Wild Rice Salad

In the "great pantry stock up" before the baby was born I bought a giant bag of wild rice. I was surprised to find it at the Asian market on Duraleigh in Raleigh. Though wild rice is usually thought of as a food native to North America, I recently learned that it also grows in some places in Asia.

It seemed like forever since I had made anything with wild rice (I don't think I saw it in the markets in Germany), so this salad was a real treat.

1 and 1/2 cups wild rice
1 red onion
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 apple
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Bring a large, well-salted pot of water to a boil. Add rice and cook until the rice is al dante, about 25 minutes. Drain rice and place in a large bowl.

Finely dice onion and chop carrot, celery, and apples into small pieces. Add to the bowl with the rice along with the cranberries and walnuts. Grate cheese and add to the bowl as well.

In a small bowl prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the mustard, vinegar, and olive oil. Pour vinaigrette over the rice and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm or cold. To make the salad into a meal, place rice over mixed greens and top with grilled chicken.

Chestnut Stuffing

My Aunt Kathleen always made stuffing for Thanksgiving. That was almost enough reason for me to travel to her house in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. every year to celebrate the holiday. When I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner last year, there was no doubt about the type of stuffing I would make. Again this year, it had to be chestnut stuffing.

1 pound chestnut in shell
2 onions
3 ribs celery
1 bunch parsley
2 bags stuffing, or two loaves white bread cut into cubes and toasted
3 eggs
3 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut an "x" into the top of each chestnut. Place chestnuts on a baking dish and roast until the shells begin to buckle, about five to seven minutes. Take out of the oven and remove the shells while the nuts are still hot.

Dice onions and celery, mice parsley, and chop chestnuts. Add stuffing mix and toss to make sure that tall ingredients are evenly distributed. Add eggs and chicken stock. Toss to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper.

This recipe makes enough stuffing for one bird, plus a baking dish. For stuffing cooked in the baking dish, bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees covered with foil. Then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

Polenta Two Ways

Tuesday nights I go to yoga. Class starts at is at 8:15. That means either have to eat really early or really late. I generally like to eat early, since I'm hungry these days. Monday night's dinner left me with enough leftovers so that I could pull together a delicious dinner in no time flat.

On Monday I put the leftover polenta into a flat Tupperware, and yesterday I cut it into squares and lightly coated them with a little flour. I then pan fried the squares in olive oil and topped them with the leftover pork shoulder, which I shredded and reheated with the rest of the sauce.

Here's my recipe for both soft polenta and fried polenta.

1 cup polenta (ground corn meal)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cream (optional
1⁄4 cup chopped herbs (optional)
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring the chicken stock to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Preheating a medium-sized, heavy bottom pot over high heat. Add the polenta into the hot pan and to toast until it smells slightly nutty. Reduce the heat on the pot and whisk in enough chicken stock to cover the polenta. Continue to whisk until the mixture just begins to form slow, thick bubbles. Add in more chicken stock, one ladle at a time, whisking the mixture often.

The polenta is cooked when the mixture’s graininess is transformed into a creamy texture, about 35 to 40 minutes.

When the polenta has reached the correct consistency, remove it from the heat and stir in butter, cream, cheese, and herbs. Add salt and pepper and needed.

After you have removed the portions that will be eaten immediately, pour the remaining polenta into a flat Tupperware and store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

For fried polenta, cut into slices or squares and remove from the Tupperware. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Lightly coat polenta squares in corm meal or flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Add two tablespoons of oil to the pan. Add the polenta cakes to the pan and cook for two to three minuets, until golden brown. Using a spatula, flip the polenta cakes (turn always from you to avoid being splattered by the hot oil). Cook on the second size until golden brown, another two to three minutes. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate. Serve hot.

Pumpkin Risotto

Those amazing little pumpkins* that I wrote about last week continue to catch my eye. They are the perfect size for cooking up one dish, easy to handle, and roast to fork tender in less then 30 minutes when I have the convection oven turned on. Having eaten my fill of quick breads in the last couple of weeks, though, this time I decided to try something new.

I roasted a chicken for dinner last week, so I had a fresh batch of chicken stock on hand. Therefore, a pot of pumpkin risotto seemed like a natural choice.

1 2 -pound pumpkin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
1 cup aborio rice
1 quart chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cream
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmasian
Salt and pepper

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Cut pumpkin or squash in half, remove seeds, and rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place flesh-side on a baking sheet and roast until the flesh can be easily pierce with a fork, about 45 minutes. (30 minutes if you have a convection oven.) Remove from oven. When it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and place flesh in a bowl.** Mash pumpkin flesh with 1 tablespoon of stock.

Heat stock in a medium-sized sauce pan. Leave simmering.

Finely chop onion and mince garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a wide, pan with shallow sides. Over medium-high heat, cook onion and garlic for three to five minutes, until translucent. Add rice and cook for two or three minutes, until the rice smells slightly toasted.

Reduce heat to low and add two ladles of stock to the rice. Stirring frequently until most of the liquid has adsorbed. Continue to add stock, one or two ladles full at a time, and stirring frequently until the rice has cooked to al dente, about 35 minutes.

Add mashed pumpkin to the rice mixture and stir until fully incorporated. Add butter, cream, and Parmesans. Season with salt and pepper. Risotto is best served immediately.

*I know I told you there were really squash, but they don't look like squash, so I'm sticking with pumpkin. And for that matter, a tomato is a vegetable in my book.
** The pumpkin or squash can be cooked up to three days in advance.

Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed With Herbed Bulgur

Yesterday I made roasted tomatoes stuffed with herbed bulgur. Kevin, my biggest fan, loved them, claiming that the filling was fresh and complimented the sweetness of the tomato nicely. I thought they were good, but that the filling was too delicate. Next time I will add pine nuts and Parmesan for a bit more richness and texture. Here's the recipe I'll use for the improved versions.

1 cup bulgur (cracked wheat)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 red onion
1/2 bunch parsley
1 bunch mint
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
8 medium to large tomatoes
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the bottom of a baking dish with parchment paper.

Toast bulgur in a small pot with 1 teaspoon olive oil until it starts to smell slightly nutty. Add 1 and 1/3 cups boiling water, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 17 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered for another 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set a side.

Toast pine nuts in a frying pan until they are light golden brown. Remove from hot pan and pour into a mixing bowl.

Finely dice red onion. Finely chop parsley and mint. Add to the mixing bowl with the pine nuts. Add cooled bulgur, lemon, Parmesan, and remaining olive oil. Toss all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper.*

Hollow out the tomatoes by removing the core and seeds from tomatoes. Salt the inside of the tomatoes and lightly drizzle the outside with olive oil. Fill each tomato with the herbed bulgur and place in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional five minutes. Garnish with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan and serve.

*Note: Depending on the size of your tomatoes, you may have extra filling. Leftovers can be eaten chilled with diced fresh tomatoes.

Peanut Noodles

Here's a super easy, quick, and delicious dish that can be whipped up with items that I always have on hand in my pantry. Two unusual ingredients used are:
• Mirin — a sweet rice-based wine commonly used in Japanese cooking
• Soba noodles — Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour

Both can be found in the Asian food section of many grocery stores, at health food stores, or at Asian markets. Also, you can substitute sherry for the mirin and use rice noodles or spaghetti instead of the soba noodles.

2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
1/2 pound soba noodles (two bundles)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 inch piece of ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup cooking liquid from the noodles

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, in a hot pan toast the sesame seeds until they just begin to pop. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Mince garlic and ginger. Place in a cold pan with red pepper flakes and olive oil. Infuse the spices into the oil by slowly heating. When the spices begin to turn golden, pour into a mixing bowl. Add peanut butter, mirin, vinegar, and soy sauce. Whisk until smooth, adding at little of the hot cooking liquid at a time until the peanut butter mixture is a pour-able consistency.

Pour sauce over the drained soba noodles and toss. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Serves 2 two 3 people.

Tabbouleh Salad

Friday's good ol' Southern meal was followed by a few day's worth of leftovers. By the time yesterday rolled around I was craving something light, healthy, and whole grainy. Perfectly fitting the bill was a mixed plate of Mediterranean dishes that included hummus, roasted eggplant and red pepper, herbed feta, pita, and tabbouleh.

Surprisingly easy to make, tabbouleh is refreshing while still being satisfying.

1 cup course bulgur wheat
1 red onion
12 cherry tomatoes*
1 bunch parsley
1/2 bunch mint,
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

To cook the bulgur, toast the grain in a pan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. It’s done when it gives off a slightly nutty smell, which takes about 2 minutes on high heat. Add 1 and 1/2 cup of boiling water, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables by finely dicing the onion, quartering the tomatoes, and chopping the herbs.

Place the cooked bulgur in a bowl. Add olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and herbs and toss. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

* I love cherry tomatoes because they are so sweet all year long, but you can use any tomatoes you want. Whatever you choose, though, should be chopped into bit-sized pieces.