Celery Root with Brown Butter, Oranges, Dates, and Almonds

This salad was the perfect complement to the stuffed pork loin roast I made last week. When I was planning this menu I first thought of making a crisp and simple garlicky kale and parmesan salad with bread crumbs - one of my staples, and always a good option. But the more I thought about it I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to go outside of my typical comfort zone and try something else new and fun. Holidays with good friends are the perfect time to do this!

I flipped through my favorite cookbook and found this seasonal recipe which look unique and not something I’m going to put together for myself on a typical weeknight. The star of this salad is the humble celery root. Admittedly not my favorite vegetable, but I’m aways up for a challenge - turn the theoretical lemon into lemonade!

I thought this salad turned out great! There are so many assertive flavors here that the flavor of the celery root just blended into the whole dish seamlessly. There are a lot of components to this salad, so it did take some time to prep, but the end result was worth it!

---

Celery Root with Brown Butter, Oranges, Dates, and Almonds
From Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden
Ingredients

• 2 naval oranges, preferably Cara Caras or blood oranges

• 1 small or 1/2 large celery root (about 3/4 lb)

• 1/2 cup pitted dates, cut into quarters or smaller (I highly recommend Medjool dates instead of deglet noor dates, they are much softer and tastier in my opinion!)

• 1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup Brined and Roasted Almonds (recipe below) - I would highly recommend making these, they are delicious and totally worth an additional step!

• 1 small bunch chives, cut into 3-inch lengths

• 1 small handful flat-leaf parsley leaves

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions
Grate the zest from one of the oranges, then squeeze the juice from half of that grated orange.

Cut a small slice from the navel and stem ends of the second orange and set the orange on the cutting board on one cut end. Using a sharp paring knife, cut away all the orange peel and the underlying white pith from top to bottom, working in strips around the orange. Slice off any remaining bits of pith. Halve the orange pole to pole (not through the equator). Set a half on the cutting board cut side down and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch thick half moons. Repeat with the other half and put all slices in a large bowl.

Using a sharp paring knife, cut away all tough exteriors of the celery root; if there are dark fissures remaining, cut those away too. Cut the whole thing in half, and if the circumference of the halves is still big and unwieldy, halve them again. Set one piece of celery root on the cutting board on a cut side, and slice as thin as you can. When the piece of celery root gets wobbly, turn to another side and keep cutting — it’s okay if the slices are shaped differently Put the celery root in the bowl with the oranges.

Add the juice from the orange half you squeezed, half the grated zest (save the other half), the dates, chile flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and lots of twists of fresh black pepper and toss. Taste and adjust the salt, black pepper and chile flakes until the salad is very zippy. Add a glug of olive oil and toss again. Add the almonds, chives, and parsley and toss. Taste and adjust one more time.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Cook the butter, swirling the pan every few seconds, until all the water inside the butter has sizzled off and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan begin to turn a pale golden color, 1 to 2 minutes. Cook the butter until it turns golden brown and smells nutty and delicious, another few seconds. When the butter looks and smells perfect, immediately — so the butter stops cooking and doesn’t get too dark — pour it into a little bowl.

Arrange the salad on plates or a platter and pour the warm brown butter over top. Sprinkle with the reserved orange zest and serve.

---

Brined and Roasted Almonds
From Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden
Ingredients

• 1 cup water

• 1/3 cup kosher salt

• 1 ½ cups raw skin-on almonds (about 8 ounces)

Directions
Bring water to boil in a saucepan. Add the salt and stir to dissolve. Add the almonds to the hot brine, remove from the heat, and let them soak for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Drain the almonds thoroughly and spread them evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast until they are lightly toasted and fragrant, about 12 minutes. Take one out to test by biting into it – the interior should be a light brown, almost the color of a paper bag. The nuts will be soft at this stage, but once completely cooled they will be very crunchy and nicely salty. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Marinated Beets with Pistachios and Tarragon

This recipe for marinated beets was in the weekly email from my CSA a week or two back. I really do like beets, and am always looking for new ideas. I had both thyme and tarragon growing in the garden so this looked perfect! I didn’t have pistachios, but did have hazelnuts so used that instead.

This is a nice make-ahead dish. It gets better the longer it sits. It is quite vinegar heavy, but I think that makes it interesting. I’d like to try it with golden beets too, I typically like golden beets better than red, but I had red this week so that’s what we did!

Marinated Beets with Pistachios and Tarragon
From Bon Appetit
Ingredients

• 1 pound baby yellow or red beets, trimmed, scrubbed

• ½ cup Sherry or red wine vinegar, divided

• 2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup olive oil

• Kosher salt

• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

• ¼ cup raw pistachios, chopped

• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh tarragon

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Combine beets, ¼ cup vinegar, 2 Tbsp. oil, and ¼ cup water in a baking dish; season with salt. Cover with foil and steam until beets are tender, 40–50 minutes. Let cool slightly. Rub off skins with paper towels; cut beets into quarters (or ½” wedges if larger).

Toss beets with shallot, thyme, remaining ¼ cup vinegar, and remaining ¼ cup oil in a large bowl; season with salt. Let sit at least 2 hours. Toss with pistachios and tarragon just before serving.

DO AHEAD: Beets can be marinated 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Kale Salad with Smoked Almonds and Picada Crumbs

Made this for dinner on a whim the last night of my vacation, after getting home from Arizona the night before. Something light and fresh sounded great. This was a wonderful salad, without cheese! I couldn’t believe it. Rarely do I make a salad without cheese on purpose!. It would be an easy salad to make ahead. There is so much flavor, and what I especially liked was how acidic it was. There are a lot of acidic components which really add a punch of flavor. I think it would be great with a piece of grilled fish. I just had it with some toasts which was also good. Definitely something to make again.

There are a lot of places you could go with this one, changing the flavors a little bit here and there. I did make some changes based on what I had.

What did I change/do differently: I used less olive oil than the recipe called for by a long shot. Didn’t have smoked almonds, so used toasted walnuts instead. Didn’t have thyme, but did have parsley, cilantro and mint so in that all went. Added a little smoked paprika since I didn’t have any smoked almonds. Used regular curly kale not lacinato. I only used a small amount of honey, maybe 1-2 teaspoons, not 2 tablespoons. Added sweet red pickled peppers, sliced thin, for a little extra flavor, color and acid. I also think some olives would be a lovely addition.

Kale Salad with Smoked Almonds and Picada Crumbs
From 177 Milk Street
Ingredients

• 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

• 5 tablespoons sherry vinegar

• Kosher sald

• 2 Tablespoons of honey

• 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Ground black pepper

• 1 cup smoked almonds

• 4 ounces white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika

• 2 bunches lacinato kale, stemmed, washed, spun dry and thinly sliced crosswise (10 cups)

• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots, vinegar and ½ teaspoon salt. Allow to sit 10 minutes. Whisk in the honey, 5 tablespoons of the oil and ½ teaspoon pepper; set aside.

In a food processor, process the almonds until coarsely chopped, about 8 pulses; transfer to a large bowl. Add the bread to the processor and process to rough crumbs, about 20 seconds. Add the thyme, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, paprika, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Process until incorporated, about 10 seconds. Transfer the crumb mixture to a large skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Add the kale and mint to the bowl with the almonds and massage the greens until the kale softens and darkens, 10 to 20 seconds. Add the dressing and crumbs and toss to combine. Taste, then season with salt and pepper

Roasted Delicatata Squash with Brown Butter and Pomegranate

I was intivted to a friends Thanksgiving the Saturdayafter thanksgiving. The hosts were providing the turkey and asked everyone to bring a side or dessert. After all of the Thanksgiving prep and cooking I wanted something very simple to contribute. I was inspired a few days before the party by a roasted squash recipe I saw on Instagram.

I used the picture and the name as a starting point but just did my own thing when putting it together. I wrote out the recipe below as best I can remember although I didn’t measure anything when I made it. I roasted the squash with a little oil and maple syrup at 400 for 25-30 minutes which turned out to be a perfect temperature and timing to nicely brown the pieces and get the tender without drying them out or making them get tough. I arranged the squash on a plate and drizzled and sprinkled with everything else. Simple and delicious. I used balsamic, but you could also use pomegranate molasses or date molasses. You could drizzle with just plain melted butter, or a good finishing oil, and you could sprinkle with other fruit, herbs, seeds or nuts (dried cherries or cranberries, pistachios, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, fresh parsley or cilanto, you get the idea).

I thought it turned out great! Got some good review from friends. A fun, different composed salad for a group. Would definitely do this or something similar again.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Roasted Delicatata Squash with Brown Butter and Pomegranate
Ingredients

• 2 medium-to-large delicata squash

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

• Kosher salt

• 4-6 tablespoons butter

• Balsamic vinegar

• Pomegranate arils

• Fresh chives

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half the long way, scoop out the seeds and then slice eat half of squash into 1/2 inch half-moons. Toss the squash with olive oil, maple syrup and kosher salt to taste. Arrange in a single layer on two baking sheets. Roast for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned and tender, flipping squash about 20 minutes into roasted to more evenly brown both sides.

While the squash is cooking brown the butter. Place the butter in a light-colored pan over low-to-medium heat. Stir the butter or rotate the pan the entire time it is on the heat to keep it moving. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges. Keep stirring. After about 5-10 minutes the butter will turn golden brown. Some foam will subside and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan will be toasty brown. It will smell intensely buttery and nutty. Immediately remove the pan from heat and pour the butter into heat-proof bowl to stop the cooking process or it may burn if left in the hot pan. Set aside until the squash is done.

Remove squash from oven and let cool slightly. Arrange squash in layers on a large platter. Drizzle with the browned butter and balsamic vinegar to taste. Sprinkle with pomegranate arils and chopped chives. Serve warm. As it cools the butter may start to solidify somewhat but it is still perfectly delicious.

Lemony Brussel Sprout Kale Salad with Leeks, Pancetta and Pecorino

I’ve been loving Brussel sprouts this fall. Not that this is a new love for me, but over the past month or two I’ve been eating a lot of them, so I decided that I wanted Brussel sprouts for Thanksgiving this year.

I tried a few different ideas prior to the holiday to see what I thought would be best. I tried a Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Warm Honey Glaze from Bon Appetit to start. It was good but not quite as good as I hoped. I decided that I wanted more of a fresh, lemony recipe. I thought about the flavors I like and the ways I’ve made Brussels in the past and I came up with my own recipe.

I decided to use lots of lemon zest and juice for freshness and brightness. I wanted a punch of flavor with the cheese so I went with a sharp and salty Pecorino. And for something fun that I don’t typically do I decided to add crispy pancetta on the top, using some of the pancetta fat to roast the Brussel sprouts. A little garlic, some kale for bulk, and dried cherries for a little sweetness were the final touches.

I have to say, I loved this combination. I thought it was pretty fantastic, and I would definitely do it again and again! I wrote out a general idea of what I did below. I didn’t really measure anything when I did it, but this is pretty close.

——————————————————————————————

Lemony Brussel Sprout Kale Salad with Leeks, Pancetta and Pecorino
Ingredients

• 1/2 lb pancetta

• 2 quarts of Brussel sprouts

• 2 large leeks

• Butter

• 1-2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano Locatelli cheese

• 1 pound kale, torn into bite sized pieces

• Dried cherries

Directions
Cut the pancetta into small cubes and sauté until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is slightly crispy. Remove the pancetta pieces from the pan and reserve the fat.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Halve Brussel sprouts, toss with the reserved pancetta fat and kosher salt and roast in a single layer for 15-20 minutes (length of time will depend on your over and your desired done-ness of the Brussel sprouts).

In the meantime, thinly slice the leeks into rounds and saute in a little butter and kosher salt until wilted and tender and starting to brown. Add the garlic during the last few seconds of cooking to warm slightly, then remove from heat. Add the kale and the lemon juice and zest and mix it altogether so the kale wilts slightly in the heat of the leeks.

Once the Brussel sprouts are done add them to the leek-kale mixture and stir to combine. Add in the pecorino cheese and dried cherries and toss a few more times. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and top with the pancetta, and sprinkle with a few more cherries and a little extra cheese. Serve warm or room temperature.

Mixed-Bean Salad with Celery and Tarragon

Lara decided That she wanted to try a new recipe earlier last month. Typically we both cook on the fly, rarely using any recipes except perhaps as inspiration. Sometimes it can be helpful however, to actually follow someone else’s recipe to get new ideas regarding flavor combinations, how to use a certain ingredient, or how to use a whole new ingredient. This can really broaden your cooking repertoire and excite your cooking a bit!

This mixed bean salad really was amazing. It is so so fresh, and has such a great combination of flavors and textures. Great make ahead summer salad that isn’t the same old same old.

We took this salad out to Grand Haven to have a picnic on the pier before starting our “real jobs” in August, 2019. It was perfect.

——————————————————————————————

Crunchy Mixed-Bean Salad with Celery and Tarragon
From Six Seasons; A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden
Ingredients

• Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

• 1/2 pound wax beans, green beans, or a mix, trimmed

• 2 cups shell beans, preferably a mix of types I ended up using white beans and chickpeas

• 4 to 6 medium inner celery stalks with leaves attached

• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, thick stems trimmed off and reserved, leaves left whole

• 1/2 cup lightly packed tarragon leaves

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 bunch scallions, trimmed (including 1/2 inch off the green tops), thinly sliced, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes, and drained well

• 1/2 cup roughly chopped pepperoncini, plus a splash of pickling liquid I used a red jalapeno, sliced thin, and some vinegar, it worked great, and the red pepper added beautiful color

• 1 lemon

• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and roughly chopped

• 4 soft-cooked eggs

Directions
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add salt until it tastes like the sea. Add the wax beans and boil for just about 1 minute (longer if the beans are mature); you want the beans to be crisp-tender. Drain and immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking. Pat dry.

Pile the wax beans into a large bowl. Add the shell beans.

Roughly chop the leaves on the celery stalks, then cut the stalks crosswise at a sharp angle into 1/4-inch pieces and add all to the bowl of beans. Measure out half the parsley stems, trim off the dried ends of the stems, and very finely slice them crosswise, as you would chives. Add the parsley stems, leaves, and the tarragon to the bowl, along with the scallions and pepperoncini, plus a splash of the pickling liquid. Gently mix all the ingredients. Grate the lemon zest into the bowl, add the capers, season generously with black pepper, add about 1/2 cup olive oil, and toss again. Tear the eggs into pieces and distribute over the bowl.

When you’re ready to serve, give the salad a final spritz of lemon juice.

Parmesan Roasted Winter Radishes

Winter vegetables certainly aren't sexy. Hitting up the farmers market on a cold day in mid-January can be disappointing. There is no rainbow of fresh tomatoes of every shape and size, gone are the tender strawberries or raspberries bursting with sweet juice, no rows of sweet corn awaiting melted butter and coarse salt, and don't even mention the word peach, I won't be able to even look at one for at least 8 more months when I get to bite into this handful of sunshine.

Over the past few years however, I have tried to embrace the winter months and the produce available, to accept it for what it is. This recipe that I created was just what I needed to embrace a variety of winter radishes that I picked up recently. I had a mix of rainbow and black radishes and wasn't sure what to do with them. I figured that butter and cheese will make just about anything good so that's the direction I went. I was very happy with the results. The caramelized radishes with their intrinsic bitterness mixed with a little richness from the butter, saltiness from the cheese and sweetness from the honey is a lovely combination to help this under-appreciated vegetable shine. 

If you've never tried a winter radish I urge you to at least give it a chance. They do have a strong flavor and a bit of a sulfur-y smell but don't let that turn you off. They are delicious, healthy and unique. Not the same old boring vegetables week after week. Expand your horizens, try something new!

Parmesan Roasted Winter Radishes
From Delectably Mine
Ingredients

• 6 medium sized winter radishes (I used a mix of black radishes and watermelon radishes)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Plenty of kosher salt

Directions
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees with a sheet pan inside. Meanwhile, slice the top and bottom off of each radish, cut in half length wise, and then cut each half into 3 or 4 wedges. Place all of the wedges in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with plenty of coarse salt. Mix until everything is well coated.

Remove the preheated baking sheet from the oven. Line the sheet with foil. Transfer the radishes to the baking sheet and spread out into an even layer. Place baking sheet in the oven and roast the radishes for approximately 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking. 

Once radishes are nicely brown and have just a bit of texture left, remove from oven and transfer to a large bowl. Add the butter, honey and cheese to the still hot radishes and mix it all together until the butter is all melted and everything is evenly coated. Serve warm, or at room temperature. 

Lentil Salad with Tomatoes and Gorgonzola

It's finally spring here in Michigan. Yesterday was lovely, and today is looking like it's going to be even better. Unfortunately I'm working this weekend, but hopefully I'll get out in time to enjoy a little of the beautiful sunshine. During the winter and early spring, before any spring produce has hit the farmer's market, my quick meal repertoire is full of grains, legumes and roasted veggies. I never get tired of any combination of these things. There are endless possibilities, different combinations of these various components as well as different spices, sauces, and other add-ins. It's really almost impossible to go wrong. Some might turn out a little better than others, but I'm always happy with the end result.

I usually just find myself throwing a bunch of things together depending on what's in my fridge at the moment. For this recipe however, I actually did follow a recipe from the cookbook Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi with just a few minor adaptations. I love his recipes and so wanted to actually follow one of them fairly closely to see his magic at work. I find that when I just do my own thing I can get stuck in a rut of the same flavor combinations, or at least very similar combinations of ingredients. Deferring to someone else from time to time can help inspire me to try out something new.

I kept this recipe pretty true to the original. I didn't have chives so used green onion instead. Added a bit of lemon zest at the very end to perk things up a bit, add a little brightness. I also used pomegranate vinegar instead of balsamic vinegar because I don't have any balsamic right now. This is a light and fresh salad; delicious, simple, healthy. Really exactly what I love. The sweetness of the tomatoes pairs perfectly with the creamy Gorgonzola and sharpness of the red onion. All the herbs really amp up the flavor adding even more freshness.

There are endless variations are possible on this basic theme. I would keep the tomatoes, onions and obviously the lentils, but could change up the cheese to anything nice and creamy, and can swap out the herbs for your favorite herb or whatever you have on hand. Add some spices, sauce, more roasted veggies. To really make it a filling meal you could add some chicken, or tofu on top depending on your preference. It could all go on top of a bed of greens as well to bulk it up and turn into more of a green salad. All wonderful, and I'm sure delicious, ideas.

Lentil Salad with Tomatoes and Gorgonzola
Adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
Ingredients
Oven-dried tomatoes:

• 3 plum tomatoes
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate or balsamic vinegar
• salt

Salad:

• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup (120 grams) French lentils
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove, crush
• black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill
• 1 1/2 ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled
• lemon zest (optional)

Directions
To make the oven-dried tomatoes. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Quarter the tomatoes vertically and place skin-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Arrange the thyme sprigs on top of them. Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with some salt. Roast for 1 1/2 hours, or until semi-dried. Discard the thyme and allow to cool slightly. 

Meanwhile, place the red onion in a medium bowl, pour over the vinegar and sprinkle with the sea salt. Stir, then leave for a few minutes so the onion softens a big. 

Place the lentils in a pan of boiling water (the water should come 1 1/4 inches above the lentils) and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until tender. Drain well in a sieve and, while still warm, add to the sliced onion. Also add the olive oi, garlic and some black pepper. Stir to mix and leave aside to cool down. Once cool, add the herbs and gently mix together. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

To serve, pile up the lentils on a large plate or bowl, integrating the Gorgonzola and tomatoes as you build up the pile. Drizzle the tomato cooking juices on top and serve.