Beet Rosti with Rosemary

From How to Cook Everything:

Yield 4 servings

Time 30 minutes

Keep the heat moderate — cooking too quickly will burn the sugary outside of the pancake while leaving the inside raw. And don’t forget to wear an apron when you're grating the beets. 

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds beets 
• 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Minced parsley, a few rosemary leaves, or grates Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Trim beets, and peel them as you would potatoes; grate them in food processor or by hand. Begin preheating 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.

• 2. Toss grated beets in bowl with rosemary, salt and pepper. Add about half the flour; toss well, add rest of flour, and toss again.
• 3. Put butter in skillet; heat until it begins to turn nut-brown. Scrape beet mixture into skillet, and press with spatula to form a round. With medium to medium-high heat -- the pancake should gently sizzle -- cook, shaking pan occasionally, until bottom of cake is nicely crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Slide cake onto a plate, top with another plate, invert the two plates, and return cake to pan. Keep cooking, adjusting heat if necessary, until other side is browned, another 10 minutes or so. Garnish, cut into wedges, and serve hot or at room temperature.
• Results:
• Salty, sweet, and buttery, this is basically beet hash browns. It was just a gorgeous treat to make, first of all. I used red and golden beets, so the shredded beets in the glass bowl with little bits of rosemary were just lovely. To make things "easier" on myself, I learned how to use the grater on my food processor. I say "easier" because there was a bit of a learning curve. But once Chris figured it out, it really was very fun -- the food processor makes a great whirring noise--and I didn't have beet juice all over my kitchen.  I love that food processor. 
• Burning the sugars in the beets before the beets are cooked through is a real possibility--I would aim a little lower on the heat (medium or medium low), and only turn it up only if things seem to need a little more oomph. Be patient. If you're the only beet eater in the house, I would say go ahead and make the full recipe--the leftovers, though less crispy, are still pretty tasty, and beets are a great source of vitamins. And cheap, especially now at the farmers market.
• Finally, don't get too hung up on the amounts listed here. The recipe I found online actually called for 2 pounds of beets for 1/2 cup of flour and 2 tsp of rosemary, but I'm pretty sure the recipe in the book said 1.5 pounds of beets for the same amount of flour and half the rosemary (which is what I retyped above)... basically, this can really be to taste as long as you've got enough butter and flour to make the mechanics work. 

mushroom bourguignon

From Smitten Kitchen

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (save the stems for another use) (you can use cremini instead, as well)
• 1/2 carrot, finely diced
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup full-bodied red wine
• 2 cups beef or vegetable broth (beef broth is traditional but vegetable to make it vegetarian; it works with either)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
• Egg noodles, for serving

 Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional)
Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five minutes more.

Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.

To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.

RESULTS: 
Pretty tasty. I don't know that I've ever had beef bourguignon, so I can't compare, but now I want to try it. I think the quality of the wine is pretty important, though. There's a real strong winey taste, even though the alcohol cooks off, so if you use, say, a box wine (guilty), then you end up tasting it and then think, "wow, this could have been so much better."

Panzanella of Bell Peppers

Another one from Chef Matt:


This salad is one that often has tomatoes, but the real “heart” of this salad is the bread. (Hence the use of “pane,” meaning “bread” in the name.) The best choice for the bread is to use leftover stale bread, since this will really soak up the flavors of the oil, vinegar and fresh herbs.  Tuscan bread is typically made without salt, and while it is traditional, it’s not my favorite choice. Use leftover focaccia (page XX) to really bring this salad to life.

Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp        red wine vinegar
• 1 clove     garlic – minced
• 1 tsp        fresh thyme – minced
• 1 tsp        fresh oregano – minced
• ¼ tsp        crushed red pepper
• ½ tsp        salt
• ¼ tsp        freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup        extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups        stale bread cubes – or fresh bread cubes lightly toasted
• 2 ea        red bell peppers
• 1 ea        yellow (or orange) bell pepper
• 1 ea        green bell pepper
• ½ ea        red onion
• 1 ea        cucumber – large
• ½ lb        fresh mozzarella
• 20 ea        fresh basil leaves – large,  roughly torn by hand

Method:

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, thyme, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper. While continuing to whisk, slowly add the olive oil to the bowl, and whisk to fully emulsify.
2. Pour half of the vinaigrette into a large serving bowl.  In the medium bowl where you mixed the vinaigrette, add the bread cubes and toss to coat. Set aside and allow to soak while you make the rest of the salad.
3. Slice the sides off all of the bell peppers (of all colors) and remove any seeds and white ribs on them. Cut peppers into 1” squares, and toss with the vinaigrette in the large serving bowl.
4. Cut the red onion into thin slices, and toss with the peppers.
5. Peel the cucumber and slice in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds with a spoon, and then slice crosswise into semicircles. Toss in with the peppers and onions.
6. Cut the fresh mozzarella into ½” cubes and toss with the peppers.
7. Add the bread and vinaigrette mixture to the salad, and toss everything together to combine.  Taste and correct for salt and pepper.
8. Top the salad with the torn basil leaves and toss in lightly. Serve immediately.

RESULTS:
This one has real wow factor. I made it for a lunch with Chris, Tiffany and Tom, and it was really pretty. Really pretty. And it went over pretty well. The one thing we all agreed on was that maybe there was too much onion. Like, if you really really love red onions, it would be a good amount. But if it's just sort of OK to you, you might want to cut back. Also, personally, I like my vinaigrette more on the vinegar side, but I think that's the beauty of this recipe, it's so changeable. This would be a great one to make, especially in the late summer when we've got all these peppers and no one really knows what to do with them.

Oh, and, there weren't any leftovers. Well, there were, but they didn't survive the night...If you know what I mean...Because I ate them.

Cannellini and Kale Ragout

From Epicurious:
The oversize croutons add a nice crunch to this warming dish, which is a cross between a soup and a stew. Serve with: Romaine salad with sliced oranges, black olives, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 1 1/2-inch-thick slices Italian bread, crusts removed, each slice quartered
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
5 cups (packed) thinly sliced kale (about 1 large bunch)
1 14 1/2-ounce can vegetable broth
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion in juice
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans) or Great Northerns, drained

Preparation:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bread and 1 teaspoon thyme; cook until bread is golden on both sides, turning with tongs, about 2 minutes total. Transfer croutons to bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add remaining 4 tablespoons oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper to same pot; sauté over medium heat 30 seconds. Add kale and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle ragout into shallow bowls. Top with croutons and serve.

Results:
So easy and great for our first snowy weekend. I had to simmer it for a while without the cover because it was a little too soupy for my taste. I think it would also be good with other herbs than thyme, like oregano. So, I had this ragout with the crouton for lunch today, and I plan on mixing it with some pasta to take to work for lunch sometime this week. If you want to turn it into a soup, I would say your could just add more broth.

Shakshuka [Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce]

Adapted from Saveur, stolen from Smitten Kitchen (notes about chiles in ingredient list are from SK)

Serves 4 to 6

1/4 cup olive oil
5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (I was nervous and only used 2 Anaheims; I would go for 3 or 4 next time for a more moderate but still gentle kick)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pitas, for serving

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat [KV: I thought this was a bit too hot on my stove top]. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.

RESULTS:
You know me, I'm all about following the directions (um, just ignore the last three years of blog posts, ok?). Yep, that's me, ol' Follow the Recipe KV. But I just couldn't find the right kind of chiles, okay? I got Anchos. There are a lot of letters in common with Anaheim. They're also both mild to medium heat, but I suspect that if anaheims are the same size as jalepenos, then anchos are much bigger than anaheims. So anyway, because of this, I really can't tell you how many chiles you should use, other than what's written in the recipe. I used three dried anchos (seeded), and the sauce is definitely on the upper end of what I would consider comfortable and starting to immigrate into the Land of Inedible if I eat too fast. I probably have a lower tolerance for heat (well, non-old Bay heat) than your average 20-50 year old, so take that for what you will.

Otherwise, the dish sure looks really pretty. I'm not sure I can tell you what it tastes like. Thanks to my cold I definitely can't tell you what it smells like. But it's pretty. By the way, I had no pitas, so I'm eating this with some leftover rice, which helps a (very) little with the heat.

Beth, Jean and I were pondering over the issue of leftovers. When you're cooking this sort of dish for less than 4 people, how do you save some for later? Other than simply halving the recipe, we decided it would work if you make everything up until the egg. Portion the sauce out and freeze or refrigerate those portions. When you're ready to eat them, just thaw and bring them up to a simmer and add the egg and cheese. As for the portion you're eating the day you make it, move that into a smaller saucepan or pot before adding the egg so there's enough liquid. I haven't frozen and then thawed the sauce yet, so I don't know if this would work, but I freeze tomato sauces all the time and it turns out.

Also, as a side note, do make sure before you put it on the food that your old feta isn't growing un-authorized mold or mildew. That may help you get over your cold, but in this case the cure would be worse than the, uh... illness? I forgot the phrase. You know what I mean.