Vegetable Risotto

Hearty and creamy. Feel free to add whatever vegetables you like. For mine I used fennel, asparagus, peas, red pepper and mushrooms.

Recipe

2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 c. Arborio rice
32 oz. vegetable stock
2/3 c. chopped fennel bulb
5 asparagus spears, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 c. frozen peas
1 red pepper, peeled (peel with a vegetable peeler), seeded and chopped
5 large mushrooms cut into 1/4" thick strips
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan
2 T. butter

Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the onion and sauté for 1 minute. Add the rice, stir well, then stir in 2-1/2 c. of the stock. Cook for 12 minutes, covered, over medium heat – stir 2 or 3 times otherwise the rice will stick to the bottom of the pan. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the stock has been absorbed.

Add the fennel, along with another cup of the stock and cook, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Add the remainder of the vegetables, the remaining stock and the salt and cook, uncovered for another 5-10 minutes, stirring until the mixture is creamy and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat, stir in the cheese and butter and serve immediately. Top with more grated parmesan.

– adapted from Jacques Pépin, "Essential Pepin"

Stuffed Artichoke Hearts

An elegant start to any meal. You can trim a whole artichoke to get at the heart, or buy frozen artichoke bottoms at any Mediterranean market. The cooking method is the same whether fresh or frozen (no need to thaw the frozen artichoke bottoms). I served as a first course to a grilled New York steak with lemon-thyme butter and vegetable risotto.

Recipe

2 T. butter
2 c. chopped mushrooms (1/2" pieces)
1 T. cognac
2/3 c. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 T. chopped mixed fresh tarragon and parsley
1/2 tsp. potato starch dissolved in 1 T. cold water
6 artichoke hearts (bottoms)
2 T. freshly ground parmesan (or pecorino romano)

Cook the artichoke hearts (bottoms) in 4 c. water, 2 T. olive oil, 2 T. fresh lemon juice and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 35-40 minutes until hearts are tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from heat, drain and arrange on a baking sheet.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add the cognac and cook for 30 seconds (you can flame it, or not). Add 1/4 c. of the cream, salt, pepper and herbs and bring to a boil. Add the dissolved potato starch, mix well and boil to thicken. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the broiler.

Whip the remaining cream until stiff and rapidly fold into the mushroom mixture; immediately fill the artichoke bottoms and sprinkle with the cheese. Put under the broiler for 2 minutes or until browned.

– Jacques Pépin, "Essential Pepin"

Asparagus with Mustard Sauce

The mustard sauce adds a bite to the smooth taste of asparagus. Best when served immediately after cooking the asparagus, while it's still warm. The sauce can be made ahead of time - cover and keep refrigerated until serving time.

Recipe

2 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1-1/4 lbs. asparagus
salt
1 T. minced fresh chives for garnish

MUSTARD SAUCE
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. water
1 T. red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the hard boiled eggs, one at a time, in an egg slicer. Cut through them, then rotate 45-degrees in the slicer and cut through them again to create strips. If you don't have an egg slicer, chop with a sharp knife. Set aside.

If your asparagus are thick, peel the lower third with a vegetable peeler and snap off the ends, otherwise cut off the tough bottom part of the stalks. In a large saucepan, bring 3 c. salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus in one layer, cover partially and bring back to a boil; cook for 3-5 minutes (depending on thickness of the asparagus) until tender but still firm. Remove from the pan with a slotted spatula and put on a platter.

For the sauce put all the ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

At serving time, arrange the spears so the bottoms are close together and the tips are fanned out. Coat the lower third of the asparagus spears with the sauce and sprinkle the eggs and chives over and around them.

– Jacques Pepin, "More Fast Food My Way"

Cucumber Mint Raita

A very refreshing yogurt-cucumber-mint mixture, this is a perfect complement to Chicken Tikka Masala. It would also go well with grilled lamb, chicken, or salmon, or as a dip with pita bread.

Recipe

1/2 large English cucumber (unpeeled), halved, seeded, and coarsely grated
1 c. plain yogurt
3 T. chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Wrap the grated cucumber in a kitchen towel and squeeze dry. In a medium bowl whisk the yogurt, mint, cumin, and cayenne to blend. Add the cucumbers and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Makes about 2 cups.

Stuffed Summer Tomatoes

This is the perfect recipe for summer tomatoes, stuffed with zucchini and mushrooms. It's still too hot to turn on the oven. I'd rather have a cool salad of refreshing vegetables anyway! It was surprisingly easy to transport – stuff and store stuffing side up in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Recipe

4 firm tomatoes
1-1/4 c. diced (1/4-inch) white mushrooms
1-1/4 c. diced (1/4-inch) zucchini
1/3 c. chopped red onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. diced (1/4-inch) baguette
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 T. olive oil
2 tsp. red wine vinegar

GARNISHES:
1/3 c. diced red onion
1/3 c. diced kalamata olives (or 16 pitted olives)
crumbled feta cheese
olive oil
Fleur de sel or coarse salt
4 sprigs fresh basil

Put the tomatoes in boiling water for 45 seconds, drain, and peel off the skin. Cut about a 1/4-inch slice from the stem end of each tomato and dice those slices for garnish.

Hollow out the tomatoes, removing the flesh, seeds and juice, which I did very carefully because the tomatoes I used were fairly ripe and not hard, so be careful! A serrated spoon would have worked well I think.

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. Spread the diced mushrooms and zucchini on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 3-4 minutes to sweat and soften (I assume you could use a microwave for this step but I don't own one!). Transfer the softened veggies to a bowl and stir in the onion, garlic, walnuts, bread, salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar. Mix well and spoon the stuffing into the hollowed out tomatoes. Refrigerate, stuffing side up, until ready to serve.

To serve, place the tomatoes stuffed side down on the plate and scatter the reserved diced tomatoes and garnishes around the plate and sprinkle with the olive oil and fleur de sel. Poke a tiny hole in the top of the tomato (I used a toothpick) and insert a basil sprig, and serve.

– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"

Mini Savory Cheesecakes on Arugula

A perfect light lunch or dinner first course for four, these blue cheese mini cheesecakes are rich, elegant and tasty. Depending on the saltiness of your cheese you may want to omit the salt in the recipe. The little gems are set on a bed of lightly dressed arugula (1 T. olive oil, 1 tsp. red wine or balsamic vinegar, dash of ground pepper). I served these as a first course to my pecan crusted razor clams with a nice glass of Penner-Ash 2012 Shea Pinot Noir.

Yet another Jacques Pépin recipe from "More Fast Food My Way," you can watch his video located here. 

Recipe

2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 slice bread, cut in cubes and put in food processor
8 oz. whipped cream cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 c. sour cream (I didn't have any so I used plain yogurt)
dash of salt and 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese
3 cups arugula

Coat four 3/4 c. ramekins generously with the butter and bread crumbs. Mix the cream cheese in a medium bowl and add the eggs, sour cream, salt and pepper, most of the blue cheese (saving 4 chunks for later), and 1 T. of the parsley. Mix well with a whisk and pour into the souffle molds. Push one little chunk of blue cheese into the middle of the mold, and top with the remaining tablespoon of parsley. Put on a baking sheet and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before unmolding. Unmold in your hand and turn it over so it's right side up, and place on a bed of arugula.

– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"