Red & Green Christmas Feast

The 2^nd annual Red & Green feast in honor of the Christmas holidays was a success! Even better than last year’s Red & Green brunch, we believe. Hopefully this will be a family tradition that continues for years to come. The general idea is that each dish should feature red and green colored ingredients. Here’s what we came up with:

Ribbony Asparagus Salad
 

 

Always looking for new and creative ways to use our mandolin.  This was definitely a hit!  Light and refreshing, yet full of flavor.  This was our first use of un-cooked asparagus and we’ve decided it’s a new avenue we will need to explore further.

Ingredients:

·         1 lemon (juice + a 1/4 teaspoon zest)

·         1 Tablespoon fresh Tarragon, chopped (alternatively, substitute with fresh basil, Oregon, or Marjoram—they

·         fresh ground black pepper

·         1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

·         2 teaspoons olive oil

·         1 bunch asparagus

·         1/4 cup red onion, chopped

·         1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

·         fresh spinach (optional)

·         Parmesan cheese

·         Pine nuts or Marcona almonds, toasted and cooled

Directions:

1.    Prepare dressing. Whisk together lemon juice and zest, tarragon, pepper, mustard, and olive oil in a small bowl. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes to marinate and meld flavors.

2.    Get out the mandolin! Don’t bother removing the tough ends from the asparagus first; they are actually a functional method for holding on to the stalks as you slice them. Use the 1/8 inch setting to slice asparagus. Start with the tough end and work toward the tip, being careful not to slice your fingers off.

3.    Chop off the tough ends and pile the asparagus ribbons into a colander. Season with Kosher salt and allow asparagus to rest for at least 20 minutes to soften and noodle-ify. Rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove excess salt.

4.    Toss together prepared dressing with asparagus “noodles.” Fold in red onion and bell pepper.

5.    Place spinach (if using) in the bottom of your serving bowls. Top with dressed asparagus and veggies. (mixing everything together beforehand may result in sogginess)

6.    Use a vegetable peeler to top each salad with freshly grated parmesan ribbons (or if you’re cheating, top with your pre-grated cheese). Top with toasted nuts and additional freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

 

Twice Baked Potatoes

A stand-by favorite that we never seem to tire of…especially when served with grilled steak. Many twice-baked potato recipes call for chives, but we’ve found that green onions provide a similar yet more potent flavor and crunch. The cream cheese is a recent addition that adds another layer of texture and richness as well.  This is a flexible recipe without any specific proportions, and many of the ingredients can be included or omitted depending on your personal preferences and mood.     

 

Ingredients:

·         red skinned new potatoes

·         olive oil

·         sour cream

·         cream cheese

·         shredded cheddar cheese

·         milk

·         Canadian bacon

·         green onions, sliced

·         Lawry’s seasoning salt

·         fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.    Pierce the skins of your potatoes several times using a fork. Lighlty brush a few dabs of olive oil on the skin of each potato. Use your hands to spread oil to evenly coat. This should help the skin get extra-crispy.

3.    Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until fork tender. (You can skip this step and cook the potatoes in the microwave—sans oil—to speed this process along).

4.    Cut off about a quarter of the top of each potato and discard. Scoop out the flesh, leaving a thin layer of skin on all sides. This will form a hollowed out vessel for re-stuffing with your filling.

5.    In a bowl, combine the potato flesh you scooped out with your preferred ratio of sour cream, cream cheese, shredded cheddar, milk, Canadian bacon, green onions, and spices. Taste and adjust to your liking.

6.    Spoon mixture back into potato boats and top with a little more shredded cheddar. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the cheddar on the top begins to brown. Finish off by broiling, if needed.

 

Romesco Sauce
This sauce is a new favorite of ours.  It is tomato and roasted red pepper based, but has a lovely nutty and vinegary taste to it as well.  Sounds weird, but tastes delicious.  It is great with most meats and (as luck would have it) is a beautiful reddish-orange color!

Ingredients:

·         12 almonds

·         12 hazelnuts

·         6 cloves garlic

·         1 slice stale (or slightly toasted) wheat bread

·         1 ripe medium sized tomato

·         1 red pepper (small/medium sized)

·         olive oil

·         red wine (or sherry) vinegar

·         red pepper flakes

·         salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1.    Roast the red pepper and tomato on the grill until each has some charring on the outside and they are soft.

2.    Let the red pepper and tomato cool and remove the skin.

3.    Remove the skin from the garlic, lightly coat in olive oil and roast in a 350 degree oven (or microwave oven) for approximately 15 minutes until softened.

4.    Toast the almonds and hazelnuts in a dry pan until slightly browned

5.    Using the same pan as the nuts, add a bit of olive oil (maybe 1/2 tsp.) and toast each side of the bread letting it soak up the oil.

6.    Chop up the red pepper, tomato, and bread into medium sized chunks

7.    Place the almonds, hazelnuts, garlic, bread, red pepper, tomato into a blender and start to puree.

8.    Slowly add approximately 1/8 to 1/4 cup of the red wine (or sherry) vinegar—if you need to you can substitute an equal parts combo of red wine/white vinegar.

9.    Slowly add olive oil until the mixture reaches your desired consistency.  I use only about 2 tablespoons, but traditional recipes call for about 1/2 cup. 

10. Add salt/pepper and red pepper flakes as desired.  I used about 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tbl. pepper, and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes.

Green Sauce

Vegetal green sauces with a lemony and cheesy bite are a great secondary sauce.  You can make this with just about any green and the parmesan cheese adds the saltiness.  It’s a bit like a pesto, but without the nuttiness and garlic.

(Because desired consistency and ingredients will vary, this is a “general” recipe that will not give specific ingredient amounts, but rather a general idea of the sauce.)

Ingredients:

·         Greens (any of these are optional, but you should have at least 1 cup total of these chopped up):

o   Swiss chard

o   spinach

o   basil (my favorite)

o   celery leaves

o   carrot leaves

o   turnip greens

o   collard greens

o   arugula

o   ANYTHING ELSE GREEN AND LEAFY!

·         Lemon

·         Olive Oil

·         Pepper

·         Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1.    Roughly chop up all of your greens.

2.    Place all the greens in a sauce pan and lightly coat in olive oil.

3.    Slightly cook until the greens are soft.

4.    Add lemon juice (about 1/3 to 1/2 lemon juice per cup of greens)

5.    Finish cooking for about 30-60 more seconds

6.    Place all the mixture in a blender and add oil as to reach the consistency you desire.  (I probably use a bit more oil than I normally do for this sauce—maybe 1/4 cup—but I’d guess an average recipe would call for about 1/2 cup for every cup of greens.

7.    Add pepper and parmesan cheese (for saltiness) as desired and blend.

 

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Yum! Subtly sweet flavors from the zucchini paired nicely with the bittersweet chocolate. You can even convince yourself this cake is “healthy” since it includes wheat flour and uses applesauce and Greek yogurt for moisture in place of the oil.

 

Ingredients:

·         1/2 cup whole wheat flour

·         1/2 cup all purpose white flour

·         1 1/2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

·         3/4 teaspoon baking soda

·         1/4 teaspoon baking powder

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

·         1 egg

·         1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

·         3 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

·         2 Tablespoons white sugar

·         1 cup shredded zucchini

·         1/4 – 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.    In a small bowl, combine flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

3.    In a large bowl, lightly beat egg. Mix in applesauce, yogurt, vanilla, and sugar. Stir well to combine.

4.    Add dry ingredients to wet and mix again.

5.    Finally, stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.

6.    Spread evenly into a greased loaf pan. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the top begins to crack and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Red Wine Cran-rasp Ice Cream

Red wine is a great vehicle for ice cream because the alcohol makes for a great texture (smaller ice crystals).  By reducing the wine and letting some berries steep in the reduction, you get a nice unique ice cream flavor—and a beautiful reddish-purple color!  Any wine works, but I’ve found Merlots work best.

Ingredients:

·         1/2 bottle of red wine (Merlot works best)

·         1/2-1 cup raspberries

·         1/2-1 cup cranberries

·         4 egg yolks

·         1 cup cream

·         1 cup whole milk

·         1/2 cup sugar (this amount is variable based on desired sweetness)

·         fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1.    Combine wine, raspberries, and cranberries in a sauce pan.

2.    Reduce (simmer without a lid) for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid is about 1/3 to 1/2 of its original volume.

3.    Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl.  Set aside.

4.    When the red wine mixture has reduced, place the mix in a blender and puree until very smooth.  Strain and return the mix to the sauce pan.

5.    Add the cream and milk to the red wine mixture and heat to just below a boil.

6.    Add a bit of the heated mixture to the egg/sugar mix while whisking.  Repeat this step 2-3 times until about 1/3 of the red wine mix is in with the egg/sugar mixture.

7.    Then pour everything back into the heated sauce pan.

8.    At low heat, cook the mix until it starts to slightly thicken.  At that time, remove from the heat and pour in a bowl. 

9.    Place the ice cream mix into the fridge or freezer to bring to as close to freezing as possible before placing it in the ice cream machine.

Red Sangria

Loosely inspired by the Sangria master Bobby Flay. We basically raided our fridge and freezer for all the red or green fruits and juices that we thought would blend well together in this sangria. We added the pomegranate seeds during the first step of the process, but were disappointed when they all sunk to the bottom because we didn’t get any until the final glass. In hindsight, we don’t think they infused much flavor to the marination anyhow, so we’d recommend adding them at the last minute to make sure you have some in every glass.

 

Ingredients:

·         1 bottle Spanish red wine

·         1/4 cup brandy

·         1/4 cup Cuantro

·         1 cup cranberry or pomegranate juice

·         1/2 green apple, sliced

·         1 lime, sliced horizontally into circles

·         raspberries

·         red grapes, halved

·         pomegranate seeds

·         fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1.    Combine wine, liquors, juice, apple, raspberries, and grapes in a large pitcher or container. Cover and allow mixture to marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours.

2.    Spoon into glasses and top with pomegranate seeds and mint leaves.