Vegetables

Roasted Sunchokes

Makes: 3 servings Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes 10-12 sunchokes, halved, scrubbed very well to remove all debris ½ cup olive oil ¼ cup butter 4 sprigs fresh thyme sea salt, to taste

1 . Place the sunchokes in a medium pot with cold water at high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add salt and turn down to a low simmer. Cook the sunchokes until they are soft, about 15 minutes, then dry them on a towel and place in the fridge. 2 . When the sunchokes are cool, heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place the sunchokes flesh side down, turn the heat to medium, and allow them to caramelize. Cook them slowly, making sure to not move them around, but it is OK to check them, gently lifting them to see the color underneath. Cook until the flesh is golden brown, about 10 minutes. 3 . When they have good color, add the butter and thyme, and cook until the butter stops foaming, about 2 minutes. Then add salt to taste.

Caramelized Onions

Caramelized onions are a great topping to many foods—I find them especially good on chicken, steak, or hummus.

Makes: 6 servings Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 large sweet yellow onions, cut into ¼-inch strips 1 cup water, divided sea salt, to taste

1 . Heat the oil in pan over medium heat and add the cut onions, mixing well to coat them with the oil. Cover the pan with a lid. 2 . Once the onions begin to soften, about 2 minutes, add ½ cup of the water and continue cooking on high heat with the lid on. Stir every 3 minutes. When the onions are cooked through, turn the heat down to medium and remove the lid.

3 . Allow the onions to caramelize while constantly stirring them; if they get too dark or begin to burn, add a little more water and stir again. The process should take 30 to 40 minutes. Once the onions are brown deep in color, add salt to taste.

Sautéed Broccoli Rabe or Broccolini

Makes: 2 servings Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes 1 bunch broccoli rabe or 2 bunches broccolini, stems trimmed, roughly chopped 6 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional) sea salt, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat, add the broccoli rabe or broccolini, and turn heat down to medium. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until the greens have softened and the leafy parts are wilted, adding salt, crushed red pepper, and Parmesan, if using, toward the end.

Cauliflower Soup

Makes: 3 servings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes 1½ cups olive oil, divided ½ head of cauliflower, cut into ½-inch pieces 1 clove garlic, minced 1 small shallot, minced 1-3 cups water, divided sherry vinegar, to taste (optional) sea salt, to taste

1 . Heat ½ cup of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cauliflower and season with salt, cooking until it is light brown, about 5 minutes. 2 . Remove the cauliflower and set aside, leaving the oil in the pan. Add garlic to the warm oil and cook until it is golden brown, less than 1 minute, then add the shallots and a little salt, stirring frequently until the shallots are soft, 1 to 2 minutes. 3 . Add the cauliflower back to the pan along with 1 cup of the water and cover with a lid. Cook the mixture until the cauliflower is soft, 7 to 8 minutes. If the liquid evaporates before the cauliflower is soft, add more water, ½ cup at a time, to finish cooking. 4 . Transfer cauliflower to a blender. Blend at a slow speed, adding the remaining olive oil at a slow drizzle while the blender is on. Once all the oil has been mixed into the soup, blend on high until smooth. Turn blender off, taste, and add salt if needed. Just before serving, add a dash of sherry vinegar to finish off the soup, if desired.

Mushroom Cream Soup

Makes: 4 servings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup minced yellow onion ¼ cup butter 2 pounds cremini and shiitake mushrooms, cut into strips ½ cup dry white wine 1 cup chicken stock 2½ cups whole milk 2½ cups heavy cream 5 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf sea salt, to taste

1 . In a medium, heavy-bottomed pot, cook the garlic and onions in the butter over medium-low heat until the onions are translucent, then add mushrooms and salt, and cook for 5 minutes. 2 . Continue cooking until all of the juices have been cooked out, then add the wine and cook until the alcohol has boiled off (approximately 2 minutes; the liquid should smell good and should not burn your nose). 3 . Add the chicken stock, cooking it down by half, 10 to 12 minutes. Then, add the milk and cream, along with the thyme and bay leaf, and lower the heat to medium-low heat. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes while stirring, until all the flavors come together. 4 . Strain the soup to separate the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and herbs from the liquid, reserving the liquid. Add the vegetables to a blender with a small amount of the liquid. Blend until smooth, adding the liquid a little at a time until all the liquid is incorporated, and serve.

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Roasted Kabocha Squash

Makes: 6 servings Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes 1 kabocha squash, cut into 1-inch strips 3–4 tablespoons coconut oil sea salt, to taste

1 . Preheat oven to 375°F.

2 . Toss the squash pieces in the coconut oil and season with salt. 3 . Place pieces neatly in a glass baking dish, making sure that the flesh touches the bottom of the dish. If it’s too crowded, use a second dish. Bake for about 45 minutes or until soft.

Smoky-Spicy Variation: Make a chipotle butter by blending 1 stick of room-temperature butter with 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder and a pinch of salt. Place a dollop of butter onto each slice of squash while still warm.

Fresh Variation: Mix 2 tablespoons tahini with ½ cup whole-milk strained yogurt, and spread the mixture on a serving platter. In a medium bowl, make a dressing by whisking together 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, 1 teaspoon honey, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Place the squash slices, once cooled, on the yogurt spread and top with the dressing. Top with 1 cup of chopped mint.

Buttered Leeks

Makes: 6 servings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes ¼ cup dry white wine ½ cup chicken stock, plus more as needed 6 leeks, white part only, cleaned thoroughly to remove any dirt or grit ½ pound butter ½ teaspoon lemon or orange zest sea salt, to taste

1 . To a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the wine, cooking off the alcohol. Then add the chicken stock, leeks, salt, and butter. Make sure that the leeks are under the liquid level, and add more chicken stock if needed.

2 . Bring ingredients to a low simmer and cover with a lid. Cook the leeks until they are medium soft, 12 to 15 minutes, then remove and place them on a serving dish. Reduce the liquid by half, about 5 minutes. 3 . Turn off the heat and add the lemon or orange zest. Once leeks have cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes, cut them in half lengthwise. Place cut side down on a plate and cover with the sauce from the pot.

Creamed Spinach

Makes: 2 servings Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20–25 minutes 6 cups fresh, cleaned, and dried spinach leaves 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small sweet onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced ¾ cup heavy cream ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese sea salt, to taste freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 . Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Blanch the spinach for 10 to 15 seconds in salted water and then place in an ice water bath for 30 seconds. Drain, and squeeze out the excess water. Chop the cooked spinach into small pieces. 2 . Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the minced onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. 3 . Add the cream and cook until it reduces by half, about 10 minutes. Then add the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste, stirring frequently until the cheese has melted. Add spinach and cook until it’s hot, about 5 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Cauliflower Mash

Makes: 4 servings Prep time: 12 minutes Cook time: 6 minutes 1 head cauliflower 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons heavy cream sea salt, to taste

1 . Prepare a steamer basket over 4 inches of water in a pot, and bring to a boil. Break the cauliflower into florets and add them to the steamer basket over the boiling water. Allow to steam for 1 minute uncovered, then cover the pot and steam until soft, about 3 minutes more. 2 . Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and add chopped rosemary and garlic, cooking 1 to 2 minutes. Add butter and melt, and add cauliflower to coat with seasoning. Cook 1 more minute. 3 . Mash cauliflower with a potato masher in the skillet. Pour contents of skillet into blender, and add heavy cream while blending. Add salt while blending. Serve like mashed potatoes.

Roasted Cauliflower

A common mistake when roasting cauliflower is to not roast it long enough; a longer roast will produce more caramelization and a tastier end product. For the same reason, do not move the florets during the cooking process. Serve with Tahini Dressing (page 120), if you’d like.

Makes: 2 servings Prep time: 8 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes 1 head cauliflower 4 tablespoons olive oil sea salt, to taste

1 . Preheat oven to 375°F.

2 . Break the cauliflower into florets and toss in a large mixing bowl with olive oil and salt. 3 . Spread on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until well caramelized.

Spicy Variation: Add the following into the mixing bowl when coating the cauliflower with oil: 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon turmeric, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper.

Mushrooms Sautéed in Butter and Thyme

Makes: 4 servings Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for garnish 4–5 cups fresh wild mushrooms, roughly chopped 5–6 tablespoons olive oil, divided ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt 3 tablespoon butter 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 . Mix one-third of the minced garlic with the chopped parsley, and set aside. 2 . Place mushrooms in a large bowl and coat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add in the remaining garlic and salt, and mix well. 3 . Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushroom mixture and sauté. If the mushrooms appear dry and start sticking to the pan, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of olive oil. Cook until mushrooms are brown and just tender, about 6 minutes. Add butter and thyme and allow the mushrooms to cook for 5 minutes.

4 . Remove skillet from heat. Mix in parsley mixture and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with additional fresh parsley if you like.