My Kind of Dinner

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Syrup

Adopted from Aliza Green's Starting with Ingredients

Note: I've cut the recipe in half because I was cooking for only two of us. Feel free to double or triple for larger crowds.

About 1/2 pound brussels sprouts
Olive oil for the pan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the syrup:

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey

In a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients for the syrup. Heat over medium heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar and honey into the vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about ten minutes.

Watch it closely, because this stuff will burn fast if it's over too high a heat. When the sauce is sufficiently reduced, a wooden spoon run along the bottom of the pan should leave a bit of the trail as it parts the vinegar. Remove from the heat and set aside. The syrup will continue to thicken as it cools.

For the sprouts:

Trim the woody bottoms off the sprouts. Stand them on their newly flattened bottoms and cut in half top to bottom. Preheat some oil in a medium-sized saute pan over medium heat. Place the brussels sprouts halves cut side down and saute for about 3-4 minutes, until browned. Turn once, and brown on the other side for about 2 minutes. Drizzle with the balsamic syrup and serve.

Happy New Year

Carrot Risotto

Adapted from John Ash's From the Earth to the Table

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

about 2 shallots, minced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

about 3 carrots, grated

3 cups vegetable stock

2 cups carrot juice

2 tablespoons minded fresh parsley

2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Lemon juice to taste (about 1 medium lemon)

A handful of wild mushrooms, whatever you find in your market.

First, saute your mushrooms in a little butter until they're cooked through and browned. Set aside. Pour the stock and the carrot juice into a large saucepan and heat through. Keep it warm as you add it to the risotto.

Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter over medium in a large skillet and sauté the shallots until they're soft and translucent. Add the rice and cook for about 3 minutes, until the rice also turns translucent. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed into the rice. Add the grated carrots, and then start adding the stock/carrot juice 1/2 cup at a time. Stir the rice well between each addition, as the rice should soak up the stock before you add more. It will take more time as you add more stock and the rice becomes more saturated. Continue to add stock until it is basically all used up and the risotto is creamy. The rice shouldn't be mushy however, so stop while it still has a bit of bite to it.

Add the herbs and cheese and stir to incorporate it. Season with salt and pepper, and a little lemon juice in order to cut some of the sweetness of the carrots. Serve with the sautéd mushrooms mounded on top and an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

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Crunchy Noodle Kugel

From The Essential New York Times Cookbook, by Amanda Hesser

Ingredients:

1 cup raisins

Sherry

1 pound egg noodles

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 large eggs

3 cups cottage cheese

1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Put raisins in a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan and cover with sherry or orange juice. Heat on stove top or in microwave oven until liquid is steaming hot (about 1 1/2 minutes in microwave or 3 minutes on stove). Let cool while you prepare kugel mixture.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 11-by-17-inch jellyroll pan. Cook noodles according to package directions and drain well. Immediately return noodles to pot and add butter. Toss until butter melts.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt. Drain raisins and add to bowl along with buttered noodles. Mix well.

Spread mixture in prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until top is crusty and golden, 25 to 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Pappardelle Pasta with White Truffles from Jenny Steffens Hobick

1 pound of Pappardelle Pasta (store bought or homemade- get recipe here!) or 1 pound of fettucine

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 tablespoon of white truffles, minced or shaved**

1/3 cup of heavy cream

parmesan

black pepper

**You can get preserved white truffles at most gourmet stores. Truffle Butter can also be used. Sometimes, in a pinch, you can just use a couple of minced baby portobello mushrooms used with truffle oil.

In a large stock pot, bring water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. If you are using dried pasta, you will start the pasta before you begin the sauce - as it will take just about the same amount of time to cook the pasta as it will to make the sauce (approx. 6-8 minutes). If you are using fresh pasta, boil the water now, and add the pasta to the water just when you've finished the sauce. It will only take 1-2 minutes to cook.

For the sauce, start with a large saute pan. Put in olive oil and cream. Cook on med-low, for about 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it begins to slightly thicken. Add in the truffles and cook for 2 more minutes. If it gets too thick, add a little water from the pasta pot.

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss. Sprinkle in black pepper and parmesan cheese. Serve hot. You may want to drizzle it with a special olive oil.

Arugula, Pear, and Gorgonzola Salad

From The Essential New York Times Cookbook, by Amanda Hesser

Ingredients:

1 large bunch arugula

4 teaspoons white wine vinegar

4 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons Gorgonzola dolce (crumble it if necessary to measure)

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 ripe pear

Directions:

Wash the arugula and remove the tough stems; dry.

Whisk together the vinegar, oil, and sugar in a serving bowl. Whisk or crumble (depending on its texture) in the Gorgonzola. Stir in the pine nuts. Peel the pear and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add the pear and arugula to the bowl and toss to dress well.

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