Green Beans with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

For today’s post, I’m sharing a green bean salad I made for friends a few weeks ago. After a long, strenuous summer on Cabbage Island, and a sudden loss of a close cousin, I needed a way to heal my battered soul. Gathering with a few close friends and cooking all day seemed like it would do the trick. We drank wine, ate things like Honey-Ricotta Bruschetta, and this green bean salad with blue cheese and walnuts. It’s a simple salad, really, but the flavors are big, whole, and comforting. As far as preparations go, the recipe is straight forward and simple.

With the holidays approaching, I’m thinking about what we’ll have at the table. There will be turkey, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. For Christmas, there will likely be beef tenderloin, greens, and scalloped potatoes. But what matters to me, no matter how cliché this may sound, are the people around the table. After losing my cousin Glenn, I’ve had time to reflect and think about the importance of being with those you love. Certainly, this year will look different for everyone. Some of us may not be coming home for the holidays, some may be alone. I do hope that wherever you end up for the holidays this year, that you think of those you love with warmth and tenderness.

Green Beans with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

Ingredients

2lbs green beans, washed and trimmed
4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 cup walnut halves
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Toss the green beans, garlic, shallots, and olive oil in a large bowl and spread evenly on a large cookie sheet. Season with salt and pepper and bake 20-30 minutes or until tender with a slight bite.

3. Remove the beans and scoop them into a bowl. Toss the walnuts onto the same cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes, or until fragrant and toasted.

4. Toss the green beans with the vinegar and blue cheese and walnuts. Serve warm or room temperature.

Roasted Broccoli and Potato Soup

April has been a cold, wet, and dreary month so far and despite the respite this weekend, I’m still cold. A storm came through a few nights ago and left almost a foot of snow in some parts of the state, knocking out power for thousands. While it did make for some great photos down in my part of Maine, cold weather is getting old and I’m getting restless.

Maine is under a stay-at-home order for the next month, just like the rest of the country. Anthony and I are taking it very seriously by limiting our trips to the grocery store and not venturing out too often. We do, however, still go for walks and hikes and bike rides. I have to get out of the house once a day so I’ve been taking a daily drive along the coast.

Despite all this, Anthony and I are keeping our spirits up. We celebrated a friend’s birthday yesterday in a drive-by parade, took a sunset walk through the woods, and have been finding joy in the little things. Whether videos or our niece and nephew, little pots of flowers on our steps, or the time to just sit together and be mindful, we are finding ways to keep ourselves together and positive.

One thing I am grateful for in this cold weather is this soup. It is my attempt at recreating a broccoli-potato soup we had many years ago at a restaurant that is now gone. I’ve dreamed of this soup since we had it and I think I’ve come as close I can at recreating it. The best part? It takes just 30 minutes from start to finish and is so easy. The roasted broccoli gives the soup some added depth of flavor that is hard to beat. I love it and froze half of this batch for another rainy day.

Roasted Broccoli and Potato Soup

Ingredients

4 cups chopped broccoli
3 cups chopped potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 onions, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped
3 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup greek yogurt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400.

2. Toss the broccoli and potatoes with two tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast 20 - 25 minutes or until tender.

3. While the broccoli and potatoes cook, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions, carrot, celery, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and cook until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Add the chicken stock, broccoli, potatoes, parsley, and thyme and stir.

4. Working in batches, blend the soup until it is smooth. Pour the soup back into the pot and stir in the heavy cream and yogurt. Bring to a gentle simmer and serve with crusty bread and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Romesco

One of my goals for 2020 and beyond is to change my relationship with food and how I think about nourishing my body. For me, this means cutting back on how much meat and dairy I eat and consuming more vegetables and plant-based foods. Much to Anthony’s chagrin, we’ve been on an 80/20 diet lately where 80% of the time, we eat plant-based foods while the other 20% we eat meat and dairy. I love it. I feel better, I’m just as satisfied with my meals as I am when I eat meat and I am spending less money.

Romesco has long been one of my favorite sauces. Not only does it have a totally unique flavor profile of nutty acidic goodness, but it is also super flexible and goes with so many wonderful things. Originally from Catalonia and served with fish, this sauce goes well with roasted vegetables, pasta, chicken and even meatballs. Admittedly, I love a good Italian red sauce that simmers all day with meatballs and sausage but this sauce gives all others a run for their money in my mind. The toasty flavor of the broiled vegetables and the fat from all those almonds give this sauce so much body that I literally lick the plate clean whenever I make it.

Romesco Sauce

Ingredients

1 lb Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 lb red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 Fresno chili peppers, chopped
5 garlic cloves, skinned
1 yellow onion, skinned and quartered
1 t paprika
1 t smoked paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
½ cup almonds, toasted and ground

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler to high.

2. Toss everything but the almonds together in a large mixing bowl, being sure to coat everything evenly. Pour the mixture onto a large cookie sheet and arrange in a single layer. Broil, on high until everything starts to char

3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

4. Working in batches, carefully puree everything in a blender or food processor until smooth and saucy. If the sauce looks too thick, dilute it with some water or olive oil.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Ingredients

1 lb fingerling potatoes, washed and halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425

2. In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients until the potatoes are evenly coated.

3. Spread the potatoes out on a large cookie sheet in a single layer, cut side down.

4. Roast the potatoes 20-25 minutes, flipping the potatoes halfway through. Remove from oven and serve with parmesan, parsley, and romesco

Aunt Ruth's Wild Rice

Last spring, my mom gave me two tins of recipes from her Aunt Ruth, her mother, and her grandmother. Of these three women, I only knew Great Aunt Ruth. My grandmother and great grandmother passed long before I was born.

In these tins are countless index cards with handwritten, pasted and otherwise documented recipes from the 50s – 70s. I don’t recognize many of the names and the handwriting is foreign to me, but I recognize the recipes. These are the recipes Ruth would make for us around the holidays or when we came to visit. Three Bean Salad. Johnny Marzetti. Oatmeal Cookies. Wild Rice Pilaf.

Since receiving the recipe tins, I’ve been cooking from them here and there. Trying to draw inspiration and connection to women I never met but have always known. One of the recipes I keep coming back to is Aunt Ruth’s Wild Rice. It is simple, starchy and comforting. I remember hearing stories of how special this recipe was “back in the day” from my mom. Wild rice was a luxury in the 1960s, making this recipe one reserved for holidays.

I remember visiting Aunt Ruth when I was young when she still lived in Columbus. Uncle Ron had a big berry and fruit patch in the back yard and there were Lincoln Logs in the basement. I remember her taking me to the zoo and to the park across the street from her house. She was a fashionable and smart woman.

In her later years, Aunt Ruth developed dementia and either forgot who we were or confused us with other figures in her life. These are the hard memories families don’t talk about. Difficult as it may be, I remember lives in their entirety. I can recall all the good times, what she gave me for Christmas when I was 9 and the way her house smelled (it was a good smell).

The way we choose to remember our loved ones after they have gone is a personal experience that we all share. Nobody is a stranger to loss or will be for long. As morbid as that may sound, especially around the holidays, impermanence is real. So, though I may mourn and lament, I celebrate lives lived because that’s all you can do.

The holidays always make me nostalgic and this year is no different. I often wonder what Ruth and my Grandfather would think of the world we live in now. Not the political chaos on television but rather the intimate world of our family. New babies, new spouses. Changes in careers and locations. A lot has happened in the decade that Aunt Ruth and my Grandfather have been gone.

Though Aunt Ruth has been gone for over a decade now, I will always remember her smile and warm embrace. I plan to make this wild rice for the holidays this year and I am certain everyone will remember Aunt Ruth as soon as they taste it.

 Ruth’s Wild Rice

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
8 oz portobello mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large heavy pot and add the onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Season with salt and cook until the mushrooms are softened. About 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

2. Add the rice and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the almonds, broth, oregano, and cayenne. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour and remove from heat. Allow the rice to rest 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.

Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts, like beets, get a bad rap. My dad is one example of the knee-jerk reaction people tend to have to the delightful little cruciferous cuties. This recipe aims to convert haters to lovers. It is easy, light and satisfying. Oh, and there's bacon to really make it divine. 

Bacon Confit Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

3 slices bacon
1 lb brussels sprouts, washed and halved
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450

2. Heat a heavy cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Reduce heat and cook slowly to render the fat. Cook until crispy, remove from pan, cool, crumble and set aside.

3. Add the brussels sprouts to the pan and toss with the rendered bacon fat. Cook for 5 minutes, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper and toss.

4. Pour the brussels sprout mixture to a large cookie sheet and arrange in an even single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, stir and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the brussels sprouts are tender. Remove from oven and toss with the crumbled bacon.