Ingredients

• 3/4 pound rhubarb (5 or 6 thin stalks), trimmed
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 10 ounces fresh strawberries (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparation

1. Cut the rhubarb into half-inch pieces. In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, bring the rhubarb, two-thirds cup water and the sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the rhubarb is tender and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

2. Slice the strawberries and purée them in a blender or food processor with the cooked rhubarb mixture and lemon juice until smooth.

3. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Chicago Tribune

Cut the big stem(s) off the brocolli, but leave a couple of inches of stem.

Then cut the brocolli into thin spears, about three or four inches long and 1/2 inch wide.

Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle with salt, ginger root sliced into thin rounds (say 1/4 cup), and two large garlic cloves sliced in thin rounds. Drizzle generously with olive oil and soy sauce.

Cook the broccoli 20-30 minutes, or until tender.

Ingredients

• 3 large red bell peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1/2 to 1 cup ricotta cheese, drained
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Heat broiler or grill. Roast peppers and garlic cloves on a foil-covered broiler rack, turning as needed, until skins blacken on all sides, about 30 minutes. Place peppers in a small paper bag (or place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap) until cool. Remove skin and seeds. Place peppers in a food processor; squeeze roasted garlic out of skins into the processor. Pulse until nearly pureed. Add 1/2 cup ricotta cheese and salt to taste; pulse until well-blended, adding more cheese if needed for dipping consistency.

Note: This dip goes well with toasted Italian-bread slices or your favorite chips. Add more garlic or additional chopped herbs, if you like.

Makes 3/4 cup.

Chicago Tribune

Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp anise oil
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract
• 1 lb flour (plus more for rolling)
• 2 tsp baking powder

Preparation

Beat 5 eggs until smooth. Add 1 lb. of sugar, and beat in mixer approximately 25 minutes (until you can’t feel the sugar). Add 1/2 tsp. anise oil and 1/2 tsp. lemon extract.

Fold in 1 lb. flour (4 c. sifted) with 2 tsp. baking powder. Roll out 1/2" thick and press with a springerlie board or roller. Let stand overnight. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 1 lb, about 6 dozen.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaking in hot water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup short-grain brown rice
• 1 onion, very finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 can (12 ounces) chopped tomatoes, with their liquid
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Preparation

Heat oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add rice; cook while stirring, until translucent, about 1 minute. Add onion, salt and pepper; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 1 minute. Add enough water to cover by 1/2 inch, about 3 1/2 cups. Heat to a boil; then simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.

Remove porcini from water, reserving liquid; coarsely chop. Pour liquid (without sediment) into rice. Stir in porcini, tomatoes and button mushrooms. Heat to a boil; then simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down, about 30 minutes, adding water if needed.

When rice is tender, add beans. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is no longer soupy but not yet dry, about 2 minutes. Add basil and cheese; serve.

Chicago Tribune

Ingredients

• Butter for greasing pan
• 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting pan
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups peeled, cored and thickly sliced tart apples, like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup raisins
• Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch tube pan. Beat the oil and sugar together in a mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment) while assembling the remaining ingredients. After about 5 minutes, add the eggs and beat until the mixture is creamy.

2. Sift together 3 cups of flour, the salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir into the batter. Add the vanilla, apples, walnuts and raisins and stir until combined.

3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before turning out. Serve at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, if desired. Serves 8.

The New York Times

Ingredients

• 12 ounces asparagus, trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 2 cups pearl barley
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 8 1/2 cups (about) canned vegetable broth
• 2 cups drained canned diced tomatoes in juice
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped arugula or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Preparation

Cook asparagus in pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water and cool. Drain. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Stir barley in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Transfer barley to bowl. Melt butter in same saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add barley and stir to coat. Add 2 cups broth; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Mix in 2 1/2 cups broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add 3 cups broth and simmer until barley is tender and creamy but still slightly firm to bite, stirring frequently and adding more broth if mixture is dry, about 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and asparagus; stir until heated through, about 3 minutes. Mix in cheese, arugula and lemon peel. Season with salt and pepper.

Bon Appetit, March 2001

Ingredients

For the turkey stock:

• 4 tablespoons butter, more if necessary for gravy, and for seasoning (optional)
• 6 turkey legs or other dark meat turkey parts (thighs, wings, etc.), to make about 6 pounds
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 medium onion, peeled and stuck with 3 cloves
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 3 stalks celery with leaves, trimmed and cut into large chunks
• 2 bay leaves
• 12 black peppercorns
• 1 cup white wine, Madeira, vermouth, dry sherry or water

For the gravy:

• 12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
• Salt and black pepper

Preparation

1. For the stock: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle turkey parts with salt and pepper, place in roasting pan and brush with melted butter. Roast 2 hours, basting with butter every 20 minutes or so.

2. Transfer roasted turkey to a stockpot and set roasting pan aside. Add onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves and peppercorns to stockpot. Add cold water just to cover, bring to a simmer and cook, slightly uncovered, about 6 hours.

3. Meanwhile, place roasting pan on top of stove and bring juices to a simmer over low heat. Pour in wine (or water), stirring and scraping to bring up browned bits. (If using wine, simmer at least 5 minutes.) Pour all liquid into a bowl and refrigerate. When deglazing liquid is cool, lift off top layer of fat; reserve fat. Add deglazing liquid to stockpot.

4. When stock is golden and flavorful, strain into a large container and refrigerate. When cool, lift off fat and mix it with reserved fat from deglazing liquid. Reserve 3 quarts stock for gravy and refrigerate or freeze the rest for another use.

5. For the gravy: In a deep skillet or large heavy pot, melt 12 tablespoons ( 3/4 cup) reserved turkey fat over medium heat. If you do not have enough turkey fat, use additional butter to make 3/4 cup. Gradually whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking, until golden brown and toasty-smelling, 3 to 5 minutes or longer for darker gravy.

6. Whisk in a small amount of stock (this prevents lumps), then add remainder more quickly and whisk until smooth. Simmer, continually whisking, until thickened. If too thick, thin with more stock or a little wine and simmer briefly. Season with salt and pepper. If desired, whisk in a few tablespoons cold butter to smooth and enrich gravy.

Yield: 3 quarts, about 20 servings.

The New York Times

Ingredients

• A bit more than 1-1/8 c. warm water (but exactly 1-1/8 c. if you use all-purpose flour)
• 3 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 1 t. salt
• 1 T. oil
• 1-1/2 t. white sugar
• 1-1/2 t. active dry yeast

Preparation

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Knead by hand for about 8 minutes (or let the KitchenAid do it for you).

Collect dough into a large lump in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Place covered bowl in a warm-ish area and leave until the dough has risen to about twice its original size.

When sufficiently puffy, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough rope into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball, then use a rolling pin to flatten each ball into a 6 or 7 inch diameter circle.

Set dough circles onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, they should be just slightly puffier than they were at first.

At some point during the time when the dough circles are rising, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. When dough circles are ready, place 2 or 3 circles on a wire cake rack, and place rack directly on an oven rack. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes. Pitas are done when they are puffed and their tops are slightly brown.

Remove pitas from oven and place them in a sealed brown paper bag (or just cover them with a damp kitchen towel) until they are soft. Once softened, cut pitas as desired.

Pitas can be stored in some kind of sealed container for several days. You can also freeze them for 1-2 months.

Erica Freeman

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup (12 oz.) chana dal, washed and drained
• 5 cups water
• 1 t. ground turmeric
• 1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1 t. ground coriander
• 1/2 t. cayenne pepper (optional)
• 3 T. butter or margarine
• 1 t. cumin seed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 T. grated fresh ginger
• 1 t. garam masala
• 2 T. chopped fresh coriander leaves

Preparation

Put chana dal in a bowl. Add enough cold water to cover and soak overnight.

To cook, drain chana dal. Place chana dal, water, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and cayenne in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and simmer for about 1 hour.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add cumin seed and cook for 1 minute. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until onion turns golden brown.

Add chana dal and cooking liquid to onion mixture. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes or until chana dal is tender but not mushy.

Add garam masala and mix well.

Place chana dal in a serving dish and sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.