Meatless Monday: Squash and beetroot tart with goat cheese

by Sarah Steimer

This tart came to me on a wintry, snowy day when something cozy was the only thing that would do. There are quite a few steps to this tart, but I had everything I needed in the house! It’s the perfect thing to share with company or reheat a day or two later.

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Savor It: Peppery balsamic onion and roasted garlic jam

by Caitlin Saniga

This saucy jam has an umami quality to it — possessing all five basic flavor profiles: savory, sweet, salty, bitter and sour. And with the generous portion of fresh cracked black pepper, it has a bit of spice to it, too.

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Crispy fish tacos with sweet and spicy pickled onions

This dish is a lot of crispy-crunchy wrapped up in a warm soft taco. And save your leftover pickled onions! Those suckers are great on sandwiches orrrrr just a fork. (Of course I served this meal with one of my favorite summer beers: Bell’s Oberon.)

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Chicken korma

by Caitlin Saniga

Chicken korma is one of my favorite dishes to order at Indian restaurants. Its yogurt-and-almond-based sauce is like nothing else. And considering how simple this recipe was, it might become one of my new go-to chicken dishes to make at home.  The list of ingredients seems long, but you’ll already have most of them in your pantry. Beware, though, cardamom, the one ingredient I didn’t have, cost close to $10 for a jar.

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Everything to Grain: Spiced basmati rice salad with raisins

by Sarah Steimer

Compared with my other salads, this was definitely the most tame. Although it wasn’t as jazzy as the other salads, I really enjoyed the soft flavors from the spices and the sweet raisins that are all plumped up because they simmer with the rice and spices. This salad would be best paired with something else, and I’m considering picking up some salmon to go with my leftovers.

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Hot pepper jelly pulled pork

by Sarah Steimer

This was the best pulled pork sandwich I’ve ever had. I love pepper jelly and never would have thought to incorporate it into a recipe this way. If you’re worried that this may be too spicy (it was perfect for me), maybe try another savory jelly such as an onion jelly — but who knows, perhaps even something like a raspberry jelly could be tasty.

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Meatless Monday: Red-skin and sweet potato pizza with rosemary and mozzarella

by Caitlin Saniga

Notice the missing left crust of pizza? There was no time to take a photo while I was shoveling that piece into my mouth.

• pizza dough
• olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 medium sweet potato, scrubbed and thinly sliced
• 5-6 red-skin potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed
• 6 ounces buffalo mozzarella, torn into small pieces

A friend said she tried a similar recipe with purple fingerlings. Can you imagine how pretty that would be? Now I’m picturing sweet potato, purple fingerling and beet pizza. Stunning, I bet!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the pizza dough in a well-oiled mixing bowl, and cover with a towel. Place the bowl in a warm (or room-temperature) spot, and let sit for an hour to rise.

In the meantime, warm a medium pan over medium-low heat. Add a generous amount of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once it’s warm, add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and golden-brown at the edges. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the potato and sweet potato slices about 5 minutes, or until soft (but not mushy).

On a floured surface, roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin. Make sure it’s a shape and size that will fit on whatever baking sheet or stone you plan to use. If using a metal baking sheet, lightly flour the surface before transferring the dough to the pan. Brush the dough with olive oil, and scatter half of the onions across the surface. Arrange the potatoes over the onions, and top with the mozzarella, rosemary and the rest of the onions.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and brown and the crust is golden. Serve hot.Makes about 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from: Spicy Icecream

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Want One?: French onion soup wontons with au jus

by Sarah Steimer

These are to die for. The onions are sweet, yet savory. The au jus is definitely optional. It’s good with or without.

• 1 large sweet onions, cut into quarters then sliced thin
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (neither this nor the butter need to be exact)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• leaves from 3-4 springs thyme (or about 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 1 small dried bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup beef OR vegetable broth (if you want to go legitimately vegetarian)
• 1/4 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
  

  If you want to make these ahead, you can freeze them after you fold and seal them. Just place them on a baking sheet (not touching) until they freeze. Then place them in a well-sealed bag or other container and place them back in the freezer. When you’re ready to cook them, you don’t even have to worry about letting them thaw.

• 10-12 wonton wrappers

Heat a medium-to-large sauté pan. When warm, add the butter and oil. Let the butter melt before adding the onions. Stir the onions so they are coated in the butter and oil, then add the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf (be careful not to crush the bay leaf, you do not want pieces of it in your food), sugar and broth.

Turn the heat up to high to bring the liquid to a boil. Bring the heat back down to medium and let the liquid cook off and the onions caramelize — about 20 minutes.

Remove the onions from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Let the onions mostly cool before tossing the onions in the mozzarella.

Lay out the wonton wrappers. Working one at a time, wet the edges of the wrappers with water and spoon about a tablespoon’s worth of the onion-cheese mixture in each. Fold over to make a triangle and seal the edges well.

Continue until all the wontons are made.

Heat more olive oil in a pan, just enough to cover the bottom. Add the wontons to the pan so they are sitting up on the folded edge, with one corner straight up in the air — not laying on their side. Let the bottoms brown. Add enough water to cover about 1/3 of the wontons and cover the pan. Let the wontons steam for about 2-3 minutes.

Remove the lid and let the water cook out while the wontons crisp back up a bit on the bottom. Remove the wontons with a spatula (they may stick a little, but I didn’t have much trouble).

For the au jus:

• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Serve with the warm wontons.

Makes 10-12 wontons.

Recipe adapted from: Iowa Girl Eats

* Want One? is our October guide that pays homage to the wonton, a traditionally steamed, fried, baked or boiled dumpling that can be filled with an array of goodies. We’ll feature meatless, meat-full and dessert renditions.

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Meatless Monday: Heirloom tomato and cheddar galette

by Caitlin Saniga

I made this galette when my mom came to visit for a few days. This was our first dish with heirloom tomatoes of the summer, and we were thrilled with it, having it for lunch and then for a snack after a day of sightseeing on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I wish I could cook for Mom every day.

Dough:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons cold lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

• 1 disk savory galette dough
• 3 medium heirloom tomatoes, any color
• 1/2 small onion, cut into thin rings
• salt
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 ounces mild cheddar cheese, cut into thin slices + 1 ounce grated cheddar cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• 2 green onions, chopped

Maybe this goes without saying, but it’s always a nice reminder. If you want the dough to be flaky and light, knead it as little as possible.  The ingredients should be just barely combined for the best results.

To prepare the dough, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, pepper, and salt with a fork in a large bowl. Scatter the cubed butter over top. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the butter is in small pea-sized pieces.

Drizzle the lemon juice and water over the butter-flour mixture and combine using fork. The dough will come together just barely. Gently pat the dough into a ball and then a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and set it on the counter.

Slice the tomatoes. Remove the seeds with your fingers or a knife, and place them on paper towels to soak up some of the juice. Sprinkle with salt.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Set the disk onto the floured surface and gently hit it a few times with the rolling pin to flatten it. Roll it into a 12-inch circle, flipping it over one time, and re-flouring the pin as necessary to prevent it from sticking. Hang the dough over the rolling pin to transfer it to the parchment-lined baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar using a fork or whisk. Pour onto the dough and spread into a roughly 10-inch circle.

Pat the tomatoes dry with paper towels and arrange them, alternating with slices of cheese in a spiral on top of the dough. Top with onion rings, sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

Fold the 2-inch edge of dough over top of the filling, making a few pinches as you go. Brush the egg wash on the dough.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack, along with the parchment paper, and cool for 15 minutes. Top with green onions.

Cut into slices and serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat the galette, place it on a baking sheet and heat at 350 degrees for about 4 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe adapted from: 20 Something Cupcakes

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Mashed potatoes with buttery caramelized onions

by Caitlin Saniga

My Baboo would be proud of these mashed potatoes. She believed that everything is infinitely better with butter and onions. Unlike olive oil, butter really preserves the onions' sweetness. She used to buy both ingredients in bulk and make pan after pan of butter-caramelized onions. She'd save her old butter and cottage cheese containers for this task, and then she'd dole out the little vats of butter and onions to anyone who showed even the mildest approval of the combination. Her instructions: Freeze it, and add a spoonful (or more) to anything (scrambled eggs, sauteed cabbage, noodles, potato salad etc.).

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup milk (or more if you prefer creamier mashed potatoes)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat (about 8 o’clock on your dial). Add the onion and let cook for about 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, and more often toward the end of the cook time. When the onions are finished cooking, they will be golden brown and transparent with brown edges (If you’ve lost all of the transparency, you’ve cooked ’em too long, and they will be bitter). Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, and set aside

In the meantime, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the potatoes. Cook uncovered and on medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce and break apart the potato. Drain the potatoes and transfer to the bowl of an upright mixer or another large bowl. Add the milk, and use an electric mixer (fitted with a whisk if using an upright) to whip the potatoes until they are smooth. Add the butter and onion mixture and stir to combine.

Serve immediately.

Makes 8 side dish servings.

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