Out to Lunch (32 page)

Benji’s Butternut Squash Soup with Fried Ginger

SERVES 10 TO 12

Benji is in the throes of the most exciting time as a chef, experimenting to find his own personal style, and putting his mark on holiday traditions.

4 pounds cubed, seeded, peeled butternut squash

3 boxes chicken stock or a gallon of homemade stock

1 pint heavy cream

2 medium (or one large) yellow onions

1 stick butter

Fresh-ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon Espelette pepper, ground or paste (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons pickled ginger, drained and dried on a paper towel

4 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Sugar

Sauté onions in butter till soft, add squash. Add chicken stock to cover by about 2 inches. Cook over medium heat till very soft, about 35 to 45 minutes. Blend with immersion blender or in stand blender till very smooth; for extravelvety soup strain through chinois or fine strainer. Add cream and season to taste with salt and pepper and fresh nutmeg.

Heat the oil till it is shimmering, and fry the pickled ginger until it is slightly browned and crispy. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels, sprinkling with sugar. Use to garnish the soup.

Lois’s German Potato Salad

SERVES 6 TO 8

Lois might only be half German, but this potato salad is the real deal!

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks

1 red onion, diced as fine as you can

⅓ cup rice wine vinegar or other mild white vinegar

½ cup canola oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 bunch chives, chopped very fine

Boil potatoes in salted water till fork tender . . . do not overcook or they will get waterlogged. Soak onions in vinegar. Drain potatoes thoroughly, and pour over vinegar/onion mixture and oil, and mix gently, trying not to break up potatoes. Let sit at room temperature, tossing occasionally until cooled. Taste for salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped chives. This salad is better if it never gets refrigerated, and there is nothing in it to go bad or get rancid, so it is the perfect thing to bring to an outdoor party where food is likely to sit out.

Alana’s Chicken with Chorizo and Chickpeas

SERVES 6 TO 8

It is so nice to see Alana and RJ so happy, and still cooking together. (If you haven’t done so already, you can check out their story in Off the Menu by Stacey Ballis, available in paperback, audiobook, and for the e-reader of your choice from your favorite local bookseller or online retailer.)

4 ounces Spanish chorizo, sliced ¼-inch thick (this is a cured sausage red with paprika, do not substitute fresh Mexican chorizo here; if you can’t find Spanish chorizo, use a stick of pepperoni)

3 pounds chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on)

Salt and pepper

1 can chickpeas, drained

1 box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

2 small red onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme

¾ cup dry sherry

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup diced plum tomatoes

2 teaspoons Espelette or Aleppo pepper (If you can’t find these, substitute sweet paprika, but try to get the Espelette, it is worth it!)

¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Handful fresh basil, torn, for garnish

Put a large deep saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Cook the chorizo, stirring occasionally, until chorizo has rendered its fat and is brown and crispy. Remove chorizo with a slotted spoon or spatula to your slow cooker, leaving the fat in the pan.

Season the thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet and brown well on both sides, especially making sure to render the skin so that it is crispy about ten minutes total. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside.

Remove all but two tablespoons of fat in the skillet. Add the onions, garlic, artichokes, and thyme. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about five minutes. Add the sherry, tomatoes, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to dislodge any browned bits and simmer for one minute. Add this mixture to your slow cooker, put in the chickpeas and stir to be sure it is all well combined.

Nestle the thighs in the mixture in your slow cooker. Put in enough chicken stock to come up to the thighs, leaving the top ¼ inch uncovered. Cover the slow cooker and turn on high for at least 3 hours. You can then turn to low and hold till dinnertime, or cook on low for up to 8 hours. Before serving, season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with basil. Serve.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook in a covered Dutch oven at 350°F for 1 ½ hours.

Jenna’s Dark Chocolate Pudding

SERVES 6

RJ is a pudding aficionado, and this deep, dark grown-up pudding that Jenna makes is right up his alley.

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder

5 tablespoons cornstarch

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 quart half-and-half

3.5 ounces dark chocolate, 80 to 90 percent cacao chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift dry ingredients. In a large saucepan, pour in the half-and-half and whisk in dry ingredients. Cook over medium heat, whisking until pudding starts to bubble and thicken, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and vanilla. Whisk until chocolate is fully melted and incorporated. Pour into six ramekins and chill until set. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Benji’s Spicy Carrot Dip with Dukkah

SERVES 12

Benji knows that especially around the holidays, everyone can get a little sick of the usual cheese tray or veggie platter with hummus. This sweet and spicy dip is a great new addition to your repertoire. Paired with the Middle Eastern spice-and-nut mix called dukkah, it makes for a fabulous appetizer. If you are worried about people assembling their own, you can make them as crostini ahead and serve on a platter.

For the Dip:

2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for dipping

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

5 teaspoons harissa

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over high heat, cover the carrots with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the carrots and return them to the dry saucepan. Cook the carrots for 30 seconds or so over medium heat to dry them out. Remove the pan with the carrots from the heat and coarsely mash them with a fork or whisk. You want a coarsely ground carrot puree, not too smooth. Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, harissa, cumin, and ginger, and then season the mixture with salt and pepper.

For the Dukkah:

1 cup shelled roasted pistachio nuts

1 cup shelled roasted sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds

1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds

1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Toast spice seeds. Toast sesame seeds separately. Crush spices to coarse powder and mix with salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. In mortar and pestle or coffee grinder, crush pistachios and sunflower seeds, leaving some pieces.

To serve: slice a baguette into ½-inch-thick rounds. Dip each round lightly in extra-virgin olive oil and then in the dukkah. Spoon the carrot dip on top.

Praline Pecans

SERVES 8

Jenna knows that these are insanely easy to make and very addictive. They also have a longer shelf life than anyone has willpower, and they freeze beautifully. You can multiply this recipe almost infinitely.

1 stick butter

2 egg whites beaten till foamy

4 cups pecan halves (1 pound)

1 cup sugar

Flaky salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss nuts with egg whites until they are well coated. Sprinkle with sugar and mix well. Melt butter on a large sheet pan. Spread nuts over butter. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 250°F and bake 30 to 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes till dry.