Tom's Holiday Cashew Bake
 From Vegetarian Times

                                                                                                                  Yum Veggie Burger

Ingredients 

• 2 medium-sized eggplants, sliced
• 6 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 2 cups raw cashew pieces, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.)
• 3 large tomatoes
• 6 slices rye bread, toasted and crushed into crumbs
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tsp. brewer’s yeast
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to broil. Brush eggplant slices with 2 Tbs. oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place on baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and broil 5 to 7 minutes. Turn eggplant slices, and broil 5 minutes more, or until slices are tender and light brown. Set aside, and reduce oven to 350F. 
2. Cook rice according to package directions, and set aside. Meanwhile, heat remaining 4 Tbs. oil in large skillet over medium heat. Sauté cashews, onion and garlic in oil 5 to 7 minutes, or until onion is softened and browned. Chop one tomato, and add to skillet; cook 3 minutes more.
3. Transfer cashew mixture to large bowl. Stir in cooked rice, breadcrumbs, broth, brewer’s yeast, basil, thyme and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Coat 9x13-inch oval baking dish with cooking spray. Line bottom of dish with half of broiled eggplant slices. Spoon in cashew mixture. Top with remaining eggplant slices. Slice remaining 2 tomatoes, and layer down center of casserole to form a broad, bright red stripe.
5. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until top is browned and filling is hot. Serve immediately. 

Tom Paquin is a sailing captain and hiking enthusiast who works at a law firm in Washington, DC. He's conquered the Appalachian trail, traveled through South America, and is the proud father of the DC Vegetarian Cooking Group's newest little member.

Heather's Roasted Vegetable Couscous
with Chickpeas and Onion-Pine Nut Topping
Adapted from Cooking Light

                                                                                                   Randy Mayor

Ingredients

• Couscous:
• 5  cups  diced peeled sweet potato or yams (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2  cups  (1/2-inch) diced peeled parsnips (about 10 ounces)
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 2  teaspoon Ras el Hanout* (see below) 
• 3  carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces (about 9 ounces)
• 1  teaspoon  kosher salt, divided
• 1 1/4  cups  organic vegetable broth (can cut with water)
• 1  cup  uncooked couscous
• 1  (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• Topping:
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1  yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, separated into rings
• 1/3  cup  walnuts or pine nuts
• 1/3  cup  raisins (regular or golden)
• 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1  tablespoon  honey

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. To prepare couscous, combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place potato mixture on a baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork; gently stir in chickpeas. Keep warm.

4. To prepare topping, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 12 minutes or until tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add pine nuts and raisins; cook 2 minutes. Stir in cinnamon; cook 30 seconds. Stir in honey, and remove from heat.

5. Mound couscous in the middle of a serving platter. Place the roasted vegetables around base of couscous. Arrange 5 carrots vertically around couscous; spoon topping over top of couscous.

*Ras el Hanout (Note: this makes a much larger batch than the recipe calls for, so you'll have leftovers)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2  teaspoons  kosher salt
• 2  teaspoons  ground cumin
• 2  teaspoons  ground ginger
• 2  teaspoons  freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  ground cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon  ground coriander
• 1  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  teaspoon  ground allspice
• 1  teaspoon  saffron threads, crushed
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cloves
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground nutmeg 

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Heather Somerville is a freelance journalist in Washington, DC.  Her culinary side includes specialties in Mediterranean cuisine and homemade eggnog. 

Katrien's Vegetable Quiche
 Original Recipe

                                                                                                     Jack Zahora

Ingredients
1/2 package puff pastry sheets
1 bunch fresh spinach leaves
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 to 3 eggs (more can be used if you have a deep pie pan)
8 oz heavy whipping cream
3 to 4 ounces of feta cheese crumbles
3 oz grated Parmesan (asiago or fontina work just as well)
Couple tablespoons of olive oil for sautee
salt, pepper, and paprika powder to taste

Directions
    1) About 40 minutes before pie conception, lay out your puff pastry sheet to thaw.

    2) Preheat your oven to 400 F.

    3) Shape the thawed puff pastry into a slightly greased, 9 inch cake pan. If any cracks would appear in the pastry, dab some water onto them to close them.

    4) Thoroughly rinse the spinach; chop onion and garlic.

    5) Heat olive oil with pepper and paprika powder in a large wok pan. Fry the onion and pressed garlic until golden brown. Then add the spinach and cook for a few minutes until wilted.

    6) Mix eggs with the whipping cream, salt and more pepper, and the grated parmesan or cheese of your choice.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Using two eggs for a nine-inch pie pan will give the pie a cheesier consistency. It will also need a little more time to bake for the egg mixture to thicken in the oven. Three eggs will give the pie a more souffle-like texture. The more eggs you use, the easier it will be for the egg mixture to firm up. Also, while your pie will appear more fluffy, more eggs will make for a heavier dish.

    7) Drain any excess water from the wilted spinach-and-onion mixture and spread it out in the cake pan.

    8) Pour the egg mixture over the spinach.

    9) Sprinkle feta cheese crumbles on top.

    10) Bake for 20 minutes. Test mixture with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the pie is done. However this will change depending on how many eggs you've put in. It may take up to 45 minutes total baking time.


EDITOR'S NOTE: Consider protecting the crust with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes of baking, to avoid burning of the crust while the egg mixture firms.


 

Katrien is an Arabic teacher and studies pre-Islamic brigand poetry. She's also an expert of the DC happy hour.

Rhea's Hot Buttered Rum
Adapted from Food Network
 

                                                                                                  Jason McCool

  

Ingredients
1 stick salted butter, softened
1- 1 1/2 cups honey or maple syrup, or combination of the two
1 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice seasoning
or 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, 1/4 tsp. ground ginger, and a pinch of nutmeg
1 bottle dark rum
Hot water

Directions
    1) Cream together butter, honey and/or maple syrup, and spices. Refrigerate until firm.

    2) To serve, add 2 Tbs. of the butter mixture to 12 small mugs or heat-resistant glasses

    3) Add 1-2 shots rum

    4) Add 3/4 cup hot water, or enough to fill the mug or glass

    5) Stir until butter and sweetener dissolve.

Rhea Kennedy is the chef behind You are Delicious: Musings, tips and recipes for sustainable eating and a tastier you. You can find more tricks and recipes on her blog.

Jessie's Clementine and Chocolate Tart 

with a Macadamia Nut Crust 
From 'In the Sweet Kitchen' by Regan Daley

                                                                                     Jason McCool

Ingredients

Rich Nut Tart Pastry:

3/4 cup nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamias all work well - if you use macadamias or almonds, use raw ones and then toast them)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk, cold

Roasted Clementines:

10 medium-sized clementine oranges, washed and dried but not peeled

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1-2 tablespoons grand marnier (or other orange liquor) - optional but very recommended!

3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed

Chocolate Ganache:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup heavy cream

Directions

Make the Crust:

    1) combine the nuts and the sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Use quick pulses to whir the mixture until the nuts are finely ground. Don't overprocess, or the nuts will release their oils and you will end up with a lovely but un-usable nut butter! Add the flour and pulse once or twice just to blend. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse for 10-20 seconds or until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of fat peas. Add the egg yolk and pulse for 5-7 seconds until the mixture just begins to come together. Turn the crumbly dough out into a clean bowl and use your fingertips to knead it lightly, rubbing the ingredients together until the dough is uniformly moist. It should be moist, sticky and crumbly, with no dry floury patches or streaks of egg yolk. But don't overwork the dough, and be sure to use just your fingertips - there is enough heat in your hands to melt the butter, preventing it from remaining in little pockets and adding tenderness and flakiness to the baked crust.

    2) Press the crumble into a 10- to -11 inch tart tin with a removable bottom. Make sure the dough is evenly pressed and that there are no bare patches. Cover the shell with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours or overnight (The shell can be frozen at this point, well-wrapped, for up to one month).

    3) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork and line the bottom with a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper slightly bigger than the shell itself. Fill the liner with pie weights or dried beans reserved for this purpose and place the shell on a baking sheet. Set the sheet in the center of the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until the edges of the pastry are dry and just beginning to color. Remove the liner and weights and return the shell to the oven for another 7-13 minutes or until the floor of the pastry is dry and tinged with gold. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

Make the Tart:

(EDITORS NOTE: Make After finishing the crust!)

    1) preheat the oven to 325 degrees. With a sharp knife, slice the clementines crosswise into very thin rounds, discarding the stem and flower ends. Lay the slices overlapping in the bottom of a 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Pour the orange juice and grand marnier, if using, over the clementines, and sprinkle them with 3 tablespoons brown sugar. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and roast in the oven for 60-70 minutes or until the peels are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.

    2) Increase the temperature to 375 degrees. Uncover the dish and sprinkle the clementines with the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes or until the liquid has become syrupy and the oranges have begun to caramelize. Lightly cover the baking dish and allow the clementines to cool to room temperature. (They may be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored, well-covered, at room temperature until needed).

    3) To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium-sized bowl. Bring the cream just to the simmer over medium-high heat, watching closely to see that it does not boil. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until thoroughly combined. Allow the ganache to cool until it has the consistency of a soft icing, then spread it evenly over the bottom of the tart shell. (The ganache may be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator. When ready to use, allow it to come to room temperature, then warm it very gently in a bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water until it reaches a soft consistency.)

    4) Once the tart shell has been lined with the ganache, lay the clementine slices over the chocolate in an overlapping circular pattern. I find a pair of kitchen tongs extremely useful for this, but if you have none, your fingers or a fork will work fine. Scrape the syrup from the bottom of the baking dish with a rubber spatula and spoon this liquid over the clementines. The finished tart may be assembled up to 1 day before serving and stored, lightly covered, at room temperature.

                                       Jason McCool

Jessie Rothwell is a composer, musician, writer and massage therapist from Washington, DC. She's also the DVCG's resident wine enthusiast, and "loves gin the way a Zamboni love ice shavings."

Holiday Dinner Party

Click on any of the photos above to get a full sized still image. And thanks to Jason McCool for snapping the majority of the shots.

As you can see the 2010 DVCG Holiday was a blast! Special thanks to Chris Strohm & Erin Malloy for hosting.

The highlights of the evening were definitely the buttered rum, cashew bake, cheese souffle, and the mushroom tartlets. 

You'll see some of these recipes and more in the coming days!

Chris' "Crab" Cakes
From allrecipes.com

                                                                    Hezzy Tant Cook

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg, and butter or margarine. Stir in seasoned crumbs, minced onion, and seasoning. Mix well.
2. Shape mixture into patties. Dredge in flour.
3. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides.

Chris Cole is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and a consultant in Washington, DC.