ROASTED VEGETABLE PASTA WITH SAUTEED KALE AND WALNUT PESTO

Christmas Eve dinner sort of popped up out of nowhere this year. We usually have a little more of a to-do, but by the time the 26th rolled around my mom and I could build a bridge we were so over it. So what's an easy, relatively "make ahead" dish that could feed everyone and leave left overs for days? A massive "kitchen sink" style pasta.

I say "kitchen sink" because I put the entire contents of the fridge in this pasta. Chopped butternut squash? Sure! Leeks? Why not? Kale? OK! It's kind of ridiculous. But the lovely thing about this pasta is that it all works together. Winter vegetables are just meant to be roasted and combined: fennel caramelizes like candy, and we all know about butternut squash. Kale adds a bit of crisp texture and sunchokes bring some earthiness to the party. In the spring asparagus and pea tendrils could make an appearance and in the summer fresh corn and artichoke hearts with a basil pesto would be delicious. The idea is to just put them all together, and let them do their thing.

You also might have noticed that the pesto isn't...pesto-y. It's not even green! This is because it's about the walnuts. Combined with the garlic, nutmeg, and milk, this sauce takes on an alfredo quality but without the heft. It's just really awesome. Enjoy!

Note: This is the PERFECT dish for vegetable leftovers because the walnut pesto goes with practically everything. So add and combine away!







Walnut Pesto
yields 1 1/2 cups pesto, or more if thinned out
1 1/2 raw walnuts
3/4 cups cubed bread
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
1/2 cup milk, or however much you need to cover the bread
1/4 cup Parmiggiano, freshly grated

Soak the bread in enough milk to cover the cubes, and soak the walnuts in enough hot water to cover them for 15 minutes. The bread should be soft and the walnuts should have turned the water a brownish hue. In a food processor, add the walnuts, drained with the liquid reserved, the bread and milk, and the other ingredients. Pulse to combine. Add a 1/4 cup of the walnut water and pulse until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If you want a thinner, sauce-ier pesto, add more of the walnut liquid.

For the Pasta

For 4
2 cups butternut squash, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups sunchoke (aka Jerusalem Artichokes), chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 bunch kale, vein removed and roughly chopped
1 leek, cleaned and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of chili flake
1 tablespoon lemon juice
olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 lb pasta, such as penne
3/4 cup walnut pesto, more if you like more
Toasted breadcrumbs, optional

Preheat oven to 425 F

On a baking sheet, drizzle the butternut squash, sunchoke, and fennel with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the fennel for about 15 minutes, or until the edges turn brown, and remove from oven. Continue to roast the sunchoke and butternut squash for another 20 minutes, flipping once. You want them to be really caramelized so if they need to get a little browner, leave them in for another 5 minutes.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and then the leeks. Season the leeks with salt and pepper, and after 5 minutes add the garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes until wilted and browning and add the kale. Stir in the kale so that it's coated, add more olive oil if necessary. Add the chili flake and lemon juice and cook until the kale is just wilted.

Meanwhile, heat up a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta. In a small saucepan heat up the walnut pesto over medium low heat.

Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the sauté pan with the kale, add the roasted vegetables, and add the walnut pesto. Stir to combine and coat. Garnish with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!

A LITTLE CHOCOLATE LOVE

Raspberry Pink Peppercorn truffles are probably my favorite thing at Compartes, the lovely store of my friend and amazing chocolatier, Jonathan Grahm. After shooting my sister's lookbook video, Jonathan came over and we had some fun with the the slow motion camera and his chocolates. The result? This little 20 second video showing off Jonathan's gorgeous truffles and their new look in the new year. Enjoy!

HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS TREATS

I have been knee deep in cocoa powder and vanilla beans this week, and have a few burns on my hands to prove it. It's homemade gift time, and all hands are on deck as my family comes together to make some of their favorite holiday treats. A few of these recipes might look a little familiar, because they are, but I thought why not include them so all of my seasonal favorites can live in one place?

We have, Chocolate Coated Coffee Crackle Crunch (try saying that 10 times fast!), Hot Cocoa Mix, Vanilla Sugar, and my favorite, Tina's English toffee. Enjoy!

Chocolate Coated Coffee Crackle Crunch









Inspired by the crackle cake from old school LA spot Blum's, which my aunt Tina resurrected as the best birthday cake ever this year, I covered my crackle in chocolate to make for the perfect holiday gift. Homemade violet crumble, anyone?

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil, for baking sheet
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (or coffee plus a little instant espresso)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons baking soda, sifted

1 lb milk chocolate chips
1 lb semi sweet chocolate chips
Gold powder, for cake decorating (optional)

Directions:

Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with oil; set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, coffee, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat to just below the hard-crack stage (310 degrees on a candy thermometer).

Remove from heat for 10 seconds. Sprinkle the baking soda evenly over sugar syrup. Whisk just until combined. Pour immediately onto the prepared baking sheet. Let stand until cool, about 45 minutes.

When ready to use, cut the pieces into large chunks (pieces will shatter off and crack) with a large knife.

To coat in chocolate, melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler over medium heat (or just place a glass of metal bowl over a pot of boiling water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl). Cover two baking sheets with wax paper. Take the chocolate off the heat and using two spoons (or your fingers) coat each piece of crackle in the chocolate and place on the wax paper.

Once the chocolate has dried (wait at least 2 hours) sprinkle with gold powder store in sealed plastic bags (like a ziploc).

Enjoy!

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix




A little spicy and super chocolatey, this hot cocoa takes under 30 seconds to make, but can be enjoyed through the holidays and beyond. Plus it's WAY better than swiss miss.

Ingredients:
For 4-5 cups
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate, either small chips or finely chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vanilla sugar (I bought the crystalized kind because it creates a lovely sparkle, but you and always do white sugar plus a scraped vanilla bean.)
1 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Whisk the ingredients together. To make an 8 oz cup (which is honestly enough for 2-3 people), mix 3 tablespoons of the mix with a dash of milk to form a paste. Gently heat the paste over medium-low heat until the chocolate bits start to melt. Add an additional cup of milk and stir until hot and steaming. Pour into cups and top off with a dash of heavy cream. Enjoy!

Homemade Vanilla Sugar




Add it to your coffee, tea, or on top of cookies when they bake; this pantry staple makes any recipe a little more luxxe.

Ingredients:
For 2 cups
1 vanilla bean
2 cups of sugar

Split the vanilla bean with a paring knife and using the blunt side of the knife scrape all of the seeds in the bean out. Place the seeds in a bowl with the sugar. Slice each bean in half crosswise and pop each half in a jar. Using your hands or a food processor, blend the vanilla seeds and sugar. Fill the jars with the sugar mixture, pouring over the empty bean. The bean will continue to infuse the sugar for weeks. The sugar is best two weeks after preparing. Enjoy!

Tina's English Toffee









For me, this toffee is the epitome of the Christmas Season (we start badgering Tina to cook it the day after Thanksgiving), and something I look forward to nibbling on every year. Nothing is more depressing than reaching for my family's toffee tin and finding it empty, like a dead Christmas tree in the gutter. So please cook up this toffee until your kitchen is heavy with the scent of butter, sugar, and the holiday spirit.

Ingredients:

1 pound unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing the pans)
2 cups white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups dark chocolate, chopped
2 cups milk chocolate, chopped
2 cups finely chopped toasted almonds

Directions:

Melt the butter, sugar, water and salt over a low flame, stirring with a wooden spoon. When the mixture starts to boil, turn the heat up to medium. Meanwhile, grease two cooking pans with butter. After 15-20 minutes, the mixture has reached 305 F. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla, stirring to incorporate. Be careful not to burn yourself or the mixture, but if you do, and I have, run your hand under room temperature water (never cold or hot water) to subside the pain. Immediately take the hot toffee and pour into two greased cooking pans and smooth until evenly coated and about 1/8 or 1/4 inch thick. Put the pans into the fridge to let the toffee cool (this will take several hours, or leave the toffee in over night, uncovered).

Once the toffee has cooled, remove it from the refrigerator and carefully loosen the pieces (you can do this by hand or with a knife). If it cracks, it's not a big deal.

Melt the two types of chocolate over a double boiler, stirring to combine. Once the chocolate has melted, use a spatula to coat one side of the toffee, and then immediately sprinkle heavily with the chopped toasted almonds. This must be done immediately because the cold toffee can cause the chocolate to harden before the almonds can stick. Put the toffee back in the fridge to cool the chocolate. Once it has hardened (it takes about an hour), flip and coat the other side with the chocolate and almonds. You will probably have chocolate and almonds left over, which you can use for more toffee. Let the toffee cool in the fridge until hardened again. When it's ready, take the toffee out, and using your hands crack it into irregular pieces. Bag them or stick them in a tin for your own enjoyment.