Category Archives: Savory

Caramelized Mushroom Tostadas

While I was in Texas over the holidays, I did a lot more than celebrate and spoil my parents’ miniature schnauzer. The second week of vacation wasn’t vacation at all, really. I hosted a pop-up sale in my parents’ dining room and catered my friend/reader Robyn’s birthday party!

Together with my sous chef/little sister, Eliot, I made a full Tex-Mex dinner for Robyn’s 30 guests. There were pans and pans of Enchiladas Suizas, chorizo refried beans, and Mexican rice (side dish recipes coming later this week!), and a Mexican Vanilla Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream. Robyn let me use her amazing Mexican vanilla for the cake, and even gave me a bottle! Talk about a good hostess 😊

I was super happy with all the food, but the biggest hit of the party was the appetizer: Caramelized Mushroom Tostadas. And who wouldn’t love them? Crispy fried tortillas layered with guacamole, sweet and savory mushrooms, pickled red onion, and cotija cheese–they’re an unbelievable combination of flavors and textures! Crispy, crunchy, creamy, earthy, sweet, salty, and tangy–that’s a lot to pack into a two-bite canapé.

While these Caramelized Mushroom Tostadas make a great appetizer (just use a 2 1/2″ round cutter to make tiny tostada shells), they’re also a great main course. There are a few steps in putting them together, but they’re not difficult to make at all! This batch came together in an hour, including making the guacamole and frying the tostada shells. Sure, you could use purchased guac and shells, but the homemade versions are super simple to make and far more delicious than anything you can find in stores.

Start by quick-pickling some red onion. I know pickling can sound daunting, but this method is so simple, it’s ridiculous. Just whisk together vinegar, sugar, and salt, and pour it over some thinly-sliced red onion. Let that sit at room temperature for an hour. That’s literally it–easy. You can make these pickles up to two weeks in advance. Just keep them in the brine in the fridge.

While your red onions are pickling, caramelize some mushrooms. Well, a lot of mushrooms–this recipe requires a full pound of them! When they’re all sliced up, it will look like you way over-prepared, but mushrooms shrink down dramatically while cooking. Once all is said and done, you’ll be left with about two cups.

What makes these mushrooms caramelized? Two things. First, they’re cooked over pretty high heat until nice and brown. Second, they’re seasoned with sugar in addition to salt, cumin, and cayenne. Sweetened mushrooms might sound a little odd, but along with the salt and spices, they are super delicious.

The most daunting step of the whole tostada-making process is definitely making the shells, but really, there’s nothing to fear. I know a lot of people are intimidated by frying, but they shouldn’t be. Yes, there’s hot oil and that can burn you, but if you take the proper precautions, you’ll be fine. Fill a clean, dry pan with 1/2-inch of oil. When the oil is nice and hot, take a couple of corn tortillas and gently place them in the pan. They’ll bubble up quickly and dramatically. After about 45 seconds, they’ll start turning golden at the edges. Flip the tortillas and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle them with salt. Voila! You just made tostada shells and you and your kitchen are still intact 😊

Once the tortillas are crispy, it’s time to assemble the tostadas. Spread guacamole over each tostada shell. Scatter the beautiful brown caramelized mushrooms over the guac, and then top them with a few of the pickled red onions. Sprinkle on some cotija cheese and dig in!

Caramelized Mushroom Tostadas
makes 5-6 six-inch tostadas

Quick-Pickled Red Onion:
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Caramelized Mushrooms:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced (I use a combination of white button and cremini)
1 1/2 tablespoons (4 1/2 teaspoons) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Tostada Shells:
neutral-flavored oil (I used canola)
6 corn tortillas
Kosher salt

For Assembly:
1-1 1/2 cups guacamole
2 tablespoons grated cotija cheese

Pickle the red onion. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, and salt. Allow sugar and salt to dissolve. Place sliced red onion in a jar. Pour vinegar mixture over the top and cover. Let sit for one hour.

Caramelize the mushrooms. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add approximately 1/3 of the sliced mushrooms. Stir occasionally until starting to brown. Move cooked mushrooms to the edge of the pan, and add another 1/3 of the mushrooms. When those are cooked, move them to the side. Brown the last 1/3 of the mushrooms. Sprinkle mushrooms with sugar, salt, cumin, and cayenne. Stir and continue to cook just until sugar melts. Set aside.

Make the tostada shells. Line a plate with a double layer of paper towels. Set aside.

Heat 1/2-inch of canola oil in a medium-large skillet over medium-high heat. Let oil get very hot (mine reached 350F). Working in batches, fry tortillas for 45 seconds-1 minute, until turning golden at the edges. Use tongs to flip tortillas, and let fry for an additional 30-45 seconds, until crisp. Remove to paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Assemble tostadas. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of guacamole over each tostada shell, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top guacamole with 2-3 tablespoons of caramelized mushrooms. Add a few pieces of pickled red onion. Sprinkle with cotija cheese.

Serve tostadas immediately. Leftover assembled tostadas do not keep well.

Chipotle-Sweet Potato Hummus & Homemade Pita Chips

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Hello out there!

Sorry for the radio silence these last two weeks–I had a lot going on the last week of my vacation in Texas, and then caught a cold immediately after returning to NYC. Oy. I’m far from 100%, but I just *had* to get a new recipe on here before this week ended. And so, here we are.

I had more than my fill of heavy holiday food this year, so I’m taking a bit of a break from all the sugar this month. Don’t fret–I have about six new sweets lined up and ready to go for February 😊 Until then though, I’m planning to stay on the savory side.

Today, I’m bringing you one of my favorite healthy snacks: Chipotle-Sweet Potato Hummus with Homemade Pita Chips. Oh, is this stuff good. The hummus is made with the usual suspects: chickpeas, tahini (sesame seed paste), garlic, lemon, and salt, in addition to sweet potato and chipotle chile powder. Its rich, lightly sweet, and smoky flavor is absolute heaven on crispy pita chips!

You can feel good about eating this hummus, too–in addition to being rich in vitamins and full of protein and fiber, it’s made without an excess of olive oil. Don’t get me wrong, I love olive oil, but I’ve found that I prefer it to be drizzled over the top rather than whirled into my hummus.

For years, I made hummus with oil. It was delicious, but any refrigerated leftovers became hard and crumbly. I don’t know about you, but I think hummus should be soft and luxurious. After seeing the method used on The Amateur Gourmet, I swapped olive oil for chickpea canning liquid (aka aquafaba), and the rest is history. Using the canning liquid instead of the usual olive oil means there is no hardened fat in my refrigerated leftover hummus, leaving it soft and smooth for days. And since olive oil is drizzled over the top before serving, there’s definitely no lack of flavor!

Chipotle-Sweet Potato Hummus is a great spread for sandwiches and dip for raw vegetables, but I love it on pita chips. You could, of course, use any of the excellent brands out there, but why not make your own? My homemade pita chips come together in a flash and require only three ingredients. Simply brush wedges of pita with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt, and bake for 12-15 minutes, until crisp. That’s it! Once they’re cool enough to handle, pair them with some hummus and enjoy 😊

Chipotle-Sweet Potato Hummus
makes about 2 cups

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
1 15-ounce can low-sodium chickpeas (beans and liquid)
1 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
3/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400F. Stab sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Wrap sweet potatoes individually in foil. Bake directly on the rack for 45-60 minutes, until tender. Let cool until you can handle them. Slice sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the skins.

Open the can of chickpeas. Drain canning liquid into a small bowl, and reserve. Rinse chickpeas with water.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine sweet potato, chickpeas, minced garlic, tahini, lemon juice, chipotle powder, and salt. Add 6 tablespoons of the chickpea canning liquid. Process ingredients until smooth. Add more chickpea liquid by the tablespoon until the desired consistency is reached.

Remove hummus to a serving bowl. Serve at room temperature or cold with a drizzle of olive oil.

Chipotle-Sweet Potato Hummus will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Homemade Pita Chips
makes 32 chips, about 3-4 servings

4 whole pitas (I used whole wheat)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Slice pitas into eighths. Arrange wedges in an even layer on prepared pan. Brush each wedge with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake 12-15 minutes, until crisp.

Let pita chips cool until they can be handled, 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Pita chips will keep in an airtight container at room temperature.

Sausage & Mushroom Biscuit Stuffing

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Thanksgiving, y’all. It’s happening in eight days. Are you ready? I know I am.

See, aside from taking a bus to Boston, there’s nothing I need to do. My parents are coming up to spend the holiday with my little sister and me, and we’ll be having the traditional turkey dinner at a restaurant in Brookline, Massachusetts. No muss, no fuss. All we need to do is dress nicely and show up. It’s pretty great, especially if the idea of making a huge dinner doesn’t appeal to you. But, as you may have gathered by my having a food blog, the marathon cooking very much appeals to me.

For years I’ve said that my idea of the perfect day is preparing a Thanksgiving dinner all by myself. I know–I’m insane. Hear me out though. I have been obsessively reading recipes for years and have catalogued an extensive collection of Thanksgiving recipes. Given the chance to host Thanksgiving, I know every detail from how I’d serve Artichoke Dip as an appetizer to how I’d dry brine the turkey to which of my mother’s sweet potato recipes I’d use and how many pies I’d make. And of course, I know what kind of stuffing I’d serve–one made with biscuits and studded with sausage and mushrooms. Since it doesn’t appear I’ll be preparing any large turkey dinners anytime soon, I went ahead and tried my ideal stuffing recipe on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. After eating four servings over the course of the day, I can safely say that the Sausage & Mushroom Biscuit Stuffing I’d been imagining for years is just as good as I had hoped. Crispy on top, moist in the middle, and made out of the perfect food (biscuits, duh), this is the stuffing of my dreams.

Sausage & Mushroom Biscuit Stuffing starts with a batch of cream biscuits. These biscuits require less work than their buttermilk-based counterparts and are just as delicious. They’re great with butter and jam or made into little sandwiches, but here they’re cut into small pieces after baking and left at room temperature until stale (12-48 hours). If you’re working on a tight deadline, I’ve written a shortcut for this step into the recipe.

Once the biscuit pieces are dried out, the stuffing assembly can begin. Brown some sausage. I like breakfast sausage because the sage flavor goes so well with other parts of the Thanksgiving meal, but use whichever variety you like.

Sauté some diced mushrooms, followed by onion and celery. Add the biscuits, sausage, and vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Toss in some herbs–parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (just as Simon & Garfunkel intended). Throw in a little salt and pepper and moisten everything with melted butter and chicken stock.

Pile it into a casserole dish (or your trusty cast iron skillet) and drizzle it with a bit more stock. Lay parchment and foil over the top to keep the stuffing moist, and bake for half an hour. Then remove the foil and parchment and bake for fifteen more minutes, just long enough for the top to get brown and crispy.

This stuffing, y’all. It’s freaking delicious. Deeply savory with tons of meaty sausage, earthy mushrooms, aromatics, herbs, and butter (always butter), it’ll be perfect alongside your turkey. The top is brown and crisp-crunchy, while the middle stays soft and moist. Oh my lord, is this good. Try it, and you will be wondering why we save this for one or two days per year. I know I am.

Sausage & Mushroom Biscuit Stuffing
biscuit recipe from Dinner with Julie
makes about 8-10 servings

Cream Biscuits:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
2 cups heavy cream

Stuffing:
1 recipe cream biscuits (or other good biscuits), cut into 1-inch pieces (about 8 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb breakfast sausage, removed from casings
6 tablespoons butter, divided
8 ounces cremini or other mushrooms, diced
2 cups diced white onion (about one large onion)
2 cups diced celery (about 6-8 stalks)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/2-1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock, divided (I like Better than Bouillon)

Make the biscuits. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to stir in heavy cream. Knead a few times to incorporate any extra dry ingredients. Press biscuit dough into prepared pan and score with a sharp chef’s knife (I usually score 20 rectangular biscuits). Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through and starting to turn golden. Let cool in the pan on a rack until the biscuits reach room temperature.

Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the biscuits into 1-inch pieces. Place pieces in one layer on a baking sheet and leave uncovered for 12-48 hours, until stale. Alternatively, you may dry out the biscuit pieces by toasting them in a 350F oven for 30 minutes.

Make the stuffing. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a large casserole or other ovenproof pan. Set aside.

Place stale biscuit pieces in a large mixing bowl.

Place olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. Remove sausage to the mixing bowl that contains the biscuits.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon of sausage fat from the pan, and return to the heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and melt. Sauté mushrooms 7-10 minutes, until cooked but not browned. Add them to the sausage and biscuit pieces.

Return pan to the heat and reduce heat to medium. Add celery and onion and sauté until translucent but not brown, about 10 minutes.

Add vegetables to the large mixing bowl, along with thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Toss all ingredients together. Pour in 2 cups of chicken stock and continue stirring until everything is moistened (there may be a bit of excess liquid–this is fine). Taste for salt and add 1/2 teaspoon more, if desired.

Press mixture into prepared casserole dish. Drizzle with an additional 1 cup chicken stock. Cover with a layer of parchment, followed by a layer of foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove parchment and foil. Bake an additional 15 minutes until browned and crispy. Serve immediately.

Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days.

Lamb Ragù with Parmesan Polenta

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It’s Election Day! For many of us, it’s the most stressful day since…Election Day 2012??? One great thing is that this part will be over soon. But we still have to get through the day.

When things are stressful, we often find solace in comfort food. My go-to is Baked Macaroni & Cheese, but maybe not for long.

Y’all, today’s recipe is a doozy: Lamb Ragù with Parmesan Polenta. Oh my lord, is this good. The ragù itself is rich and deeply meaty, made with a very inexpensive cut of lamb that is simmered in tomato sauce until it’s extra tender. And the polenta! Ohhhh, the polenta. It’s quick, easy, and super cheesy.*

*Hey, that rhymes! In other news, I’m also cheesy.

This Lamb Ragù comes together in about two hours, but there is some real technique behind it. It all starts with preparing the lamb. Lay the chops in an even layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with salt. Massage it in a bit before flipping the chops and repeating the sprinkling and massaging. Then let it sit for 15-20 minutes. This step allows the lamb to get a good base flavor before it ever hits the pan. It also negates the need for additional salt. Once time is up, rinse the lamb in cold water and blot it dry with paper towels.

And now, for the real action: the ragù. The basic rule of ragù is brown everything. Brown the crud out of it. This step is where all the flavor develops! When you go to sear the lamb, make sure it really gets seared–you want deep brown color. Sauté the vegetables for a good 20 minutes, scraping up all the fond (stuff in the bottom of the pan) and caramelizing the bits of onion. When you stir the tomato paste into the vegetables, let it cook until it begins to darken. Trust me, all of this will be worth it. You don’t want to burn anything, of course, but you want it brown.

Once the browning is done, toss in some thyme, crushed red pepper flake, and bay leaves. Add a 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes that you have crushed by hand before stirring in a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and three cups of beef stock. Bring all of that to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for an hour. Prepare for your kitchen to smell amazing.

Once the lamb is nice and tender, remove it from the pot. It won’t fall apart with the slightest nudge of a fork, but the bones should be loose. Shred the meat with two forks or pull it apart with your fingers. Add it back to the pot and then simmer for a few more minutes.

While the ragù is simmering, make the Parmesan Polenta. I know polenta sounds fancy, but it is super easy and really inexpensive to make. If you have cornmeal and water, you can make polenta. All you need to do is bring the water to a boil and then slowly add the polenta (or cornmeal) while whisking constantly. Don’t add the polenta to the water all in one go–this will make everything lumpy and unappetizing. Add it slowly and just keep whisking until everything is nice and smooth. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in a little butter and a lot of grated Parmesan. Divide it among bowls, and top it with that gorgeous ragù.

One more thing about the polenta. This recipe makes enough for eight people. Unless you are having a dinner party (or you have a huge family), you likely don’t need that much. Feel free to cut the recipe in half for four servings. Heck, I cut it down to a single serving all the time (see note below). The polenta is best when it’s made just before serving.

Y’all, Lamb Ragù with Parmesan Polenta is comfort food at its finest. This meal is a treat on any fall or winter night. It’s great for any old dinner, but also fancy enough for a dinner party. And it’s the perfect meal with which to distract yourself while you watch the returns come in tonight.

Now, enough about food. GO VOTE!

Lamb Ragù with Parmesan Polenta
makes 6-8 servings

For the Lamb:
1 1/2-2 lbs bone-in lamb shoulder chops
1 tablespoon Kosher or sea salt
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Ragù:
3 medium carrots, cut into chunks
3 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1 medium white onion, cut into chunks
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
2 bay leaves
1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes in purée, crushed by hand
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 cups low-sodium beef broth (I like Better than Bouillon)

For the Polenta:*
8 cups water
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
2 cups cornmeal or polenta
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

For Serving:
chopped fresh parsley
Parmesan cheese

Use a paper towel to blot lamb dry. Lay chops in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with half the salt and briefly massage. Flip chops and sprinkle with the rest of the salt. Allow to sit for 15-30 minutes. Rinse chops in cold water and blot dry with paper towels.

Heat olive oil in a large non-reactive pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear lamb on all sides. Set aside on a plate and tent with foil. Turn heat down to medium.

Place carrots, celery, onion, and minced garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse or process until all vegetables are in pieces smaller than 1/2 inch, but not puréed. Add vegetables to the pot and let cook, stirring frequently, until starting to caramelize–about 20 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and continue cooking 3-5 minutes, until it begins to darken.

Return lamb and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add thyme, red pepper flake, and bay leaves. Stir in tomatoes and purée, balsamic vinegar, and beef broth. Bring to a boil before reducing the heat to low. Cover pot and allow to simmer one hour, stirring occasionally.

Remove lamb from pot. Allow to cool a few minutes before shredding with two forks or clean hands. Discard bones.

Remove bay leaves from the pot. Stir in shredded lamb. Turn heat up to medium-low and allow ragù to cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Make polenta. Bring water to a boil. Add salt. Whisking constantly, add cornmeal or polenta in a thin stream. Continue whisking for 2-3 minutes, until thick. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and cheese. Divide polenta into bowls. Top with ragù. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or more cheese, if desired.

Note: Cut polenta recipe in half for four servings. To make polenta for one, use 1 cup of water, a pinch of salt, 1/4 cup polenta (or cornmeal), 1/2 tablespoon butter, and 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan. The times and method are the same as written in the recipe.