Narrative Food

Sausages

1. Cut the sausages in half, and drop in the boiling liquid. Cook for 10 minutes.
2. Strain the kielbasa, discarding the poaching liquid.
3. In a non-stick frying pan, heat up olive oil. Coat the kielbasa with the honey and pan sear until nice and golden brown.
4. Delish! You can serve this with roasted red potatoes and braised red cabbage.

Braised Cabbage

1. Halve the cabbage and then thinly slice. Thinly slice red onion and apple.
2. In a heavy stock pot, heat up olive oil and toss in the red onion and sauté for a few minutes until softened. Add the apple and cook together for a few more minutes. Add red cabbage, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Cover with a lid and allow it to cook down on medium heat for 20 minutes.

Tart

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Peel and remove the root end from the onions. Place them in a pie dish or small roaster, toss with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Roast until the onions are soft and begin to color but still hold their shape, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
3. Increase oven temp to 400.
4. In a non-stick frying pan, sauté mushrooms in 1 tablespoon olive oil with the minced garlic clove. Set mushrooms aside.
5. In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg with your choice of dairy (milk, ricotta or sour cream).
6. Add all other ingredients (except mushrooms and onions and 1/4 cup of the cheese) into the mixing bowl.
7. Prick bottom of pastry crust with a fork, nestle the onions into the pie base and pour in the filling. Sprinkle mushrooms and the remaining cheese on top.
8. Place the pie tin on a cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
9. This delicious mushroom and onion tart can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s great at brunch with a green salad.

Salad

1. Wash the kale thoroughly in cold water and spin dry in a salad spinner. Remove most of the tough stalk from the kale, massaging the leaves with fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt and olive oil to soften it up a bit.
2. Chop, the kale, and place in a serving bowl with the shaved carrot. Top with pepitas or other nuts along with pickled onions. Dress with tarragon mustard vinaigrette.

For the Steak

1. Salt and pepper the steak and grill for 5-7 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the cut, and your preference as to the rareness of the meat.
2. Be sure not to flip it too much on the grill, as that toughens the meat.
3. When the steak is cooked to your preference, place it on a plate and cover with foil. Allow it to rest for 5-7 minutes so that it retains its juices.
4. Serve with tarragon mustard and salad mix. Red roasted potatoes if you’re in the mood!

For the Salad

1. Add pickled onions and cherry tomatoes. Toss with Tarragon mustard vinaigrette.

For the Potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Quarter the potatoes, coat them in all of the ingredients and spread onto a baking sheet.
3. Bake for 45 minutes until potatoes are golden on the outside and cooked all the way through.
4. You want to be sure to flip the potatoes halfway through cooking.

1. Dredge lamb shanks in flour.
2. Heat oil in a dutch oven or large, wide pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the lamb shanks in the hot oil on all sides until well browned, about 10 minutes. After browning, remove lamb shanks and set aside.
3. Pour the excess grease from the Dutch oven, if necessary, reduce heat to medium, and stir in the onions and garlic. Cook and stir until the onions have softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the carrots, celery, and tomato paste; continue cooking 5 minutes more.
5. Return the lamb shanks to the dutch oven, and pour in the stout beer and beef broth. Add thyme and bay leaf and bring to a simmer over high heat.
6. Once the lamb shanks begin to simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until lamb is very tender and nearly falling off of the bone, 2 to 3 hours. Stir the lamb occasionally as it cooks, and add water if needed to keep the cooking liquid from becoming too thick (I rarely find this necessary.) You want the cooking liquid to have reduced into a nice sauce by the time the lamb shanks are done. Stir in the mushrooms, rosemary sprig, and salt and pepper to taste during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove rosemary, thyme sprigs and bay leaf before serving. Serve shanks and vegetables over rice, cous cous or orzo pasta immediately, passing the remaining sauce.

1. For the sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 375. Wash and chop your sweet potatoes into cubes and toss with olive oil, salt, and whatever herbs you like. Spread on a roasting pan and roast until fork-tender, about 40 minutes.
2. Debone your chicken breast, unless boneless. Using a mallet (rolling pin or small frying pan,) pound the chicken breasts into ¼” thin cutlets. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Create an egg wash by breaking the eggs into a bowl and adding 1/8 cup of water. Beat well with a fork.
4. Dredge the seasoned chicken in the flour, dip the cutlets in the egg wash, and then finally into the breadcrumbs.
5. Melt the butter in a large pan, then add the breaded chicken to the hot pan. Cook until golden brown on each side

1. On a wire rack set over a baking sheet, lay out the bacon in a single layer. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the bacon.
2. Place the bacon in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400 degrees and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Eat bacon with your eggs.

1. Take a slice of your loaf of bread. Cut a hole in the slice of bread. Perhaps in the shape of a Star Trek insignia. Melt butter in skillet.
2. Place the bread into the pan. Break the egg into the hole in the bread. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

1. In a large saucepan or pot, sauté the mushrooms in 1 Tablespoon of butter until softened, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid and reserve.
2. In the same pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onion over medium heat until golden.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Add rice and cook with onions, mushrooms and garlic until translucent.
5. Add wine and cook until absorbed.
6. Stir in 1 cup of broth (It is important that the broth is heated in the microwave especially in the beginning, to keep the cooking process going. Risotto is too tricky to have cold or room temperature broth slow cooking) and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly. When the broth has been absorbed, add another cup and continue adding cups as absorbed, for 18 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
7. When the rice is soft, stir in the cheese and remaining butter. Return mushrooms to the risotto and stir.
8. Salt to taste, and serve immediately topped with any extra cheese as garnish.

1. Combine the diced tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper in a bowl and mix well. Adjust ingredients to taste.
2. Brush the sliced bread with olive oil and toss it on a hot grill. Only grill the bread for 30 seconds per side until the bread is toasted and browned. Alternatively, you can use a dry pan over high heat or even a broiler to toast the bread. No matter what you do, the bread will toast quickly. While some blackening is good, don’t over toast the bread or you might overpower the flavor.
3. Top the toasted bread with the tomato mixture. Add some cheese and serve.

For the baba ghanoush

1. Everything can be adjusted in this recipe to get it to taste exactly the way you want. More garlic, more eggplant, whatever…
2. Heat your oven to broil and place the eggplants (whole) on a baking sheet. Char the outside of the eggplants until they deflate. Turn them frequently with tongs. This will take 10-15 minutes. Place them in a large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel for 30 minutes. Peel off the skin and place the “meat” in a food processor (or finely chop).
3. Add the garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt & pepper either to the food processor (and blend until smooth) or mix into eggplant by hand.
4. Serve with pita triangles.

For the cucumber salad

1. Combine cucumber, tomato, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

For the peppers

1. Wash and dry the peppers, cut off the tops, and cut in half, removing seeds and membranes.
2. Place on a baking sheet and put under the broiler until the skin is blackened and blistered.
3. Place them in a plastic bag and let sit for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the skin (it should slip right off at this point), and cut into the size of strips you desire.
5. Place in a bowl with the minced garlic, a little salt and pepper and enough oil to lightly coat.

1. In a Vitamix or food processor, add the above ingredients and blend until the desired consistency.
2. Pour over pasta and serve with salad. Can also be used as a spread or dip.

For the Meatloaf

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Place on top of a foil-lined cookie sheet sprayed with coconut oil or canola oil.
4. Shape into a two inch high loaf and coat the top with ketchup or smashed tomatoes, to create a savory topping that’s gooey and delicious when done baking.
5. Cook uncovered, for about 30 to 40 minutes.
6. The internal temperature should read 160 degrees when you remove it from the oven.
7. Let the loaf sit for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

For the Potatoes

1. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt & pepper to taste, 1 sprig of rosemary, chopped syrian marjoram, 3 cloves whole garlic
2. Pour it all out onto a baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees, until potatoes are crispy and tender.
3. Serve meatloaf with roast potatoes and a tossed salad.

For the Beans

1. Soak the beans overnight. Put the following ingredients (dry beans, vegetable oil, ham hocks, onion, garlic cloves, tomato, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, water) into a slow cooker on high for 2-3 hours.
2. Or simmer on low heat for an hour or two in a pot. Add 1 teaspoon of coarse salt after the beans are finished (otherwise the salt will affect the way the beans cook)!

For the Blanched Collards

1. In a large pot over high heat, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the collards and cook, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water to cool the collards.
2. Remove the collards from the heat, drain, and plunge them into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking and set the color of the greens. Drain by gently pressing the greens against a colander.
3. In a medium-size sauté pan, combine the olive oil and the garlic and raise the heat to medium. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the collards and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

For the Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Wash your chicken, and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Salt and pepper chicken, adding other seasonings such as rosemary if desired.
4. Roast for 45 minutes. It does not need to be on a rack of any kind! Thermometer, inserted in thickest part of thigh meat – not touching bone – should read 165 degrees or slightly higher. Check this when you take it out after 45-60 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and allow to stand 15 minutes before serving.

For the Honey Carrots

1. While the chicken is cooking, melt butter in a skillet and add the carrots. Cook at medium heat for about 8 minutes. Add the agave, parsley, salt & pepper. Toss to coat. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. A nice brown coating should form on the carrots. Turn off heat and set aside until ready to serve.

1. Shell lima beans, then steam, whole for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Mix together the sherry vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil to create a dressing.
3. In a mixing bowl, toss together the tomatoes, beans, onions, carrots, and basil with the dressing, season with salt and pepper
4. Toss the bean and veggie mixture with the green salad.
5. Prepare the eggs in the style of your liking and serve with the salad. We recommend sunny side up.

1. Start by throwing a few peppers in the oven and get them roasting at high heat.
2. Boil water then add the pasta with a pinch of salt. Cook until al dente.
3. Cut the corn off the cob, while sauteeing the onions and garlic together. Then add your fresh lima beans and continue cook.
4. Once the peppers are roasted de-stem and de-seed (if not already done) and add them into the pan.
5. Add the corn last because it does not need a lot of time to cook.
6. To create a little liquid/ sauce in the pan simply ladle a few ounces of your pasta boiling water into the pan and let it cook in and reduce down.
7. When the sauce is done, drain the pasta and mix it in. Enjoy!

1. In a dry sauté pan with no oil, toast the fennel seeds.
2. Once the seeds have browned, add some olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic and chili flakes together for 2 minutes with the fennel seeds.
3. Add the eggplant and 8 ball squash and continue sautéing.
4. After 3 minutes, add the cherry tomatoes and tomato paste, turn the heat down to a simmer and let it all cook together for about 20 minutes. The tomatoes will break down creating a sauce for the veggies to cook in.
5. Grill the sausages on the BBQ. To make sure the sausages are cooked through, you can boil them for 10 minutes before grilling them.