SMOKED TURKEY AND WILD RICE SALAD

When I started this project, I decided not to include any recipe that I hadn't cooked myself. I wanted to be sure that I could convey a clear understanding of the recipe and assure a successful outcome. However, when I came to this recipe in my book, I had to break the rule.

I enjoyed this great cold salad at a picnic of Larsen employeees while I was working for that company in New York. In order to keep morale high, we decided to have a company picnic and Karen, my VP Operations, brought this wonderful dish. It's light yet filling and has great taste. Maybe I should make it myself!

SMOKED TURKEY AND WILD RICE SALAD

serves 6-8

For the salad

1 1/2 C uncooked wild rice, rinsed

1/2 lb smoked turkey, cut into 1/4" cubes

1/2 lb snow peas, blanched (or use frozen ones, cooked until just thawed)

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 C fresh chopped Italian parsley

1. Cook the rice, omitting salt and fat, just until tender. Drain well and cool (can be refrigerated for 2-3 days). Add other ingredients (can be added and kept 1/2 to 1 day) and toss with orange vinaigrette.

For the vinaigrette

1. Whisk together

2 T red wine vinegar

1 T Dijon mustard

1 1/2 t orange zest

1/2 t salt, or to taste

2. Whisk together:

1/4 to 1/2 T chicken boullion

1/4 to 1/3 C water

1 T walnut oil

1/4 t pepper

3. Add oil mix to vinegar mix in slow, steady stream, beating continually until well blended and thickened. Toss with salad ingredients.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH STAR ANISE AND GINGER SHRIMP

Okay. Here's a soup that's a challenge. But so rewarding. It's always difficult for me to find original and interesting recipes for my vegetarian friends. Oh, there is always  fish - salmon and tuna - and we're lucky to have such wonderful crab meat here in Maryland. But when you grow tired of these ingredients and want something a little more special, here's a recipe that combines a soup course with a fish course. And with my usual chewy bread and a green salad, can be a whole meal.

Before this soup, I had never used star anise (a dried spice) as a flavoring agent and was pleased to find that it provides a wonderful and unusual flavor. The recipe suggests layering the shrimp into the soup but you can also drape it over the side of the bowl, like shrimp cocktail. That way, your guests can dunk the shrimp into the soup or eat it plain, as they prefer. Serve this with a dry white wine and a fruity dessert and you'll have a complete, and very satisfying, vegetarian meal.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH STAR ANISE

AND GINGER SHRIMP

serves 8

24 large shrimp in shell, peeled and deveined but leaving tail and first segment of shell intact
1 T finely grated, peeled fresh ginger (peel away the hard outer shell first with a vegetable peeler)
2/3 C chopped shallots
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
3 whole star anise
2 T unsalted butter
1 3/4 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2" cubes (about 5 cups)
4 C chicken stock (where would we be without that?)
2 C water
1/4 t salt
1 T vegetable oil

1. Toss shrimp with ginger ina bowl and marinate chilled, 30 minutes (but no longer, or the ginger will "cook" the shrimp).

2. Cook shallot, garlic, and anise in butter in a 3 quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot is softened, about 5 minutes. Add squash, stock and water, and simmer, uncovered, until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove star anise.

3. Puree soup in batches in a blender or food processor until very smooth, about 1 minute per batch, then transfer toa cleaned pan and keep warm, covered.

4. Sprinkle marinated shrimp with salt. Heat vegetable oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until  hot but not smoking, then saute shrimp in 2 batches, stirring, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels.

5. Bring soup to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. Divide among 8 shallow bowls and mound 3 shrimp in each bowl (or, if you're serving strick vegans, drape the shrimp over the sides of the bowl).

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

I was going to post a fancy soup recipe for today but I made these cookies yesterday that were so good I had to share them here instead. I also shared them with the staff of my buildiing and then took the rest to hosts who asked me for dinner. It's what might be called "portion control." If I'd had them around, I would have eaten them all - hopefully over several days. In this instance, I did have one, just to see if they were okay. And OKAY they were. Easy and delicious, and from Ina Garten, my favorite chef. She always adds coffee in one form or another to her chocolate, claiming - and it's true - that the flavor of coffee isn't detectable but only makes the chocolate more chocolate-y.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

makes about 25 cookies

6 T unsalted butter

12-oz semisweet chocolate chips, divided

2-oz unsweetened chocolate

2 extra-large eggs

1 T instant espresso powder

2 t pure vanilla extract (always use the pure, not the artificial, which is mostly chemicals)

3/4 C sugar

1/3 C flour plus 1 T

1 t baking powder

1/4 t kosher salt

1 C whole walnut halves (not choppedd)

1 C whole pecan halves (not chopped)

2/3 C peanut butter chips (you can find them in your grocery store with the chocolate chips)

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Line a couple of sheet pans with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl set over simmering water, melt the butter, 6 ouncss of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate, stirrning occasionally until just melted. This will go faster if you chop the butter and the unsweetened chocolate into smaller pieces. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Blagh! When melted and smooth, remove from the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. (Time this; it's important.)

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, espresso powder and vanilla on medium low speed until combined. Add the sugar, raise the speed to medium-high, and beat for 2 minutes, until the batter is thick and falls back on itself in a ribbon. Set aside.

4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg mixture. Combine the 1/3 cup of flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and fold it into the chocolate mixtrue with a ruber spatula. In another bowl, combine the walnuts, pecans, peanut butter chips, the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips and the tablespoon of flour (the addition of the flour keeps the other heavy ingredients from sinking to the bottom of the batter) and fold it into the chocolate mixture.

5. With two soup spoons, or a small ice cream scoop, drop rounded mounds of batter 1 inch apart onto the prepared sheet pans. Bake for exactly 15 minutes and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets.

Note: if you make a lot of cookies, the addition of a small-sized ice cream scoop to your kitchen equipment is well worth the small investment. I use mine all the time. And it's so less messy than two soup spoons.

RED PEPPER SOUP

When you're looking for an unusual soup, this one's a winner. It's a lovely color and  has an unusual flavor, provided in part, by that wonderful combination of herbs that smell and taste like the south of France: herbs de Provence. Don't worry if you've never roasted peppers before; it's easy. Just be sure to leave them under the heat long enough so that you think you've burned them - they should be black - and cover the bowl you put them in while cooling so that they can steam. This is sweet red BELL peppers, not the hot JALAPENO kind. Of course you can buy this already canned at Costco but it's definitely not the same. The fresh tarragon is essential.

RED PEPPER SOUP

serves 6-8

6 large red bell peppers

2 onions,chopped

1/2 stick unsalted butter

8 C chicken stock or low salt broth

1/2 ro 1 t dried herbs de Provence

1 to 2 t finely chopped fresh tarragon

dash of cayenne

1. Preheat the broiler to high.

2. Quarter peppers lengthwise, discard stems, seeds, and ribs. Put skins side up on a rack of the broiler pan and broil about 2 inches from the heat until the skins are blistered and charred, 8-12 minutes. Transfer peppers to a bowl and let stand covered with plastic wrap until cool enough to handle. Peel char away from peppers and slice thinly.

3. Cook onions in butter in a 5-6 quart heavy pot over moderately low heat covered, stirring occasionally, unitl soft. Stir in peppers, stock and herbes de Provence and simmer, uncovered, 20  minutes.

4. Puree soup in a blender or food processor in batches, being careful when blending hot liquids. For a smoother texture, force through a fine sieve. The soup can be held at this point and reheated. Return soup to pot and season with salt, tarragon and cayenne. Reheat gently.

DAVID'S ARTICHOKES

I first enjoyed this unusual first course many years ago at the house of some friends in Key West. It was brought by a man I didn't know and served as an hor d'oeuvre out on the patio, with cocktails. It was so good that I aksed to be introduced to the cook and later begged him for the recipe. You can bring a couple of these to your living room and do as my hosts did, serving them with drinks. Or you can be more formal and use these artichokes as a first course at the table.

I've altered David's recipe a little in order to provide simple directions for cooking artichokes in general, either stuffed or plain. In addition to the baby shrimp David used, you could substitute minced sweet Italian sausage, or clams. Or use your imagination, and claim the outcome as your own.

DAVID'S ARTICHOKES

serves 4 as a first course

For the stuffing

2 C fine fresh bread crumbs from a loaf of Italian-style bread (about 4-oz)

1/2 C finely grated parmesan cheese (use a rasp if you have one)

1 1/2 T finely chopped garlic

1/4 C finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 C baby shrimp (the smallest you can find, shelled, de-veinded, cooked and chopped

1 t finely grated lemon zest

1 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

1/4 C olive oil

4 medium artichokes

1 lemon, halved

4 thin slices provolone cheese (optional)

For cooking artichokes

1 1/2 C water

1/2 C dry white wine

1/4 C olive oil

1/2 C finely chopped onion

1 1/2 t finely chopped garlic

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Make the stuffing:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spread bread crumbs in a shallow baking pan and bake in middle of oven until pale golden, about 10 minutesd. Be careful not to burn. Cool crumbs completely, then toss with paremsan, garlic, parsley, shrimp (or sausage), salt and pepper. Drizzle oil over crumbs and toss to coat evenly.

Trim and stuff artichokes

1. Cut off artichoke stems and discard (try to do this evenly so the artichiokes will stand upright without a tilt). Cut off about 1/2" from the top, exposing leaves, then cut 1/2" off all remaining leaf tips with kitchen shears. (The tips are sharp and unpleasant to handle when eating the artichoke.) Rub cut leaves with lemon half.

2. Separate leaves in the center of the artichoke slightly with your thumbs and pull out purple leaves from center and enough yellow leaves to expose fuzzy choke. Scoope out this fuzzy choke with a melon ball cutter, then squeeze some lemon juice into the cavity.

3. Trim remaining artichokes in same manner.

4. Spoon about 2 T stuffing into cavity of each artichoke and, starting with bottom leaves and spreading leaves open as much as possible without breaking, spoon a rounded 1/2 t stuffing inside each leaf. Top each artichoke with a slice of provolone (if using).

Cook artichokes

1. Put water, wine, oil, onion, garlic and salt and pepper in a pot and arrange stuffed artichokes in liquid in one layer.

2. Simmer artichokes, covered, until leaves are tender, about 50 minutes. (Test this by pulling off a lower leaf; if it removes easily, the artichoke is done.)

3. Transfer artichokes with tongs to 4 soup plates and spoon cooking liquiid around them.

Note: you can use canned baby shrimp if you like but don't tell anyone I said this. When buying artichokes, select only those with a full, rounded appearance, with the leaves smooth against each other. Avoid artichokes that look "spindly" or where the leaves have separated at the crown. If that's all you can find, better to serve something else.

COLD ASPARAGUS (OR ZUCCHINI) SOUP

This is an easy soup that can be made with zucchini or asparagus. My friend, Alexander, used to make this at Fire Island, enlarging it to feed 6 to 8 people. The quantities are approximate; don't sweat it. Keeping the basic ingredients in mind, just use your imagination and increase them accordingly.

COLD ASPARAGUS (OR ZUCCHINI) SOUP

serves 4

1 T butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 C beef broth (or chicken, if you want it lighter)

1 lb asparagus (or one large zucchini)

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 C heavy cream

1/2 stalk celery, chopped

1. Cook the onion and celery in butter until soft. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add asparagus, cut into 1" lengths (or zucchini cut into cubes, skin and all) and simmer for 5 minutes. (If using zucchini, simmer longer, until zucchini is tender.) Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Blend in a blender in batchesl if necessary, being careful when blending hot liquids. (Hold a dish towel firmly over the top.)

3. If you like your soup thick, you can leave it at this point. If you want it smoother, strain the soup. Add cream and chill for several hours.



PASTA E FAGIOLI

This is a great soup crammed with healthy vegetables and like most Weight Watchers recipes (of which this is one), really easy to make. Use any old dry pasta you may have lying around. This can make a wholesome meal; sprinkle the soup with parmesan cheese and serve it with a slice of chewy bread, good for dunking, and a green salad. One of my favorite meals. And no one needs to know it came from Weight Watchers.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

serves 4



1 16-oz can Italian-style crushed or whole Italian-style tomatoes, finely chopped

1 19-oz can kidney or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 C frozen mixed vegetables

3 C cold cooked pasta or 3/4 C dry pasta

3 C water

1. Place all ingredients in a medium-size saucepan.

2. If using cooked pasta, simmer for 10 minutes. If using dry pasta, you may need to cook this a little longer. Add enough water during the cooking process to just cover the pasta.

3. Done. Serve.