Cheddar and Sage Biscuits

Makes 24 2-inch biscuits or 1 dozen 2 ¾-inch biscuits

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
 
I don’t make biscuits often, mainly because I have a bread addiction.  But, we were invited to a holiday party and I knew soup was involved; therefore, I made the sacrifice and prepared these really tasty, tender Cheddar and Sage Biscuits.  The great thing about this recipe is that the dough can be prepared in a food processor.  After that, just roll out the dough on a floured board, then cut out the rounds and pop ‘em in the oven. 
 
4 cups all-purpose flour (plus more sprinkling on the board and rolling pin)
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons minced fresh sage
¾ cup cold unsalted butter (1½ sticks), cut into small pieces
1½ cups buttermilk
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (optional)
 
Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet for easy clean up.  In a food processor, pulse the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the cheddar and sage and pulse to combine.  Add the cold butter pieces and pulse until the mixture is the texture of course meal, with a few pea-size pieces butter remaining.  Add the buttermilk and pulse just until combined, 2 or 3 times.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead just until it comes together.  (Don’t over work the dough or the biscuits will be tough.  In other words, it’s okay if all the flour isn’t completely incorporated.)  With a floured rolling pin roll dough to a ¾ inch thickness.  With a floured 2-inch round biscuit cutter*, cut out the biscuits.  (Don’t twist the biscuit cutter because twisting will prevent the biscuits from rising.)  Reroll and cut the scraps.
Place the biscuits on the baking sheet about 1½ inches apart.  Bake until puffed and golden brown, 12-15 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack.  Brush with melted butter, if desired.  Serve warm or at room temperature.
 
*You can also use a 2¾-inch round biscuit cutter to make 1 dozen larger biscuits.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Serves 4

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This will make a very nice Meatless Monday dinner when served with a crisp salad once the weather turns cool.  Consider it comfort food. Though easy to make, you will need to be close to the stove to add the hot broth ½ cup at a time.  So, I would suggest doing another kitchen task while the risotto cooks.  To make this dish even quicker to prepare, prep the butternut squash the night before you plan to serve this dish and store the ½-inch chunks in the fridge until you are ready to make the risotto.

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch chunks

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup Arborio rice

½ cup dry white wine

2 cans (14½ oz. each) reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

½ cup water and heated

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage, plus more for garnish

In a medium heavy-bottom saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add squash; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until edges soften, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add rice; stir to coat. Add wine; cook until almost all liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low; add ½ cup hot broth mixture. Cook, stirring, until almost all liquid is absorbed. Add remaining broth mixture, ½ cup at a time, stirring until liquid is absorbed before adding more, 35 to 40 minutes total.

Stir in Parmesan, sage, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Serve immediately, garnished with more Parmesan and sage, if desired.

Spicy Vegetarian Cornbread Stuffing

Serves 12

Recipe from Vegetarian Times

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I had a batch of cornbread crumbs leftover from Thanksgiving.  I thawed them in the fridge overnight and then made this zesty cornbread stuffing.  Wow!  This is a keeper.  Because I already had cornbread made, I didn’t use the cornbread recipe that came with this stuffing recipe.  However, I’ve included it below because it is gluten-free.  Check out this fabulous Husband-Tested Recipes Pinto Bean Tacos recipe using Soyrizo . 

Stuffing

Crumbs from one batch of cornbread**

1 12-oz. pkg. soy chorizo, such as Soyrizo, crumbled

3 small yellow onions, finely chopped

2 large celery ribs, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley

2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried sage)

1 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)

2 large eggs

1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 teaspoons smoked paprika (“Regular” paprika would work as well.)

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

To make Stuffing: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread cornbread crumbs on large baking sheet, and toast 20 minutes. Cool, and then place in a very large bowl.

Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet.  Sauté chorizo in skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until crumbles begin to crisp. Stir in onions, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 minutes, or until onions and celery are softened, stirring frequently. Stir in parsley, sage, and thyme, and then stir chorizo mixture into cornbread crumbs.

Beat eggs in separate bowl, then whisk in broth and smoked paprika. Stir egg mixture into cornbread mixture until moistened.

Lightly spray a 9” X 12” baking dish with cooking oil. Spread stuffing in the prepared baking dish, and drizzle with just 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until top is lightly browned, and sides look dry and crisp. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional information per 3/4-cup serving:  Calories: 193; Protein: 9 g; Total Fat: 8 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 24 g; Cholesterol: 63 mg; Sodium: 504 mg; Fiber: 6 g; Sugar: 4 g

**Cornbread (This cornbread recipe has not been Husband-Tested.)

2 cups fine yellow cornmeal

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 ½ cups low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs, beaten

6 green onions, chopped (1 ½ cups)

1 ½ teaspoon olive oil

To make Cornbread: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Stir in buttermilk and eggs, then fold in green onions.  Heat oil in 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in Cornbread batter. Transfer skillet to oven, and bake 25 minutes, or until Cornbread is firm and golden. Cool.

Sautéed Pork Medallions

Serves 4

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cooking School

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is one delicious dish (good enough for company) and one that comes together quickly. Serve it with brown rice or whole-wheat couscous to soak up the sauce.  A bright colored, crispy salad would be a nice addition to this meal.

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium pork tenderloin (about 1 lb.) cut crossways into medallions and pounded thin

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 medium shallots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into ½ -inch dice

3 Tablespoons raisins (plump them up by pouring hot water over them and allowing them to soak in hot water for about 10 minutes, drain)

Water

1/3 cup brandy (white wine, apple cider or chicken broth would work too.)

1/3 heavy cream

1 Tablespoon fresh sage, minced or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add the oil and heat until shimmering.  Meanwhile, pat the medallions dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. Cook (in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan) until golden brown, 1 to 1½ minutes per side. Transfer pork to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Add butter to the pan and reduce heat to medium.  Add the shallots, apple, and raisins.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so the apple browns evenly.  Deglaze the pan with 2 Tablespoons water, cooking and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the water has evaporated.  If after 2 minutes the apple is not yet tender, add additional 2 Tablespoons water and continue cooking a few minutes more.  Pour in the brandy and cook until reduced by half, about 30 seconds, then add heavy cream and any juices from the pork that have collected on the plate.  Simmer until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 1 minute.  Stir in sage (or dried thyme) and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon pan sauce over the medallions and serve.

Creamy Braised Parsnips with Sage

Serves 4-6

Recipe from Everyday Food

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Why not change it up a bit and serve parsnips as a side dish? Parsnips are loaded with fiber and vitamin C. A single parsnip provides 6 grams!  This is an easy dish to make and quite tasty too.  Also, try Baked Rosemary Parsnip Fries. Parsnips are a great addition to soups and stews too.  Parsnips are now available at Lost River Market & Deli.  Don't know how to recognize or prep a parsnip?  Don't worry.  Just check out the photos below the recipe.

2 teaspoons olive oil

1½ pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-by-2-inch pieces

1½ cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage or thyme.

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

In a large straight-sided skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add parsnips and sauté until lightly browned, 4 minutes. Add broth and sage and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until tender, 8 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in cream and season with salt and pepper.

A parsnip looks like plump cream colored carrot.  It is a root vegetable and available in the fall.  Store parsnips in a plastic bag (like you would carrots) in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.

To prepare parsnips, just use a peeler and peel off the outer skin.  Trim off the bottom and top, as you would a carrot.