Nothing like a relaxed family ski vacation out West.  A couple of condos, grandchildren running in and out, and nowhere to be at any particular time except on the slopes.  While the little ones are enrolled in ski school the adults have freedom to burn.  No complaints there.  Everyone comes in starving at the end of the day which means Nonna has to figure out what to feed a troop of 12.  Luckily there are 3 grills at the base of the mountain which anyone can take advantage of so last night we made Barbequed Chicken, a huge salad, and an amazing cauliflower gratin (roasted cauliflower and cheese).

I had leftover ricotta from a lasagna I made, a couple of heads of cauliflower, and plenty of grated cheese.  After cutting the cauliflower into florets I blanched and drained them and put them in a baking dish.  I mixed 1/2 cup of ricotta with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 cup marinara or other tomato sauce (bottled is fine),1 teaspoon Schirracha sauce (spicy thai sauce that is optional if anyone isn’t partial to it), kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper.  I spread the mixture over the cauliflower and baked it in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.  Everyone swooned over it.  As far as I’m concerned it could be a perfect meal paired with a hearty chopped salad of romaine, sweet red pepper, scallions, sugar snap peas, grated carrot, and sugary sweet cherry tomatoes.  Who said cooking is work?

Freshly squeezed limes

I diced up the pepper, sliced the scallions, and chopped the parsley and tossed them in a mixture of olive oil and fresh lime juice.  I thawed the frozen corn, drained and rinsed the black beans, and added them to the mixture with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cumin.  I wrapped the tortillas in foil, shiny side in, and served them with the salad and a sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese.

With a little more time, it’s easy enough to transform the same ingredients into baked quesadillas.  My grandchildren love these dishes and can readily prepare them with a little help dicing the vegetables and forming the quesadillas.  They could have dinner on the table almost as quickly and with lots more enthusiasm and fun to boot.

BLACK BEAN AND CORN QUESADILLAS

FILLING
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt/sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut into eighths
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (thaw before using) corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
8 8-inch whole wheat (or white) soft flour tortillas
1 cup low fat sour cream
8 slices cheddar or Jack cheese, halved or store bought grated cheddar or Jack cheese

Set the oven at 375 degrees.  Have on hand a large baking sheet with sides (you may need to use 2 baking sheets if one isn’t large enough) large enough to hold the tortillas.  Line the sheet with foil, shiny side down, and lightly grease it with olive oil.  Set aside until ready to use.

In a saute pan, add the oil.  When it’s hot, add the onion and red pepper and cook over medium to medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often, or until the vegetables soften.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the cumin, salt, and pepper.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the tomatoes, black beans, corn and parsley.  Working with one tortilla at a time.  Spread 1 tablespoon of the sour cream all over the surface of the tortilla even along the edges – this will help seal them.  Working on the lower half of the tortilla, place half a slice of cheese, some of the corn mixture, and then another piece of cheese on top.  Turn the unfilled half over the filled half to form a half moon.  Make sure the filling doesn’t go right up to the edges.  Pinch the edges all around to enclose the filling.  Set on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes or until the quesadillas are hot and the filling is cooked through.  You can usually tell because the edges will be crispy and a little of the cheese may ooze out.

BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALAD

As an alternative, this salad can be tossed into a green salad or pulsed in a food processor until smooth and eaten with crispy tortilla chips.

4 scallions, finely sliced
1 sweet red pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat parsley (none of that curly stuff – it doesn’t have enough flavor)
Kosher or coarse sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels (if frozen make sure to thaw in microwave or on the counter)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grated cheddar or Jack cheese (or more if you like)
Warm whole wheat flour tortillas (wrap them in foil, shiny side in, and warm in a 375 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes)

Mix the scallions, sweet red pepper, parsley, salt, pepper, and cumin together.  Drizzle the oil and lime juice over the vegetables and toss to combine.  Add the corn and black beans and stir.   Stir in the cheese and serve with warm tortillas.
This mixture is also delicious tossed into a green salad or chopped in a food processor and eaten with tortilla chips.

cauliflower, onions, carrots and coconut milk simmering

Vary the ingredients as you like.  If you prefer to make this dish with chicken — buy skinless, boneless thighs and add them once the onions and carrots are tender.  Cook the chicken for 1/2 hour, covered, over medium low heat before you add the cauliflower.  It will get too mushy. I think that even non-vegetarians will agree that this makes a hearty meal on a cold winter night.

VEGETARIAN STEW WITH RICE AND COCONUT MILK

Use leftover rice or start from scratch.  Follow the directions above if you want to add chicken thighs.

Vegetarian stew with cauliflower, rice and coconut milk

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
Pinch of sugar
A pinch or 2 of cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you like your food
1 15-ounce can “lite” or whole coconut milk
1 head cauliflower, trimmed and separated into it’s natural flowers
2 cups brown or white rice (I love brown rice and think it adds nuttiness to a dish)
1 cup frozen peas
Handful of finely chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro

In a large, heavy based pot with a lid (enamel pots work well), heat the oil.  Add the onion, carrots, salt, and pepper, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, turmeric, sugar, and cayenne pepper, and continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes more.  Add the coconut milk and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the cauliflower, turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.  It’s ok if it’s falling apart a little bit.

Stir in the rice and peas, cover the pot and cook until the peas are tender and the rice is hot, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Taste the dish for seasoning and make sure there is enough salt and freshly ground black pepper.   Stir in the parsley or cilantro and serve at once.

SERVES 4

No messing with fresh artichokes because these come right out of a can.  Buy the ones that aren’t marinated but  in water.

It’s better if you season them to your taste.

Add shredded cheese,

Panko Bread Crumbs

bread crumbs, fresh garlic,

Slowly cooked onions

and caramelized onions.  The seasoning is basic salt, pepper, dried oregano and hot sauce (if you choose), with chopped fresh parsley thrown in the mix.

Ingredients combined in a food processor

Prepare the ingredients in a food processor so no knives or cutting boards just a square 8-inch pan.  Make them a day ahead, if you like, and reheat them before company comes.

Don’t tell the children they’re made with artichokes and they’ll think they’re eating lovely, warm, cheesy squares.

WARM ARTICHOKE SQUARES

1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon butter
Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 large eggs
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs or regular unseasoned ones (Panko crumbs have a lightness to them)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Dash of hot sauce (your favorite) or a pinch of cayenne pepper (I prefer the cayenne)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat parsley (I much prefer it to the curly variety – better flavor)
2 cups grated Monterey Jack or Italian Fontina cheese

Set the oven at 350 degrees.  Have on hand an 8-inch square baking pan.  Lightly butter the pan.

In the bowl of a food processor finely chop the onion.  In a saute pan, melt the butter.  Add the onion, salt, and pepper, and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often.  You don’t want them to brown just soften and turn slightly golden.  Chop the garlic in the food processor, add to the pan, and cook stirring, for 1 minute.

Don’t wash out the food processor bowl. Add the eggs and mix for 30 seconds.  Add the onions, artichokes, bread crumbs, oregano, hot sauce or cayenne pepper, parsley, and pulse a few times until the artichokes are coarsely chopped and the mixture comes together.  Set aside.
Transfer to the prepared pan.  Bake in the hot oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly golden on top.

Remove from the oven, slice into squares, and serve at once on little plates with appetizer forks.  You might want to make a double batch because these go very quickly.

Chocolate Pecan Squares

Before you run out to the grocery store to buy that mediocre factory made pecan pie try these chocolate pecan squares.  Instead of the gooey sweet filling they have a layer of all pure chocolate sprinkled with a generous amount of toasted pecans.  The trick is to toast the pecans until they’re fragrant and have a deep nutty flavor.  This is definitely something your grandchildren – if they’re older then 6 – could make on their own and, if so, any adult can do the same but with their eyes closed.  No pastry to shy away from or fuss over and 8 simple ingredients.

Dark chocolate chunks melting on baked dough

If you like them thick and chocolatey  use a 3/4 pound (12-ounces) of chocolate, otherwise use 1/2 pound (8- ounces). Feel free to alter the nuts or omit the nuts and try them with shredded coconut and dried cranberries or whatever other mixture you think would work.   Even my friend Betsy will make these to rave reviews.

CHOCOLATE PECAN SQUARES

Ready to be cut into squares

Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes.  Watch so they don’t burn but smell toasty.

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 to 12 ounces 70% cocoa chocolate bars, chopped into small pieces or semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans

Set the oven at 350 degrees.  Have on hand a 9-by-13-inch pan or sheet tray with sides.  Lightly butter the pan.
Place the butter and sugar in a bowl or electric mixer and cream for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.   In a separate bowl mix the flour and salt and set aside.  Add the yolk and vanilla to the egg mixture and beat for 1 minutes.  Mix in the flour until a dough forms.

Dough for the base of the squares

If the dough is very sticky, wrap in foil and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Spreading the dough with a moistened palette knife

Wet your fingers or a small metal palette knife and spread the dough evenly in the prepared pan.  Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Sprinkle the chocolate all over the hot crust and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft enough to spread easily.  Spread the chocolate evenly over the crust.  Sprinkle evenly with pecans and press them gently into the chocolate.

Slice into 16 squares or 32 if you want baby cakes.  Refrigerate the tray for 30 minutes or until the chocolate hardens.  Allow to sit for a couple of hours before serving.  Great as gifts as well.

Raw Red Cabbage

Red cabbage doesn’t get the star treatment it deserves.  Tiny shreds of it are usually relegated to a green salad or bowl of coleslaw. However, braise it with apple, vinegar, and sugar (it becomes sweet and sour or agrodolce) and it turns into a sublime side dish for poultry, pork, or lamb.  It’s at this time of year when the fruit bin is full of apples and cabbages are at premium, that I crave a bowl of it – even on it’s own. The whole idea is to braise it slowly so the cabbage releases water and turns meltingly tender.

Grated Apple and Cabbage

The only way my mother or grandmother ever cooked cabbage was in a soup with short ribs and tomatoes.  They used a standard green cabbage and called this Eastern European version, sweet and sour cabbage soup.  As kids it was one of our favorite soups.

Although my grandchildren are familiar with and enjoy coleslaw, I’ve never braised red cabbage for them. So this is a first.  Even people that won’t go near cooked green cabbage (as in my husband) will eat this dish.

Braised Red Cabbage Agrodolce

It’s possible to purchase packaged sliced red cabbage,  but I prefer to shave it thinly on my own.  If you’re in a rush buy the bags in the refrigerated produce section of any supermarket — they’ll work just fine.  Practice making it now so you can serve it with turkey on Thanksgiving.

BRAISED RED CABBAGE AGRODOLCE

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 2-pound red cabbage, cored and quartered, thinly sliced
1 large apple (of your choice), peeled, quartered, cored and grated
3 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or more to taste
2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)

In a large, heavy based pot heat the oil.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often, or until tender.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.  Add a teaspoon or so of kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper.  Stir in the cabbage, apple, vinegar,sugar and caraway seeds, if using, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If at this point the cabbage has liquid at the bottom of the pan cook it, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the liquid evaporates.  Taste for seasoning.  Adjust the salt, sugar, and pepper, if desired.  Serve at once or refrigerate in a covered dish until ready to serve.  The cabbage almost tastes better on the second day because the flavors have had time to meld.  It will store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

I recently found a recipe that was a modern twist on the age old soup and is more like a stew.  It also has something my mother or grandmother never heard of in their culinary travels – coconut milk – but it’s truly delicious.  You don’t detect any coconut flavor just a hint of sweetness to balance out the spiciness infused by the addition of a finely diced jalapeño. If you’re not a fan of hot pepper, just leave it out.

It may not be winter just yet but it’s right around the corner.  I’m into soup these days.  You might just thank me on one of those raw, chill-to- the-bone days.

CHICKEN BARLEY STEW
SERVES 4

For the chicken:

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Handful thyme sprigs, leaves removed and chopped, reserve the sprigs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive  or canola oil, for drizzling

Set the oven at 350 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil shiny side down (so you don’t have to wash the pan afterwards).  Place the thighs on the foil and toss the thyme sprigs over and around them.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with oil.  Roast in the hot oven for 30 minutes or until the fat is melted off.  The chicken doesn’t have to be falling apart ready because it will cook again in the stew.

For the stew:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup pearled barley
1 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1 can “lite” coconut milk
1 cup water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

In a large heavy-based casserole or pot, heat the oil.  Add the onions and carrots and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often, or until the onions are tender but not brown.  Add the jalapeño pepper and barley and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the chicken, coconut milk, thyme leaves (reserved from the sprigs when preparing the chicken), salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 40 to 50 minutes or until the barley is tender.  Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper.  Stir in the parsley, ladle into large flat bowls and serve at once.
Add

TURKEY AND APPLE SALAD

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups cooked turkey, diced
1 – 2 apples – your favorite variety – cored and diced
1/2 cup golden raisins (or the regular variety if that’s all you have)
1 cup walnut halves and pieces toasted in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes
1 – 2 large stalks celery, diced
4 scallions, finely chopped

Prepare the dressing – mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
In a bowl, combine the turkey, apples, raisins, walnuts, and celery.  Add the dressing and toss to combine.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

AUNTIE DOREEN’S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (or 2 ounces semi-sweet and 1 ounce 85% extra dark chocolate)
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate bits
1/2 cup milk chocolate bits
1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Set the oven at 350 degrees.  Butter an 8-inch baking pan.
In a large pyrex, melt the butter in the microwave for 1 minute.  Break the chocolate up in small pieces and add to the butter. Microwave again for 30 to 60 seconds.  You don’t want the chocolate totally melted.  You will still notice some pieces but they will be softened.  With a rubber spatula, mix the butter and chocolate together until smooth.  Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer or by hand, beat the eggs for 30 seconds.  Add the sugar and continue to beat for 1 minute more.  Add the melted butter and chocolate.  Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until all the dry ingredients are moistened.  Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using.
Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is set and looks cracked.  Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Cover with foil and refrigerate the brownies for an hour so they’re easier to cut.  They will be a little crumbly but that’s ok because the cook gets to eat those (unless there are children around).
Remove from the refrigerator and cut into 9 squares – 2 cuts one way and 2 cuts the other way.  Serve as is or with a little vanilla ice cream on top.