Roasted vegetable holiday (or any other day) platter

This was for a family holiday, but it's just as good for company or just for yourself, if you really like a lot of vegetables.  One hour's prep time, and you will shine.  With or without lemon thyme vinaigrette, just adjust the quantity based on your crowd.  This was based on an appetizer for 20 with several other offerings.

THE RECIPE

5 large carrots
2 bell peppers
1/2 head cauliflower
1# grape tomatoes
1/2 # mushrooms
1 bunch scallions

3-4 T EV olive oil, more as needed

2T dried oregano
Sea salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit

Slice all vegetables and trim scallions.  Toss vegetables with olive oil individually; season and roast in batches until slight char is evident.  Arrange on a platter and accept plaudits.  Serve with lemon thyme vinaigrette.

THE RECIPE
LEMON THYME VINAIGRETTE

1/2 C EV olive oil
2T cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1T dijon mustard
3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt, to taste

Blend all together; adjust seasonings and chill.

Roasted Celeriac soup with Chestnut puree

(Click on image for larger view)

I'm channeling winter, or at least true fall with an opulent creamed soup topped with an even richer roasted chestnut garnish.  I am attempting to duplicate a soup I had some months back in a restaurant, and it has been a good attempt.

This soup teams up rich, earthy celeriac (celery root) with sweet parsnips, chicken stock, cream and thyme.  Atop this swims a puree of chestnut, sherry and truffle oil.  The three primary ingredients are all roasted; this brings out the warm, woodsy scents and flavors we associate with a hearty fall soup.  I have left the chestnut puree slightly rough to add another texture to the whole dish.

THE RECIPE
2 Quart yield

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

3 small bulbs celery root, trimmed and peeled (you may have better luck slicing the peel with a knife rather than a vegetable peeler)
3 large parsnips, peeled

4 oz. pancetta, thick slices or cubed
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, grated

5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs flat leaf Italian parsley
1 bay leaf
1/2t black peppercorns, coarsely ground with mortar and pestle
 
Sea salt and white pepper, to taste
Dash lemon juice
approximately 1 cup heavy cream
2T cold butter, cut into small pieces

Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

Roast celery root for approximately 30 minutes on a sheet pan (the fragrance is incredible!); add parsnips and roast for another 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven, cool and cut into large pieces.  (To save time, roast chestnuts on a lower rack - procedure below.)

While this is in the oven, render fat from the pancetta over low heat in a 3 quart sauce pan.  Saute onion, shallot, celery for 10 minutes; add garlic and saute for another 5 minutes.

MEANWHILE, in another sauce pan, bring stock, thyme, parsley, bay and pepper to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  Strain and add stock to the vegetables.  Add the celeriac, parsnips, salt and pepper and simmer for approximately 30 minutes.  Discard the pancetta; add the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings.

Prepare the chestnut puree.


ROASTED CHESTNUT PUREE
1 pound chestnuts, plus 8-10 extra pieces (in case of spoiled nuts)

2-3 T dry sherry
1-2 T  white truffle oil
milk and vegetable oil to thin the mixture


Place the chestnuts flat side down on a cutting board.  Carefully slice an X into the rounded side with a sharp knife.  Roast the chestnuts on a sheet pan approximately 15 minutes, until the nut meats are softened.  Do not overcook them, as the inner shells will become tough.  As the chestnuts cook, the shells will burst open.

 Remove from the oven and place in a dish towel; press and roll slightly.  The shells will crackle and open further.  When they have cooled just enough to handle, carefully peel the outer and inner shells and place the nut meats in a bowl.

Soak the nuts in the sherry while the soup is cooking.  Chop the chestnuts in a food processor (yes, I finally broke down and succumbed to one), adding a touch more sherry, truffle and olive oils and some milk to thin the consistency.  Keep some small chunks in the puree.


Cool the soup slightly.  Puree in a blender, adding butter a few pieces at a time.  Pour into a large mixing bowl and swirl in cream until a smooth texture is achieved.  Serve warm, topped with the chestnut puree and garnish with nutmeg.

Salade Rouge

More beets...this was a few months back. I found some great produce in the Julian area and decided on this salad for a starter to that night's dinner. I like composed salads, and this presentation came together nicely. Simple, just a few ingredients and farm-fresh goodness.



THE RECIPE

(Per salad)

1 large beet
1 medium tomato
6-8 basil leaves
3-4 thin Bermuda onion slices
1 slice chevre
1-2T EV olive oil
2t red wine vinegar, divided
Sea salt, cracked pepper to taste

Pour 1t red wine vinegar over the onion slices; set aside and turn over after half an hour. Trim the beets, being careful not to nick the root end. Boil until tender in lightly salted water. Cool and peel the beets. Slice beets and tomatoes approximately 1/4 inch thick. Layer slices of beet, tomato, onion and a basil leaf; drizzle with a few drops of olive oil. Top with the chevre slice. Drizzle the balance of the red wine vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Wild Alaskan King Salmon with phenomenal root vegetable relish

Okay, we'll start with the cover photo...This is a case of the cart before the horse. I built this dinner around the side dish. I ADORE beets, and found some great organic beets at Bristol Farms. Jackpot -- there were some beautiful red and gold ones loose in one of the bins. When all was said and done, the checker could not verify the pricing (as they were not in bunches, with their little official sticker) for them. SO, she sent over the bagger to investigate. The line lengthens...I grow impatient. No luck. She called the produce manager (I grow more impatient, my temper approaching a Krakatoa-like level) who could not verify the pricing either. RESULT: my beets were FREE, because for whatever ungodly reason they had been snipped from their stalks??? Which is just as well because of the BF pricing structure...but I digress.

Once I saw my red and gold beauties, I scooped up some herbs, fennel and parsnips, checked over the meat / seafood cases, and landed upon a beautiful fillet of wild Alaskan King salmon. Here's the plan: grilled salmon (I prefer charcoal; fruit wood chips or a cedar plank can enhance the flavor as well) with a root vegetable relish.

FLIGHT - it was all wonderful. FLUB - I should have gone with all golden beets (and gone back after that Cashier ended her shift to buy up the rest of the loose beets)! The red beets dyed the rest of the ingredients and I lost presentation points.

THE RECIPE

Grilled salmon:

2 - 8oz. wild salmon fillets
As needed EV olive oil
To taste grey Fleur de Sel (or sea salt)
To taste fresh cracked black pepper (as in mortar and pestle)

Root vegetable relish

2-3 red beets
2-3 golden beets (use 4-6 golden to avoid my blunder, or cook the red ones separately)
3 parsnips, 1/4 in. dice
1/2 small onion, 1/4 in. dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bulb fennel, 1/4 in. dice
3 sprigs basil, leaves cut into chiffonade
1 sprig tarragon, chopped
As needed, EV olive oil
2T seasoned rice vinegar
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Trim beets, being careful not to nick the root end. Boil beets and parsnips in lightly salted water until soft when pierced with a fork. Allow to cool, then peel beets and dice into 1/4 in. pieces. In another pan, sautee onion and garlic 5 minutes, until softened. Transfer vegetables to a bowl, cool, then toss with herbs, enough oil to coat ingredients, vinegar and KSP. Taste, adjust seasoning and refrigerate.

Greens for garnish:

1 cup baby greens (I had a bag of baby ruby reds)
Dash lemon juice
Drizzle of truffle oil
Toss and place in one quadrant of dinner plate

Preparation:

Season salmon and allow to come up to room temperature. Grill, cavity side first. After approximately 2 minutes, turn 90 degrees for a nice cross-hatched pattern. Flip after another 2 minutes, repeat for the other side. Cook to a medium - medium rare temp for best flavor (whichever works for you, just don't cremate this beautiful creature!). Serve over greens alongside the root vegetable relish.

You can serve the salmon right off the grill, or at ambient temperature. Enjoy!