I was a little skeptical at first – raw kale instead of basil? But it turns out, I was totally wrong to doubt. What I like about this is that it only takes a few leaves of kale, and you can use the rest of the kale in something else–unlike basil, pesto, which uses about half a bunch and then forces me to witness the slow and slimy death of the remainder of the bunch every time I open my refrigerator.

For a creamy, fulfilling, vegetarian pasta dish, cook the noodles, then toss some pesto with the pasta and a little of the reserved pasta water in the pot. For a great appetizer, spread the pesto on thin slices of toasted bread and top with sliced cherry tomatoes and/or sprinkle with more crushed walnuts or a little bit of grated cheese. You can make the pesto while you’re boiling the noodles or toasting the bread.

I didn’t have parmesan, so I used some salty grated pecorino, which cut the bitterness of the kale really well. I think you could use either with excellent results. If I’m being honest, I eyeballed the cheese and thereby I probably used extra, because that’s kind of how I roll, so if it’s not tasting great throw another 1/4 cup of cheese in the mix and see how it goes. Get the recipe here! 

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I always make mashed potatoes a little differently, so I’m not here to share a specific recipe – but rather a group of the most important scientific potato facts and chef tips gleaned from years of experimentation and experience. Armed with this knowledge, you will never need a recipe to make fabulous mashed potatoes under any circumstances.

Boiling the potatoes

My favorite food science nerd Harold McGee has some complicated reason why you should put potatoes in cold water and then bring them to a boil, instead of putting them directly into boiling water – it’s something about the heat forming a starch crust on the potatoes. Whatever the reason is, you should do what he’s says because he’s always right. Don’t serve people crusty potatoes. Start with cold water and bring them to a boil. After about 15 minutes, test with a sharp knife to see if it enters the potato very easily. If not, cook longer and keep testing.

Science says: add fat first, liquid second

Some recipes tell you to add butter and milk all at the same time, but that is also a big mistake. A while back I read an article from America’s Test Kitchen that really opened my eyes on this topic. They noted that the starchy structure of the potatoes absorb molecules in a specific way. If you add the milk first and then the butter, the potato molecules get filled up with milk molecules and the butter just floats around on the outside – giving you grainy mashed potatoes. However, if you add the butter first, the fat molecules get all up in the potatoes first, making them creamy and buttery. Then you add the milk to thin and smooth the mixture.

How do restaurants get them so rich and creamy?

You know those potatoe purees you get in a super fancy restaurant, that are so rich, velvety, and smooth they barely taste like potatoes at all? At the risk of being banned from the secret club of former chefs, I am going to reveal a somewhat shocking secret. Those may be in the ballpark of being literally half butter. Yes, I mean 2 parts potatoes to 1 part butter. They’re also usually put through a potato ricer. So if you’re interested in getting more of a potato puree texture, add copious amounts of butter (and some heavy cream and lots of salt while you’re at it) and keep the cardiologist on speed dial.

The tools

If you are anti-lump, your best bet is a potato ricer. You can use a standard masher but you will have to work very hard to get no lumps. If you want fewer lumps, use one that looks like a grid (like this) not one that looks like squiggly lines (this) – the squiggly one is almost impossible to use for super smooth mashed potatoes.

You can use a stand mixer or handheld mixer, but you should be careful because you can get glue-y mashed potatoes which are so bad, they are actually worse than no mashed potatoes at all. If you’re using a stand mixer, start with the flat blade, then switch to the whisk attachment to get out all the lumps. With a handheld mixer, I like to pre-smash the potatoes a bit before adding the power of the mixer, as a precaution against overmixing.

Avoid a food processor and an immersion blender at all costs, unless you were that weird kid who actually liked eating the library paste, or need something to affix wallpaper with – the speed of the blades will smash that starch into a sticky mess of glue before you can say “gravy.”

What potatoes to use? 

There is a lot of discussion about this and I’d love to tell you that there is no right answer, but that would be a lie. The best potatoes to use are Yukon golds. The combination of starch and density makes the best mashed potatoes. If you can’t get them, use white potatoes. If you can’t get those, use russet potatoes, but if you have enough time, peel and cut them the night before and leave them in a bowl of water in the refrigerator overnight to remove some of the starch before cooking.

Preparing the potatoes

Cut the potatoes such that each piece is roughly the same size and thickness so they boil evenly. Otherwise, they will cook unevenly and you’ll get some hard ones and some soft ones.

If you’re lazy and don’t want to peel the potatoes, that’s OK, but make sure to wash and scrub them well with water before cooking and roughly chop them. If you leave skins on, you might want to rename the potatoes “smashed potatoes” or call them “rustic” or “country-style” or something to act like you did it on purpose and hide the fact that you were just being lazy.

Thomas Keller thinks that for a potato puree you should boil potatoes whole in their skins, then scoop out the flesh and throw away the skins. I have tried this and can discern no taste difference, but if you hate peeling but don’t want peels, this might be a good solution for you.

How to make them ahead

You can make good mashed potatoes a whole day in advance of serving them – and that will involve butter and cream cheese. Here is a recipe that utilizes this technique in case you’re an advance planner.

Mashed potato add-ins and substitutions

You probably know that the basic mashed potato components are butter, milk or cream, and salt and pepper. (Some people like to add a pinch of nutmeg, but I think those people are crazy.) Boil the potatoes per above instructions, drain well, and mash with cut cubes of butter (and/or some of the add-ins below – like sour cream, cream cheese, or what have you.) Add milk, half and half, or cream a bit at a time, plus salt and pepper, and keep mashing and adding until you get the desired smoothness.

There are lots of other ways to change it up, though – whether you’re vegan, lactose-intolerant, or just want some complimentary flavors going on.

In addition to/in place of the butter, try:

• cream cheese
• sour cream
• browned butter
• creme fraiche
• soft cheese like a mild brie
• olive oil
• soft goat cheese
• mascarpone

In addition to or in place of the milk/cream, try:

• chicken broth
• buttermilk
• almond milk
• soy milk

Things you can mix in:

• caramelized onions
• roasted garlic
• horseradish
• dijon or whole grain mustard
• wasabi paste
• grated parmesan or other hard cheese
• grated cheddar
• crispy bacon pieces
• roasted red peppers
• sundried tomatoes
• chopped fresh herbs
• chives
• parsley
• chopped sauteed kale or cabbage
• curry powder
• chili powder
• pesto
• orange zest or lemon zest (works well with parsley)
• truffle oil

 What’s your favorite way to make mashed potatoes? Did I miss any tips or add-in ideas? I would love to hear them! 

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Not everyone is a big fan of marjoram, and it’s not always the easiest herb to find in a store. I think the slightly floral nature goes perfectly with the pumpkin, but you can certainly substitute thyme or sage and still get excellent results.

This could easily be made vegetarian if you just don’t use the pancetta; just use a little extra butter instead to make up for the missing grease.

Bucatini with Pancetta and Pumpkin-Parmesan Sauce
serves 2-4

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 oz. bucatini (or other pasta shape of your choice)
• 4 oz. pancetta, cubed
• 2 tsp. butter
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 2 tsp. fresh marjoram, chopped, divided
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup grated or shredded parmesan
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (or more to taste)

METHOD:

• Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain, reserving one cup of the pasta water.
• Meanwhile, cook pancetta in a large saute pan over medium heat until browned and crispy. Remove onto paper towels and set aside.
• Remove all but 2 tsp pancetta grease from the pan. Add butter. Add onions and 1 tsp. marjoram and cook 3-5 minutes, until onions are softened. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add lemon juice and cook until dry.
• Whisk together pumpkin and cream. Add mixture to pan with 1 cup of reserved pasta water. Bring to a boil and add pasta, parmesan, and black pepper. Season with salt to taste.
• Toss with tongs over high heat for about 3-4 minutes, until pasta is coated and sauce has reduced and thickened. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
• Remove to bowls and garnish with remaining marjoram and reserved pancetta.

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I also think barley is an unsung hero among better-known grains. While newer arrivals to the scene like quinoa and wheat berries are getting all the play, good ol’ barley has been around for ages, the workhorse of the whole grain world, just minding its business and keeping quiet in the background. This recipe is an old one that my Mom has been making for years, and it still wows guests as a savory, creamy, satisfying side dish.

Easy Oven Barley Risotto
serves 6 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Tblsp butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped finely
• 2 large or 3 small cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 1/2 cups crimini or brown mushrooms, chopped finely
• 1 1/2 cups pearl barley
• 4 cups chicken broth, mushroom broth, or vegetable broth

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Heat an oven-proof dish, melt the butter and add onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until onions are soft and translucent and mushrooms are browned. Add barley and saute to toast, stirring, about 3-5 minutes more.
• Add broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and put a lid on the pot.
• Put the pot in the oven and cook for about 1 hour, until barley is soft and cooked through.
• Stir the barley and remove to a serving dish. Serve immediately.

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OK, I’m going to be completely honest with you: this did not turn out how I was expecting it to, but it was a happy accident nonetheless. I was hoping to make these crispy, delicious-looking Pommes Anna from Cook Local–and I was so excited, I could practically taste those salty, crunchy browned edges. However, I should not have been surprised when my pommes came out in a buttery, messy pile instead of in this crunchy cake form, because I a) did not use the recommended pan, b) did not follow the recipe accurately, c) did not cut the potatoes thinly enough (more on that later) and d) used way too much butter. I didn’t think it was actually possible to use too much butter, but it turns out you can. It was a pretty big shock to me. And when I flipped out the potatoes, the butter taunted me further by getting all over my countertop and spilling on to my dishwasher.

So they may not be Pommes Anna, but that much butter with that much potatoes equals that much delicious. And if you know my cooking philosophy, you know I am a big fan of working with whatever crazy-looking thing comes out of the oven, even if that means re-naming it. All of the shortcuts I took meant that it was pretty easy to make and once in the oven, a no-brainer side dish that can leave you brain space and hands to do other parts of the meal.

I didn’t peel the potatoes because I like the rustic mouthfeel and added nutrition you get from the peel. Ha ha! Just kidding. That is a complete lie. I didn’t peel the potatoes because I was lazy. I’m happy to report that it didn’t make a discernible difference. I also didn’t cut the potatoes thinly enough because I was lazy. (Sensing a theme?) I used the slicing apparatus on the food processor, which seems to be permanently set to “beefsteak tomato” because it makes really fat slices.

I recommend using a cast-iron pot like a Le Creuset or a deep cake pan or pie plate. Heat the oven to 450. Wash your potatoes and trim off any gross parts. Put them in a food processor with the slicer blade. Melt about a cube of butter. Pour a bit of the butter into the pan. Add a layer of potatoes. More butter plus salt and pepper. Repeat 5-6 times. Put foil on or a lid and cook for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and cook for 20-30 more minutes. Run a knife along the edge and flip onto a plate. Clean up all the melted butter that spills. If you use multi-colored potatoes it will look cool. I alternated layers of purple and white but I think it would have come out about the same if they were all together in a jumble. They’ll have some crispy bits on the top and sides and be soft throughout.

And if you want the crispy ones, trust me when I say–follow the right directions!

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Have you ever made risotto with an elderly Italian woman? Be warned: she might yell at you for doing it wrong. Here are some things you can do to get top marks with the signoras!

• In the first part of the process, toast the rice well in the olive oil before adding any liquid. The rice should be a nice golden brown before proceeding to the liquid phase.
• You don’t have to heat the broth before adding it in. I swear. Don’t believe the broth-heating hype, you’re just making more work for yourself!
• While Arborio rice is the commonly recommended risotto rice, many chefs and grandmas prefer Carnaroli rice – try it if you can find it.
• If you’re adding things to the risotto, like sauteed vegetables or bacon or shrimp, cook them separately and fold them in at the very end.
• Also: I once read that Thomas Keller folds whipped heavy cream into his risotto at the end, to finish it. I have tried that and it’s not worth the effort – a splash of unwhipped cream or a knob of butter does the trick just as well.

It bears noting that I don’t use a recipe to make risotto, and I don’t think you need to either. It’s one of my favorite things to make when I need to make a good side dish and I don’t want to go to the market, because you can add most anything to it. The whole process takes about 20-30 minutes, and shouldn’t be made ahead because it will ruin the texture.

• Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a saucepan over medium low heat.
• Add some arborio or carnaroli rice, 1-2 cloves minced garlic, and a chopped shallot if you have it. (To serve 4 people, I add about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of rice.) Toast the rice and let the shallots and garlic get fragrant.
• Throw some white wine in–it can be crappy wine. There are usually some dregs of Chardonnay in my fridge because people always bring Chardonnay over and I totally hate Chardonnay. If you don’t have any wine it’s OK, just move to the next step.
• Pour about a cup of chicken broth, vegetable broth, mushroom broth, or water and a bouillon cube in. Stir it with a spatula or wooden spoon and let most of the liquid soak into the rice. You can add fresh herbs at this point too, if you like.
• Repeat the broth step a couple more times, tasting the rice after the first 2 times to see if it’s cooked. Keep adding more broth until the rice is cooked and creamy. Don’t overcook it or it will be mushy. Each cup of rice takes in 1-2 cups of liquid. If you run out of broth, it’s OK to use water.
• Remove from the heat and add something to make it creamier–a splash of heavy cream, a handful of parmesan cheese, and/or even a knob of cream cheese or butter. I usually do the parmesan plus one of the other things I just listed.
• Then stir in some other stuff you’ve previously prepared. For me, that usually means that I’ve cooked some bacon pieces then sauteed something in the bacon grease, like small cubes of carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, or squash. Also good: steamed or roasted asparagus or broccoli. Chopped mushrooms sauteed until crispy in olive oil or butter. Small dice of fresh tomatoes when they’re in season. Some people like sauteed shrimp.
• If it’s boring, you can try to: add lemon zest or lemon juice, add more salt, add more pepper, add more cheese, add more bacon, add truffle oil, or get your guests to drink another glass of wine before serving. People who are hungry and tipsy always think stuff tastes good.

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Have you had a Marcona almond yet? They are not like other almonds, which is to say, OK but unexciting. Marcona almonds:

1. are shorter and rounder in shape than regular almonds
2. are traditionally fried or roasted in olive oil lightly before serving (or selling)
3. taste far more buttery and delicious than regular almonds (see 2), and
4. have a cool and exotic-sounding name.

They are kind of soft and have a wrinkly texture. They are a fantastic compliment to honey and stinky cheeses. That is, if you can refrain from eating them all before you get out the honey and the cheeses.

Marcona almonds are from Spain, where they are known as the Queen of Almonds. I’m not sure if that includes some kind of tiny, almond-sized tiara and sash or what, but I like it. I desperately want to be able to tell you that Marcona almonds come from a faraway and romantic medieval village called Marcona that’s surrounded by crumbling stone walls and has a rich oral history and Moorish-influenced architecture, but I can’t confirm that. By “can’t confirm” I mean I just made it up. Sadly, when I look in Google maps, I can’t even confirm that there is a place in Spain with that name. Suffice it to say they are from Spain and they are delicious.

But I can tell you why Brussels sprouts are called Brussels sprouts. Five bucks to the first person to guess where the Brussels sprout was first cultivated. That’s right: Belgium, of which Brussels is the capital. Knowing the Belgium connection will help people remember the spelling too–since they are often mistakenly referred to as Brussel sprouts or Brussel’s sprouts. But this isn’t supposed to be a spelling lesson, so I’ll just get to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 lb bacon, cut in small pieces
• 1 large or 2 small shallots, diced finely
• 6-8 oz Brussels sprouts, cleaned, trimmed, and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 Tblsp heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 3 Tblsp Marcona almonds, chopped coarsely
• 8 oz fresh or dried fettucine

Method:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the fettucine.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large saute pan over medium low heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon. Pour bacon grease out of the pan, leaving about a tablespoon of grease still in the pan.
• Increase heat to medium and put shallots and Brussels sprouts in the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until sprouts are browning and shallots are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
• While shallots and sprouts are browning, bring the fettucine water back to the boil and add noodles to cook. When they are cooked al dente, remove them to a bowl with tongs, reserving the pasta water.
• When the Brussels sprouts and shallots are browned, add white wine and lemon zest. Cook until wine evaporates. Add cream and parmesan and cook about 30 seconds, just to heat through and combine. Add about 1/2 cup of pasta water and cook, stirring, until sauce is creamy. Add almonds and bacon and stir to heat and combine.
• Toss sauce with pasta. Garnish with parmesan and almonds and serve immediately.

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The recipe is from Martha Rose Shulman’s Recipes for Health series in the New York Times–a source of recipes I have turned to many times with great success. I have not tried a bad recipe from the series yet. All have turned out fantastically and been reasonably easy to prepare. I like them so much that I just ordered the physical cookbook–which is something I almost never do. I own very few cookbooks.

P.S. I use Fage nonfat plain yogurt to lower the calories further.

P.P.S. Maybe you are thinking it’s weird to talk about potato salad in December, but if you live in California you are not calibrated to think about potato salad only in the summer!

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I made dinner for some friends who couldn’t have any dairy, so I thought this would be a fun departure from the average lactose-lacking side dish. Since forbidden rice doesn’t have the same starch structure as arborio or carnaroli rice (the typical Italian rice types used for risotto) this doesn’t get quite as creamy as a traditional risotto. On the plus side, it’s dairy free, vegan, and delicious. I served it with these excellent sweet chili baby back ribs from Steamy Kitchen. A hit all around!

Asian Forbidden Risotto

Ingredients:

• 1 Tblsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped finely
• 2 cups forbidden rice
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup white miso
• 2 Tblsp rice vinegar
• 1 Tblsp soy sauce
• 2 lemongrass stalks, cut into a few pieces
• 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped in a few pieces
• chili flakes (if desired)
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 large or 1 small red bell pepper, sliced thinly and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• sesame seeds for garnish

Method:

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until soft. Add rice and garlic and cook 1 minute, until garlic is fragrant.
• Dissolve miso in rice vinegar and soy sauce. Add into rice, along with lemongrass and ginger. (Count the pieces of lemongrass and ginger so you know how many to fish out at the end!) Add chili flakes to taste if desired.
• Add about a cup of stock and lower the heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stock has mostly been absorbed. Add stock in this manner until rice is cooked through. If it’s not fully cooked after you’ve added all the stock, add water a bit at a time until cooked through.
• Meanwhile, saute the chopped asparagus in the teaspoon of sesame oil just until it begins to brown. When rice is cooked, stir asparagus, scallions, and bell peppers into the rice.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Serve immediately.

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Heat your oven to 350. Put a piece of foil or parchment on a rimmed baking sheet. Add peeled and roughly chopped root vegetables like carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, rutabagas, etc. They can be kind of gnarly and skanky and overripe–it’s OK! Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

Now, add softer vegetables, like onions, tomatoes, leeks, and garlic cloves. (I used way overripe, mushy, squirty, bruised tomatoes, that I would otherwise have had to throw away.) Drizzle with oil again and salt and pepper again. Roast for another 30 minutes to an hour, until vegetables are soft and starting to brown.

Pick up the foil and slide all the vegetables into a big soup pot. Add 4 to 8 cups of vegetable stock, salt, pepper, any herbs you have (like parsley or thyme) and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes. Let cool and puree in a blender until pretty smooth. You can eat it as a soup…

Or, you can use it as a healthy pasta sauce. Just add some of the pasta water and some of the soup to the pan with the pasta and saute for a few minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan and add chili flakes, chopped fresh sage, or cumin.

Clean fridge, check – loads of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants and so forth, check – and if you eat this often enough, I guarantee your pants will feel looser in a couple of weeks!

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