I use a very small amount of pancetta in this recipe, which adds a really good salty, charcuterie essence, but can easily be left off for a vegetarian pie.

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 oz piece pancetta, cut into matchstick size pieces (optional)

1 ball store bought (or homemade) whole wheat dough (white, if you like), @ room temp

6 plum tomatoes, canned

1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt flakes

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

6 slices smoked Provolone

2 cups skim milk mozzarella

3 Brussels sprouts, shaved in a mandolin or sliced as thin as possible

1/2 medium red onion, shaved in a mandolin or sliced as thin as possible

1) Preheat oven to 425F. Rub a half sheet pan (17″ X 12″, or a pizza pan) with 1 tablespoon oil. Set aside. Sauté pancetta pieces in a dry pan until just crisp, reserve the fat and set aside. Roll the dough out thin, to fit your pan.

2) Lay the dough into the pan. Using your hands, squish and break up the plum tomatoes onto the dough. Don’t worry about the juice that accompanies the tomatoes. Scatter salt over the tomatoes and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle on the garlic powder, oregano and red pepper flakes then, lay the provolone on the pizza, return to the oven and bake 5 minutes, or until the cheese has just melted. Remove from the oven and toss mozzarella over top, then scatter Brussels sprouts, red onion and pancetta, drizzle the rendered pancetta fat. Place back into the oven and bake until golden (roughly 10-15 minutes).

Serve at once. Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound raw cod filet, cut into small pieces

1 pound raw shrimp, shelled and roughly chopped

4 oz smoked salmon, roughly chopped

1 cup grated celery root, or 1/2 cup minced celery

1/2 cup minced red onion or shallots

1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/4 cup Wondra flour or AP flour

2-3 tablespoons dry white wine

1 pound frozen hash browns

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil

1) Pre-heat oven to 400F. Smear the butter inside a 9 X 13 baking dish. Set aside. In a large mixing or salad bowl, toss all of the raw seafood, onions, dill weed, salt and flour together. Pile into the baking dish and pour in the wine. Scatter the hash browns over, then spread the Parm on top. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over that, cover with foil (or a lid) and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and carry on baking for 30 minutes longer.

Serve at once with a crisp green salad. Makes 6 servings.

Cold days cry out for a spicy curry. This is a really good one because it is healthy, full of fresh, antioxidant loaded veggies and skinless chicken. Make it vegan by omitting chicken.

1/4 cup chopped, fresh ginger

3 fat garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut up

1 large carrot, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

2 large red skin potatoes, cubed

1 tin diced, unseasoned tomatoes (including juice)

1/2 tin light coconut milk

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon galangal, minced (optional)

3 small dried (red) chili peppers (Thai or birds eye) or red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

1 bunch baby spinach, washed well

1) Sauté ginger, garlic and shallot until soft, then add in the chicken and sauté further until just beginning to cook then, add in the vegetables, tin tomatoes, coconut milk, curry powder, cumin, galangal and chilis. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, then taste and adjust with more curry, chili pepper, salt if needed and add in the spinach, stir well, cover and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes more until spinach is just wilted.

If using dried, whole chili peppers– don’t forget to pull them out of the curry before serving…

Serves 4. Serve with basmati rice.

The trick to preparing quinoa is embellishing it with lots of flavor. Quinoa itself has very little flavor, but it takes on flavors its paired with. Cooking quinoa in stock and adding layers of flavorful veggies will transform quinoa into a fabulously delicious entrée.

If you have a health food store near you, I’ve found that this is a great place to buy quinoa from the bulk section. It’s much cheaper and fresher than buying packaged quinoa.

3 cups cubed butternut squash

Extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 cups uncooked quinoa

2 & 1/2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)

4 fat garlic cloves, minced

1/2 large bunch collards or kale (about 5 cups very thinly sliced)

1) Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the squash cubes with a few tablespoons of evoo, spray a baking tray with non-stock spray, pile the squash onto the tray, season with sea or kosher salt and roast until lightly caramelized around the edges, about 20-30 minutes.

2) While squash is roasting, combine the quinoa and stock in t large saucepan. Cover and bring just to a boil then immediately turn the heat to low, keep covered and allow to cook slowly until all the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes.

3) Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with evoo and add in the minced garlic. Set over high heat and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, then add in the collards (or kale), turning them over to coat all the greens with evoo and garlic. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes, uncover and sauté until greens are wilted but still deep green, about 10 minutes. Season with sea or kosher salt and remove from the heat.

4) Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork, then pile in the roasted squash and garlicky greens. Toss well, season with salt, if needed and drizzle with more evoo. Serve hot, warm or room temperature (even chilled, is good).

Serves about 8

Kim got me into homemade kale chips.

The other day she asked (on Facebook) if I had any ideas for shaved asparagus spears. She had been making a salad of them with lemon juice and Parmesan.  It sounded fabulous and gave me impetus to create another recipe.

At the same time, my friend Jen (the runner) was singing the praises of flax seed oil and Ume plum vinegar in salad dressings. She told me she whipped up a dressing the other day that was so tasty, she took secret sips of it.

Love.

Food.

Friends.

Virtual, or flesh and bones– I love my friends.

What these two women inspired is a salad worth making for anyone interested in eating.

Dressings 

2 tablespoons ume plum vinegar (buy it on health food stores or Asian markets)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed

1 teaspoon shallot, minced

1 tablespoon flax seed oil

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon mayonnaise or vegenaise

Whisk the first 4 ingredients together then drizzle the next 2 ingredients in and add in the mayo(vege)naise. Whisk well until smooth. Keeps refrigerated for one week.

Salad

1 bunch, thick asparagus

2 baby zucchini, or one medium, cut into 1/4s lengthwise

1 large carrot, peeled

1 small beet, peeled

Roasted, pumpkin seeds (optional)

1) Lay the asparagus on a counter top. Using a vegetable peeler, shave off thin ribbons of asparagus, while holding the spear flat on the counter to keep it rigid. Do the same with the zucchini quarters. The carrot and beet are more dense and can be held in your hand as you shave off their pieces.

2) Boil a teapot full of water. Place the only the asparagus and zucchini ribbons into a colander in the sink and pour the boiling water over the vegetables in the colander. Allow to drain then mix them with the raw carrot and beet ribbons.

3) When you are ready to serve, toss all of the veg with the dressing (you will use most, if not all of it). Arrange on a platter and scatter pumpkin seeds over top.

Serves 2-4 main courses, 6 sides

Braising all day in this Asian sauce, the boneless beef ribs come out so tender and flavorful. They are great served with wasabi mashed potatoes and sautéed, sesame broccoli.

1 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons Wondra or all purpose flour

1 and 1/2 tablespoons sherry

1/2 cup dry wine (red or white)

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 inch piece ginger root, minced

4 fat garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fish sauce (if you’ve got some)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon minced lemongrass (or prepared lemongrass paste)

5 pounds boneless, beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fat

Pile everything into a large slow cooker and turn to high. Simmer for 4-6 hours or all day on low. The sauce will have quite a bit of rendered fat that should be scooped away before serving.

Serves 6-8

I eat pretzels everyday. I love pretzels and always, always have. When we moved to England in 2008, I will never forget that most people in our village had never heard of pretzels. Wait– what? Not kidding. I even went into a gourmet grocery store a few villages over, in search of my munchy mainstay and the guy who stocked the snack shelves looked at me as if I was mad crazy. So, I began making them myself. I don’t bake pretzels very often because they are just too tasty.

I found the best recipe for soft pretzels on Alton Brown’s web page. I’ve altered his recipe a bit, but not much– they are irresistible. Although just one is a meal in itself, personally, I couldn’t stop there.

3 cups warm water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 packets instant yeast

8 cups flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 stick butter, melted

12 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

Toppings: Kosher salt, sesame seeds, Parmesan cheese, cinnamon sugar, whatevah

1) Rinse the work bowl of a stand mixer with hot water. Drain, then pour 3 cups warm water in, add sugar and whisk to dissolve. Sprinkle the yeast over top and wait 5 minutes for it to bloom (get frothy). Once the yeast has bloomed, mix the flour and salt together and add it in, then add in melted butter. Turn the mixer on to low speed and work for 2-3 minutes, until the flour is incorporated, then turn it to medium and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides and is smooth (about 5 minutes more).

2) Remove the mixing bowl from the stand, cover with plastic wrap and set in a draft-free spot (unused microwaves work well). Allow the dough to rise until doubled in volume, about an hour.

3) Pre-heat oven to 45oF and bring the 12 cups of water to boil with the baking soda in a non-aluminum pot. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled workspace. Portion dough into 16 pieces (the easiest way to do this is to divide in half, then half those halves, and so on). Roll each dough into a ball, then using both hands, roll into a rope about 2 feet in length. Shape into a pretzel of any design you like. Oil 2 half sheets (large baking trays), boil each pretzel shape for 30 seconds (one at a time) and remove to the half sheets. Brush with egg wash and top liberally with toppings of choice. Bake 12 minutes, 10 if using convection.

Eat immediately and with abandon. Makes 16 large soft pretzels.

I had it all planned, my menu that is. I was going to grill a whole beef tenderloin (indirectly, over charcoal, of course) and serve it with potato gratin and a show stopper salad that included bacon brittle and blue cheese ice cream. It was for a group of friends who love food and eating, and I love cooking for them.

Then I read a recipe in the NY Times for Bo Ssam and my plans changed completely. Bo Ssam is a Korean dish that takes about 24 hours in preparation and cooking time (which is what I found so intriguing about the recipe). Using a dry brine, overnight in the fridge, a whole pork butt (bone-in), bathes in it’s own extracted juices, then gets a rinse off and pat down and is very gently roasted in the oven for 7 hours. At the last moment, the oven temp is cranked to 500F and the pork roast is slathered in brown sugar and a wee bit of salt. Placed back in the oven it roasts for mere minutes until the sugar caramelizes, creating the mutha of all savory-candy shells.

What comes to the table is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The whole, lacquered, roast is placed in the middle of the table along side kimchi (Korean, fermented vegetables) an assortment of sauces, and some steamed sticky rice. Everyone digs in with their own forks, filling Bibb lettuce cups with the most amazingly tender pork, a spoon of gingery-scalliony sauce and kimchi. And then it all goes quiet.

I’ve made very few adjustments to the original, NY Times recipe- here it is– so worth the effort and time and such a great meal to serve for friends.

1 pork butt or shoulder, bone in, 7-8 pounds

1 cup kosher, flake salt

1 cup tables sugar

1 bottle beer

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher flake salt

Kimchi (find it jarred in Asian and gourmet markets)

Scallion/ginger sauce (recipe below)

1) Place pork in a large bowl. Combine the salt and sugar together and rub this all over the pork. Cover and refrigerate over night (8-24 hours).

2) Pre-heat oven to 300F. Remove the pork form it’s brine and rinse. Pat dry with paper towels. Place into a large Dutch oven, or a deep baking dish with a lid (or use foil to cover), fat side up. Cover and roast for 2 hours then, add the bottle of beer. Cover and continue to braise for 4-5 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone. If it cooks quicker, that’s okay, simply shut off the oven– it can hold this way for up to 2 hours.

3) 15-20 minutes before serving, turn the oven up to 500F. Line a sided baking tray with foil. Carefully transfer the roast from the braising pan to the tray (use 2 large spatulas to do this). Pat the brown sugar and salt over the roast, place back into the oven uncovered and sear until the sugar melts completely. Be aware, the sugar may smoke as the temp is so high.

4) Remove form the oven, place pork on a platter and serve at once with lots of Bibb lettuce cups, kimchi, scallion/ginger sauce, Sriracha sauce (for spice)  and sticky rice.

Scallion/ginger sauce:

1 bunch scallions (green onions), sliced thin (including all the green part)

1, 3″ long piece ginger, peeled and minved fine

1-2 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon good quality soy sauce

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Mix everything together and hold at room temperature for up to 6 hours.

Yesterday was an absolutely dreary day in North Carolina. Dreary days are rare here (thank God). The cold, drizzle of rain and dark clouds made me want something from a slow cooker. I wanted to make something that would make my house smell great. I wanted some sort of canned or dried soup.

I came up with these sandwiches. They defy my classical culinary school training in every way, but they truly hit my midwestern spot.

2 large yellow onions, sliced thin

1 small container light sour cream

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 packet onion soup mix

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (breasts, thighs or a combination)

1) Slice the onions and pile them into the bottom of your slow cooker. Whisk the sour cream, wine and soup mix together until smooth. Place the chicken on top of the onions and pour the sour cream mixture over top. Cover and set on high. Cook for 3-4 hours, until the meat is falling apart (you can also cook all day on low setting). Shred the meat and serve on Kaiser rolls with a slice of melty cheese.

Makes 6-8 sandwiches

1 loaf artisanal bread sliced into 1″ cubes (12-14 cups cubed)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 leeks, white and tender green part only (washed well), chopped into half moons

1 fat clove garlic, mashed, minced or pressed

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped

3 cups milk

8 large free rnage eggs (because it’s nice to chickens)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese

2 pats butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) Pre-heat oven to 350F. Tumble the bread cubes onto 2 dry baking trays (no butter, oil or cooking spray needed) and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until toasty but not colored.

2) Place 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon evoo into a large sauté pan and sauté the leeks and garlic over mediu-high heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the Swiss chard, stir and cover. Reduce heat to medium and allow to steam cook until limp, but still deep green, between 5-10 minutes.

3) Whisk together the milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Pile the toasted bread cubes into a huge mixing or salad bowl, then pour the egg mixture over. Stir so that all the bread is coated with the egg mixture, then add in the Swiss chard and Gruyere; toss well. The dish can be held like this, in the fridge, for up to 8 hours at this point.

4) When ready to bake: Pre-heat oven to 350F. Smear the remaining 2 pats butter into a large casserole dish, then pile the bread pudding in. Cover and bake for 45 minutes covered, remove cover and bake a final 15 minutes to brown up.

Serves 12-14, but the recipe can be easily halved (although the leftovers are awesome)