Kitchen Goddess Tips for a More Stress-Free Thanksgiving

What’s cooking? Roasted Carrots with Turmeric and Cumin, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

It’s that time again. The food day of all food days. You think you’ve got it all under control ... until you don’t. Uncle Harvey will call to say he’s bringing his nephew who just showed up on a business trip from Wisconsin and isn’t it great that he can stay for the big dinner? Or Darla, who was going to bring the pumpkin pie, texts you that she’s got chills and a fever, and will be spending the day in bed. Shit happens, as they say.

So the first thing you have to remember is that, in the words of the great Gilda Radner, “It’s always something.” Pour yourself a glass of wine and try to relax while you figure out how many of the gears in your Thanksgiving machine have to be adjusted. In my case, there’s always an appetizer I can delete. A few other thoughts on maintaining sanity:

1. Make a chart that includes every food you’ll be serving, including the ones being cooked by other guests. Assign days when you’ll cook them, what dishes they’ll be served in, and which utensils you’ll need for serving. These sorts of decisions – if made at the last minute – will cost you precious energy when you realize you’ve put the green beans in that bowl you were saving for the mashed potatoes.

2. You’re going to need all the room that’s possible in your fridge, so find a large cooler and move all the condiments from your fridge into the cooler. You won’t need most of them for this meal, and you may decide that the 2-year-old mango chutney can go straight into the trash. Add a couple of large zip-lock bags of ice to keep the chill, and you can move that cooler to the basement or garage or laundry room – wherever you have the space.

3. Whether you’re wet-brining or dry-brining or not brining your turkey, let it sit for its last 24 hours in the fridge without any covering at all. This air-drying technique produces extra-crispy skin on the cooked bird. If you’re still trying to decide on the brining question, take a look at an excellent piece by Kim Severson in The New York Times last week, “The Rise and Fall of Turkey Brining.” 

The group favoring dry-brining over wet-brining includes an impressive number of food scientists (e.g., Kenji López-Alt, Harold McGee, and Christopher Kimball) and other food stars like Ruth Reichl and Ina Garten, so the Kitchen Goddess will this year be trying her hand at the dry-brining method. I’ll let you know...

4. Set the table Wednesday night. That way, when you wake up on The Day, you don’t have to worry about it. And if, like the Kitchen Goddess, you are still winding things up with a couple of dishes when the guests arrive, at least it will look like you’re ready.

5. Don’t forget the candles – they create a mood that’s friendly and warm. Besides, everyone looks better in candlelight; it’s prettier and more flattering than electric light. And candles are a symbol of hospitality and hope. I direct you to a past post – HERE – with all you need to know about adding candles to the scene. Tealights in particular can be used in glasses or containers of all sorts, so even if you don’t have candlesticks you like, you can add candlelight to the table.

6. Remember the mise en place. Much of your chopping and measuring can be done the day before; put the chopped veggies or other ingredients into zip-lock bags and label them for when you’re ready to do the actual cooking. It’s by far the most efficient way to work.

7. Assemble a gaggle of timers for the multiple dishes that will all be at different stages, and Post-It Notes to help you keep track of which timer is working for which dish. These are the sorts of issues that prompt moments of crazed hilarity– or unladylike language – for the Kitchen Goddess.

8. Let your friends and relatives help. Most of them are happy to have something to do rather than stand around watching you, and the camaraderie it generates will add to the festive atmosphere. So have a couple of tasks in mind that you can lay off to the first volunteers.

9. Skip the basting. It’s a needless distraction. Rub the turkey inside and out with seasoned butter, add orange or lemon slices, an onion, and a couple of handfuls of herbs, and stick it in the oven. Take it out when it’s done.

10. Everyone loves leftovers, so have ready a box of quart-sized zip-lock bags your guests can use, so you won't be eating the meal for the next week.

And now for some ideas to fill in the blanks in your menu. The KG took a stroll down memory lane, checking out dishes she’s posted in years past. Here are four of her best (click on the title to link), followed by two fresh ones.

Asparagus Coins with Chive Oil and Parsley Water – One of my all-time faves for its unique look and fresh taste. Cooking time is very short; do the prep the day before.

Smashed Carrots with Feta and Mint – This one is making an appearance on the KG’s Thanksgiving table. Gorgeous, delicious, and different, and easy to make ahead.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tangy Whipped Cheese Sauce – A delicious way to eat cauliflower – nutty and sweet – and you can make the cheese sauce the day before.

Lemony Green Beans with Frizzled Leeks – Another dish that will grace the Kitchen Goddess’s table. Bright and colorful, and a great mix of flavors. The beans can be steamed a day ahead.

If none of these ideas tickle your fancy, here are a couple of new thoughts: Roasted Carrots with Turmeric and Cumin, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta. These are both easy, and need little monitoring as they cook. And my prince has given both dishes a thumbs-up, even though he says, “In the end, they’re Brussels sprouts.”

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Roasted Carrots with Turmeric and Cumin

Adapted from Martha Rose Shulman in The New York Times.

Serves 6.

Ingredients
10 medium carrots (just under 1½ pounds), peeled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or mild chili powder
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425º.

Cut the carrots in half lengthwise and crosswise. For the thicker carrots, cut lengthwise into quarters. Slice the carrots crosswise into pieces 2-3 inches long. Your goal is to have the pieces be more or less the same thickness, so that they reach a level of uniform doneness in the roasting. (At the CIA, the saying is, “Look the same, cook the same.”) Put the carrots in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and thyme leaves. Hang onto that bowl for later.

Heat a heavy baking sheet (traditional quarter sheet pan, about 9x13 inches) in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove the hot pan and distribute the carrots on it in a single layer. Roast 25-30 minutes, stirring the carrots midway. When the carrots are tender, they should also be lightly caramelized.

While the carrots roast, place the cumin and coriander seeds in a small saucepan or skillet over medium/medium-low heat and toast 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan or stirring until you can smell their aroma. (Don’t let them burn!)Transfer the seeds to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and pulverize to a fine powder. Add the ground spices to a small bowl along with the soft butter, turmeric and Aleppo pepper (or chili powder) and stir until well combined.

Kitchen Goddess note on the spices: It is perfectly acceptable to use already ground spices, but do heat them a bit in a skillet or saucepan before adding them to the butter. Starting with the seeds simply gives you more flavor. But don’t go buying coriander seeds or cumin seeds just for this recipe – try them if you use those spices frequently and want to get stronger flavor.

Remember that large bowl? When the carrots have finished roasting, transfer them to that bowl and add the spiced butter mix and most of the mint. Toss gently, until the butter and spices are well distributed across the carrots. The carrots will need salt, so adjust salt and pepper seasoning to taste. The carrots can be served immediately or set aside and served at room temperature. Sprinkle the reserved mint on top.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Adapted from Gourmet magazine, January 2001.

Serves 4.

Ingredients
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
3 ounces pancetta, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons water (if needed)
Garnish (optional): 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

Prepping the sprouts

Prepping the pancetta

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450º.

In a medium-sized bowl, toss the prepared sprouts with the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and salt and pepper. Transfer the sprouts to a quarter sheet pan (9x13 inches), and spread in a single layer with the cut side of the sprouts down. Sprinkle the pancetta around and on top.

Roast in the upper third of the oven for 25 minutes, or until the sprouts are tender and have begun to brown. Remove all to a serving dish. If any brown bits (called the fond) stick to the pan, add the water and stir/scrape to remove them, then add that to the serving dish.

As you know, the Kitchen Goddess has an irresistible urge to garnish. For these lovable sprouts, she drizzled pomegranate balsamic vinegar (though plain balsamic would also do) and tossed some pomegranate seeds on top. Extra delicious, if you ask me.

Kitchen Goddess note: These sprouts needn’t be served piping hot, but they'll get a bit mushy after a night in the fridge. My recommendation is to prep the sprouts and pancetta the day before, then pop them into the oven a half hour before you plan to serve. In fact, you could assemble the baking pan, with sprouts, olive oil, lemon juice/zest, salt/pepper, and pancetta, then wrap the whole thing tightly with cellophane wrap and refrigerate it overnight. Take it out 30 minutes before roasting, to let everything come closer to room temp. Where there’s a will,...


The Kitchen Goddess will be back tomorrow with two more dishes that might fill in some holes in your menu. In the meantime,... start your engines!

Trending Now ... Carrots!

What’s cooking? Cumin- and Honey-Roasted Carrots, Burnt Carrots with Brie, and Carrot-Onion-Ricotta Tart

Live longer! Stay healthier!! Look younger!!! It’s all about the carrots, folks.

When you read enough about the benefits of eating carrots, at some point you start to wonder what kind of Kool-Aid these people are drinking. Turns out, it’s not Kool-Aid. Carrots are truly one of the most beneficial foods you can eat.

But that’s not why we’re featuring carrots in today’s blog post. As you know, the Kitchen Goddess is all about keeping her readers at the forefront of food trends. Well, my recent sitings of carrots in food journals, culinary newsletters, and restaurant menus tell me that carrots are riding a wave that is just now building. You heard it here.

And just to remind you of what a swell friend I am, today’s post contains THREE fabulous dishes starring carrots. So you could say this is...[drum roll] a 24-carrot post.

I’ve cooked with carrots for years, mostly diced as part of the flavor base for literally hundreds of soups. Known as mirepoix – pronounced meer-PWAH – it consists of onions, carrots, and celery, in a ratio of 2:1:1. I’ve also sliced them long for crudite platters and short into coins for salads. I’ve cut them in jewel shapes and sautéed them for Thanksgiving, and puréed cooked carrots for twice-baked potatoes. But for all those dishes, I’ve used the kind that come in 1- or 2-pound bags at the grocery store.

Then last summer, I started buying carrots at the farmers’ market. The small carrots in bunches with huge handfuls of greenery. I don’t know why I hadn’t paid them much attention before – they always looked pretty with their feathery green crowns and the delicate orange taproots – but I hadn’t really discovered a way to use them in that small form. They’re more expensive than the bagged kind, so it’s a shame to buy them if, in the cooking process, they’re just going to end up looking like their overgrown brothers.

But I discovered this burrata salad recipe, and couldn’t resist trying it. I served it to friends visiting from Texas, and the dish not only looked gorgeous, it tasted the same way. Also, the accompanying pesto made use of the fronds. Just the sort of miracle that gets the Kitchen Goddess jazzed up. For that post, click here.

photo by Stephen Ausmus

So this year, with those carrot sitings tickling my food antennae, I’ve become obsessed with other ways to serve these orange beauties. And their purple cousins. In fact, carrots apparently come in lots of colors, though I’ve only seen orange and purple.

A couple of other nerdy carrot facts:

1. Long after purple, red, yellow, and white carrots became popular, the orange carrot was developed by the Dutch (my people!).

2. Orange carrots taste the sweetest, but the darker colors have more antioxidants.

3. A few carrot sticks a day can help strengthen and clean children’s teeth and may also help encourage lower-jaw development.

4. The vitamin A in carrots helps prevent vision loss; the vitamin C helps boost the immune system; and beta-carotene and carotinoids are linked to lower risk of lung cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and leukemia. OMG – hand me a carrot, please.

5. Carrots store well in water! KG did not know this, but she will continue to store hers in resealable plastic bags.

Kitchen Goddess note on buying and storing carrots: Look for carrot roots that are firm, smooth, relatively straight, with bright color. Color is directly related to the amount of beta-carotene in the carrot, so more color equals more nutrition. Avoid carrots that are limp or have big cracks or forks in the root. If the tops have been removed, look at the stem end and go for the ones lightest in color (darker stem end is a sign of age). If the green tops are attached, they should be brightly colored, feathery, and not wilted. Since the sugars are concentrated in the carrots’ core, you’ll find that those with larger diameters will be sweeter.

Store carrots in the fridge for up to a month. If you buy carrots with attached green tops, cut the tops off before storing, as the tops will draw moisture from the roots. Best is to cut the greens off 1-2 inches above the crown, wrap the greens and carrots separately in paper towels (dampen the paper for the greens) and keep in separate resealable plastic bags. Tops will last a week this way. Store carrots with other veggies, as the ethylene gas from fruits will speed the aging process.

Carrots can also be peeled, cut up, blanched, and kept in the freezer for a year.

Three Ways to Love Your Carrots

1.  Cumin- and Honey-Roasted Carrots

The KG found this first dish posted at a delightful blog called The Bojon Gourmet, with photos that will knock your socks off. At least, they knocked mine off, and so, dazed and barefoot, I wandered into the kitchen and started cooking.

This dish was a celebration of all I had found at the farmers’ market that day: the carrots, the fresh herbs, and the fresh ricotta (its first appearance at the market, plus it saved me from making my own – which if you want, you can do HERE).

Also, the Kitchen Goddess is a sucker for cumin and honey, so... The flavors in this dish are so clean that I recommend searching out the freshest ingredients – you won’t be sorry. And with the extra carrot tops – you won’t use it all in the gremolata – you can make carrot top pesto, from this LINK.

Ms. Taylor-Tobin recommends preparing the gremolata (a chopped herb condiment, used as a garnish here) right before you serve the dish, as she claims the mint will blacken. The KG made hers while the carrots were in their initial roast and didn’t have that problem with the mint. But I squeezed a bit of the lemon juice on them, so that may be a factor. Also, I knew that if I waited one minute longer to serve Grumpy, he’d have a hissy fit.

Important Kitchen Goddess note: The lemon zest goes in the gremolata, and the juice goes on the finished dish. Be sure to zest your lemon half before juicing it, or you’ll be really sorry. Zesting a juiced lemon is an activity fraught with slips and the occasional bit of human flesh. And cursing.

Cumin- and Honey-Roasted Carrots with Ricotta and Gremolata

Adapted from Alanna Taylor-Tobin at The Bojon Gourmet (bojongourmet.com)*
*Check out the website for links to Ms. Taylor-Tobin’s new cookbook on gluten-free baking.

Serves 4-6 as a first course, 2-3 as a main course

Ingredients
For the carrots:
1 pound carrots (maximum 6 inches long for best results; cut larger ones in half lengthwise)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or substitute ¼ teaspoon red chile flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
12 ounces good quality, whole milk ricotta
½ lemon
finishing salt, such as Maldon flake (If you don’t have finishing salt, use kosher salt.)
freshly ground black pepper

For the gremolata:
¼ cup mint leaves (no stems), chopped
¼ cup carrot greens (thin stems only), chopped
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
zest of half a lemon, finely grated

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375º. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with baker’s parchment.

Trim and scrub the carrots (no peeling, please!), reserving the greens. If any of your carrots are fat, slice them in half lengthwise; if any are longer than about 6 inches, cut them in half crosswise.

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, Aleppo (or chile flakes), and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, toss the carrots with the olive oil and honey, then sprinkle the spice mix on them and toss again. Spread the carrots on the prepared baking sheet (use a spatula to make sure you capture all the spices from the bowl) and roast in the center of the oven for 20-30 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice to get them evenly roasted. (Don’t turn off the oven.) The carrots are done when they’re golden and lightly shriveled. If you’re unsure, test with a fork for tenderness.

While the carrots are baking, make the gremolata. Toss together the herbs in a small bowl along with the finely grated garlic and the finely grated zest. Squeeze a few drops of the lemon juice to keep the colors fresh.

Spread the ricotta in the bottom of a medium-sized casserole dish. Top with the roasted carrots and any of the fond that’s stuck to the baking parchment. Bake another 8-10 minutes, until the ricotta is warmed through.

When the ricotta and carrots are done, squeeze the lemon half over the dish and sprinkle the gremolata (you may not need all of it) on top. Season with a couple of pinches of finishing salt and a few fresh grinds of black pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

2. Burnt Carrots with Brie
 

The Kitchen Goddess experimented a couple of years ago with a trend that chefs all over the world were embracing: burning vegetables in order to achieve the ultimate in rustic, earthy flavors. And I know that technique is still in vogue, because I came across this dish in another of my regular readings, an email newsletter called Tasting Table. The recipe is the brainchild of Chef Tim Love, a Fort Worth-area restaurateur best known for urban western cuisine. And my prince, whose list of faves in the veggie world is rather limited, pronounced it “Very good.”

Kitchen Goddess note: Astute readers may have noticed by now that the KG likes to leave a couple of inches of the tops on her carrots. This is a pure indulgence on her part, as she thinks they look more “natural” that way, and make a nice presentation. If you are not similarly obsessed, do what you want with those tops.

On the other hand, the use of red carrots is less superficial. The red carrots have a little less sugar in them, so the use of both red and orange carrots in this dish and the next gives both dishes a little more nuance in flavor. When pressed, the KG will confess that it’s also a presentation thing...

The Kitchen Goddess served hers with sauteed scallops and a salad.

Burnt Carrots with Brie

Adapted from Chef Tim Love and Tasting Table (tastingtable.com)

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Ingredients
15-20 small-to-medium sized carrots, greens cut 2-3 inches from the root
2 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes)
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 ounces triple-cream Brie (rind mostly removed), cut in ½-inch dice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions
Preheat your broiler to 500º.

Lay the carrots out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Using a basting brush, cover the carrots with a thin layer of oil. Sprinkle on the Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes), as well as the salt and pepper.

Cook at 500º for 10-12 minutes, until the exposed side of the carrots is beginning to char. (Because you’re not turning the carrots, the underside won’t char, so they won’t taste burnt.)

While the carrots are cooking, mix the honey and lemon juice well in a large bowl, and toss the Brie with it. When the carrots have finished cooking, immediately add them to the bowl, and let them sit for 1½-2 minutes – to let the Brie melt – then toss the whole mixture well. Serve immediately.

3. Carrot-Onion-Ricotta Tart

The Kitchen Goddess has never been what you’d call adept at pie dough. Cookies, sure – even the kind that need rolling out. But pie dough, not so much. Then I spent a day in a dessert class at the Culinary Institute in San Antonio, where I learned about rustic tarts, which don’t require a beautiful, crimped crust and whose beauty is in the “natural” look, which is to say a bit haphazard, maybe even sloppy. And the dough can be made in a food processor, so I didn’t have to get my hands dirty. Eureka! It was a seminal moment in my evolution as a cook. So much so that now I look for every opportunity to make more rustic tarts. And here’s another one.

The original recipe called for puff pastry. Not a chance, said I. Then I realized the ingredients lent themselves perfectly to another rustic tart, and off I went. Now, you can make this with puff pastry – even the frozen, store-bought stuff. But I didn’t have that. If you want the puff pastry version, know that the original called for baking the crust 10-15 minutes before piling in the filling and baking another 30-35 minutes. My method takes less time.

Carrot-Onion-Ricotta Tart

Inspired by Alison Roman in Bon Appétit, April 2015


Ingredients
For the pie dough:
1⅓ cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons shortening (Crisco)
3 tablespoons ice water, more as needed
1 tablespoon vodka

For the tart:
12 ounces ricotta (Get the freshest you can buy, or make your own)
¼ cup heavy cream
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, thinly sliced
9-10 ounces medium-sized carrots, scrubbed and sliced into coins ⅛-inch thick
2-3 tablespoons milk (whole, 2%, or skim)

For the garnish:
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped carrot tops
zest of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions
For the pie dough:
Start by dicing the shortening and the butter into teaspoon sized bits, and put it into the freezer for 15-20 minutes.

Once the fats are chilled, combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and pulse 4-5 times to blend. Add the cold butter and shortening to the flour and pulse 12-15 times, or enough to get the butter down to the size of small peas. Drizzle the water and vodka over the mixture and pulse just until the mixture holds together when you squeeze a handful of it. (This should be plenty of water; if not, add water no more than a teaspoon at a time.) Gather and press the dough into a disk, wrap well in cellophane wrap, and chill at least 20 minutes.

Lay out a sheet of parchment paper and dust it with flour. Roll the dough on it to a thickness of ⅛ inch and trim the dough (if necessary) to about a 10-inch round. Move the parchment (with the circle of dough) to a baking sheet and refrigerate it again for 10-15 minutes.

While the rolled dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350º. In a small bowl, whisk the ricotta with the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

For the tart: 
To a large skillet over medium/medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes – long enough that it begins to brown. Add the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the ricotta mix into the center of the dough, leaving free a 2-inch border around the edge of the dough. Spoon the carrots and onion on top of the ricotta.

Carefully fold the edges of the dough toward the center, pinching and folding to create a pleated border. Brush the border with the milk to encourage the crust to brown. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Cool the tart in the pan set on a wire rack for about 15 minutes before slicing.

For the garnish:
While the tart is baking, toss the herbs with the lemon juice, the zest, and the remaining oil in a small bowl. Just before serving, sprinkle the garnish mix over the tart.

You can bake this tart up to several hours ahead. Once it cools, store it tightly wrapped in cellophane at room temperature. Add the herb garnish right before serving.

So what are you waiting for? Go buy some carrots!

Not Quite to Go... – Day 3 of This Year’s Marathon of Sides

What’s cooking? Smashed Carrots with Feta and Mint

It will take me longer to write this post than it will take any of you to cook this dish, and it’s not going to be a long post. That’s because I’m running out of time to get something up for you before midnight, even though I’m pretty sure most of you – except maybe my friend Henrietta – have the good sense to be in bed by now.

But that’s not going to stop me. Why? Because this new carrot dish is amazing – the texture and flavors are entirely fresh and different. It’s such a pretty dish, too. Even my prince said they were the best carrots he’d had in a long time, and I don’t think it was because he was just hungry.

When you go to buy carrots for this dish, do the Kitchen Goddess a favor and buy the big ones. No frou-frou baby carrots for this dish. It won’t have the same texture, and it won’t have as many of those wonderful nutrients – vitamins A, C, and K, plus potassium – that make carrots so good for you. Cup for cup, baby carrots offer 55% less vitamin A, 55% less vitamin C, 30% less vitamin K, and 25% less potassium than the big-boy carrots. At least, that’s what my research tells me. Of course, if your children will only eat the baby ones – that have been specially bred for sweetness and minimal core – then by all means, buy them. Just not for this dish.

I loved the texture of this dish. Smashing the carrots – which is way more interesting than puréeing them – gives you that lovely mix of soft with not-so-soft, and combines well with the cheese. In effect, the smashed carrots have the same texture as the crumbled feta, so the dish has a nice, even consistency. And the feta, with its sharp, salty flavor, is a great pairing to bring out the natural sweetness of the carrots.

Please note that while it takes very little time to make this dish, you can still cook the carrots/garlic mixture a day ahead. Then when you’re close to serving time, reheat the mix and add the feta/mint. What a winner.

The KG liked garnishing with a pretty bit of carrot top. Check at your grocer or local farmers’ market.

Smashed Carrots with Feta and Mint

Adapted from David Tanis in The New York Times.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup well-flavored chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons freshly chopped mint leaves
Pinch of Aleppo pepper (or crushed red pepper)

Directions
In a large skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil at medium-high until it shimmers (not smoking). Add the carrots and stir them around in the oil to coat. Sprinkle the carrots with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Add the garlic and stir it frequently with the carrots until it reaches a golden color, about 3 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown. Add the chicken (or vegetable) stock and stir to combine well.

Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium low, so that the carrots simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to simmer the carrots another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn the heat to medium high until most of the stock has evaporated, which should take another 2 minutes.

Using a potato masher, smash the carrots in the skillet until the mixture reaches a texture you like. Try to leave it a bit rough.

At this point, the carrots can be covered and set aside until you are ready to serve. When you’re ready to serve, reheat the carrots over low heat, adding a tablespoon or two of broth if the mixture seems dry. Check the seasoning and add salt/pepper to taste.

Reserve 1-2 ounces of the feta and about a quarter of the chopped mint as garnish. Stir the rest of the feta and mint into the warm carrots, and transfer the mixture to a serving dish. Sprinkle with the Aleppo pepper (or crushed red pepper), and the remaining feta and mint.

* * *

Come back Sunday for the final installment of this year's Marathon of Sides. Yes, the Kitchen Goddess is taking Saturday off.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner... or Overnight or for the Weekend? What’s cooking? Roasted Carrot Salad with Carrot-Top Pesto and Burrata

Nothing focuses the mind quite like the prospect of guests. You’re having friends over for cocktails or dinner, or maybe you’re having a party. Those people will be wandering around your living room, your kitchen, your porch. They’ll be using your bathroom, maybe accidentally poking their heads into the laundry room. In winter, they’ll be hanging their coats in your closet, or piling them on your bed. The more you invite, the more likely someone will wander off the reservation and notice your husband’s exercise equipment that he keeps handy in the corner of your bedroom, or that picture you’ve been meaning to hang that’s been stashed behind a chair for... oh, months. (I will not discuss the piles of books and papers in my office – I won’t live long enough to get that room straightened, so anyone who goes there gets the real me with no apologies.)

Then there are the overnight guests. For however much time, they have full rein over the entire casa, and God knows what they’ll find when they open closets, take a wrong turn on their way to the porch, or decide to make themselves a cup of coffee.

At least these are the tortured thoughts that jog around my brain when the prospect of guests arises. Not that I don’t love entertaining – I’ll invite friends for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine or dinner at the drop of a toque, and I always want friends and family who don’t live near me to come visit. But as the time for those events or visits draws near, I start looking at my environment with fresh eyes – seeing it the way someone who doesn’t live with me might. And I’m almost always horrified at what I find. That towel bar that’s coming loose, the dripping faucet, the rugs that need cleaning, bags of clothing I’ve been meaning to take to Goodwill, ... the list seems endless.

What am I thinking? They’re not trying to buy the place. And most people don’t actually get out the proverbial fine-toothed comb just because you invited them over. I certainly don’t when/if the roles are reversed. But that’s how my mind works.

Inevitably, a few items on my to-do list just don’t get done. Because at some point, what I really want to do is cook for these folks. So the food distracts me and it turns out the guests don’t notice or maybe they do but aren’t telling me. Ah, well...

Our most recent guests were a darling couple from Austin. And the itinerary I put together was as ridiculously crammed as my to-do list. But we had time for a nice lunch on the day they arrived, and I found this truly wonderful salad, a heavenly marriage of roasted carrots and burrata cheese.

Part of what I like best of this dish – other than the excellent mélange of tastes – is that there’s so little wastage. The carrots are small and tender, so you don’t have to scrape them, and most of the feathery tops get used either in the pesto topping or as a green salad accompanying the roasted carrots. If you want to get really compulsive – and I almost always do – save the fronds you don’t use in this dish in a baggie in your freezer for the next time you make vegetable broth.

The other thing I like about this dish is that it affords me a chance to splurge on burrata cheese, that rich and creamy, lightly salty delicacy that first came to us from the Puglia region of Italy. Burrata looks like a small bag, tied at the top. The bag is made from mozzarella, and inside the bag is a soft filling of cream and stracciatella, the shards of cheese left over from making mozzarella. Buy it as fresh as you can find it – most likely from a grocer or cheese shop that gets daily shipments of mozzarella. Central Market in Austin actually makes burrata on site daily.

The recipe is a creation of the very excellent Manhattan Chef April Bloomfield (Spotted Pig, Breslin Bar & Dining Room, and her newest, White Gold Butchers) with JJ Goode, and appears in the book they co-authored, A Girl and Her Greens. And please do not be put off by the length of this recipe. It takes a bit of time because of the separate steps, but there’s nothing hard or complicated about it. Trust the Kitchen Goddess!

Roasted Carrots with Carrot-Top Pesto and Burrata

Adapted from April Bloomfield and JJ Goode.

Yield: Serves 4-6 as an hors d’oeuvre or side dish

Ingredients
For the carrots:
1 bunch (about 20) of small carrots (large-finger size), scrubbed well but not peeled, and all but 1-2 inches of the tops removed and reserved
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Carrot-Top Pesto:
4 cups (lightly packed) of tender carrot tops (thick stems discarded)
15-20 fresh basil leaves
½ cup walnut pieces
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated
1 medium garlic clove, halved lengthwise
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the presentation:
1 large (about 8 ounces) burrata, drained and brought to room temperature
3-4 tablespoons Carrot Top Pesto
1½ cups (lightly packed) carrot tops (the most delicate, feathery ones you can find)
10-12 medium-sized basil leaves (if what you have are large leaves, tear them in half right before mixing with carrot tops)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Maldon or another flaky sea salt

Directions

For the carrots:
Preheat the oven to 500º.

In a heavy, oven-proof skillet large enough to hold the carrots in a single layer (or at least close to a single layer), heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over high heat until it shimmers. Add the carrots, sprinkle on 1 teaspoon of salt, and use tongs to turn the carrots so that they get well coated with the oil.

Sear the carrots for 7-8 minutes, turning them occasionally, until they're browned in spots. The carrots will get softer and more maleable as they cook, so you should be able to reposition them into a single layer.

Move the skillet to the oven and roast the carrots until tender, 10-11 minutes, pausing halfway through the cooking time to turn them.

Let the carrots cool while you make the pesto.( Or you can make the pesto the night before; if so, bring it to room temperature before serving.)

For the Carrot-Top Pesto:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the carrot tops, basil, walnuts, Parmesan, garlic, and salt. Pulse several times – enough for the mixture  to reach a rough, mealy texture. Then with the machine running non-stop, slowly pour in the oil. Continue to process, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides, until the mixture is well combined. You can make the purée smooth or rough – whichever suits your taste.

If you make the pesto the day before serving, be sure to cover it well and refrigerate it overnight.

For the presentation:

Place the buratta in the center of a large serving plate. Arrange the carrots around the cheese in a haphazard pattern.

Spoon dollops of the pesto here and there on top of the carrots. The Kitchen Goddess likes to serve the remaining pesto in a bowl so that guests can serve themselves more on the carrots or on crostini.











In a small bowl, combine the carrot top sprigs with the basil leaves. In a separate small bowl or a jar, whisk together the olive oil and the lemon juice with a pinch of salt until the dressing looks creamy. (The Kitchen Goddess prefers to use a jar, so she can just put the lid on and shake it until it looks creamy.) Toss the carrot top sprigs and basil with a couple of teaspoons of the dressing, and arrange the “salad” on top of the carrots.

Take a sharp knife and gently cut the burrata into quarters. (This will feel a little like cutting open a water balloon, but fear not.) Drizzle the rest of the dressing over all, and serve.

It will make you want to have guests every day!

Ahead of His Time in the Kitchen What’s cooking? Charred Carrot Hummus

He wasn’t a big man, but he was a man of large gestures. The ultimate salesman, my dad greeted everyone as a long lost friend. “Niiiiiice ta seeeeeeya,” he’d say, as he pumped your hand up and down. My husband always claimed it wore his hand out waiting for Dad’s opening line to finish.

Born in New York City and raised on the shores of Long Island and Connecticut, Dad nevertheless embraced Texas life and Texas culture upon marrying my mother. He was as gracious a host and as generous a friend as anyone I ever met.

He made only big fires in the fireplace. Where he’d grown up in Connecticut, the word “cold” really meant something, and he never completely adjusted to South Texas winters.  I can still hear him warning us, “You kids stand back!” as he struck the match. The resulting fire would be so hot, we always had to leave the room.

And when it came time to grill a few steaks, he used nearly a full can of lighter fluid to get the coals started. My mother would turn to guests and say, “I hope you like your steak charred.” But she was happy that someone else was cooking, so she never actually complained. His barbecued chicken always came with a healthy – or unhealthy – helping of blackened skin.

So I was thrilled to find that Dad’s penchant for darkly crispy has at last come into vogue. The May-June issue of Plate magazine (one of my new favorite sources of inspiration) is entirely devoted to “burnt food.” Apparently, chefs from Boston and New York City, from Charleston to New Orleans and on to L.A., have all decided to embrace the concept of actually burning food to achieve the ultimate in rustic, earthy flavors.

It’s true. They’re taking charred vegetable scraps and making them into sauces, overtoasting bread to serve with ricotta and jam for breakfast, infusing olive oil with onion ash, and making chili from the burnt ends of meat. Then at a spice store in New York this week, I was introduced to omani lemons – Persian limes that have been brined and dried into small, blackened orbs that nevertheless add an amazing citrus flavor to spice mixtures or thrown whole into soups. They’re not charred – they just look it. Who knew?

The Kitchen Goddess figures she can burn with the best of them. So I have for you today a terrific appetizer for your Father’s Day celebration – a wonderful new hummus, made with charred carrots. It’s ridiculously easy, and offers a complex, smoky and very carroty flavor. The chef who came up with the original concept says he serves it as a dip with raw carrots, but I loved spreading it on toasted pita. Am thinking it would also be great with red bell peppers, celery, or English cucumbers.

Kitchen Goddess note: Tahini is a paste made from toasted sesame seeds, and is essential to Middle Eastern cooking. You can buy it in a grocery store or make your own in a food processor. The Kitchen Goddess, being unschooled in the ways of tahini, bought hers. But it seems easy enough to make – toast a cup of sesame seeds, then purée them with ¼ cup of a neutral oil like grapeseed or a mild olive oil – and you won’t have as much left over as I did. If you buy some, be sure to stir it up well, as the oil has a tendency to separate from the paste during its stay on the grocery store shelf. But the taste of this hummus is magic, and it’s so easy, you’ll want to make it again, so the purchase isn’t a terrible idea. The KG plans to make her own tahini next time – she bets the homemade stuff will taste even better.

Charred Carrot Hummus

Adapted from a recipe by Chef Moosah Reaume at Soho House Chicago, from Plate Magazine, May/June 2015

Makes 3-4 cups.

Stage 1: cut into 3-4" pieces

1 pound carrots, peeled, halved, and cut into 3-4-inch pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil, separated
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
1¼ teaspoon ground cumin
15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), with liquid
2 heaping tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, separated

Preheat oven to 500º.

Stage 2: tossed in spice rub

Combine the coriander and cumin with 1 tablespoon olive oil to make a paste. Toss the carrots in the paste until well covered. Spread the carrots on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, checking periodically to make sure they don’t get overburnt. If at the end of the 30 minutes, the carrots are tender but not as charred as you’d like, run them under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.

Stage 3: roasted to a char

Purée the carrots in a food processor with ¾ teaspoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of water, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Adjust salt to taste. Add the garbanzo beans with their liquid to the processor, along with the tahini, lemon juice, and remaining 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Process to a relatively smooth consistency.


Serve as a spread on toasted pita, or as a dip with raw carrots, celery, red bell pepper, or English cucumber slices.


And have a wonderful Father’s Day lunch!

Tamales, a green salad, tahini on pita, and fresh cherries for dessert. Yum!

When You Just Have to Have It Now What’s cooking? Twice-Baked Potatoes with Carrots, Onion, and Goat Cheese

A Note from the Kitchen Goddess: The KG has been away on a Caribbean island for a week, and now is working on a nice post about some island flavors. But it’s taking a while. So in the meantime,...

You know how sometimes you just get a craving for a particular food, and nothing will do until you satisfy that craving? Most of the time, for me, it’s a chocolate thing. This time, though, it was twice-baked potatoes.

I’ve mentioned my delightful book group before, and the format of potluck dinners. At our last meeting, my friend Ellen prepared twice-baked potatoes made with carrots mixed into the potato filling. Oh my, they were fluffy and carroty, and I’m pretty sure they had some cheese in them. Ellen said they were really easy – low cal, too! – and she promised to give me the recipe.

Then a couple of days later, as I noted above, my hubby and I left for a vacation in the Dominican Republic. After a week of chowing down on the most wonderful seafood and lots of drinks with little umbrellas in them, I was in desperate need of food that would put me back on track with my eternal diet. I couldn’t really picture myself switching from broiled lobster and rum punch to chicken broth and celery sticks, so I thought about those twice-baked potatoes, and the more I thought about them, the more obsessed I became. I had to have them. Now.

I called Ellen, and she wasn’t home. I left a desperate, pleading message, but as the minutes ticked on (I’m really not the most patient person when it comes to culinary needs), I decided I’d just make up my own damn recipe. Truly not patient.

It’s amazing what you can do when you have the drive. You picture a dish, you think about the flavors and textures involved, and you look in the fridge and your pantry for a little inspiration. And you prepare yourself for pizza if it doesn’t work out. More often than not, you can come up with something that’s at least edible, and maybe you’ll make some notes as to what was missing, or what you had too much of, and the next time you make it, you’ll get closer to that ideal.

This particular dish wasn’t that much of a challenge – after all, there are lots of recipes out there for twice-baked potatoes, and what you’re adding is mostly carrots. In the end, I included a few items – like the onion and the garlic and the cream – that I’m pretty sure weren’t in Ellen’s dish, but this version turned out so well that I had to practically slap my husband’s hands to hang onto enough of the filled spuds for a decent photograph the next day. And now I can share the recipe with you.

Kitchen Goddess note: I’m pretty sure Ellen used cheddar cheese in her recipe. I’ll bet that would be good, too. But herbed chèvre is what I had in my fridge, so herbed chèvre is what I used. You can try both and let me know what you liked. I did think the herbs added nice flavor.

Twice-Baked Potatoes with Carrots, Onion, and Goat Cheese

Makes 8 servings.

4 medium-sized (6-8 ounces each) russet potatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, cut in ½-inch dice (about 1 cup)
2 cups carrots, cut in ½-inch dice
2 large cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chicken broth
2 ounces goat cheese (herbed or plain)
¼ cup cream (heavy or light)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
Garnish: chopped chives

Special equipment: potato masher or ricer or food mill, for mashing the potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 425º (400º if using a convection setting). Scrub the potatoes under cold running water and pat dry. With a fork, poke holes in 3-4 places around the potatoes, to let moisture escape during baking. Place potatoes directly on a rack in center of the oven, and bake 50-60 minutes or until a fork or a metal skewer easily goes into the potato. (The Kitchen goddess prefers a skewer because she can poke it the length of the spud, making sure it’s soft all the way through.)

While the potatoes are baking, heat the butter in a medium skillet and add the onion. Cook the onion over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until it’s soft, then add the carrots and garlic. Continue to sauté the vegetables for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth, bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook the vegetables, covered, for 10 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Check occasionally to make sure the liquid stays at a simmer.




Transfer the skillet mixture – including any broth – to the bowl of a food processor. Add the goat cheese and process until smooth. Set aside until the potatoes are done.

When the potatoes are done, let them cool enough to handle, then cut them in half lengthwise and use a spoon to gently scoop out the potato flesh, leaving enough potato in the shell that it stays intact. Put the potato flesh into a large bowl and, using your tool of choice, mash until the texture is as lumpy or smooth as you prefer. Food processors are not recommended for this part, as they turn potatoes gummy.

Add the processed carrot mixture to the mashed potatoes, along with the cream, the salt, and 10-12 grinds of black pepper. Stir well. Fill the potato shells with the mixture and arrange the filled shells on a baking sheet.

If you’ll be serving the potatoes soon, put the filled shells into the oven at 400º for 20 minutes. If you prefer to make them ahead of time, the filled shells can rest in the refrigerator, covered tightly with cellophane wrap, overnight, then reheated at 400º for 30-40 minutes, until warm. The filled shells can also be frozen on a cookie sheet, to maintain their shape, then stored in the freezer in zip-lock bags. Reheat as noted above.

When ready to serve, garnish with chopped chives, if desired.