This torte can fit many occasions. I discovered it at a wedding brunch served in Maine. The caterer kindly gave me the recipe. I have served it at parties….it’s great grazing food. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Cilantro Pesto * See recipe below
• 3  cans (19 oz.) of black beans
• 6 cups low sodium, chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 – 12 oz. jar of red peppers, minced and seeded
• 1 cup feta cheese (crumbled)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese (grated)
• ½ cup yogurt or sour cream

Directions:

1.   Cover the beans with broth and cumin and cook for about ½ hour or until liquid has evaporated and the beans are mushy.   Stir frequently.   Beans should be the consistency of refried beans.
2.   Smoothly line a 4 x 8 loaf pan with sheet of saran wrap with edges overlapping pan rim.
3.   Put 1/3 bean mixture into the pan and gently press it to make a smooth layer.
4.   Continue layering as follows:  one layer of cilantro pesto over beans, another layer of chopped peppers (all except 2 TBL), a layer of feta cheese, a layer of cheddar cheese, and then the final layer of the remaining beans.  Press smoothly to make a compact loaf.  Cover and wrap tightly until loaf feels firm…about 2 hours or up to 3 days.
5.   When ready to serve, uncover pan and invert on to the platter, then frost with sour cream and decorate with remaining minced red peppers.

*CILANTRO PESTO

• ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup pine nuts

1.   Puree all ingredients in blender or food processor.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 cups shredded smoked Gouda
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Hot pepper (Tabasco) sauce to taste
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (can use low fat)
• Chopped smoked almonds (optional)
• 2 TBLS chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Beat together cream cheese, Gouda cheese, mayonnaise, parsley, mustard and pepper until well blended.  Mixture will not be completely smooth.  Season to taste with tabasco sauce.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.  Do not freeze.  Garnish with smoked almonds and chopped parsley.  Serve with crackers or bread.

(makes 2 cups)

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of whole almonds, 10 oz. each
• 3 TBL butter, melted
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning (see note*)
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 8 oz. dried sweet cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Toss together the almonds, butter, sugar and seasoning.  Roast in oven, stirring several times, until the nuts are one shade darker, about 25 minutes. (the time may be less if you are using almonds that are already roasted.) Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the salt.

3. When the nuts are cool, toss them in a large bowl with the cranberries.  Store in an air tight container for about a week at room temperature or the freezer for up to three weeks.

* Note: If you don’t have your own cajun pepper blend, use 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp white pepper

(Serves Four)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Puy (French) lentils, rinsed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 5 tbsp olive oil (plus extra to finish)
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 3 tbsp each fresh coriander and mint, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 14 oz. best-quality puff pastry *
• 1 egg, beaten

 Directions:

1. Cook the lentils in a quart of boiling water with the bay leaves for 20 minutes, or until just cooked, then drain and set aside.

2. Dry fry the cumin and coriander for two minutes until the aromas are released, then grind. (or use already ground cumin & coriander but halve the amount to 1 teaspoon)

3.  Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and gently fry the onion for five minutes, until golden. Add the ground spices and garlic, cook for two minutes, then mix with the lentils. When cool, stir in the yogurt, spinach, herbs, remaining oil, lemon juice and seasoning.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Unroll the pastry so it’s 3mm (about 1/8 inch) thick** and cut out four circles about 3 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Brush the chilled pastry with beaten egg and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden on top and underneath. Allow to cool slightly.

5.  To serve, place each disc in the centre of a plate, pile on a heap of lentils so you can just see the edges of the pastry, and drizzle with more oil.

* Another option we tried was to skip the puff pastry and serve the Lentil topping as an appetizer-dip with Indian Poppadom or Naan bread.  Really delicious.  In fact, we preferred it to the puff pastry.

**The recipe in the cookbook says to “Roll out the puff pastry 1¼ inches thick and cut out four circles about 3 inches in diameter.” which is kind of impossible with puff pastry sheets that are only a 1/4 thick.  We referred to Ottolenghi’s original recipe in his column in The Guardian (British newspaper) and discovered there was probably an oversight in “translating” the recipe from metric to U.S. measurements.  The recipe above has the correct information.

Here’s Elaine’s recipe for Vegetarian Chopped Liver.

Ingredients:

•  1 good size onion
• 1 lb. green beans, cooked al dente
• Stalk of celery
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• some olive oil
• salt and pepper

 Directions:

1.  Saute onion and celery in olive oil until very soft and just starting to turn color.

2.  In a food processor grind walnuts coarsely. Add remaining ingredients. Press down and free up blade when necessary. Process until all beans are ground up. Adjust salt/pepper to taste.

3.  Refrigerate.

This will last up to about three days.  After a few hours, or the next day, it turns browner and looks more like chopped liver or pate.

Boiling-Water Dough (Used for Pot-Stickers and other dumplings)

• All-purpose flour 2 cups
• Boiling Water 6 ounces (approximately)
• Salt 1/2 teaspoon

It is easiest to use a food processor as the mixture is initially too hot for many people to handle.

Place flour and salt in work bowl and pulse a few times to mix.  With motor running, add boiling water in a steady stream.  Within 30 seconds the mixture should come together in a ball, “dancing” on the spinning blades.  Continue processing for another 30 seconds and then place remove to a wooden board.

The dough will be cool enough to handle. Knead the dough for 3 or 4 minutes or until it is homogeneous and springs back a little after a gentle poke. Wrap the dough in plastic or place in a bowl covered with a plate and allow it to rest for 30 minutes or up to an hour at room temperature.

The dough is now ready to use… knead it again for 1 minute and proceed to roll, cut and shape as required by your dumpling recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. broccoli rabe
• 5 TBL olive oil, plus extra for brushing and drizzling
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt
• 12 slices baguette, each 1/2 ” thick (we have fresh Red Devon Bread every Saturday)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Directions:

1.  Preheat broiler or grill

2.  Cut the broccoli rabe stems into 1/4″ pieces and coarsely chop the leafy greens. Rinse and drain.

3.   In a frying pan over medium heat, warm 3 TBL of the olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add as much broccoli rabe as will fit into the pan. Raise the heat to high, and add the remaining broccoli rabe as the first batch wilts. Season with salt and cook until tender, 4 to 10 minutes.  If the pan seems to dry, add some water or vegetable stock.  Sometimes I will cover the pan.  Remove from the heat when tender.   Stir in the remaining 2 TBL olive oil and season with salt.

4.  Brush the baguette slices with olive oil and broil (or grill) until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes on both sides.  Spread each slice with the cheese and top with the broccoli rabe. Drizzle with more olive oil and serve right away.

Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. smoked salmon, sliced
• 3 oz. fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
• 3 oz. cream, whipped by hand
• 1/2 lemon juice and zest
• 1 splash of sherry
• 1 TBL chives, chervil, parsley chopped
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 tsp mustard
• Freshly ground white pepper
• Belgian Endive leaves for platter
• Lightly grilled young asparagus
• Sesame crackers for platter

Directions:

In a food processor combine salmon, goat cheese, sherry, lemon, mustard, herbs and spices. Process until smooth. Then place mixture into a mixing bowl and fold in the whipped cream.  Mixture should be light and airy.   Place in a small serving bowl and arrange asparagus, Belgian endive and crackers around to dip.

This recipe comes to us from Hammertown customer and friend, Hollie Bart.  Hollie is not only a highly-respected attorney in NYC,  she is also a very talented cook and designer.  She served it at a recent “Winter White Dinner Party” I was invited to at her home in Pine Plains.  (read our blog about it here) There were many wonderful things on the menu but this one is an original recipe created by Hollie so I asked her to share it.  Here it is:

Ingredients-

For the chips:

• 48 wonton wrappers (available in grocery stores-click here)
• Sea salt
• Ground Red Pepper
• Olive Oil

For the Crabmeat Salad:

• 16 oz. lump crab meat
• Zest of 1 lime
• Juice of ¼ lime (or to taste)
• 1 shallot, finely minced (or to taste)
• 1 TBLS minced cilantro leaves
• 1 jalapeño pepper finely minced (Note: Use half of jalapeno & adjust to taste)
• Finely grated Monterey Jack Cheese

Optional:

• Chile-Cilantro Salsa*

Make crabmeat salad

Drain and place crabmeat in a bowl. Add lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño and shallot, and gently mix ingredients. Season with ground sea salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow ingredients to compose.

Make “Nacho” Chips

Preheat oven to 350°

1. Transfer 1 wonton square to an oiled work surface and brush top lightly with some olive oil. Top with another wonton and brush lightly with oil (this way, both sides become lightly oiled). Repeat, stacking wonton wrappers in groups of 4 wrappers.
2. With a sharp knife, cut stacks of wrappers in half.
3. Place halved wonton strips onto cookie sheet covered with foil.
4. Season with sea salt and fresh ground dried red chiles.
5. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes until golden brown.

Assemble and Grill Nachos

Pre-heat grill

1. Place baked wonton wrappers onto foil-lined cookie sheet [bake in batches]

Baked wontons

2. Place a heaping tablespoon of crabmeat salad on each nacho wrapper
3. Top with a hefty pinch of grated cheese and season with ground salt & pepper to taste
4. Cooking in batches, place sheet directly on grill and cook until cheese has melted [about 2-3 mins on grill...or if you don't have a grill... put in a 400 deg. oven until cheese melts]
5. Serve immediately with Chile-Cilantro Salsa on the side for guests to add as they wish.

* Chile-Cilantro Salsa Recipe

• 4 T cider vinegar
• 2 C Cilantro leaves (packed)
• 2-3 serrano peppers
• 1 ½ shallots, coarsely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
• ¼ C extra virgin olive oil

Enjoy!

[Click here for Printer-Friendly Recipe]

Ingredients:

• 6 to 7 medium-size fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno chile pepper (stems, ribs, & seeds removed), very finely diced*
• Juice of 1 lime
• Coarse salt to taste

* How hot you make your salsa depends on the kind of chilies and the amount you use.  Jalapeno peppers can be pretty hot…especially if you don’t get all the seeds out!  Let the salsa sit for a few minutes before you decide to add more “heat”.

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, cilantro, garlic, chile pepper, salt, and lime juice.  NOTE: If your salsa is too hot, add some additional chopped tomato.  If not hot enough, carefully add a little more chile pepper (see note above).

Let sit for 1 hour for all the flavors to combine.

NOTE:  If too much tomato juice settles at the bottom, just pour some off before serving.

Serve with corn chips, tortillas, tacos, burritos, tostadas, etc.

Serves many.