Garlic-Parmesan Artichokes

We've had a fairly odd winter this year, as in almost no winter. So, forgive me if I am busting out with the spring recipes before the season officially arrives. It's going to be over 60 tomorrow, in February. So, let's cook something for spring.

This dish is a great Easter dinner side, either an appetizer course, or a starter to follow the Asparagus and Potato Salad with the Lemon-Mint Dressing and Hard-cooked Eggs. I see the main course as maybe a roast leg of lamb, and a light panna cotta, but I'll get to the dessert and main closer to spring!

Garlic-Parmesan Artichokes
2 large artichokes
1/2 lemon
1 cup white wine
4 Tbs. whole wheat bread crumbs
3 Tbs. grated Parmesan
2 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

First, trim the sharp points from the bottom two-thirds of the leaves with kitchen shears. Then, trim the stalks to be flush with bottom of artichoke. Using a chef's knife, cut off the top 1/4 leaves (see photo). Rub the cut edges with lemon.
Place the wine and extra water, if needed, in the bottom of a steamer, stove type or the steamer appliance. Squeeze the lemon into the steaming liquid. Steam the artichokes for 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, tossing the oil with the bread crumbs and cheese until its a nice crumbly mixture. When the artichokes are done steaming, lift them out with tongs onto a cutting board.

Slice each artichoke vertically in half.


Using a paring knife, remove the rough part of choke and the center few purplish leaves (see photo). This leaves the lovely, edible heart easy to get to, and makes a nice cavity for the bread crumbs.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs, a bit in the cavity, but also in between the leaves throughout.

Place on a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Roast for 7-9 minutes until the cheese is melted and bread crumbs are browned. Serve hot.

Elegant, Intimate Thanksgiving

I did a terrible job of getting this posted during Thanksgiving. We had a small holiday dinner with friends before we all had to spend our actual holiday with extended family and the big, potluck fun for that day. For the four adults and three kids here, we could cook a special menu, a bit less traditional and upscale. If you have a small gathering, this is a great alternative Thanksgiving menu to try.

For the salad course, I recommend the Fall Kale Salad, and for dessert, the ultra-easy (make ahead) and stunning Pumpkin Panna Cotta with Bourbon Pecan Toffee.

Crispy Braised Duck with Cranberry-Port Sauce

Crispy Braised Duck

2 Ducks

1 onion, peeled and quartered

1 clementine, halved, peel on
2 ribs celery, roughly chopped

salt and pepper
¼ cup mulling spices

1 gallon apple juice

Cranberry-Port Sauce

1-1/2 cups of the cooled, skimmed cooking liquid

2 cups port wine

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup cranberry jelly

Prepare the Ducks:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Starting from the large cavity end, gently work your fingers between the skin and meat to loosen skin from the ducks, especially the breast as much as possible. Try not to tear the skin. Prick the skin all over with a fork to allow the fat to drain when cooking.

Stuff the duck cavities with the orange, celery and onion. Salt and pepper them lightly.

On the stove, bring the apple juice and mulling spices to a boil. Pour the boiling liquid over the ducks to tighten the skin. The liquid need to come up at least halfway to two-thirds up the sides of the ducks. You can add chicken stock if you need more liquid. Cover the pan tightly with foil.

Braise ducks:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.  Braise for one hour, remove from oven and turn ducks over, cover again and braise for another hour.

Chill ducks:

Remove from oven. Transfer ducks to a large platter, draining any juices inside ducks back into pan. Pour the cooking liquid from the pan through a strainer into a large bowl. Place the ducks back in the roasting pan and chill both the large bowl of cooking liquid and the ducks, uncovered, at least 4 hours. You want to firm up the duck before the roasting step, and also solidify the fat on the cooking liquid.

Make Sauce:
Remove the bowl of cooking liquid from the refrigerator and skim off the fat. Measure 1 and a half cups of the liquid and add to a large sauce pan on the stove. Add two cups port, 1 cup balsamic vinegar, and 1/3 cup cranberry jelly, and 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard. Whisk and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Reduce over low heat until you get a syrup that coats the spoon, about a half an hour.

Roast ducks:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.

Remove the roasting pan with ducks from the refrigerator and place in oven. Roast ducks until skin is crisp, about 20-25 minutes.

When done, transfer ducks to a platter and let stand at least 10 minutes before serving. Glaze lightly with some of the sauce, serve with remaining sauce.

Pumpkin Risotto
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced pumpkin, ¼-inch dice
4 cups chicken broth
2 shallots, minced
1-1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
2/3 cup grated Gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

On stove, or in a steamer, steam the pumpkin until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside, keeping warm.

Heat the chicken broth in a small saucepan, and keep it warm over low heat.

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat and sweat the shallot until translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the rice, and stir until it is evenly coated with oil, and the grains just begin to turn golden, about 3 minutes.

Add the wine and cook, stirring often, until the rice absorbs the liquid, about 5 minutes. Stir 2 cups of the warm chicken broth into the pot. Now you’re free from stirring for about 8 minutes, until the rice absorbs the liquid. After this step, you need to start stirring frequently.

Add another cup of the warm chicken broth to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid is absorbed, about five minutes. Add just 1/4 cup of broth next, and cook, stirring constantly, until all the liquid is absorbed, a few more minutes. Taste the rice; if it has reached al dente texture, you’re done. If not, add another 1/4 cup of broth and cook, stirring constantly, until all the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until the rice is done; you may not need all of the broth.

Mix in the Gruyere, gently fold in the cooked pumpkin, and sage. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve alongside the Crispy Duck, drizzle with the Cranberry-Port sauce.

Serves 4-6.

Three Sisters Soup

Beans, corn and squash are known in Native American food culture as the "Three Sisters" because of the practice of companion planting these items together to feed the soil, help provide structure for the climbing beans and decrease weeds.

The fact that the beans are available dried in winter, along with my stash of winter squash, and corn that was frozen from summer, means local eating in winter, too. The hearty soup does include a smoked pork shank for flavor, but this is optional if you want a vegetarian soup. The three sisters also provide a good vegetarian protein balance without the need for meat here.

I use my handy, and rather large pressure cooker here. To do this without a pressure cooker, plan on a cooking time of two hours and 15 minutes. It makes a whole lot of soup. Plan on freezing some for an easy dinner in the future.

Three Sisters Soup

1/2 pumpkin, rind, seeds and stringy pulp removed, diced in 1/4 inch cubes
1 onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 mild green chiles, poblano works well, seeded and diced
28 oz. tomatoes in juices
1-1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. Ancho chile powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
64 oz. chicken or vegetable stock
1 lb. dried beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed (heirloom beans like anasazi or vaquero work best, kidney beans as a substitute).
1 smoked pork shank, optional
12 oz. frozen corn
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, green chiles, garlic, cumin, Ancho chile powder, and cinnamon to the pot and sweat for 10 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the stock, tomatoes and juices, beans and the pumpkin cubes, and pork shank if using.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Lock on the pressure cooker top, making sure it seals correctly. This will cook for 45 minutes. When done cooking, turn off burner and follow your pressure cooker manufacturer's directions to release the steam. When the cooker is ready to be opened, unlock the top and remove the pork shank to a cutting board.

Using tongs, pull the meat from the bone. Add meat back to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Add the frozen corn and simmer for about 10 minutes. Before serving, adjust the salt and pepper, mix in the cilantro, reserving some as a garnish. Freezes well. Makes about 14-16 servings.

Black-eyed Peas in a Healthy Soup for New Year's Luck

For the last few years, we've made sure to make black-eyed peas for New Year's. I never even questioned the source of this mostly southern tradition. It's an excuse to eat black-eyed peas with smoked ham hock. 'Nuff said. That more traditional recipe is in our cookbook, The Cleaner Plate Club, and plenty of greens recipes to go with it, too.

In the South, the peas symbolize prosperity, greens mean money and the pork is said to symbolize the pig's hard efforts at foraging for itself. Some of the history behind the custom comes from Civil War days when the Union soliders wiped out all the food crops in the South, leaving just "animal feed" like field corn and the black-eyed peas.

Other history point to farther back, such as ancient Syria and Jewish Rosh Hashana, then brought to the US by Jewish immigrants in the 1700s.

This year, we skipped the ham and went for a vegetarian approach. After the holiday excess, I have to admit that we were all ready for something light. This soup is based on the Fall Vegetable Soup in the book, with the addition of farro, a wholegrain the offers some protein, and, of course, black-eyed peas which are available fresh this time of year. Also check in the freezer section for frozen ones.

Still, we have the peas for prosperity, kale as the greens for money, and the cheap, healthy protein source of farro for my own foraging, as well as some herbs from my garden (what has not totally frozen yet). And, without the saturated fat from the smoked pork, well, this soup adds a healthy start on your New Year's resolutions.

To modify the recipe for dried black-eyed peas, you'll need to soak them overnight. After sweating the onion, celery, garlic, and carrot, add the stock and black-eyed peas (drained and rinsed from the soaking water) and bring those to a boil, then simmer for 1.5 hours before going forward with the rest of the recipe.

Makes 12 servings

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2/3 cup chopped carrot (about 
3 medium carrots)

2/3 cup chopped celery (about 3 stalks)

2 garlic cloves, minced

10 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 Tbsp dried summer savory

2 tsp dried thyme

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped

2 bay leaves

2 small Parmesan rinds, optional

1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and diced small (¼-inch cubes)

1 lb winter squash, peeled and diced small (¼-inch cubes)
1 cup farro, rinsed and drained or 1 cup lentils, rinsed, sorted and drained

1 lb. fresh or frozen black-eyed peas

1 bunch (about 12 oz) kale or chard greens, stemmed and chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Warm the oil over medium-low heat and add the onion, carrot and celery. Sweat this combination, known as a mirepoix, until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the stock and the savory, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the sweet potato, squash and Parmesan rinds, and then simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add the farro or lentils and black-eyed peas and simmer for 30 more minutes (or until the lentils, if present, are al dente).
4. Add the greens, and simmer for 5 more minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaf and Parmesan rinds. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

When we were eating, my six-year-old who often won't eat soft textures of orange foods, said, "Mom, can we have this soup every New Year?" As picky as kids can be, especially after a sugar rush of holiday desserts, I think that's about as lucky as it gets.

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope you are off to a healthy, happy new start.