• 1 3-4 pound beef tenderloin
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Porcini mushroom powder (optional)
• Olive oil

Make sure meat is close to room temperature before roasting.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place meat on a baking sheet. Pour olive oil on beef to coat entire tenderloin. Season with generous amount of salt and pepper, plus porcini powder, if using.

Place beef in oven and roast for 18-20 minutes or until 120 degrees in the center. If no thermometer, touch meat in center top area. Should be easily pressed.

Remove to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minute before slicing.

Note: Porcini powder can be found in some gourmet stores. If not, make your own by placing dried mushrooms in a Cuisinart with a steel blade and process until you have a ground powder.

• Serves 6
• 12 chicken thighs, skinless
• 12 strips bacon
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 preserved lemon, minced
• 6 dashes Tabasco
• 6 cups collards, ribbed and julienned
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• Kosher salt
• 2 cups jasmine rice
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup scallions, sliced

Place chicken thighs in a ziploc bag. Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl and pour into the bag. Place in refrigerator and marinate for at least 2 hours or over night.

Place rice, 4 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt in a pot. Bring to boil, then turn down to lowest heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Set aside with top on to retain heat.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place squash and leeks in a bowl. Toss with oil and season with salt. Put on baking sheet and place in oven and roast until tender.

Remove thighs from bag and drain. Wrap each thigh with a bacon strip and secure with toothpick. Place on baking sheet and cook along with squash. 15-20 minutes or until can easily pierce with fork.

Place both squash and thighs in warming drawer or low set oven when ready.

Heat a skillet or Dutch oven with olive oil and sauté collards until tender. Season with salt to taste.

Assembly:

On large platter, layer the rice, then collards, squash, chicken thighs. Garnish with peanuts and scallions.

• Serves 8 generously
• 1 bunch mustard greens
• 1 bunch collard greens
• 1 bunch turnips
• 1 bunch watercress
• 1 bunch beet tops
• 1 bunch carrot tops
• 1 bunch spinach
• ½ head lettuce
• ½ head cabbage
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, mashed and chopped
• Water (2-3 quarts)
• 1 pound smoked sausage
• 1 pound smoked ham
• 1 pound boneless brisket
• 1 pound hot tasso
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoons thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon filé powder
• Steamed rice

Clean all vegetables, making sure to pick up bad leaves and rinse away all grit. Place all vegetables, onions and garlic in a large pot and cover with water. Boil for 30 minutes.

While this is boiling, cut all sausages and meats into bite-size pieces and set aside. Keep tasso pieces separate.

Strain vegetables after boiling and reserve liquid. Place all meats, except tasso, and 2 cups of reserved liquid (save the rest) in a 12-quart stockpot. Steam over high fire for 15 minutes.

While steaming other meats, place the tasso in a skillet over a high fire and stem until tasso is rendered (all grease cooked out), about 10 minutes. Remove the tasso and set aside, keeping the grease in the skillet.

All vegetables must be pureed. This can be done in a food processor or by hand in a meat grinder.

Heat the skillet of tasso grease over a high fire and stir in the flour. Cook this roux for 5 minutes or until floor is cooked (it does not have to brown). Pour roux over meat mixture; stir well. Add vegetables and the remaining two quarts of reserved liquid. Let simmer over a low fire for 20 minutes. Add tasso, thyme, salt and cayenne; stir well.

Simmer for 40 minutes. Add filé powder, stir will and remove from fire. Serve over steamed rice.

Serves 6-8

• 8 cups arugula, washed
• Roasted pears, recipe follows
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 4-6 oz sharp white cheddar, shaved into thin strips with vegetable peeler

White balsamic vinaigrette, recipe follows

• Roasted pears:
• 4 firm Bartlett Pears, cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place baking sheet in oven to heat. Combine butter and honey in bowl. Add pears and toss to coat.

Put pieces on heated pan, making sure each slice is flat on surface. Place in oven and roast for 10 minutes until browned. Flip slices and roast another 5- 10 until golden brown. Remove and let cool.

• Vinaigrette :
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine vinegar, honey and salt. Whisk in oil until combined.

To assemble:

Place arugula in a bowl. Toss greens with vinagrette. Place greens on plates. Top with roasted pears, then cheese slices and pecan pieces.

• Serves 4
• Pico de Gallo:
• 3 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed & small diced
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 clove minced farlic
• ½ jalapeño, seeds removed and minced
• ½ lime, juiced
• Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients. This part is best if assembled a few hours before serving.

• Avocado Mash:
• 2 ripe avocados
• ½ lime, juiced
• Salt to taste

Mash with a fork until creamy yet still chunky.

• Other ingredients:
• 8 eggs, soft poached
• 2 cups cooked Bhutanese red rice (follow package instructions)
• 1 head romaine, chopped
• 1 bunch of cilantro, leaves picked
• 1 cup pickled jalapeños (store bought or home made)
• 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
• Olive oil

To Assemble:  

Toss the pico de gallo with a small handful of romaine per person (this is not a salad so no need to offer a ton of lettuce).  This mixture goes on the bottom of the bowl, making sure each bowl gets enough pico de gallo.  On top of that, your warm red rice, then your perfectly poached eggs.  This is garnished with a heaping spoonful of avocado spread, a sprinkle of crumbled cotija cheese, a few pickled jalapeno and some fresh leaves of cilantro.

• Serves 8
• 6 chicken breasts
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup carrot rings
• 1 cup butterpeas
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 8 drops Tabasco
• 1 package White Lily cornbread mix
• Salt to taste

Parboil chicken breasts in the stock for 5 minutes. Remove breasts and let cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Simmer the butterpeas in the stock for four minutes then add the carrots and continue cooking an additional four minutes. Drain and set aside, reserving stock and straining it.

Saute the onion in butter until wilted. Stir in flour and mix well. Slowly stir in the stock, whisking constantly. When smooth, add seasonings.

To assemble, sprinkle chicken cubes, peas and carrots into the baking dish. Pour the stock sauce over the top. Top with 1 recipe of White Lily mix, made according to package directions. Bake until cornbread is set and golden brown, approximately 30 minutes.

Makes 6 cups

• Scrub and slice very thin:
• 2 pounds small yellow squash
• 1 large white onion (about ½ pound)

Place one layer of squash, then one layer of onions, in flat crockery or glass baking dish.

Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons salt.

Cover with crushed ice and let stand for about 3 hour or place, covered overnight in the refrigerator.

• Mix together in a 2-quart saucepan:
• 3 cups apple cider vinegar
• 4 ½ cups sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons celery seed
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 ½ teaspoons mustard seed
• ¾ teaspoon turmeric

Bring vinegar mixture to a boil. Drain water from squash and onions. Add them to the boiling vinegar and bring mixture back to a rolling boil for 2 minutes. Cool quickly by immersing pot in sink of cold water. Place in clean glass jars with good seals and refrigerate. Will keep for about 2 weeks.

• From The Art of Simple Food II by Alice Waters
• Yields 4 servings

Yellow Finn potatoes are rich in flavor and have the perfect texture for a gratin. They become soft and luscious without breaking down into a puree. For added color, alternate with rows of red-fleshed potato such as Cranberry Red. Black trumpet mushrooms (also called black chanterelles or horn-of-plenty mushrooms) can harbor sand. Be sure to rinse them well before cooking.

Gently tear in half lengthwise:

¼ pound black trumpet mushrooms

Swish them in a bowl of cool water to clean; drain well. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Measure in:

1 teaspoon butter or oil

Add:

A pinch of salt

1 large thyme sprig

Fresh-ground black pepper

When the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring now and then, until all the water has evaporated and the mushrooms just start to sizzle. Remove from the heat to cool. Taste for salt and add more as needed. Remove the thyme sprig.

Peel:

2 pounds potatoes (Yellow Finn, Cranberry Red or Yukon Gold)

Hold in cool water until ready to use to keep them from browning.

Rub a 6-inch-by-8-inch baking dish with:

A peeled garlic clove

Allow to dry a little and rub the dish with

2 teaspoons butter

Measure:

2/3 cup crème fraiche

Pour into a small pot and warm:

½ cup half-and-half

A pinch of salt

Once all the ingredients are prepared, preheat the oven to 375 F. Slice the potatoes ¼-inch thick. Use a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife to make the slices as consistent as possible. Using one-third of the sliced potatoes, make a layer of potato slices on the bottom of the baking dish. Season with:

Salt

Fresh-ground black pepper

Spoon one-third of the crème fraiche over the potatoes, followed by half the mushrooms. Repeat, making another layer with half the remaining potato slices. Add seasoning, half the remaining crème fraiche and the rest of the mushrooms.

For the last layer of potatoes, carefully arrange rows of potato slices overlapped like shingles and completely covering the surface.

Dot the surface with the last of the crème fraiche and gently add the half-and-half, pouring down the sides of the baking dish to avoid washing off the crème fraiche and salt.

Put the gratin in the oven and bake until tender and golden, about 1 hour. After it has been cooking for 35 minutes, press the top layer of potatoes under the cream with a spatula. Press again after another 15 minutes. This keeps them from drying out.

When done, the potatoes should be very soft, the top golden and the liquid mostly gone. If the potatoes begin to brown too much before being cooked through, loosely cover the top with a bit of foil.

• Makes about 3 ½ cups
• 2 preserved lemons (store bought)
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh chives, chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons minced shallots

Peel the preserved lemons and discard the inside pulp. Remove the white pith from the lemon peel and discard. Finely dice the lemon rind and place in a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and whisk well to combine. Set aside until ready to use, making sure to stir well again before using.

• From Summerland: Recipes for Celebrating with Southern Hospitality by Anne Stiles Quatrano

• Makes 2 quart jars or 4 pint jars

• 2 pounds chanterelle mushrooms
• 4 cups extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• ½ cup dry sherry wine

With a paring knife, trim the mushroom ends and scrape the stems, removing the outer layer of skin. Wash the mushrooms three times in cold, clear water, gently tossing so as not to bruise the flesh. Allow to air dry thoroughly on paper towels; if possible, place them in front of a table fan to speed up the drying process. Cut the dry mushrooms lengthwise into quarters, or sixths if they are large.

In a large (preferably 14-inch) sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until lightly smoking. Add one-fourth of the mushrooms and cook until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat, adding another 2 tablespoons oil and another one-fourth of the mushrooms to the pan. Repeat two more times to sauté all the mushrooms. Place the hot, drained mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Add the shallots and garlic to the hot skillet you cooked the mushrooms in, reduce the heat to low, and sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Return the mushrooms to the pan and add the thyme and bay leaf. Add the vinegar, scraping up any browned bits, then add the wine and toss to coat the mushrooms. Cook until the liquid has been absorbed by the mushrooms, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining oil (about 3 ½ cups) to cover the mushrooms. Heat the oil to 145 degrees F, or until just hot to the touch. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Spoon the mushrooms and oil into quart or pint jars, cover and refrigerate. They will be best after standing for a day and will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.