Warm, cozy dishes this week for our very abrupt beginning of fall. Enjoy!
Roasted Celery Root and Mushrooms with Parsley Vinaigrette
Barley, Vegetable and Beef Stew (w/ Celery Root, Carrots & Peppers)
Beet Dip/Spread with Sage and Thyme
Corn Chowder with Peppers and Delicata Squash
Chard Baked with Orzo
Caramelized Onions
Roasted Delicata (& Fennel) and Pumpkin Seeds
Roasted Celery Root and Mushrooms with Parsley Vinaigrette
Roasting celery root together with mushrooms (most any kind) and a little white wine is delicious as is but bright and more beautiful dressed with a parsley-rich vinaigrette.
Serves 4-6
1 small to medium celery root, trimmed and cut into 3/4 – 1-inch dice/chunks
1/2 lb mushrooms (I used shiitake mushrooms here but any kind will work or any combination), brushed clean and roughly chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon vinegar (more to taste)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 scallion or 2 teaspoons onion, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Put the celery root and mushrooms in an 8 x 13″ oven proof dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the thyme. Pour over the wine and drizzle and olive oil. Stir to coat evenly. Cover with foil and roast for 25 minutes. Uncover and continue roasting for 10 minute or until most of the liquid that was released from the mushrooms has evaporated and the edges of the celery root and mushrooms are browning and everything is tender.
Meanwhile mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Toss with the warm or room temperature vegetables. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Barley, Vegetable and Beef Stew (w/ Celery Root, Carrots & Peppers)
This recipe makes a lot and it tastes even better on the second and third day and it freezes well but feel free to halve it if you’d like.
If you have an open bottle of red wine you can replace 1-2 cups of water when you add the stock/water for an even deeper flavor.
Serves 10 +/-
Olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery (with leaves if you there are any), chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
1 teaspoon fresh or dried marjoram or oregano (optional)
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 1/2 – 2 lbs beef (stew meat, Eye of Round roast or any lesser cut that benefits from long, moist cooking)
3 medium carrots, scrubbed and chopped
3 cups celery root, peeled and trimmed and cut into medium dice
4 cups stock (vegetable, chicken, beef)
2 cups canned or fresh tomatoes, diced, or 1 cup roasted/frozen tomatoes
5-6 cups water (you can use some red wine for part of this, see headnote)
1 1/2 cups barley (I use a whole hulless barley variety) but hulled or pearled works too. If you’re using pearled barley, add it 30 minutes before the stew is done rather than with all the other ingredients.
Salt
Parsley for serving (optional)
If you are using a roast (I tend to use the very reasonably priced Eye of Round which is often suggested to be roasted but I find works beautifully for this stew), slice it in 3/4 – 1-inch thick slices.
Heat three tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, pepper (if using) garlic and herbs and turn the heat down to medium and saute for 7-8 minutes, until softened. Add the carrots, celery root and a few pinches salt and mix well. Cook for another few minutes. Add the beef, barley, stock, water, tomatoes and a bit more salt if you’re stock isn’t very salty. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook, covered for about 90 minutes or until the meat is tender and easy to break apart. If you’re using a sliced roast, remove the meat and tear it into small bite-sized pieces. Return the meat to the stew and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. If you have the time, let the stew cool and then reheat, for maximum flavor. Serve garnished with fresh parsley if you’d like.
Beet Dip/Spread with Sage and Thyme
–adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sam Tamimi
This brilliantly colored puree is a wonderful appetizer or snack. The original recipe calls for Za’ atar, a wonderful spice mixture which I don’t always have on hand. I do have both thyme and sage in my garden and thought the combination was a great substitute. If you have Za’ atar by all means use it—use 2 teaspoons of it instead of the sage and thyme.
About ½ lb cooked, trimmed beets (4-5 small-medium)
½ up Greek yogurt or plain regular yogurt
1/2 a small jalapeno (discard some or all seeds if sensitive to spice)
2 small cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon chopped fresh or ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried sage
Sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Thinly sliced chives or green onions
Toasted, chopped hazelnuts or walnuts
1-2 ounces crumbled feta
Good olive oil
Bread or crackers for dipping
Cook the beets (or bake) until tender. Peel and roughly chop. Put the beets, yogurt, hot pepper, garlic, syrup, herbs, salt and olive oil in a food processor and process until fairly smooth. I like a little bit of texture. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Put puree in a bowl and top with green onions, nuts, feta and a good drizzle of oil.
Corn Chowder with Peppers and Delicata Squash
Corn chowder is quick to make, adaptable, and a rich yet fresh late summer/early fall dish that takes advantage of corn, peppers of any kind, potatoes and herbs. While I haven’t tried this particular version I think the addition of Delicata squash, especially if you don’t have a lot of corn, will be delicious, adding sweetness and a creamy texture.
Serves 4-6
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 slices bacon, diced (optional) or 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimenton)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or dried thyme (optional but very good)
2 -3 sweet peppers, seeds and membranes removed and diced or
1 small jalapeño or serrano, minced (if you want a little heat, especially if you’re using sweet peppers instead of anaheims or poblanos)
Kernels from 2-4 ears of corn (see headnote), sliced off the cob
1 ½ cups potatoes, well scrubbed but not peeled and cut into 1/2 –inch dice
1 Delicata squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds and membranes scraped out and then cut into 3/4-inch chunks, more or less
2 1/2 cups whole milk (or part milk, part cream)
3 cups vegetable broth or water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
A little chopped parsley (optional) for serving
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and bacon (if using) and thyme (if using) and sauté for about 5 minutes. If you’re not using bacon and have smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton) add a teaspoon of it at this stage. Add the garlic and the peppers and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and all the milk (or milk and cream) and stock or broth. Add salt if your stock is not very salty. Bring to a boil and let simmer briskly for about 8 minutes. Add the corn, and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes until everything is tender. The potatoes should be falling apart and will help thicken the chowder. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with chopped parsley if you’d like.
Chard Baked with Orzo
This an ideal cook-with-what you have formula. Saute onions, garlic and maybe some carrots and celery; add whatever vegetable you have–in this case chard, stems and all, and add broth, lots of fresh herbs, some cheese and rice-shaped orzo pasta and bake it all until cooked and set.
Serves 4, generously
Olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced or cut in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into thin slices
2 stalks celery, including leaves, finely chopped (optional)
2 sweet peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 bunch chard, stems and leaves separated, stems finely sliced and leaves chopped
1 heaping cup orzo (I didn’t have quite enough orzo in the pictured version so topped it off with Israeli couscous)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or basil or a combination of other leafy herbs (oregano, mint, etc.)
¾ cup grated Parmesan or really most any cheese (sharp cheddar, provolone, firm mozzarella, even crumbled goat cheese or feta would be good though quite different)
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, chard stems and celery and a few pinches salt and saute for 7 or so minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened. Add the chard leaves and stir well and cook for another 5 minutes or so, then stir in the orzo. Cook for a few more minutes and then stir in the herbs, broth, cheese and plenty of freshly ground pepper and take off the heat. If your broth is well seasoned you probably won’t need more salt but taste and make sure.
Empty the contents of the skillet carefully into a baking dish. Cover and bake for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake or broil for another few minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the pasta is tender.
Caramelized Onions
Stewed or caramelized onions flavored with just a bit of vinegar and thyme are one of my favorite things. I forget about them and when I do remember to make them I put them in/on everything. You can stir them into rice or serve them as a condiment/side to chicken, pork or beef. . .
You can use red or yellow onions here.
Yields about 1 1/2 cups
2 large onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil (or 2 tablespoons of olive or butter)
3-4 sprigs thyme or 1 generous teaspoon thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar (more to taste)
Cook onions in a large skillet in the butter and/or olive oil and thyme over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add several generous pinches of salt as the onions break down. Continue cooking until they begin to caramelize. Add the vinegar towards the end and cook for a few more minutes. You can cook them anywhere from 20-45 minutes.
Spread over your favorite pizza dough, dot/sprinkle with your cheese of choice (fresh goat, blue, or a good cheddar are all great options) and bake until bubbly and crusty in a hot oven of 450 or 500, preferably on a preheated pizza stone.
You can also spread the onion mixture on crostini for a snack or side or appetizer or toss it with pasta, adding a bit of hot pasta cooking water at the end to make it saucier and topping with grated cheese.
Roasted Delicata (& Fennel) and Pumpkin Seeds
I had a fennel bulb leftover from last week and decided to roast it with a Delicata squash, salt, a dusting of chili flakes and some pumpkin seeds. Whether or not you have any fennel, this is the essence of simplicity and very tasty.
2 Delicata squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed and cut into ¾-1-inch chunks, more or less
1 fennel bulb (optional—see headnote), trimmed and cut into ¾-inch pieces, more or less
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt
Olive oil
1/3-1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Put vegetables on a sheet pan and sprinkle generously with salt, and chili flakes, if using, and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Roast in center of oven for 20 minutes. Scoot the vegetables to make room for the pumpkin seeds and roast another 10 minutes or until seeds are puffed and browned. Put contents of the sheet pan in a serving dish and serve immediately. If serving later, keep the seeds separate and add when serving, to maintain their crunch.