Pine Nut Rosemary Shortbread

from 101 Cookbooks
(I didn't have any lemons, so I left out the zest)

2 cups white whole-wheat flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour)
scant teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (natural cane) sugar
zest of one lemon
2/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and loosely chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Combine flour and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

In a separate large bowl or stand mixer cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and lemon zest and mix again, then add the flour mixture, nuts, and rosemary and mix until the dough goes just past the crumbly stage, and begins to really clump together (you don't want to over mix, but under mixing will make the dough seem a bit dry, which can make it difficult to handle). Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead the dough just once or twice to bring it together, then divide it into a ball and flatten into a disk 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper of a Silpat mat. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into whatever shapes you desire, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sometimes I chill the dough in the freezer for another 10 minutes, it seems to help the cookies hold their shape - but you don't have to. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are beginning to brown on the bottom. The baking time will vary depending on the size of the cookies, taking less time for smaller cookies.

Makes about 2 dozen small cookies.

Variation: use chopped raw or toasted walnuts and 1 tablespoon coarsely ground coffee in place of the lemon, pine nuts, and rosemary.

Favorite Winter Salads

I've been chopping together a lot of salads lately— some with greens, some without. Thought I'd share a couple of my favorites:

-chopped snap peas and carrots with feta, currants, and sunflower seeds
-arugula with navel orange, avocado, and spicy candied pecans

I dressed both of these in meyer lemon juice and olive oil.

For the candied pecans, I heated the nuts in a skillet with a splash of balsamic vinegar, a few tablespoons of brown sugar, a dash of cayenne, and a little garlic powder.

When putting together a salad, I like to have some green, some sort of dried or fresh fruit, some crumbly or hard cheese, and some sort of seed or nut. For dressings, I typically do olive oil and whatever vinegar best suits the ingredients (beets=balsamic; carrots=white or apple cider; green beans=red wine), along with a spoonful of mustard and some spices (i'm a ground coriander fan). Lately, though, I've been revisiting the good ol' lemon-juice-olive-oil-salt-and-pepper trick. So easy, and so good! Especially with feta and citrus :)

Fillo Tart with Cauliflower, Leeks, and Gruyere

I made this tonight in Thomas's fancy kitchen, and it was awesome.

2 leeks, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 head romanesco, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped
frozen puff pastry
butter and egg for brushing
salt and pepper to taste
a good amount of gruyere

preheat oven to 400
saute leeks in butter until soft.
add cauliflower, romanesco, and jalapeño- cook until al dente. season to taste.
spread out fillo- brush each layer with melted butter- I used 6 layers on the bottom.
put cauliflower/leek mixture on fillo dough on a baking sheet.
top with abou6 6 more layers of fillo. brush top with egg wash.

bake for about 30 minutes, until cheese is oozing and fillo is golden brown and crispy!

Helen's Special Raisin Bread

I forgot how much I liked this bread, until I made it just recently for one of my classes. It is a really soft, and sweet crumb.
we made it a few times at leavenworth. it is from my bread bible, 'Home Baking' by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.
this recipe makes 2 medium sized golden loaves. enjoy!

2 c scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm
1 c warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
6.5 -8 c all purpose flour
1 large egg
1.5-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon salt
1 c moist dark raisins

combine the milk and water in a bowl. sprinkle on the yeast and stir in. add the sugar and 2 cups of flour and stir until smooth. let stand for several minutes. add the egg and butter and stir in, then sprinkle on the salt and stir in. continue to add flour a cup at a time until the dough becomes difficult to stir. flour a work surface generously and turn out the dough. knead for about 5 minutes, incorporating more flour as necessary until the dough is smooth, firm and elastic.

place the dough in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 3-4 hours, until not quite doubled.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and cut it in half. lightly butter 2 8x4 inch bread pans. flatten one dough piece to a rough rectangle about 8x10 inches. sprinkle on half the raisins, leaving a 4 inch wide band raisin free at a short edge. roll up the dough from the opposite edge and pinch the seam to seal, and place the seal seam down in one of the pans. repeat with other half. cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hr.

put the rack in the bottom 3rd of the oven and preheat at 425.
just before baking, brush the loaves with a little melted butter and slash twice crosswise. bake until golden, about 30 minutes. brush the tops of the loaves with a little butter and lower the heat to 375 and bake for another 5 minutes. remove from the pans. they should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. place on a rack to cool for 30 minutes.

Orzo with Kale, Pine Nuts, Raisins, and Fennel

about 1.5 cups orzo
1 bunch dino kale, chopped into bits
one handful pine nuts
1/2 medium bulb fennel

butter
olive oil
salt & pepper

-Cook orzo until tender in boiling water or broth.

-Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in a dry frying pan. When golden, add olive oil, kale, and raisins. Saute until kale is tender.

-Melt butter in another pan, saute fennel 8-10 minutes until tender, chop finely.

Mix all ingredients together - salt & pepper to taste. yum!

Pumpernickel Bread

This is the bread that I made on Christmas. It came out really well - I think I let it rise for longer than it says to on both rising periods, but following this recipe should result in great bread.

2 pkgs of yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups warm coffee
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 T caraway seeds
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup molasses
5-6 cups white flour
2 cups rye flour
1 egg white
extra caraway seeds and salt for sprinkling on bread

Dissolve yeast in water. Add coffee, cocoa, caraway, salt, molasses and 3 cups of the white flour. Stir. Add rye flour and enough white flour to make a smooth dough. Kneed. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour). Sprinkle greased cookies sheet with corn meal or flour. Punch dough, divide in half, shape into 2 balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Let rise again until double. Brush tops with eff white, slash with a knife, sprinkle with sea salt and more caraway seeds. Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.

Balsamic Eggplant

1 medium eggplant, or 2-3 japanese eggplant
balsamic vinegar
brown sugar to taste
soy sauce
about 20 thai basil leaves
oil for saute
pinch of cayenne
sesame seeds for garnish
water
salt to taste

-Cut eggplant into cubes or small slices. Salt and let sweat for 20 minutes.
-Heat oil in a wok. When hot, add eggplant. Let cook for about 15 -20 min until tender.
-Add a healthy amount of balsamic (several teblespoons), about 1tbsp of soy sauce, up to 1/4 c brown sugar (do it to taste), and cayenne. Let flavors mingle and soak in.
-Taste the eggplant. If the flavors are too strong, add some water to the pan and let steam.
- Add thai basil leaves and sesame seeds and let cook for another 2 minutes or so.