Ingredients

• 12 medium-sized button mushrooms (100g, about 1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted (or equiv. olive oil)
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 cups (400g) cooked (about 200g dry) green lentils
• 1 cup (140g) toasted walnuts or pecans
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage or flat leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons Cognac or brandy
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Wipe the mushrooms clean. Slice off a bit of the stem end (the funky parts) and slice them. Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet or wide saucepan. Add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions become translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re soft and cooked through, another 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. In a food processor, combine the cooked lentils, nuts, lemon juice, soy sauce, rosemary, thyme, sage or parsley, Cognac (if using), brown sugar, and cayenne. Scrape in the cooked mushroom mixture and process until completely smooth. Taste, and add salt, pepper, and additional cognac, soy sauce, or lemon juice, if it needs balancing.
3. Scrape the pâté into a small serving bowl and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.

David Lebovitz

Ingredients

• 1 double-crust pie shell
• 1 1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach or 2 qts. fresh spinach (2 8-oz. bags works well)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1-2 c. grated Swiss cheese
• 1 egg yolk for brushing top of pie

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. If using frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze. If using fresh, cook, drain, dry, and chop. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender. In a bowl combine spinach, onion, nutmeg, salt, eggs, and cheese. Mix well. Pour into the pie shell. Arrange the top crust over the filling and crimp the edges. Brush the top with egg yolk if desired. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 16 oz. long grain/wild rice mix
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 1/4 c. yogurt
• 1 c. chopped celery (around 2 stalks)
• 1 c. chopped tomatoes (around 1 lg.)
• 1/2 c. diced cucumber
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/8-1/2 tsp. salt (or seasoned salt)
• 1/8-1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 c. peanuts, chopped, optional

Preparation

Cook the rice according to package directions, omitting any butter or oil. Let cool. Put in a bowl with all the remaining ingredients but the peanuts. Stir to combine. Can serve right away, or cover and serve cold. Garnish with the peanuts right before serving.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 c. water
• 2 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 2 c. farro
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 medium shallots
• 1 1/2 lb. turnips (3-4), peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 lb. carrots, chopped (4 medium)
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 1/2-1 c. chicken stock
• 1 c. parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 tbsp. chopped parsley
• salt
• pepper

Preparation

Cook the farro according to package directions, cooking 1 minute short of the time used on the package, using half water and half chicken stock (5 cups liquid to 2 cups farro). Drain. The grain should have a slightly chewy texture. In a large frying pan, heat 3 tbsp. olive oil. Add shallots and cook until caramelized and still slightly firm, about 6-8 minutes. Add turnips, carrots, and garlic and cook for about 1 minute, just until fragrant. Stir in the farro and the white wine, scraping up the browned bits. Add enough stock to barely cover the veggies and farro and cook over medium until reduced by half and the turnips are tender. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 1 lb thick cut bacon
• 3/4 c. lager
• 1 c. maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375. Put the bacon in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crispy, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan and reduce over medium heat until reduced by half and thicker than syrup, about 20 minutes. Brush the glaze on the bacon and bake until caramelized, 8-10 minutes. Cool on a rake for 5 minutes.

Thrillist

Ingredients

• 1 c. self-rising flour
• 1 c. fine yellow cornmeal
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tbsp. sugar
• 2/3 c. buttermilk
• 1/3 c. water
• scant 1/4 c. bacon fat
• 1/3 c. creme fraiche or sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c. scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c. crisp bacon, finely chopped
• Canola oil, combined with some bacon fat if desired

Preparation

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

In another small bowl, combine buttermilk, water, bacon fat, and creme fraiche or sour cream. Blend well. Add eggs and mix until just combined.

Pour liquid into dry ingredients, and mix just until a thick batter has formed. Stir in scallions and bacon. To keep the hoecakes tender, avoid overmixing.

Heat oil and bacon fat in a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Use about an eighth of a cup of batter for smaller cakes, or a quarter cup for larger ones. Cook them as you would pancakes, allowing them to fry on one side for about three minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Flip and cook for another couple of minutes. Replenish oil as needed, to maintain a generous film in the pan.

Batter will keep for a couple of days tightly covered in the refrigerator. If it seems too thick after storing, stir in a bit more buttermilk or water.

Garden & Gun, April/May 2013

Ingredients

• 1 can of petit pois peas
• 4 tablespoons bacon grease
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less, to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter

Preparation

Make a dark roux with the bacon grease and flour: Melt the bacon grease in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and continue stirring over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the roux turns a chocolate color.

Add the onions and saute 5 minutes. Sprinkle sugar on the onion and cook 2 minutes. Add the peas (including the packing liquid in the can), cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer peas for 10 minutes. Stir in butter and serve.

NPR

Ingredients

• 6 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
• 12 cloves garlic, grated or minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
• 6 tablespoons duck fat or butter
• cups white breadcrumbs
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Preparation

1. Toss potatoes, garlic, flour, oil, salt, pepper and cardamom together in a very large gratin dish (or 2 medium dishes). Place dollops of duck fat, evenly spaced, on top of potato mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Remove gratin from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature, 1-2 hours. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place in oven and bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven, toss mixture, cover again with foil and bake until tender, 30 minutes more.

3. Meanwhile, make breadcrumb topping: In a bowl, toss white breadcrumbs, melted butter and parsley until combined.

4. Remove gratin from oven and remove foil. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. Place oven rack in top position. Sprinkle breadcrumb topping over potatoes. Place dish, uncovered, on top rack and broil until golden, about 5 minutes. Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

Gail Monaghan, Wall Street Journal

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound pearl onions (about 2 cups), peeled, trimmed, or 1 pound frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 pounds bags frozen peas, thawed
• ¼ cup crème fraîche, whole-milk Greek yogurt, or sour cream

Preparation

Bring milk, cloves, and bay leaf to a boil in a small saucepan; reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes to let flavors meld. Strain into a medium bowl; discard solids. Cover milk and keep warm. Meanwhile, place onions in a large skillet (at least 12”). Add water to half-cover the onions (about 1 cup). Add 1 Tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. salt, and sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onions are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Gently transfer onions to a large plate. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in same skillet over medium heat; add flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, for 1 minute. Whisk in reserved milk, adding ¼-cupful at a time. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in remaining ½ tsp. salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add peas and onions; stir until heated through. Gently fold in crème fraîche.

Bon Appetit, November 2012

Ingredients

FOR THE BARBECUE MAYONNAISE:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup barbecue sauce
• Lime juice, to taste
• Sriracha, to taste

FOR THE ROLLS:

• 1 block (about 7 ounces) rice vermicelli
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 to 12 rice-paper wrappers for summer rolls, about 8 1/2 inches wide
• 8 sprigs mint, leaves picked off
• 8 sprigs Thai basil or basil, leaves picked off
• Pickled carrots and daikon (do chua), homemade or fresh or jarred from Vietnamese markets
• ¾ to 1 pound barbecued beef brisket, thickly sliced
• ½ cup thinly sliced red cabbage
• 16 sprigs cilantro
• Whole lettuce leaves

Preparation

MAKE THE BARBECUE MAYONNAISE: Combine mayonnaise and barbecue sauce, and stir until smooth. Season to taste with lime juice and sriracha, and set aside. (Can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.)

MAKE THE ROLLS: Put the rice vermicelli in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water, add the salt and let soak, swishing occasionally, until soft but still resilient, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Let drain for at least 30 minutes, or spread on a plate and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

When ready to serve, set out all the ingredients on a clean surface. Half-fill a bowl wide enough to fit the wrappers with lukewarm water. Place 1 wrapper in the water and pat it, gently bending to test, until pliable but not completely soft. Shake off excess water and lay the wrapper down.

Place a straight line of mint and basil leaves across the circle, about 2 inches up from the bottom edge. Plump up that line with a small clump of vermicelli, a pinch of do chua and 1/8 of the brisket. Drizzle a scant teaspoon of barbecue mayonnaise over the meat. Finish with red cabbage and 2 cilantro sprigs. Bring bottom edge of wrapper tightly up over the filling, then fold the sides in to cover. Continue to roll upward, tightly but gently, and place finished rolls on a plate, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining rolls. Cover rolls with lettuce leaves to keep them fresh. Serve as soon as possible.

Julia Moskin, The New York Times