Muhamara

By Maydan DC

Photo by Jennifer Chase

Serves 6.

• 1 pound red bell peppers
• 4 tablespoons chili paste
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 clove garlic 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses 
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil plus 1 teaspoon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and put the whole bell peppers in the oven tossed with 1 teaspoon olive oil and roast until slightly blackened. Let the peppers cool, then rub the outer peels off or use a paring knife. Core, seed and quarter the roasted peppers.

Add the roast peppers and all the other ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the desired consistency has been reached, which should be smooth, but with a little texture. Season with salt. To plate, spoon the Muhamara onto a platter or large shallow bowl and drizzle with olive oil and garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve with fresh bread or pita. 

Autumn Greens Salad with Roasted Grapes and Roquefort

By Jennifer Farley 

Good salads are all about creating a balance of flavors, textures, colors and a bit of fat to enhance the lighter ingredients. My favorite salads take advantage of all four tastes: sweet, bitter, sour and salty. I love using fruits, candied nuts or balsamic vinegar for sweetness. Arugula or radishes are a great source of bitterness. Lemon juice or vinegar are examples of ways to add that sour note. Use a good salty cheese such as Roquefort or feta (or a crunchy, coarse salt). Toss everything with a properly balanced vinaigrette. For texture, add some nuts or crunchy vegetables. Fat comes in many wonderful forms such as cheese, a good-quality olive oil, or avocados. This recipe creates a perfect balance. Roasting grapes enhances their sweetness and brings the juices front and center. Baby kale softens the bitterness of the arugula, but feel free to substitute your favorite green (baby spinach would work well). 

Prep Time: 10 minutes   

Cook Time: 15 minutes   

Total Time: 25 minutes   

Yield: 4 servings 

For the vinaigrette:  

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
• 1 teaspoon honey 
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt 
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the salad: 

• 8 ounces (approximately 1½  cups) red seedless grapes, rinsed and dried 
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 2 cups baby arugula 
• 2 cups baby kale 
• ½ cup toasted slivered almonds 
• ½ cup Roquefort cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. 

To prepare the vinaigrette, place the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously to emulsify. Set aside.  

In a medium-sized bowl, toss the grapes with the olive oil and then spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and roast for approximately 15 minutes, or until tender and juicy. Allow to cool. 

Place the arugula and kale in a large bowl. Shake the vinaigrette to re-emulsify in case separation has occurred, then drizzle approximately ⅓–½ over the greens. Use tongs to combine and add more vinaigrette if desired. Divide the greens onto 4 plates and top with the slivered almonds, Roquefort cheese and roasted grapes. 

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The Gourmet Kitchen will be released by Simon & Schuster on October 25, 2016. The book is a compilation of over 100 recipes covering breakfast through dessert, showcasing Jennifer Farley’s favorites. Some have been in her family for generations, like her grandmother’s crab cakes. Farley finds inspiration everywhere, from culinary school to her travels around the world. Most of the recipes evolved through experimenting with the techniques she learned while training at L’Academie de Cuisine. The recipes are geared toward casual dinner parties, a leisurely weekend meal or a romantic dinner for two. They are everyday gourmet recipes for the home cook.  

Gluten-free Stuffing

Recipe from Carol Blymire

For those who are on gluten-free diets, there is the endless search for an opportunity to have something they are routinely denied, in this case bread stuffing at Thanksgiving. This stuffing has all the flavors associated with the holiday, with none of the gluten.  

If you’re really pressed for time, you can substitute store-bought bread in this recipe, but if you make your own it will be all the more special. The bread recipe is based loosely on a brioche, rich and eggy, yet dense enough to hold together when cubed for stuffing.  

Make Ahead: Feel free to bake the bread a day or two in advance and let it sit out at room temperature uncovered; in fact the stuffing is best when it’s made with slightly stale bread.  

 
Yield: 8 to 10 servings 

For the Stuffing

• 1 loaf gluten-free bread (recipe below), cut into 1-inch cubes, about 8 to 10 cups
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 stalks celery, chopped, about 2 cups
• 1 medium yellow onion, about 1-1/2 cups chopped2 carrots, peeled and chopped, about 1 cup 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced about 1 1/2 tablespoons1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 large eggs 

 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread bread cubes on two baking sheets, so they’re in a single layer with little to no overlap. Toast in oven for 20 minutes (30 minutes if your bread is fresh) until golden brown and dry. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature. 

Place cooled bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl or large roasting pan, so you have room for mixing and stirring without too much spillover onto your work surface. 

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat until melted. Stir in celery, onion, carrots, salt and pepper, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until just softened. Reduce heat to medium and stir in garlic, oregano, coriander, sage and thyme, and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Stir vegetable mixture into bread cubes until well mixed. Pour 2 cups of stock over the mixture and stir gently for a minute to allow bread to absorb the liquid. 

Whisk the eggs into the remaining 2 cups of stock, and pour that mixture over the bread cubes, stirring gently until fully mixed. 

Transfer bread mixture to a 13-inch by9-inch buttered baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake until the top is crisped, about 15 minutes more. 

  
For the Bread 

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup potato starch
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/2 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 4 large eggs, whisked 

In a small mixing bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir for 10 seconds, and let rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together potato starch, brown rice flour, sweet rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch, salt and xanthan gum. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the butter, milk, honey and eggs. Add the yeast mixture and whisk for 10 seconds. 

Slowly stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir quickly for an additional 3 minutes. You may use an electric mixer on slow speed for these steps. The dough will be shiny and silky-smooth. 

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm area for 45 to 60 minutes for the dough to rise by about a third. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Unwrap the bowl, press down on the dough, then fold it over onto itself. 

Place dough in a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan coated in cooking spray. Let rest near the preheating oven, or other warm spot, for 30 minutes. 

Bake bread dough for 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. Bread is done when a tap on the crust sounds hollow and the internal temperature reaches 185°F. 

Cool in pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and let rest on cooling rack for 2 hours (or up to 48 hours), uncovered.