) in a medium-sized airtight mixing bowl. Add cod and marinate for 24 hours. If possible, flip half way through marinade time to allow even flavor distribution.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F; prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove cod from marinade and bake on the center rack for 7-9 minutes, until cod is opaque and flakes easily.

Caramelized Bluefish from myfishingcapecod.com