Recipes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 medium red onion, chopped small
2 cups red grapes, halved
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, chopped fine (optional)
1 tablespoon black pepper, freshly cracked
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons currant vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups purple and Tuscan kale, chopped small
2 cups farro, cooked
Salt
Gogonzola cheese (sweet)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400° F. In a large bowl toss together the onions, grapes, chicken, thyme, black pepper, honey, currant vinegar, honey and season with salt. Lay out on a unlined baking sheet and cook for about 10 minutes or until the items are slightly browned and roasted. Immediately after the grape mixture has come out of the oven, place it over the kale in a large bowl and toss well allowing the kale to par cook or wilt. Add the cooked farro (which should still be warm) and toss together until well mixed. Season with salt and garnish with a few gorgonzola crumbles!

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

½ cup honey
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine
2 Asian pears, medium size, sliced ¼ inch thick and cut in half (half moon shapes)
4 ounces sweet blue cheese or gorgonzola, crumbled
Maldon sea salt

DIRECTIONS

In a small sauce pan, heat honey and rosemary leaves on simmer for about 5 minutes until warm and honey has been infused with rosemary. Arrange the pear slices on a serving tray and top each with a small amount of blue cheese and drizzle with warm honey-rosemary syrup. Serve.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

3 cups water
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Tops of 2 bunches of beets, chopped, stems included
1 cup Arborio rice
¼ cup fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 cup red wine
¼ cup gorgonzola cheese, buttermilk blue, crumbled
Walnuts, toasted, for garnic

PREPARATION

In a medium sized saucepot heat water until warm and keep simmering while making risotto. In a separate saucepot, sauté garlic in butter and olive oil over medium heat until fragrant, 1 minute. Add beets stems and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and thyme leaves, cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly until wine is absorbed, add 1 cup of water, continue cooking and adding water, add another ½ cup liquid every 7 minutes or so until rice is cooked through and tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and add gorgonzola cheese and mix. Garnish with walnuts and serve immediately.

Serves 5

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
Olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Tops of 2 bunches of beets, chopped, stems included
1 cup Arborio rice
¼ cup fresh thyme leaves
1 cup red wine
3 cups water
Gorgonzola cheese, buttermilk blue
Walnuts, for garnish

PREPARATION

In a heavy bottom saucepan, sauté garlic in butter and olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add beets stems and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring constantly until wine is absorbed,  add 1 cup of water, continue cooking and adding water, about ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each cup of water  be absorbed before adding the next one, until the rice is tender or al dente and creamy-looking.  Remove from heat and add gorgonzola cheese and mix.  Serve with walnuts for garnish.