Sicilian Pasta With Swordfish, Fennel, Mint, and Bread Crumbs

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 30 minutes, total time 30 minutes

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (optional)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped (about 4 teaspoons)
• 1 small fennel bulb, roughly chopped (about 1 cup), fronds roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 pound swordfish steak
• 2 pounds cherry tomatoes
• 1 pound any shape of macaroni pasta, such as casarecce

Procedures

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a wide, nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, almonds, and fennel seed, and season with salt and pepper. Toast, stirring often, until golden and crisp. Remove to a bowl and set aside, then wipe out the pan.
   
2. Combine garlic, fennel, fennel fronds, and mint in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped, 6 to 8 short pulses.
   
3. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Season the fish with salt and pepper. When oil is shimmering, add fish and cook, turning once, until just cooked through and opaque in the middle, about 5 minutes total (more or less depending on thickness). Remove to a plate and set aside.
   
4. Return skillet to medium heat and add remaining olive oil. Heat until shimmering, then add the chopped garlic, fennel, and herbs to the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the fennel is softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and heat through. Use a potato masher to burst the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until sauce is reduced but still chunky, 12 to 15 minutes.
   
5. While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted water until al dente.
   
6. Remove the skin from the swordfish and roughly chop. Add to the tomato and fennel sauce, along with the drained pasta. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute to allow pasta to absorb sauce. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with breadcrumb mixture.

Cranberry White Chocolate Bread Pudding

It wasn't easy, but I think I have cracked the general code to New Orleans bread pudding: double the cream, double the eggs, and add bourbon. It's a recipe for success!
This pudding, inspired by the highly delicious White Chocolate Bread Pudding at the Palace Cafe, has the soul of a New Orleans bread pudding. But it's gussied up for the season with cranberries, which add a wonderful tart contrast to the white chocolate in the butter and cream-rich custard, and a nice glug of bourbon, which certainly doesn't hurt anything. It's a perfectly decadent entrée into the Thanksgiving season.

Ingredients

serves Makes 8 large servings, active time 15 minutes, total time 1 hour, 30 minutes

• 1 loaf french bread (approx 16 ounces)
• 3 cups (24 ounces) whipping cream
• 1 cup (8 ounces) milk
• 1/2 cup (about 3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 8 ounces white chocolate
• 7 large eggs
• 1 cup (about 3 1/2 ounces) dried cranberries, divided (use fruit sweetened or unsweetened for best results)
• 3 ounces bourbon (optional)
• For the sauce
• 4 ounces white chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) milk
• Confectioners' sugar, to finish (optional)

Procedures

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9- by 13-inch pan. Set to the side.
   
2. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes.
   
3. In a large saucepan, heat the whipping cream, milk, and sugar over medium heat. Dash in the salt and cinnamon. When hot, take off the heat and add the white chocolate pieces; stir until melted.
   
4. Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the eggs in a steady stream, whipping the eggs as you pour. If you want, add that glug of bourbon now.
   
5. Add the mixture to the bowl with the bread pieces. Add 3/4 cup of the cranberries. Mix until combined. Now, transfer to the greased pan.
   
6. Using a spatula press down the bread so everything is absolutely saturated.
   
7. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until set and golden on top. You don't want brown, just lightly golden.
   
8. While it bakes, prepare the sauce. Bring the milk to a boil in a small sauce pan. Take off the heat and add white chocolate; stir until smooth and completely melted. It's going to be a fairly liquid sauce.
   
9. Pour over the bread pudding right when it comes out of the oven. It may look like an obscene amount of liquid but the bread pudding will absorb it. Dot the top of the pudding with more cranberries, and dust with confectioners' sugar to finish.

Marble Pumpkin Chocolate Bread

Special equipment: 8- by 4-inch or 9- by 5-inch loaf pan

Ingredients

serves makes one loaf bread, active time 20 minutes, total time 1 hour 30 minutes

• 1 3/4 cup (12 1/4 ounce) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) canned pumpkin
• 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 plus a scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons milk

Procedures

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8- by 4-inch loaf pan (see note) with parchment paper, allowing edges to overhang. Grease unlined part of pan.
   
2. Whisk sugar, oil, pumpkin, eggs, pumpkin, and salt in a large bowl until combined. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove to the batter, and then whisk until completely combined.
   
3. Spoon 2 cups batter into pan. Spoon 1 cup batter into measuring cup and reserve.
   
4. Whisk cocoa and milk into remaining batter and spoon into pan. Using a butter knife or small offset spatula, swirl the batter a few times, lifting pumpkin batter from the bottom. Then spoon reserved pumpkin batter over the top and swirl a few times more (see note).
   
5. Bake until top is just set and skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 60 to 75 minutes. Let cool in pan 45 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Grilled Bread and Kale Salad With Red Onions, Walnuts, and Figs

This standout salad takes a turn from the ordinary by wilting the kale over heat before serving.

Suggested tweaks: You could fiddle with the fruit if figs aren't in season, using apples, pears, or even grapes instead.

Ingredients

serves Serves 2 to 4, active time 35 minutes, total time 35 minutes

• 5–6 ripe figs
• 1–2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
• 1 3-ounce piece Parmesan cheese
• 1 loaf ciabatta or sourdough baguette (fresh or day-old)
• 1 large or 2 small bunches (1/2 pound total) lacinato kale
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small red onion, cut in half and then into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• A handful or two walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped
• Black pepper
• Lemon or lime wedges

Procedures

1. Stem the figs and slice them lengthwise into about 5 wedges per fig. Place them in a medium dish and sprinkle with the lemon or lime juice. Toss gently to coat and set aside.
   
2. Shave strips of Parmesan from the block of cheese, using a sturdy vegetable peeler. Lovely cheese ribbons will ensue. Set aside.
   
3. Slice the bread into approximately a dozen thin (as in almost see-through) slices. Larger slices from a ciabatta can be halved for easier handling and consumption. Set aside.
   
4. Hold each kale leaf by the stem and use a very sharp knife to release the leaf from the stem (it’s OK to leave the narrow part of the stem that blends into the leaf farther up). Make a pile of the leaves, roll them up tightly, and cut crosswise into super-thin strips. Transfer to a large bowl of cold water and swish around to clean. Spin very dry and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.
   
5. Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat for about a minute. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the onion and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring and/or shaking the pan a little, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion becomes shiny and is still this side of tender.
   
6. Transfer the hot onion to the kale in the bowl and stir everything around a bit, then return the entire bowlful of kale-plus-onions to the pan. Stir-fry quickly—just for a minute or so—over medium-high heat until the kale turns an even deeper shade of green and wilts slightly.
   
7. Return it all to the bowl, tossing in the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. You can add some of the cheese at this point, if you’d like it to melt in slightly.
   
8. Remove the pan from the heat, wait a minute or two, then add the vinegar to the pan (stand back—it will sizzle), swirl it around, and pour what’s left of it into the kale. (It will mostly evaporate.)
   
9. Without bothering to clean the pan, return it to the stove over medium heat. Wait another minute, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the bread slices in a single layer and grill on each side until lightly golden and perfectly crisp.
   
10. Transfer the toasts to the kale, along with the figs and all their juice and the shaved cheese to taste. Toss quickly (no need to get things uniform), adding the remaining cheese and the walnuts as you go. Serve right away, passing a pepper mill and offering wedges of lemon or lime to be aimed straight at the figs.
    
11. Optional enhancements:
    Not a fig person? You can swap in a crisp fall apple, sliced thin and lemon juice-doused.
    Go in an entirely different direction and substitute slices or chunks of a very sweet ripe heirloom tomato or a few handfuls of very sweet, ripe cherry tomatoes.

Gluten-Free Apple Cider Bread

Special equipment: Four (5- by 3- by 2-inch) mini loaf pans

Ingredients

serves Makes 4 small loaves, active time about 30 minutes, total time about 90 minutes

• 2 cups apple cider
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) sorghum flour
• 3/4 cup (5 1/2 ounces) packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) millet flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 large eggs
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedures

1. Heat apple cider in a medium saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 3/4 of a cup, about 25 minutes. Remove reduced apple cider from heat and set aside to cool.
   
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place four (5- by 3- by 2-inch) mini loaf pans on rimmed baking sheet. Spray mini-pans with nonstick cooking spray. In medium bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, brown sugar, millet flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, salt, ground nutmeg, and xanthan gum. Add eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and cooled apple cider. Whisk until batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.
   
3. Bake until cake tester inserted into center of pan comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove pans from oven. Allow to bread to cool in pan for five minutes and then turn loaves out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Store loaves, wrapped, on counter for up to three days or freeze up to three months.

Make-Ahead Mushroom Tomato Bread Soup

Ingredients

serves Serves 2 to 3, active time 35 minutes, total time 35 minutes

• 1 (6-inch) ciabatta loaf or any stale bread, torn into 1-inch chunks (about 2 cups torn bread)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved if small, quartered if very large
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock, plus 1 more cup as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper

Procedures

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Spread bread onto baking sheet and bake until dried but not browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in medium saucepan. Add onions, season with salt, and cook until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Deglaze with vinegar and cook until liquid is almost evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, turn heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring, until softened, moisture has evaporated, and mushrooms begin to brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
   
2. Stir in tomatoes and cinnamon, followed by chicken stock. Simmer until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in bread and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes more, stirring to soften bread. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add more chicken stock if thinner consistency is desired. Serve immediately or let cool and refrigerate overnight. To serve the next day, reheat in the microwave or stovetop, adding extra stock or water to loosen consistency as desired.

Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

serves Makes one 9- by 5-inch loaf, active time About 20 minutes, total time About one hour

• 3 cups unpeeled, grated zucchini (about 14 ounces)
• 6 ounces millet flour
• 6 ounces granulated sugar
• 2 ounces sorghum flour
• 3 tablespoons ground flaxmeal
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 6 tablespoons water
• 2 large eggs
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil

Procedures

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set pan aside.
   
2. Place the zucchini on a large, dry kitchen towel. Cover the zucchini fully with the towel and twist both ends to the towel to wring moisture from the zucchini. Transfer zucchini to a large cutting board. Chop the zucchini roughly. (You can skip the chopping the zucchini if you’d like. It just helps the bread to have a more uniform texture with no long string of zucchini scattered throughout the baked loaf.) Set the aside zucchini aside.
   
3. Whisk together millet flour, granulated sugar, sorghum flour, flaxmeal, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Add the water, eggs, and vegetable oil. Whisk until a thick batter forms. Switch to a flexible spatula and stir in the zucchini.
   
4. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, a cake tester interested into the center of the loaf should come out clean. Allow bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out to a wire rack to cool completely.