Brown Rice and Sweet Onions with Rosemary Shiitakes and Taleggio Cheese

This is so comforting, so fall. Mushrooms, taleggio, and hazelnuts give the dish a rich umami flavor, and lemon zest and parsley brighten it up. The onions offer just that sweetness and curl around your fork like noodles as you dig in.  If you have never had taleggio, it is quite a funky cheese. It has a very earthy flavor, sometimes described as barnyardy, and is a bit chewy, but melts beautifully.

This dish comes together easily. Cook some rice while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Pile it all on top of the rice and broil just until the cheese gets oozy.

Brown Rice and Sweet Onions with Shiitakes and Taleggio Cheese

1 cup brown basmati rice
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 15.5 ounce can chickpeas or 1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 large yellow onion, sliced in half, and thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 ounces taleggio cheese, chopped
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and papery skins removed**
1/2 lemon, zested
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook brown rice. Add water and rice to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to rest, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Crisp onions. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and some salt and cook over medium heat until they are crispy on the edges and softened but not completely caramelized, about 10-12 minutes.

Saute mushrooms. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in large oven-proof skillet, such as a cast-iron skillet. Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and allow to cook until mushrooms soften, about 8-10 minutes. Add chickpeas, garlic, and rosemary, and cook 2 minutes or until fragrant and chickpeas are warmed. Stir in 2 teaspoons vinegar and immediately remove from heat.

Turn on broiler. Mix rice directly into mushroom mixture, and level. Spread crisped onions over top. Cube taleggio cheese and mix with parsley and hazelnuts until cheese is coated with herbs and nuts. Sprinkle rice with cubes of cheese. Broil for 3-5 minutes or just until cheese gets melty. Remove from oven and sprinkle with lemon zest. Enjoy! Serves 4.

**To toast hazelnuts: Toast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes or until skins are starting to peel off and nuts become golden. Place in a kitchen towel to run off as much of the papery skin as possible.

Barley and Quinoa Herbed Summer Salad with Cucumbers and Tomatoes

I take my tomatoes seriously. I will wait from late summer to late spring- what feels like an eternity- for their return to the farmers' markets. I resist buying the tomatoes from the grocery store from some place far away. And when I taste that first one in late June, I am reminded that the wait was worth it. Summer cherry tomatoes, still slightly warm from the sun, are too irresistible to not just pop right into my mouth, completely unaltered. But they can also bring a welcome acidity to so many summer salads, especially to those loaded with herbs.

I originally made this recipe as a dish to carry to a family potluck. I had grains and lentils stored in the fridge that I had cooked a few days prior and a new bounty of the first summer tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs from the local farmers' market. The dish was so delicious, I made another batch when I got home. It is a delicious salad served alongside grilled foods or even with a hard-boiled egg. It may seem daunting to make two grains for a salad, but the texture you get from the chewy barley and nutty, almost crunchy quinoa combination is pretty awesome.

Barley and Quinoa Herb Summer Salad with Cucumbers and Tomatoes

1/3 cup cooked beluga lentils*
2/3 cup cooked pearl barley**
2/3 cup cooked quinoa***
2 English cucumbers, sliced lengthwise and then thinly sliced cross-wise in half-moon shapes
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup crumbled feta (I used goat milk feta which I highly recommend)

Herbed Arugula Dressing
1 cup loosely packed arugula
1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon of salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine barley, quinoa, lentils, cucumbers, and tomatoes in a large bowl.

Make the herb dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to a mini food processor and blitz until mostly smooth.

Pour the dressing over the ingredients in the bowl and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with pine nuts and crumbed feta. Stir until mixed. Taste and adjust salt. Enjoy! Serves 4-6. 

* To cook beluga lentils: Use the ratio 1 part beluga lentils to 4 cups water. Rinse the lentils under running water and drain. Add lentils and fresh water to pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, checking the texture around 15 minutes. You want a firm but not crunchy lentil. When lentils reach desired doneness, drain lentils, and set aside. 1 cup uncooked lentils yields about 2 cups cooked lentils.
** To cook pearl barley: Use the ratio of 1 part pearl barley to 3 parts water. Bring the water and barley to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and allow to cook for 30-35 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes before removing the lid. 1 cup of uncooked pearl barley yields about 3 cups of cooked pearly barley.
*** To cook quinoa: Use the ratio 1 part quinoa to 1.5 parts water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the quinoa, stir, and cover pot. Reduce heat to low, and allow to cook for 25 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes before removing the lid. 1 cup of uncooked quinoa yields about 3 cups cooked quinoa.

Peach + Blackberry Summer Panino

I cannot believe I have not shared a recipe with either blackberries or peaches yet! I am also behind on the tomato, cucumber, pepper, and eggplant front too. Oh, and corn. Oh me, oh my. These are just some of my favorite things about summer, and I have been a little selfish keeping these things to myself. You see, I always get a bit torn between eating the juicy, summer fruits like these tart blackberries and sweet peaches in their uncooked virgin state and then actually cooking with them. I sometimes feel like they should be appreciated as nature intended them to be- simply washed and maybe sliced, as in the case of the peaches.

But then I go and make something like this amazing sandwich, combining these fruits with an aged sharp cheddar and a tangy, salty goats' milk feta. Add a little basil for an unbelievable aroma and fresh taste, and a drizzle of honey to bring it all together. One bite, and I wonder why I have not been cooking with these little summer jewels all along.

This recipe is for one, but it is really just a template and the proportions I used. Feel free to make a whole bunch of them to share with your friends and family. If you are not a vegetarian, this would be delicious with a little ham- even better if you can find some from some friendly, local farmers. But it really is quite tasty as written.

What are your favorite ways to cook with peaches and blackberries?

Peach + Blackberry Summer Panino

2 slices of your favorite bread (I used a seedy multi-grain)
1/2 small peach, thinly sliced
4-5 blackberries, sliced in half
1/3 cup grated aged sharp cheddar cheese (I used Cabot Extra Sharp)
1/4 cup crumbled goats' milk or cow's milk feta
2-3 basil leaves, roughly torn
3/4 teaspoon local honey
extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat a panini press.

Assemble the sandwich. Drizzle one side of both pieces of bread with olive oil. Flip one slice over so that olive oil side is down. Layer on the cheddar cheese, then peaches, halved blackberries, basil, and feta. Drizzle with the honey. Place the other slice of bread, olive oil side up on top.

Move the sandwich to the panini press, and carefully close the top down, being sure not to smush all of the ingredients out of the side. Grilled for 4-5 minutes or until cheddar has melted and bread is golden brown. Enjoy! Makes 1 sandwich.
 
**If you do not have a panini press, heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot and sandwich is ready, add sandwich to skillet and place a plate on top of the sandwich to weigh it down, grill for 3-4 minutes. Flip carefully, returning the plate to weigh sandwich down and cook until bread is toasted on both sides. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Butternut Squash and Kale Pesto Grilled Cheese

Supposedly April is Grilled Cheese Month. I'm not quite sure what qualifies April to be deemed as such, but I will roll with it. This grilled cheese is a good bridge between winter and spring. It combines a hearty winter vegetable with a spring green vegetable pesto, and of course a rich, melty cheese.

As I have gotten more and more involved in the kitchen, I felt my culinary arsenal expand. I started to realize which flavor combinations work well, which work really well, and along the way, I also found out what really does NOT work. Peanut butter and banana, tomato and basil, and potato and egg were some really familiar ones to me at first. Then I branched out, recognizing the complementary nature of such pairings as goat cheese and figs, peas and mint, and avocado and grapefruit. Kale and butternut squash is a vegetable combo that just works. It works in pasta dishes, in salads, on pizza, and in this case, an irresistible grilled cheese. The sweetness of the butternut squash balances the bitter kale. And the squash provides a toothsome bite and fiber, of course, to make it a bit more filling and nutritious.

I chose a semi-hard sheep's milk cheese called Ossau-Iraty that is nutty, buttery, with a complex finish. Butternut squash pairs well with nuts such as walnuts and hazelnuts, so this cheese serves that purpose. If you cannot find Ossau-Iraty, some good substitutions are Manchego, Dubliner, or even a Swiss cheese. For the bread, I love a nutty, mulit-grain loaf or a sour, chewy Miche.

Butternut Squash and Kale Pesto Grilled Cheese

2 slices multigrain or sourdough bread
2 T. kale pesto
4-5 slices roasted butternut squash (I had some leftover, but if making new, follow instructions here)
1/3 c. grated semi-hard sheep's milk cheese, such as Ossau-Iraty, but see notes for substitutions
Butter or olive oil for grilling

Spread 1 tablespoon kale pesto on one side of each slice of bread. Top one slice with squash and cheese, and place other half atop filling. Smear each bread half with a thin layer of butter or drizzle lightly with olive oil.

If using a panini press, preheat panini press on medium. Grill sandwich for 4-5 minutes total or until cheese has melted but is not oozing out over the sides.

If using a skillet, preheat the skillet over medium heat. Cook the sandwich 4-5 minutes per side or until bread is golden and cheese has melted.

Allow the sandwich to cool for a minute or two before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Makes 1 sandwich.

Polenta Pizzas ai Funghi

Pi Day is just around the corner, and in celebration of the good ole 3.1415....I am making pizza! Or at least a dish reminiscent of one of our favorite pie's here in the city. I love mushrooms in nearly every form, but one of my favorite ways comes atop a pizza with a little garlic, some gooey, pungent cheese, and a fried egg at Nomad Roman in Philadelphia. There, they use shiitake mushrooms, two cheeses, and truffle oil. In this rendition, I use polenta as a base and top it with sauteed onion, garlic, and cremini mushrooms, two cheeses, and an oozy egg. The first cheese, the Comte, provides a sharp, nutty bite while the second washed rind Ameribella contributes an earthy sweetness. See the notes down below for other cheese substitutions. If you get the yolk just right, it oozes out and combines with the melted cheeses and mushrooms into sheer deliciousness.

The idea of using polenta as a pizza crust has been around for a while, but I really like it because it can be prepared the day before and because I love the coarse texture and pure corn flavor that it lends, especially to the mushroom topping here. You can find polenta in your local grocery store listed as polenta, coarse grits (not instant), or stone ground cornmeal. I used a stone ground yellow cornmeal that my mom boought me from the farmer's market in my hometown in North Carolina. Whatever you use, be sure to give ample time to let the polenta base cool and stiffen so that it makes a sturdy pizza crust for all of your toppings.

Polenta Pizzas ai Funghi

4 c. water
1 1/2 c. polenta, coarse grits, or stone ground cornmeal
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 t. garlic powder
2 t. minced fresh thyme, or 1 t. dried thyme
1 1/4 t. salt

2 T. olive oil
1 small yellow onion or half large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. cremini mushrooms or a mix of cremini, shiitake, button, maitake mushrooms, sliced in 1/4 inch slices
1 c. grated Comte cheese *
3/4 c. cubed Ameribella cheese **
3 eggs, preferably local or free-range and organic
good quality balsamic vinegar, optional, for drizzling
freshly grated pecorino or parmiggiano-reggiano cheese, option, for sprinkling
salt and pepper to taste

Begin with the polenta crusts. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta, being sure to eliminate any lumps. Reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally until the polenta is cooked, about 25 minutes. The polenta may bubble up and pop during cooking so be careful. Remove from the heat after cooking, stir in 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, garlic powder, thyme, and salt. Set aside.

Prepare the pans for the crusts. For round crusts, line three 8 or 9-inch round cake pans with parchment. For a rectangular pizza, you can cover a baking sheet with parchment. For whatever method, scoop the polenta from the pot to the pan(s) and flatten into an even layer, about 1/4 inch thick. It helps to use a spatula or lightly wet your fingers for this part. Cover each crust with plastic wrap or parchment paper, ensuring that it sticks directly to the surface, and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or preferably overnight to stiffen.

To prepare the topping, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the finely chopped onion and saute for 8-10 minutes or until softened and a little brown around the edges. Add the minced garlic, saute for 30 seconds or until aromatic, and then add the sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle everything generously with salt, a little black pepper, and stir to combine. Saute for about 20 minutes or until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to dry out again and become golden around the edges. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Remove from heat. This can be done the day before you plan to cook the pizzas.

To assemble and bake the pizzas, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure that the baking rack is placed in the middle of the oven. Remove the polenta from the refrigerator while the oven preheats. Remove the plastic wrap or parchment from the surface and place the crusts in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top begins to dry out and become slightly golden. Remove from oven, and carefully flip the crusts over. I placed a piece of parchment on a baking sheet, placed the baking sheet parchment paper side down atop the polenta pans, and quickly inverted everything. The uncooked side of the polenta should now be facing up.

Return the crusts to the oven for another 20 minutes. In the meanwhile, grate the cheeses and get your mushrooms and eggs ready. When the crusts come out of the oven, turn the oven to broil (on high). Evenly distribute the cheeses, then the mushroom topping atop the crusts. Carefully crack an egg, if using, in the center of each pizza. Alternatively crack 3 eggs atop a large rectangular pizza. Return the pan to the oven and broil for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the egg whites are cooked and yolks are just becoming firm on their outer surface. This step often depends on how strong your broil setting is, so keep an eye out on the egg, being careful not to burn the cheeses in the process. Remove the pizzas from the oven, drizzle lightly with a syrupy balsamic vinegar if it is available, and a dusting of pecorino or parmiggiano-reggiano. Serves 3-4 people.

* If you can't find Comte, you can substitute another firm, nutty cheese such as Gruyere (a bit stronger) or Emmental (a bit milder).
**If you can't find Ameribella, Taleggio is an excellent substitute. I just stumbled upon Ameribella, a pungent, slightly sweet washed-rind cheese from Jacobs and Brichford in Indiana at my local Di Bruno Bros. If you can find it, check it out because it is fantastic!