Winterfest 2017 Recipes

Directions:

1. Wash, peel and thinly slice 2 eggplants, then place all slices evenly spaced on large cookie sheets and place sheets outside in a secure location for direct sun exposure. Allow to dry in the sun for 1 hour on each side. This process is my secret preparation which will extract every bit of moisture from the eggplants, eliminating the bitter taste that is often associated with this vegetable.

2. Return Eggplants to the kitchen, then take three large cooking bowls and in one bowl, whisk egg and milk until a liquid consistency. In a second bowl, combine bread crumbs and a 1 cup grated cheeses. In the third bowl, place bleached flour.

3. First place each individual slice of eggplant into the bowl of flour, coating each side. Take the flour coated slice and place in bowl with egg/milk mixture, also coating both sides. Finally, place each coated slice into the bowl with the bread crumbs cheese combo, and once again make sure to coat both sides. Repeat until each slice is prepared, then place and reserve these coated slices on a large tray.

4. In a large frying pan at medium heat, begin cooking slices of the coated eggplant in olive oil until golden brown on all sides. Repeat until each slice is cooked. Reserve and place these cooked slices on another large tray for later assembly.

5. While frying the slices, pre­heat oven to 350 degrees so that the oven is pre­heated when frying is completed. Now, coat the bottom of a large baking dish with room temperature tomato sauce. Evenly place the cooked eggplant until the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking pan is covered. Spoon out liberally the tomato sauce until all slices are covered. Followed by evenly sprinkling some of the remaining grated cheese on top, along with a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella.

6. Continue doing this process until pan is full with layers of eggplant, sauce and cheeses. When pan is full, you may have extra eggplant leftover, if you do you can double the slices. (A typical pan will have maybe 3 to 4 layers Use that as your guide) SAVE enough tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella to completely cover the top of the pan. Place pan in pre­heated oven for at least 40 minutes or until cheese and sauce are bubbling brown. Done. ENJOY!! Bon Appetito a Tutti!!

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Directions:

Brine:
1. Combine Water, Salt, and Brown Sugar and Bring to a simmer.
2. Add garlic and herbs, and remove from heat
3. Allow to cool fully before adding pork porterhouse
4. Allow to brine for 24 hours.
5. Remove and pat dry with a paper towel

Preparing/cooking the pork
15 Minutes before cooking, season the pork with kosher salt, and then generously rub all sides with black pepper. To cook, using a grill, or cast iron grill pan, heat over medium high, and add 2-3 Tbsp of canola oil to the pan. Once oil begins to smoke, add pork to the pan and cook over medium high heat. Cook for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side, turning 90 degrees only once per side. Flip Over and repeat the process on the other side. Baste with citrus mojo sauce (see below) while pork cooks. After 3-4 minutes on the second side, place pan into a preheated 350 degree oven, and cook to internal temperature of 128 degrees when inserted into the middle of the strip side. Once finished, allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with espellete pepper, and fresh cilantro sprigs

Preparing/cooking the roasted peppers.-
Lightly toss peppers in EVOO, and season with salt and pepper. Once the pork has been flipped, add peppers to the pan. Cook along with the pork for the remaining time, and turn peppers as needed, until a nice blistering char is achieved on all sides.

Serve pork porterhouse and roasted pepper with Citrus Mojo Sauce and cilantro cream.

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
2. In a small sauce pan, combine oil and garlic, and cover with a lid or aluminum foil
3. Allow to simmer in oven for 45 minutes, or until caramelized
4. Remove from oven and add fresh juices
5. Place back into oven for additional 15 minutes or until mixture has thickened slightly
6. Remove from heat, and carefully mash the garlic cloves until a loose paste is formed
7. Allow to cool before using.

Cilantro Cream-
Combine all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Season to taste.

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Directions for Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Pat the chicken breasts dry, make sure they are very dry, and sprinkle the top with the salt.

4. Place the chicken breasts, skin side down, in the heated oil and sear for 5 minutes, or until skin is crisp and golden brown.

5. Flip the chicken over. Add the lemon, olives, tomatoes and thyme to the skillet and transfer to the oven.

6. Roast for 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

*The chicken breasts I used were 3/4 pound each.

Directions for the Vegetables

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat the vegetables (at this point you can place the vegetables in a large zipper bag and refrigerate overnight).

3. Pour the vegetables on to a foil lined sheet tray and roast for 45-50 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until tender and golden.

4. Serve.

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Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) Spread single layer of artichoke hearts to cover bottom of baking dish. Wring all water out of spinach, layer over artichoke hearts. Finish with another layer of artichoke hearts.

3) Soften cream cheese and butter in microwave until spreadable. Spread evenly over top of casserole. Finish with grated Parmesan cheese.

4) Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 45 minutes. Remove cover and cook for 15 more minutes, until top is golden brown. If the top doesn’t brown, you can turn on the broiler for a minute or two, but watch carefully, to avoid burning.

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Directions

Persimmon pudding has its magic as the classic Southern expression of persimmon’s autumnal goodness. Keep it in mind for pie as well, where its robust, rustic flavor and handsome fall color star in my variation on the traditional pumpkin pie. Note: For best results, make the Pecan Streusel topping ahead, so that it can chill for 2 hours; longer is fine. This recipe is featured in Southern Living magazine’s November 2017 issue.

1. Prepare the Pecan Streusel: Whisk together flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Using your fingers, rub butter into dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and forms large, moist clumps. Add pecans, and work into clumps until incorporated. Refrigerate until mixture is very cold and firm, 1 to 2 hours. (Or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days; or freeze for 1 month).

2. Prepare the crust and place it in a pie pan. Crimp the top edges, or press with the tines of a fork.

3. Prepare the Persimmon Filling: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl until well combined. Add melted butter to sugar mixture, stirring with a fork until mixture is evenly combined and resembles damp sand.

4. In another medium bowl, stir together evaporated milk and eggs, using a whisk or a fork to mix them evenly and well. Add the sugar-butter mixture and stir until everything is smooth and creamy. Add the persimmon puree and stir until all ingredients combine into a smooth, creamy filling.

5. Pour filling into piecrust. Bake in the preheated oven (375 degrees F) until filling is partially set (it has lost its initial liquid texture and overall shiny surface), 25 to 30 minutes.

6. Carefully remove the pie from the oven --- it will still be very liquid so take care here. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the Pecan Streusel from the refrigerator. Use your fingers to break the cold streusel into small clumps and crumbs. Sprinkle the streusel all over the center of the pie, leaving the edges showing for their beautiful autumn color.

7. Return the streusel-covered pie to the oven to continue baking. Bake at 350 degrees F until the pie filling is firm, puffed up, and set, 25 to 30 minutes more. Transfer pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 3 hours. Cut and serve at room temperature, with Brown Sugar Whipped Cream, or vanilla ice cream, or as is. Makes one 9-inch pie.

8. Prepare the Brown Sugar Whipped Cream: Using chilled beaters and a large chilled bowl, beat cream with an electric mixer on high speed until thickened and puffy, about 2 minutes. Add brown sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes more, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add vanilla and beat just until it disappears into the beautiful clouds of cream. Cover and chill until serving time.

*Note:
If you don’t have 2 hours to chill the Pecan Streusel, spread it on a plate and place it in the freezer while you prepare the pie. You won’t need it until halfway through cooking time, so this will help it set up quickly. Make a double batch and keep it in the freezer for future pies if you like it as much as I do. You could use a double batch and cover the entire pie if you really love streusel. Great on any pie filling!

Recipe credit: Southern Living Magazine

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Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9" x 13" pan

2. Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them at medium speed with the cocoa, salt, baking
powder, and vanilla for about 4 minutes. You can do this while you're melting your butter
(next step).

3. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the
butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Or simply combine the butter and sugar, and

heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. Continue to heat (or microwave) briefly, just until the
mixture is hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir
it. Heating the mixture to this point will dissolve more of the sugar, which will help produce a
shiny top crust on your brownies.

4. Add the hot butter/sugar mixture to the egg/cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth.

5. Add the flour, chips, and candy canes, stirring until smooth.

6. Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.

7. Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes
out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the
edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven
and cool on a rack before cutting.

8. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

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Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

Course:

Pasta, Dinner, Beef

Cuisine:

American

1. Preheat the slow cooker to Low.
2. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towel.
3. Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt. Sear the beef in one layer in the hot oil (3 to 5 minutes) till brown on all sides. Remove the seared beef to the slow cooker and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Add the beef stock to the slow cooker and cover.
4. Add the carrots, and onions, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper to the fat in the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the tomato paste and flour, cook until lightly toasted. Add the Brandy, scrape the browned bits off of the pan and cook until the alcohol has burned off.
5. Add the browned vegetables, tomatoes, bottle of wine, thyme and bay leaf to the slow cooker. Cover with a parchment paper lid and the slow cooker lid, Cook on low for about 6 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender.
6. Brown the onions and sauté the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned, set aside. Remove the meat to the bowl with the onions and mushrooms adding a bit of cooking liquid and cover with foil. Strain the rest of the cooking liquid into a sauce pan, reduce until it coats the back of a spoon (3-5 min)
7. Meanwhile cook the egg noodles to package instructions, drain, add butter and parsley. Season the sauce to taste.
8. To serve, warm shallow bowls and add the egg noodles, sauce, meat, mushrooms & onions, and finally the reserved bacon.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch pan and set aside.

2. Wash and peel squash. Slice squash vertically down the center and remove seeds. Slice squash halves into ½-inch slices . arrange slices in rows in pan.

3. In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese. SPrinkle mixture over squash, making sure each slice is coated with cheese and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until squash is cooked all the way through and topping begins to turn golden brown.

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NOTES
If you don’t love sauerkraut, no worries: a beautiful rich tomato sauce is a great alternative.
Also, I encourage you to serve the cabbage rolls directly from your baking vessel. So if you’re aesthetically inclined, choose your wares accordingly!

START THE CABBAGE ROLLS:
You’ll need 12 to 15 nice large leaves to make these rolls. Gently peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage, then steam these over a pot of boiling water until pliable, roughly 15 minutes. Lay them out on a kitchen towel to cool and dry. Chop up the remaining cabbage (up to ½ head) into medium chunks.

MAKE THE STUFFING: In a large bowl, mix together with your hands the pork, beef, paprika, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, coriander, black pepper, garlic, onion, and rice, adding a generous sprinkling of salt. Shape a very small patty of the mixture and, in a hot small frying pan lightly coated with oil, cook it for 2 minutes on each side. Taste for salt and adjust your overall mixture accordingly.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll up ¼ cup of the stuffing into each steamed cabbage leaf, like you would roll a burrito, and tuck each roll into a deep baking dish, seam-side down. Pour a light layer of the sauerkraut juice and all of the tomato juice over the rolls. Insert small pieces of the cabbage heart(s) in between each roll, then top with the sauerkraut and more of its juices: the overall amount of liquid should come three fourths of the way up the cabbage rolls. I like to add some slices of smoked bacon over the top to add flavor while the dish cooks, but it’s your choice. Cover tightly with a lid or buttered foil, and bake for 2½ to 3 hours, until tender.

IN THE MEANTIME, MAKE THE CREAMY CUCUMBERS: Slice the cucumber into rounds about the thickness of a nickel. Combine in a nonreactive bowl with the vinegar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature. Drain off the cucumber liquid. Mix the cucumbers with the sour cream, dill, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

TO SERVE: Serve family-style right from your cooking vessel, with the creamy cucumbers on the side.

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Directions for Pasta

· On a flat nonstick surface add the flour and make a well in the center.
· Add the egg yolks, egg, milk, and olive oil to the center of the well.
· Gently break up the eggs with your fingers.
· Begin turning the egg mixture in a circular motion, gradually pulling in flour from the sides of the well. Continue mixing until all the flour has been incorporated and a sticky paste has formed.
· Remove dough from bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and bounces back slightly when pressed with a finger.
· Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Once you have the dough made you get out your kitchen aid attachments and put them on your mixer. Start with the attachment that just flattens the dough. Start at level one, and then fold the dough in half. Then run it through each one up until the thickness of 5. You can then use whichever attachment you would like to make flat or round pasta or you can leave it in sheets and make ravioli. Boil water and put the pasta in for 2 min and 30 seconds. Then remove and drain.

Directions for Filling

Can freeze or freshly cook pasta for 4 minutes

Pipe into or fill ravioli (pasta dough rolled to a 5 thickness)

Sauce option A (beurre monte): 1 tbsp. water in sauté pan. Heat to simmer. Melt in 3 tbsp. butter over lowest heat.

Sauce option B (brown butter): 3 tbsp. butter in sauté pan. Sauté 1/2 sliced shallot until lightly browned over medium high heat. Squeeze 1-2 lemons into butter.

Add drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese to either one.

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Instructions

1. In a blender, blend all peanut sauce ingredients until smooth, adding more water as needed. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add the ground pork, shrimp, salt, pepper, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and chives. Gently, but thoroughly, mix everything together with your hands (or a wooden spoon).

3. Fill each wrapper with one tablespoon of filling. Smear the edges of the top half the wrapper with the beaten egg, seal, and fold. Place finished wontons on a lightly floured sheet tray until ready to cook.

4. When all the wontons are ready to cook, bring a large pot of chicken stock to a boil and gently transfer a few wontons into the boiling water, making sure to not overcrowd the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the pork is cooked through.

5. Transfer cooked wontons to a bowl. Top with peanut sauce, a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, and garnish with some cilantro and pepper slices. Enjoy!

Note: Any uncooked wontons can be stored in the fridge for an extra day or frozen for 3 months. Simply place them on a plate and cover tightly in plastic wrap.

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Pumpkin Chili

Course:

Chili, Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine:

American

Yield:

8-10

1. Peel the pumpkin or squash and cut into 1-inch pieces. (To make it easier to peel the pumpkin, cut in half, remove the seeds — and set aside for roasting! — and then microwave each half cut-side down in a shallow dish of water for 5 minutes, or roast the halves at 450°F for about 15 minutes. When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, shave off the skin with a sharp knife.
2. In a 6-quart or larger Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. When melted, whisk in the cornmeal until smooth, then stir in the pumpkin, turnip, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the broth, diced tomatoes and their juices, beans, and corn. Stir in the chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring back to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour, or until the pumpkin and turnip are tender. (It gets even better if simmered longer — a whole afternoon, if you have the time.)
4. Before serving, taste and season with salt and pepper and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Serve hot with green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, and sour cream if desired.

Directions for Pasta

1) In an 8qt sauce pot, bring to a boil 3-4 qt water and season with salt (salty like the sea)
2) In a large saute pan, heat the butter and oil over medium high heat; cook to brown
3) Drop the agnolotti in the boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the pasta is cooked al dent
4) Add 1-2oz pasta cooking water to the browned butter, then add the pasta
5) Reduce the heat and allow the pasta to cook in the sauce, finish with about 1 tbls butter and remove from the heat
6) The sauce should be emulsified, not broken and greasy; add more pasta water if needed
7) Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and top with parmigiano-reggiano
8) Granish with the walnuts and pesto, or serve on the side

DIrections for Potato Leek Filling

1) In a saute pan on low to medium heat combine the leeks and butter; season with salt and pepper; allow to cook over low heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the leeks are falling apart; remove from the heat and cool
2) Peel the skins from the potatoes and combine with the leeks
3) Using a meat grinder or a food mill, grind the potato and leek together and place mixture in a mixing bowl
4) Add the remaining ingredients and mix together well
5) Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Directions for Pesto

1) In a blender, place all ingredients
2) Blend on high to puree all ingredients
3) BLEND QUICKLY AS THE MOTOR WILL HEAT THE PESTO AND DISCOLOR IT
4) Taste and adjust seasoning
5) Cover, label, date and refrigerate

Making/Cooking the Agnolotti

1) Roll out pasta to 4x12 inches in dimension - the dough should be sheeted out as thin as possible - almost transparent.
2) On the lower half of the sheeted dough add 2 tsp of filling about 1 inch apart.
3) Brush water lightly with a pastry brush down across the lower edge of one side of the sheeted pasta and then fold the other half of the dough over the filling and press down in between filling pockets to and remove as much air as possible before sealing. It is important to remove as much air as possible to prevent from opening while cooking.
4) Next cut filled/sealed pasta in to 1 x 1 inches and cook 2-3 minutes.

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Directions for Pork Chop

1. Divide the canola oil, thyme, and rosemary between two Ziploc bags. Put 2 pork chops in each bag and marinate them in the fridge for at least an hour. Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking.

2. Place figs, port, and orange juice in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, and cook until liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

3. Light a grill or heat a large cast-iron pan until hot, and cook two pork chops at a time until meat registers 145 degrees on a thermometer, about 5 to 7 minutes per side. Set aside to keep warm and repeat with the remaining two. Rest on a plate under tented foil for 5 minutes.

4. Transfer to plates and spoon warm compote on top.

Directions for Stuffing

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes to soften up onion.

2. Add chili flakes and sausage and cook for 4 to 6 more minutes, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon to ensure it cooks all the way through.

3. Add the cornbread to the pan and stir to combine all ingredients. Add chicken stock and stir. Sprinkle with chives. Serve.”

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Directions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan (skillet) and fry the onions and leeks until softened. Layer half the sweet potatoes, butternut squash, celeriac (celery root) and Jerusalem artichokes in a medium-sized ovenproof dish, then add half the fried onions and leeks.

Next make the creamy cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour and stir well, cooking for a few minutes. Slowly add the cream, whisking consistently so there are no lumps. Finally add the cheeses and continue to cook, stirring, until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.

Pour half the cheese sauce over the layered vegetables, then layer the remaining prepared vegetables and add the rest of the onions and leeks on top. To finish, add the rest of the cheese sauce. Put into the oven and bake for 1 hour, then serve hot.

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