Russian Borscht

From Olga Murray

Chef's tip: Don't be afraid to add any sort of root vegetable. Generally anything goes well in a borscht. 

Ingredients:

• 2 russet and 2 purple or red potatoes, peeled
• 4 carrots, peeled
• 5 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 large red onion
• 2 small white onions, one diced and one quartered
• 1 bunch baby turnips, scrubbed and trimmed
• ½ large green cabbage (equates to about 4 cups when shredded)
• 2 T butter
• Salt and pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 ¼ lbs of beets, peeled
• 1 1/2 lb whole tomatoes
• 1 T sugar
• 8 cups vegetable stock (recipe below), water, or some combination
• 6-10 sprigs parsley, half chopped, half whole
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 T horseradish
• 1 celery stalk
• ½ kohlrabi, peeled and chopped
• 1 large eggplant, cubed
• 2 Shiitake mushrooms

Directions:

1. Vegetable stock: Wash and scrub the soup vegetables.  Place peels from the carrots, beets, and two potatoes in a pot with three of the garlic cloves, two bay leaves, two teaspoons of salt, celery, kohlrabi peels, some parsley sprigs, the quartered white onion, and the Shiitake mushrooms.  Other combinations of vegetable trimmings will work too.  Cover with 10 cups of water; bring to a boil, then simmer while you prep the other vegetables, about 45 minutes.

        2.     Chop these vegetables: onions, eggplant, kohlrabi, carrots, turnips, potatoes, cabbage, and the rest of the garlic.

3.     Melt butter in a large soup pot.  Add onions, carrots, turnips, potatoes, cabbage, and garlic.  Toss with 1 T of salt, cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables have wilted, ~ 25 minutes.

4.     Meanwhile, dice the beets.

5.     When the onions, cabbage, etc. are soft, add the beets, kohlrabi, eggplant, and tomatoes and 1 bay leaf.  Keep the heat on medium and gently break up the tomatoes on the side of the pot.  Strain the stock and add it to the soup plus enough water to equal about 6 cups.  Once the soup is boiling again, reduce heat to a simmer and cook an additional 25-30 minutes or just until the beets are tender.

6.     Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and stir in 1 T vinegar and sugar. Sprinkle chopped parsley on top. Can also use chopped fresh dill.

7.     Combine the sour cream and horseradish.  Serve soup hot, warm or cold with a spoonful of the sour cream-horseradish on top.

Skirt Steak Salad with Arugula and Blue Cheese

from Smitten Kitchen

I attempted an interesting-sounding retro salad dressing from this recipe and found it… inedible. I then made it a second time with no lime juice, a little bit of lime zest, half the balsamic vinegar and half the sugar and we found it… passable. (Well, I found it passable, my husband liked it.) If you’d like to make Catalina-ish dressing, that’s how I’d suggest going about it. However, to my taste, next time I will make this with a sharp mustard vinaigrette with a dash of Worcestershire sauce, a little steakhouse touch I love in salads like this, recipe below.

Serves 4

• 1 pound skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat if necessary, halved crosswise, at room temperature
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 pound baby arugula
• Vinaigrette (below)
• 3 tablespoons minced chives, 2 thinly sliced scallions or 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, for garnish

Pat steak dry and season on both sides 1/2 teaspoon salt and many grinds of black pepper.

In a cast-iron skillet: Heat skillet on medium-high to high and add olive oil. When oil begins to shimmer, place steak in skillet and do not move it for 5 minutes. Turn it once, and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare. You may need to cook your steak halves separately, depending on the size of your pan.

On a grill: Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over hot charcoal or high heat for gas. Oil grill rack, then grill steak, covered only if using a gas grill, turning once, 4 to 6 minutes total for medium-rare.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest, loosely covered with foil, for five minutes. Arrange arugula on a large platter. Thinly slice steak on the diagonal, across the grain. Arrange over arugula, then toss halved cherry tomatoes and blue cheese over platter. Add vinaigrette to taste, then sprinkle with chives, scallions or red onion. Serve with additional vinaigrette on the side.

Steakhouse Mustard Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon coarse Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Whisk ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and adjust ingredients to taste (usually more Dijon and vinegar for me).

Pasta with Potatoes, Arugula and Red Onions

--from smittenkitchen.com

• 1 pound yellow finn potatoes, well scrubbed but no need to peel
• About 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• about a half pound arugula, thoroughly washed and dried
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 – 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 pound penne or other tubular pasta
• 1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400°. Slice the potatoes about 1/3 inch thick and toss them with a small amount of the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them in a single layer in an ovenproof dish or on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until they are golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes. (Mine took a bit longer.) 

When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and put the pasta on to boil in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Heat a saute pan, add some of olive oil, and saute the sliced onion until it is soft and translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the arugula and garlic, and saute both until they just begin to wilt and soften. Lower the heat, add the potato slices and toss together for a minute or two. When the pasta is done, drain them and add them to the potatoes and onion. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and toss everything together. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve. You could certainly toss with grated Parmesan as well.

Arugula Walnut Pesto

from Cook With What You Have

--adapted from Cookie+Kate

I used to be decidedly anti arugula pesto. I’d had several versions in restaurants that were just too bitter and strong. And I LOVE arugula but somehow the pesto versions never appealed. For some reason I decided to make some myself this summer and decided I loved it. Maybe the trick is lots of toasted walnuts and the lemon juice.

I like this with pasta, or boiled or roasted potatoes, with fish or as a spread on toast or with eggs.

• 4 cups of packed arugula leaves, stems removed
• 1 cup of shelled walnuts
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 3/4 cup good olive oil
• 2 garlic clove peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, or a bit more

Over medium high heat, toast the walnuts until fragrant in a dry skillet, about five minutes. Or do this in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the arugula, salt, walnuts and garlic. Pulse while drizzling in the olive oil. Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, freshly ground pepper and a big squeeze of lemon, to taste.

This makes enough to generously coat a pound of pasta and have a little left over.

Wild Arugula Salad with Garlic Croutons, Shaved Parmesam, and Lemon

From Bon Appétit 

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce piece ciabatta with crust (preferably day-old)
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 ounces arugula (preferably wild; about 10 cups packed)
• 2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice
• 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved into strips with vegetable peeler

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Rub crust of bread with garlic clove. Tear bread into 1-inch pieces and place in large bowl; toss with 1/4 cup olive oil. Sprinkle bread lightly with salt; arrange in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp around edges, about 10 minutes. Cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Place arugula in large bowl. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, adding more lemon juice, if desired. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 2/3 of croutons and half of Parmesan cheese and toss. Transfer to serving bowl; scatter remaining croutons and Parmesan cheese over and serve. Makes 6 servings

Ingredient tip: Wild arugula is dark green with spiky leaves. It has a more intense flavor than that of regular arugula. You'll find wild arugula at farmers' markets and at some supermarkets.

Arugula Pesto

From Epicurious

Ingredients

• 4 cups (packed) arugula leaves (about 6 ounces)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Blend arugula, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese in processor until almost smooth. With machine running, gradually add olive oil; process until well blended. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made ahead. Cover and let stand up to 2 hours at room temperature or refrigerate up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before using.) Makes about 1 cup.

Carrot Meatloaf Birthday Cake

Adapted from Martha Stewart by LORETTA APABLASA

Meatloaf layers may be prepared up to one day ahead. Reheat at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, then make the frosting. For the carrot cook-off, Loretta Apablasa used a variety of different colored carrots and added 1 tablespoon of juice from the boiled purple carrot peels to the potatoes to make purple "frosting." She also puréed about 1/2 cup of cooked orange carrots and blended them into another cup of mashed potatoes for orange "frosting."

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

• 4 cloves of garlic, minced

• 4 1/2 to 5 pounds ground beef (85 percent to 90 percent lean)

• 3/4 cup peeled and finely grated carrots, with peels reserved for garnish

• 1/2 cup tomato sauce

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked

• 2 tablespoons dry mustard

• 1 tablespoon coarse salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• About 5 cups mashed potatoes

• Meatloaf Sauce (recipe follows)

Instructions

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; let cool. Add beef, carrots, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, oatmeal, mustard, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly with your hands.

Divide equally between the two prepared pans, gently pressing. Bake until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees in the center, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes, carefully remove with a spatula and transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Tent with foil.

Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add reserved carrot peels; cook until tender, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer peels to paper towels to drain.

Place 1 meatloaf on a platter; spread 1 cup of warm mashed potatoes over the top. Top with remaining meatloaf. Frost top and sides with 3 cups of mashed potatoes. Fill piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip with remaining mashed potatoes. Pipe borders around the cake, top and bottom, if desired. Using a 1/4-inch plain round tip, punch out circles from carrot peels. Decorate the cake with carrot circles. Serve with Meatloaf Sauce on the side.

Meatloaf Sauce: In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, stir together 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/2 teaspoon yellow prepared mustard and 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar. Warm on the stove or in the microwave oven. Serve warm.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

Arugula with Orzo and Garden Tomatoes

From The Kitchn

Ingredients  

• 3/4 cup orzo
• About 8-10 cups arugula
• Olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2-3 ounces goat or feta cheese, crumbled
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Cook the orzo in salted water according to package directions. Drain and reserve. Chop the arugula roughly. If the leaves are small or if it is baby arugula, no need to chop at all. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add a little olive oil. When it is hot, cook the arugula handful by handful, letting the first few handfuls wilt completely, and leaving the last few barely cooked.

Add the basil, tomatoes, cheese, and orzo with the last handful of arugula. Turn the heat to high and cook for another minute or two - until everything is hot. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Strawberry-Arugula Salad with Ricotta Topping

From The Kitchn

Ingredients

• 4 pints strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced into quarters
• 1 pint raspberries, washed and blotted dry
• 1-2 cups sliced almonds
• 1 small bunch baby arugula, sliced into thin ribbons
• Kosher salt
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• 1 1/2 cups fresh, drained ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Toss the strawberries, raspberries, almonds, and sliced arugula with a pinch of kosher salt and the zest of 1 lemon.

For the dressing:
In a separate bowl, mix the lemon juice and remaining lemon zest with the ricotta, sugar, and nutmeg. Taste and sweeten to taste, if necessary.

Serve the salad with the dressing on the side.