Chocolate Crinkles

from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

5 1/2 Tbs butter
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup brewed coffee, cooled
1 3/4 cups spelt flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 cups chocolate chips

2/3 cup powdered sugar for dusting


Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, soda and salt. Beat in the egg and coffee, scraping the bowl, then stir in the flour, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough overnight.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets. Place powdered sugar in a bag. Drop dough into powdered sugar by the tablespoon and shake to coat. Place coated balls of dough on cookie sheets and bake for 11 min, or until set around the edges and still soft in the middle. Remove from oven and loosen cookies on sheetwithout lifting after 10 min. allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet.

These cookies are delicate and may not travel well.

Curried Couscous

time: 15 min
servings: 4
skill level: easy

1 ½ cups couscous
3 cups chicken stock
1 Tbs curry powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
½ cup raisins
3-4 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted

Bring everything except for the cilantro and almonds to a boil in a large pot. Cover, remove from heat and let sit for 10 min. Add cilantro and almonds, fluff with a fork.

Ravioli with Sweet Potatoes, Mustard Greens and Country Ham

for the dough
1.75-2 cups all-purpose flour (or you can go up to half whole wheat)
2 extra large eggs
1/2 tsp olive oil
water as needed

for the filling
1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 Tbs sliced chives
1/2 Tbs chopped parsley

the rest
1 cup coarsely chopped mustard greens (or kale, chard, etc)
1 Tbs bacon fat or olive oil
1 ounce country ham or prosciutto, cut into strips
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving


Mound flour on a large wooden board or marble slab to forma peak with a well in the center. Place eggs and oil in the well and, using a fork, mix them together, gradually bringing in a little flour from the sides. Continue adding flour gradually until the dough comes together and the flour is incorporated. Add water by wetting your hands, as needed, to get a workable dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, 5-7 min- it will still be a little sticky. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30-60 min.

Combine potatoes. ricotta and herbs in a bowl, stirring well to blend.

Remove dough from fridge and divide into 4 equal portions. Roll the dough out very thin, using a pasta machine or a rolling pin. Cut the dough into 4" squares and fill place 1 tsp of filling on each. wet the edges of the square adn fold over, pressing seams closed firmly.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a skillet, heat 1 Tbs of bacon fat or oil. Add chopped greens and ham and cook just until the greens wilt. Remove from heat.

Cook ravioli in salted water, drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water. Return ravioli and water to the pot. Add the butter, the greens mix, salt, pepper and cheese. Toss until butter is melted. Serve with extra cheese.

Serves 6.

Note: you can freeze the uncooked ravioli by putting them in a single layer on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Once frozen, transfer to a container for storage. Cook, without thawing, as directed above.

Derby Pie

A Kentucky classic...


2 deep dish or 3 regular pie crusts, unbaked and in pie plates (a shortbread crust is ultra-decadent)

Filling:
10 oz chocolate, melted (bittersweet or dark)
6 large eggs
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup bourbon (such as Maker's Mark)
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 cups (about 16 ounces) walnut halves, coarsely chopped and toasted


Preheat oven to 350.

Melt chocolate and spread in the bottom of the prepared pie crusts.

Whisk eggs in large bowl. Whisk in both sugars, then next 5 ingredients. Stir in walnuts. Divide filling into prepared crusts.

Bake pies until filling is puffed and just set in center (filling may begin to crack), about 55 minutes. Cool pies completely on rack.

Store at room temperature for a day, in the fridge for a few days or freeze for a couple of months. Serve at room temperature or warmed.

Pimento Cheese

12 oz whipped cream cheese
4 oz cheddar cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
4 oz pimentos, drained
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Crackers, for serving

Process cream cheese, cheddar, pimentos, and Tabasco in a food processor until coarsely pureed. Transfer to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with crackers.

Makes 3 cups.

{From Martha Stewart}

Barbecued Pork and Apple Kababs

1/2 cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grill
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds (about 1 1/2 inches each) pork tenderloin, halved lengthwise and cut into 16 cubes
1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
Heat grill to medium-high. Make the sauce: In a large bowl, combine jam, vinegar, tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Assemble 4 long skewers, alternating 4 pork cubes with 2 onion wedges and 2 apple wedges on each (begin with pork and end with apple). Roll skewers in remaining tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Lightly oil grates. Place skewers on grill; cover grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until grill marks are visible, 6 to 8 minutes.

Open grill; baste skewers with some sauce, and cook, turning skewers and basting occasionally with more sauce, until pork is no longer pink in the center and is nicely glazed, 4 to 8 minutes more.

Serves 4.

{From Martha Stewart}

Broccoli Crunch

4 -5 cups tiny broccoli florets (and chopped stalks if you like)

1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup almond butter
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water

2 small crisp apples, cut into bit-sized pieces (if you aren't going to use the apples immediately, let them sit in a bowl of water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup toasted or candied walnuts or almonds
1/3 cup pan-fried crunchy shallots *(see note)
chives (optional)

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt as you would pasta water. Boil the broccoli just long enough to take the raw edge of - 10 or 15 seconds. Drain and immerse it in cold water (or let cold water run over it). At this point, I like to spin the broccoli in a salad spinner to get the water off, but a few good knocks against the sink in a strainer can do the trick pretty well. Set aside.

Make the dressing by sprinkling the salt over the clove of garlic. Smash the clove and chop, smash and chop - turning it into a paste. In a small bowl whisk the salty garlic paste with the almond butter, lemon juice, honey and olive oil. Add the hot water and whisk until light and creamy. Taste, make any adjustments and set aside.

In a large bowl gently toss the broccoli, apples, red onion, most of the shallots and nuts with a generous drizzle of the almond dressing. Turn out onto a platter and finish with the rest of the shallots and chives if you like. Serve family style.

Serves 4.

*Stir together the shallots, a splash of clarified butter (or olive oil) and big pinch of salt In a large skillet over medium heat. Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about fifteen minutes. Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn), and if needed turn down the heat. Remove from skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer where they will crisp up a bit.

{From 101 Cookbooks}