Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Variations include adding pine nuts, cider vinegar, roasted chestnuts, or thyme. Also great with bacon or pancetta. If adding pine nuts, add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking, or brown them separately and add to the finished dish.

Ingredients

* 1 pound Brussels sprouts, rinsed, ends trimmed
* 1 Tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice
* 2 Tbsp olive oil
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Place Brussels sprouts in a cast iron frying pan (or a roasting pan, but a cast iron frying pan will work great for this recipe). Toss in the garlic. Sprinkle Brussels sprouts with lemon juice. Toss with oil so that the sprouts are well coated. Sprinkle generously with salt (at least a teaspoon) and a few turns of black pepper.

2 Put Brussels sprouts in oven on top rack, cook for 20 minutes, then stir so that the sprouts get coated with the oil in the pan. Cook for another 10 minutes. Then sprinkle with Parmesan (if using) and cook for another 5 minutes.

The sprouts should be nicely browned, some of the outside leaves crunchy, the interior should be cooked through.

Add more salt to taste. (Salting sufficiently is the key to success with this recipe.)

Serves 4.

Chili Con Carne

Ingredients

* 2 Tbsp red chili powder
* 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
* 1 Tbsp ground cumin
* 2 teaspoons ground oregano
* 1 teaspoon thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
* 3-4 Tbsp water

* 4 strips bacon
* One 2 1/2 pound chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* Salt
* 1 medium white onion, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 jalapeño chili peppers, stems removed, seeded, ribs removed, minced

* 1 14-oz can whole tomatoes
* 2 1/2 cups water
* 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
* 1 teaspoon sugar

* 1 14-oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in a couple tablespoons of water
* Salt

* Grated cheddar cheese and chopped red onion for garnish

Method

1 In a small bowl mix the chili powder, chipotle chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, thyme, and ground coriander seeds. Mix in water so that chili forms a light paste. Set aside.

2 Cook the bacon in a large skillet on medium high heat until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan and set aside on a paper towel. Pour bacon fat from the pan into a separate container, reserve. When the bacon cools, crumble it into smaller pieces and set aside.

White Chili recipe

Ingredients

* 1 lb large white beans, soaked overnight in water, drained
* 6 cups chicken broth
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 medium onions, chopped (divided)
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies
* 2 tsp ground cumin
* 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
* 1/4 tsp ground cloves
* 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
* 4 cups diced cooked chicken
* 3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
* 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, chopped (optional)

Method

1 Combine beans, chicken broth, garlic and half the onions in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are very soft, 3 hours or more. Add additional water (or watered-down broth), if necessary.

2 In a skillet, sauté remaining onions in oil until tender. Add chilies and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Add to bean mixture. Add chicken and continue to simmer 1 hour. Check seasoning, add jalapeno or serrano to level of desired hotness.

3 Serve topped with grated cheese. Garnish with cilantro, chopped fresh tomato, salsa, chopped scallions, and/or guacamole. Serve with fresh warmed flour tortillas or tortilla chips.
8-10 servings

Carrot Soufflé

This soufflé isn't nearly as touchy as a traditional soufflé. In fact it's hard to mess up. It barely puffs up, which means it doesn't deflate that much either. You might want to experiment a bit with the seasonings, such as some ginger, ground or fresh minced, some thyme, maybe a little orange zest, or a pinch of coriander. You might also try substituting all or some of the carrots with parsnips. Just remember the better the inputs, the better the results. A good use of carrots from the farmers market, or organic carrots which tend to be sweeter and more flavorful.
Ingredients

* 2 lbs carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
* Salt for salting cooking water
* 1 cup whole milk
* 1 cup Saltine cracker crumbs
* 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
* 1/3 cup minced onion
* 1 Tbsp room temperature unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
* 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 3 large eggs

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.

2 Place carrots in a saucepan and cover with an inch of water. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Strain the carrots and purée in a food processor or with an immersion blender.

3 Place carrot purée in a large bowl. Slowly add in the milk, a little at a time, whisking after each addition so that the mixture stays smooth, not lumpy. Mix in the saltine cracker crumbs, the grated cheese, onion, butter, Kosher salt, cayenne, and black pepper.

4 In a separate bowl, whip up the eggs until frothy. Then whisk them into the carrot purée mixture.

5 Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until puffed up a bit and lightly golden.

Serves 8.

Apple Cranberry Stuffed Pork Roast Recipe

Ingredients

Filling



* 1 cup apple cider

* 1/2 cup cider vinegar

* 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

* 1 large shallot, peeled, thinly sliced

* 1 1/2 cups dried apples (packed)

* 1/2 cup dried cranberries

* 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

* 1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds

* 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

* 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pork Roast


* 2 1/2 pound boneless center-cut pork loin roast (short and wide - about 7-8 inches long and 4-5 inches wide)
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Before starting on the pork, put the pork roast in the freezer for 30 minutes to make it easier to cut. While the pork is chilling, you can make the filling.



2. Bring all the filling ingredients to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the liquid. Use a rubber spatula to press against the apple mixture in the sieve to extract as much liquid out as possible. Return liquid to saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside and reserve this liquid for use as a glaze. Pulse apple mixture in food processor, about fifteen 1-second pulses. Set aside.



3. Preheat oven to 350°F or prepare your grill for indirect heat. You will be "double-butterflying" the pork roast. Lay the roast down, fat side up. Insert the knife into the roast 1/2-inch horizontally from the bottom of the roast, along the long side of the roast. Make a long cut along the bottom of the roast, stopping 1/2 inch before the edge of the roast. You might find it easier to handle by starting at a corner of the roast.
   
   

   Open up the roast and continue to cut through the thicker half of the roast, again keeping 1/2 inch from the bottom. Repeat until the roast is an even 1/2-inch thickness all over when laid out.
   
   

   If necessary, pound the roast to an even thickness with a meat pounder.




4. Season the inside of the roast well with salt and pepper. Spread out the filling on the roast, leaving a 1/2-inch border from the edges. Starting with the short side of the roast, roll it up very tightly. Secure with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Season the outside of the roast generously with salt and pepper.



5. Place roast on a rack in a roasting pan, place in oven, on the middle rack.
   
   

   You can also grill the roast, using indirect heat either gas or charcoal. If you are using charcoal, use about 5 pounds of coals, bank them to one side. Preheat the grill, covered. Wipe the grates with olive oil. Place roast, fat side up, on the side of the grill that has no coals underneath. Place the lid on the grill, with the vent directly over the roast. If you are grilling with gas, place all the burners on high for 15 minutes to heat the grates, brush grates with olive oil, turn off the middle burner, place roast fat-side up on middle burner. If you are grilling, turn roast half way through the cooking.
   
   

   Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, until the internal temperature of the roast is 130 to 135 degrees. Brush with half of the glaze and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove the roast from the oven or grill. Place it on a cutting board. Tent it with foil to rest and keep warm for 15 minutes before slicing.




6. Slice into 1/2-inch wide pieces, removing the cooking twine as you cut the roast. Serve with remaining glaze.

Serves 6-8.

Baked Scallops recipe

Ingredients

* 2 lbs scallops (about 4 cups)
* 1 cup dry white wine
* Salt
* 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, separated 3 Tbsp and 3 Tbsp
* 1 medium onion, chopped fine
* 2 1/2 Tbsp flour
* 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place scallops in a medium sauté pan. Add the wine and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for 4 minutes. No longer. Remove the scallops to a 1.5 quart casserole baking dish. Pour off the cooking liquid to a separate container and reserve.



2. Heat 3 Tbsp butter in the sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until wilted, a couple minutes.



3. Slowly sprinkle the flour and add the cooking liquid over the butter onion mixture, whisking vigorously while you do so. As soon as the sauce is thickened, add it to the scallops in the casserole baking dish. Stir to fully incorporate the scallops into the sauce.



4. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the scallops and dot with the remaining 3 Tbsp butter. Bake in the oven at 400°F until bubbly and brown, approximately 15 minutes.

Serves 6. Serve with lemon slices.

Cinnamon Toast Recipe

Feel free to play with the ratio of cinnamon to sugar to get it to how you like it. Some people like 1:3 cinnamon to sugar, some 1:12, and some in between.

Ingredients

• 2 slices of sliced bread
• 2 pads of butter, softened or room temp
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar

Method

In a small bowl or jar, stir together the cinnamon and sugar so they are well mixed. Toast your bread. Slather the toast with butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the buttered toast.

Makes two slices of cinnamon toast (and lots of smiles).