The Bored Vegetarian

I finally went to Calyer in Greenpoint tonight.  It was delicious and a perfect end to a busy week.  I’ll be dreaming of the parsnips tonight.

Butternut Squash Flan
boy choy, rosemary honey, toasted almonds

Broccoli Rabe 
roasted baby potatoes, celery, spicy aioli, peanuts

Parsnips
smoked yogurt, savory granola, vanilla 

*logo from Thimali Kodikara  

This weekend was a bit of a blur with no time spent in the kitchen.  

A few of my favorite neighborhood things instead…

Spicy Rice Cakes from Mrs. Kims

House Made Ricotta at Five Leaves

A simple cup of coffee from Cafe Grumpy

Every donut at Peter Pan Bakery

A cocktail in the cozy Oak & Iron

Soyrizo Tacos & a Tecate at Papacitos

Pizza from Paulie Gee’s

The view of Manhattan from the end of Java Street.

Whole Wheat Gnocchi with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Lemon Garlic Brown Butter

Brussels Sprouts season is pretty much over, so I thought I’d have one last hurrah.  Speaking of seasonal eating, I downloaded a free app called Locavore that tells you what’s in season, what’s coming up and where to shop for local produce.Now if only I could remember to go to the farmer’s market on Saturdays. Am I the only person who thinks Sunday is the best grocery shopping day?  Greenpoint is trying to get a Sunday market going in McGlorick Park. Crossing my fingers…

16 oz Whole Wheat Gnocchi
1 1/2  lbs Brussels Sprouts
4 Tbsp Butter
6 cloves Garlic with individual papers wrapping on
1 1/2 tsp Lemon zest
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste 

Fill a sauce pan with water and bring to a boil.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Chop brussels sprouts into fourths and toss with 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil until coated.  Spread onto a baking pan, one layer thick.  Sprinkle with salt and roast on bottom rack of the oven, stirring occasionally.  Cut the tops of the garlic cloves off.  Make a container out of aluminum foil, add garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven with the sprouts until soft.  Add gnocchi to boiling water and cook for a few minutes until they float to the top.  While they’re cooking, melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat, careful not to burn.  Remove roasted garlic cloves paper wrapper and stir into butter.  Drain gnocchi in a colander.  Once butter begins to brown, remove from heat and toss the gnocchi in the brown butter.  Add lemon zest and toss well.  Add roasted brussels sprouts and toss again.  Salt & Pepper to taste.  Serve immediately topped with fresh parmesan. 

Homemade Cheese & Potato Pierogi (adapted from Queen Martha Stewart)
 
For the dough:

1 large Egg
2 Tbsp Sour Cream 
1 cup Milk
1 cup Water
4 1/2 - 5 cups all-purpose Flour

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and sour cream together until smooth.  Add in water and milk and whisk until combined.  Slowly stir in 3 cups of flour, using a wooden spoon.  Remove dough onto a well-floured surface and knead in another cup of flour.  The dough will be a bit sticky.  Knead for another 8 minutes or so, working in another 1/2 cup of flour. Don’t add too much flour - you want the dough to be elastic, not tough.  Roll into a bowl and place into a floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside.

For the filling: (feel free to use Martha’s exact recipe - I forgot to buy cream cheese, so I got creative)
 
3 large Potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese (the more cheese the better, right?)
1/2 cup Sour Cream 
1/2 stick melted Butter
Salt & Pepper to taste 

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender.  Drain and mash with a potato masher.  Add half of the butter, the sour cream and shredded cheese.  Continue to mash until smooth, season well with salt and pepper.  

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  On a floured surface, roll out pierogi dough until about 1/8 inch thick.  Using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter (I used a pierogi press, but it’s not necessary), cut as many circles as you can.  Re-roll out the dough and repeat.  Roll the potato filling into 1 1/2 balls and place in the center of each dough round.  Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges closed with your fingers, forming a crescent.  Continue this process for remaining dough/filling.

In batches of about five at a time, add pierogi to boiling water.  Boil until they float to the surface, and then about a minute after that (they may stick to the bottom at first, lift them gently with a wooden spoon if needed).

Serve immediately with sour cream, sauteed onion and/or pickled cabbage - or pan fry them with a bit of butter until browned on both sides.

Did you know that the word pierogi is plural?  The singular form is pierog and is rarely used… because you can’t eat just one.

Farro “Risotto” with Mushrooms and Pecorino 

1 cup Farro
1/3 cup chopped Onion
1 - 1 1/2 cup Mushroom Broth
1 cup fresh Mushrooms, sliced
Fresh Pecorino cheese
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste 

Soak farro in water overnight.  

The next day, saute onion in olive oil in a saute pan until tender.  Add farro and cover with mushroom broth.  Cover and simmer on low/medium heat for 10-15 minutes.  Add sliced mushroom and continue to simmer.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Farro will continue to absorb the liquid and become more tender and flavorful.  Once much of the broth has been absorbed, remove from heat and serve hot with freshly grated pecorino (vegan? leave the cheese off!)

The first time I encountered farro was 4-5 years ago during a birthday dinner at Boston’s Ten Tables (so great, please visit).  It’s a firm but chewy whole grain that holds up well when cooked and is very good for you!  In fact, my friend Amy created a farro stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving.  Farro might be a little harder to find, so you may need to hit up a gourmet grocer (or buy online).  Either way, it’s a good thing to have in the pantry.

Here is a picture of a nice tree on my street.