Savory Oatmeal Cookies

Cookies. I'm not talking chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin here.

I'm talking cookies chocked full of rolled oats, fresh grated pecorino romano, rosemary and olive oil, topped with sprinkling of flaky, melt on your tongue, maldon salt.

THAT is what I'm talking about.

Enjoy 'em with some tea for a savory breakfast. 

Serve 'em at your next cocktail party with some cheese, nuts and olives.

OR..

Just eat 'em straight up!

Savory Oatmeal Cookies (makes 18 cookies)
From The Kitchn

1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup sifted unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Flakey sea salt such as Maldon or fleur de sel

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Place the oats in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the water over them.
In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, brown sugar and egg. Pour this mixture over the oats, stir to combine, and set aside.
In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, fine sea salt, baking soda, rosemary, and black pepper. Whisk to combine well. Stir in the Parmesan.
Gradually sprinkle the flour mixture over the oat mixture, stirring until combined.
Form 1 tablespoon size scoops of batter and place, evenly spaced on a parchment paper or baking mat-lined cookie sheet. Flatten each piece of dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Use your hands to form an even disk. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top of each.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the edges are slightly darkened.
Remove to a cooling rack.

Little Quinoa Patties

Quinoa in patty form.

Genius.

I've made patties with lots of different grains: millet, oats, bulgar and couscous, but never thought of using quinoa.

I stumbled upon a recipe for quinoa patties in Supernatural Everyday and had to make them at once!


Little quinoa patties (makes 12) supernatural everyday

2 1/2 c. cooked quinoa at room temperature
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. chives
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 c. fresh parmesan
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 c. whole grain bread crumbs
water if needed
1 T. extra virgin olive oil or butter

Combine quinoa, eggs and salt in a medium sized bowl. Stir in chives, onion, cheese and garlic. Add breadcrumbs and let sit for a few minutes to absorb some of the moisture. (err on the very moist side.. add more breadcrumbs if too wet, more egg or water to moisten).
Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium low heat. Add 6 patties, cover and cook 7-10 minues, until bottoms are deeply browned. Carefully flip and cook for another 7 minutes, until golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Quinoa mixture keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

First time around I served 'em with some fresh pea shoots from the farmers market and some feta cheese with a little champagne vinaigrette drizzled on top.  Perfection.  Filling but not too heavy.

The next day I served them along a huge salad with spicy mesclun mix and mustard roasted potatoes.  The potatoes were like crack, thanks Deb from Smitten Kitchen!

Mustard Roasted Potatoes (from Smitten Kitchen) 

Makes 10 servings
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/2 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick or 1/2 ounce) butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3 pounds 1- to 1 1/2-inch-diameter mixed unpeeled red-skinned and white-skinned potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges

Position 1 rack in top third of oven and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Spray 2 large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Whisk mustard, olive oil, butter, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, lemon peel, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add potatoes; sprinkle generously with freshly ground black pepper and toss to coat. Divide potatoes between prepared baking sheets, leaving any excess mustard mixture behind in bowl. Spread potatoes in single layer. Roast potatoes 20 minutes. Reverse baking sheets and roast until potatoes are crusty outside and tender inside, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes longer.

Transfer potatoes to serving bowl.

Cracked Pepper Fettuccine with Roasted Cauliflower and Lemon- Caper Parsley Sauce

There is nothing like a bowl of fresh pasta.

A bowl of cracked pepper fettuccine tossed with crispy, oven roasted cauliflower, a chunky parsley, lemon and caper gremolata, some crushed red pepper flakes and plenty of fresh grated pecorino.

It was heaven I tell you.. HEAVEN.

I picked some up at the farmers market from Flour City Pasta. They had so many flavors to choose from, like pumpkin, wasabi, wild mushroom, and thai chili just to name a few. I had my heart set on the wild mushroom, but since my husband is a funghi hater I settled on the cracked pepper fettuccine.  At $8 a pound the stuff wasn't cheap, but was so well worth it. 

       

Cracked Pepper Fettuccine with Roasted Cauliflower (serves 2)

Recipe adapted from Flour City Pasta

1/2 lb. cracked pepper fettucine

4 T. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 small cauliflower, sliced 1/4" thick

3/4 c. flat leaf parsley

2 small cloves garlic, chopped

1 T. lemon zest

1 1/2 T. capers, drained and rinsed

1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste

grated pecorino romano

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta, drain and set aside.

Toss cauliflower with 2 T. olive oil, spread on a sheet pan and season with salt and pepper. Bake until the cauliflower is lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.

In a food processor combine the parsley, lemon zest, capers, garlic and 2 T olive oil.

Toss the cooked pasta with the cauliflower, parsley sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper.

To serve, top with extra grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Fried Sage

Yes. ANOTHER dish involving butternut squash, butter and cheese.

I've gone almost five days without any greens. It's sad, I know.

I'll probably go on a kale binge soon enough, but for now, all I'm craving is squash.

Risotto is one of those perfect dishes to enjoy on a nippy evening.  Comfort food to the max.

Best of all, you only dirty one pot.

You can throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand, based on the season.  I've used corn in the summer, asparagus and lemongrass in the spring and wild mushrooms whenever I can get my hands on them.  Traditionally risotto is made with arborio or carnaroli rice (arborio being less expensive and more readily available), a good stock/broth, a bit of wine and some high quality cheese.  Once you've got all of those in your possesion, you are good to go.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Fried Sage (serves 4 as a main dish or 6 as a side)

1 1/2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 medium onion, diced
2 c. arborio rice
6 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. dry white wine (I used sauvingon blanc)
4 T. butter, divided
1 T. fresh thyme, chopped, or 1 t. dried
1 c. grated pecorino romano
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
10 sage leaves
1 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place peeled and cut squash in a large bowl, drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, a heavy pinch of salt and a couple grinds of black pepper. Place on a sheetpan and bake for 20 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place your broth in a stockpot over medium heat. You want your broth to be warm when you add it to the rice.  The wine should be room temperature as well, so before you stash that bottle in the fridge, set a little aside first.

Heat 2 T. of the butter in a stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sautee for 3-4 minutes, until it softens and becomes translucent. Stir in your rice, and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly.  This step toasts the rice giving the final dish a pleasant nutty flavor. Add the wine and stir until all of the liquid evaporates. Begin adding your broth one ladle at a time, ocasionally stirring until most of the water evaporates.  Continue doing this until the rice becomes tender. When the reaches a desired consistency, add a bit more broth, remove from the heat and stir in the butternut squash, 3/4 c. pecorino, the remaining 2 T. butter, thyme, salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 T. olive oil. Add sage leaves and fry until they begin to crisp up. Drain on paper towels, then crumble the leaves into the risotto.

Serve with the remaining grated cheese and some fresh cracked pepper.
Don't forget to break out that bottle of white that you opened earlier..

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter.

If I were all fancy pants and the like, I would be making fresh raviolis from SCRATCH.

But.. I'm not.

I'm all about making my own kraut, bread, and kale chips, among other things, but for some reason homemade pasta scares me. It looks like an awful lot of work with little room for error, so when I'm craving ravioli without all the nonsense I have a little trick...

Wonton wrappers!!

You can get them at the Asian market mad cheap, which allows you to pump out massive quantities of ravioli with little effort.

Traditionally, ravioli is stuffed with ricotta cheese. I love me some ricotta, but never have the stuff on hand, so I decided to use grated pecorino romano.

Butternut squash + sauteed onions + cheese + nutmeg = A whole lot of yums.

Add in some sage and butter. Do it. It will not dissapoint.

Butternut Squash Ravioli (makes 18 raviolis)

Filling:
1 1/4 lbs. butternut squash
1/2 red onion, diced
3/4 t. fresh grated nutmeg
6 T. grated pecorino romano
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. black pepper

18 wonton wrappers
1 t. arrowroot
2 T. sunflower oil


sage brown butter:

3 T. unsalted butter
10 sage leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle a bit of oil on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place squash in a baking dish, cut side down. Pour 1/2 c. water in the pan. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until fork tender. Set aside to cool.  When cool enough to handle, scoop out the squash and place in a bowl.

Meanwhile, place a drizzle of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and sautee until softened (about 5 minutes). Add the onion to the squash, along with the nutmeg, grated pecorino, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Place 6 wonton wrappers on a cutting board. Place the arrowroot in a small bowl and add 1/4 c. water. Dip your fingers in the mixture and trace the exterior of each wrapper with your finger (this will act as a "glue" so the raviolis won't fall apart).  Place 1 T. filling in the center of each wonton wrapper, then fold over to make a half moon shape, running your fingers along the edges to create a tight seal.

Repeat with the remaining wrappers.

Place 2 T. sunflower oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the ravioli and cook until lightly browned on the bottom (about 3-4 minutes). Pour 1/3 c. water into the pan. Cover and cook until all of the water has evaporated, then continue to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes to crisp the ravioli back up.

Sage brown butter:

Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter develops a layer of foam on the top, add the sage and continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the butter turns a light shade of brown.  Be careful.. the butter can go from browned to burned in seconds if you don't keep a close eye on it.

To serve:

Place desired amount of ravioli on a plate and drizzle with the sage brown butter.  A little grated pecorino on top never hurt anyone.