Month: December 2010

5 Lucky Foods for a Nourishing New Year!

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At NOURISH Evolution, we love the power of fad-free, sound nutrition strategies that have stood the test of time and nourished generations of people around the world. And we couldn’t help noticing that many foods traditionally eaten for good luck and prosperity in the new year will also get your year off to a healthy start.

Ring in the year with grapes. In Spain and parts of Latin America, revelers gobble 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight to ensure a sweet year ahead. According to Epicurious, this practice was started in the early 20th century by Spanish grape growers to encourage people to consume surplus fruit. Nonetheless, it’s a nourishing start–and it would give Lia and me a head start on our resolution to eat more fruit in 2011.

Legumes for prosperity. These swell as they cook and are thought to represent coins–and therefore good fortune in the new year–so they’re a classic new year’s food from Japan to Europe to the American South. Make a pot of our Southern-style Nourishing Hoppin’ John for a down-home celebration or our All-Purpose French Lentils (lentils being traditional in Italy, Germany and Brazil). Split Pea Soup with Spanish Chorizo and Sherry Vinegar is another option.

Greens–show me the money. Could the prosperity connection be any more obvious? Around the globe, people will be gobbling greens tomorrow, from collards in the South to kale in Denmark to sauerkraut in Germany. Try our Quick Collards or our White Bean and Kale Ragout with Turnips and Sausage, which also features lucky legumes.

Progress with pork. Pigs move ever forward as they forage for their food, so they represent progress in cultures all over the world. It’s also rich in fat, which signifies wealth. You’ll find it in many forms in New Year’s dishes–sausage, bacon, roasts. Since pork is so flavorful, we like to enjoy it in smaller portions surrounded by sumptuous veggies. Serve it up in our Super Succulent Five-Spice Pork Shoulder, Carnitas de Lia or Spiced Pork Roast.

Move forward with fish. Like pigs, fish are always moving ahead, and eating fish will help you get ahead in the new year. Cod is traditional in Europe, so try our Pan Seared Harissa-Rubbed White Cod. Or make a batch of our Hot-Smoked Sablefish to add to a Scandinavian-style new year’s smorgasbord.

Whatever combination of these foods you choose will begin your year on an auspicious–and nourishing–note. Happy (and Nourishing) New Year!

Nourishing Hoppin John

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Making a big ole pot of hoppin John is New Year’s Day tradition in the South and features two good-luck foods to start the new year: pork and legumes. Our version calls for brown basmati rice so you’ll start the year with a healthy whole grain (and because the rice swells as it cooks, it’s also thought to boost prosperity). This time of year, you can find containers of presoaked black-eyed peas in the produce section of many supermarkets. You also can substitute 2 cups cooked peas or thawed frozen peas. Serve with our Quick Collards (due to their color, greens are thought to bring money in the new year) and Skillet Corn Bread with Tomatoes and Sage.

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Quick Collards

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Traditionally, collards are cooked with pork fat and simmered for an hour or two. Our rendition calls for thinly (very thinly, as in a chiffonade) slicing the greens so they saute quickly and maintain their bright green color. They cook so fast that you can enjoy them as an any-night side dish, and this technique works with other hearty greens, such as chard or kale.

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New Year’s Eve Sips and Nibbles

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2010 has been a, well, challenging year for many, so it’s little surprise that people are ready to kiss it goodbye and welcome 2011 with open arms. We’ve got a lineup of elegant and nourishing cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to ring in the new year in style.

To sip:

As cocktail expert, Maria Hunt notes, if you’re hosting the festivities, guests are sure to arrive with sparkling wine, which is celebratory on its own and even better in cocktails. Check out Maria’s tips to create an interactive cocktail bar, plus her recipes for the Lava Lamp and Green Grapefruit.

To nibble:

Pair those bubbly sippers with a selection of savory and sweet items–all of which can be made well in advance. If you’re the host, you can prep these today or tomorrow. If you’re a guest, they’re also easy to tote to the party.

Coppa-Wrapped Dates with Blue Cheese: Assemble these before the party, then bake them just before you’re ready to serve. I took a batch of these to a Christmas dinner, and they disappeared in no time. They’re also so easy to make that I’ve made them for us to enjoy just before supper during the week.

Manchego and Nutmeg Gougeres: Lia likes to serve these lovely little cheese puffs with a glass of Spanish Cava.

Spanish Leaning Spinach and Chickpea Dip: The spinach in this tasty dip offers a serving of good-luck greens for the New Year and a dash of color to the table. Serve this with crudite.

Chicken Pate with Brandy: This is an uptown riff on my grandma’s chopped liver. Serve it with crackers or baguette and mustard and cornichons, and you’ll have a pretty little platter.

Endive Spears with Roquefort Mousse and Walnuts: This is classic party food. Make the mousse ahead, pop it into a pastry bag and refrigerate. Pipe it onto the endive leaves and top with toasted walnuts just before serving.

Rosemary-Parmesan Breadsticks: Another ideal finger food, these are so simple the kids can help you knead and shape the dough.

Boozy Orange-Pecan Truffles: You’ll want a little something sweet to round out the buffet. These petite chocolate truffles pack tons of flavor.

All of us at NOURISH Evolution wish you a happy, healthy, nourishing New Year! Cheers!

Sparkling Green Grapefruit Cocktail

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This is an ideal winter cocktail to ring in the new year. The grapefruit juice contributes acidity, sweetness and seasonal flavor, the licorice-flavored absinthe lends a little bitterness and the Champagne adds the must-have sparkle. Absinthe–a k a the Green Fairy–is a powerful liqueur made from wormwood, and it’s making a comeback in artisanal cocktails. If you can’t find it, substitute another anise-flavored liqueur, such as Pernod.

2 ounces pink grapefruit juice
1/2 teaspoon absinthe OR Pernod
3 to 4 ounces Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled
Wedge of grapefruit, for garnish

Pour juice and absinthe into a Champagne flute. Top with the Champagne or sparkling wine. Garnish with the wedge of grapefruit.

Serves 1

Toast the New Year with Festive, Bubbly Cocktails

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Ever wonder why some wines or cocktails make you want to take another sip while others make you grimace and wish you’d ordered something else? Personal preference aside, the difference between a delicious drink and one you can’t stand often comes down to balance.

When mixing cocktails, the challenge is to balance three elements: bitter, sweet and acid. Bitterness comes from hard spirits, while sweetness might come from a fruit juice, a sweet liqueur or syrup. Citrus juice or sparkling wine contribute acidity.

I’ll let you in on a secret I learned when writing my book: If you start with sparkling wine, you don’t have to add very much to create a brilliant cocktail.

Whether it’s Prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain, Champagne from France — well-made sparkling wines have a natural acidity that makes them a great base for delicious drinks. And I’ll let you in on a secret I learned when writing my book The Bubbly Bar: Champagne & Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion (Clarkson Potter): If you start with sparkling wine, you don’t have to add very much to create a brilliant cocktail.

During wintertime, you’ll find that seasonal fruits like cranberries, pomegranates, grapefruit and tangerines pair beautifully with bubbly in cocktails. For parties, it makes things easier to either a) choose a signature cocktail to serve throughout the evening or b) create an interactive cocktail bar so guests can create their own concoctions.

If you’re hosting a New Year’s Eve party, guests are sure to show up with a bottle of a brut sparkling wine or Champagne in hand. As delicious as this crisp, citrusy sipper can be, after a few hours of drinking the same thing, it can get a bit monotonous.

Set all those bottles of bubbly in a large ice bucket and use them to create a cocktail bar that lets your guests be the mixologists. Your job is to stock the bar with complimentary mixers so guests can’t make a bad drink. Start with some liqueurs like the lemon liqueur called Limoncello, a berry liqueur like Chambord and something slightly exotic like St. Germain elderflower liqueur. Set out carafes of lemonade, tangerine or orange juice and cranberry juice. Fill a relish tray with garnishes like fresh basil and rosemary, raspberries, pomegranate seeds and slices of orange.

To make a super-simple holiday cocktail I call the Lava Lamp, fill a flute one-third with pomegranate juice or pomegranate liqueur. Top it off with brut sparkling wine, toss in a few fresh pomegranate seeds and watch the seeds dance up and down on the bubbles.

In my Green Grapefruit cocktail, juicy pink grapefruit marries with the anise flavors in absinthe to make for a sensational start to a holiday party.

No matter which cocktail you choose, you’ll find that any time you open a bottle of bubbly, it’s like uncorking a celebration.

Maria Hunt is and author of The Bubbly Bar: Champagne & Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion (Clarkson Potter, 2009). For more recipes and information on entertaining with sparkling wine, visit TheBubblyGirl.com.

Frisee Salad with Lentils and Duck Confit

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It’s amazing what you can pull together when you’ve spent time creating tasty basics. Slow-cooked duck legs with fall-off-the-bone meat can live in the freezer until you’re ready for them, and lentils come together in a flash and can keep nearly all week. The result? One nourishing entree in the form of a fresh frisee salad.

frisee-salad-duck-confit-lentil-recipe2 Revelationary Duck Confit legs
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 heads frisée, torn
1/4 cup Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
2 cups All-Purpose French Lentils

Place duck legs in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat and crisp on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove to a cutting board, pull meat from bone and shred. Add onion to pan and sauté for 5 minutes, until golden brown.

In the meantime, toss the frisée with the vinaigrette and mound into 4 bowls. Scatter evenly with lentils, onions and duck, and serve.

Serves 4

Compose Yourself (with an Entree Salad)

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One of Richard’s all-time favorite lunchtime treats is an old-school Cobb salad–a feast of salad greens, chopped chicken, hard-cooked eggs, tomatoes, avocado, bacon and whatever other fixings the chef decides to add. When it’s done carelessly, the Cobb salad is a sloppy tossed-together mess. When it’s done well, it’s served as a composed salad with each ingredient artfully arranged on a platter or in a large bowl. It’s as much a treat for the eye as for the palate. It’s also a classic entree salad.

7 Summertime Entree Salad Recipes

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The Cobb is an excellent example of the virtues of a composed salad, since it’s all about improvising with what you have on hand to create something greater than the sum of its parts. It was invented in the 1930s by Bob Cobb (awesome name!), owner of the long-gone landmark Hollywood restaurant The Brown Derby, when he raided the restaurant’s kitchen late one night in search of leftovers for a snack.

The elements of a composed salad can be as involved as Cobb’s concoction or as simple as a caprese salad. (With its tomatoes beautifully arrayed on a platter, topped with mozzarella and basil, and drizzled with olive oil, the caprese counts as a composed salad; a wintertime version of this might be thinly sliced orange topped with shaved fennel.) It’s only limited by your imagination–and what’s in the fridge. It’s the perfect opportunity to mix and match recipe elements to create something entirely different. Some building blocks to consider include:

Greens. Composed salads don’t have to include greens, but they often do, as a bed for the rest of the ingredients. Experiment with different types of greens, such as frisee, peppery arugula or mizuna, crunchy Napa cabbage, tender Bibb lettuce, or bitter, crunchy endive.

Dressing. Choose a dressing that underscores the overall flavor profile of your salad. Lia’s super-easy Go-To Vinaigrette can be pulled in any direction, depending on the type of oil or vinegar you use. For instance, give it an Asian flair with rice vinegar and ginger instead the white wine vinegar and shallots.

Other veggies. A composed salad is a great opportunity to raid the crisper. One of our favorites is roasted beets, which you can add warm or cold.

Protein. To make your salad entree-worthy, add a substantial protein, such as shrimp, smoked fish or shredded poultry. Hard-cooked eggs are another option.

Fruit. Embellish with seasonal fruit. For example, add shaved apple or sliced persimmon, or dress it up with sections of citrus. Sprinkle on some pomegranate seeds for color and tart flavor.

Grains and legumes. Lia’s Frisee Salad with Lentils and Duck Confit, below, is an ideal example of how legumes–lentils, in this case–fit into a composed salad. Grains like quinoa, bulgur and even rice would work, as well.

Other garnishes. Crown your creation with a sprinkling of crumbled bacon or cheese, toasted nuts or minced herbs.

An Alternative Christmas Brunch

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Brunch to me used to mean custardy, eggy things or pancakes and waffles on holiday mornings. But when I married my husband, he brought a love for all things Latino and a new tradition was born … Christopher’s Huevos Rancheros for Christmas brunch.

I didn’t expect my parents to bite; they’re conservative breakfasters through and through. But after the first year, thirteen years ago now, they were the ones clamoring to declare the huevos an official tradition.

This year, things are a bit different. I’m typing this as my family packs up Christmas dinner to take to the hospital to be with my mom. We’ve tried to maintain as many traditions as possible … trees, stockings, the creche. And we saw Santa and Frosty driving a convertible today (Noe was so psyched!), so we know he’s in town.

But while we’ll be having our holiday Huevos sometime over the weekend, I’ll need something more portable for this year’s Christmas breakfast. So I’m going to surprise mom with Kale and Feta Tartines (she’s excited about kale right now) made on Alison’s Olive and Rosemary loaf and hope that we’ll all be gathered around the table for Huevos next Christmas Day.

What are some of your traditions for Christmas brunch? A big affair or casual nibbles while everyone rips off wrapping paper? I’d love to hear …

Merry Christmas, everyone!

PS — Here are a few other brunch ideas you might enjoy:

Huber Huevos Rancheros

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This meal is our family’s traditional Christmas Day breakfast. Christopher mans the comal after the Santa festivities, while we all fill our coffee mugs and wait for our plates.

1 cup organic, low-fat refried beans
8 small corn tortillas
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 large eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
sour cream, salsa and hot sauce to taste

Preheat broiler with 2 oven oven racks placed in the top third and bottom third of the oven. Spread a 1/4 cup of beans onto four tortillas, sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of cheese and top with another tortilla. Arrange on a cookie sheet and broil in the bottom third of the oven for 3-4 minutes, until just turning color and crisping. Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes.

While tortillas are cooking, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Swirl the oil and crack the eggs into pan. Cook 2-3 minutes, until whites are just set. Season with salt and pepper.

Take the tortilla pan out and carefully transfer one egg to the top of each tortilla. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and broil in the top third of the oven for 1-2 minutes (watch carefully not to burn), until the cheese is bubbly and the egg white is completely set.

Transfer to plates and top with a dollop of sour cream and salsa.

Serves 4