Fearless Kitchen

Recipe: Clams with Tomatoes and Garlic

Recipe Source: Weir, Joanne.  From Tapas to Meze.  Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, 2004 p. 44

Shellfish are an important part of New England culinary life.  It's not all baked scrod and deep-fried haddock around here.  Most of the time the shellfish even comes from New England, so you're supporting at least semi-local businesses by using them.  They're a healthy source of protein, and if you're an (observant) Orthodox Christian they're an acceptable source of protein during Lent.  They're tasty and, depending on your source, they can be a lot easier on the budget than some other piscene food sources.

They're also dead easy to make. 

I used to be afraid to make them.  I was terrified of food-borne illness.  For the most part, the shellfish population in this country is safe.  There are places around here that produce shellfish that ought not to.  My husband has actually seen people digging for clams off Logan Airport, which seems like a colossally bad idea to me.  Your fishmonger is required to tell you where your shellfish came from, so if in doubt, ask.  Anyway, if you follow some basic rules about storage et cetera and you eat them the day you buy them, you should be okay. 

So I really enjoy shellfish and tend to make it once a week or so, although sometimes I'm just not feeling inspired by mollusks and go for meat.  I decided to make this on a recent Friday night for me and my husband.  Then we heard some friends were having a tough day - their roof was leaking badly and the wife was trying to make the cupcakes for a baby shower... in Nyack.  We decided that we would bring dinner to them.  Now, this is a tapas dish intended to serve 6 as part of a tapas spread.  I figured it would serve two as a main course, not four.  I remembered something a very wise friend taught me years ago.  Starch is filling.  The right kind of starch can also provide an excellent vehicle for sauce... like the sauce from this dish.  But what kind of starch?  Bread was right out - I didn't have enough time to make it.  Rice would have been okay, but kind of dull.  Barley was kind of what I was in the mood for, but I hadn't any.  I did however have a huge sack of quinoa.  The lady of the house we were bringing the food to is quite fond of quinoa.  I decided that the dish you see here would be served on a bed of quinoa. 

I made a few other changes as well.  I reduced the amount of olive oil slightly to reduce fat.  I used more tomatoes than called for, all of the canned variety.  I'd opened a can for another recipe and wanted to use up more of those leftovers.  Besides, tomatoes are incredibly tasty and are packed with lycopene, which is good for you.  I was distinctly lacking in a white wine I wanted to use for cooking, so I substituted some hard cider.  It's my understanding that in some parts of Spain that would be perfectly normal.  I could be wrong though.  Anyway, I used Lemony Vegetable Broth instead of fish stock because I had it and because it's a lot cheaper than fish stock or clam juice.  I also increased the amount of garlic.  How can a recipe have garlic in the title and only include one clove?  Seriously. 

Clams with Tomatoes and Garlic (serves 4; approx. $3.80/serving)

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

21 ounces (approx.) diced canned tomatoes with their juices

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup hard apple cider (I'm a big fan of Harpoon cider if you can get it)

1 cup Lemony Vegetable Broth

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

8 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 pounds fresh clams

2 cups quinoa

4 cups water

Equipment:

• Large wok, pot or saute pan with lid
• Immersion blender
• Medium saucepan with lid

1. Combine the quinoa and the water in the medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes, then let stand (covered) and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in the other pot.
3. Add the onion and cook until it begins to turn golden and gets soft.
4. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste.  Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add the cider.  Simmer until the mixture is reduced by half.
6. Add the broth.  Simmer another 5 minutes.
7. Using the immersion blender, puree the sauce.  I was more than willing to leave a few chunks in there for texture.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Add the clams, parsley and garlic to the pan. 
9. Cover and cook over high heat 5 - 10 minutes, or until the clams are open. 
10. Put the quinoa into your serving vessel.
11. Pour the clams and the sauce from the pan over the quinoa and serve. 

Recipe: Duck Breast with Greens

Recipe Source: Brennan, Georgeanne.  Williams-Sonoma Salad.  Simon & Schuster, New York, 2001 p. 78

Toward the end of my pregnancy I really felt disgusting.  This is normal.  There was a lot of baby, and a lot of... well, suffice it to say that there was a lot more of me than I wanted, and I was not exactly small to start with.  This is normal, my understanding is that most pregnant women experience those feelings.  I also knew that once my husband started cooking vegetables would be few and far between; he prefers a diet consisting entirely of meat and refined carbohydrates.  I decided that I would make this salad as a main course one Sunday for dinner to kind of combat those two issues. 

I did make a few changes.  I couldn't find radicchio so I used endive.  I used arugula and mustard greens for the greens and substituted sherry vinegar for the Champagne vinegar (because that's what I had.)  That's really it.  The result was actually pretty tasty, although making the duck indoors was a bit of a hassle.  I should have cooked the duck on the Big Green Egg, but I guess hindsight is always 20/20. 

Duck Breast with Greens (serves 4; approx. $4.30/serving)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 small endive heads, sliced

1 ounce arugula, trimmed

1/2 head mustard greens, torn into bite sized pieces

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 whole boneless duck breast

Equipment:

• Small bowl
• Whisk
• Frying pan

1. Heat 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in the frying pan over high heat.
2. Add the duck breast, skin side down. 
3. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook until crisp and golden on the first side. 
4. Turn and cook the other side until lightly browned.
5. Cover and cook until cooked to your desired degree of doneness.  Medium-rare is suggested; I prefer mine a little more rare. 
6. Transfer the duck breast to a cutting board and let rest briefly.  Draining on paper towels is highly recommended.
7. Meanwhile combine the greens and the parsley in your serving vessel.
8. Combine the lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil in the small bowl.  Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.  Whisk to form a good vinaigrette.
9. Drizzle the vinaigrette on top of the greens and toss well to coat.
10. Slice the duck breast thinly.  Place on top of the greens.
11. Serve. 

Recipe: Goan Clams and Mussels

Recipe Source: Vijayakar, Sunil.  Fresh Indian.  Octopus Publishing Group, London, 2005 p. 68

I've been trying to save money on our food budget.  The thing is, I'm not willing to shop at the two main supermarket chains near me if I can possibly avoid it.  I refuse to set foot in the closest supermarket at all; they rarely have anything I want, the produce (what there is of it) is not only rotten but vastly overpriced and the less said about their meat the better.  I will barely tolerate the other large supermarket if forced, but their produce is only marginally better than the first market and their meat is vile.  They sold me a rotten duck once.  You'll note that I have not mentioned their fish departments.  I'll let you figure out what the reason for that is. 

Anyway, there are places I can go to buy food.  My usual standby is Whole Foods, but they are pretty expensive.  There's Wilson Farms up in Lexington, which is great if I'm just getting vegetables and not getting anything weird with my meat.  There's also the Fruit Center Marketplace, which offers some middle ground between the crappy supermarkets and Whole Foods.  Unfortunately FCM doesn't often carry the cuts and types of meat I'm looking for and doesn't carry the full line of cleaning products I prefer.  I've been trying to alternate between them, and last week was a Fruit Center week.

The weather on Shopping Day was simply stunning, and our poor dog has been cooped up for months between the weather, my pregnancy and finally the new baby (who he firmly believes to be a defective puppy.)  My husband had a great idea: let's take the dog and the Fearless Baby down to Scituate Light.  It's a beautiful spot for those of you who haven't been.  Anyway, he thought we might be able to stop at the market on the way home, with him sitting with the baby and the dog while I shopped.  This was agreed to, but I was a little nervous about getting shellfish at the Fruit Center.  What if they were out?  What if they just don't carry shellfish?  He thought about that.  Finally he remembered something.  "Isn't there a fish market in Scituate?  We can try that." 

We did try it, and I was very pleased with the results.  While I paid as much as I would have at Whole Foods for the shellfish I needed, there were far fewer shellfish that needed to be discarded (whether for open shells, broken shells or failure to open when cooked.)  While I'm generally militantly opposed to hitting multiple stores to do my shopping - I hate shopping - I'd say that this fish shop was worth it.

Right.  So, onto the food.  I was drawn to this dish because it was something a little bit different to do with shellfish.  I did make a few changes to the original recipe.  I used olive oil instead of sunflower oil, because we only use olive oil around here.  The fresh ginger had to be exchanged for ground ginger because I couldn't find any fresh.  I increased the garlic and used canned tomatoes (it was February when I made this.)  I don't have any garam masala pre-mixed on hand, so I used a combination of my favorite spices instead.  The result was delicious if I do say so myself, and soaking up the juices with a little bit of crusty bread was simply divine. 

Goan Clams and Mussels (serves 4; approx. $4.56/serving)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots finely sliced

1 red chile (I used a cayenne), sliced lengthwise

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3 garlic cloves, crushed

14 ounces canned San Marzano tomatoes, in their juices (these are salty, so consider how much salt you add for seasoning)

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (I like Chili Powder Extra Hot)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 1/4 pounds fresh clams

2 pounds fresh mussels, debearded

6 ounces grated coconut

6 - 8 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Equipment:

• Large wok or saute pan with lid

1. Heat the oil in the wok
2. Add the shallots, chile, ginger and garlic.  Cook over high heat 2 - 3 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and spices.  Cook 3 - 4 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the shellfish.  Stir to mix and cover tightly.  Cook over high heat 6 - 8 minutes.
5. Discard any shellfish that remain closed. 
6. Add the coconut and cilantro.  Mix well.
7. Serve. 

Recipe: Chicken Paillards in a Mushroom Sauce

This is another recipe that was inspired by a Martha Stewart Living recipe, but not actually prepared from the recipe.  I'd gotten the idea into my head for this recipe before the baby was born, and then I didn't cook for about five weeks.  There was no way that I could find the magazine I'd been inspired by.  Sure I could have turned to the Internet, but I decided that I would just make the things myself. 

For those of you who don't know, paillards are very thin pieces of meat that cook up very quickly.  You make them by taking a piece of meat and then pounding it very thinly.  It sounds fiddly, but it really isn't.  It's actually pretty easy; the only trick is in not letting your strength get away from you.  A meat tenderizer is usually used, which looks like a little hammer.  We don't have one.  I used the pestle from a mortar and pestle.  You could probably get away with using a rolling pin if you were careful. 

Chicken Paillards in a Mushroom Sauce (serves 4; approx. cost per serving not available)

1 lb chicken tenders

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup flour

1 pinch kosher salt

1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms

1 cup Lemony Vegetable Broth

3/4 cup white wine

Pinch sea salt

Pinch of Aleppo pepper (optional)

Equipment:

• Plastic wrap
• Some kind of pounding implement - I used a pestle, you can use a meat mallet type thing if you have one
• Large saute pan or frying pan
• Three plates

1. To make the paillards, take a piece of plastic wrap at least twice as big as the piece of meat you're working with.  Lay the piece of meat in the center, then put another piece of plastic wrap the same size as the first down on top.
2. Use your implement to flatten the piece of meat.  You're looking to push down gently and then out, not just pound it into a paste.  Repeat for all of the pieces of meat that go into your pound.
3. Combine the flour and kosher salt on one of the plates (a shallow bowl works well here too.)  Dredge the paillards in the flour.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the frying pan. 
5. Add the paillards in a single layer and cook until golden.  This will be quick.
6. Flip the paillards and cook until golden.  Evacuate to one of the remaining plates, then turn the other plate over and put it on top of the paillards.  This will keep them warm.
7. Meanwhile, turn off the heat and add the remaining olive oil and butter.  Heat gently until the butter is foamy.
8. Add the broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and let simmer for a few moments.
9. Add the canned mushrooms and the wine.  Bring back to a boil, then simmer until the sauce is darkened and reduced.  Add a pinch of sea salt and remove from heat. 
10. Plate the paillards, then pour the sauce over them.  If desired, you can sprinkle Aleppo pepper over the paillards.  I did it mostly for color, but the flavor definitely complimented the dish. 

Recipe: Kimchi Fried Rice

Recipe Source: Lee, Cecilia Hae-Jin.  Eating Korean.  John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2005 p. 31

Sometimes people can be odd.  For example, I detest cabbage.  I will not allow cabbage to be cooked in my home, I will not allow it to be grown in my garden and the merest suggestion will cause me to run for the hills.  There is an exception to my cabbage aversion, though, and it is kimchi.  I don't know why.  It's not as though I'm Korean.  I didn't grow up eating the stuff, it's not part of my heritage or anything.  And it is pungent, which should trigger my strong aversion to anything that smells bad.  When it comes down to it, though, I will always eat kimchi if provided. 

We've had a jar of kimchi in the fridge for a while now.  While planning the menu for that first week back in the kitchen after the birth of the Fearless Baby, I was looking for recipes that would use up ingredients we already had and which would be relatively easy.  A fried rice dish seemed to fit the bill.  This recipe was actually even less intensive than a lot of the Chinese fried rice recipes I've seen.  I decided that I would make this dish.

I made a few substitutions.  I substituted turkey for the pork called for in the original, as I am still terrified to try and eat pork.  I increased the amount of garlic.  I used hot pepper sesame oil instead of vegetable oil, because I like it, but I reduced the amount of oil because my husband can't tolerate oily food.  And, ah, I added the eggs.  I'd love to tell you that I added the eggs to put more protein into what was our main dish, but I wasn't that slick.  I had been convinced that the original called for eggs.  Since the only eggs we had in the house had gone bad (I'd purchased them well before our daughter was born.  Their expiration date was the day she was born.  Ick.) I asked my husband to run out and get me more eggs.  He did.  Then I opened the cookbook and noticed that there had actually been no eggs called for in this recipe.  I decided that if I sent him out for egg I'd darned well better use them!  Oh, the original claimed to make 2 servings, but I think this would have served 4 easily.)

The result was pretty tasty if I do say so.  My husband enjoyed it so much that he asked for more.  Since it was amazingly easy, I think it's a good dish for those nights when we're very rushed or don't have the energy to screw around in the kitchen. 

Kimchi Fried Rice (serves 4; approx. $1.07/serving)

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 onion, chopped

1/4 pound turkey cutlets, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 1/4 tablespoons hot pepper sesame oil, divided

3 cups leftover rice

1 cup kimchi (approx.)

2 scallions, chopped

2 eggs, beaten

Equipment:

• Large wok

1. Heat 1 tablespoon hot pepper sesame oil in the wok. 
2. Add the garlic, onion and turkey.  Cook over high heat until the turkey is well browned.
3. Add the rice.  Reduce the heat if your dish seems to be burning and cook until the rice is no longer hard or clumping together so much.
4. Add the kimchi, scallions and remaining hot pepper sesame oil.  Cook another 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly. 
5. Make a well in the center of the wok and add the eggs.  Let stand until the eggs are starting to set up, then stir furiously until the eggs are well mixed.
6. Serve.  Note: I made the rice with a bit of salt, but if you would like more you can add soy sauce to taste. 

Recipe: Vegetable Lasagne

This recipe was inspired by a recipe in a Martha Stewart Living magazine, but I can't remember which one right now.  I'd originally intended to make that recipe, bechamel and all, but when the time came to make the food I realized something: the entire recipe was intended to be made in the microwave.  For some people this would be fantastic, particularly for those without ovens (college students, people in small odd apartments, et cetera.)  For me, however, the microwave exists to keep food away from the pets in the house.  This is the purpose for which it was reserved when I went to make my lasagne, so I had to completely re-think the dish. 

This is the last recipe I cooked before my daughter was born, and all in all I was pretty happy with it.  I knew that once she was on the outside I was going to be out of commission for a while, leaving my husband to do the cooking.  He's actually a pretty decent cook (you've probably seen his recipes up here a time or two) but he really kind of disdains vegetables.  I wanted to get some last-ditch vegetable goodness in before relying on meat and refined carbohydrates, and this dish gave me that.  It also gave me a lot of flavor, which was quite nice if I do say so. 

Vegetable Lasagne (Serves 6; approx. $3.68/serving)

2 onions

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups Vegetarian Tomato Sauce

1 bunch mustard greens, chopped

10 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used Baby Bella)

8 ounces goat cheddar, thinly sliced

24 ounces part-skim ricotta

2 ounces pecorino

4 ounces mozzarella

Pinch kosher salt

Black pepper to taste

1 box no-boil lasagne noodles

Equipment:

• Large wok or saute pan
• Square baking pan

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat the oil in the saute pan.
3. Add the onions and garlic.  Sweat until softened.
4. Add the mushrooms.  Cook gently until softened and until they give up some of their juices.
5. Add the mustard greens and saute until just starting to wilt.  Season to taste and then remove the pan from heat.
6. Lay a bed of lasagne noodles on the bottom of the baking pan.  (Using tin foil here will make cleanup much easier, but it isn't necessary and I can't remember if I did it or not.)
7. Add a layer of the vegetables from the saute pan. 
8. Layer some of the goat cheddar on top, followed by a small amount of tomato sauce and a sprinkling of the pecorino and mozzarella. 
9. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up or you have exceeded the sides of your pan, whichever comes first.  The top layer should be noodles, with a bit of mozzarella and pecorino on the top. 
10. Bake at least 20 minutes, until the noodles are softened and the cheese is browned.
11. Let rest at least 5 minutes, then serve. 

Recipe: Mixed Vegetable Stew

A long time ago, well before the Fearless Baby was born, I wanted okra for a recipe and couldn't find any.  None of the grocery stores I checked carried it, either fresh or frozen.  This was upsetting to me.  I realize that I am essentially alone in my love of okra, but usually I can find it frozen.  People have to threaten their picky children with something, after all.  ("If you don't eat your broccoli, I'll make you up some okra.  Is that what you want?  Huh?  Is it?  All right then, eat your broccoli!")  Anyway, after that I went to the horrible supermarket a few blocks away, which I'd vowed I would never do again.  I was stomping and sulking my way through the frozen foods aisle when I discovered my treasure: frozen okra.  It wasn't in the "frozen vegetables" section, it was in the Latin products section of the freezer case.  I'd never have thought to look there because most of what's in that case is prepared frozen foods.  I bought a whole pile of the stuff, stuck it into my minuscule freezer, and moved on.

After the Fearless Baby was born, it was pointed out to me very kindly that I might have some more freezer space if I made use of the metric ton of okra that was in there.  "Who eats this stuff anyway?" a parental unit who shall remain nameless wanted to know.  I do.  And I celebrated my return to the kitchen with an original okra dish.  While my husband made nasty faces that rivaled my daughter's unhappy face when I told him we were having okra, he really enjoyed this dish.  He gave it rave reviews while we were eating and left nothing extra in the serving bowl.

I'd originally intended to make this kind of mild, but that went out the window when I started cooking.  My hand automatically went for the cumin and chili powder rather than the tarragon I'd planned to use.  One note I should mention: salt.  I did a quick taste test of the canned tomatoes before I used them, and I found them to be quite salty.  I therefore didn't add any salt to the rest of the dish.  Your taste and needs may vary: many of the people I cook for either have or have had high blood pressure issues, so I don't tend to use a whole lot of salt.  If I were making this in the summer for a bunch of sweaty athletic types, I'd probably add a little more. 

Mixed Vegetable Stew (serves 4; approx. cost per serving not available)

4 small to medium Yukon Gold potatoes

2 tablespoon olive oil

5 garlic cloves, crushed

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder (I used Chili Powder Extra Hot)

1 bay leaf

1/2 28-oz can diced San Marzano tomatoes

1 pound frozen chopped okra (you can use fresh okra if you have it.)

1 cup Lemony Vegetable Broth

Equipment:

• Large saucepan
• Colander
• Large wok

1. Cut the potatoes into roughly equal-sized pieces.  Leave the peels on; this is where most of the nutritional content of the potato is. 
2. Bring a large saucepan filled with salted water to a rapid boil.  Add the potatoes and boil until just tender enough to be pierced with a fork.  Drain.
3. Heat the olive oil in the large wok.  Add the potatoes and brown quickly on all sides.  Evacuate the potatoes to a bowl.
4. If you need to add more oil, do it now.  (This will depend on your potatoes.)
5. Add the onions and garlic.  Reduce the heat and sweat gently until softened. 
6. Add the spices and the bay leaf.  Stir well and cook until fragrant.
7. Add the half can of San Marzano tomatoes, with their juices.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. 
8. Add the okra and the Lemony Vegetable Broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce is significantly thickened and the okra is well heated through.
9. Add the potatoes and reheat thoroughly.
10. Serve.

Recipe: Mushroom and Tomato Sauce

While I was pregnant, I found myself craving ravioli.  This was probably the result of a calcium deficiency; I don't tend to eat a whole lot of dairy, and a fetus will leech the calcium from your very bones if it isn't getting what it needs from your diet.  I also found myself with a very low energy level, and while boiling up store-bought ravioli wasn't exactly the pinnacle of my culinary career it was certainly easy.  One night I had some ravioli and needed something to put on top of them.  I had some of the Vegetarian Tomato Sauce I made for another dish in the freezer.  I also had a whole bunch of sliced mushrooms I'd purchased for a dish I decided not to make.  This would give us more vegetables, which is always good. 

Mushroom and Tomato Sauce (makes enough for two servings of ravioli; approx. $2.76/serving)

2 cups Vegetarian Tomato Sauce, thawed if frozen (if you don't have this particular item in your freezer, you can dress up another sauce with the mushrooms.)

1 tablespoon olive oil

10 ounces sliced Baby Bella mushrooms

Equipment:

• Wok or saute pan

1. Heat the oil in the saute pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft.
3. Add the tomato sauce.  Heat thoroughly.
4. Pour over your desired pasta and serve. 

Recipe: Red Wine Risotto

Recipe Source: Weir, Joanne.  From Tapas to Meze.  Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, 2004 p. 122

Have you ever had a brain cramp?  The kind of thing where you just kind of space out and do something incredibly stupid?  I originally made this recipe for a potluck party around New Year's.  It was an afternoon party.  I was all excited about making it, as it was creative and fun and (as I discovered when I tasted it) really really delicious.  As we were leaving to go to the party, I put the food down so I could hoist myself up into the car (I was 9 months pregnant at this point, so "hoist" is really the only appropriate word.)  Well, I forgot to load the food in first.  Fortunately, the weather was cold enough that the dish did not go bad.  Not even close, actually, and we were able to thaw it out and enjoy it later in the week. 

I made a few changes to this recipe.  Actually I made a lotof changes to this recipe.  First, it's been a while since I've made a proper risotto.  I've been using barley instead of arborio rice.  Barley has a significantly higher nutritional value than white rice, costs a lot less, and (in my mind) tastes better.  Secondly, I used Lemony Vegetable Broth in place of chicken stock.  This is a matter of personal preference.  Thirdly, I used a pinotage instead of the suggested Italian reds.  I'd gotten an amazing deal on some pinotage at my current favorite wine store (Bin Ends, on Wood Road right here in Braintree.)  The wine that would normally have been about $18 had been marked down to $5.  Deal!  Anyway, I also substituted peccorino pepato for the grated Parmesan (which is typical for me, because I've found pecorino to be more distinctive and a lot less expensive than a decent Parm) and endive for the radicchio (because I could not find radicchio to save my life.  I went to three different stores in three different towns.)  As I've already mentioned, I loved this dish and would cheerfully make it again and again.

Red Wine Risotto (serves 8 as a side or as a first course; approx. $1.96/serving)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 1/2 cups Lemony Vegetable Broth

1 1/2 cups water

2 cups red wine - I like pinotage lately

2 cups barley

2 tablespoons butter

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup grated pecorino

3 small endives, halved and cut into thin strips

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment:

• 3 saucepans
• Ladle

1. Combine the Lemony Vegetable Broth and the water in one of the saucepans.  On a back burner, warm it over very low heat.
2. In another saucepan, warm the wine to just below a simmer. 
3. In the third saucepan, which should be larger than the other two, heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Add the onion and cook until soft.
5. Add the barley to the onion and stir until hot and completely coated, about 2 minutes.
6. Add 2 ladles of red wine and stir constantly until it is almost completely absorbed.
7. Add a ladle of the broth mixture and stir constantly until it is absorbed.
8. Continue adding the broth a ladle at a time, until it is all absorbed.
9. Continue with the red wine, also adding a ladle at a time until absorbed. 
10. Remove from heat.  Add the butter, nutmeg, pecorino, endive and the seasonings.
11. Stir and cover, then let sit off the heat 5 minutes.
12. Serve.

Recipe: Golden Roast Vegetables

Recipe Source: The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook.  Murdoch Books, Millers Point, 1996 p. 210

I made this recipe a long time ago.  In fact, I made it back in November.  Why has it taken so long for me to post it?  Well, to be quite honest, it never made it onto my to-do list.  I'm not sure how that happened.  Usually things wind up on my to-do list before the end of the night, but apparently I dropped the ball here.  Eventually I was going through my photos of still-to-be-posted recipes and noticed this.  "I must have written this up and posted it by now," I said to myself.  No, no, I actually hadn't.  Oh well.  Better late than never, right? 

This is a pretty easy recipe, an easy side dish to accompany just about anything that your little heart desires.  I didn't make a lot of changes because it was so simple.  My guests seemed to like it well enough.  I could have lived without the carrots, but I know I'm a minority in that department! 

Golden Roast Vegetables (serves 6; approx. $1.25/serving)

6 potatoes

3 ounces butter, melted

2 ounces olive oil

6 onions

1 1/2 lb pumpkin, peeled

6 carrots, peeled

Equipment:

• Roasting pan
• Fork
• Large saucepan

1. Preheat your oven to 415 degrees. 
2. Halve the potatoes.
3. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.  Boil the potatoes 5 minutes.  Remove from the water and pat dry when they are cool enough to touch.
4. Use the fork to score the surface of the potatoes.  I like to leave the skins on my potatoes - that's where most of the nutritional value of the tuber lurks - but it's up to you.  Leaving the skin on limits the surface area you need to score, though.
5. Put the potatoes in the roasting pan.
6. Combine the melted butter and the olive oil.  Brush the potatoes with the oil-butter combination.
7. Bake 20 minutes.
8. Peel the onions and trim the bases. 
9. Cut the pumpkin into 6 pieces. 
10. Add the onions, carrots and pumpkins to the potatoes.  Brush with the butter mixture and bake another 20 minutes.
11. Brush the whole combination again.  Bake another 15 minutes.
12. Serve.