Kale Pesto with Fusilli

Summer is many months away, but I find myself dreaming of the bunches of fresh basil I picked from the garden (yes, we have gardens in Brooklyn!) last summer. In an effort to bring a bit of summer sunshine to the kitchen, I made kale pesto instead of classic basil pesto – lacinato kale is one of my favorite fall and winter vegetables. No, it’s not quite basil, but it will do for now, as we wait for the snow to melt and the spring buds to finally open. (Is it just me, or has this winter seemed to last forever?)

I recently had a version of this kale pesto at Franny’s restaurant here in Brooklyn, and of course I got a bug to recreate it in my own kitchen. I think this recipe comes pretty close. I used walnuts because I didn’t have any pine nuts on hand (and I have to admit, they’re not my most favorite of nuts) – but pine nuts could be easily substituted. I would hesitate to use anything but lacinato kale for this recipe – I think curly kale would be far too bitter.

This recipe makes a scant 1/2 cup of pesto or less – you only need a tablespoon or so per serving of pasta. It would also be lovely with grilled chicken or fish.

Ingredients:

1 cup lacinato kale, roughly chopped (about 1 small bunch of kale)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons walnuts, lightly crushed
Kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or less)
2 tablespoons Pecorino-Romano cheese
2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Extra cheese for serving (if serving with pasta)

Special Equipment: Food processor

Procedure:

1. Add the kale, garlic, walnuts, and a generous pinch of salt to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a several times to combine.
2. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube of the food processor. Depending on the consistency you like, you may not use all of the oil, so pour slowly. Run the machine continuously for a minute or two to obtain a very smooth consistency. Add more oil if the consistency of the mixture isn’t smooth.
3. Add the cheeses and pulse to combine.
4. Taste and correct for salt.

Starters and Nibbles

Spicy Crock-Pot Apple Butter – Serve with cheddar or brie (or any cheese that is cheddar-or-brie-like) and crackers. Can be made several days in advance. Uses the crock-pot, which frees up your stovetop and oven. Would also be a nice sauce with turkey. And a nice host(-ess) gift.

Spicy Crock-Pot Apple Butter

Chicken Liver Mousse – Quick and easy to make. Can be made several days in advance. Serve with toast squares, crackers, or sliced baguette.

Chicken Liver Mousse on a crunchy little toast square

Manchego Cheese, Quince, and Walnut Crostini – Make the quince jam (or buy it) in advance. Toast the bread in advance. Easy to assemble.

Manchego, Quince, and Walnut Crostini

First Course

Easy Golden Beet Soup with Buttery Croutons - Serve as a first course. Beets can be roasted several days in advance. Soup can be made and refrigerated 1-2 days in advance (without the croutons, of course). Swirl a bit of heavy cream or yogurt on top for an elegant little touch. When I make a large meal like Thanksgiving dinner, I serve creamy soups like this in teacups – it’s just the right amount of soup so your guests aren’t stuffed before the main course.

Golden Beet Soup with Buttery Croutons

Quick Breads

Bacon Muffins – quick and easy to bake. Can be made 1 day in advance.

Bacon Muffins

Irish Soda Bread with Brown Butter, Rosemary, and Black Pepper – Quickbread (no yeast) – takes only a few minutes to mix. Can be made 1-2 days in advance.

Irish Soda Bread with Brown Butter, Rosemary, and Black Pepper

Cheddar-Sage Biscuits – Can be made 1 day in advance and re-heated. Sage goes nicely with turkey.

Cheddar Sage Biscuits

Sides

Broccoli Raab with Pecans – can be made 1-2 day in advance and re-heated.

Broccoli Raab with Pecans

Mashed Potatoes - can be made several hours in advance. Hold in a metal bowl over simmering water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Add more cream or milk before serving if the potatoes have dried out a bit.

Mashed Potatoes

Cranberry Sauce with Bourbon – can be made up to a week in advance. Made in the oven so it frees up your stovetop. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Cranberry Sauce with Bourbon

Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower – can be made several hours in advance. Pop back in the oven for a few minutes to re-heat. Grate some Parmesan over the cauliflower for a little more richness.

Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower

Kale and Ricotta Salata Salad – believe it or not, this salad can be made several days in advance. Unlike lettuce, the kale is hearty enough to not get slimy under the weight of the vinaigrette. Flavors actually get better if made a day in advance. Can be served cold or at room temperature.

Raw lacitano kale for Kale and Ricotta Salata Salad

Dessert

Apple Pie with Boiled Cider – pie can be made one day in advance. I usually serve apple pie with this Calvados Ice Cream (it’s heaven). You can omit the boiled cider to save time. Add a bit more sugar to compensate.

Apple Pie with Boiled Cider

Bourbon Milkshakes – can’t really be made in advance, but really easy to make using store-bought ingredients. And a perfect ending to your fabulous Thanksgiving meal. Give yourself a round of (bourbon-y) applause!

Bourbon Milkshake

Spicy Crock-Pot Apple Butter

My family’s farm, Fernwood Springs, in Westampton, New Jersey, has a lovely little apple orchard. The trees go mostly untended now because it’s just my grandma and my uncle working the farm (and my grandma is 87!), but the Red Delicious apples are still…well…delicious, even without much tending. I picked a boatload the other day and decided to make apple butter with them in my shiny new-ish crockpot.

I’m filing this recipe under “Kitchen Projects” because it takes a looooong time to make. Traditionally, apple butter is cooked over an open flame for like, 4 days, but I managed to a) eliminate the open flame (not so legal in Brooklyn) and b) reduce the cooking time to about 12 hours or so. I added a couple of dried chilies to the recipe after being inspired by a friend who put up a billion jars of cayenne-spiced apple sauce this year – the chile/apple combo is a good one. It may seem a little weird to boil apple cores in a bag along with the apple/water/sugar mixture, but the cores contain a ton of pectin which will give your finished butter a nice jam-y consistency.

Ingredients:
(makes about 2 pints)

12 cups apples, chopped (I used Red Delicious, but other varieties of apples will work). Reserve 5-6 apple cores – see below
2 cups raw sugar
2 cups water
1 lemon
5-6 apple cores
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole cloves
3-4 whole cardamom pods
2-3 small dried chilies
4-5 pods star anise
1/2 vanilla bean, split

Special Equipment: Crock-pot, cheesecloth, kitchen twine, hand blender (optional)

Procedure:

1. Combine the chopped apples, sugar, 2 cups of water, and the juice of 1 lemon in a large crock pot. (Reserve the squeezed lemon.)
2. Wrap the juiced lemon, the apple cores, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom pods, chilies, star anise, and vanilla bean in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine. Add to the apple/sugar mixture.
3. Cook the mixture on high in the crockpot for 2 hours. If the water starts evaporating too quickly, add more, 1/4 cup at a time.
4. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10-12 hours. The mixture should turn a dark caramel brown and the apples should start to fall apart.
5. After 10-12 hours in the crockpot, check the mixture for consistency. This will depend on what variety of apple you use,  how hot your crockpot gets, and whether you added additional water to the mixture. The mixture should start looking jam-y, with little to no apple chunks in the mix.
6. If the mixture is too chunky for your liking, remove the cheesecloth bag and blend the mixture using a hand blender until the apple chunks have been incorporated. If the mixture isn’t thick enough for your liking, remove the mixture from the crockpot and add to a medium, heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over medium heat until thickened. (Keep an eye on the mixture at this point – it will splatter everywhere if left unattended. Trust me.) I both blended with a hand blender and continued to cook the mixture on top of the stove to get the consistency I wanted.
7. Once the apple butter is as thick as you’d like it, ladle into jars or another clean, glass container. Cool completely, then refrigerate. You can also can (that sounds kind of weird) the apple butter at this point, but I didn’t want to bother – the mixture will keep in the fridge for at least a couple of weeks without canning.

Garlic Scape-Walnut-Basil Pesto

Scapes are actually the stems of the garlic plant. And they’re green and taste like garlic. I use them on top of pizza, in pasta, and as a replacement for garlic in lots of other recipes. This is a super easy pesto recipe that uses raw garlic scapes. It’s pungent and oh-so delicious. Stir it into to hot pasta, risotto, or spread on a mozzarella sandwich.

You can play with the proportions of the garlic scape-to-basil ratio to suite your tastes – if you like it really garlicy, stick to the proportions I have listed below. If you like it more basil-y, reduce the garlic scapes to 1/2 cup and add and additional 1/2 cup basil.

Garlic Scapes

Ingredients:
(Makes about 1 cup pesto)

3 tablespoons walnut pieces
1 cup garlic scapes, washed and roughly chopped
1 cup basil leaves (tightly packed)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus additional if necessary)
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Special Equipment: Food processor

Procedure:

1. Toast the walnut pieces: in a small, dry skillet, add the walnut pieces and toast over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant. Cool.
2. In the bowl of the food processor, combine the cooled walnut pieces, the garlic scapes, the basil, a pinch of salt, a grinding of black pepper, and the olive oil. Pulse until a rough paste forms. Add additional olive oil if the mixture is too dense.
3. Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Stir in the parmesean. Taste and correct for salt.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

With few exceptions, my general philosophy is that homemade food tastes better and is a lot cheaper than commercially-prepared food. While the “taste better” part of that philosophy is, admittedly, a bit subjective and hard to covey over the internets, the “a lot cheaper” part is subject to actual quantitative analysis and can be proven, much like a scientific hypothesis from your 8th grade biology class would be. My theory: that homemade tomato sauce (a.k.a., spaghetti sauce, a.k.a., marinara sauce) is cheaper than the store-bought kind, even those brands loaded with high-fructose corn syrup (lots are, you know – check it out), which is a super cheap sweetener used to cover up the flavor of super low-quality and acidic tomatoes. But as I thought about it, I wondered if my homemade version would really turn out to be cheaper than store-bought, given that I tend to favor high quality ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil. Doubt started to creep in. Homemade might be the winner in the taste department, but maybe not in the price department. The only way to figure out this very pressing problem was to conduct a brief “scientific” study. My results are outlined below.

Objective: to find out if homemade tomato sauce is cheaper than store-bought tomato sauce.

Method: using some fancy culinary school math, I calculated the actual cost of my go-to simple tomato sauce (recipe below), including the cost per tablespoon of the somewhat expensive olive oil I like to use. I then compared the results to the cost of a couple different varieties of spaghetti sauce on the market, based on a quick trip to my local grocery store.

Results: The price of my homemade tomato sauce, using expensive extra virgin olive oil (at $16+ per bottle) and organic San Marzano tomatoes was $3.98 for a little over 28 ounces. The cost of commercial tomato sauce ranged in price from $6.29 (Amy’s Organic) to $2.99 (Newman’s Own). A cost-comparison table is below:

Conclusion: Although I used high-quality ingredients, my homemade sauce was cheaper or approximately comparable to store-bought. Or, alternatively stated, my homemade sauce smacked down the store-bought kind.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
One 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed with your hands
Red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Procedure:

1. In a medium, heavy saucepan, add the olive oil and chopped garlic, and turn the heat to medium. Cook and stir the garlic until it turns golden and starts to smell delicious. Do not let the garlic brown!
2. Immediately add the crushed tomatoes, a few pinches of red pepper flakes, a generous pinch of salt, and one or two grindings of black pepper.
3. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately turn the heat down to medium low and let simmer for 20 minutes or so, or until it’s as thick as you’d like. (If you like your sauce a bit smoother, you can crush the tomatoes further with a potato masher or a hand blender.)
4. Serve with any kind of pasta, or use as a base for lasagna, or puree further and use as pizza sauce.

One of the few products with HFCS in it that I continued (ack!) to eat was ketchup, at least until a certain favorite brand of mine started selling organic ketchup, which contains cane sugar instead of HFCS. I thought I’d just go the extra step and make my own – why the hell not.  I have to admit that making your own ketchup does take just a *bit* more time than simply running down to the corner store and picking up a bottle of organic ketchup, but it was fun to make and the result is actually better (gasp!) than my favorite brand of organic ketchup. In the summer, I’ll try to make this with the equivalent amount (about 2 pounds) of fresh tomatoes.

This recipe is a hybrid, adapted from recipes in Sauveur, Gourmet, and my grandma’s 1940s-era cookbook The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking.

Uh, so it's not exactly 57 herbs and spices, just 6

Delectable Homemade Ketchup

Makes a little less than 2 cups.

Ingredients:

4 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon whole allspice
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon chile flakes
1 cinnamon stick (3-inches long)
One 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes with their juice
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar

Special Equipment: Cheesecloth

Procedure:

1. Using kitchen twine, tie the cloves, allspice, celery seed, chile flakes, and cinnamon stick together in a medium square of doubled-up cheesecloth. (You just made a bouquet garni!)
2. In a large, heavy pot, add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, optional jalapeno, salt, vinegar, and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions and peppers are very soft, about 1 hour.
3. Remove and discard the secret spice bundle. Let the mixture cool slightly, then puree in batches in a blender or food processor. (Be careful pureeing hot liquids! Don’t fill the blender too full.)
4. At this point, if the mixture is too pulpy for your taste, pass the liquid through a sieve, pushing as much of the solids through with a rubber spatula as you can. If you prefer your ketchup a little more rustic and a little less smooth, you can skip this step.
5. Return to your pot and cook over medium heat, stirring to keep from scorching, until the mixture has thickened and darkened slightly in color, about 30 minutes. (If the mixture starts to scorch, turn down the heat a bit.)
6. Transfer to a container (a glass jar is preferable) and let cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours to allow the flavors to meld. Your delicious homemade ketchup will keep in the fridge for up to three weeks.

On another note: I have a thing against cinnamon. I am just not a fan, especially of the apple-cinnamon combo. I think cinnamon takes away from the flavor of the apples. I like a spice that is a little more subtle; one that doesn’t hit you over the head with its spiciness. I have two go-to spices of late – star anise and cardamom. I like to use them as substitutes for cinnamon or as a little unexpected addition to something, as in the top of the Sally Lunn. In the case of this applesauce, I snuck both spices in. You might choose to just use one or the other, or maybe you don’t have the extreme aversion to cinnamon that I do. That’s the beauty of applesauce – it’s pretty flexible. Who knew that applesauce could be interesting – right?  I had boiled cider left over from my apple pie with boiled cider experiment (and guess what? I found out that boiled cider lasts a loooong time in the fridge!) so I figured I’d throw it in instead of sugar, but feel free to go sugarless or add a tablespoon or two of sugar (this will depend on how sweet your apples are).

Apples ready for applesauce

Ingredients:

5-6 medium apples (I used a combination of pink ladies, fujis, and honeycrisps, but feel free to experiment with other varieties), peeled, cored, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons boiled cider (optional)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 tablespoons water
1 pod star anise (optional)
1 pod cardamom (optional)

Procedure:

1. Combine the chopped apples, boiled cider, lemon juice, and water in a medium heavy saucepan.
2. Toss in the star anise and cardamom pods.
3. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, then immediately turn down to low.
4. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or longer, or until the apples have broken down to the consistency you desire.
5. I ate my applesauce with the leftover Sally Lunn. (Have you noticed that I really, really like saying “Sally Lunn”?)

Chicken, Kale, and Shallot Quesadillas

Ingredients:

For the Tomato-Chipotle Sauce:

5-6 garlic cloves, unpeeled (very papery outer layers removed)
One 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (I used Muir Glen brand)
One 7-ounce can chipotle chiles in adobo
1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
Kosher salt
Chicken stock or water (optional)

For the Quesadillas:

1 chicken breast, poached
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (or cayenne)
Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces fresh mozzarella or queso blanco, cut into thin slices
1/2 bunch lacitano kale, shredded
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
6 corn tortillas

Garnish: sour cream or yogurt, fresh cilantro leaves

Serves: 2-3

Special Equipment: food processor

Procedure:

For the Tomato-Chipotle Sauce:

1. Put the garlic cloves in a small, heavy skillet and turn the heat on to medium. Roast the garlic until soft and blackened in spots, turning occasionally (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat and cool.
2. Peel and roughly chop the roasted garlic.
3. In the bowl of a food processor, add the crushed tomatoes, the chipotle chiles in adobo, and the chopped roasted garlic. Puree until smooth.
4. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Carefully add the chipotle-tomato purée (careful – it splatters) and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and darkens in color.
5. Taste and correct for seasoning. If too spicy, add a bit of chicken stock or water to dilute.

For the Quesadillas:

1. Shred the poached chicken with your hands and toss with the chipotle chile powder (or cayenne), salt, and a grinding of black pepper. Set aside.
2. In a small saute pan, warm the olive oil over high heat. When hot, but not quite smoking, add the shallot slices. Cook and stir until the shallots are soft and brown in spots, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
3. Place one tortilla on a work board. Top with slices of cheese, a handful of kale, a few tablespoons of chicken, and the sauteed shallots. Top with another corn tortilla.
4. Heat a large skillet or griddle over high heat. Carefully place the quesadilla on the griddle and cook until the cheese begins to melt and the bottom tortilla starts to become a bit crispy. Turn the quesadilla over and cook on the other side until the cheese is completely melted.
5. Remove from heat and cut into wedges. Cook the remaining quesadillas in the same manner. Serve hot.

Cranberries before going in the oven

Cranberry Sauce with Bourbon

Ingredients:

One 15-ounce bag fresh cranberries (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 small star anise pod
1 strip lemon or orange peel, about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide (wash the fruit well in hot water if waxed)
1/4 cup bourbon

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Combine the cranberries, sugar, star anise, and lemon (or orange) peel in a 9×13 inch baking dish.
3. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Stir the mixture, recover with foil, and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until the cranberries are very tender and the sugar has dissolved.
5. Remove the baking pan from the oven and gently stir in the bourbon.
6. Cool, then refrigerate until chilled. Remove the star anise pod and lemon peel before serving.