Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (37 page)

Pile some polenta in shallow bowls and spoon the stew around the polenta.

I see cauliflower and almonds over and over again on lists of what foods we should all be eating more of for various health benefits. This easy Indian-style supper is really a year-round super supper!

SERVES 4

Preheat the oven 400°F.

Place a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced almonds to the skillet and toast, stirring frequently, until golden. Reserve.

Place a sauce pot over medium-high heat with about 1 tablespoon of the EVOO. Add the rice, season with salt and lots of pepper, and stir to coat and toast, 1 minute. Add 3 cups of the vegetable stock and bring the rice up to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 18 minutes.

Arrange the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with a couple tablespoons of the EVOO, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and transfer to the oven to roast for 15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is lightly browned and tender.

While the cauliflower is roasting, return the pan you toasted the nuts in to the stove over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Once it is hot, add the onions, garlic, ginger, apple, curry powder, and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of vegetable stock and bring up to a bubble. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth, then return it to the skillet over medium-low heat and add the half-and-half. Continue to simmer while you are waiting for the cauliflower to finish roasting. Once the cauliflower is done, transfer it to the curry sauce along with the tomatoes and peas, and continue to simmer for about 2 more minutes. Add the cilantro and stir to combine.

Add the toasted almonds to the rice and fluff the rice with a fork while distributing the almonds. Divide the rice among 4 bowls and top with the roasted cauliflower curry.

Chilaquiles
are a great use-up for stale tortillas. It's a vegetarian dish that I make all the time and I am a meat eater. Its big flavor will knock you out, plus the ingredients are inexpensive, so if you are on a budget (or just a cheapskate when it comes to grocery shopping) this one's for you!

SERVES 4

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Stack the corn tortillas on top of one another and slice them into strips about an inch thick. Place into a mixing bowl and dress the tortillas with about 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, coriander and zest of a lime. Evenly coat the tortilla strips then transfer them to a baking sheet. Bake the strips until they're crispy and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes, remove them from the oven, then sprinkle with salt.

While the tortillas are crisping up in the oven place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Toss the red onion and garlic into the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to soften them up. Add the chipotle peppers along with the adobo sauce and the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Heat through then transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse a couple of times, you want a salsa-like consistency. Set aside.

Place a second skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. Add the corn to the melted butter and cook until golden brown and caramelized, 10 minutes.

While the corn is cooking, place the same skillet the onion and tomatoes were cooked in back over medium-high heat with about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add in one can of black beans and heat them through. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, mash the beans to a paste, then stir in the second can of beans and season with the hot sauce and salt to taste.

Assemble the
chilaquiles
by ladling half of the salsa into a 9 × 13-inch casserole dish. Arrange the toasted corn tortilla strips in the dish and top them with the black beans, followed by the corn and the remaining salsa. Cover your
chilaquiles
with shredded cheeses, bake for 8 to 10 minutes until top is bubbly and lightly browned. Remove the casserole from the oven and squeeze the juice from the lime over the top and garnish with scallions and chopped cilantro or parsley. Dot with sour cream and serve.

Mushrooms can be as hearty and satisfying as meat because as they cook they develop bold, earthy, beefy flavors. This is a hearty but heart-healthy alternative to meat sauce. I season the ragout with a bit of Worcestershire, but strict vegetarians will want to omit it (see Note,
this page
).

SERVES 4

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

In a high-sided skillet, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. When the oil ripples, add the mushrooms, allspice, bay leaf, marjoram, and black pepper and cook until the mushrooms darken and become tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and cubanelle and bell peppers and season with salt. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes more, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute to reduce the wine, then stir in the stock and tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Season with Worcestershire and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes more, then discard the bay leaf.

While the ragout is cooking, salt the boiling water and cook the penne to al dente. When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the hot pot. Toss with half the sauce, the basil, and the ½ cup of grated cheese. Top bowlfuls of pasta with the remaining sauce and pass more grated cheese at the table.

For some time readers, especially younger readers in families who keep kosher, have been asking me how they can adapt my recipes to fit their dietary needs. I usually suggest they just omit nonkosher ingredients such as pancetta or bacon from a sauce or stew, or that they swap out vegetable or mushroom stock for chicken or beef broth in a dish that also contains dairy. With some creativity, a trait that is second-nature to many kosher cooks, most any recipe in the book could be converted—pardon the pun. The recipes in this section, however, are good to go for kosher cooks just as they are, no adaptations required. (There are also some good choices for kosher meals in the vegetarian section of this book, too.)