Braised Red Cabbage with Caraway and Apple

With the last head of (green) cabbage I got from my CSA, I went for a raw preparation and made the fresh and crunchy Sesame Coleslaw. This time, over a month later and deep into the recesses of winter, I wanted to make a warm cabbage dish. After a bit of searching, I found this fantastic recipe for a hearty braised cabbage which, served alongside some chicken bratwurst from Pecatonica Valley Farm, made for the perfect dinner on a blustery winter night. All the elements are well-balanced; the sweet brown sugar and apples, tannic wine, and acidic cabbage blend together in a filling, but not heavy, dish. The leftovers are just as fantastic-although the texture is a bit different (you may or may not like the cabbage getting softer), the flavors have had a chance to more deeply infuse the cabbage and mingle with each other.

Braised Red Cabbage with Caraway and Apple
from Food and Wine
serves 8

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 head red cabbage (about 3 pounds), cored and shredded
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 Golden Delicious apple—peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the red cabbage and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly wilted, about 10 minutes. Stir in the red wine and cook until evaporated. Add the cider vinegar and bring to a boil. Stir in the apple, brown sugar, caraway seeds and mustard seeds and season with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, about 1 hour. Transfer to a bowl and serve. 

Cheddar and Parmesan Tuna Melts

When I started putting this together, I had every intention of making the typical tuna, mayo, and relish tuna salad, topping it with a slice of cheddar, grilling until warm and gooey, and calling it good. But, as happens quite frequently these days, I looked at the other ingredients I had on hand and got inspired to jazz it up just a bit. I've never regretted adding more cheese to a dish, and when I saw the delicious Hook's Parmesan in the fridge I knew it would make the perfect addition, along with a bit of chopped onion. Sometimes all it takes is a bit of creativity and a couple of extra ingredients to take a recipe from ordinary to wonderful.

Cheddar and Parmesan Tuna Melts
serves 2

One 6-ounce can tuna packed in water, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup light mayo
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 whole wheat pitas (or 4 slices of bread)

1. Combine tuna, onion, mayo, and Parmesan in a medium bowl and mix well. Season to taste with pepper (and salt, if desired, though the Parmesan should be plenty salty).

2. Preheat a panini press (I love my Cuisinart Griddler) according to manufacturer's directions (or preheat a large skillet over medium heat). Spread tuna mixture evenly on one pita, sprinkle with cheddar cheese, and top with second pita. Grill until tuna mixture is warm and cheese is melted, about 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into quarters and serve warm.

Celeriac and Fingerling Potato Mash

When celeriac showed up in my CSA, I didn't have a lot of ideas beyond throwing it a bit pot of soup with lots of other root vegetables. But after I had an absolutely amazing celeriac soup with beef tongue pastrami-Worcestershire ragout, horseradish cream, and chives for the amuse bouche at L'Etoile this past weekend, I felt inspired to step it up a little. I've been really enjoying horseradish lately after making Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish as part of Thanksgiving dinner and this was the perfect opportunity to bring this ingredient into a dish again.

I chose to leave the skins on my potatoes, but you can peel them if you like. I personally like the more rustic texture and taste of the skins, but they're not to everyone's taste. I used fingerling potatoes because they are excellent for mashing, but there are many other varieties that would be excellent like Yukon Golds or red potatoes. Also not for everyone is prepared horseradish, but I think the astringent punch is great against the creamy fingerlings and distinctive celery root flavor. That said, this is dish is also excellent without it.


Celeriac and Fingerling Potato Mash
serves 6 to 8

2 pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and halved or quartered (depending on size)
1 pound celeriac (celery root), peeled and cut into pieces roughly the same size of the potatoes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk, half-and-half or cream
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and celery root and cook until tender, 18 to 22 minutes. Drain thoroughly, return to pot and mash to desired texture.

2. Add butter, milk and horseradish and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Maple-Glazed Carrots and Parsnips

When dinner's main dish requires a lot of effort, it's easy to let the vegetable fall by the wayside, but just because you don't have a lot of time, doesn't mean you can't turn out a healthy dish with a lot of flavor. Maple syrup provides a depth of flavor in addition to sweetness and is the perfect flavor to pair with hearty root vegetables. If for some reason you're not a fan of maple syrup, honey would also work well in this simple glaze.

Maple-Glazed Parsnips and Carrots
serves 4

1 lb. carrots, peeled
1 lb. parsnips, peeled
2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. maple syrup
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut parsnips and carrots into approximately 1/4-inch thick coins, cutting very large pieces in half as necessary to ensure even cooking. Add parsnips and carrots and cook until crisp-tender, 6 to 10 minutes (or to desired texture), drain, and return to the pot.

2. Add maple syrup and butter to the pot with the parsnips and carrots and toss until thoroughly coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Healthy Macaroni and Cheese

I chose to make this macaroni and cheese not because I wanted a lighter version of macaroni and cheese (I love cheese and other full-fat dairy products), but because I wanted a different way to use up some of plentiful squash from my CSA. This is by no means as rich and creamy as macaroni cheese made with cream, full-fat cheese, and without squash, but it is thoroughly satisfying and flavorful dish. Because there is less cheese, cream, and overall than in a typical macaroni and cheese recipe, the quality of the cheese is particularly important here. I used Cedar Grove sharp cheddar, Bel Gioioso ricotta, and Hook's Parmesan, all high-quality, Wisconsin-made cheeses so my dish was not lacking for flavor. 

Healthy Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from Martha Stewart
serves 6

1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for water
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni
4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
4 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)
2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
Olive-oil cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine squash, stock, and milk in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Mash contents of saucepan; stir in nutmeg, cayenne, and salt, and season with black pepper. Stir to combine.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add noodles; cook until al dente, according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl; stir in squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan.

3. Lightly coat a 8 x 11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer noodle mixture to dish. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodle mixture.

4. Bake for 20 minutes until mixture is starting to bubble and bread crumbs are starting to brown. Increase oven to broil and cook until bread crumbs are toasted and brown, if desired. Serve immediately.

Banana Walnut Bread

I've had a huge craving for banana bread all week and a snowy Saturday morning is the perfect time to whip up a loaf. I seldom buy bananas to eat plain, but I can't resist a piece of banana bread. I've been obsessed pumpkin baked goods lately and it's time for a change of pace. My favorite part about the Christmas season are all the wonderful cookies, cakes, candies, and breads and I'd bake something new nearly every night if I had enough people to feed with my culinary creations. While I love all manner of treats, I still like to make them as healthy as possible, using more nutritious substitutions when they don't detract (and perhaps even enhance) the flavor and texture of the final product. Many people think that banana bread is healthy just because it has bananas, but fail to think about the often copious amounts of butter and sugar and the refined white flour. This bread is made with whole wheat pastry flour and flaxseed meal with a sprinkling of heart-healthy walnuts and is great as breakfast, a snack, or even dessert (I prefer a slice with tea before bed). In a season of constant indulgences, it's good to have some treats that aren't a nutritional black hole.

Banana Walnut Bread
adapted from Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until combined.

3. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through ground allspice). Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Fold chopped walnuts gently into batter and pour batter into pan. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool completely.

Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish

NPR nerds, this recipe is for you. Every year Susan Stamberg comes on the air to share her mother-in-law's recipe for cranberry relish. Although perhaps most closely associated with Susan Stamberg, this recipe is actually Craig Claiborne's was clipped from a 1959 issue of the New York Times by Stamberg's mother-in-law. I'm a huge fan of cranberry sauce and couldn't imagine Thanksgiving without it, but this list of ingredients is a strange enough combination to make even the biggest cranberry sauce fan pause for a second or two. But it's always gotten rave reviews so I decided this year, my second hosting a Thanksgiving meal, was the year to try it out.

With the first taste, I thought the relish was fine, but nothing special. But the more I ate, the more I loved it! I went back for a second helping of turkey in large part because I wanted to slather it with more cranberry relish. The horseradish flavor is strong, but is in nice balance with the rich sour cream and tart cranberries. I think I'll be making this more than just on Thanksgiving and looking to put my own little twist on this recipe.

Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish
via NPR, originally from the New York Times

2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed
1 small onion
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar ("red is a bit milder than white")

1. Grind the raw berries and onion together. ("I use an old-fashioned meat grinder," says Stamberg. "I'm sure there's a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind — not a puree.")

2. Add everything else and mix. Put in a plastic container and freeze.

3. Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. ("It should still have some little icy slivers left.") The relish will be thick, creamy, and shocking pink. ("OK, Pepto Bismol pink. It has a tangy taste that cuts through and perks up the turkey and gravy. Its also good on next-day turkey sandwiches, and with roast beef.")