Meatless Monday: Egg salad sandwich with sun-dried tomato spread

by Sarah Steimer

This spread is fantastic. Bill and I actually used the leftovers on a fresh baguette, along with a few thin shavings of Parmesan.

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Roasted mushrooms with shallot butter

by Caitlin Saniga

Shallots, thyme and lemon zest help to dress up these super easy roasted mushrooms.

• 1 pound baby bella mushrooms, wiped clean and stems trimmed
• olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper
• 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. In a medium bowl, toss the mushrooms with enough of the olive oil to coat generously, the salt, and a few grinds of pepper.

Turn the mushrooms onto the baking sheet and arrange them stem side down. If the mushrooms cover the baking sheet sparsely, arrange them toward the edges of the baking sheet for the best browning. Roast the mushrooms until brown on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Flip and continue to roast until browned on the top, about 5 more minutes.

Place the mushrooms in a serving bowl.

To make the shallot butter, heat the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Once it’s completely melted, add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until they’ve browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the thyme and zest. Pour the shallot butter over the mushrooms, tossing to coat. Serve warm.

Makes 4 side-dish servings.

Recipe adapted from: Fine Cooking

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Thanksgiving: Green bean casserole with crispy fried shallots

by Caitlin Saniga

Let’s be real for a minute. The crispy onion things on top of the green bean casserole are all anyone ever really cares about. Especially the fact that there better be TONS.

• canola oil for frying
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 large shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Unsalted butter for baking dish, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 pounds cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 pounds green beans, trimmed, chopped into 2-inch lengths and blanched

Green bean casserole has always been my favorite Thanksgiving dish. Grandma makes the classic recipe every year: canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, those crispy little onions that come in a resealable can. I love it so much that if it’s sitting around for too long before dinner, I’ll pick at the onions on top until the poor casserole is noticeably bare. What I dig about this recipe is that it uses all fresh ingredients from the beans, to the mushrooms in the homemade creamy soup, to the shallots that go into the frying oil. And the best part? You can double the crispy shallot part of the recipe if you anticipate needing more. 😉

Using a mesh strainer makes it easier to sift away the excess flour when coating the shallot rings.

If possible, make the crispy shallots ahead of time. Start by pouring oil about 1/2 inch deep in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Let it sit until it’s hot, about 5 minutes. In the meantime, prepare a cooling rack by covering it with paper towels.

Put 1/2 cup of the flour in a small bowl and season with salt and black pepper. Add the sliced shallots and toss to coat evenly.

To check whether the oil is hot enough, you can carefully flick a few drops of water at the oil. If they sizzle and pop immediately, the oil’s ready.

Working in batches, fry the shallots until golden brown and lightly crisped, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and lightly season with salt. Set aside.

When it’s done, it looks like a work of art!

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil and melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the chopped shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. While stirring constantly, slowly add the stock and then the cream. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the green beans and season with salt and black pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

Transfer to the oven and bake until the edges are bubbling, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with fried shallots, return to the oven and cook for 5 more minutes. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

Recipe adapted from: Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

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Green beans with shallot vinaigrette and bacon

by Caitlin Saniga

I’ve come to find that the combination of Dijon mustard, olive oil, an acid (lemon juice or some version of vinegar), salt and pepper make a magical vinaigrette. Extra ingredients can distinguish the dressing. Shallots make the vinaigrette in this recipe stand out, and boy is it delicious!

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 pound green and yellow waxbeans
• 1 large shallot, chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• pepper to taste
• 5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a large pot of water, and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Add the green beans, and cook until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Strain the beans and run cool water over them until they stop letting off steam. Transfer them to a large bowl.

To make the dressing, add the shallot and vinegar to a small dish and let sit for 15 minutes, to allow the shallot to sweeten. Next, add the Dijon mustard, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Thoroughly whisk to combine. Pour the dressing over the beans, and toss to coat. Top with crumbled bacon and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

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Meatless Monday: Roasted red pepper and pear soup

by Sarah Steimer

• 4 red peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped
• 1 very ripe pear, peeled, cored and chopped
• olive oil
• 3/4 cup diced carrots
• 1/3 cup chopped shallots
• salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons chili powder

Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a heavy pot or a Dutch oven. Add the carrots, shallots and a pinch of salt, cooking until soft but not brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the pear, roasted red peppers and stock to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes.

Ladle the mixture, working about half at a time, into a blender. Puree until smooth, returning the soup to the pot.

Add the paprika and chili power, along with additional salt to taste. Serve topped with vegetable chips or sour cream (or both).

Recipe adapted from: NPR

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Spaghetti squash pancakes

by Sarah Steimer

You usually run across two types of recipes for spaghetti squash: The obvious spaghetti and a squash gratin. Well done finding a new twist, Everyday Food.

• olive oil
• 3 shallots, minced
• 2 small jalapeños, seeded and minced
• 3 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups roasted spaghetti squash (how-to for cooking the squash here), patted dry with paper towels
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup flour

In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil. Add shallots, jalapeños and ginger to the pan, cooking until everything is softened. Add cumin and coriander and cook until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper and let cool slightly.

I added more flour than necessary because I didn't take the time to pat the squash dry. I'd be a bit more careful next time for sure.

Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and wash the skillet so you can reuse it. Add the spaghetti squash, eggs and flour to the shallots mixture and combine. Spray the clean skillet with cooking spray and let it heat up.

In batches, add batter in about 1/4 cupfuls to the pan in pancake form – just like potato pancakes. Cook until each is golden brown on both sides. Keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

NOTE: Don’t skip the salt, otherwise you can’t pick the flavor up as well. Very important. I also didn’t offer a dipping sauce with this, but I can imagine it would be great with plain yogurt or another tart sauce.

Recipe adapted from: Everyday Food

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Meatless Monday: Pea ravioli with mint

by Sarah Steimer

Olive Garden would just die if it knew ravioli didn't need to be heavy and salty.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup) — I used green onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 1/4 cups shelled fresh or thawed frozen peas
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
• 40 wonton wrappers (3 1/2 inches each)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• a few tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
  

  I'm not perfect like Marth Stewart, I added cheese. Oh wait she went to jail. Also not perfect.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add garlic and cook until soft. Add peas, wine, 1 cup water, pepper and. Simmer until liquid has almost evaporate

d and peas are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly.Puree pea mixture in a food processor. Brush edges of wrappers with egg. Place 1 tablespoon puree in centers of the wrappers. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with a dry wrapper; seal edges. Trim using a 3-inch round cutter (not totally necessary).

Working in batches, cook ravioli in salted simmering water until they are soft and rise to the surface. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat and add ravioli to skillet, and cook until butter is frothy and ravioli is coated. Sprinkle with mint and serve immediately.

Makes about four servings.

Recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart

Photos: Sarah Steimer

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