Parmesan Dutch Baby with Creamy Mushrooms

Lately I’ve been working my way through a cookbook I’ve had for several years, Smitten Kitchen Every Day. The Vegetarian Mains section has won my heart (and appetite). Every recipe I’ve made has been delicious and weeknight doable. Yay!

The book even includes a recipe that makes two (and only two) large oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies. You can satisfy your big cookie craving without having to fight not to keep eating cookie after cookie, which is what usually happens when I bake.

Last summer Dutch baby pancake recipes seemed to be everywhere, and I finally tried a breakfast version. Wow! The special treat that pancakes bring, but without the hands-on stove-top flipping they require. Plus, they were so darned cool looking with their rumpled one pan presentation. 

A Dutch baby isn’t going to feed a crowd but is plenty for two with a tossed salad or four as a side dish with a main course. This recipe is a nuanced, hearty concoction that won’t leave you feeling weighed down. I sub homemade cashew cream for the called-for heavy cream; use whichever you prefer—I’m not sure you’d be able to tell the difference. Enjoy!

• Servings: 2-4
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Slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen Every Day by Deb Perelman

Creamy Mushrooms:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium shallot, minced

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned and chopped small

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dry white wine or dry vermouth (I used vermouth)

3 tablespoons heavy cream or cashew cream (cashew cream recipe can be found as part of this recipe)

Dutch Baby:
4 large eggs, room temperature

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup milk, room temperature (I’ve made this with both skim and whole milk and really couldn’t tell the difference)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or parsley, for garnish

Place a 10- or 12-inch cast iron pan (or other similar sized ovenproof skillet) in your oven and preheat it to 425 degrees F.

To make the creamy mushrooms, heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter is melted, add the shallot, and cook until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until mushrooms have released their liquid and it has cooked off.

Add the wine, reduce the heat to medium-low, scrape up any brown bits and cook off the wine, which will take a minute or two. Stir in the cream, and as soon as it simmers, which will be almost immediately, remove from heat. You’ll be briefly heating this up again so it’s warm when you top the Dutch baby with it.

To make the Dutch baby, in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper until well combined. Add the flour and whisk until mostly smooth, then whisk in the milk. It’s okay if there are lumps.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven (use thick hot pads!) and add the three tablespoons of cubed butter. Swirl it around in the pan until it melts. Pour the batter into the pan and, carefully, return the pan to the oven. Cook for 15 minutes when the pancake should be brown in places and rumpled. Sprinkle with Parmesan and return it to the oven for a minute or two to melt the cheese. During the last few minutes of the Dutch baby cooking, heat the mushrooms over medium-low heat so they are warm.

Remove the pancake from oven and spoon the creamy mushrooms over it. Garnish with chives or parsley and cut into wedges. Serves 2 as a main dish with a tossed salad or 4 as a side dish with a main course.

Mushroom French Dip with Horseradish Mayo

Do restaurants still have French dip sandwiches on the menu? I remember back in high school or college eating them when dining out, but don’t recall seeing them on menus after that. Maybe I just didn’t notice once I became a vegetarian.

When I saw a mushroom version online recently, warm food memories of the traditional sandwich came flooding back. The chewy roll, the tender beef, and oh, the au jus! Honestly I don’t remember cheese and caramelized onions on the sandwich, but what I ate probably wasn’t authentic, and I’m sure it would have been loads better with those two additions.

Since my go-to beef replacement over the last almost 30 years has been mushrooms in some form, this moved to the top of my “must make” list. Truly a multi-dimensional meal, the bite of horseradish in the garlicky mayo; the rich, meaty mushrooms; the soft, sweet caramelized onions; creamy Provolone; and the complex au jus come together on toasty French bread for a sensory overload of deliciousness. When Pete deemed this one of the best things I’ve ever made, well, I felt a duty to share. You’re welcome!

• Servings: 4
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Adapted from this Pinch of Yum recipe

Horseradish Mayo:

½ cup of your favorite mayonnaise (if you’re mayo averse, I highly suggest Vegenaise Better than Mayo brand—no eggs, no dairy)

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

Pinch of salt

Seasoned mushrooms:

6 large portabella mushroom caps or more if they’re smaller (about 18 ounces total), wiped clean, gills scraped off, and sliced about 1/3 inch thick

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning (store-bought or homemade; I made a scaled down version of this recipe) or just use salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Caramelized onions and au jus:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced

¼ cup dry sherry

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (Annie’s and Whole Foods 365 are both vegetarian)

1 tablespoon reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce

2 cups vegetarian “beef” broth (I used 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon No Beef Base with 2 cups hot water)

Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To complete the sandwiches:

4 demi baguettes or one long baguette cut into four sections

Butter or buttery spread, optional

Provolone cheese slices

To make horseradish mayo, whisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To prepare the mushrooms, warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sprinkle with steak seasoning. Cook, tossing mushrooms occasionally, until they release their liquid, it has cooked off, and mushrooms are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside.

To caramelize the onions and make the au jus, melt the butter in a heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium heat. Add onions and cook, tossing occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Add the sherry to the onions and cook until the sherry has evaporated. Add the Worcestershire, tamari, and the broth. Increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes until slightly reduced. Taste, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and dump the mixture into the strainer, separating the onions from the au jus. Set both aside.

Halve the baguettes horizontally and spread with butter (optional). Place on a sheet pan. Divide mushrooms among bottom bread sections and cover with Provolone slices (cut to fit if slices are wide). Transfer pan to the oven and toast the open sandwiches for about 5 or 6 minutes.

Remove from oven and top the mushroom/cheese side of sandwiches with caramelized onions. Liberally spread top sandwich portions with the horseradish mayo and put sandwich tops on bottoms. Serve each sandwich with a small bowl of au jus for dipping. Make sure to have plenty of napkins and enjoy! Makes 4 sandwiches (no judging if the two of you eat all four portions; that might have happened here).

Easy Homemade Bread Bowls

Yesterday I had plans to make potato soup for dinner. After searching recipes online and paging through some cookbooks the last couple evenings, I came up with a game plan. Then, early afternoon, when checking email, I saw a post that mentioned homemade bread bowls. What great timing!

I don’t think I’ve ever had anything in a bread bowl before even though I’ve seen them filled with dip at parties and on restaurant menus filled with soup or salad. But coming across a recipe to make them from scratch got my attention. And it was from Sally’s Baking Addiction, a very trusted source for all things baked.

With not a lot of hands-on time required and only one full rise, it looked doable to have these ready in time for dinner. With only a couple short breaks from my work-from-home workday, they were ready and cooling before I even started on the soup, plus, the house smelled amazing.

Following the recipe, the only change I made was to use instant yeast in place of active-dry. That made for a really quick rise to double in size, about 35 minutes. And the second rise after you form the dough balls is only the time it takes to preheat your oven. The egg wash gives the bread bowls that beautiful shiny golden exterior and the interior is a perfectly soft, heavenly texture that you only get with homemade.

Fill with your favorite soup, salad, or dip, take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy! It’ll taste even better if it’s cold and snowy where you are.

• Servings: 6
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From Sally’s Baking Addiction

4 and ½ teaspoons either instant yeast or active-dry yeast (2 packets)

2 and ¼ cups (540 ml) warm water (105-115 degrees F.)

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 cups (780 grams) bread flour, plus more for hands and surface

Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk (any kind of milk, including almond or soy)

Pour the warm water over yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. If you don’t have a stand mixer, a regular large mixing bowl will work. Whisk together and allow to sit for 10 minutes, until foamy.

If you do not have a stand mixer, mix by hand in this step. With the stand mixer running on low speed, add the sugar, salt, olive oil, and 4 cups of the bread flour. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then add remaining 2 cups of flour. Mix on low speed for 5-6 minutes. The dough should be thick, yet soft, and only slightly sticky. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl as it mixes. If it’s too sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a ball. Grease the bowl you mixed the dough in with a little olive oil. Return ball of dough to the bowl and turn it over once to oil the top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in warm area to rise until doubled in size, 45-90 minutes, depending on whether you used instant or active dry yeast.

Once doubled in size, punch down the dough to release any air bubbles. Remove dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down again. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball.

Line 2 large baking sheet with parchment or silicone baking mats. Place 3 dough balls onto each sheet. Cover lightly and set aside to rest as your oven preheats.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Just before putting in the oven, brush the dough balls with the egg wash. If desired, using a sharp knife, score an X into the tops of each (I did this on 5 of the 6 and it looks pretty, but isn’t a necessity).

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. About halfway through, rotate the pans from top to bottom and rotate each 180 degrees, for even baking. Let cool on pan or cooling rack. The bowls will be easier to cut if they have cooled somewhat.

For serving, cut a large round off the top of each bread bowl. Scoop out the center (either save to dunk in soup, or reserve for another use). Fill with soup, stew, or salad. Leftover bread bowls can be stored covered, at room temperature for a couple days, or wrapped and frozen for several months (bring to room temperature before serving). I wasn’t able to eat an entire bread bowl (my husband, however, found it easy to do), so I refrigerated the uneaten portion and enjoyed it with soup (in a regular bowl) the next day—don’t let any of that delicious bread go to waste! Make 6 bread bowls.

Falafel with Creamy Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

I don’t know why, but earlier this summer I started craving falafel. And Foxy Falafel, my go-to source for truly great falafel, is limited to curbside pick-up during the pandemic. Deep-fried food just doesn’t travel well, and I’m thinking it wouldn’t be as amazing by the time I got it home.

This led me to look for an authentic recipe that would satisfy my craving. I found it and must share—it’s that good! Plus, it’s not deep-fried–yay! Golden brown and crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside with all those signature falafel herbs and spices, it’s served with a creamy tahini-yogurt sauce, thinly sliced radishes, cucumber, red onion, and tomatoes from our garden. All piled on a whole wheat tortilla or, if you have time, stuffed in my whole wheat pita bread, it’s a nutritious, delicious all-in-one meal.

There’s nothing difficult or time-consuming about this other than the need to plan ahead and start soaking the dried chickpeas the night before (canned chickpeas won’t work here). And after soaking, you don’t have to cook the beans, which makes this recipe even easier! Everything else comes together quickly enough for a weeknight meal. A very special weeknight meal! Enjoy!

• Servings: 4
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Adapted from this Downshiftology recipe
This recipe is naturally gluten-free and all that’s needed to make it vegan is to use a tahini sauce without the yogurt, like this one.

1 cup dried chickpeas (canned won’t work in this recipe)

About half of a medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 cup fresh parsley, in between loosely and tightly packed

1 cup fresh cilantro, in between loosely and tightly packed

1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Several grinds of black pepper

2 tablespoons chickpea flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

Grapeseed or avocado oil for pan-frying (or another neutral oil of choice)

Tahini-yogurt sauce, recipe follows

Flour or corn tortillas or my whole wheat pita bread

Accompaniments:
Thinly sliced radishes, cucumbers, red onion, diced tomato

The night before you plan to make the falafel, place the chickpeas in a pot and cover with water by 2-3 inches (the chickpeas will triple in size and you want to make sure they stay submerged). Cover pot and set aside.

The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to your food processor (after draining, I dump them onto a clean kitchen towel and pat them dry before putting them in the food processor).

Add the onion, parsley, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, salt, cardamom, and black pepper to the food processor and process until the mixture is the texture of coarse sand (you may have to stop and scrape down the sides a couple times).

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the chickpea flour and baking soda. Cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet and place it in oven.

Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add a couple tablespoons oil. When oil is hot, form falafel mixture into balls (I used a #30 cookie dough scoop, which is about 1 ½-2 tablespoons) and place in hot pan. Flatten slightly with a spatula. You’ll have to do this in batches—don’t crowd the falafels.

If the mixture seems too wet, add another tablespoon of chickpea flour. If it seems too dry, add a tablespoon of water (I didn’t need to do either both times I have made this recipe).

Cook the falafels for about 3 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook another 3 minutes. Remove to rack in oven to stay warm. Repeat with remaining falafel mixture. You will probably need to add more oil to the pan.

Serve in warm tortillas or pita with a swoosh of tahini-yogurt sauce, several falafels, tomato, radish, cucumber, or other toppings of choice. Makes about 4 servings or 18-20 falafel.

Creamy Tahini Yogurt Sauce
From this Feasting at Home recipe

¾ cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 2%)

¼ cup tahini

2 garlic cloves, grated on a micro-plane

Juice of one medium lemon

½ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt (my tahini was salt-free, so I used the full teaspoon)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Wisk all ingredients in small bowl until thoroughly combined and creamy. Can make a day or two ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate until use.

 

Strawberry Dutch Baby

It just doesn’t seem appropriate now to write about light-hearted things like recipes and food with the recent murder-by-cop of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the ensuing riots (not to be lumped in with the peaceful protests), which have now spread across the country. I want to share recipes, but it seems so frivolous and unimportant at this time. However, we all need to eat, so here goes…

I’ve heard of Dutch babies before but had never had or made one. Lately it seemed recipes were everywhere I looked, and I took that as a sign I should join the party.

Apparently Dutch babies aren’t actually Dutch. They are a German pancake that earned the moniker Dutch when someone confused the word Deutsch with Dutch. So, there you have it.

Regardless of the name or origin, they are easy, versatile, and delicious. I’ve made sweet versions with both apples and strawberries and I plan to make a savory one soon (just omit the sugar in the batter and add a few grinds of black pepper) with some veggies and a sprinkling of grated cheese when done. And unlike regular pancakes, you can relax while it’s baking with no need to stand over the stove flipping flapjacks. Enjoy!

• Servings: 2-4
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Adapted from New York Times Cooking

One Dutch baby serves two generously and four for a lighter meal. You’ll get more of the signature puffing and rumpling if your milk and eggs are at room temperature to start.

3 eggs, room temperature

½ cup milk, room temperature (I used skim)

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional if using strawberries, but a must with apples)

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of salt

3 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

About 3/4 cup of sliced strawberries or apples

Pure maple syrup, for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. and place a 10-inch cast iron pan in the oven.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until very well combined (could also do this in a blender, but I didn’t want to have a blender to clean).

When oven reaches 425, carefully remove pan from oven and add butter. Once it’s melted, scatter strawberry slices on bottom of pan. Pour batter into pan and carefully return to the oven. Cook for about 18 minutes, until pancake is puffed and golden (do not open the oven door—try to determine if it’s done through the window). Turn oven off and leave pancake in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into wedges. Serve with pure maple syrup or whatever toppings you’d like. Makes 2 generous or 4 smaller servings.

 

Layered White Bean and Spinach Enchiladas

Last week I cooked up a pot of cranberry beans with a little onion, carrot, and celery and then couldn’t decide what to do with them, so they sat in the fridge for a few days until I got some inspiration. With it no longer being wise to run to the grocery store on a whim, cooking during a pandemic has become adjusting recipes to what you have on hand. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately, with mostly good results.

Not sure what made me think of a recipe I cooked a few years back for layered enchiladas. The original recipe calls for chicken and I probably made it with seiten or mock duck in its place. I figured the cranberry beans in the fridge could be the “meat” and spinach would be included too because when I ordered a package of baby spinach in my co-op curbside pick-up order, they gave me a one-pound package. That’s a lot of spinach to use up while it’s still fresh—it’s been going in everything lately!

I made a quick homemade enchilada sauce, but you could use store-bought if you’d rather. Because my cooked beans already had onion in them, I didn’t add more, but I included them in the recipe instructions assuming most people will either use canned beans or won’t have added onion when they cooked their dried beans.

Cranberry beans (also called borlotti beans) are soft and dense with a velvety, rich texture. I ordered mine from Rancho Gordo, which I’m told has some of the best heirloom beans around. You could use any dried white bean or pinto bean, and canned would work as well, but the texture will be a little different.

Out of necessity, pretty much all recipes right now are flexible, so you can vary the cheeses, the additional vegetables, and as I mentioned, the bean variety. Not being sure how all these flavors would come together, I was fully prepared for this to not really work. But it did. It was damned delicious, in fact, and was actually one of the best twists on a recipe I’ve ever made. Pete and I agreed it needs to be shared. Enjoy!

• Servings: 4
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Adapted from this Williams Sonoma recipe.

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 cups cooked cranberry beans or other white beans (or substitute rinsed, drained canned beans)

1 3/4 cups red enchilada sauce (canned or homemade—this is the recipe I used)

9 corn tortillas, each about 6 inches in diameter (mine were 5” and worked fine)

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup shredded smoked cheddar cheese

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Sliced green onion tops for garnish

Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add beans and spinach to pan and cook until spinach has wilted and reduced.

Spread 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 3 1/2-quart round Dutch oven. Arrange 3 tortillas in a single layer on the sauce, overlapping them as needed to cover the sauce. Top with a generous 1 cup of the bean-spinach mixture, 1/2 cup of the sauce and 1/4 cup of each cheese. Repeat the layering 2 more times, alternating the direction of the tortilla layers and finishing with 1/2 cup sauce and 1/4 cup of each cheese.

Transfer to the oven and bake until the ingredients are heated through and the cheese is melted and the sauce bubbly, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with green onions and cilantro. Slice into wedges. Makes about 4 servings.

Creamy Lentil and Spinach Stew

Like many of you during this time of stay-at-home directives and all-but-essential errands being curtailed, I’ve come to rely on recipes that pull from the pantry and use ingredients most often kept on-hand.

Last night, I decided that lentils and spinach would take center stage in our dinner. I googled lentil & spinach recipes and combined a couple. The result was this delicious stew that I served over brown rice. The veggies can be customized to what you have on hand, celery, mushrooms, leeks, etc., and if you don’t have spinach, kale or Swiss chard would be nice substitutes. Don’t skip the drizzle of olive oil and red wine vinegar at the end—it brings the yum factor over the top! Enjoy!

• Servings: 4
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Adapted from this Taste of Home recipe and this Pinch of Yum recipe

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Half a yellow onion, chopped

1 carrot, diced

½ a green bell pepper, chopped

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup dry white wine

1 cup uncooked green or brown lentils, picked over, rinsed, and drained

2 small Yukon gold potatoes, chopped (about 1 cup)

4 cups vegetable broth/stock, divided

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (the Annie’s brand is vegetarian)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/3 cup milk or cream

3 to 4 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped

Olive oil and red wine vinegar for final drizzling

Hot, cooked brown rice

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, carrot, and green pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the veggies have softened. Add the wine and stir, making sure to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Stir in the lentils, potatoes, 2 cups broth, bay leaf, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and put a lid on the pot to partially cover. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more broth, as needed, to keep the lentils just covered (I used almost all of the remaining 2 cups).

When the lentils and potatoes are tender, mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pan to give a creamy texture.

Remove the bay leaf and stir in the milk/cream and the spinach. Cook until spinach has wilted. Taste, and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Serve over brown rice and drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. Makes about 4 servings.

 

Mujaddara (Lentils and Brown Rice with Caramelized Onions)

A few weeks back I had a recipe fail making stuck-pot rice and lentils for the first time. Part of the instructions said the “rice should smell toasty but not burned and you might need to check on it once or twice if you’re making it for the first time.” Well my rice never really smelled toasty, and at the end, when the recipe said to turn the whole pan of rice and lentils out onto a platter, the bottom, which becomes the top, was completely charred. Plus, the lentils were undercooked.

I was crushed! This delicious-smelling meal I was so looking forward to was ruined. I pulled off the charred layer and salvaged what wasn’t burned. It tasted okay, but obviously not how it was supposed to, and the experience had me craving a good lentil and rice meal.

Then a few days ago I came across a recipe for Mujaddara, a Middle Eastern dish of lentils and rice with caramelized onions. It was a similar dish to my huge failure, but without the hard-to-get-right “stuck-pot” part. I had found my redemption recipe!

Once I found the first Mujaddara version, I looked for more and combined aspects of a couple of them. These instructions will work with regular green or brown lentils, but not red, puy (French green), or black beluga lentils. Make sure to use brown basmati rice; white won’t work here because cooking times are different.

The cumin, allspice, and bay leaves give this dish warmth and the somewhat crispy caramelized onions lend a really pleasant textural component and a subtle sweetness. A little cool creaminess from the yogurt and a nice kick from the harissa and you’ve got yourself the lentil and rice dish of your (okay, my) dreams. But you will love it too. Enjoy!

• Servings: 4-6
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Adapted from Milkstreet and Cookie & Kate

4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1 ¾ teaspoons fine sea salt, divided

Freshly ground black pepper

5 cups water

1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice, rinsed and drained

1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over for debris or pebbles, then rinsed and drained

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced

½ cup sliced scallions, light green and green parts only, divided

Plain Greek yogurt (whole or 2%), for serving (omit to keep this vegan)

Harissa or sriracha, for serving

Combine the garlic, bay leaves, cumin, allspice, 1 ½ teaspoons of the salt, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add 5 cups of water and stir. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

When water comes to a boil, stir in the brown rice, lower heat to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Make sure to keep water at a strong simmer. Stir in the lentils and return to a simmer. Cover, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice and lentils are done, 20-25 minutes.

While rice and lentils are cooking, warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook, stirring only occasionally at the start then more frequently once browning begins at the edges of the pan, until the onions are deeply caramelized and crisped, 20-25 minutes; adjust the heat down if the onions brown too quickly.

Using a slotted spoon or fish spatula, transfer the onions to a paper towel–lined plate and spread evenly. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and set aside; the onions will crisp as they cool.

When the lentils and rice are tender, remove the pot from the heat. Uncover and lay a tea towel across the top of the pan, then replace the lid and let stand for 10 minutes (this will absorb the steam).

Remove the stockpot lid, discard the bay leaves, and smash the garlic cloves against the side of the pan with a fork. Add about three quarters of the scallions and parsley, reserving the rest for garnish. Gently stir and fluff the rice with a fork. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Transfer the rice/lentil mixture to a large serving platter or bowl. Top with the caramelized onions and the remaining scallions and parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature. Top with yogurt and harissa. Makes 4-6 servings.

Creamy Chickpea Pasta with Spinach and Fresh Oregano

Another one of those more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts kind of recipes, these seemingly simple, rather ordinary ingredients come together to wow you. I’m so happy when that happens!

This dish showed up a while back in the daily New York Times Cooking email, which I’ve mostly ignored since they started charging a membership fee to access their recipes. Occasionally though, I’ll read it, and sometimes, am able to avoid that paywall and access recipes. No rhyme or reason to it, but when it works, I’m thrilled.

Switched up a bit from the original recipe, I used fresh oregano instead of rosemary (not a huge rosemary fan) and evaporated milk instead of heavy cream (to lighten things up). Whole wheat spaghetti makes this a bit healthier too, so even though it’s is a pasta dish, there’s no reason to feel guilty.

As the Times notes, you can sub a different bean (white beans, perhaps) or different greens (I think Swiss chard would be delicious), and the addition of spices such as ground coriander, toasted fennel seeds (I will try this next time), or smoked paprika would be nice.

Back to my more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts description, this truly is a “wow” dish, just as perfectly suited for a weeknight meal as it is for a dinner party. I’ve served it to company and received rave reviews, and it’s also one of Pete’s and my favorites. Make this! Enjoy!

• Servings: 4
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From New York Times Cooking

Kosher or sea salt

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary or a tablespoon fresh oregano, plus more for garnish

½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large shallot, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 cup heavy cream (instead I used evaporated milk to lighten it up—it was still plenty rich)

1 six-ounce bag baby spinach (about 6 packed cups)

12 ounces spaghetti or bucatini (I used whole wheat spaghetti)

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Lemon wedges, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

In a wide, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the chickpeas, oregano (or rosemary), and Aleppo or crushed red pepper. Season generously with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas start to caramelize at their edges and pop, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half of the chickpeas to a bowl. Reserve for garnish.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallots and garlic to the skillet, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream (or evaporated milk) and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in the spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook the pasta until a couple minutes short of al dente, according to package directions. Do not drain the pasta, but, using tongs, transfer the pasta directly from the pot to the spinach and cream sauce. Add 1 cup pasta cooking water and the Parmesan. Cook over medium-high, stirring vigorously with the tongs, until the sauce is thickened, and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Add a splash of pasta water to loosen sauce, if needed

Transfer to bowls, and top with reserved chickpeas, rosemary or oregano, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing on top—the lemon gives it that perfect finish! Serves 4.

Italian Meatless Balls

I’ve been working on my Christmas menu ever since Thanksgiving and have changed my mind several times, but finally settled on spaghetti and meatballs. Real meatballs will be served for most, with a meatless version for the vegetarian (me) and those wanting to try something different.

I made this Smitten Kitchen meatball recipe for the carnivores and used aspects of the same recipe for the veggie version, with the main ingredients from my Cauliflower Taco Meat as the base. The cauliflower florets, mushrooms, and walnuts are pulsed in the food processor with a little tomato sauce to make what actually looks a lot like raw ground beef. In addition to the ingredients from the meat recipe, I added fennel seeds, oregano, and marjoram for more Italian flavors.

I made these three times, tweaking things a bit with each version, to arrive at what I think are a pretty great vegetarian Italian meatball. I froze them and the “real” meatballs and will serve them in sauce with spaghetti on Christmas. They would also be good in a meatball sandwich, served on pizza, and as an appetizer with dipping sauce (a mixture of apricot preserves, barbeque sauce, and a little Dijon mustard is quite tasty!). Enjoy!

• Servings: 30 balls
• Print

3 cups cauliflower florets

1 ½ cups chopped cremini mushrooms

1 ½ cups chopped walnuts

1/3 cup tomato sauce

¼ cup chopped curly parsley

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 to 1 ½ teaspoons fennel seeds

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Place cauliflower, mushrooms, walnuts, and tomato sauce in bowl of a food processor and pulse until the texture of raw finely ground beef.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix to thoroughly combine. Form mixture into 2-inch balls; I used a #30 cookie scoop (press meatballs a bit to pack them before rolling into balls). Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake balls about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and firm. Makes about 30 balls.

Use in spaghetti, meatball sandwiches, as a pizza topping, or with a dipping sauce as an appetizer (we’re talking a mixture of apricot preserves, barbeque sauce, and a little Dijon mustard—yum).