Super ‘Hummus’ Bowl

It’s Super Bowl weekend, which means we can look forward to a snack and football filled Sunday.  For those of you hosting parties and haven’t thought about the menu just yet…don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Here’s the recipe for my hummus dip, which I love to serve at parties. It’s a cheap, easy to whip up and is very versatile – add as much garlic, lemon or spice as you please. You can make it healthier by dipping with veggies or add the crunch by toasting your own pita bread.

For this occasion, let’s call it the Super Hummus Bowl.

You’ll need:

2 (15-ounce) cans of garbanzo beans drained and rinsed.

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon of cold water

5 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

2/3 cup lemon juice (about 4 medium lemons)

2 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt

1 1/3cup of tahini (sesame paste) stirred well

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Warmed pita bread or sliced veggies

Optional –

4 Kalamata or other black olives

1 tablespoon sambal oelek (spicy chile paste)

What to do:

1. Place the garbanzo beans, water, garlic, lemon juice, salt, tahini, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade or in a blender. Process until smooth, at least 3 minutes. You may have to stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Alternatively, you can purée the ingredients with an immersion blender. Taste and add additional salt or lemon juice if desired.

2. To serve, spoon the hummus onto individual plates or onto a medium dinner place spreading it in an even layer to the rim. Spoon the chile paste in the center and top with the olives, if using. Arrange pita wedges or vegetables around the plate. For best flavor allow hummus to come to room temperature before serving.  Hummus can be refrigerated in an airtight container for several days, although I bet for this crowd, there won’t be any leftovers.

Enjoy!

One of my favorite features in Mother’s Best are the Love Notes.  The Love Notes are where I answer the whats, the whys and the hows of cooking to demystify the process for home cooks.  There are always unexpected questions that come up in the kitchen, so I thought it would be fun and helpful to demonstrate some of the Love Notes in Mother’s Best.

The first topic I’ll tackle are knives - very important tools for every new chef to invest in and learn about before getting serious in the kitchen.  What knives should every cook have in the kitchen?  What’s the difference between a steel and a stone?  These are important details every home cook should know… tune in!

Gift cookbooks: Tidings of great food

Uber-chef Thomas Keller takes on American comfort food, with 350 pages of lush photos and laborious recipes for classics like fried chicken and split pea soup - and trust us, Paula Deen it’s not.

Moosewood Restaurant dishes out another vegetarian cookbook, this time with less cheese, more whole grains, even more vegetables - and some very tasty recipes - in its charming no-frills design.

And the Lee Brothers give us another gem: quick and easy Southern dishes updated from the long-simmered and the deep-fried, presented along with charming food memories from the South.

Clearly, the economy hasn’t slowed the publishing industry from churning out cookbooks this season, from the lavish to the practical.

But a few themes dominate: comfort, home-style, and healthy, with a hearty helping of you-can-do-this encouragement, perhaps for those forgoing take-out to save money, and those putting pan to stove for the first time.

Some of these books are beautiful, some are flawed, but, most important, some contain truly great recipes.

Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health, The Moosewood Collective, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, $24.99.

It has long seemed that the crunchy-granola fare from the Moosewood gang was more about being earnest than being actually tasty. But a couple of things can’t be disputed: When the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, N.Y., opened in the ’70s, it was ahead of its time in championing ethnic grain-based dishes. Second, it seems to have finally noticed that flavor counts - even in cheap, hippie-dippy, vegetarian cookery. We were pleasantly startled at the transformation of a plain-jane sweet-potato and vegetable stew called Spanish Stew once we added the recommended romesco sauce, a mildly spicy, nutty Catalan sauce that doubles nicely as a dip. And we were just as happy with the simple Mexican scrambled-egg breakfast dish, called migas, that perfumed our kitchen with the crushed corn tortilla chips you add to the batter. You won’t find any sexy food photos in the book. But you will find impressively clear typography and instructions geared to real, everyday cooks in everyday kitchens.

- Rick Nichols

My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh, Andrews McMeel, $45.

For most Americans, the food of New Orleans has been indelibly defined by larger-than-life celebrity chefs, from the blackening craze of Paul Prudhomme to the spice-tossing Bam!-tics of Emeril Lagasse. We would be lucky if the more nuanced John Besh becomes the heir-apparent.

Besh is a bayou-bred former Marine steeped in local culture, who learned to cook in Europe and now owns some of the city’s finest eateries. Few are as qualified to illuminate the passion for local ingredients, tradition, and sophistication that defines the post-Katrina generation of chefs. And he makes a compelling case for the city’s culinary relevance with 200 recipes that give the full sweep of today’s New Orleans table, from stellar renditions of classic redfish court bouillon and gumbos galore, to the immigrant influence with his Vietnamese shrimp Creole. It’s as richly colored as the subject at hand and a welcome introduction to New Orleans’ most appealing culinary ambassador in years.

- Craig LaBan

Good Eats: The Early Years, by Alton Brown, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $37.50.

OK, I’m unlikely to ever actually buy a book stamped with a logo “As Seen on Food Network.” But that doesn’t mean I won’t seriously browse through one if it lands on my desk. To wit: I’ve been browsing Good Eats, which is like watching the TV series with the mute button on; not a bad thing in my book. The fact is, Alton Brown can be comic, and he has tasty side notes - don’t drain your noodles all the way or they’ll stick; anchovies weren’t in the original Caesar salad; a long nylon spatula from Matfer is great for flipping trout. But his campy shtick can be wearying unless you’re still in college or just getting out. Enter the pause button (also known as the print version). This book covers his first 80 episodes, and if you have an Alton Brown addict on your holiday list, well, why not give ‘em what they like? The recipes are elementary and classic. The layout is jump-cutty and personality-driven (lots of candids of Alton). And there are instructions for a 10-minute microwave applesauce with honey and cognac that I’ve decided to give a try.

- R.N.

Ad Hoc at Home, by Thomas Keller, Artisan, $50.

It’s comforting to know that even culinary gods like Thomas Keller, the chef behind the gastronomic temples French Laundry and Per Se, love to make good fried chicken, beef stroganoff, or strawberry shortcake. But do we all need to approach our comfort food with the rigors of a four-star chef? I’m not so sure after tackling Keller’s latest book. Based on recipes from his casual Napa restaurant Ad Hoc, this gorgeous tome makes a strong photogenic appeal for upgrading American standards. But even the “uncomplicated Keller” is bound to challenge most amateurs with daylong simmer-and-strain projects, Vita Prep blending, ice baths, and, yes, the inevitable plumber’s torch. There are plenty of nice little cooking tips (snuggling short ribs in cheesecloth to keep them tidy), and yes, Ad Hoc’s fried chicken is fantastically juicy (albeit a tad sweet). But when it comes to spreading the gospel of home cooking for most Americans, Paula Deen has little to worry about.

- C.L.

Mother’s Best, by Lisa Schroeder, Taunton Press, $28.

This new comfort-food cookbook, a collection of recipes from Lisa Schroeder’s popular Portland, Ore., establishment Mother’s Bistro and Bar, is written “in the voice of a mother teaching her adult child to cook,” she says.

It’s filled with tempting recipes, insightful tips, and bits of Mother’s wisdom, or “Love Notes.” Unlike many books that assume you know how to cook, Mother explains technique thoughtfully, explaining both why and how.

It’s worth buying this book for the incredible pancake recipes alone. The Almond Poppyseed Pancakes were so good my husband wants them to replace the French toast I have made for a decade of Christmases.

An entire chapter is devoted to macaroni and cheese, with nine recipes and variations: bacon and cheddar, one with spinach and ricotta, and a Southwestern version, too.

It wouldn’t be a “Mother’s” cookbook without cookies. The Triple Chocolate Chubbies are the ones we all want in the cookie jar: a cookie-fudge-brownie studded with nuts and chocolate chips. All you need is a glass of milk.

- Robin Currie

Momofuku Cookbook, by David Chang, Potter, $40.

The rise of wunderkind David Chang, from kitchen grunt to “it” chef of New York, is an improbable tale worth the price of his Momofuku Cookbook. But learning how this Korean American from Virginia turned a trio of restaurants named after the inventor of instant ramen soup into an East Village sensation is only half the fun. Chang cooks with the in-your-face abandon of a man obsessed (pork, kimchi, noodles, and more pork) and there’s a wealth of stellar recipes here that are destined to become fixtures in my family. Not necessarily all the hipster chef moves - though there are plenty of those, including “ghetto sous-vide.” No, Chang proves his genius to home cooks by working magic of the most minimalist order, like the 10-pound pork butt that’s transformed with only sugar and salt (and six hours in the oven) into a bo ssäm masterpiece, or brilliant condiments like the ginger scallion sauce or “octo vinaigrette,” or the puffy steamed Chinese buns. The range of Chang’s eclectic palate, from Southern country ham to sweet corn with miso butter, may be at times startling, but his ability to bring them together is exactly what makes him one of our most compelling chefs.

- C.L.

New American Table, by Marcus Samuelsson, Wiley, $40.

Born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, trained in Austria and Switzerland (with a stop in Philadelphia at the late Washington Square), Marcus Samuelsson dedicates his cookbook to “the millions of immigrants who brought these wonderful foods to their new home.”

Samuelsson, of New York’s Aquavit, writes of his culinary journeys across America, discovering Creole in New Orleans, barbecue in North Carolina, Texas, and Kansas, low-country fare along the East Coast, and salmon and wine along the West. The cookbook/travelogue is sumptuously designed and great fun. The recipes, though, are not for the faint of heart. Many are complicated and time-consuming and require hard-to-find, expensive ingredients. (A search for pumpkinseed oil was ultimately successful at the Reading Terminal Market, $17 for a tiny bottle.) But the completed pear-pumpkin salad with pumpkinseed vinaigrette produced spectacular results. Fish goulash with gnocchi, a major production, resulted in a delicious stew, redolent with smoky paprika.

Whether for the ambitious cook or merely a reader who loves food lore and beautiful photography, it’s a volume worth owning.

- Elise Vider

Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes With Down-Home Flavor, by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, Potter, $35.

The Lee Brothers’ new book is true to its title: straightforward, simple recipes using fresh ingredients, with a magical Southern flair. It promises “easy, healthy dishes for every day that won’t compromise an ounce of Southern flavor.” And it’s all true.

The charming introduction tells how the delicious Shrimp and Deviled-Egg Salad Rolls came to be, a reworking of a 1960s Shrimp-Deviled Egg Casserole with a mass of deviled eggs, cheese sauce, shrimp, and canned Chinese noodles. From that overblown wonder came their Southern spin on the Maine lobster roll recipe with an amazingly light touch.

The Collard Greens With Poblano Chiles and Chorizo was a revelation to me. The only collards I had eaten before were the overcooked, grayish variety swimming in pork liquor. Well, the heavens opened and the sun shone brighter after I made the collards from this book - earthy and tender, with just a hint of spice from the poblanos and chorizo sausage. It doesn’t get much better than this.

- R.C.

Read more of the Good Tidings Article.

The Today Show was a BLAST!  I wanted to share with you all the Apple Crisp recipe I made with Al Roker and Ann Curry so you can wow your families this Thanksgiving.  The recipe is also featured in my new cookbook Mother’s Best, which you can buy here.

Crisps have all the flavor of fruit pies without having to deal with the fuss of the crust. When made right, they’re downright righteous and something every family member can enjoy.

This recipe makes a lot – it’s great for a buffet or large gatherings (like Thanksgiving dinner) and keeps and reheats well. And you don’t have to stick with one nut in the topping; there are times we’ve used a combination of almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts all in the same crisp topping. It’s nutilicious! Make a double batch and freeze the extra so you can whip up a crisp at the drop of a hat.

FOR THE APPLE FILLING:

• 10 Granny Smith apples or other firm baking apples (about 3 ½ pounds; Love Note)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ cup granulated sugar

FOR THE CRISP TOPPING

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch dice
• 1 ½ cups chopped pecans or walnuts

Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray the bottom and sides of a 13×9x2-inch baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

TO MAKE THE FILLING

1. Peel the apples, and then cut each of the four sides off the apple as close to the core as possible. (This way you save a step by coring and slicing at the same time.) Slice the quarters into ¼-inch-thick slices.
2. Place the apples in a large mixing bowl, and add the lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar. Toss to coat. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING

1. Place the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter pieces and toss to coat. Using a pastry blender or large whisk, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms large crumbs. Stir in the nuts. Alternately, place the dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Mix or pulse to combine, then scatter the butter over the mixture. Mix on low speed or pulse until the mixture forms small clumps (about 3 minutes). Stir in the nuts.
2. Scatter the topping over the fruit, squeezing it with your hands as you go to create larger pieces (they will cook up extra-crispy and provide more texture). Lightly press the topping down into the fruit.
3. Bake on the idle rack in the oven until the topping is brown and the filling is bubbly, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving. Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a drizzle of heavy cream.

LOVE NOTE

Granny Smiths are my go-to baking apple because they do a great job of keeping their shape when cooked, and their tartness proves a wonderful complexity and contrast to the dessert. But there are other varieties of apples that hold up well, too, including Cortland, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Pippin, and Pink Lady. If you like, use a mix of different varieties.

Elizabeth Kelly, the Gourmet Food Examiner for Portland, loved Mother’s Best and ranked it one of the top 5 best Thanksgiving cookbook releases!  We’re with great company - Diane Morgan; Jonathan King, Jim Stott and Kathy Gunst; Ruth Reichl; and Sam Beall and Molly O’Neill.   Thanks, Elizabeth!

Read the article here.

This morning I chatted with Sandy Gluck of Martha Stewart Radio about my new cookbook Mother’s Best: Comfort food that takes you home again.  We had a great time talking about the vision behind the book, a few recipes and I got to hear from a few callers about how they share their mother food.   You can catch the segment here; it should be live soon!

Sandy Gluck from Martha Stewart Living Radio

Once you listen, you’ll notice that there were two recipes in particular that Sandy and I spoke about because they would be a great addition to anyone’s Thanksgiving dinner  - Creamed Spinach and Creamed Corn Pudding.  While it’s not the height of corn season anymore, in my book I offer a love note about substituting frozen corn in the recipe, so be sure to read all the way through!

I hope you and your families enjoy these recipes, and please do share your favorite Thanksgiving Mother recipes with me!

Creamed Corn Pudding - In the height of summer, when fresh, sweet corn on the cob is both plentiful and cheap, I always buy way more than my fridge can handle.  When I tire of eating it on the cob, I slice the kernels off to make this decadent corn pudding.  It comes together pretty quickly and is great with pecan-crusted catfish, pork chops, steak, and just about anything off the grill.  It also freezes well (Love Note 1).

Ingredients:

10 ears fresh corn on the cob (or about 5 cups kernels; Love Note 2)

5 large eggs

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons maple syrup (any grade)

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1.  Heat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.  Butter a 13×9x2-inch baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2.  Shuck the corn, removing the fine strands of cornsilk in the process.  Break the corn in half (Love Note 3).  Stand the flat end of the corn on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch the kernels), and use a sharp knife to cut down the length of the cob to remove the kernels, being careful not to cut too far into the cob, which will give you hard bits.  Rotate the corn as you work.

3.  Measure the kernels (you should have about 5 cups) and place half (2 1/2 cups) of them in a food processor.  Process the kernels until puréed.

4.  In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, cream, and maple syrup together.  Add the corn purée and the remaining 2 1/2 cups whole corn kernels, and season with salt and pepper.  Mix well, then pour into the prepared dish (make sure to evenly distribute the whole corn kernels).

5. Cover with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

LOVE NOTES:

1.  Freeze any leftovers in an oven-safe dish and thaw in the refrigerator overnight.  Bake, covered with foil, at 350 degree Fahrenheit until heated through, then uncover for the last 5 minutes of baking.
2.  Fresh corn makes this pudding sublime, but in a pinch (or the holidays!) you can substitute 28 ounces thawed frozen corn.

Creamed Spinach - This is a great way to serve spinach - especially to kids - and although it’s a steakhouse staple, it’s just as delicious with meatloaf or roast chicken or Thanksgiving Turkey!  We also serve it in an omelet filled with Asiago cheese.

Ingredients:

4 bunches fresh spinach (or one 1-pound bag spinach leaves; Love Note 1)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)

1/4 cup minced shallots (about 2)

1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (divided)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

Directions:

1.  If using bunched spinach, remove the stems from the spinach leaves by pinching them where the steam connects with the lead and tearing up toward the top of the leaf.  (This helps tear off the stringy parts.)  Place the leaves in a large bowl set in the sink, and fill with water.  Swish the leaves around in the water to remove dirt and debris.  Lift them out (so the sand stays behind) and place in a colander set in the sink.  Rinse out the bowl, fill with water, and repeat the process until the water in the bowl ends up clean.  Leave the spinach in the colander to drain.

2.  Place a large (12 -to-14-inch) straight-sided sauté pan or wide Dutch oven over medium-high heat for a couple minutes.  When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the shallots at the same time.  Sauté until the shallots start to soften, about 1 minute.  Increase the heat to high and add the spinach, a handful at a time, stirring until it wilts.  (Let the first handful wilt before adding the next handful, and stir after each addition).  Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Transfer to a colander to let excess moisture drain off, pressing down with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

3.  Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium (4-to 6-quart), heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and mix well with a wooden spoon to make a roux.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles fine sand, 3 to 5 minutes.  Whisk the milk into the roux a little at a time, allowing the roux to absorb the liquid before adding more.  This will help prevent lumps.  Return the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes to cook off any flour taste.  (This sauce is called béchamel; Love Note 2.)  Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

4.  Stir the spinach and shallots into the cream sauce.  Cook for 1 minute to meld the flavors, and serve.

LOVE NOTES:

1.  Bagged spinach has usually been washed and had the tough stems removed (check the label), so you can skip step 1 in the instructions (a real time-saver).  But it’s a good idea to wash bagged spinach if you plan to eat it raw.

2.  Béchael is one of the French “mother sauces,” so called because it’s used as the base in other sauces.  It’s incredibly easy to make and extremely versatile.  Stir in shredded cheese and you have a quick, kid-friendly cheese sauce that you can slather on everything from broccoli to pasta.

These are amazing times!  My cookbook, “Mother’s Best - Comfort Food That Takes You Home Again” has just been released and is available on Amazon.com as well as in Powell’s, Barnes and Noble, Borders and soon, Costco. This was 8 years in the making and represents a lot of work, love and more work.  I am currently in Philadelphia getting ready for training at QVC, slated for this Thursday.
QVC is just one of the many places I will be talking about my book. I will be interviewed live for a half hour at 11:00 am EST on Tuesday, November 17th for Martha Stewart’s “Everyday Food,” on the Today show Wednesday November 25th (the day before Thanksgiving!), on QVC on Sunday, November 29th (not sure what time yet), and Monday, November 30th on “A Chef’s Table with host Jim Coleman.
The QVC training is apparently to get us new QVC guests acquainted with their operation and expectations.  I hear there’s a lot to learn and it’s great media training overall.  While I am here in Philadelphia, my sister Sherry (who is very proud of me, so she says) has arranged a party to celebrate the book release with 21 women friends and close family. She decided it would be appropriate for me to do all the cooking (of course, why not?) and I decided to serve nearly everything from the cookbook.
Admittedly I cheated a bit and brought some items directly from Mother’s Bistro & Bar, already cooked. I knew the Pot Roast, Meatloaf and some other dishes I wanted to serve would have taken way too long and if I wanted any down time to see family I couldn’t possibly have made everything here.
I packed it up in a styrofoam box (thank you, my seafood supplier, Ocean Beauty!), but as they warned me might happen, the whole thing cracked open in the luggage transport. Thankfully nothing was lost and it all arrived safely.
I’ve been busy eating my favorite east cost foods — corned beef on rye, smoked fish and bagels, and Chinese food. I still have to get in some blue crabs, cheesesteak and a few other goodies.  Tomorrow is the dinner with the ladies, so I’ll be spending all day in the kitchen. Here’s the menu:
Gruyere Gougeres (cheese puffs)
$15,000 Dungeness Crab Cakes
Caprese Salad with homemade Mozzarella, basil and tomatoes
Mama Mia Trattoria’s House Salad
Mother’s Pot Roast & Gravy
Mom’s Meatloaf & Gravy
Chicken and Dumplings
Roasted Garlic, Prosciutto & Provolone Macaroni & Cheese
Smashed Red Potatoes
Fresh Corn Pudding
Roasted Root Vegetables
Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Sauce
Warm Apple Crisp with a nut topping and vanilla ice cream
Banana Cream Pie with a vanilla crust

I know, nothing low fat about this meal.  But I never get to feed my Philadelphia family the foods from my restaurants, so I’m going all out!

It’s time to trade in your sandals and break out the scarves, sweaters and cozy slippers in the Pacific Northwest; Fall is here!  That also means it’s time welcome one of my favorite soups - Butternut Squash & Apple Soup.   The light, silky texture makes this soup an elegant way to start a meal and it’s a perfect way to kick off the fall season when these ingredients are in season and most affordable.

A beautiful, sunny crisp day like today is calling for a yummy cup of soup.  We get more requests for this soup at Mother’s than any other, so I hope you enjoy it!

What you’ll need:

• 5 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced (About 12 cups. See Love note 1)
• 1 1/2 pounds (about 3 large) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced (About 4 cups. See Love Note 2)
• 1 (1-inch) piece cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
• 51/2 cups Vegetable Stock, Chicken Stock or canned low-sodium broth
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup (any grade will do)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (Love Note 3)
• 4 cups (1 quart) half-and-half
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup unsweetened whipped cream, crème fraîche, or mascarpone, for garnish (optional)

What to do:

1. In a large (8- to 10-quart), heavy stockpot, combine the squash, apples, cinnamon stick, ginger and stock (Love Note 4).  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, until the squash and apples are very soft, about 30 - 40 minutes.  (Don’t undercook the vegetables, or you won’t have a silky soup.)
2. Remove the pot from the heat and add the butter, maple syrup, nutmeg, half-and-half, and salt and pepper, and purée until smooth with an immersion blender in batches in a blender or food processor, or with a food mill.
3. Pass the puréed soup through a fine-mesh strainer set over another clean pot, pressing on the vegetable solids to extract as much liquid as possible.   Discard the solids.
4. Return the pot to the stove and bring the soup to a boil over medium heat, stirrign now and then.  Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes to meld the flavors.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
5. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream, crème fraîche or mascarpone, if desired.

Love Notes:

1. To prepare the squash, cut in half widthwise, place the flat end on a cutting board and remove the peel with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
2. To prepare the apples, peel with a vegetable peeler.  Stand each apple stem end up and cut into quarters to expose the core, keeping as close to it as possible. (You can also use an apple corer.)  Dice the quarters and discard the core.
3. Nutmegs are large when whole, making them easy to hold while you grate them on a fine, rasp-style grater.  Or buy a nutmeg grinder, which grates the nutmeg at the turn of the handle and stores the whole nutmeg, too.
4. Add only half the amount of liquid called for and then check the consistency of the soup.  If it looks like adding all the liquid might make the soup water, don’t add it.

*Serves 6 (2 cups per serving).  Makes about 3 quarts.

This weekend is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, so I thought it was fitting to share a very special family recipe perfect for the holiday - Beef Brisket. Beef brisket is a cut of meat taken from the breast or lower chest of the animal that when slow cooked is a delicious hearty meal.  This brisket is just like my mom used to make - literally!  The only change I’ve made to her recipe is substituting veal stock for water to give the dish a little more flavor.  Although there are hundreds of recipes for brisket, I never stray from this one.  To me, it is and will always be the best.

Party note: Braised brisket is perfect for holidays or parties because it reheats so well.  You can cook it and slice it a day ahead without the complication of guests and hosting duties, then rewarm it in the oven for the main event. Leftover beef brisket also makes for excellent sandwiches.  Just add some horseradish to mayonnaise, smear it on some rye or rustic French bread, top with lettuce tomato and red onion and you have lunch for the family.

Ingredients:

1 whole beef brisket - about 10 lbs. (Love note 1)

2 tablespoons plus two teaspoons kosher salt (divided)

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (divided)

1 1/2 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika (divided)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

10 medium yellow onions, finely diced (about 10 cups)

2 quarts (8 cups) Veal Stock, Beef stock, or canned low-sodium beef broth

4 pounds (about 12) red potatoes, with skins

Directions:

1.  Using a long, sharp knife, trim the excess fat from the brisket to about 1/8 inch.  Season evenly and all over the meat with 2 tablespoons of the salt, 1 table spoon of the pepper (use less salt if using canned broth), and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the paprika.

2. Heat the oven to 350ºF, and place a rack in the enter.  Place a Dutch oven or deep roasting pan over high heat for several minutes (make sure the pan is large enough to fit the brisket lying down).  You may need to cut the meat to fit into the pan.  If so, be sure to cut it at the obvious, natural seam, which separates the fattier deckle from the lean first cut. This will make it easier to cut in the right direction for serving (Love Note 2).  When hot, add the oil and heat until shimmering.  Add the brisket and brown for about 3 to 4 minutes more.  Remove from the pan and set aside on a baking sheet or large pan.

3. Reduce heat to med-high and add diced onions to the pan.  Sauté until they start to brown slightly.  Lower heat to medium and continue to cook until they are very soft and slightly brown - about 15 minutes.

4.  Return the brisket to the pan with the onions and pour in enough stock to barely cover the meat (may need more or less depending on size of brisket and dimensions of the pot).  Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, cover the pan tightly with either aluminum foil or a lid, and place in the oven.

5. While the brisket is cooking, cut the potatoes into 1 inch chunks.  Keep them in cold water until ready to use.

6. After brisket has cooked for 1 1/2 hours, drain the potatoes in a colander and place in a large own.  Toss the potatoes with the remaining 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons pepper, and 2 teaspoons paprika.

7. Remove the lid from the brisket and flip the meat so the tip is now the botom and submerged in the cooking liquid.  Arrange the potatoes around the meat, making sure that the most are submerged in the liquid rather than on top of the meat.  Cover the pan and return it to the oven for another 45 minutes.

8.  Remove the cover from the pan (if a lot of the meat is above the liquid, then throw a piece of aluminum foil on top of it) and continue to cook until the potatoes are fork-tender - meaning the fork should like in and out without resistance), some of the liquid has reduced, and the brisket is done, about another 45 minutes.  To check the doneness of the brisket, pierce it with a two-pronged fork.  If the meat falls away and back into the pan, it is done.  If meat offers resistance or clings to the fork, return to the oven and continue to cook for another 30 minutes (or until done, checking occasionally).

9. Remove the pan from the oven.  Using a wide spatula or tongs, lift the brisket out and place it on a cutting board.  Use a slotted spoon or spider to lift the potatoes out of the liquid and transfer to a serving bowl.  Cover with foil to keep the potatoes warm while you cut the brisket.

10.  Using a thin, sharp slicing knife, cut the brisket against the grain (Love Note 2), into 1/4 inch thick slices. The grain shifts from one direction in the thinner flat end to a slightly different direction in the thicker, fattier point end.  Just keep an eye on the meat and shift the angle of your knife to accommodate.  If you had to cut the meat to fit in the pan, you can slice the sections separately, making sure everyone gets a little of each.) Place the slices on a serving platter.  Pour a small amount of gravy onto the meat and the rest into a gravy boat and pass with potatoes and meat.

Love Notes:

1) A whole brisket is a really large piece of meat, so plan ahead and order in advance from your meat counter.   Brisket cuts go by several different names: First cut, second cut, point, flat round, and deckle.  The whole brisket is two muscles connected by a layer of fat and connective tissue that you can trim off after cooking (leave some of it on during the cooking for added flavor).  The outer one is smaller, fattier and has a pointed end; the inner one is leaner, flatter and has a squared off end.  Its extra fat and untidy appearance make the outer muscle less desirable (even though it’s more flavorful), so it goes by either point cut or second cut.  The tidy inner muscle usually goes by or flat cut or first cut.  I suggest cooking the whole brisket - it’s cheaper by the pound and gives you the best of both worlds.  IF you really don’t want to cook that much meat, look for a cut labeled ‘front cut,’ which is half of a brisket that includes both the outer and inner muscles.

2) ALWAYS cut meat across the grain, regardless of whether you’re carving a turkey or slicing a brisket…This shortens the muscle strands, which makes the meat easier to chew and seem more tender.