Butternut Squash, Shiitake, and Leek Galette

I made some beautiful butternut squash turnovers for a Halloween party this year. They were delicious but a total pain. Folding and crimping dozens of puff pastry squares just isn’t something that’s practical often. After the party I had tons of leftover filling (I think the proportions of the original recipe are rather out of whack) and rather than make more appetizer sized portions, I decided to fold it into a pie crust to make a free-form pie, or galette, for dinner one night. I made this galette again a few weeks ago, serving it with a lentil soup and a salad for a well-rounded vegetarian meal. This is a great way to eat butternut squash; its sweetness pairs nicely with tangy goat cheese, meaty mushrooms, and mellow leeks. You can enjoy it on its own as a main course or pair it with a protein or soup for a heartier meal. Enjoy!

Chicken Stew

Recipes are rarely perfect from the start; minor tweaks and personal touches usually serve to make them even better. This chicken stew, however, is almost as perfect as it gets. With a velvety sauce, slightly crisp vegetables, and crumbly herb-laced biscuits on top, it is comfort food at its finest. By the way, don’t be fooled by the name. While I’m enchanted by the moniker “chicken stew” this is really just code for a glorified pot pie.

Because we had two leftover chicken carcasses and plenty of leftover chicken meat, I made the stock from scratch and used shredded, leftover chicken rather than roasting the breasts. While this certainly enhanced its flavor, I think it would still be wonderful with roasted chicken breasts and canned stock. I wouldn’t change a thing about the flavors and textures of this dish. The only reason I prefaced my praise about its perfection with the word “almost” is that it contains an ungodly amount of butter. I’m determined, however, to work on that problem next time I make it. If I’m successful, I’ll share my results with you. In the meantime, I urge you to pull this out on a cold, rainy (or snowy!) night this December. I promise it will make you feel warmed and comforted.

White Beans with Kale and Cabbage

I know you’re going to look at this picture and the title of this post and think: “Thanks, but no thanks.” It just doesn’t look or sound like anything special. But, please, stay just a moment longer and hear me out. This was one of the best recipes I’ve made all year.

Deborah Madison is a well-known cookbook author who is passionate about connecting folks to local farmers and food. She specializes in vegetarian cuisine and is therefore a master at creating recipes that center around the flavors and textures of vegetables. Though I grew up eating cabbage only in its raw form, via coleslaw or salads, I’ve come to appreciate its sweet flavor and buttery texture when cooked. And kale has been my best vegetable friend for more than a year now, after showing up weekly in our winter CSA box last year.

Southwestern Shepherd’s Pie

Don’t ask me why I haven’t capitalized on this fact in the past, but it just dawned on me that the library has a wealth of cookbooks available for checkout. I’ve been visiting our downtown branch about every other week lately to check out books on tape for my commute to Raleigh. Each time I visit, I pick out a couple of cookbooks to page through at home in the ensuing weeks. One of my more recent picks was The Foster’s Market Cookbook by Sara Foster. For some reason I don’t have this book, although I do have Fresh Every Day. For those of you not from this area who therefore don’t know about the wonder that is Foster’s Market, check out this website. Be prepared to drool.

This cookbook immediately had about 1/3 of its pages tagged with sticky notes. It was hard for me to pick the first recipe to try. But since my class schedule has been forcing me to prepare meals earlier in the day to reheat when Jeff and I return home, I focused on those that could be prepared entirely in advance. This has meant a lot of casseroles around here. It’s a good thing cooler weather is on the way, because I think my slow cooker is going to be my best friend in the coming months.

End of Summer Tomatoes

It’s the official first day of autumn. My favorite season is slowly creeping in. I anticipate this moment all year long and am looking forward to welcoming fall flavors in addition to fall temperatures. With the humidity today, it looks like I’ll have to wait a bit longer, which means I can still savor some summer recipes.

Here in the South this is a transitional culinary period for us. The farmer’s market is beginning to fill up with radishes, greens, beets, green beans, and pumpkins. However, they also have the last of the corn, peppers, and tomatoes. Tomato pie has been all the rage this summer, showing up in magazines and food blogs alike. My first inspiration for it came from Aunt Anne, who was gifted with a beautiful lime green pie dish for her birthday. Grammie gave her the present one night when we were all at the beach. She exclaimed that it would be perfect for Uncle Glenn’s favorite green tomato pie. This immediately piqued my interest. I never got a chance to ask her what the green tomato pie consisted of (Anne? Are you reading this?) but I began searching for recipes when I returned home. I quickly learned that green tomato pie is traditionally made with the same spices as apple pie, and probably has a quite similar taste. Though that thought was intriguing, I decided to put it on hold for the early fall. I then did some searching for a more savory tomato pie.

Beef Stir Fry

Stir fry is pretty straightforward, right? High heat, aromatics, meat, vegetables, sauce, & you’re done.  Yes, yes, yes, yes, and no. I’ve always been stuck on the sauce part, trying to find a combination that would yield the perfect balance of thick (not syrupy), flavorful (not watery), and sweet (not cloyingly so). This infinitely adaptable recipe creates the best sauce, hands down, I’ve ever made in my own kitchen. I probably rivals most I’ve had in any restaurant as well.

I’ve made it in its original version and with other vegetables.  Between our CSA and my impulsivity at the farmer’s market we’ve had an overflowing vegetable drawer, so I’ve been trying not to buy anything green from the store. So for this stir fry that meant spring onions & bok choy in lieu of the green beans. I did end up buying the shiitakes, as they are my favorite part. Anyone tried the shiitake vendor at the Durham Farmer’s Market? I’ll have to try them next time we’re in the mood for stir fry.

A Taste of Home

Growing up as a gringo in South and Central Florida, my family and I grew to love Latin-American food of all kinds. My mom’s version of palomilla is a family favorite. I remember eating her arroz con pollo at countless special occasions. In high school my friends and I would use our lunch privileges to pick up papas rellenas from Rolando’s. Yuca and maduros (sweet plantains) are the base for many a food-related dream now that I live in NC where these items are out of reach unless prepared in my own kitchen.

In November, my best friend Vanessa married her college sweetheart who is a native of Guatemala. They had American food at their rehearsal dinner and wedding, so for Sunday brunch they had a catering company bring in Latin food. Though my sympathetic family always takes me to our new favorite Cuban restaurant when I visit, this was even better because I got to have a little of everything they offered – ropa vieja, carnitas, yuca, maduros, green beans, yellow rice, frijoles, etc. My only regret is that I missed the arepas because we had to rush to the airport for our flight. Before we had even arrived at the airport, I had vowed to make one of my personal favorites, ropa vieja, later that week for dinner.

Not Your Momma’s Chili