Spiced Red Wine Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

serves serves 8, active time 15 minutes, total time 45 minutes

• 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup dry red wine
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Procedures

1. Combine cranberries, sugar, wine, syrup, molasses, ginger, orange zest, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until berries start to pop, about 5 minutes. Press berries against side of pan with wooden spoon and continue to cook until berries have broken down and sauce thickens to a jam-like consistency, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes. Adjust consistency with water as needed. Serve immediately or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Can be served cold or reheated.

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Cauliflower Soup

Note: When puréeing your soup, you can use a food processor, blender, or hand blender. Regardless, make sure to wait until it's cooled a bit to prevent a messy explosion. I tend to divide my soups into halves or thirds to make sure it doesn't overwhelm the appliance.
Although the lemon juice may seem like a negligible amount and you therefore may be tempted to skip it, a dash of lemon juice can bring a vibrancy of flavor to many soups and really helps this one pop.
To make this soup vegetarian, use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth, and eliminate the pancetta in the garnish.

Ingredients

serves Serves 4 to 6, active time 30 minutes, total time 1 hour

• 4 large sweet red bell peppers, cored, stemmed, seeded, and pressed flat
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
• 1 quart homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock (see note above)
• 1 medium russet potato, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 head of cauliflower, core removed, cut into florets
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed juice from 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup pancetta, finely chopped (see note above)
• 1/2 medium apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 slices of crusty Italian bread cut into 1/2 inch dice (about 1 cup)

Procedures

1. Preheat the broiler to high. Place the peppers on a foil lined baking sheet. Place the peppers on a shelf about 4 inches below the heating element and broil until blistered and blackened, then place in a plastic bag and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, use a knife and peel the blackened skin off the pepper under running water. Coarsely chop the peppers and set aside.
   
2. In a heavy saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-low heat until shimmering, then add the onions and cook until tender, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme, paprika, and chicken or vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, then add the potato and cauliflower and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes, then purée in batches until very smooth (see note above). Stir in the lemon juice, season to taste with more salt and pepper, and keep warm on low heat until ready to serve.
   
3. To Serve: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until lightly smoking, then add the pancetta and apples and cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until the apples are tender and the pancetta is beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the diced bread, and cook, carefully stirring to prevent burning, until the bread has crisped and begun to brown, about 4 minutes longer. Season with the black pepper. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, then garnish with a scoop of the pancetta flavored croutons. Serve immediately.

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.

Red Currant Almond Granola

Special equipment

rectangular pan, whisk, spatula

Ingredients

serves Makes 10 to 12 bars, active time 10 minutes, total time 1 hour

• 2 cups whole oats
• 1 cup thinly sliced almonds
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cup red currants

Procedures

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Grease bottom and sides of rectangular pan and line with parchment paper, allowing paper to hang over the sides. Grease parchment.
   
2. Combine oats, almonds, almond flour and salt in medium mixing bowl and stir to evenly distribute. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, honey, vanilla and egg. Pour into dry mixture and stir to evenly coat and combine. Add currants and stir to evenly distribute. Scrape into prepared pan, spread evenly and press with spatula to pack down. Bake for 30 minutes, then rotate pan and lower heat to 300°F. Bake for another 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature in pan, then chill for at least ten minutes. Use parchment to lift out of pan onto a cutting board and trim edges, then cut into bars. Wrap each bar individually and keep refrigerated.