| photography by Alex Lepe |Prop Styling by Deborah Points | Assistant Food Styling Julia Gadberry |
Anyone who knows me well may be quite surprised at my choice of topic this month. I am a tried-and-true Texan. Well, I have been for about 20 years so that counts, right? I am a card-carrying carnivore and have a deep love of all things Texas and meat. Steak, BBQ, fajitas, tacos, all the usual meat eating options, I'm in. That being said, a vegetable-based menu has never quite been on my radar, until now. Here in North Texas we have unlimited access to amazing local produce year round. Whether you hit your favorite farmer's market or fruit stand or you stop in at your local Central Market, the choice of veggies is endless…leaving the healthy all-star ready to take center stage. Although I am still a stick-to-your-ribs kind of gal, vegetarian comfort food is a perfect fit for the month of September. Yep, it's a thing, and I am going to show you how to incorporate all your beloved veggies into some of your favorite dishes.
RATATOUILLE TART
1 package frozen puff pastry, 14–ounces defrosted just until easy to handle without breaking
1 each of your favorite veggies, i.e., beefsteak tomato, eggplant, zucchini, squash, red onion, bell pepper, thinly sliced mushrooms, sliced thin on a mandolin or with a very sharp knife
½ cup roasted garlic olive oil
One cup crumbled feta
A few sprigs fresh tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take the two sheets of puff pastry and lay on a sheet tray lined with parchment. Lay the two sheets of dough so one sheet overlaps the other by a half-inch or so until the whole length of the tray is filled. Using a fork, prick the middle of the sheets leaving an inch gap around the edges. Using a pastry brush, liberally brush the garlic oil over the whole dough, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Take your thinly sliced vegetables and begin to layer them all over the puff pastry. Be sure to leave that one-inch gap that was not pricked so it can rise and get puffed and crusty. Drizzle the top of the vegetables with the rest of the garlic olive oil and sprinkle with feta cheese. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it as cook times vary depending on how many veggies you put on. Once pastry is golden brown and veggies are roasted, pull from oven and sprinkle with some fresh torn tarragon (you may also substitute basil). Cut and enjoy.
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASHRISOTTO WITH CRISPY SAGE
1 small to medium butternut squash cleaned and cut into small cubes
5 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely diced shallots
2 cloves minced garlic
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup grated parmigiana cheese
1 bunch fresh sage
½ cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange butternut squash on a sheet tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast squash about 25 minutes until fork tender, set aside. Heat vegetable stock in a sauce pan on medium until it comes to a slow simmer. In a heavy-bottom pan or pot, like a Dutch oven, over medium-low heat, add butter. Once melted, add shallots, garlic, and rice. Sautee 3-4 minutes until rice and aromatics are slightly translucent. Add about half of the wine and stir until wine is absorbed, then stir in the other half of the wine, until mostly absorbed. Add hot stock a ladleful at a time until most liquid is absorbed and risotto is creamy, 25-35 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. While risotto is cooking, take a small sauté pan, fill with the ½ cup olive oil. On medium low heat, drop clean, very dry sage leaves a few at a time, until crisped through. Drain on paper towel and reserve. Be aware of splattering. Assemble risotto in the bottom of a bowl, top with warm squash and garnish with crispy sage and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
PAPPARDELLE WITHVEGETABLE BOLOGNAISE
1 medium white onion large dice
1 bell pepper (any color) large dice
2 large carrots peeled large dice
2 large celery stalks large dice
1, 8-ounce package button mushrooms
1, 8-ounce package cremini mushrooms rough chop
8 cloves garlic rough chop
½ cup dry red wine
1 jar tomato basil pasta sauce (or any of your favorite vegetarian pasta sauce)
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
16-ounce package Pappardelle's pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
Add all the vegetables and aromatics to a food processor a bit at a time and pulse until you have a small pea-size texture. In a Dutch oven, over medium high heat, add olive oil. Once oil is hot but not smoking, add all the vegetables, sauté about 2 minutes stirring and coating everything with oil. Sprinkle mixture with a teaspoon of salt and sauté another 2 minutes. The mixture will start off very watery, and the salt will help to pull out even more moisture. Keep stirring until the vegetables are mostly dry. Reduce heat to medium and add red wine, continue sautéing until most of the wine is evaporated. Add about ½ cup hot water and continue to sauté. Bolognaise gets its amazing flavor from the caramelization of the vegetables, so the best way to do that is to sauté until dry and then add water until reduced. You can do this step once or three to five times to get maximum flavor, either way it will be delicious. Once veggies have desired caramelization, add pasta sauce and mix well. At this point, you can adjust the thickness of the sauce by letting it reduce or adding a bit more water to your liking. I usually let mine reduce a few minutes after the addition of the sauce and let the flavors really meld, adjust salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, cook Pappardelle according to package directions. Pappardelle is the perfect pasta for this dish because of its rustic hearty quality. Of course you can use any hearty pasta you like. Once everything is ready, add Pappardelle to a bowl, top with bolognaise and a little fresh parmesan cheese.
HEARTY MUSHROOM RAGU WITHHERBED GOAT CHEESE POLENTA
¼ stick unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 shallots minced
3 cloves garlic minced
1, 8-ounce package cremini mushrooms cleaned and sliced
1, 8-ounce package oyster mushrooms cleaned and sliced
3-4 Portobello mushrooms cleaned and sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup rich vegetable stock (beef stock is also great)
Salt and pepper to taste
Over medium high heat, add olive oil and butter to a heavy skillet. Toss in mushrooms and a pinch of salt and sauté about 3 minutes. Add in shallots, garlic and Worcestershire sauce, and sauté until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add stock and thyme sprigs, simmer uncovered until liquid has reduced by half, 15-20 minutes. Remove thyme stems, turn off the heat and cover until polenta is ready, allowing mushroom mixture to thicken up by cooling slightly.
POLENTA
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup whole milk
1, 4-ounce package of herbed goat cheese
1 cup polenta
¼ cup parmesan cheese plus extra for finishing
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot combine stock and butter and bring to a boil. Whisk in polenta and cook over medium heat, stirring until combined about 6 minutes. Slowly stream in milk while stirring to incorporate another 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add goat cheese until incorporated. This is the point to check consistency. You may add a little more milk or water to thin out, or cook a bit longer to thicken up. When you are happy with consistency, turn off heat and fold in parmesan cheese. Remember, as polenta cools slightly, it thickens. Portion a scoop of polenta in a serving bowl. Top with a hearty helping of mushroom ragu with sauce. Finish with fresh parsley, parmesan, or goat cheese crumbles.
