Carrot and Celeriac Fried Rice with Tofu

Leftover rice + root vegetables + broiled tofu = delicious, quick, satisfying meal.  Toss a few cashews in at the end to jazz it up if you like. This is great with short grain  brown rice, which gives it extra substance. If you want more color, feel free to toss in some greens at the end.

1 lb firm or extra firm tofu, cubed

1/4 cup soy sauce, or more to taste

Canola oil

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 Tbsp grated ginger root

3 large carrots, peeled and shredded

1 large celeriac, peeled and shredded

3-4 cups cold leftover rice, preferably short grain brown rice

1/2-3/4 cup cashews (optional)

Preheat the broiler. Toss the tofu gently with the soy sauce, then spread in a single layer in a baking dish. Broil for 5 minutes, then flip the cubes and broil for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

While the tofu broils, heat some canola oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for about 1 minute, then add the carrots and celeric. Stir fry over medium-high heat until tender. Add a little soy sauce to keep it from sticking, if needed. Add the rice and stir well. Gently stir in the broiled tofu and whatever soy sauce is in the pan. Taste and add additional soy sauce if desired. Toss in the cashews if using.

Serves about 6.

Curried Beef with Root Vegetables and Spinach

This is one of those dishes that's even better the next day. Hearty and flavorful, chock full of vegetables, it's perfect for a cold November evening. Serve this over brown rice.

Canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp grated or minced ginger root
2-3 tsp garam masala
1 lb ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, diced
Beef stock
1/3 lb spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp corn starch for thickening (optional)

Heat a little canola oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground beef and brown thoroughly, then stir in the garam masala. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir well. Add carrots and potatoes, then add just enough beef stock to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted.

If desired, stir together thee corn starch and about 1/3 cup of the broth from the stew, then stir the paste back into the stew and simmer until it thickens to the desired consistency.

Serve stew over rice, preferably brown.

Serves 4-6.

Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

We picked the very last of the tomatoes before the first freeze a week and a half ago. With a bowl of cherry tomatoes sitting on the counter, it was time to put them to use. These are great with pasta or on pizza.

Cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Dried basil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread the cherry tomatoes in a single layer in a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a bit of dried basil. Toss to coat the tomatoes all over, then return them to their single layer.

Roast for 25-35 minutes, until the tomatoes have split open and turned appealingly wrinkled and excess liquid has evaporated - but not to the point where they become glued to the pan.

Cream-Braised Brussels Sprouts and White Beans

If you are a Brussels sprouts skeptic, or there's one in your family, this is a good point of entry (I speak from experience, both my own and that of my six-year-old who came back for thirds), especially now that we've had a few good frosts and the sprouts are at their best. This is an adaptation from Julia Child in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The good health points from the sprouts may well be totally counter-weighted by the cream, but it sure is delicious.

1 quart Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

If your sprouts are large, cut them in half. Otherwise, use them whole.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Salt generously, then cook the Brussels sprouts at a vigorous simmer for about 8 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the sprouts.

In a small skillet or medium saucepan, melt the butter then add the sprouts. Saute for 1-2 minutes, then add the beans and the cream. Simmer until the cream thickens somewhat and the beans and sprouts are nicely permeated with it. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot.

Serves about 4.

Pureed Lentil Soup with Roasted Red Peppers and Fennel

This is a warming, hearty soup, and the flavor of the roasted red peppers really comes through in every bite. If you want a version that's less brown, try red lentils (they also cook faster, but don't have quite the same comforting heartiness of their brown cousins).

2 cups brown lentils
7-8 cups beef stock and/or water
Olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, cored and chopped
5-6 ounces roasted red peppers, chopped (~3 medium peppers)
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Place the lentils in a soup pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.

While the lentils cook, heat a little olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the garlic, onion, and fennel, and saute over medium heat, stirring frequently, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted roasted red pepper and set aside.

When the lentils are tender, stir in the vegetable mixture and the red wine vinegar. Puree using an immersion blender or carefully do it in batches in a regular blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6.

Variation: Substitute red lentils, chicken or vegetable stock, and white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar for a lighter texture and flavor.

Drying Apples and Asian Pears

I love drying fruit at home - it's easy, and the flavor is like nothing you've ever tasted in dried fruit from the store.

Our little Asian pear tree, planted a few years ago, produced its first harvest of any size this year. The pears are delicious fresh, but we had a few more than we could eat before they would start to get soft and lose their flavor, so I wanted to try drying them. To get a full dehydrator load, I added some apples - they can be prepared the same way and take roughly the same amount of drying time (the apples dried slightly faster than the pears).

If you've never had an Asian pear, they look a bit like apples - rounder than the classic European pear we mostly see around here - and they are crisp rather than soft. The skin is edible but usually a bit tough, so it's best to peel them for eating.

For both apples and Asian pears, the way to prepare them for drying is to peel, core and slice to about 1/4-inch thick. The easiest way I have found to do this is using an apple machine - you can find these at many stores with kitchen supplies (around here, Wilson's and also the Farmers Coop, among others) - that peels, slices, and cores all at once.

Spread the fruit out in a single layer on the dryer trays and dry for 6-8 hours (maybe slightly longer for the pears), until the fruit is completely dry but still pliable.

Orzo with Leeks

Many types of leeks are quite cold hardy, and they linger happily in the garden after many other things are done. Mine have fattened up nicely, begging to have their delectable flavor added to all sorts of all dishes. This one is a simple side that showcases the flavor of the leeks. The parsley and lemon juice are a nice addition but this is quite excellent with just the leeks and orzo.

 8 oz dry orzo
Olive oil
2 fat leeks, well chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1/2 - 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Cook the orzo in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente, then drain and toss with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking.

While the orzo cooks, heat a little olive oil in a skillet and saute the leeks over medium high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir the leeks into the orzo, then add salt and pepper to taste along with the parsley and lemon juice if using. Serve warm.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.