Celery Root & Potato Puree

I made this to go alongside beef tenderloin and carrots. It's a nice change of pace from your regular mashed potatoes. The celery root adds a different dimension.

• 1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes (I used red potatoes)
• 1 1/2 lbs celery root (celeriac)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped chervil (or just use parsley cuz they're damn near the same thing)

Peel potatoes & celery root. Cut into 1-inch chunks. Steam in a large steamer set over boiling water, covered, until very tender, 30-40 minutes. Force through a food mill into a bowl (I ended up putting it in the food processor), stir in cream, chervil, 3/4 tsp salt and about 1/2 tsp pepper.

*Can be made 2 days ahead & chilled. Reheat gently.

Orange-Roasted Baby Carrots w/ Honey

• 1.5 lbs slender baby carrots
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp (or more) orange zest
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1.5 tsp honey
• fleur de sel (it's fancy sea salt, folks)

Preheat oven to 400. Arrange carrots in a single layer on rimmed baking sheet (used pyrex). Add 2 tbsp olive oil & orange peel; sprinkle with salt & pepper & toss. Pour OJ over; cover tightly with foil & roast until crisp-tender (about 10 minutes). Remove foil. Increase oven to 450. Drizzle honey over the carrots. Roast uncovered until carrots are tender & browned in spots (about 10 minutes more). Transfer carrots & any juices to platter. Drizzle lightly with additional olive oil & sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup w/ Ginger

How do you "core" this thing???

• 2 leeks, roots trimmed, including 2 inches of green
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 celery rib, with extra leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp finely minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 6 cups chicken broth
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 head cauliflower, cored & broken into florets. Here we go - anyone know how to core a cauliflower? I asked around and the answer was no. So I just cut the bitch.
• 1 cup half & half
• salt & pepper
• crystallized ginger

Cut leeks in half, lengthwise. Wash to remove dirt. Pat dry & thinly slice crosswise.

Heat the oil with the butter in a heavy pot over low heat. Wilt the leeks & celery with leaves until softened, 10 minutes; add garlic during the last 5 minutes.

Stir in the curry powder & ginger and cook over very low heat to permeate the vegetables, 1 minute. Add the broth, lemon juice & cauliflower florets. Raise the heat to high & bring to a boil; reduce the heat & simmer, partially covered, until the cauliflower is very tender, 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

Puree in a food processor until very smooth, adding half & half thru the feed tube. Add extra broth for desired consistency. Salt & pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with crystallized ginger, sliced leeks or florets.

Gia-Ninh's Clear Cooked Napa w/ Sesame Oil

As I've said before, Gia-Ninh knows his stuff. Here's a delicious side to go with any asian-style meal you're working on:

• 1 medium sized head of napa cabbage, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp corn oil
• 2 tbsp kosher salt
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Heat wok until SCREAMING HOT - Gia-Ninh says, "when you can flick water at it and it skittles across the surface of the pan, you're ready". Add the corn oil & then 1 tbsp of the salt & swirl to coat.

Add napa to the pan & toss to coat the cabbage with the oil (you're not going to get everything coated right away so just toss it a few times). As the napa cooks down, add sugar to taste. Stir fry on super high heat, stirring vigorously as it cooks down. Once close to doneness, taste & adjust for salt, add sesame oil, take off the heat (always take off heat after sesame oil is added because it has such a low smoke point, to avoid scorching the oil).

Eat it while it's hot.

Zucchini Soup w/ Pasta

Guys, I'm serious about soup. This is my 20th soup recipe on this blog. What can I say? I love comfort food. This one came out tasting a little bit like Campbell's, which is weird. But at least you're getting your veggies.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 qt. chicken stock
• 2 large zucchini
• 1/2 cup tiny pasta
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 tbsp dried chervil (parsley will do, too)
• salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, and saute till translucent. Stir in garlic and saute an additional minute or two.

Add the stock to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil.

Meanwhile, grate the zucchini and stir into the boiling stock with the pasta. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 15 minutes until the pasta is tender.

Add chervil, lemon juice and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Variations - I read that you can also use cucumber but I can't really picture it. Also, consider stirring in a little sour cream.

Corn Chowder

Perfect for a rainy day:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 large potato, chopped
• 4 cups corn kernels, fresh cooked or frozen
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup cream or half & half
• 6 more tbsp butter (optional)

Saute onions in butter until they are tender & translucent. Add the corn, potato, chicken broth & herbs. Simmer for 25 minutes.

Puree soup in blender, return to pot. To make it a little thicker, puree half or just skip this step entirely.

Before serving add the cream and additional butter.

Salt & pepper to taste.

James' Baked Yuca

Yuca is the root of the cassava plant and starts out looking like the above. It's a tuber (just like the sweet potato) and has a really addictively good flavor when done right. It's really popular with our friends in South America, Africa, Central America and the Carribbean. And man, do they know what they're talking about. James made this for us last night and we went crazy for it.

• 1 yuca root
• non-stick cooking spray

Peel the yuca with any regular vegetable peeler.

Slice the peeled yuca into 1/2-inch discs.

Put the yuca slices in already boiling water and par boil them for exactly 5 minutes. Then strain and let them cool completely.

When the yuca has cooled enough that you can pick it up and hold it in your hand, stack them in a glass pyrex type baking dish that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes and you should have lovely lovely baked yuca. Very similar to the potato but much more flavorful.

Chicken & Bell Pepper Stir-fry

Made this up this morning based on what leftovers I had in the fridge. Turned out spectacular, probably because of the addition of Gia-Ninh's soy lime dipping sauce.

• 1 large chicken breast (or 2)


• about 1 sandwich bag full of red, yellow and organce bell peppers


• 2 onions, sliced in slivers ('frenched')


• Gia-ninh's soy lime dipping sauec - probably about 1/2 cup


• 1.5 tbsp cornstarch


• canola oil


• 3 cloves garlic, minced


• salt & pepper

Heat canola in a wok on high heat. Add onions. Once the onions are starting to turn translucent, add the garlic and chicken and saute until chicken is mostly cooked through.

Add peppers and soy lime sauce. Mix a bit of water or the soy lime sauce with the cornstarch and add to thicken.

Salt & pepper to taste. I served mine over basmati rice.

Kelly's Three Cheese Hot Artichoke Dip

My sister-in-law, Kelly made this for us when we went to visit her in Pittsburgh a couple of months ago and I begged her for the recipe. It's *that* good.

• 1 package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 can artichoke hearts (14oz), drained & chopped
• 2 green onions, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella (or 3 cheese italian mix)
• dash of hot sauce
• dash of worcesterchire sauce
• salt & pepper
• red pepper flakes
• 1/2 container frozen spinach, squeezed to remove excess water

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand held electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the mayo until smooth. Add remaining ingredients & stir together until combined.

Transfer the dip to a pie plate or shallow gratin dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden & bubbling.

Serve hot with crostini, veggies & especially Ritz Crackers!

Vegetarian Minestrone

Made this tonight for family potluck. Healthy, easy and inexpensive. Vegetarian (as long as you use water instead of stock) and actually vegan if you leave out the cheese.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3 cups water (or chicken broth if you're not trying to keep it veg)
• 2 cups diced zucchini
• 1.5 cups cannellini beans (canned works fine)
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes (with juice)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup of the smallest pasta you can find
• 1/2 cup frozen white corn
• 2 bay leaves
• grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add chopped onion & saute for 4 minutes or until just lightly browned.

Add water(or stock), zucchini, carrots, beans, celery, basil, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper, tomatoes, garlic & corn.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover & simmer on med-low for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add macaroni, cover & cook 10 more minutes.

Serve hot, topped with grated parmesan. Look how great it turned out!

Squash Casserole

I know it doesn't sound delicious, but it is. It's similar to cheesy potatoes but with less carbs. No worries, it's still got a good amount of fat.

• 4 medium yellow squash (chopped into small squares)
• one large onion, chopped
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 small container of sour cream (sorry, it's my mom's recipe and this is all she specified)
• 2 cups Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing
• garlic powder
• butter
• salt

Cut up yellow squash & onion and pan boil, drain well.

In a bowl, mix equal portions of the cream of chicken and the sour cream (ok so there's the amount for the sour cream). Season with salt.

Spray 8x8 pan, top with extra stuffing, dot with butter and bake on 350 for 30 minutes to crisp top & heat through.

Broccoli Salad...with Bacon

Another mom-recipe of mine! Definitely worth passing on. It's great without bacon, too. There's a healthy way to do this (low fat cheese, sugar substitute, light mayo, etc) or the full on fat way. Your call.

• 1 large bunch fresh broccoli, cleaned and cut into 1" pieces
• 1 red onion, finely chopped (any sweet onion works well too. Especially Vidalia)
• 1 pkg. shredded cheddar cheese (I know, that could mean anything. Use what you like)
• 1 lb bacon, fried & crumbled (you can also use those fake bacon bits you find in the produce section, although who knows whats in that)

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitute...I guess)
• 1 cup mayo (light mayo works fine too)
• 2 tbsp vinegar

Just combine & toss with the dressing mix. The end.

Mom's Cheesy Potatoes

Take this recipe, print it out, have it laminated and put it in a safety deposit box. Because I'm so attached to it I may take it back down and hoard it all for myself. This is one of my most favorite home style treats my mom makes for holidays (and my birthday if I bug her enough). How does one quantify the goodness that is Mom's Cheesy Potatoes? All the good things of traditional homestyle cookery - loads of carbs, fat and sour cream (added with wild abandon! Wild. Abandon.) and a lot of love. This is the stuff of dreams.

Now these are some old school ingredients:

• 2 lb bag frozen hashbrowns, thawed
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• one 10.5oz can cream of chicken soup
• dash of pepper
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• one 12oz container of sour cream
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Topping (more old school action here):

• 2 cups CORN FLAKES, crushed
• 1/4 cup butter (yes, more butter), melted

First off, how awesome is this gonna be? You can already tell, right?

Mix all ingredients together (except topping) in a bowl. Transfer to an 8 1/2 x 11 pan. Then just sprinkle the crushed corn flakes on top and drizzle with melted butter.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Now go call your mother!

Roasted Vegetable & Tofu Napoleon

Tofu gets a bad rap. Seriously. It's inexpensive, it keeps forever, and it goes with everything. It's also high in protein, low in fat, and I think it tastes really good too. Give it a chance. This is the first tofu dish I am posting but there are more to come. Tofu got me through college. Hey, (wo)man cannot live on Ramen alone. I believe I got this from Weight Watchers several years ago. It's healthy, flavorful and sure to please your inner vegan:

• 1 large red onion
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled
• cooking spray
• 1-2 medium zucchini
• 1 medium yellow pepper
• 1 medium sweet red pepper
• 1 pound extra-firm tofu
• 3 tbsp fresh rosemary
• 9 tbsp fresh parsley
• 9 large garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3/8 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425.

Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

Slice onion in half and then cut each half into quarters, or smaller. Slice eggplant, zucchini (diagonally), and peppers into 1/4 inch slices. Slice tofu across into 8 slices, about 1/4 inch thick.

Place onions on one half of a baking sheet and peppers on the other half. Place eggplant & zucchini separately on second baking sheet (I actually needed 3). Coat tops of vegetables with cooking spray.

Roast 15 minutes and then rotate baking sheets, roast 15 minutes more. Turn off oven and leave vegetables in oven to keep warm.

Place rosemary, parsley and garlic in a food processor; add oil & lemon juice & blend until smooth - about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

Spread about one heaping tablespoon of herb mixture onto both sides of each tofu slice. coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Place tofu in heated pan and brown both sides of tofu, about 2-4 minutes per side.

To serve, place once slice of tofu on a plate. One top of tofu, stack one slice of eggplant, one slice of red pepper & one wedge of red onion; top with another slice of tofu & then top what with more yellow pepper & zucchini & another piece of red onion.

Drizzle with remaining herb mixture. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Roasted Asparagus w/ Balsamic Vinegar

I'm not huge on asparagus. I don't like the bitter taste. But the vinegar cuts the bitter taste and makes it pretty good. Also, the larger the asparagus, the sweeter it is so look for bigger asparagus if you don't like the bitter dark greenness of it. I know I'm supposed to like green vegetables, but I don't have kids so I don't have to eat them. Anyway, this ain't bad.

• 1 lb fresh asparagus
• 2-3 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• fresh ground salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 475.

Wash, trim & peel asparagus.

In a single roasting pan, toss the asparagus with the olive oil & vinegar until coated well.

Spread asparagus out in a single layer & roast for 10 minutes until tender.

Season with salt & pepper.

Apple Sausage with Roasted Seasoned Vegetables

Made this up one day trying to use up some leftover veggies and a couple of random sausages. Turned out great. Would work for any kind of sausage, and any veggies. Just drizzle with oil & bake. You could also leave the meat out for a nice veggie dish.

• 1 package chicken apple sausage (or other variety)
• tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• zucchini, cut into large chunks
• yellow squash, cut into large chunks
• sweet onions (used vidalia), also in large chunks
• spring onions, chopped
• 1 head garlic
• olive oil
• parsley (fresh or dried)
• italian seasoning
• crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Peel all garlic.

Line a casserole dish with foil.

Put peeled garlic in the dish, drizzle with olive oil roast in the oven for about 15 minutes.

While garlic is roasting, chop veggies and meat in same size chunks.

Once garlic is roasted a bit, add everything else to the dish/pan/whatever, sprinkle herbs and spices (try whatever ones you like), drizzle olive oil.

Pull the foil tight and roll it shut at the top so steam can't get out.

Bake 25 minutes covered, then 10-15 minutes uncovered.

Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar Glaze

This is so so soooo good! And easy! We have a winner!

• 2 acorn squash (halved pole to pole & seeded, this is arguably the hard part)
• salt
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp dark brown sugar

Sprinkle squash halves with salt & place halves cut-side down in 13x9 inch microwave-safe baking dish or arrange halves in large (about 4 quart) microwave-safe bowl so that cut sides face out. If using Pyrex, add 1/4 cup water to dish or bowl. Got all that? Ok. Moving on.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Poke about 4 vents in wrap. Microwave on high until squash is very tender & offers no resistance when pierced with a paring knife. About 15-20 minutes. Using potholders, remove baking dish from oven & set on clean dry surface.

While squash is cooking, adjust oven rack to upper-most position (about 6 inches from heating element); heat broiler. Melt butter, brown sugar, and 1/8 tsp salt in sall saucepan over low heat, whisking occasionally, until combined.

When squash is cooked, carefully pull back plastic wrap from farthest side (and don't burn yourself! Steam is evil!) Using tongs, transfer cooked squash cut-side up to rimmed baking sheet. Spoon portion of butter/sugar mixture onto each squash half.

Broil until brown & carmelized (5-8 minutes) rotating sheet at least once.

Vichyssoise

Yeah, it's cold potato soup. Try it anyway.

• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 cups leeks, sliced & washed
• 4 cups potatoes, peeled & diced
• salt & pepper (I'd better not have to tell you that fresh ground is best)
• 8 cups chicken broth (I only used 6)
• 2 cups heavy cream (I used 1)

Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Add leeks & cook over medium heat. Then add potatoes, salt & pepper. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Cook till veggies are tender.

Put 3/4 soup in blender and puree.

Return to pot & stir in cream.

PS from Gia-Ninh: "pair with sauvignon blanc (fume blanc)"

Butternut Squash Risotto

I made this for family Thanksgiving in '05. It takes a lot of work and time, and it's also not cheap to make. Don't make this unless you know you're cooking for foodies. When your cousin looks up at you like "why couldn't you just bring mashed potatoes?" you'll wish you had. However, this is a fantastic dish and has been a true hit with people who aren't my cousin.

• 1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 lbs)
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 large garlic clove, sliced thin
• 1 1/4 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (but why stop there?)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 450.

Halve squash lengthwise and discard seeds. Peel one half and cut into 1/4 inch cubes. Put remaining half, cut side down, in an oiled shallow baking pan with diced squash & season with salt & pepper. Bake squash in the middle of the oven, stirring diced squash occasionally, until tender and browned lightly; 15-20 minutes.

Holding halved squash in a kitchen towel (here comes the pain-in-the-ass part...), scoop out flesh & chop coarse.

In a saucepan, bring both broth and water to a simmer & keep at a bare simmer.

In another saucepan, cook onion, garlic and ginger in butter over moderately low heat, stirring until softened.

Stir in rice & cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add wine, and cook, stirring until absorbed.

Stir in 1/4 cup broth and cook, stirring constantly, and keeping at a simmer throughout, until absorbed. Continue simmering & adding broth, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until about half of the broth has been added.

Stir in diced and chopped squash and continue simmering & adding broth until rice is tender and creamy looking, but still al dente, about 18 minutes. Stir in chives and salt & pepper to taste.

Garnish with chopped fresh chives and shaved parmesano-reggiano cheese. A drizzle of truffle oil and a bit of proscuitto is never a bad thing, either.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

I ate broccoli once. And here's the proof:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt (I used mad extra salt though)
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 4 cups broccoli, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups veggie stock or water
• 2 cups milk (I only used 1 1/2)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 tsp allspice (or more)
• ground pepper
• dash of thyme
• 1/2 tsp basil
• additional broccoli (optional)

Melt butter in large saucepan, then saute onion and bay leaf with salt over medium heat until onion is clear, about 5-7 minutes.

Add bell pepper, broccoli, and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is well cooked.

Discard the bay leaf and puree the soup in batches, with milk.

Stir in the sour cream and spices, bring almost to a boil, top with optional fresh broccoli.