Posts Tagged hazelnut

The Northwest’s Best Stuffing with Chanterelles, Hazelnuts, and Sage

Aside from the turkey, I’d argue that stuffing is the most important Thanksgiving dish. Stuffing is an absolute classic. Never mind the fact that we don’t actually stuff the turkey with stuffing anymore (it’s a health risk!), this classic still has it’s place on the Thanksgiving table.

I’ll admit, however, that I’m not crazy about the classic all-American Stouffer’s stuffing. I prefer a rustic, bread-pudding-esque stuffing. I like stuffing with flavor and texture and contrast. Stuffing should not be a lump of mushy bread, rather, a good stuffing is moist, rich, and perfectly crisp and brown along the edges.

This particular stuffing recipe highlights some of Oregon’s finest ingredients: chanterelles and hazelnuts. We are nearing the end of chanterelle season in Oregon, so I wanted to create a stuffing that highlighted these wonderful mushrooms. The chanterelles add a buttery richness to the stuffing, and the hazelnuts lend a delicious and nutty crunch. This stuffing is simple, elegant, and seasonal. If I may say so, I think it would make a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving table.

Lastly, tune in this Sunday, November 24th, to KPAM 860 for Missy Maki’s Ultimate Oregon Thanksgiving Show! I’ll be on air – along with a group of fantastic food bloggers – and we’ll be talking about our Ultimate Oregon Thanksgiving recipes (including this recipe). It’s going to be a blast, so be sure to listen in!

Northwest Stuffing with Chanterelles and Hazelnuts

The Northwest’s Best Stuffing with Chanterelles, Hazelnuts, and Sage

Serving Size: 8-10

Ingredients

  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
  • 3 shallots, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 3/4 pound chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
  • 1⁄2 cup white wine
  • 1 cup (or more) chicken stock
  • 8 cups cubed brioche bread (can substitute high quality white or sourdough bread)
  • 2 tablespoons sage leaves, minced
  • 3⁄4 cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1.5 cups heavy cream
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Can be done ahead of time: To make stuffing, you’ll need dry/stale bread cubes. If you’re working with fresh bread, you’ll need to manually dry out the bread cubes. To do this, arrange the cubes on baking sheets in a single layer. Bake in a 300 degree oven, tossing occasionally, until the bread is crunchy and golden brown (about 15 minutes).
  2. To make the stuffing: Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
  3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, onion, and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the mushrooms and 1 tsp of thyme. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the liquid has evaporated. Add in the white wine and continue to cook, until the liquid has mostly reduced. Add in 1/2 cup of stock and cook until there is very little liquid left in the pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside until use.
  4. In a large bowl, toss together the bread cubes, hazelnuts, sage, thyme, and sauteed mushrooms. In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, eggs, and remaining chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the cream mixture over the bread mixture and toss to coat. Spread the stuffing into the prepared pan. If the mixture seems dry (it should be moist), pour a bit of chicken stock over the top of the stuffing. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes

Recipe adapted from NY Magazine

http://rosemarried.co/2013/11/20/northwests-best-stuffing-with-chanterelles/

Farro and Asparagus Salad with Goat Cheese and Lemon

I’ve been in a fog for nearly a week now. My nose is stuffed up, my throat is sore, and my head aches. I’m not sure if this is a cold, a sinus infection, allergies, or a combination of all three. Whatever it is, it isn’t particularly enjoyable.

I’ve had the hardest time writing this post, simply because food simply doesn’t sound good. I can’t taste anything and I can’t smell anything. It’s all a little bit pathetic.

I made this salad before I got sick — back in the good ole days when I could taste and smell and enjoy. It was bright and lemony and full of the flavors of spring. It was lovely.

I’m sure I’ll feel better in no time, and that food will taste good again. For now, I’ll have to live vicariously through all of you. If you happen to make this dish, I just ask that you take a moment and savor it.

Enjoy the flavors of spring for me, please. :)

Farro and Asparagus Salad with Goat Cheese and Lemon

Serving Size: 4 as a

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked farro
  • 1 pound asparagus
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
  • 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup (or more) hazelnut or olive oil
  • The juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1.5 teaspoons minced chives
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. First, cook the asparagus. Bring a medium or large pot of water to a boil. While the water is heating, trim the woody ends off the asparagus. Cut asparagus into 1″-2″ pieces. When the water comes to a boil, place asparagus pieces in the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from boiling water and plunge into an ice bath (or rinse with cold water). Drain asparagus, pat dry, and set aside.
  2. To make the dressing — mix together lemon juice, olive oil (or hazelnut oil), chives, salt, and pepper. Toss the farro, asparagus, and hazelnuts together in a shallow bowl. Pour dressing over the farro mixture, and stir to coat. Gently stir in goat cheese crumbles and lemon zest. Taste, and adjust seasonings if needed.

Notes

Adapted from The Kitchn

http://rosemarried.co/2013/05/25/farro-and-asparagus-salad-with-goat-cheese-and-lemon/

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnut Romesco

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and yet I find myself thinking about what it means to be truly thankful.

It’s just so easy to get bogged down in the details of everyday life, to get lost in the mundane. I get too caught up in it all.

And I just need to stop. I need to take a deep breath and look around me.

I have so much.

I have been given so much.

I need to work on being grateful for all that I have, and all that I’ve been given.

I need to work on being content.

Thanksgiving is a good starting point, a day dedicated to feasting and family and thankfulness. It is a wonderful reminder that I am really, truly blessed.

As I enter the holiday season, I want to retain a spirit of gratitude. I can’t say it will be easy, but I’m going to do my best.

In any case, I hope that your Thanksgiving was lovely. (I cannot believe it was a week ago! Where did the time go?) I made these Brussels sprouts as part of our Thanksgiving meal and thought I should share them with you all.

(They are so good, it’s a little bit silly.)

Enjoy!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnut Romesco

Ingredients

  • 1-2 lbs Brussels sprouts
  • Olive oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 2 Red bell peppers
  • 2 dried Ancho chilies or 1 tsp Ancho chili powder
  • 3/4 cups roasted hazelnuts
  • 1.5 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 piece of crusty white bread
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400F. Lightly grease a baking sheet (or line it with foil or a Silpat).
  2. Remove the outer leaves of the sprouts. With a sharp knife, cut off the bottom of the sprouts (the ‘stem’) and slice each in half.
  3. In a small bowl, toss the sliced sprouts with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  4. Once the sprouts are lightly coated, spread in an even layer on the baking sheet.Roast sprouts in the oven until lightly browned and fork tender (but still slightly firm!), about 15-20 minutes.
  5. To make the romesco sauce: Cut crust off bread and brush with olive oil. Either toast in the oven or in a skillet until golden brown and crisp.
  6. *If you decided to make/use ancho chili paste as opposed to chili powder, please do the following: To make paste, pour boiling water over 2 dried ancho chili pods. Allow to soak in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Remove pods from water and puree, adding a little extra water to make a paste.
  7. In a food processor, combine hazelnuts, garlic, toasted bread, salt, and spices. Mix until a dry paste forms. Add chili paste, roasted red peppers, tomato paste, vinegar, and olive oil until a smooth paste forms. Add extra olive oil if you would like a thinner consistency. Taste and adjust spices as needed.
  8. The romesco sauce can be made a day or two ahead of time and stored for later use. Romesco is best enjoyed at room temperature.
  9. Once the Brussels sprouts are roasted, serve while warm with a healthy dollop of romesco sauce. You could also toss your Brussels sprouts in the romesco sauce!
  10. Enjoy.

http://rosemarried.co/2012/11/28/roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-hazelnut-romesco/

Hazelnut and Dried Cherry Biscotti with Orange and Cardamom

It feels good to sit down.

I’m taking a minute for myself. Elf is playing on the television, my (turquoise-themed) Christmas tree is twinkling in the background, and my cat is snuggled up next to me. It’s been a busy month, and I’ve not had many moments to myself recently. I blinked, and before I knew it my December schedule was filled with meetings, holiday parties, food swaps, catering gigs, meetings, baking, cooking, crafting, and so much more.

To be honest, I sort of love the hustle and bustle of it all. I’m the queen of overcommitment and I’m always busy, busy, busy. But, that gets old quickly. In fact, it’s downright exhausting. I have to remind myself to slow down, and to take things one day at a time. I desperately want to enjoy this holiday season, and the only obstacle standing in the way of a peaceful and restful holiday is me.

But, I’m working on it. Baby steps. Tonight, I snuggled with my cat and watched Elf and all felt right.

And the cherry hazelnut biscotti? They were part of my holiday stress-reducing plan. I needed something to bring to the PDX Winter Food Swap and I needed a treat to bring to a holiday party. So I made a double batch of biscotti and I killed two birds with one stone. The biscotti were an absolute hit at each event (i.e. they disappeared quickly), they were easy to make, and they crossed two things off my to-do list. Huzzah!

I’d like to say thank you (yet again) to my sister, Danielle, for baking with me. We baked the biscotti together while her baby and my bunny played together on the kitchen floor (and made a giant – but adorable – mess). Baking is so much better with company (if I do say so myself)…

DRIED CHERRY & HAZELNUT BISCOTTI (WITH ORANGE AND CARDAMOM)
Adapted from Williams Sonoma

Note: This recipe could easily be adapted to include various dried fruits and nuts (cranberries, blueberries, dates, pistachios, almonds, pecans, etc), I just used what I had on hand. And, of course, I decided to dip each biscotti in dark chocolate…because it seemed like the right thing to do.

Ingredients:
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried bing cherries, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
12 oz. (1 bag) dark chocolate chips (I used extra dark, 60% cacao from Ghiradelli)

Method:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat butter on high speedy, until fluffy (1-2 minutes). Add in the sugar, and continue beating until well combined. Reduce the speed to low, and add in the eggs one at a time. Mix until blended, and then mix in the vanilla.

In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat on low speed or stir with a wooden spoon just until incorporated. Gently stir in the hazelnuts, cherries and orange zest until evenly distributed. The dough should be very soft.

Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface and divide in half. With well-floured hands, transfer one-half onto one side of the lined baking sheet and shape into a log about 12″ long and 1.5 inches wide. Repeat with the remaining dough on the other side of the sheet, leaving at least 4 inches between the logs.

Bake the biscotti until the edges are golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Gently (and carefully) transfer the biscotti “logs” to a flat surface. Using a serrated knife, cut off slices of biscotti (1/2 inch wide). Place biscotti pieces on the baking sheet (on their side) and bake for 10 minutes more, or until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire racks.

Optional: Once the cookies have cooled, melt the chocolate chips, using a double boiler. (You could always try the microwave to melt the chocolate, but you can easily overcook the chocolate and then it becomes gritty and gross. I prefer the double boiler method.) Dip each biscotti in the chocolate, coating 1/4 to 1/2 of the cookie (I just like to coat the tip of the biscotti, so I dip it 1/4 of the way in the chocolate). Carefully place each biscotti on a piece of parchment or wax paper, and allow to cool.

Store biscotti in an airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen biscotti.

A photo of my biscotti at the PDX Winter Handmade Food Swap

Radish Leaf Pesto Pasta Salad

For whatever reason, I’ve had a really hard time writing this post.

It definitely isn’t due to lack of effort. Quite the contrary, I’ve sat down to write this post many, many times. But every time I turn on my computer and attempt to write about this radish leaf pesto…I simply draw a blank. I try to will my brain to come up with the words, but my brain keeps telling me that it would rather look at pretty things on Pinterest. Apparently, I can’t will my own brain into submission.

All that to say, it would appear that I’ve got a case of writer’s block. It happens to the best of us. I think that I’ve had a hard time writing this recipe because, well, it isn’t really a recipe. Pesto is one of my favorite things to make, for this very reason. There isn’t any one right way to make it, and there are no hard and fast rules for pesto-making. Pesto can take on many different forms, depending on the mood and ingredients at hand. The very freedom I feel in making pesto is the very thing that makes it so hard to write about.

Since I’m having trouble finding the words, I’ll just say this: pesto = greens + garlic + hard cheese + nuts.

It’s as simple as that. To be clear, pesto is traditionally made with basil and pine nuts. But by no means am I traditional, and therefore my pesto tends to skew the same way. Depending upon what I find in my fridge, I’ll make pesto with any combination of the following ingredients: parmesan, pine nuts, hazelnuts, arugula, cilantro, asiago, beet greens, basil, mint, parsley, pecorino romano, almonds, walnuts, and more. There are countless ways to make pesto, it all just depends on what you like (or what you have on hand).

Seeing as this is the season for all things green, I find myself making pesto all the time. My garden and fridge are currently overflowing with leafy greens, and as much as my bunny would love to devour all my extra greens, I usually break his little heart and make a giant batch of pesto instead. Pesto is a fantastic way to reduce waste and use greens before they go bad, and pesto can easily be frozen and then thawed for later use. It just might be the perfect food.

However, in all of my years of pesto-making, it had never dawned on me to use radish leaves. In fact, I’m rather embarassed to admit that it had never occurred to me that you can eat radish leaves (On the same note, I recently saw a recipe for pesto using carrot greens. Genius!). I give all credit for this idea to Portland’s own Chef Vitaly Paley, who recently competed against Chef Garces on Iron Chef America’s “Battle Radish”. During the battle, Chef Paley whipped up many amazing things, including a radish leaf pesto. Even the usually unflappable Iron Chef judges were amazed by his use of radish leaf. It was such an inventive way to use the entire vegetable, as opposed to just throwing the greens away. Chef Paley made all us Portlanders proud! (Note: Chef Paley also won Battle Radish)

It goes without saying that the next time I bought radishes from the farmer’s market, I came straight home and made a batch of radish leaf pesto. It was everything I hoped it would be! The radish leaves lend a little kick of spice to the pesto, and they give it an especially vibrant bright green color. Honestly, I’ll never look at radishes (or their leaves) the same way again. They are a versatile and delicious little vegetable.

(And would you look at that? I see a lot of words on this here page. Maybe I don’t have writer’s block after all!)

RADISH LEAF AND HAZELNUT PESTO PASTA SALAD

Note: When I make pesto, I don’t measure anything. I usually start by throwing a few cloves of garlic in the food processor. Then, I’ll add greens and nuts. Then olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a few red pepper flakes. I keep blending and adding olive oil and/or lemon juice, until the pesto looks right to me. I happen to like a nice, thick pesto that isn’t too heavy on the olive oil. The following measurements are a set of rough guidelines, so feel free to alter the amounts in any way you see fit.

For the radish leaf pesto:
1 large bunch of radish leaves, washed and patted dry (radishes set aside for use in pasta salad)
3 heads of green garlic (or 3 cloves of normal garlic)
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 – 1/2 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Dash of red chili flakes
1 large handful of fresh basil leaves* (or any other leafy green you have on hand)

*Note: I was making a rather large batch of pesto, so one bunch of radish leaves wasn’t going to cut it, hence why I added in basil. You could easily double the amount of radish leaves for a larger batch, but I only had the one bunch on hand.

Method: Mince garlic using a food processor. Add in nuts, radish leaves, basil, and lemon juice. Blend until combined. Add olive oil in small amounts, until you reach desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper, chili flakes, and extra lemon juice (if so desired). If not using immediately, refrigerate until use.

For the pasta salad:
1 small bunch of asparagus
1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan cheese
1 lb fresh pasta of your choosing
1/2 cup low fat Greek yogurt
1/2 – 1 cup radish leaf pesto
1 cup baby arugula
Radishes, washed and sliced thinly

Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta water and set pasta aside to cool.

Snap the ends off the asparagus. Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath. When the pot of water is boiling, add asparagus. Allow the asparagus to cook for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove the asparagus from the boiling water and immediately plunge into the ice bath. Once the asparagus has cooled (a few minutes), remove it from the ice bath and cut into 1″ pieces.

Toss cooled pasta with a drizzle of olive oil. Stir together pesto and Greek yogurt, then toss yogurt and pesto mixture with the pasta. Gently stir in parmesan cheese, sliced radishes, asparagus and arugula. Allow to chill at least 20 minutes before serving, as this will allow the flavors to meld.

blood orange, escarole & hazelnut salad

Oftentimes I find that the best dishes aren’t the ones that are carefully planned out. Rather, the perfect dishes are haphazardly thrown together at the last minute. This is one of those dishes.

A few nights ago, Nich and I decided we were going to stay in, make a fabulous dinner, and watch a movie. We knew that we wanted to make risotto for dinner (more on that in my next post), but I wasn’t sure what to make alongside it. Risotto is so rich and delicious, so I wanted to pair it with something fresh and vibrant.

So, as we meandered about Pastaworks gathering supplies for our dinner, I decided to let the produce do the talking. I was thrilled to see that they had a good selection blood oranges onhand. I happen to looooooove blood oranges. So much so, that I might go out on a limb and say that they are the sexiest of all fruits (and they are in season!). In addition to the blood oranges, I picked up a head of escarole (a bitter green in the endive/frisee family) and knew that I had the beginnings of a killer salad.

With such fabulous base ingredients, I didn’t need to add much to make this salad sing. I decided to toss the escarole and blood orange segments with toasted hazelnuts and fresh grated parmesean, along with a blood orange vinaigrette. It was perfect (if I do say so myself). Each ingredient stood out on its own, while complimenting the salad as a whole. And, if you’ll excuse me while I pat myself on the back a bit more – I was also really pleased with the blood orange vinaigrette that I “invented”. Since I got all fancy and segmented the blood oranges, I was left with the peel and ‘innards’. I was struck by the gorgeous blood red color, and decided to do something about it. I soaked the orange peel and innards in olive oil for awhile, then macerated the orange bits and strained out the oil. What I was left with was essentially a blood orange infused olive oil – and it was every bit as tasty as it was pretty! I then made a relatively standard vinaigrette (with garlic, vinegar, s&p…) using the infused olive oil. It was magical.

I will now sign off and simply urge you to make this simple and seasonal salad. Come on now, try the magic out for yourself. ;)

BLOOD ORANGE, ESCAROLE & HAZELNUT SALAD

Salad:
1 head of escarole, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces. (Frisee or any other bitter salad greens would work just as well)
2 small blood oranges, peeled & segmented (*if you want to be fancy like me and make proper “suprêmes”, The Kitchn has a handy little tutorial.)
1/2 cup whole hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Blood orange vinaigrette:
1/2 cup good quality olive oil
Rinds & trimmings from the segmented blood oranges
1 small shallot, finely minced
1-2 tsps pomegranate or red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
Soak the blood orange rind and peel in 1/2 cup (or more) of good quality olive oil. Let stand for 30+ minutes. After the mixture has had time to sit, macerate the orange (with the end of a wooden spoon, a mojito muddler, a potato masher – whatever you can find to beat up the orange bits and get them to release flavor!). Strain out the oil, using cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve.

Combine oil with minced shallot, vinegar, and salt and pepper (to taste). (Hint: The longer you let the vinaigrette sit before you use it, the better it will taste!)

Toss escarole, hazelnuts, and blood orange segments together with the vinaigrette. Grate fresh parmesan over the salad and gently toss. Serve immediately (and of course, enjoy!).