Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Pomegranate Seeds

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
• seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate
• 1/2 lime
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place brussel sprouts in a roasting pan and toss with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and outer leaves are crispy. Remove from oven and toss with pomegranate seeds. Dress with the juice of half a lime.

For little bit of a kick, you can add about a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper with the salt and pepper before baking.

This Is How Atlanta Iron Chefs

Quite a few months ago, while at a Foodspotting event, I met some foodies who mentioned they hold and participate in a local Iron Chef competition. Naturally, I wanted in. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to flex my culinary skills in my first Atlanta Iron Chef Competition.

Here's the lowdown: On Friday, the secret ingredient is emailed to all participating chefs. All chefs are amateurs and the secret ingredient is randomly generated from an on-going list created by all participants. The chefs then have until Sunday late afternoon/evening to perfect their assigned dish (appetizer, entree or dessert) before presenting to the judges. On Sunday, the chefs present their dishes to the judges who then critic the food on taste/primacy (10 pts), presentation (5 pts), and originality (5pts).  There is an opportunity for 1 bonus point- a chef can earn this point by creating a beverage with the secret ingredient and the judges have to unanimously like it. So in the end there is an opportunity for a total of 21 points per judge. The points are tallied, scores/winners are announced and the new champion then hosts the next competition. We take our food seriously but it's all in fun and for the love of food.

This last go round the secret ingredient was ricotta cheese. It being my first time, I was unaware of anyone else's skill level so I had to make sure that I thought outside of the box and brought my A game. I didn't want to do Italian, I didn't want to make pasta and I didn't want to stuff anything. I came up with a ricotta burger with a garlic ricotta dressing, onions reduced in a tomato sauce, arugula and an asiago cheese crisp. I thought to myself, "A burger is pretty American... hmm... what's a burger without a shake." I then added a chocolate ricotta shake to my arsenal. My creativity paid off and I placed 2nd out of 9 dishes. The winner made a crostini with caramelized onions, fig preserves and HOMEMADE ricotta. Yes, homemade ricotta. It was delicious and worthy of the win.

I had great fun and am looking forward to the next competition. But the other chefs better watch their backs because I am in it for the win! (photo recap below)

 

My ricotta burger and chocolate shake

 Smoky mac with bacon

 Cajun mac with crawfish

 ricotta pound cake with lemon ricotta glaze

 ricotta salata and mushroom phyllo cups

potato ricotta au gratin- inspired by loaded baked potato

 crostini with ricotta, fig preserves and caramelized onions

 

ricotta rum balls

 crostini with ricotta, figs and bacon

 The whole spread

 former champ (left) and current champ (right)

all nine chefs

Butternut Squash Turnovers

 Ingredients

serves 6

• 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-2 large leeks, white parts only, cut into 1-inch dice
• 1/4 pound shiitake mushroom caps sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoons thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Half of 2-pound butternut squash—peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• shredded smoked gouda cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the diced leeks and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the shiitake and cook, stirring often, until their liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the thyme and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, toss the squash with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash on a baking sheet and bake for about 12-15 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Add the squash to the leeks and mushrooms and toss.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently unfold the sheet of thawed puff pastry. Cut the pastry into 6 even squares. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the shiitake-squash mixture onto each square and top with 1 tablespoon of shredded smoked gouda. Lightly brush the edge of the squares with some of the beaten egg. Fold the squares over to form triangles and crimp the edges decoratively with a fork.

Arrange the turnovers on the prepared baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Brush the tops of the turnovers with the remaining beaten egg. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Original recipe from Food & Wine

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 16 large white button mushrooms
• olive oil
• 3 hot Italian sausage links (casing removed)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 2 cups of fresh spinach
• 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Asiago

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Remove stems from mushroom caps (stems can be saved and used another time or can be cut up and used in the sausage stuffing). Place mushrooms in a cats iron skillet. Lightly drizzle with olive and season with salt and pepper. Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until the sausage is brown. Add the onion and garlic. Add fresh spinach and cook until spinach is nicely wilted. Remove pan from heat. Stir in bread crumbs and cheese to the sausage filling (reserve a couple of tablespoons of cheese for the topping). Fill caps with stuffing and top with remaining cheese. Place the mushrooms int he oven and bake until cheese is a nice golden brown (approx. 10-12 minutes).

 Remove from oven and transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot.

Herbed White Bean Dip

I'm back and will be posting recipes from last month's Thanksgiving feast. I will start with appetizers, move onto the turkey and side dishes and finish with dessert.

The first is a quick and easy dip similar to hummus.

Ingredients
Makes approx. 1.5 cups

• 1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped sage
• 1/4 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
• One 19-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained
• 1 tablespoons water
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper   

In a medium skillet, heat 1/8 cup of the olive oil. Add the garlic, sage and rosemary and cook over moderately high heat until the garlic begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add the beans and toss to coat.

Transfer the the contents of the pan to a food processor. Add the water, season with salt and cayenne (start with a little at first- you can add more later) and process to a fairly smooth puree. Transfer the dip to a small serving bowl, drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoons of olive oil on top.

I served mine with Triscuit Chile Pepper Thin Crisps and celery sticks but you can serve with pita chips or any other veggie you like.
 
Original recipe from Food & Wine