Whole Wheat Pasta with Red Cabbage

Did you try the super simple Roasted Salmon, Red Cabbage, and Potatoes yet? If so, you may be have some extra red cabbage in the fridge that you need to use up. Before stumbling across this recipe, I never thought to put red cabbage in a warm pasta dish. I've tossed it in many Asian noodle bowls and sauteed it to accompany sausage, but this is the first time I've put those concepts together. Red cabbage is a particularly nice complement to nutty whole grains like barley or whole wheat pasta, its flavor and color bleeding and mixing beautifully with the hearty base. Slightly mellowed sharp red onions peek in and out of the cruciferous crunchiness of the cabbage boldly accented by salty pops of feta in each bite. The season for this pasta is nearly over, it's heartiness most at home in the cooler seasons, but it fits in perfectly with the cold and rainy days we've been plagued with lately here in southern Wisconsin.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Red Cabbage
adapted slightly from Food and Wine
serves4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, very thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pounds red cabbage, thinly sliced (4 cups)
1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti or linguine
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup Greek feta cheese, crumbled (2 ounces)

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the sliced onions, cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the sliced red cabbage, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the linguine until it is al dente. Drain the pasta well, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot.
Scrape the cabbage over the pasta. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowls, top with the feta and serve.

Spicy Steak and Corn Soft Tacos

After I made salmon tacos, a half-empty package of tortillas lingering in the fridge demanded to meet their taco destiny as well. And with a lonely steak hanging out in the freezer, the solution was obvious-steak tacos. It would have been simplest just to slice some onions and peppers and make fajitas, but I was looking for something a little special while still quick and easy, both requirements satisfied by this taco. The sweet corn and slightly caramelized onions and peppers are accented by smoky cumin and fresh cilantro, with as much heat as you'd like from the chili powder and jalapenos. These tacos can be  indulgent and filling or healthy and light, depending on much sour cream and cheese you load on top, and can make for either a cozy meal for two or easily and affordably scaled up to feed a crowd. As delicious as this meal was made on the stove, it's sure to be even better in summer with fresh corn and peppers from the farmer's market, charring beautifully on the grill next to a gorgeous steak. Not a carnivore? Try out this brilliant flavor profile with black beans or tofu for a satisfying vegetarian meal.

Spicy Steak and Corn Soft Tacos
from Bon Appetit
serves 2

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 pound round, flank or skirt steak, cut into 1/4-inch-thick, long narrow strips
3/4 cup frozen whole kernel corn, cooked according to package directions, drained
1 jalapeño chili, minced with seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Corn or flour tortillas
Grated cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh tomatoes (or salsa)
Sour cream

1. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate. Add steak to skillet and stir until no longer pink, about 1 minute. Return onion and pepper to skillet. Add corn, jalapeño, cumin and chili powder and stir until heated through. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from heat and mix in cilantro. Transfer steak mixture to heated bowl and keep warm.

2. Cook tortillas over gas flame or electric burner until they just begin to color. Transfer to napkin-lined basket.

3. Serve tortillas, steak mixture, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream separately, so diners can assemble tacos at the table.

Streamlined French Onion Soup

There aren't nearly the vast number of options for using up mass quantities of onions (particularly red onions) as there are for most vegetables, but fortunately there's one standby to rely on-French onion soup. Unfortunately, making French onion soup typically requires lots of time and patience, things I am often short on, but America's Test Kitchen shares my frustration and has perfected a recipe for Streamlined French Onion Soup. A small amount of red wine releases a huge bouquet of flavors, opening up the perfect balance of sweet onions, savory broth, and sharp balsamic vinegar. French onion soup is a relatively simply dish, relying greatly on the complex flavors developed as the onions caramelize, but also on broth, wine, and herbs so it's of the utmost important that each of these ingredients are high-quality to make this most of this soup. (If you don't have any homemade stock at the ready, which most people don't, I recommend Pacific Natural Foods broths.)


French Onion soup is typically made on the stove top, then divided into ramekins, topped with bread and cheese, and baked. This recipe also included instructions for the baking step, but without a baguette on hand, I opted to make the soup and pair it with a delicious grilled cheese (get some Hook's if you can find it). I only included directions for making the soup since that is the only portion of the recipe I tested, but I know that this would be delicious topped with a crusty baguette and generous helping of cheese, so grab a baguette and fire up the broiler if you are so inclined. Although this isn't soup surely isn't first date food, if you have a partner who loves you and a little bit of time, whip up this surprisingly simple but luxurious feeling soup for your next cozy night at home.
Streamlined French Onion Soup
from The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook
serves 6

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 pounds red onions (about 6 medium), halved pole to pole and sliced crosswise 1/8 inch thick
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 3/4 cups beef broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are reduced and syrupy and the inside of the pot is coated with a deep brown crust, 30 to 35 minutes. Add the chicken and beef broths, red wine, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf, scraping the pot bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, and bring to a simmer. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 20 minutes; discard the herbs. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

BBQ Bacon Burgers

Made any Picked Red Onions yet? If you haven't had the time or motivation to try out that delicious condiment, let me provide a bit of inspiration. I came up with the recipe for this burger before I ever made pickled red onions, and the desire to put them on this burger was the impetus for finding a recipe. I usually caramelize onions in bacon fat whenever I'm making bacon for a burger, but the bright flavor of the pickled red onions was a welcome change from my usual routine. The sharp and crisp red onions are the perfect contrast to smoky barbecue and rich and savory beef, bacon, and cheese, holding their own against the other big flavors in this burger. This recipe isn't the only place picked red onions have found a home, so check back soon for more ways to incorporate this simple condiment into your culinary repetoire.

BBQ Bacon Burgers
serves 2

2-4 slices bacon (depending on size)
2 whole grain hamburger buns
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce (I used Frontera barbecue sauce)
2 oz. sliced baby Swiss cheese
8 oz. ground beef (local, organic, grass-fed is the best if you can find/afford it)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pickled Red Onions

1. Preheat a pan over medium heat. Cook bacon to desired level of crispness, remove from pan, drain, and break each slice into two pieces.

2. Preheat a grill pan or gas grill over medium to medium-high heat or prepare a charcoal grill (my personal preference). Cook burgers to just shy of desired level of doneness. Placed sliced bacon and cheese on top of burgers and continue cooking until cheese is melted.

3. Meanwhile, spread 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce on the top half of each hamburger bun and top with pickled red onions. Add cooked burger to bottom half of bun, top with upper half, and serve.

Portabella Mushroom Melts

In general, I'm not a fan of recipes for sandwiches. Do people really need instructions on what to put on bread? Occasionally I'll come across a worthwhile sandwich recipe, but most of the time they just seem obvious. Even though it's not something I'd normally do, I'm presenting a sandwich recipe today because it's true to the way I'm approaching food right now. First of all, it's a vegetarian meal. I'm really trying to cut down on my meat consumption, both for health and because of the environmental impact. I'm also trying harder to embrace local products (again for health and the environmental impact); the mushrooms, bread, spinach, and cheese all came from the farmer's market. I am fortunate to live in Madison, home of the country's largest producer-only farmer's market, so I am never at a loss for local ingredients. Now that the farmer's market is back outside for the summer (and thus much larger than the indoor winter farmer's market), much of my cooking inspiration will come directly from what I find at the farmer's market each week. In addition to being healthier and better for the environment, food from the farmer's market just tastes better and I feel good supporting my local economy. I can't begin to say how much I missed the Dane Country Farmer's Market during my years in Iowa.

I don't have any specific measurements in this recipe other than two mushrooms, because the perfect sandwich is different for each person. I say throw whatever veggies like and have in the fridge on the sandwich and top with your favorite cheese and condiments. Who can go wrong with good bread, a pile of veggies, and a delicious cheese?


Portabella Mushroom Melts
serves 2

Four slices good quality bread (I used caraway rye from Cress Spring Bakery)
Butter or olive oil
Mayo or Miracle Whip
Two whole portabella mushrooms, thoroughly washed with stems removed
Green peppers, thinly sliced
Red onions, thinly sliced
Spinach, washed
Sliced cheese (I used raw milk cheese; swiss or white cheddar would also be good)

1. Preheat broiler. Spread butter or oil over the bread and toast under the broiler until the bread is golden brown, a few minutes. Remove bread from oven and spread with mayo.

2. Place mushrooms on bread and top with desired vegetables and cheese. Put back under broiler until cheese is melted, a few minutes. Enjoy!