Bleu Cheese Souffle

I had never made a souffle before.  And the only reason I finally did is because I needed an excuse to buy more ramekins.  I served this as a 3rd course and put it in the oven just as we sat down to our 1st course.  Perfect timing.  Couldn't believe it.  I forgot to take the picture when they came out of the oven, so that's why this one isn't puffy. 

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the ramekins
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk, warmed
5 eggs, separated
Pinch salt
Ground white pepper
1 T dry mustard
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
Pinch cream of tartar

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare 4 (8oz) or 8 (4oz) ramekins by greasing them with softened butter.  Make a bechamel sauce base by melting the 3 tablespoons of butter over low-medium heat in a thick-bottomed pot. Just as the foam subsides, add the flour, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until flour is "cooked." Add the warm milk to the mixture and continue to whisk until smooth and thick. Remove from the heat. Beat in the egg yolks 1 at a time. Season with salt, pepper, and mustard.  Stir in the cheese until incorporated evenly.  Very small lumps ok.  Chill the mixture while whipping the egg whites.  In a separate bowl beat the egg whites and cream of tartar just until soft peaks form.  This takes a while.  Fold 1/3 of the beaten whites into the bechamel mixture.  Then gently fold in the rest.  Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and distribute the batter evenly.  Do not overfill!  Bake on the middle rack for about 25 minutes.  The souffle is done when it has puffed above the rim and the outside is golden. 

Lentil Barley Stuffed Peppers

This is not rocket science, but tastes so good and hearty. This is the kind of thing I wish local restaurant chefs would dream up for vegetarians. It is a focal point that you can pair with vegetable sides! If all you can think of is pasta and stir-fry then you fail the assignment! Anyway, enough of my rant.....

Ingredients:

1 cup green lentils

1 cup purple barley (or regular barley)

1 red onion chopped

2 eggs

1 t chopped thyme

truffle oil to taste

As many peppers as you want

Equal # pieces of your favorite sliced cheese - I used provel because I am addicted to it.

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Cook the lentils and barley separately. Fluff the barley and drain the lentils and transfer into large mixing bowl. Sautee onion until it begins to carmelize. Add the thyme and sautee for 1 more minute. Transfer onions to bowl with lentils and barley. Add eggs, salt, pepper and truffle oil and mix thoroughly.

Cut the tops off peppers and set aside. Using your hands, grab as much of the seed cluster as you can. If necessary, go in with a knife and clean out the rest of the seeds and white fibrous bits. Set pepper cups close together in either an oiled deep baking dish or loaf pan. Pack lentil mixture inside pepper cups until completely full. Put tops of peppers back on top and bake for 30 mins at 425. Remove pepper tops and replace with 1 slice of cheese per pepper. Broil until cheese is brown and/or bubbly. Serve with salad, asparagus, or anything you want!

Parsnip, Chard and Collard Bake

I got this recipe from a fellow blogger, and changed a few things due to lack of ingredients on hand. I used parsnips instead of sweet potatoes, and collards in place of half the chard. And I didn't have gruyere, so I used fontina. Substitution is my middle name. Here is a link to the original recipe. I didn't use quite as much bechamel as she uses, because I wanted to be sure I could cut it into squares easily. It was delicious and very time consuming. I served it with braised seitan in red wine sauce.

Eggplant Rollups

1 large eggplant, 1/2 bag baby spinach finely chopped, 3 large button mushrooms diced, 1/2 onion minced, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1 cup mozzerella shreds, 1 cup breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt............

Slice one eggplant lengthwise as thinly as possible.  Salt eggplant and set on paper towels to drain.  In a pan, sautee spinach, mushrooms, garlic, onion until soft.  Transfer vegetables to a bowl and mix with cheese and breadcrumbs.  Rinse eggplant and pat dry.  Place 2 tablespoons in the center of each eggplant strip and fold over on itself.  Place rolls folded side down on a lightly oiled pan and bake for 15 min at 425.  Turn rolls over and continue baking for an additional 15 mins.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve!  Makes around 6 rolls.

Vegetable and Ricotta-Stuffed Collard Rolls with Tomato Sauce

12 large collard leaves, washed well, an 8 ounce container of whole-milk ricotta, 1/4 pound whole-milk mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch dice, 1 large egg beaten lightly, 1 red bell pepper chopped, 1 can or equivalent white beans rinsed and drained, tomato sauce..............Boil whole collards for 10 mins and then plunge into ice water until filling is ready.  Mix all remaining ingredients together to form a consistent mixture.  Trim collard stem 1/3 of the way up from the bottom, thereby getting rid of the thickest part.  Place two heaping tablespoons of filling at the top of the leaf and roll up tucking in sides as you go.  Place collard parcels in a bed of tomato sauce in a baking dish, and bake for 45 mins at 375 degrees.  Serve with tomato sauce scooped on top, on a bed of whatever you want.  Brown rice shown here.

Cannellini Cannelloni

Lightly oil the bottom and sides of baking dish.  Next, lay down a thin layer of tomato sauce.  Place uncooked cannelloni shells (that have been stuffed with: 1 can rinsed cannellini beans, 1 egg beaten, sauteed onions and garlic, lots of chopped herbs)  in tight rows until you have filled the entire dish.  Pour enough tomato sauce to completely cover canneloni over the top and bake covered at 350 for one hour, adding parmesan cheese at the half hour mark.

eggplant parmesan

used the cook's illustrated recipe for this one too.  first you salt the eggplant so it releases it's water.  then you shake it in a bag of flour, then dip it in beaten egg, and coat it in breadcrumbs.  then bake on an oiled cookie sheet for 15 min each side.  then randomly layer eggplant and mozzarella cheese on a bed of tomato sauce and bake for another 10 or until cheese bubbles.  sprinkle with parmesan and basil and serve!  delicious!  and no need to deep fry!

quadrigeminal tomato salad

i stole this idea from my brother.  i grew the red one. the others were acquired elsewhere.  in front you see wedges of fresh ricotta.  all sitting in a pool of evoo and balsamic vinegar, with a light sprinkling of sea salt.