Hoppin' John

New Year's is about a lot of things: partying into the night, getting tipsy on Champagne, sharing a moment with a special someone at the stroke of midnight. But most importantly, the new year is a reboot, a chance to make some changes, to set a goal and go for it, to choose a new direction in life. Many cultures believe there's a way to ensure a positive outcome in the new year by eating lucky foods. So to guarantee your good luck, why not eat your way to prosperity and wealth? It's worth a try!

It's tradition to eat pork on New Year's Day since the pig symbolizes forward progress due to its predilection to dig things up with its snout. Whereas other animals, like the chicken who scratches backwards, is a no-no on New Year's. Southerners equate black-eyed peas and greens with wealth—the beans look like coins and the greens like money. Hoppin' John is one of those traditional dishes you'll find on the Southern New Year's table because it has black-eyed peas and bacon—what a winning combination.

This easy New Year's side dish is quick to put together. It can even be made with leftover rice and beans. The vegetables are cooked in the rendered bacon fat, then the rice and beans are tossed in. Before serving, add scallions and the reserved bacon. For a true Southern New Year's supper, pair Hoppin' John with sauteed greens like collards or kale, corn bread, and a beautiful baked ham or roast pork. Not only will it be an amazingly flavorful dinner, it will also guarantee luck for everyone who partakes in the meal.

Hoppin' John

5 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into strips
1 small onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 cups cooked white rice
2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
1/2 cup chopped scallions, plus more for garnish

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, fry bacon until crisp. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add onion and bell pepper to hot bacon fat and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and Cayenne and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato and cook until soft and thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice and black-eyed peas and warm for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in scallions and reserved bacon. Remove mixture to a platter and garnish with additional scallions. Yield: 6 servings as a side dish.

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Olive Tapenade

Modern entertaining is all about having fun with your guests while enjoying the food. It's not about being chained to the stove, never being allowed to mingle for a moment. For cocktail parties, especially around holiday time, I'm always looking for recipes that can be prepared in advance or put together in just minutes on the same day of the get-together. Plus I plan around using some store-bought items, like cheese, prosciutto, or olives.

The unique thing about French cuisine, is that it has both extremely complicated and yet surprisingly simple recipes too. Specifically, I love Provençal cuisine for its simple recipes using vibrant flavors. Besides all the wonderful fish dishes, salads, and homey stews, there are a number of simple things that work wonderfully as appetizers. In this case I'm focusing on olive tapenade, a pungent paste of olives used as a spread on bread.

Tapenade is the perfect party appetizer, because it's so easy to put together (less than 5 minutes) and it's very flavorful. It truly whets the appetite! All you need are some pitted olives and a few other typical Mediterranean ingredients to make this spread. Then just use a food processor to purée everything together (though the French would prefer mortar and pestle) and you're all set. Your guests will appreciate the simple and rustic yet elegant nature of tapenade.

Olive Tapenade

2 cups Kalamata olives, pitted
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 anchovy fillet (optional)
1 garlic clove, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
bread or toasted, sliced bageutte, for serving

Combine olives, capers, anchovy, garlic, lemon juice and zest, mustard and parsley in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Drizzle in olive oil and process until nearly puréed but still slightly chunky. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with bread or toast. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

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Castagnaccio or Tuscan Chesnut Flour Cake

Tuscans have a very simple and rustic cuisine, characterized by hearty stews, soups, baked goods, and beans. Tuscan bread is the one that's famous for being made without salt. Outside of Tuscany, many people are unfamiliar with the traditional foods, namely sweets. But there's one dessert that's particularly popular around this time of year in Tuscany.

Castagnaccio is traditionally made in the fall and winter months, and is often served during the holidays. It's like a cake but it doesn't rise. It's made from chestnut flour since chestnuts (castagna) are abundant in Tuscany. The cake is not so much sweet as it is earthy. The only ingredients it needs are water and oil. The toppings are what make it special—wine-soaked raisins, pine nuts, orange zest, and rosemary. It's really a cake that's meant to be paired with a glass of Vin Santo and slowly savored at the end of an evening.

The texture of the cake is unique, maybe a little thick and even fudge like, but only in appearance. You'll need a large shallow pan, like a paella, to make it. The chestnut flour can easily be sourced in Italian markets. If you prefer, you could substitute the pine nuts with chopped walnuts and the raisins with other chopped dried fruit. The rosemary adds a nice aromatic touch, but if you don't like herbs on your dessert, you can omit it. You'll really like castagnaccio this Christmas!

Castagnaccio

1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup Vin Santo or rum
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound chestnut flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 orange, zested
1 long sprig rosemary, leaves stripped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine raisins in a small bowl and pour over with wine. Microwave for 30 seconds or until raisins are soft. Strain raisins, reserving liquid.

In a large bowl, whisk together chestnut flour, sugar, and salt to aerate. Make a well. Add water and reserved liquid from raisins. Stir with a spoon until a smooth batter forms.

Drizzle a 14-inch wide paella pan with olive oil. Place in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and pour in batter, spreading until evenly distributed. Scatter over with raisins, pine nuts, orange zest, and rosemary leaves. Bake until brown and set, about 10 to 15 minutes. Yield: 14 slices.

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Peanut Butter Sugar Cookies

Christmas is all about giving and sharing. And what's better to give and share than cookies? Every year around this time I find myself baking countless cookies for family, friends, and neighbors. I distribute a variety of cookies, but sometimes I get in a cookie rut and find it hard to make anything other than the usual: cut-out cookies, sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, or shortbread cookies.

This year I created a new cookie recipe by accident. At first when testing this recipe I wasn't pleased with the results. But once I tasted it (and a few others did too and raved about them), I knew I had stumbled on something good. I didn't nearly discover penicillin, but what I got was a cookie that combined the best of a peanut butter cookie with that of a sugar cookie. This is not the typical dense, dry peanut butter cookie. Instead it's crisp and chewy.

The amount of sugar in this recipe makes the cookie batter spread on the baking pan like a sugar cookie, creating the crispy, chewy confection that can only be called scrumptious. The peanut butter, in this case chunky organic, lends great flavor and texture. These cookies were meant for sharing—that is if you don't end up eating them all yourself (they are that good!). Give them as gifts with a stack in a cellophane bag tied with a ribbon.

Peanut Butter Sugar Cookies

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup organic chunky peanut butter
1 large egg

Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and baking powder to aerate.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugars and salt; mix until combined. Add peanut butter and mix until combined. Add egg and beat until combined. On low speed, add dry ingredients, a little at a time, until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Using a 1-1/2-inch releasable scoop, form balls of dough and place no more than 8 on each baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes. Bake in batches until cookies are spread, set in the center, and lightly brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Yield: 28 cookies.

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Tuscan Kale and Sautéed Oyster Mushroom Salad with Brown Butter Vinaigrette and Poached Egg

Kale is in season right now with the common curly kind leading the pack. But there's also a darker, more unique variety that hails from Italy. Tuscan kale is darker in color, more delicate in flavor, and tender to eat. It's especially great in salads and it holds up to many bold flavors. If you're craving a salad this winter, Tuscan kale should be your green of choice.

Most people only think of kale as a cooked vegetable, but kale is great raw. Not only do you benefit from all its vitamins when it's raw, you also get a great texture and fresh taste. It's great as a slaw, or as an appetizer or main course salad. For this hearty recipe, I combine kale with sautéed mushrooms, croutons, and a richly flavored brown butter vinaigrette. I top it off with Parmesan and a poached egg. Serve it for lunch or a light dinner with a glass of wine.



Tuscan kale, also called Lacinato kale or cavolo nero in Italian, is a vegetable that's been grown in Italy since the 1800s. There it's used in salads, pasta dishes and soups like minestrone. It has a sweeter, more delicate taste than curly kale. The leaves are long and slender and almost blistery looking. But you don't have to all the way to Italy to get it. Find Tuscan kale at the farmers' market now.

Tuscan Kale and Sautéed Oyster Mushroom Salad with Brown Butter Vinaigrette and Poached Egg

for the salad:
1 pound Tuscan kale
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 loaf ciabatta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
fine sea salt
1 tablespoon butter
8 ounces oyster mushrooms

for the dressing:
6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

for serving:
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Wash kale in hot water to tenderize it. Shock with cold water. Spin in a salad spinner and dry thoroughly. Remove thick stems and tear into pieces or slice into ribbons.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss bread cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt. Toast until lightly golden, tossing once, about 10 minutes.

Warm a sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Once melted, add mushrooms and sauté until liquid releases and mushrooms are lightly brown, about 8 minutes. Season with salt. Keep warm.

To make the dressing, start by melting butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Turn off the heat once it starts to turn brown. Whisk in vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Bring a shallow saucepan with 3 inches of water and white vinegar to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Once large bubbles have subsided and only small bubbles remain, carefully slide each egg into pan with ramekin placed close to the surface of the water. Poach 2 eggs at a time for 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove eggs to ice water.

Whisk the vinaigrette to reincorporate. In a large bowl, toss together kale, sautéed mushrooms, and croutons with vinaigrette. Season salad with salt and pepper. Divide salad among plates. Top with Parmesan shavings and a poached egg on each. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

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Beef Daube

What are chilly winter days without comfort foods to soothe our weary souls and hungry stomachs? One of the best examples of comfort food is the stew. In it's basic form, a stew is relatively inexpensive meat stewed with vegetables in flavorful liquid. It takes simple preparation to put together, then it's just a matter of waiting for it cook. But the most important part about a stew is that it be hearty enough to keep hunger at bay for a long time. Beef stew is the remedy! And who knows beef stew better than the French?

Boeuf Bourguignon, the dish made famous by Julia Child, is the best example of French country cuisine. An entire bottle of Burgundy separates this champion from the contenders. But each region has its own famous stew. Provençe has beef daube, a Mediterranean-style stew with bright flavors influenced by surrounding Italy and north Africa. This stew might not be as well known as beef Burgundy but it's amazing in it's own right.

True to French style, this recipe includes an entire bottle of wine. But to make this stew authentically Provençal, you'll need garlic, tomatoes, olives, herbs and spices. Rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, juniper berries, and orange zest are the secret ingredients that make this stew so unique, perfuming the dish with wonderful aroma and flavor. Though this stew takes up to two hours to cook, it's well worth the time and patience. It's also one of those dishes that gets better the day after. So make it a day ahead and enjoy it the next. Happy cooking!

Beef Daube

for the bouquet garni:
6 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
3 bay leaves
6 juniper berries, cracked
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 wide strips orange zest

for the stew:
2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch chunks
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
4 bacon strips, cut into pieces
2 large yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup Cognac
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 750-ml bottle young red wine, such as Burgundy
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound button mushrooms, halved if large
1 cup black and green olives
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, for garnish
egg noodles, for serving

Prepare the bouquet garni: On a large triple-layer of cheesecloth, lay the herbs, spices, and orange zest. Fold up into a bundle and tie securely with kitchen twine.

Prepare the stew by heating a 5-quart heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Add about 3 tablespoons olive oil. Pat beef chunks dry and season with salt and pepper. Sear in batches until browned all over. Refresh pan with oil as needed. Remove beef and set aside.

Add bacon and fry until rendered and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan.

Add onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir to coat vegetables. Pour in Cognac to deglaze pan and scrape up browned bits. Add tomatoes and cook down until thick and jammy, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Return beef and bacon to pan. Pour over with wine and add bouquet garni. Bring to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until beef is tender, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Check during cooking to make sure beef is submerged under cooking liquid.

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, melt butter and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add mushrooms and sauté until liquid releases and evaporates, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt.

Over a large pot, strain solids from stewing liquid. Reduce cooking liquid by third. Check seasoning. Return beef and vegetables to pan. Add mushrooms and olives and rewarm until hot. Serve with buttered egg noodles and garnish with chopped parsley. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

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Butternut Squash Bread Pudding with Dried Cranberries

Ever since I first tried it, bread pudding has become one of my favorite homey desserts. Growing up I never knew it even existed. In my household, old bread was made into breadcrumbs not dessert (blame it on eastern European frugality). If you like French toast then there's no reason you wouldn't like bread pudding—they have similar preparations but with different cooking methods. I actually love it more than French toast, which is hard to say for someone who, as a kid, demanded his mom make French toast for breakfast every Saturday morning.

There's something special about the soft, moist cubes of bread in this dessert that makes me go weak in the knees. When I traveled through England during college, I couldn't help noticing bread and butter pudding (or spotted dick as they commonly call it) on almost every restaurant menu—and I always ordered it without restraint. It always came drenched in custard, which is the traditional way to serve it.

With this recipe I put a seasonal spin on the comforting bread pudding by adding puréed roasted butternut squash and replacing the classic raisins with dried cranberries. Once you dig into it, you'll be surprised how much it tastes like pumpkin pie—you might even consider making it every holiday from now on. Serve it for dessert with vanilla ice cream. It's also not bad for breakfast with some maple syrup.

Butternut Squash Bread Pudding with Dried Cranberries

2 tablespoons butter
1 16-ounce loaf Brioche, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3/4 cup dried cranberries
2-1/2 cups whole milk
6 large eggs
1 cup roasted butternut squash purée
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup rum
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the bread on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes until dry and light brown.

Butter a 2-quart baking dish with 1 tablespoons butter. Add bread and cranberries.

In a large measuring cup or bowl, beat together milk, eggs, squash purée, and sugar. Stir in rum and vanilla. Pour over bread and toss to incorporate. Let soak in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

Dust top with cinnamon. Dot the top with remaining butter. Tent with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. Bread should be puffed and custard set. Let cool slightly before serving. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

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Alpine-Style Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

If you had to pick just one dish that represents the category of comfort food better than any other, what would it be? My pick would be good old fashioned mac 'n cheese. Many people think of macaroni and cheese as a true American dish, but in fact its roots lie with the cheese-loving Swiss. Who better to have invented the dish?

What makes macaroni and cheese so popular everywhere is the fact that it's a basic dish to put together, using simple and satisfying ingredients. In this recipe it's cheese, pasta, and bacon—is there a combination any more comforting? This macaroni is hearty enough to get a mountain climber to the top of the Alps and back.



My recipe combines the classic Alpine cheeses of Raclette, Gruyère, and Fontina. Other good Swiss cheeses like Appenzeller or Emmentaler would work well too. The combination of cheeses is typical of a Swiss fondue. And it's the perfect blend for this mac and cheese. Thickly sliced bacon adds a great bite and salty flavor to the dish. And even if you don't reside in an Alpine ski chalet, enjoy this dish on a cold day. It's even better after a day of being out in the snow.

Alpine-Style Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

1 pound elbow macaroni
3/4 pound thick-cut bacon, diced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups hot milk
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup shredded Raclette plus 1/2 cup for topping (6 ounce total)
1 cup shredded Gruyère (4 ounces)
1 cup shredded young Fontina (4 ounces)
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of liberally salted water a few minutes short of al dente.

Meanwhile, fry bacon in a skillet until brown but not too crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve the fat.

While the pasta cooks, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons bacon fat and flour. Cook the roux, stirring constantly, until thickened and nutty in color, about 3 minutes. Pour in the hot milk and whisk constantly until thickened and the sauce coats the back of the spoon, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the cheeses, a handful at a time, and stir until melted. Stir in the macaroni and the bacon until evenly incorporated.

Grease four 6-inch mini skillets or gratin dishes or six 12-ounce ramekins or oven-proof bowls with about 1 to 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Spoon macaroni mixture into each, mounding the top. Scatter over with remaining Raclette and breadcrumbs, dividing evenly. Drizzle over with about 1 tablespoon bacon fat. Place dishes on a large rimmed baking sheet and tent with foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and set under broiler for no more than 5 minutes to brown lightly. Serve hot. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

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Pasta with Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

There's no other month that represents comfort food better than December. Right now it's all about soups, stews, roasts, and much more. But sometimes all that rich food is just too much to handle! (Thanksgiving was for me.) So when I crave something comforting that doesn't weigh me down, I turn to pasta.

Old fashioned spaghetti and meatballs or any other tomato sauced pasta dish is always a welcome meal around this time. But my favorite way to enjoy pasta is with simple flavors and seasonal produce. A dish like this pasta with sautéed Brussels sprouts is perfectly comforting and light, all at the same time. There aren't too many comfort foods that can be both.

This recipe is unique because the sprouts are separated into leaves and then sautéed. There's no need to worry about smelly and awful tasting sprouts since sautéing is a gentle cooking method that coaxes out all the sweet flavors of the sprouts. Red onions add additional sweetness to the dish and Parmesan cheese creates a thin sauce that clings to the pasta and vegetables. This dish is worth making now while Brussels sprouts are in season.

Pasta with Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

1/2 pound penne
fine sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound Brussels sprouts, leaves separated
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Cook pasta until al dente, a few minutes short of package directions, in liberally salted water. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

While pasta cooks, warm oil in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add red pepper flakes and toast for 1 minute. Add Brussels sprouts and toss until wilted. Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and cook, covered, on medium-low heat until sprouts are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add cooked pasta and combine. Season with salt and pepper. If too dry, add remaining 1/4 to 1/2 cup pasta water. Stir in Parmesan until a thin sauce forms. Serve with additional cheese. Yield: 4 servings.

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