CutandBaste.com

Ingredients:

• 4 grass-fed beef sausages (or really any other sausage)
• 2 stalks baby leeks, rinsed and chopped into long strands (see image)
• 2-3 cups maitake mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup cornmeal for polenta
• 1 quart chicken stock

Prep:

1. Over low heat in a medium pot, saute garlic in olive oil or butter and cook for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add stock, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil.  Slowly add cornmeal while continually whisking until all has been added.
3. Cook about 35-45 minutes until cornmeal is cooked through (no longer gritty), whisking every 5-10 minutes to avoid lumps forming.
4. Meanwhile, saute sausages in olive oil over high heat until browned and almost cooked through.
5. Remove, add more butter to saute pan and saute mushrooms and leeks until cooked through (~15 minutes).
6. Very important: taste all components for salt & pepper and adjust accordingly.

Sources:

Polenta: Cayuga Pure Organics

Sausage: Arcadian Pastures

(Brooklyn Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket)

This is a hearty fall pasta that is very easy to execute using store bought duck legs confit and tomato sauce, although doing those things from scratch always makes the dish turn out better.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 duck legs confit
• 2-3 cups tomato sauce
• 3-4 cups shaved brussel sprouts
• 1 lb pasta
• shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano to garnish

Prep:

1. Remove and shred meat from the duck legs, leaving some larger pieces (this is easiest when the are warm). Add to sauce, simmer, and adjust seasonings.
2. Saute shaved brussel sprouts in butter and/or olive oil over high heat until browned nicely but still maintain some crunch.
3. Cook pasta until just under al dente.  Add to duck ragu to finish.  Top with brussel sprouts and cheese.

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I was told by our waitress at Mexicana Mama the other night that for their warm Habanero Salsa they simply roast tomatoes, onion, and garlic, blend with canned habanero peppers, and use soy oil to emulsify.  I’ve been looking everywhere in NYC for soy oil and I have yet to come across it, so I ended up using grapeseed oil, which is similar to soy in that it has a neutral flavor and high smoking point.  I also used fresh habaneros instead of canned.

Ingredients:

• 1 small yellow onion
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 3-4 fresh tomatoes or 1 small can of whole peeled tomatoes
• 1-4 habanero peppers, depending on how spicy you want the salsa
• ~1/3 cup soy or grapeseed oil

Prep:

1. Roast onion, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers at 425 for about 20-25 minutes.
2. Blend and add oil slowly.  Taste for salt and pepper.
3. Server warm.

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The rich creaminess of green chili sauce makes it a great compliment to mac & cheese.  We added a good layer of green chili on bottom of the baking pan (about 2 cups) and made mac cheese as usual.