Buttery Hasselback Beets With Sautéed Greens & Grilled Steak With Blue Cheese

Buttery Hasselback Beets With Sautéed Greens & Grilled Steak 

Riff on a classic steak dinner with beets by using them and their leafy tops in place of the classic potato and wilted spinach sides. Just like with potatoes, hasselback-style beets cook up a bit more quickly, getting nicely coated in butter, and they make for a pretty dish. The greens are sautéed with tender leeks and finished with arugula and toasty pine nuts. And the blue cheese is for the steak, but its rich, savoury flavor really goes with everything on the plate.
Ingredients:
2 lbs (905 kg) bavette (skirt) steak or 4 rib-eye steaks, at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick
2 to 3 tsp (10 to 15 mL) olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) each kosher salt and coarsely cracked black peppercorns, plus more for beets
4 large or 8 medium-size beets with greens attached, about 2 bunches
2 leeks, white part only, cut in half and rinsed
¼ cup (60 mL) pine nuts
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, divided
4 fresh thyme sprigs (optional)
2 cups (500 mL) lightly packed baby arugula
3 oz (85 g) creamy blue cheese, such as Saint Agur or Gorgonzola

Directions:
Remove meat from fridge. Using a sharp knife, cut membrane from
skirt steak, if still attached. Pat beef dry with paper towels. Rub
steaks with oil, salt and pepper. Bring to room temperature. This will
take 1 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, separate beets and tops. Wash and scrub all.
Thickly slice greens and refrigerate until ready to use. Thinly
slice leeks.

Toast pine nuts in a frying pan set over medium heat until lightly golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn pine nuts on to a plate and set aside. Melt 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter in a large frying pan set over medium-high heat. When bubbling, add leeks. Cook, stirring often until softened, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside in pan until just before serving.

Peel beets. Thinly slice each raw beet, working carefully and making sure not to slice straight through to the bottom, so leaving the base intact. If you accidentally slice all the way through here and there; don’t stress, the foil will hold the pieces together. Set 1 large or 2 

small beets on a square of foil.

Repeat with remaining beets and more foil. Cut 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter into small cubes. Scatter butter over beets and sprinkle  with salt and pepper. Top with a thyme sprig. Wrap each beet with the foil they’ve been set on.

Preheat barbecue to medium-high.  Place beets on one side of grill. Barbecue beets until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Carefully poke beets through the foil with a fork. When beets are almost tender, turn off one side of grill. Move beets to that side. Increase other side of 

grill to high.

When really hot, barbecue steaks until done as you like. If using skirt steak, sear for about 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. If using rib-eye, grill for about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, depending on the thickness of the steak.

When done, remove beets to plates and steak to a platter. Loosely cover with foil. Let steak rest for 10 minutes while you sauté the greens. Set pan with sautéed leeks over medium-high. When warm, slowly begin to add prepared beet greens.

Cook, stirring occasionally until wilted, 2 to 4 minutes. When done, stir in arugula and remove from heat.

If using skirt steak, thinly slice against the grain. Divide steaks between plates. Crumble blue cheese overtop. Divide greens and foil packets between plates. Sprinkle greens with pine nuts. Serve immediately. Serves 4

Croque Monsieur Casserole A Croque Monsieur

Croque Monsieur Casserole 

A Croque Monsieur

France’s grilled ham and cheese topped with béchamel—is the perfect sandwich for a casserole treatment. We changed things up by using turkey in the sandwiches for some holiday feels, then topped it all with a cheesy mornay sauce. It’s a glorious lunch or brunch dish best served with a green salad and cornichon (small pickled cucumber).  

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

Mornay Sauce
2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter
3 tbsp (45 mL) all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups (425 mL) whole milk 
1/4 cup (60 mL) heavy cream
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (250 mL) coarsely grated Gruyère
1/2 cup (125 mL) finely grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly grated nutmeg

Sandwiches
16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
2 tbsp (30 mL) Dijon mustard, divided
8 thin slices deli turkey
3 cups (750 mL) coarsely grated Gruyère, divided
Thyme sprigs and sage leaves to garnish (optional)

Directions
For the mornay sauce, place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add flour and whisk to combine. Cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, heavy cream, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a very gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in Gruyère, Parmesan and nutmeg until cheeses have melted into sauce.

Preheat broiler on high.  Place bread on two broiler-proof baking sheets. Working one sheet at a time, broil on upper rack until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. (Watch the entire time!) Turn off broiler.

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).   To make sandwiches, spread Dijon mustard on half of toasts. Cut each slice of turkey in half, then fold each half in half and layer on top of Dijon on bread slices, overlapping to fit. Top each with 1/4 cup (60 mL) grated Gruyère cheese. Top with another piece of toast and press to adhere.

Ladle 1 cup (250 mL) mornay sauce into the bottom of a large 12-cup (3-L) casserole dish. Layer sandwiches in dish, overlapping slightly. Top with remaining mornay sauce. Use back of a spoon to spread sauce evenly over sandwiches. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup (250 mL) Gruyère.

Bake on middle rack until sauce is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil, watching closely, until cheese is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh herbs, if using.

Lemony Bean & Brassica Soup With Napa Cabbage & Dill

Lemony Bean & Brassica Soup

With Napa Cabbage & Dill

From creator Chef Diane Kochilas: "Cabbage lovers rejoice! This brassica-heavy bean soup is packed with several members of the Brassica genus, one of the healthiest and most nutritious vegetable groups in the world. I can’t help but think this soup is like an Ikarian garden on steroids, so to speak, chock-full of various species of these cruciferous vegetables and roots, many of which have long provided easy, inexpensive, and health-giving opportunities to make a delicious dinner that doesn’t cost that much or take much to produce in one’s own backyard. You can play around with this, adding, say Brussels sprouts or even kale to the soup."

Ingredients:

½ lemon

1 small celery root (celeriac)

¾ cup extra-virgin Greek olive oil

1 large red onion, chopped

1 large leek, trimmed and chopped

1 small bunch Chinese celery, trimmed and chopped (with leaves)

½ small head Napa or Savoy cabbage, trimmed and finely shredded (about 3 cups)

1 large carrot, trimmed, peeled, and chopped 

1 parsnip, pared and cut into a ½-inch (1½-cm) dice

1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into a ½-inch (1½-cm) dice

1 kohlrabi, trimmed and cut into a ½-inch (1½-cm) dice

4 garlic cloves

4 cups canned navy or other white beans, preferably organic 

(Rancho Gordo Note: We recommend our Marcella or Alubia Blanca beans)

10 cups vegetable broth or stock, or water

2 bay leaves

6 thyme sprigs

Fresh strained juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small bunch dill, leaves snipped or chopped

Directions:

Prepare acidulated water by squeezing and dropping half a lemon into 3 cups of water in a medium mixing bowl. Trim, peel, and dice the celeriac (celery root) and place it in the acidulated water. Set aside until ready to use.

Drain the celeriac. In a large soup pot, heat ¼ cup of olive oil and cook the onion, leek, celery, celeriac, carrot, parsnip, rutabaga, and kohlrabi until translucent and al dente, and until the onions are soft. Stir the garlic into the vegetable mixture. 

Add the beans, stock or water, bay leaves, and thyme. Reduce heat to low, bring to a simmer, keep the lid on the pot ajar, and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 35 to 40 minutes. Fish out the thyme and bay leaves with a spoon and discard.

Using an immersion blender, puree a little bit of the soup in the pot, about 1½ cups or so—use your judgment to “eyeball” it. Doing this will create a creamy texture. 

Stir in the cabbage and cook the soup for 15 more minutes, or until the cabbage is tender. Whisk the lemon juice and remaining olive oil together in a small bowl and add the mixture to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in the dill. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve.  Makes 8 servings.

Diane Kochilas is a chef and award-winning author of numerous cookbooks, including a favorite of ours, called Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity from the Island Where People Forget to Die. This recipe is from her new book, The Ikaria Way: 100 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes Inspired by My Homeland, the Greek Island of Longevity. It publishes on March 26th and we can't wait to get a copy. There are so many good things to eat the this region, and it's part of the famous Blue Zones that enjoy amazing longevity. Spoiler alert: Beans are almost always a part of the long-life equation.

White Asparagus & Leek Tartines With Mustard Butter

 

White Asparagus & Leek Tartines With Mustard Butter

More brittle and earthy than its green sibling, white asparagus becomes sweet and delicate when poached with leeks in a bath of white wine, stock and herbs. The mixture is served atop sourdough toasts slathered with punchy mustard butter for French-style crostini.
Ingredients:
1 big or 2 small leeks
1/2 cup (125 mL) plus 2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, softened, 

   divided
1/2 cup (125 mL) dry white wine
3/4 lb (340 g) white asparagus, tough ends trimmed, peeled from 

   from where it begins to taper.
1 cup (250 mL) chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
2 thyme sprigs
1 small lemon, halved, seeds removed
2 tbsp (30 mL) grainy mustard
6 slices sourdough bread, cut 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick from loaf about 5 

    about 5 inches (12.5 cm)

Directions:
Trim dark green leek tops and save for next time you make stock. Halve white parts lengthwise and rinse thoroughly. Cut leeks into 4-inch (10-cm) sections. Slice sections lengthwise into 1/4-inch- (5-mm-) thick strips. Place in a bowl of water. Gently swirl to loosen dirt. Lift leeks into a colander to drain.

Heat 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add leeks. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add asparagus, stock, bay leaf and thyme. Squeeze juice from lemon halves into pan and drop halves into pan. When it comes to a simmer, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until asparagus is fork-tender—it will bend easily, but not be limp—depending on thickness, 15 to 20 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer asparagus and leeks to a plate. Discard bay leaf, lemon and thyme. Increase heat to medium and reduce liquid to 1/4 cup (60 mL), about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix mustard with remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) butter until combined.

 Toast bread then spread mustard butter generously on each slice. Top each toast with asparagus and leeks. (If necessary, cut spears to fit toasts.) Drizzle reduced poaching liquid over each toast.   Serves 6

Stuffed Ham And Swiss Breakfast Casserole

Stuffed Ham And Swiss Breakfast Casserole

French toast meets breakfast sandwich in this ooey gooey ham-and-Swiss breakfast casserole. The mini croissants add buttery richness that is balanced with a bite of sharp Dijon mustard and Swiss cheese.
You can get creative and mix up the croissant fillings. Substitute sausage for the ham and American or Cheddar cheeses for the Swiss. The base of the savory breakfast casserole adapts well to the filling changes.

This ham-and-cheese casserole is a full meal, but to round out the plate, offer up a fruit salad. Or if this is a brunch main, an orange-studded salad with a poppy seed dressing would be a great option.

Already the ultimate make-ahead meal, you can freeze this breakfast and keep it on hand for busy weeks or weekends when you have company over. Just complete this dish through step 3, then cover it with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Pop it in the freezer. When you're 
ready to serve it, move it to the fridge, and let it thaw overnight. Warm at room temperature for 30 minutes before putting in the oven.
Ingredients
10 (1 1/4-oz.)deli smoked ham slices (1/4 inch thick)
10 mini croissants
10 (1/2-oz.) Swiss cheese slices
6 large eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Thyme sprigs

Directions:

Microwave ham slices between paper towels on a microwavable plate on HIGH 45 seconds. Blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Split croissants open with a serrated knife. Top bottom half of each croissant with 1 ham slice and 1 Swiss cheese slice (folding ham and cheese to fit, if needed). Cover with top half of croissant. Place stuffed croissants in a lightly greased (with cooking spray) 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Whisk together eggs, heavy cream, and Dijon mustard in a large bowl. Pour mixture slowly over stuffed croissants. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap; bake in preheated oven until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes, covering with aluminum foil the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Garnish with thyme sprigs.