2007
Food for Thought Recipe Contest
Winning Recipes
Edited by Terese Allen
Category: Savory Snacks
Kale
Crisps
Jessica
Servings: 4
Let it be known: This recipe rocks. These salty, spicy, feather-light chips of oven-crisped kale were the big surprise--and the grand prize winner--of this year’s Food for Thought recipe contest. The recipe judges first came across the idea of kale “chips” in Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Heaven (Hyperion, 2000). Contributor Jessica Weiss’s rendition of it hit all the right notes for the contest, because the judges were looking for fresh-tasting, easy-going recipes that fit into life’s casual moments. This one is perfect for snack time.
We found we like the crisps best when
they’re warm, although they are mighty good at any temperature. They’ll lose
some crunchiness after an hour or so (especially on a rainy day)—but most
likely you will have eaten them all by then, anyway. If you want to store them,
keep them in an airtight container; they can be reheated very briefly in a hot
oven to revive the crunch.
Move over, popcorn!
about 2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
cayenne pepper (optional)
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut stems from the kale stalks (can save stem for another use, like a stir-fry or a quick nibble). Tear leaves into 2- to 3-inch-size pieces place them in a large bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil then toss kale with your hands until all of it is lightly covered with the oil. Spread kale out on one or two large baking sheets. Don’t pile them up; keep them in one layer. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Sprinkle lightly with cayenne pepper (if you want it spicy). Bake until kale is nice and crispy, 10-20 minutes depending on how much moisture is in your kale. Check the crisps frequently as they can go from crisp to burnt fairly quickly-- especially if you're starting with fairly thin kale. (You will hear it hissing and popping while it is cooking. Don't worry; this is normal.) Remove from oven, transfer kale crisps to a bowl, and enjoy.
First Prize - Category: Main Dish Grains
Whole
Grain Vegetable Tart
Gina Landucci,
Servings: 8
First-place winner Gina Landucci says,
“Tomatoes, basil and corn were born to be together.” How right she is: the
three ingredients are seasonal companions whose flavors and colors blend
elegantly. She might add a fourth element: zucchini, which fits right in with
the rest in her classy, but easy-going summertime tart. Whole wheat pastry flour
and cornmeal make for a nutritious and surprisingly light crust, and the whole
thing comes together into a beautiful, tasty whole.
Landucci adapted her entry from a
tomato tart recipe in Cooking Light magazine. It’s the kind of dish that
brings people together, sharing preparations tasks in the kitchen and enjoying
the sum of their efforts at the table. Landucci says, “The recipe has become a
tradition at our Fourth of July celebration.” With summer traditions like
this, who needs hot dogs?
Crust:
1 cup fresh corn kernels
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) chilled or frozen butter, cut into small bits
Other ingredients:
3 large tomatoes (red, yellow, etc. or a mix of colors), sliced crosswise
1/4-inch thick
salt
1/3 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 cup slivered fresh basil leaves, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon flour
1 small zucchini or other summer squash, very thinly sliced
1/2-2/3 cup fresh corn kernels
freshly ground black pepper
Place baking stone in the oven (if you
have one) and turn oven to 400. Let stone heat up while you made the crust
dough: Place corn, sour cream and lemon juice in a food processor; puree until
fairly smooth. Place flours, cornmeal and salt in a bowl and stir with a whisk
to combine well. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut in the butter bits
until they are about the size of sunflower seeds. Stir in corn mixture until a
soft dough forms. Knead the dough in the bowl a few times. Place two large,
overlapping sheets of plastic wrap on a work surface. Place dough on top and
form it into a 6-inch disk. Cover with two more large, overlapping sheets of
plastic wrap. Roll out disk into a 14-inch circle. Transfer to a wooden peel or
the backside of a large baking sheet and place in freezer until the plastic wrap
can be easily removed, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, spread tomatoes on several
layers of paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and let stand 20 minutes.
Combine cheese, half the basil and all the oregano in a small bowl.
Remove crust from freezer; remove
plastic wrap. Place crust back on a parchment paper-line wooden peel (or
backside of baking sheet)—this will be used to transfer the tart to the baking
stone. (If you’re not using a baking stone, place crust on a parchment
paper-lined baking sheet—but not the cold one.) Sprinkle cheese mixture over
crust, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all around. Distribute zucchini slices over
cheese mixture. Sprinkle on a little salt and some of the flour mixture.
Distribute corn kernels evenly over zucchini, then a bit more flour. Blot the
tomatoes with more paper towels; lay the slices over the corn. Sprinkle
remaining flour over tomatoes. Fold up the edges of the crust dough all around,
to enclose the sides of the tart.
Bake tart until the crust is golden
brown, about 35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes, sprinkle with pepper and remaining
basil. Move tart off the parchment paper onto a platter or serve it directly
from the peel. Serve immediately.
Black
Walnut Tea Bread
Jae Almond,
Servings: 9
Black walnuts have a lightly tart
flavor that is welcome in a sweet bread (although this one is not too
sweet). Winner Jae Almond describes the genesis of the bread: “I created this
bread as a remembrance of my Grandma (Nana), my Grandfather (Papa), and the
happy childhood memories of being at my grandparents place in the country. Every
fall Papa collected black walnuts and let them dry in his shed. During the
winter he would put the walnuts through his "corn sheller" to break
them apart. I very much enjoyed the times I helped him with this. I remember
Nana then sitting in her chair picking out the nut meats. Also getting to eat
the nut meats raw plus savoring them in all kinds of baked goods all year
long!”
Almond serves her bread with butter or
strawberry or wild fruit jelly. She also says, “Lightly toasted tastes great,
too.”
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup half-and-half
2 cups unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped black walnut piece
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a piece
of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Place paper on
pan bottom. Spray the sides of the pan with vegetable spray. (If you don’t
have parchment paper, generously oil the bottom and sides of the loaf pan.)
Combine the softened cream cheese and
sugar in a bowl. Beat until smooth and light, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and
mix well. Mix in softened butter, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir in the half
& half; mix well.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking
powder, and salt in another bowl. Mix well. Combine the wet and dry ingredients
and gently fold together. Add the black walnuts, and stir only until mixture is
barely combined. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter into the prepared
pan.
Bake until toothpick inserted in middle of loaf comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and gently remove from pan. Let the tea bread cool completely before serving.
First Prize -- Category:
Sandwiches, Wraps and Rolls
Caramelized
Onion and Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Anne Roesler,
Servings: 4
Slow-cooked, caramelized onions could
make soggy cardboard taste yummy, but in a grilled sandwich with tart apples and
sharp cheese, the combo is ethereal. (One of the contest judges noted that
it’s “one of those sum-of-the-parts recipes—the ingredients blend so well,
you do not taste them individually, you taste a delicious whole.”)
Contributor Anne Roesler says, “A
sandwich like this is a great way to highlight some of the wonderful cheeses
made in
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced
a few sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary
salt and pepper
softened butter
8 slices hearty bread, like a European loaf from Madison Sourdough or a
non-sour crusty white
1 tart apple, thinly sliced
15-20 thick slices of a good, sharp local cheese such as Bleu Mont Dairy’s
Aged Swiss or Raw Milk Cheddar
First caramelize the onions: Heat
olive oil in a skillet over medium-low flame. Add sliced onions and desired
herbs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft and very sweet.
This will take almost an hour, and they should then be reduced to about a
quarter of the amount you started with. I've found that putting a lid on, but
keeping it slightly ajar keeps the onions from drying out too much. Remove herb
sprigs and season onions with salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble the sandwiches, butter
both slices of bread slices. Spread a couple tablespoons of onions on unbuttered
side of half the bread. Arrange a few slices of apple on onions. Cover with
cheese slices. Then put the other slice of bread on top with buttered side
facing out.
To cook: Heat a griddle, fry pan,
grill pan, or panini maker to medium-high heat. Cook sandwiches on both sides
until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.
Then: Serve it, eat it, and say, “Mmmm, that was good.”
Summer
Morning Sunshine
Liz Chapa,
Servings: 4-6
Liz Chapa folds summer favorites like
corn, leeks and goat cheese into an oversized omelette or features them in an
open-faced frittata. She writes: “Ah-h-h....mornings! I get all the
ingredients for this from local farmers. Mostly my friends at Drumlin Farm,
located off
The dish is as lovely and luscious as
summer morning sunshine, but it’s not just for breakfast; in fact, it was a
dinnertime wine that inspired the recipe. Chapa explains: “I fell in love with
this [dish] when a friend of mine and I challenged ourselves to drink more
Chardonnay one summer. We both are in the wine industry, and we needed to figure
out why so many people like Chardonnay. So we made a series of dinners featuring
different Chardonnays from all over, and concluded that corn is the perfect
match to Chardonnay. The combination makes even us wine snobs enjoy that
not-so-versatile, not-so-food-friendly grape.”
She adds, “You can, of course, also
can serve this dish for brunch with a big, amazing glass of Chardonnay. Bon appetit!”
3 small leeks
6 ears sweet corn
olive oil
salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic
12 farm-fresh eggs
8 ounces soft goat cheese
10-20 Sungold cherry tomatoes, cut in half
big handful of chopped fresh herbs (try a mixture among the following: thyme,
oregano, chives, lemon verbena, parsley, rosemary, and basil)
Prepare leeks: Cut off and discard the deep green ends. Rinse the white and pale green layers. Cut white parts lengthwise down the middle, cut them crosswise into strips, then finely dice them. Prepare corn: Cut kernels off cobs (making sure to let your pet eat whatever extras fall to the floor---pets like sweet corn too).
Heat a large sauté pan over medium flame, then add enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan. Toss in corn and let it sizzle for 2-3 minutes to caramelize a bit. Stir in chopped leeks, plus salt and pepper to taste. Toss this around a bit then add most of the herbs, leaving some to use as garnish at the end. Remove pan from heat.
Add another tablespoon or two of olive
oil to a large, non-stick skillet and heat it over medium-high flame. While the
pan is getting hot, whisk the eggs with a bit of water to lighten them up, then
add eggs to pan. Using a rubber spatula, push the sides of the eggs towards the
middle of the pan, allowing your eggs to cook all around. Do this until eggs are
nearly set, then spread vegetable mixture over them and distribute dabs of goat
cheese over all. Reduce heat to low and cook to desired doneness (just another
moment or two-- don’t let the eggs dry out).
At this point you can fold the whole thing up like a traditional omelette or serve it open-faced. (I like to serve it face up so everyone can see the wonderful golden goodness.) Garnish with cherry tomatoes and remaining herbs. Serve immediately.