Oui, Chef

Minted Beets with Cumin, Lemon and Pistachios

As a child, there were very few vegetables that I really liked at all.   In fact, the list was dismally short, and included just peas and beets....it's a miracle I lived past the age of ten on such a "vegetables prohibited" diet.  What do these two lovelies have in common you might ask?  Certainly not their size or color, nor their botanical specifics, the green pea being technically a seed, the beet a root vegetable.  What they do  have in common is their relatively high concentration of natural sugars that make them among the sweetest "vegetables" around, and a certain hit with almost all kids.  Nature's candy, I like to call them.

This dish is layered with great flavors, none of which are so strong to offend the average kidlet, and yet are sophisticated enough to appeal to the stuffiest gourmand.  The whole shebang can quite easily be prepared by most kids all by themselves.  Roasting the beets does take a bit of time, so plan accordingly, but the balance of the dish can be prepped in just a few minutes. 

If needed, the dish can easily be presented in stages.  For the least adventurous in your crowd, perhaps a few slices of roasted beet with a little butter and salt.  For those willing to stretch a bit, toss the beets in the cumin dressing before serving, and for the full fledged foodies among you, chuck all the beautiful mint, pistachios, chevre and lemon zest at them and watch them quiver with delight. 

Have a camera ready for this quivering thing, as they'll never believe it if you don't capture the moment.

Recipe:

Minted Beets with Cumin, Lemon and Pistachios

Adapted by: Steve Dunn from a recipe in Gourmet Magazine - May 2007

(Print Friendly Version)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, pan toasted and lightly crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 medium or 2 large beets (1 1/2 pounds), cleaned and trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
• 1/3 cup fresh mint, cut into chiffonade
• 1/2 cup raw pistachios, pan toasted and roughly chopped
• Micro-planed zest of 1 lemon
• 1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled

Method:

1. Zest the lemon and reserve the zest for service.  Stir together lemon juice, cumin seeds, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in oil and let stand while roasting beets.
2. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
3. Tightly wrap beets in a double layer of foil and roast on a baking sheet until tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. If using 2 large beets, cut them in half, and place them cut side up in the foil wrap.  Let the beets cool enough to be able to handle in the foil package, about 15 minutes.
4. When beets are cool enough to handle, peel them, discarding stems and root ends, then cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges, or dice them, as you prefer.
5. Toss warm beets with dressing. Stir in mint and pistachios just before serving.  When plating, top with lemon zest and crumbled goat cheese.

Yields: 6-8 servings

Fennel, Stilton and Walnut Smashed Potatoes

To be honest our favorite mashed potatoes are Joel Robuchon's famous pommes puree, silky smooth and very rich in butter. They are a little slice of heaven on earth, but they are a bit of work, what with having to pass them multiple times through a tamis, and the lengthy process of whisking in the butter and milk.  They are also a very refined spud dish, and to me, feel most at home as an accompaniment to an elegant meal like a flaky fish filet, some seared scallops, or as Robuchon often serves them, with  tiny, meltingly tender lamb rib chops. 

On an evening when you are serving something a little less refined, like a big old rib-eye, or some beef or pork ribs, why not swing way over to the other end of things, and make a smashed potato with a more rustic texture, and maybe even a little crunch. This dish is an amalgam of some of our favorite flavors, and is perfect with roast chicken, a nice thick steak, or even a braised lamb shank. Smash it all together in a big pot just before serving for a dish quite unlike any other mashed potatoes you've ever had.  This smash was inspired by some fabulously chunky potatoes I had at "Olives" once.

We like the stilton mixed into the potatoes so that it melts a little, spreading its pungent, salty tang throughout the dish.  If some in your gang don't care for blue cheese, feel free to pass it on the side, allowing individuals to sprinkle it over the finished dish if they wish.

Recipe:

Fennel, Stilton and Walnut Smashed Potatoes

by: Steve Dunn

(Print Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds red skinned or yukon gold potatoes
• 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1 bulb fennel, roasted
• 1 cup creme fraiche
• 4 ounces stilton cheese, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 bunch chives, finely minced for garnish
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat your oven to 425℉ .

Wash, core and roughly chop the bulb of fennel. Toss into a bowl with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour onto a baking sheet and place into the oven. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until the fennel is nicely caramelized and has softened. Remove from the oven and reserve.

Cook the potatoes in their jackets in boiling, salted water until cooked through. Drain them, then return them to the pan and smash them while heating over a low flame to help remove some residual moisture.

With the potatoes still on low heat, add the butter and stir to incorporate, then add the creme fraiche, fennel, toasted walnuts, and season with salt and pepper.

Place in a warmed bowl, top with crumbled stilton and chives, and serve.

Serves 8

Butternut Squash, Browned Butter and Sage Couscous

 

For those of you pulling your hair out over the complexity and time required to pull together the recipes of some of our recent posts, like Bouchon's Quiche Lorraine or my Chicken Pot Pie, here is a delicious and simple side dish that you can put on the table tonight in about 20 minutes.

I have always been enchanted by the promise of couscous, a fine grained pasta that only takes about 5 minutes to cook, but to be honest, I've often found the recipes I've tried to be bland, dry and altogether forgettable.  Couscous really well done can be a delight, when it is not, it can be like eating a bowl of sand.  I don't know about you, but my kids stopped eating sand a couple of years ago, and I've no interest in getting them hooked all over again, it was a hard habit for them to break.

My wife inspired the creation of this recipe by asking that I deconstruct a squash and sage ravioli dish that she had recently enjoyed.  The resulting course is a deliciously simple, yet richly flavored dish that would be equally at home served with a braised lamb shank, or a simply prepared fish filet.  I made the dish with a small grained couscous, but I’m sure it would work as well with the larger, “Israeli” variety.

I hope you enjoy it. 

Recipe:

Butternut Squash, Browned Butter and Sage Couscous

by: Steve Dunn

(Print Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 15 medium sized, fresh sage leaves, thickly sliced
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup couscous, cooked to the producers instructions, and kept covered and warm.
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts, lightly toasted in a skillet.
• 2 cups 1/2” x 1/2” cubes of butternut squash.
• Fresh parmesan cheese for grating.

Method:

• Peel, seed, and cube the squash, steam for 8-10 minutes, until just cooked through, remove from heat and reserve.
• Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat until the milk solids turn a lovely golden brown (see the brown flecks on the couscous in the photo above?  That's what your looking for, and it is key to the success of this dish).  When that happens, and with the butter still on the heat, add the chicken stock, sliced sage, and the freshly grated nutmeg (I used about an 1/8 teaspoon, use more or less as you wish).  Cook the sauce, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, cover and keep warm.
• To serve, fluff the cooked couscous with a fork, and toss it into the pan with the sauce.  Add the cubed squash and chopped walnuts, stir to incorporate and reheat gently if required.  Make a final check for seasoning and serve with a light dusting of freshly gated parmesan.

Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

I've been searching for some time for a homemade mac and cheese recipe with which to break Muppet of her addiction to a certain, well known, boxed mac and cheese mix comprised of a tasteless cheese powder and sad little pasta shells.  All prior efforts have failed miserably with the dish either being "too cheesy", "too dry", "too crunchy on top", or "too spicy" due to the incorporation of various seasonings.

The whole "too cheesy" thing makes no sense to me at all (I mean, can there really be such a thing?),  but I have been sympathetic to her other critiques and carried forth in search of a suitable replacement to her favored bowl of cardboard shells and re-hydrated cheese goo.  I am happy to report that finally, with the help of my very talented food-writer friend Melissa Pasanen (long-time correspondent for the Burlington Free Press, as well as a staff writer for Edward Behr's incomparable "The Art of Eating"), and Chef Rick Gencarelli, I have found a mac and cheese recipe that will hopefully serve to banish all boxed versions from my house in the future.

Lamb Sausage, Feta and Mint Stuffing

My wife is of Lebanese descent, and over the past few years I have enjoyed eating, and learning about her family’s delicious, middle eastern cuisine. I cook a fairly traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but wanted to give a little culinary nod to her folks who will be joining us for our feast again this year.

Thanks to Food52, and their recent "Best Thanksgiving Stuffing" competition, I decided to rework my turkey day stuffing to reflect some flavors of their culture.  The resulting dish will be a welcome addition to a more “international” day of Thanksgiving. Lamb sausage, pistachios, mint, feta cheese, and zatar, combine with local flavors such as apples, cranberries, and leeks to make a deliciously new take on an old standard.

Gingered Cranberry Fig Chutney

I’m so excited to share with all of our “Oui, Chef” readers, that for a second time, one of my Food52 recipe creations has been chosen as a weekly finalist.  This time around, Amanda and Merrill have chosen my submission to their “Best Cranberry Sauce” competition, this sweet, tart and spicy “Gingered Cranberry Fig Chutney”.  Please visit www.Food52.com before midnight on Tuesday, November 17th to join the site and VOTE for this dish.  Doing so will help us get the recipe into the Food52 cookbook....THANKS!

Click the image below to see a video of Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs preparing the two finalist’s dishes in the Food52 “Best Cranberry Sauce” competition.

Best Cranberry Sauce from Food52 on Vimeo.

I've never been much of a fan of straight-up cranberry sauce, in fact, the jellied kind makes me want to gag. I much prefer a condiment like this, that is more than just cranberries and a lot of sugar. This chutney gets it's sweetness not just from sugar, but from raisins, some OJ and dried black mission figs. The cider vinegar and lemon juice lend a sparkling acid note, and the ginger and red pepper flakes bring heat. I finished it with some chopped, toasted hazelnuts to add an earthy crunch, and some freshly minced thyme for a hint of herbal complexity. The whole family loves the way it turned out, and while we’ll definitely reserve a spot for it on our Thanksgiving table, I can also see it working well with a roast pork or beef dish.

Given that prep requires just a few quick chops of an onion and chunking up some figs, almost any kid can cut, measure and toss the ingredients into a pan and whip up their own contribution to your Thanksgiving feast.  Let ‘em have at it!

Cheers! - Steve

Recipe:

Gingered Cranberry Fig Chutney
By: Steve Dunn

(Print Friendly Version)


Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh cranberries
1/4 cup yellow onion, minced
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup hazelnuts, skinless, toasted and roughly chopped
8 dried black mission figs, cut into eighths
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely minced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely minced

Method:

Add all the ingredients, with the exception of the chopped hazelnuts and fresh thyme, to a heavy bottomed pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to bring the mix to a simmer, and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chutney thickens some. Remove from the heat, stir in the nuts and fresh thyme and let cool slightly before serving.

Brussel Sprouts with Fennel and Cider Cream

I can't think of a vegetable that I disliked more as a kid than brussel sprouts.  I mean, what was mother nature thinking when she dreamed up those nasty little things, huh?  Thankfully, my mom didn't cook them often, so it was rare that I had to feign having contracted the ebola virus, and excuse myself from the table to avoid eating the dreaded buggers. 

Sadly, my kids feel the same way about brussel sprouts as I did as a youngster, and now that I have come to love them, I've found myself working overtime to come up with a recipe that would make the little cabbages more appealing to the kids.  After a few false starts, I think I've done it.  In fact, not that he would ever admit it, but I saw Grid head back to the kitchen for seconds of these the other night....Eureka!

Rich and Spicy Applesauce

When the boys returned from a visit to their grandparent's house in VT. last weekend with a 1/2 bushel bag of fresh from the tree, organically grown apples, it could only mean one thing....time for some homemade applesauce!  Making your own applesauce is so easy to do, and the quality of the end product so far better than ANYTHING you can buy in a store, that we haven't bought a jar of applesauce in many years.

Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Cider Cream

This is a favorite recipe from Epicurious.com that I have cooked for years.  Each Fall when butternut squash are abundant, I make a huge batch of this soup and freeze about a half-dozen gallon sized ziploks of the stuff to get us through the Winter.  The recipe calls for a little cream which can certainly be eliminated if you are trying to watch such things.  When I make this, I do not add the cream prior to freezing, but will swirl a bit into the soup after it has thawed and been reheated.  This allows me to serve some without if someone requests it that way.  The drizzle of cider cream on top at service is a delicious touch, one I recommend you NOT skip unless you really must.

This year I got my squash from my guitar teacher, who, much to his surprise, found a bevy of the beauties growing out of his compost pile behind his garage!  How cool is that?

Shrimp Fried Rice

This is a recipe that was inspired by a Pineapple Rice dish that I recently found featured on the fabulous 101 Cookbooks blog.  I took Heidi's recipe and adapted it to what I had on-hand at the time when I first made this a few weeks ago.  It came out so well, that I thought I'd reproduce (and document) it for all of you.

Fried rice is absolutely one of those everything but the kitchen sink dishes, that lends itself well to any leftovers you have laying about.  You will find some combinations you like better than others, but as long as you start with a few cups of cold, cooked rice, and the makings of a tasty dressing, almost anything else you throw into the mix is sure to yield a satisfying meal.

Arthas put in some time working on his knife skills to pull this meal together, tailing and cutting the shrimp, mincing the garlic, and prepping the clementines.  This is one of those meals that is really all about prep, so if you have the space in your kitchen, pull a few of the kids into duty to speed along the slicing, dicing, and mincing process.  Once your "mise" is ready, only about five minutes of high heat stand between you and a healthy, delicious meal.

Enjoy!

Recipe:

Shrimp Fried Rice

Inspired by:  Heidi Swanson of "101 Cookbooks"

(Print Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mild olive oil, or sunflower oil

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1/8 cup orange juice

1/8 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

pinch of kosher salt

2 cups cooked brown long grain rice, cold from the fridge

24 large, cooked, peeled and de-veined shrimp, cut into thirds

4 cups baby spinach leaves

2 ears of corn, kernels stripped from the cob

3 clementines, each segment cut in half cross-wise

1 shallot, finely minced

2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and light green parts only

1 cup roasted, salted cashews, roughly chopped

1 small chile, seeded and finely minced

3 eggs, scrambled, cooked into a thin omelette, and cubed.

Fresh Cilantro

Method:

• Make the dressing by whisking the first nine ingredients together in a bowl, set aside.
• Whisk the eggs with a little salt and pepper, and pour into a pre-heated small non-stick skillet.  Cook on low-medium heat, undisturbed, until totally set.  Flip briefly if you wish before slipping the omelette onto a cutting board to cool.  Cut into cubes and reserve.
• In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon high-heat canola oil to almost smoking. 
• Add the corn kernels and cook for 1 minute. 
• Add the shallot, chile, rice, scallions, shrimp, and half the dressing, and cook till heated through. 
• Add the spinach, cooked egg, clementines, and cashews, and cook until the spinach wilts. 
• Taste for seasoning, adding more dressing if required.  
• Serve immediately, topped with freshly minced cilantro.

Serves 4-6