Baked Carrots and Parsnips from the Nickerson Christmas menu

Make the sauce:
3/4 c chicken stock or dry white wine
2 tsp corn starch in 1 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp sage
pepper

Prepare the vegetables:
Cut carrots and parsnips into fingers
Par boil

Prepare the bread crumb mixture:
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp parsley

Bake:
Arrange vegetables in a shallow baking dish
spoon sauce over veg
bake covered 350 for 45 minutes
sprinkle bread crumbs mix on top and bake uncovered 10 minutes longer

Kale Salad with Pecorino and Walnuts

1/2 cup (105 grams or 3 3/4 ounces) walnut halves or pieces
1/4 cup (45 grams or 1 1/2 ounces) golden raisins
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup panko (15 grams or 1/2 ounce) or slightly coarse homemade breadcrumbs (from a thin slice of hearty bread)
1 tiny clove garlic, minced or pressed
Coarse or kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch (about 14 ounces or 400 grams) tuscan kale (also known as black or lacinato kale; this is the thinner, flatter leaf variety), washed and patted dry
2 ounces (55 grams) pecorino cheese, grated or ground in a food processor, which makes it delightfully rubbly (1/2 cup total)
Juice of half a lemon
Freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes, to taste
Prepare walnuts: Heat oven to 350. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, tossing once. Let cool and coarsely chop.
Prepare raisins: In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer white wine vinegar, water and raisins for 5 minutes, until plump and soft. Set aside in liquid.
Prepare crumbs: Toast bread crumbs, garlic and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a skillet together with a pinch of salt until golden. Set aside.
Prepare kale: Trim heavy stems off kale and remove ribs. I always find removing the ribs annoying with a knife, because the leaves want to roll in on the knife and make it hard to get a clean cut. Instead, I’ve taken to tearing the ribs off with my fingers, which is much easier for me. Stack sections of leaves and roll them into a tube, then cut them into very thin ribbons crosswise.
Assemble salad: Put kale in a large bowl. Add pecorino, walnuts and raisins (leaving any leftover vinegar mixture in dish), remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice and toss until all the kale ribbons are coated. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and some of the reserved vinegar mixture from the raisins, if needed. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving, if you can, as it helps the ingredients come together. Just before serving, toss with breadcrumbs and, if needed, a final 1 teaspoon drizzle of olive oil.

Banana (Plantain) Soup

After we enjoyed this soup in Curacao, Paul made this from a recipe by HELMI SMEULDERS

INGREDIENTS

• 50g butter
• 4 very ripe (black) plantains, peeled and roughly chopped
• 100g leeks, roughly chopped
• 150g carrots, roughly chopped
• 75g red onion, roughly chopped
• 1250ml water
• 25g powdered chicken stock
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 bay leave
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 small Scotch Bonnet Chili, whole, pierced onto a bamboo skewer
• 200ml heavy whipping cream
• 200ml coconut milk
• 200ml orange juice
• ground black pepper & salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium heat and add the plantain, leek, carrot, onion and celery. Cover with a lid and let the vegetables sweat for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
2. Add the water, chicken stock, celery, rosemary, thyme, bay leave, spices, sugar and chili. Stir well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 1 hour.
3. Take the soup of the heat and remove the rosemary, thyme, bay leave and chili. Let stand until cool enough to handle and puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Add the cream, coconut milk and orange juice and stir to combine. Put back on the heat and season to taste with pepper and salt. Divide the soup over 4 bowls and garnish with a fried plantain chip and some chopped parsley.