Yummy Supper : autumn

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MASSAGED KALE WITH POMEGRANATE, PERSIMMON, AND PISTACHIO

I LOVE this salad! I know. I know. Some of you glance a kale recipe and roll your eyes. I get it, we've seen A LOT of kale action over these past few years, but the truth is I'm not done with kale (and I have a feeling I'm not the only diehard fan out there). Plus this salad is so darned good I had to share it here today, even kale skeptics could fall for this one.

If you haven't massaged kale before, really, you should give it a go. Massaging dressing into the leaves transforms hearty, fibrous kale into green goodness that's almost unrecognizably silky and tender (plus you get a little workout). For me, raw kale is totally unpalatable, but massaged kale is heavenly - it's a totally different beast - and a delicious beast at that.

The base recipe for this salad (one of my favorite recipes in my cookbook) is always the same - I think the secret to the dressing lies in the splash of maple syrup, which brings a sweetness that tempers the kale's bitter bite. After dressing the leaves, I always add a few layers of texture, flavor and color. I like pistachios here for crunch (and I think toasted hazelnuts or marcona almonds would be equally delish). In my book, I call for kumquats and dried cranberries, but this time of year I can't resist tossing in my two seasonal obsessions of the moment - pomegranates and fuyu persimmons. They make such delicious companions to the tender kale and help the whole dish feel festively appropriate for the holiday season. I can totally see this dish as a fresh addition to the Thanksgiving table.

One last thing to keep in mind about this salad.... it holds up shockingly well. You can make a batch of massaged kale and eat it hours later or even the next day. Convenient, right?

Wishing you all the happiest of Thanksgivings. Savor that time with your loved ones.

xoxo
E

INGREDIENTS adapted from Yummy Supper: 100 Fresh, Luscious & Honest Recipes from a {Gluten-Free} Omnivore

2 large bunches kale, lacinato or red are great here
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 firm, but ripe, Fuyu persimmons, peeled and sliced into thin wedges, then cut in half
1/3 cup fresh pomegranate arils
1/3 cup coarsely chopped, roasted and salted pistachios

After washing and thoroughly drying your kale, discard the tough ribs, then tear or chop leaves into smallish pieces. Set aside.

In the meantime, whisk together maple syrup, lemon juice, olive oil and salt in a large salad bowl. Add prepped leaves to the bowl and massage that dressing into the leaves. Don't be shy... really go for it. Massaging the leaves for 3-5 minutes will render the leaves nice and tender. Taste as you go to experience the transformation.

When you're done massaging, taste the salad for seasoning, adding additional lemon juice, salt or maple syrup to your liking.

Enjoy.

serves 6-8 as a small side

P.S. The beautiful black cutting boards in this post were a gift from my buddies at Blackcreek Mercantile. (Thank you Josh and Kelly!) Local folks, run, don't walk to March where you can drool over Blackcreek's stunning new collection of boards, cooking tools, and the perfect step stool.

MAPLE GLAZED CARROTS WITH CINNAMON, CUMIN, HAZELNUTS + MINT

I gotta tell you guys, this book of mine has taken me on a crazy adventure over the past two months. I found myself hanging out at some great farmers' markets in Portland and NYC, having a lovely lunch with these kind folks on Vashon Island, seeing old friends and family here and here, cooking on TV, teaching photography at this amazing woman's house, giving a Maker Talk, and teaching a class at this incredible spot. Phew.

Having never done so many new things in such a short period, this experience has felt quite surreal. Like many authors/bloggers/photographers, I'm most comfortable writing and cooking at home and looking through the back of the camera lens. As I mentioned in my last post, this whole endeavor of putting a book into the world feels like leaping off a very high cliff over and over again - pretty darned scary, yet exhilarating all at the same time.

I'm a believer in the notion that spring and summer - those seasons filled with sunlight - are our natural times to go out, run around, be social. Just in the past few days, I've seen the position of the sun shift and the days shorten and I find myself ready to welcome autumn. I'm craving coziness, cooler days, even fog. I want to hunker down with my family, cook big pots of stew, eat porridge for breakfast, dive into long novels and play board games by the fire.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually tired of tomatoes, zucchini, and peaches. Instead, I'm jonesing to roast every root veggie imaginable. So here I am today with these delicious Maple Glazed Carrots inspired by Bryant Terry - a local food hero and cookbook author. When I was in Seattle, I bought Bryant's book Afro-Vegan at Book Larder (a fantastic bookshop!) and Paul and I have both been itching to cook from it. Bryant's carrots, which have just the sort of warm and toasty flavors I'm craving this time of year, seemed like a good place to start.

I think this dish could be amazing for Thanksgiving dinner. (Oh my, could Thanksgiving be a month away? Yikes!)

INGREDIENTS inspired by Bryant Terry's Glazed Carrot Salad in Afro-Vegan
printable recipe

4 bunches baby carrots peeled and trimmed
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup ( + more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
fresh mint leaves

Preheat oven to 425.

Scatter prepped carrots onto a medium baking sheet.

In a small mixing bowl combine oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, garlic, cumin, and sea salt. Slather the flavorful rub over the carrots. Cover the baking sheet with tin foil and stick the pan in the oven. Bake carrots for 10 minutes. Remove foil, give the pan a shake to turn the carrots, and continue roasting uncovered for another 10-14 minutes until the carrots are tender to your liking.

When you take the carrots from the oven, taste for seasoning. Add a bit more salt or lemon juice if you think the carrots need it, or if you're like me and really dig that maple kick, feel free to drizzle another tablespoon of maple syrup over the roasted carrots. Top with the toasted hazelnuts and mint leaves, and serve right away.

Serves 4 as a side dish

POMEGRANATE GRANITA

Granita. I'm a sucker for sparkly jewel-toned shards of delicious ice.

Light, refreshing, and super easy to make, granitas are my go-to dinner party dessert. While I do enjoy granitas in the heat of summer, I actually prefer them after heavy winter fare, when a rich dessert just feels like too much. This pomegranate granita would be wonderful after a hearty veggie stew, a feast of succulent roasted meat, or even Thanksgiving dinner.

Pomegranates have a tangy, tannic, earthy flavor which I find mysterious and totally irresistible. Straight pomegranate juice can be quite intense so I've added orange juice and zest to mellow things out just a bit, and the extra layer of flavor adds a wonderful citrusy brightness to the dessert.

We all need an easy recipe (which can be made in advance) to help out with the holidays, right?

INGREDIENTS
printable recipe

3 cups unsweetened pomegranate juice
1/3 cup tap water
juice and zest of one large orange or two smaller satsumas
1/2 cup light agave nectar
optional for serving: candied orange peel; whipped cream with a splash vanilla extract & sweetened with powdered sugar or agave

In order to thoroughly integrate all ingredients, vigorously shake up pomegranate juice, water, orange juice, zest, and agave nectar in a large lidded jar or old milk bottle (you can also use a mixing bowl and whisk if that's easier for you).

Transfer liquid mixture to a baking dish and place it in the freezer. Every hour or so, remove the dish from the freezer and scrape the solid bits with a fork. After a few hours of freezing and scraping, your granita will be ready to serve. (Keep in mind that the shallower the baking dish and more spread out the liquid, the quicker the chill.) If you forget to scrape the granita regularly and end up with a frozen block of pomegranate ice, go at it with a fork until you have a beautiful flaky consistency.

If you are a serious pomegranate lover like my kids are, serve little glasses of this granita all on its own. You can also top it with candied orange peel, or keep in mind that the granita is absolutely delicious topped with billowy sweet whipped cream.

Once it comes out of the freezer, granita melts quickly - be sure to eat it immediately after serving.

Serves 6-8. Keeps in the freezer for 2 weeks.

FIG SALAD WITH WATERCRESS + BACON

For years, Abby has been telling me tales about a delicious fig salad she makes. Thanks to the hot and sunny weather we had through the month of October, our fig tree has been pumping out tons of juicy fruit. I get giddy when I can step out of my kitchen door to pick food for supper. Yippee!

This salad has that dreamy combination of sweet, salty, creamy, and peppery flavors.... a party in each bite. And there is a lot of room for playful substitutions here. You could try arugula or frisee instead of watercress. Blue cheese could stand in for the chevre, or you can skip the cheese all together. I also think roasted hazelnuts would be tasty. And Abs says that pomegranate seeds are a nice addition as well... yum!

INGREDIENTS

(printable recipe)

4 fresh figs
4 slices of bacon or pancetta
1 bunch watercress
2 tablespoons chevre
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
8 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
optional: toasted hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds

Wash and thoroughly dry watercress. Scatter leaves, with some stems left on, over 4 salad plates.

Slice figs and nestle them into the watercress.

Crumble chevre over each plate.

Cook bacon until crispy. (I suggest cooking the bacon at the last minute so that it's warm going into the salad. It really makes a difference.)

While bacon is cooking, take a jar (that has a lid), pour in balsamic and salt. Give them a stir to blend a bit. Add the olive oil. Put lid on jar, and shake it like crazy. My kids love to do this part. Take off lid and you've got emulsified dressing ready to go.

Crumble warm bacon onto the salad. Lightly dress each plate with a spoonful or two of dressing. (You will have dressing left over to stick in the fridge for your next salad....never a bad thing.)

Eat and enjoy!

serves 4

WHAT ELSE IS COOKING?

RUSTIC APPLE TART

Simple pleasures. This is what it's all about for me these days. When P, the kids, and I were on the road last year, slowness was our theme. Action and adventure does not describe our travel style - we had tons of family time and savored it deeply. I really believe the serenity of our time away added years back onto my life.

I am trying to figure out ways to integrate this attitude into our American lives. Lilah still finds great happiness in imaginary play and collecting twigs and flowers. Otis now goes to our local middle school and only gets in the car once in while. Paul and I are trying to limit our commitments and spend lots of time at home enjoying our kids. Little things.

What does this have to do with food? In our family, where much of life revolves around eating, this means taking time to harvest blackberries and picking apples with friends on their bucolic land in West Sonoma County.

Rach and Justin invited a slew of us to spend the day with them. It was true Indian summer. The leaves had started falling, a bit of crispness cooled the air while still being warm enough for kids to swim, pluck juicy concord grapes from the vine, and pick apples... Life is good.

I like how uncomplicated this apple tart is - just apples on buttery pastry with a sprinkle of sugar. Simple pleasure. But I also enjoyed gussying this apple tart up a little bit with a drizzle with Homemade Caramel Sauce and voila .... Caramel Apple Tart, anyone?

INGREDIENTS adapted from David Tanis' Platter of Figs
(printable recipe)

1/2 recipe flaky pastry dough
2-3 pounds apples
2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar
Homemade Caramel Sauce (optional, but highly recommended)

Prepare your dough as per the instructions here. A couple of notes:

First, you only need half of the recipe for the pastry dough for this recipe. Have fun making a tart of your choice with the other half.

Second, please don't roll the dough too thin or the edges get pretty charred before the apples can cook all the way. (Tanis suggests rolling the dough into a 16x11 inch rectangle. I had more success when I made a thicker 11x6 inch oval of dough.)

Place the rolled out dough (on a parchment-lined baking sheet) into the fridge while you prep your apples.

Preheat oven to 375.

Peel and core apples and slice them thin. Take the prepared dough from the fridge. Lay the apples on the dough in long layered rows. ( If you aren't going to serve your tart until later, Tanis suggests covering the prepared tart in the fridge for up to 8 hours.)

Sprinkle Turbinado sugar over the apples and pastry. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the apples are tender.

We found the tart to be most delicious when served warm and drizzled with caramel sauce. When we ate the leftovers, we'd quickly warm up a slice in the oven before noshing.

Enjoy!

What else is cooking?

MASSAGED KALE WITH POMEGRANATE, PERSIMMON, AND PISTACHIO