Wild Ginger

This recipe is as simple as it gets - an easy and tasty method that is a favorite in our house. Don't over do the butter or sugar!

INGREDIENTS
1 butternut squash
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar (light or brown to preference)
1 ½ tbsp of real maple syrup may be substituted for the brown sugar

PREPARATION

• Peel and seed squash - cute into 1 inch cubes
• Boil squash in six cups salted water - about 15 minutes or until fork tender
• Drain squash well and return pot with squash to stove
• Mash squash with a potato masher
• Add butter and brown sugar, and mix well
• Serve immediately

How many ways do you know to cook asapargus? We love it and eat a lot of it, but I don't know too many ways that anyone cooks it. Just being different speaks well for this dish - its also a lovely sweet and savory combo. Its a bit of trouble as you have to squeeze mandarin oranges, and dirties two pans. Worth it - yum.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound asparagus
½ teaspoon salt
1 Mandarin orange
1 Blood orange
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
1/3 cup purchased glazed walnuts
1 tsp minced ginger

Sauce
¼ cup sweet chili sauce
½ cup fresh juice from mandarin oranges
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil

PREPARATION

• Trim asparagus, removing the white part or anything tough
• In a pan large enough for asapargus to lay flat, heat 2-inches of water to boiling. Add oil, salt, and asparagus; cook until tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Drain and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.


• Segment oranges - cut away the peel and pith.


• In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients and mix well.
• Heat a wok or frying pan over high heat. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add ginger and cook until fragrant.
• Add asparagus and sauce; bring to a boil. While stirring, add cornstarch solution and cook until thickens slightly.
  
• Add orange segments and walnuts.

Baby bok choy is a treat and now something pretty readily available in the suburbs (sorry if you live in North Dakota!). Mature bok choy is, to me, just another cabbage. But baby bok choy are tender, sweet and quite lovely. A quick stir-fry, where the leaves are still bright green and havent lost their essence, is a great way to eat them. Be careful to not overcook, as a minute too long will ruin them! Hint: baby bok choy is usually cheaper in an Asian supermarket where its not considered exotic.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound young bok choy
2 tbsp chicken broth
1 tbsp oyster flavored sauce
1½ tsp thin soy sauce
1½ tsp corn starch
½ tsp sugar
3 tsp vegetable oil
2 ginger slices
1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled

PREPARATION

• Separate the bok choy into stalks and wash thoroughly. Trim the bottom of each stalk, then halve lengthwise and cut stalks and leaves into 2-inch-long pieces.
• In a bowl, combine the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, corn starch, and sugar.
• Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil and ginger, and stir-fry 10 seconds or until ginger is fragrant.
• Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil, bok choy, and garlic, and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until leaves are just limp and bok choy is bright green.
• Restir the broth mixture and swirl into wok. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly and coats the vegetables. Serve immediately.

More comfort food; a Cuban classic. The addition of a little fresh lime juice just before serving adds a Caribbean brightness to this unctuous dish. Skip the immersion blender if you want a more rustic soup.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb dried black (turtle) beans, picked over for dirt or debris
3 tbsp olive oil
1 smoked ham hock
3 medium onions (preferabley white onions), chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 large red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp minced garlic
¼ cup tomato paste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup light rum
Freshly squeezed juice from half a lime

Sour cream
Chopped scallions or chives

PREPARATION

• Rinse the beans in cold water, drain them, put in a bowl, cover by 1-inch with cold water, and let soak in the refrigerator overnight. (Alternatively, you can quick-soak the beans by covering them with water in a pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the beans soak until tender, 1 to 2 hours.
• When ready to make the soup, drain the beans and set them aside.
• Pour the oil into a large, heavy-bottomed pot and set it over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the ham hock, onions, peppers, celery, chili powder, and cumin. Sauté until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring to make sure you don't scorch the tomato or garlic.
• Pour 4 quarts water into the pot, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the beans to the pot, stir, and when the water returns to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer until the beans are tender but still holding their shape, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove the pot from the heat and season the soup with salt and pepper. Use tongs to remove the ham hock and set it aside to cool. The beans are like molten lava at this point and ready to explode, so let them cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then purée with an immersion blender or in small batches in a standing blender. When the hock is cool enough to handle, pick off the meat and set it aside. The soup and meat can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated separately for up to 1 week.
• When ready to serve, return the soup to a boil and add the rum and ham (remove meat from the bone and chop if necessary). Cook for 2 minutes more.
• Just before serving, pour in fresh lime juice and stir to incorporate.
• Ladle the soup into 6 to 8 bowls and garnish each serving with a tablespoon of sour cream and a scattering of scallions.

I love mashed potatoes. I love white cheddar cheese. And chipotle chilies make almost anything better (though definitely not ice cream or breakfast cereal). Together, they're a perfect compliment to barbecued pork or steak.

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes (unpeeled)
½ cup whole milk
½ stick (4 tbsp) butter
1 cup grated white cheddar cheese
1 to 2 teaspoons of pureed chipotle chiles in adobo

PREPARATION

• Place potatoes in large saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
• Drain well; cool slightly. Peel and mash potatoes; place in large saucepan.
• Over medium heat, dry out potatoes for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, heat milk in small saucepan until warm.
• Stir butter into potatoes. Add warm milk and stir until completely absorbed.
• Mash in grated white cheddar cheese and pureed chipotle chilies. Season with salt.

Serves 6.

Another turn on spicing up mashed potatoes, this is pretty classic stuff. Darned simple to make and a little more elegant, if decadent in its cholesterol. Frankly, you might be pleasantly surprised with the results if you chose to substitute some of the new tofu based sour cream in this recipe. Buy the best prepared horseradish you can find, as that's what makes the dish.

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes (unpeeled)
½ cup whole milk
½ stick (4 tbsp) butter
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
Salt

PREPARATION

• Place potatoes in large saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
• Drain well; cool slightly. Peel and mash potatoes; place in large saucepan.
• Over medium heat, dry out potatoes for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, heat milk in small saucepan until warm.
• Stir butter into potatoes. Add warm milk and stir until completely absorbed.
• Whisk sour cream, chopped chives, and horseradish in medium bowl.
• Fold sour cream mixture into potatoes. Season with salt.

Serves 6.

I've shamelessly swiped this recipe, which originally came from Ruth Reichl's Comfort Me With Apples. I haven't actually made it but it looked so incredibley appetizing and I know that Cherie will love it.

INGREDIENTS
½ pound of thinly sliced mushrooms
½ stick of butter
1 small onion, diced
4 tbsp of flour
1 cup of beef broth (I used a couple of spoonfuls of liquid beef broth concentrate in a scant cup of water)
2 cups half and half (I only had whole milk and so used that. Turned out find)
salt
pepper
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 bay leaf

PREPARATION

• Melt butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. When foam subsides, add onion and saute until golden.
• Add mushrooms and saute until brown.
• Stir in flour and then slowly whisk in broth. Add seasonings.
• Heat half and half (or milk) on the stove or in the microwave and slowly add to pot. Whisk again to ensure that everything is incorporated.
• Simmer on low for ten minutes (do not boil). Taste a few minutes in to see if the seasonings work for you and whether you think it needs a shot of brandy or sherry!

This recipe was shamelessly appropriated from The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen by Eric Gower. Great appetizer, particularly on a hot day with cold beer. Perhaps my friends in Japan would tell me this is sacrilege, but I think you can use frozen edamame beans here - fresh are so darned expensive in the States.

For those unfamiliar with the shiso leaf, its also known as the Perilla in the United States. Its readily available in Japanese or Asian Markets or, often, at Whole Foods.

INGREDIENTS
3 cups shelled edamame, or soy beans (about 12 ounces)
2 lemons
5 shiso leaves, sliced into a chiffonade
3 tbsp fruity extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

PREPARATION

• Cook the edamame according to the package's instructions (the frozen kind are typically boiled for about 5 to 10 minutes). Drain, place in a serving bowl, and let cool to room temperature.
• Zest one lemon and set aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemon (about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon).
• In a blender, add the lemon juice and zest, half the shiso leaves, the olive oil, vinegar, and maple syrup. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Blend well and gently mix the dressing with the edamame.
• Toss with the remaining shiso.
• Zest the other lemon and sprinkle the zest on top.

Serves 4.

Once upon a time, Robaire's graced La Brea Boulevard as the doyen of French cuisine in Los Angeles. Robaire's is now gone (try Taix), but this eponymous mushshroom delight remains - a recipe that originated at Robaire's.

INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken breast
24 medium sized white or Crimini mushrooms
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tb butter or margarine
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp chopped parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
fine dry bread crumbs

PREPARATION

• Cook chicken in boiling salted water until tender. Drain, reserving broth. Remove skin and bones and dice meat finely.
• Rinse and dry mushrooms. Remove, finely chop and reserve stems.
• Sprinkle mushroom caps with lemon juice.
• Melt butter and add stems and garlic and cook 10 minutes, stirring now and then.
• Add 2 to 3 tablespoons reserved chicken broth and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add chicken and egg yolk and mix. Spoon into mushroom cavities.
• Arrange on lightly greased baking sheet and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
• Bake at 350 F 15 to 20 minutes.
• Serve hot.

INGREDIENTS
For black pepper Parmesan pastry:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tbsp cold vegetable shortening
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp salt
2 to 4 tbsp ice water

For filling:
¾ pound fresh mozzarella (not unsalted), very thinly sliced
½ cup tapenade or pesto, optional, store bought
2 lbs. mixed heirloom tomatoes, sliced ¾ -inch thick

Special equipment: pie weights or raw rice

PREPARATION
Make pastry:

• Blend together flour, butter, shortening, Parmesan, pepper, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size lumps. Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water over and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated.
• Gently squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together without falling apart, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) after each addition until incorporated, continuing to test. Do not overwork dough, or it will become tough.
• Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 2 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather both portions of dough into 1 ball, then pat into a disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch round and fit into a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable rim. Fold excess dough in to make sides. Lightly prick tart shell all over with a fork.
• Line the shell with foil and fill with pie weights, or rice. Bake in middle of oven 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake until golden, about 15 minutes more. Cool in pan on a rack.

Fill tart shell:

• Remove side of pan and slide shell onto a platter.
• Arrange 1/3 of mozzarella in bottom of shell and drizzle with 1/3 of pesto. Arrange 1/3 of tomato slices, overlapping, on top of cheese.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Repeat layering twice.

Cook's note: Tart shell can be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb haricorts verts (thin French green beans) or green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes
2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves
1 ½ cups crumbled feta (about 10 oz)
Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

• Fille a 4-quart kettle three fourths full of salted water and bring to a boil for beans and orzo.
• Chop onion and mince garlic. Quarter and seed tomatoes
• Cut quarter lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices.
• In a large skillet cook onion and garlic in oil over moderated heat until onion is softened. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until tomatoes are softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.


• Have a ready bowl of ice and cold water.
• In boiling salted water blanch beans 1 minute. With a slotted spoon transfer beans to ice water to stop cooking.
• Drain beans well in a colander and pat dry. Add beans to tomato mixture and return water in kettle to a boil. Boil orzo until al dente and drain in colander.
• Add orzo to bean mixture with vinegar. Add parsley, feta, and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to combine well.

This recipe comes originally from the Williams Sonoma Complete Entertaining Cookbook, we first had this at one of our supper club dinners and it instantly became a favorites. The carmely, smokey taste that comes from fire roasting the corn makes this dish. Easy and tasty.

INGREDIENTS
Juice of 3 limes
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp mild chili powder
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for brushing
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
6 ears Corn, Shucked
3 cups cherry tomatoes, stems removed and halved.
½ cup – diced red onion
½ cup – chopped fresh cilantro
¼ pound Feta Cheese – diced or crumbled.
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed

PREPARATION

• In a bowl, whisk together lime juice, ground cumin and chili powder. Stream in the oil while whisking to make a vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper.
• Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.
• Brush a little olive oil on each ear of the corn.
• Grill the corn, turning the ears often so that they cook evenly, until lightly charred for about 10 minutes.
• Steady each corn ear on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, cut down along the cob to strip off the kernels. Put the kernels in a large bowl.
• Add the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, feta, and vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly. Transfer the salad to a platter and sprinkle with the cumin seeds.

Serve at once.

This recipe comes from the Williams Sonoma Complete Entertaining Cookbook - a nice take on potato salad that goes well with a summer barbecue.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh flat leaf Italian Parsley
¼ cup capers
2 cloves garlic – chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbso red wine vinegar
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds fingerling potatoes, each about 1 inch in diameter

PREPARATION

• Boil potatoes until almost tender.
• Separately in a food processor, combine the parsley, capers, garlic, mustard, and vinegar and pulse until coarsely chopped.
• Slowly stream in the ¼ cup of olive oil, pulsing just until the parsley mixture is well blended but still has a coarse texture.
• Season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Prepare a charcoal or a gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.
• Rub the potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and thread them onto metal skewers. Grill the potatoes turning occasionally, until tender, 5-10 minutes.
• Slide the potatoes off the skewers onto a cutting board and cut into slices ¼ inch thick.
• Transfer the potato slices into the bowl containing the parsley mixture and toss well.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper, toss again and serve.

INGREDIENTS
2 russet (baking) potatoes
2 medium carrots, cut into ¼-inch dice
2 celery ribs, cut into ¼-inch dice
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 pound green lentils, picked over and rinsed (about 2 cups)
8 cups low-salt chicken broth

Garnish: chopped fresh parsley leaves

PREPARATION

• Peel potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch dice.


• In a 5- to 6-quart heavy kettle cook potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, and onion in butter over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 4 minutes.


• Add lentils, broth, and salt and pepper to taste and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and soup is thickened.


• Serve soup garnished with parsley.

As promised, a more rustic and lovely white bean soup.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb of white beans - Canellini or Great Northern
2 quarts of water
2-3 lbs of ham hocks or cut-up shanks
1 cup of diced onions
1 cup chopped celery
3 russet potatoes peeled and diced
2/3 cup chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, diced
½ tsp oregano leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried)
½ tsp basil leaves
½ tsp sage leaves
½ tsp savory
1 tsp fresh rosemary (or ½ tsp dried)
Salt and pepper
Herbes de Provence
Fresh flat leaf parsley

PREPARATION

• 1 Soak the beans in at least 2 quarts of cold water for about 2 hrs or (preferabley) overnight. Drain the water.
• Put the ham shank pieces in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for one hour. Add the chopped vegetables and beans. Cook for another hour, until the vegetables are soft and the ham meat easily pulls away from the bone.
• Add the oregeno, thyme, basil, sage, savory and rosemary. If you like a little zing, throw in a ¼ tsp of cayenne or a few dashes of tobasco sauce.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a pinch of chopped fresh parsley.