Lentils with Fennel and Sausage

The star here is the lentil-vegetable saute. We ate it with sausages for a hearty omnivorous dinner, but it would also be delicious over brown rice for a vegetarian meal. The fresh fennel adds a subtle sweetness -- add a 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds to the sauteing vegetables if you want to increase the anise flavor. The recipe is slightly adapted from Epicurious.com.

1 c French green dried lentils*
4 1/2 c water
1 fennel bulb, diced, with the fronds chopped
3 1/2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 c broth
3 T chopped Italian parsley
1/2 t black pepper
1 T red-wine vinegar
1 T dijon mustard

1 lb sweet or hot Italian sausage links (I used turkey)

Bring lentils, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are just tender (~20 minutes).

Saute onion, carrot, and fennel bulb in about 3 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat until tender.

Drain the cooked lentils and stir into the vegetables (see, I told you to use a large pan!). Add broth and cook until heated through. Stir in parsley, vinegar, mustard, and 1 tablespoon fennel fronds. Salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, prick sausages in a couple of places and cook until done -- I cooked them in a pan with a little red wine, but grilling would be good too. I served the lentils topped with sausage and sprinkled with remaining fennel fronds and a little romano cheese. A wonderful cold-weather dish.

*French green lentils are smaller than regular brown ones; they hold their shape much better when cooked and have a slightly different (I'd even say "better") flavor. They are wonderful to use in a salad or any dish where you want discernible lentils, not lentil-y mush.

Grilled Portobellos

After a long, hard day of corporate nonsense, I found myself very hungry and looking for an excuse to change the course of the day. My avenue of escape was the local Harris Teeter. For Christmas, I received The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques by Steven Raichlen and had been looking for an excuse to grill something new and tasty. The 5 frisbee-sized portobellos on sale for $4 were a perfect option. I picked up the 'shrooms, some broccoli to grill, and some funky green bamboo rice and went to work. I used the following recipe for the mushrooms --

4 large portobello mushrooms (8-10 oz each)
2 cloves of garlic cut into slivers
1 oz Romano or comparable firm cheese cut into slivers
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/3 cups extra virgin olive oil

Trim the stems off the mushrooms so they are flush with the caps. Poke holes into the gill side of the mushrooms inserting the slivers of garlic, cheese, rosemary, and pine nuts into the holes. Mix the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper (add basil if desired). Place the mushrooms in a baking dish gill side up and pour the marinade on top of the shrooms making sure to coat the bottoms as well. Marinate for somewhere between 30 mins and 3 hrs to maximize the flavor sensation.

When it's grilling time - hit them for about 3 mins face side down on high and flip them on their backs for another 4-6 mins. If you're feeling like a grilling superstar - you can turn at a 45 degree angle after about 2 mins to work some grill marks.

I was extremely pleased at how well these turned out and will definitely make this a regular in the dinner rotation. Plugging the ingredients into the 'shrooms takes a little bit of time but pays off big in flavor points. I'll give this one 5 stars.

Chevre-stuffed Figs

My family recently had dinner at Elaine's on Franklin, where we enjoyed a delicious appetizer of blue cheese-stuffed figs. Last week I found some really nice figs at the farmer's market, so this was the result (serves 4):

8 fresh figs (I just discovered Celeste are the best, but Brown Turkey or Black Mission will do fine)
4 strips of turkey bacon, cut in half lengthwise
4 oz goat cheese (I love Celebrity Dairy chevre)
1/2 T honey
black pepper

Fry the bacon until it's cooked but still flexible. Mix the goat cheese with the honey and a couple grinds of pepper. Cut the figs in half vertically. Scoop out some of the flesh (a melon baller or grapefruit spoon works well). Fill the centers of the figs with the seasoned cheese and put the figs back together. Wrap a half-strip of bacon around each and fasten with a toothpick. Now put the figs under the broiler, on their sides with the bacon up towards the broiler. Broil until the bacon crisps, rotating the figs so all sides cook evenly. This will happen quickly, so don't walk away or you'll likely burn them.

You can serve the figs on their own and they'll be delicious, but they're also wonderful as part of a salad. I dressed arugula and butter lettuce with a simple vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil, a tiny bit of dijon mustard, and the fig guts I'd scooped out earlier. Topped the greens with the warm figs (2 each), and it was fabulous.

Easy, delicious, and impressive. 5 stars!

Grilled Veggie Pasta

2 thin (Japanese) eggplants
2 red peppers
several tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
red wine vinegar
feta cheese
chunky pasta, cooked (we used mini farfalle)

Grill eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes until skins are charred and come off easily. Chop the vegetables coarsely (trying not to lose any of the juice). Saute the onions and garlic, then add the grilled veggies, basil, and rosemary. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a splash of red wine vinegar. Toss with pasta and top with crumbled feta.

A good basic pasta dish. 3 1/2 stars.

Sesame Broccoli

The sauce:
4 T soy sauce (I like reduced-sodium)
1 T Sriracha (or other chile-garlic sauce)
1 T rice vinegar
1 t sesame oil

The veggies:
1 T fresh ginger, grated
2 large cloves garlic
1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
3 T sesame seeds
1 sweet (or mildly hot) red pepper, sliced
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets

Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside. Stir-fry the ginger, garlic, and mushrooms in a large pan over high heat until the mushrooms give up most of their liquid. Add the sesame seeds and red pepper and fry a couple minutes more, stirring constantly so the seeds don't burn. Add the sauce and broccoli, cover the pan, and let steam for a few minutes. Once the broccoli is cooked, take the lid off and let the sauce cook down if necessary (the mushrooms will absorb a lot, so you may not have much liquid left). Serve with rice.

This was a nice accompaniment to Shrimp and Eggplant with Black Bean Sauce, which tonight I made with a jarred sauce (Sharwood brand, quite tasty). Adding pressed marinated tofu would turn it into a great entree.

4 1/2 star side dish.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 lb brussels sprouts (the smallest, freshest available)
2 slices bacon (I use turkey, but pork or veggie would be fine)
1 t lemon zest
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper

Trim the sprouts and cut them in half. Dice the bacon and fry it until starting to crisp. Toss the sprouts with bacon, lemon zest and juice, oil, and salt & pepper. Roast at 425 F for about 15 minutes or until turning brown and just tender-crisp.

I love brussels sprouts, and the lemon-bacon flavor is mighty tasty.
4 1/2 stars.

Peanut noodles

This is a good "kitchen sink" recipe to use up whatever vegetables are around (broccoli, carrots, cucumber, green onion, peppers, zucchini, peas...). I like to use whole-wheat spaghetti in this because I can't stand it with any other sauce. Top the whole deal with a spicy peanut sauce and you're all set in about 15 minutes.

Sauce should go something like this:

peanut butter
soy sauce
hot sauce
garlic
vinegar
lime juice
sugar

To taste.

Yum. Quick, easy, and edible. 3 1/2 stars.