Ingredients

• One 2-pound butternut squash—peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (6 cups)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 3/4 pound whole-wheat fusilli
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unrefined hazelnut oil
• 1 head of Treviso or 1/2 a small head of radicchio, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup packed parsley leaves
• Shaved Pecorino Tuscano or Romano, for serving

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with 1/4 cup of the vinegar, the olive oil and honey and spread evenly on the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 35 minutes, tossing halfway through, until browned and glazed.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain. Toss with 3 tablespoons of the hazelnut oil.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons each of vinegar and hazelnut oil. Stir in the squash, Treviso and parsley, then fold in the pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature with shaved pecorino.

Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. sugar
• salt
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 15-oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 lb. green beans, trimmed and halved
• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp. chopped chives
• pepper

Preparation

Soak the onion in water for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Whisk the vinegar, sugar, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a bowl, then whisk in olive oil. Add the onion and white beans. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until just tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain beans, and drop into an ice bath. Drain again, dry, and add to the salad. Marinate at room temperature for about 1 hour. Stir in chives and parsley just before serving, check seasoning with salt and pepper.

Ingredients

For salad:

• 2 small eggplants
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tomatoes, cut in large dice
• 4 scallions, sliced thin
• 1 cucumber, cut in large dice
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 c. parsley, minced
• spinach leaves
• yogurt for topping

For dressing:

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 tbsp. tahini
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• salt to taste

Preparation

Peel eggplant and slice into 1/2" rounds. Place on baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and let stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together all ingredients for dressing.

Rinse and dry eggplant. On an oiled baking sheet, broil eggplant until it browns lightly on both sides. Avoid overcooking. Eggplant should be tender enough to cut with a fork. Cut the warm eggplant into bite-size pieces. Toss with dressing and let cool for several hours, unrefrigerated.

Just before serving, toss all the other vegetables gently with the eggplant and dressing. Serve over spinach leaves, with yogurt on top.

Ingredients

• 2/3 c. mayonnaise
• 1/3 c. sour cream
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 7 oz bowtie pasta, cooked, rinsed, and drained
• 2 lg. tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into sticks
• 1 zucchini, quartered length-wise and sliced thin
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• pine nuts to taste

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients and mix. Add the rest of the ingredients, toss, and cover. Chill.

Ingredients

• 500 g dried linguine
• 3 lemons (zest and juice)
• 6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 100 g. parmesan cheese, grated
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Cook the linguine according to the instructions on the packet - in a generous amount of boiling, salted water. Drain and return to the saucepan. Mix the lemon juice and zest with the olive oil, then stir in the parmesan so that it becomes creamy. Season and add more lemon to taste. Add the lemon pasta sauce to the linguine shaking the pan to coat each strand. Garnish with some herbs to suit yourself.

Nudo

[CP: This recipe is really flexible. I made it with zucchini and summer squash (sauteeing rather than baking), and substituting the farmer’s cheese for crumbled feta, and it came out great.]

Ingredients

• 6 large poblanos (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 large butternut squash (4 pounds total)—peeled, halved, seeded and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely chopped thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped oregano
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 8 ounces farmer cheese (crumbling, dry cottage cheese style cheese)
• Toasted pumpkin seeds, for serving

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°. Roast the poblanos directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning, until they are charred all over. Transfer the chiles to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let them cool. Peel, stem and seed the chiles, then cut them into thin strips.

Brush the butternut squash with 6 tablespoons of the olive oil and spread it on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes, until the squash is tender, shifting the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sliced onion, garlic, oregano and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add the poblano strips and cook until they are very tender, about 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the crème fraîche and season the poblano mixture with salt and pepper.

Spoon half of the poblano mixture into a large baking dish and top with half of the butternut squash and half of the Monterey Jack and farmer cheeses. Repeat with the remaining poblano mixture, butternut squash and both cheeses. Bake in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until the gratin is golden and bubbling. Let the gratin rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with the pumpkin seeds and serve.

Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 2 pounds young, small to medium okra pods
• 4 small dried chiles, split in 1/2
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 12 sprigs fresh dill
• 4 cloves garlic, whole
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 2 cups rice wine vinegar
• 2 cups bottled water

Preparation

Wash the okra and trim the stem to 1/2-inch. Place 1 chile, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 3 sprigs of dill, 1 clove of garlic and 1/4 teaspoon peppercorns in the bottom of each of 4 sterilized pint canning jars. Divide the okra evenly among the 4 jars, standing them up vertically, alternating stems up and down.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the salt, vinegar and water to a boil. Once boiling, pour this mixture over the okra in the jars, leaving space between the top of the liquid and the lid. Seal the lids. Set in a cool dry place for 2 weeks.

Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup finely shredded basil leaves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound frozen baby peas, thawed
• 3 large seedless cucumbers (about 1 pound each)—peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick

Preparation

In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt with the lemon juice and olive oil. Add the parsley and basil and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the peas and cucumbers and serve.

Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons smoked sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground fennel
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 1 pound baby carrots, halved lengthwise and tops trimmed to 1 inch
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons marcona almonds, plus chopped almonds for garnish
• 5 ounces baby arugula

Preparation

In a bowl, combine the olive oil, paprika, fennel, coriander, garlic and thyme. Add the carrots and let stand for 2 hours.

Preheat a grill pan. Remove the carrots from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat, turning, until crisp-tender, 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook the butter over moderate heat until lightly browned and nutty-smelling, shaking the pan gently, about 5 minutes. Scrape the butter and solids into a blender. Add the vinegar, water and the 2 tablespoons of almonds; puree until smooth. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Add the vinaigrette and arugula to the carrots; toss to coat. Transfer the salad to plates, sprinkle with chopped almonds and serve.

Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, quartered
• 1 small carrot, halved
• 1 celery rib, halved
• 12 ounces farro (1 3/4 cups)
• 5 cups water
• Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preparation

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the yellow onion, carrot and celery, cover and cook over moderately low heat until barely softened, about 5 minutes. Add the farro and stir to coat with oil. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the farro is barely tender, about 10 minutes; season with salt. Cover and simmer until the farro is al dente, about 10 minutes longer. Drain the farro and discard the onion, carrot and celery. Let cool completely.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil with the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the farro, red onion, cucumber, tomatoes and basil, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Food & Wine