Creamy Gorgonzola Barley with Spinach

Spinach is pretty plentiful now that spring is here. This creamy side dish, which has a texture somewhat like risotto, is strongly flavored by the Gorgonzola. It would go well alongside a grilled steak. Alternatively, add some cooked beans and call it a main dish. A food processor makes quick work of finely chopped the spinach.

1 cup pearl barley
3 cups water
10 ounces spinach (or so), stemmed and chopped very fine
2-3 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola or similar blue cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the barley and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, mostly covered, until the barley is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 20-30 minutes. Stir in the Gorgonzola until it melts and is evenly distributed, then stir in the spinach. Finely chopped, it should wilt quickly in the heat of the barley. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6.

Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Blue Cheese, and Dried Tomatoes

Here's something else to do with some of those caramelized onions, combined here with local blue cheese (I used Quabbin Blue from Chase Hill Farm) and tomatoes that I dried last summer. The result is layers of flavor that bring out added depth in each other. Sweeter varieties of home-dried tomatoes worked very well here.

1 14-inch pizza crust
Olive oil
2-3 ounces shredded mozzarella
1 cup caramelized onions
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled or diced
1/4 cup rehydrated dried tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil.

Sprinkle the mozzarella over the pizza crust, then add the onions, distributing them across the pizza. Add the blue cheese and dried tomatoes, then give it a light sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Bake the pizza for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is done and the cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Polenta with Spinach, Blue Cheese, and Egg

That's right, Put An Egg On It! I often mix some quinoa into my polenta for an extra nutritional boost, but it's optional. Here that mixture is topped with tomato sauce and fresh spinach, blue cheese, and spring eggs from the farmer's market. I've done pizza topped with eggs, but this was the first time I tried it with polenta and I have to say I was quite pleased with the result.

1 cup polenta (coarse corn meal)
1/2 cup quinoa
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups water
Olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, diced
1/4 lb spinach (or up to 1/2 lb if you want lots of it)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup tomato sauce
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
6 eggs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Combine the polenta and quinoa in a large saucepan with the water and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the water is all absorbed and the polenta is nice and thick. Be careful not to burn yourself as bubbles pop.

While the polenta cooks, heat a little olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about another minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When the polenta is ready, grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Spread the polenta in the pan, then spread the tomato sauce over it. Spread the spinach mixture over the tomato sauce, then sprinkle with blue cheese.

Make 6 shallow hollows in the vegetables and polenta. Crack an egg into each one. Bake the polenta for 10-15 minutes, until the egg whites are set and the yolks are still gooey. (Time may vary depending on the size and shape of your hollows and the size of your eggs.)

Serve hot. Serves 6.

Leek Risotto with Apples, Spinach, and Blue Cheese

Sometimes a set of ingredients just speaks to me tells me what I need to do with it.  Such was the case here, with apples, spinach, and leeks in the fridge (I had to go out and buy the blue cheese, but the apples and spinach insisted).  Choose a blue cheese of your liking; I recommend erring on the side of mildness rather than pungency here.  You want it to be flavorful but not to completely overwhelm the rest of the dish.  I used a marvelous sheep's milk blue from Seabrook Farm in Vermont.  For the apples, choose ones that are nice and tart that will hold their shape well when cooked - I used Macouns.

Olive oil
3 medium-large leeks, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 medium-sized tart apples, peeled and diced
1/2 lb spinach, stemmed and well chopped
3-4 oz. crumbled or diced blue cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Make the risotto in the pressure cooker: Heat a little olive oil in the bottom of the cooker and saute about one third of the sliced leeks for 2 minutes or so.  Add the rice and saute for a minute or two.  Pour in the stock, bring the cooker to pressure, and cook for 7 minutes.  Release pressure.

While the risotto cooks, heat a bit more oil in a large skillet and saute the remainder of the leeks for 2-3 minutes.  Add the apples and cook over medium heat until tender but not soft (you don't want applesauce here).  Add the spinach and cook for a few minutes, covered, until it wilts.  Stir in the blue cheese and let it melt, then mix well.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve mounds of risotto topped generously with the apple and spinach mixture.

Serves about 4.

Pasta with Creamy Spinach Sauce, Chickpeas, and Blue Cheese

I loved aged blue cheese, and there are several nice local ones to choose from around here. Local spinach has also become fairly easy to come by through the winter, thanks to savvy farmers with unheated greenhouses.

1 lb dry pasta
3 Tbsp olive oil (1 + 2)
1 large shallot or small onion, minced
1/2 lb spinach, stemmed and rinsed
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
3/4 cup milk (whole is good, but use what you like)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
2-3 oz. crumbled blue cheese

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water. Prepare the sauce while you bring the water to a boil and cook the pasta.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add the shallot or onion and saute for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and saute, stirring frequently, until it is wilted but not mushy. Remove from heat. Puree the spinach mixture until very smooth, then set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low-medium and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking until smooth. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly to get rid of the lumps. Continue to whisk as it thickens to a creamy consistency. Turn off the heat, then whisk in the spinach mixture until thoroughly combined. Add chickpeas, blue cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

When the pasta is cooked, drain and toss with a little olive oil, then add the sauce and stir to coat.

Serve hot.

Serves 4-6.

Turkey Pizza with Roasted Tomatoes and Blue Cheese

I seem to make a lot of pizza out of leftover turkey. Maybe it's because I just make a lot of pizza, maybe it's because it seems like a good way to transform it into something much less like Thanksgiving food. At any rate, here's another one - really delicious.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
2-3 oz. shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 cups chopped roasted tomatoes (thawed and drained if frozen)
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey
2 oz. crumbled or chopped blue cheese
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil.

Spread the mozzarella over the pizza crust. Strew with roasted tomatoes and turkey, then sprinkle with blue cheese. Sprinkle the shallot over everything, then add a little salt and pepper.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Buttermilk Blue Cheese Pasta with Arugula

There are several options for local blue cheeses - pick something moderately crumbly and flavorful but not extremely pungent (or just pick whatever you like best!). It pairs well with arugula's peppery flavor. If you want to give this dish more heft, toss in some cooked chicken or beans.

1 lb pasta of your choice
1 cup buttermilk
3-4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 lb arugula, washed and chopped
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces, lightly toasted

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. When done, drain and toss with a little canola oil.

While the pasta cooks, combine the buttermilk and blue cheese in the blender. Or, if you prefer, mash the cheese into the buttermilk with a fork for a chunkier consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When the pasta is done, immediately toss it with the arugula in a large bowl. The arugula should wilt partially to completely. Pour in the buttermilk sauce. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Serve hot, passing toasted walnuts at the table for topping.

Serves 4-6.

Pizza with Arugula, Blue Cheese, and Shallots

There don't seem to be that many blue cheeses available from Western Mass dairies, but there are several in Vermont producing a lovely array of cheeses, many of which are available at Green Fields Market. Local spinach, arugula, and salad greens are pretty consistently available now, too, thanks to local farmers making good use of unheated greenhouses. If you don't have a large stash of shallots like I do, substitute minced red onion or skip it altogether.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 lb arugula, coarsely chopped
2 oz. crumbled blue cheese
2-3 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Paint the pizza crust lightly with olive oil.

Spread the sauce over the crust, then sprinkle with minced shallot. Top with the raw chopped arugula, then spread the blue cheese over that. Top with mozzarella.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is done and the cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Ideas for Leftover Turkey

Most people, myself included, don't cook much turkey except at the holidays and thus don't have an army of recipes for the leftovers. Here are some ideas, when you get tired of pot pie and soup.

1. add turkey to a classic Waldorf salad
2. substitute turkey for beef in chili (use shredded turkey); turkey marries surprisingly well with Mexican and Southwestern flavors
3. pasta with cream sauce, turkey, and bacon or mushrooms
4. turkey quesadillas - turkey goes well with sharp cheddar and spice
5. turkey salad (a la chicken salad) with blue cheese and pears

Got some other good ideas? Share them in the comments!

Pizza with Parsnips and Blue Cheese

Well, dear readers, with all my travels it has been a thin month so far for recipes. But now I am home again and hopefully not going anywhere again for while. With that, here's a tasty new pizza.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
1-2 tsp butter
3-4 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced in thin rounds (woody cores removed if needed)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1-2 oz. crumbled local blue cheese of your choice
2-3 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet, then add the parsnips. Saute over medium heat, stirring frequently, until tender (7-10 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the tomato sauce over the pizza crust, then top with parsnips. Sprinkle with blue cheese, then top with mozzarella. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Polenta with Spinach, Leeks, and Blue Cheese

This weekend we are leaving for the holidays for two weeks, so my mission this week is to use up all perishable items in the fridge. Last night that meant the rest of the spinach and a lovely bunch of leeks, along with the last of some delicious Roquefort style cheese from Vermont.

olive oil
2-3 leeks
6-8 oz. spinach, stemmed and roughly torn
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 cup polenta or coarse corn meal
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1-2 oz. crumbled blue cheese
2-3 oz. shedded mozzarella

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet. Add the leeks and saute until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the spinach, in batches if necessary, and saute until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

While you cook the veggies, bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt, then whisk in the polenta and quickly lower the heat to a simmer. Switch to a spoon and continue stirring frequently until it thickens nicely. (I always do this with the lid over the pot to prevent burns from spitting polenta.)

Oil a 10-inch ovenproof skillet or similar pan, then spread the polenta in the bottom in an even layer. Top with the tomato sauce, then spread the leek and spinach mixture over it. Sprinkle with the blue cheese, then the mozzarella. Place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes, until cheese begins to brown.

Serve hot.

Serves 3-4.

Quiche with Dried Tomatoes and Blue or Goat Cheese

This quiche is similar to a recipe I posted in December, but even simpler and with more of a French flair than a Greek one. Use a fairly creamy blue cheese or a strongly flavored goat cheese. Plenty of local cheese choices, especially for the goat cheese. I used tomatoes from my garden that I dried last summer, which are a bit sweeter than dried tomatoes you typically buy.

1 9-inch pastry shell
1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup dried tomatoes
1/2-3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese
3 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375. Prick the pie crust in several places with a fork, then pre-bake for about 15 minutes (weight it down with pie weights if homemade).

Rehydrate the tomatoes by soaking in boiling water for several minutes. Drain and chop.

If using onions, saute in olive oil until translucent. Place onions (if using), tomatoes, and cheese in the bottom of the pie shell.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Add salt and pepper. Pour into the pie shell. Bake quiche for about 35 minutes, until cooked through.

Serves 3-4.

Winter Tomato Soup with Blue Cheese

I have been itching to try making a winter tomato soup from the tomatoes in my freezer. Here is what I came up with last night, made with the last of some Berkshire Blue cheese we had on hand.

5-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 1-qt bags frozen tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 chicken or veggie bouillon cubes
1/4 cup chopped or crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup orzo or other small pasta (optional)
1 1/2 cups milk (substitute cream for part of this if you like)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat some olive oil in a soup pot and saute the garlic for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and let simmer until cooked through. Add the bouillon cubes once they give up some of their liquid.

When the tomatoes are thoroughly cooked, puree them with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor). Add the cheese and stir until melted. Add the pasta, if using, and let the soup simmer until the pasta is cooked. Add milk, salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Serves 4-6.

Variations: You could take this in a variety of different directions. Skip the cheese and pasta and add a splash of lime juice and a couple cubes of cilantro from the freezer for a Mexican version. Use strongly flavored goat cheese in place of the blue and throw in some minced fresh rosemary or thyme. Try some feta in place of the blue cheese, and fresh mint (or frozen if you have it).

Pizza with Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, and Blue Cheese

Another use for leftover turkey!  Plus, of course, local sweet potatoes and cheese.  Some caramelized onions wouldn't go amiss here, though they would add an extra step in the preparation.

1 14-inch pizza crust

1/2 - 3/4 cup tomato sauce 

1 cup cooked sliced sweet potato

1 cup shredded cooked turkey

2-3 oz. crumbled blue cheese of your choice (Berkshire Blue, perhaps)

4-6 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Paint the unbaked pizza crust lightly with olive oil, using a pastry brush or your fingers (if using a pre-baked crust, no need).  Spread tomato sauce over the crust, then top with sweet potato, turkey, and blue cheese.  Sprinkle mozzarella over everything.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust is cooked and cheese starts to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Green Salad with Apples, Walnuts, and Blue Cheese

Farmers in the Valley will be growing lettuce and other greens in cold frames and hoop houses into at least December. The apple harvest is coming to an end, but local apples will be available for a good while yet. Combine them in this salad with some blue cheese from a local producer and add some nuts for a delicious fall salad.

6 cups torn lettuce or mixed salad greens
1 medium apple, preferably on the tart side
1 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted (or try pecans)
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese of your choice

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl. Top with salad dressing of your choice (a vinaigrette is good).

Serves 4-6.