Thanksgiving: Cranberry-Nut PiCake

This is a simple, quick dessert that's perfect for making use of cranberries while they're in season. It's thicker than a cake, but there's not the pie-like crust, which is why it warranted the infused title of a PiCake!

This recipe was passed along by Matt Bunting.

Thanksgiving: Roasted Sweet Potatoes

We make this recipe all the time.  It is great on top of wilted spinach salad with feta or goat cheese or alone as a side dish.  Just learn the roasting method and enjoy! :)

Thanksgiving: Caramelized Onion Gravy (AKA: Awesome Sauce)

Caramelized Onion Gravy...'nough said!

Thanksgiving: Sourdough, Apple, Cranberry Stuffing

Butter, bread, a couple a mix-ins......delicious! No Thanksgiving would be complete without stuffing.  This was a particularly delicious recipe adapted from Gourmet to make it vegetarian.  Great success!

Thanksgiving: Brined and Herb Roasted Turkey

This was my first attempt at a Thanksgiving turkey.  For me, it was a great success...the brined meat was tender and juicy, the meat was cooked through, and my Mom's trusty advice worked beautifully.  The bird was an 8 pound breast (big for a breast).  The process involved a 12 hour white wine and herb brine, about 2 1/2 hour roast, and a delicious white wine basting sauce.

S'Mores: An impromptu dessert that satisfied

51 Porter was in for a surprise one Tuesday night when the idea of S'mores popped into Renee's head. We had all of the ingredients on hand, and even though we didn't have a campfire, we had a lovely gas stove-top, which would work quite nicely!

Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Cilantro Pesto

Experimentation with sweet potatoes and a healthy burger = great success!

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes with Nutella Mousse Frosting

Since we have been in Boston for about 3 months...time for a sweet tribute to our new home!

Roasted Sweet Potato, Lentil, and Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

Ingredients

1. 1 cup dried lentils

2. 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-size chunks (1 small butternut squash works well too).

3. 1 small red onion, chopped

4. 3 Tablespoons olive oil

5. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

6. 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

7. 1 1/2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

8. 1 cloves garlic, crushed
9.  1 medium apple, chopped (I like tart varieties like pippin, honeycrisp, etc).

10. 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese

Directions

1. Soak the lentils in water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil water in a saucepan (enough to cover lentils). Add a dash of salt. Drain the lentils and add them to the boiling water. Cook the lentils in the boiling water for about 25 minutes (until tender). Drain the lentils and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes and onions with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper on a cookie sheet. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice...until sweet potatoes are tender. Cool slightly.

3. In a skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and crushed garlic. Saute over medium heat about 1 minutes. Add the cooked and drained lentils. Saute about 3 minutes. Pour the garlic-lentil mix into a large bowl and add the roasted sweet potatoes, spinach, and apple. The heat from the lentils and potatoes will wilt the spinach slightly. Add about 3 ounces of the goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. Stir to evenly combine.

4. To serve, divide salad among bowls and top with remaining goat cheese. mmm...mmm...good!

Difficulty?

Kelly's Kut Rating:  This dish is so easy and so delicious.  It can be prepared in about 1/2 an hour.  The lentils and the sweet potatoes are the only things that really need to cook.  Chopping is a minimum, so no bloodshed, scrapes, or bruises.  Note: You could get this meal out in about 10 minutes if you had roasted the veggies and cooked the lentils ahead of time...in this case, all you would do is saute it all together.

Taste?

Renee's Mmmmm-gasm Scale: So, 51 Porter has a special place for Kelly's amazing wilted spinach salads, and this one was absolutely outstanding. When we took a trek to Costco, we decided to purchase a huge box of sweet potatoes, and seriously that was a smart choice, green check! First and foremost, the lentils added a nice texture contrast to the softer roasted sweet potato pieces that graced the salad. I think cooking the lentils in vegetable broth next time would be a good idea in order to add a little more flavor. The goat cheese was a delightful addition, however I would love to see some feta involved as well. Overall, the warm lentils, the sweet potatoes, and slightly melted cheese in a bed of spinach greens tickled my mouth pink with 9,5000 Mmmmm-gasms.

Looks?

Stephanie's Hotty Hot Hotness Rating: A beautiful, colorful fall salad!

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A Trip to Greece: Greek Salad and Spanakopita

1 word...feta.

This meal is simply delicious...the refreshing flavors can take you all the way from 51 Porter Road to Greece!

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Risotto: A fall twist on an Italian classic

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Risotto

A fall twist on an Italian classic

With fall in full swing here in Massachusetts, 51 Porter has begun to utilize the seasonal produce, which means creative recipes with butternut squash and sweet potatoes! I learned how to make risotto while studying abroad in Italy and finally busted out to make a meal for my gal pals which evoked sounds and nods of satisfaction after my words of "Buon Appetito!"

Ingredients:

1/2 cup arborio rice

1/2 yellow onion

2 cloves garlic (pressed or minced)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups Butternut Squash soup (see recipe below)

1 sweet potato, peeled and roasted (roast in oven with olive oil, garlic, and salt for approximately 30 minutes)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup white wine

Directions:

1. In a medium sized pot, pour in some olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for approximately 3-4 minutes (until the onion becomes soft and translucent...make sure to keep your eye on it--you don't want to burn the garlic!).

2. Next, add in 1/2 cup of arborio rice. Stir the rice into the onion and garlic, and wait for the rice to absorb some of the juices.

3. Time to add in some broth! During risotto making, you will be gradually adding in the liquid. Add in 1 cup vegetable broth and 1/2 cup wine. Stir and wait for the rice to absorb the liquid. You will continue to do this, while stirring, for about 30 minutes. This risotto actually utilized our butternut squash soup from earlier in the week, so that substituted for some of the vegetable broth. Feel free to add roasted butternut squash if you don't have soup on hand.

4. Once all of the liquid has been absorbed and the risotto has a viscous consistency, you can add in the parmesan cheese and the roasted sweet potato. Make sure to try it just to make sure the rice is fully cooked.

5. Next, time to savor the flavor, baby! You can enjoy it da solo (alone) or with a bed of spinach, which I heavily recommend!

6. Last but not least, buon appetito, amici! :D

Difficulty?

Kelly Kut Rating: Miss Renee Reynolds is a master of some fine Italian classics...espresso and risotto are her specialties. This risotto was so flavorful and creamy. The incorporation of our butternut squash and apple soup leftovers made it so decadent. The key with risotto making is to stir, stir, and stir some more as you add each portion of liquid. This makes for a soft, creamy, and luscious risotto...an amazing Italian classic...51 Porter style.

Taste?

Renee's Mmmmm-gasm Scale: Oh yum! This risotto was definitely flavorful. Using the leftover soup was a great idea! The chunks of sweet potato were delightful as well, although next time, I would cook them a little longer because I didn't feel like they were soft enough. The subtle flavor of the white wine was superb, and the chunks of feta added a nice touch to the top of the piping hot risotto! Pouring the risotto over a bed of spinach was not only beautiful, it was DELISH. I would say that I orgasmed approximately 9,200 times.

Looks?

Stephanie's Hotty Hot Hotness Rating: Using the leftover Butternut Squash soup makes the risotto take on a golden orange color, which is lovely when served over the bed of wilted spinach. I think the key to making this dish make your mouth water are the chunks of sweet potato that were within the orange rice granules. Yum!

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese...51 Porter Style

There may be a common theme among some of the more recent posts: soup. As the temperatures lower here in New England we are faced with all sorts of reasons to try new soup recipes. So grab your favorite stew pot and food processor and give these scrumptious, warm meals a go!


Ingredients:
1. 1, 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
2. 1, 6oz. can tomato paste
3. 1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut in ribbons
4. 1 medium onion chopped
5. 1 cup roughly chopped carrots
6. 3 cloves garlic, crushed
7. 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
8. 1/2 cup white wine
9. 1 Tablespoon olive oil
10. 3/4 cup crumbled feta
11. Salt and pepper to taste
12. Mini grilled cheeses (recipe follows)


Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic together for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat.


2. Add carrots and continue to saute another 3 minutes.

3. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, and vegetable stock.

4. Add about half the basil, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.

5. In batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor. On the last batch to blend, add the 3/4 cup feta and puree. Add to the rest of the pureed soup and stir together.


6. Stir in the rest of the basil and you're ready to serve!







Serving Suggestions:
*Serve with a sprinkling of feta and fresh basil on top.
*Serve with mini grilled cheese (we just took leftover baguette slices, added sharp cheddar cheese, and grilled them in the George Foreman grill). mmm...mmm...gooooood!

Difficulty?
Kelly Kut Rating: Minor bruises...but overall a very easy soup and a classic comfort...move over Campbells! :)


Taste?
Renee's Mmmmm-gasm Scale: This soup exemplifies a key issue that the girls of 51 Porters are now facing. In the past when I pondered tomato soup, I thought of Campbell's condensed soup, which was rather thin, a little too sweet for my taste, and undoubtedly extremely unhealthy. Once you try a home-made pot of tomato soup, you just can't bring yourself to actually buy canned soup again. This soup was absolutely amazing. The tomato flavor was just fantastic, as was the hint of basil and feta! I went back for seconds, and the mini grilled cheese dunkers were a great addition, giving a little texture contrast to our meal. I without hesitation give this meal 10,000 Mmmmm-gasms.

Appearance?
Stephanie's Hotty Hot Hotness Rating: Woooo-wee was this soup good lookin'! I appreciated the garnish of fresh basil, the the mini grilled cheese dunkers are a must do!

Cornbread and Chili...51 Porter Style

Ingredients:
1, 16oz. can white cannellini beans
1, 16oz. can white navy beans
1, 8oz. can diced green chilis
1 medium onion diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 Cloves crushed garlic
2 Tablespoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (or more if you like it spicy)
1/2 Cup white wine
3 to 4 Cups vegetable broth (depending on how thick you like it)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 Bunch chopped cilantro
3/4 cup salsa verde (fresh or jarred)
2 Tablespoons lime juice

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat oil and add onion. Saute about 3 minutes and add the garlic. Saute over medium heat 2 more minutes.

2. Add garlic, chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

3. Add the white wine, lime juice, and salsa verde.

4. Drain the cannellini beans and add.

5. Drain the navy beans and add half of the navy beans to the pot. In a separate bowl, mash up the other half of the navy beans with a fork until it makes a paste. Add to chili pot (this will thicken the chili).

6. Add the stock and half the cilantro.

7. Stir to combine and simmer over medium heat about 20 minutes.

8. When ready to serve, garnish with additional cilantro and taste for seasoning.




















Great Serving additions:
-Creamy salsa verde:
If you have tomatillos, remove the husk and toss them in a food processor with a handful of cilantro, squirt of lime juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and some feta cheese. Blend for a creamy salsa topping to the chili. You could also just add fresh cilantro and feta to a jarred salsa verde or red salsa.
-Cornbread is also amazing with this chili!

Difficulty?

Kelly Kut Rating: No major wounds. This is a really simple chili but the flavors are so intense, refreshing, and delicious!

Taste?

Renee's Mmmmm-gasm Scale: Wow. I remember the first time we made this together--it had snowed the first time in Massachusetts, and we were eager for a warm bowl of deliciousness. This chili has one heck of a taste with notes of cilantro, green chiles, and of course, feta! The pairing of the chili with the salsa verde, a dollop of Daisy (sour cream), and a spoon-full of salsa is out of this world and earned a strong 9,800 mmmmm-gasms. Warning: You will be tempted to gets seconds and thirds, but remember that there is a bounty of beans in each bowl, so take your GI system into account and make sure you don't have any hot dates within the next 2-3 hours of eating...

Appearance?

Stephanie's Hotty Hot Hotness Rating: Mmmmm, white bean chili. So warm, slightly spicy and beautiful! This shows up a normal, brown mess of a chili any day. Plus, the decorating of the corn bread with our favorite number '51' was a great addition!

Vodka Infusions

What's better to warm you up than chai tea and cinnamon infused vodka? Not even an electric blanket can compare! Use your imagination to come up with other infusions: throw some apples into the cinnamon vodka for a cider style drink, use lavender to make a lavender martini, any fruit, or even vegetable infuses nicely, black pepper vodka for a Bloody Mary...there are endless possibilities!


Ingredients:
A semi-decent vodka, I used Svedka. The better the vodka, the better the result.
Whatever else you want! As an example I'm using Chai Tea bags and Cinnamon Sticks
Cheese Cloth/Coffee Filter if you choose to use loose leaf tea or smaller particle infusers

Instructions:
1.  You'll need a jar that seals tightly, make sure they're clean. For the chai tea infusion use 2 tea bags, for the cinnamon use around 6 cinnamon sticks (which are usually actually cassia sticks but we need not worry) per 16 oz. of vodka. Add ingredients in jar and cap tightly.

2. Here's the tricky part -- deciding how long to let your concoction steep. For tea infusions you only need to wait a couple of hours at most, for the cinnamon 2-3 days is better. You'll see a color change which will help clue you in to how far along the infusion process is, compare the picture at the top of this entry to the photo below as an example. It is also recommended that you do periodic taste tests (this helps things in more ways than one). If you use fruit you'll see the fruit change color as well as the vodka.

3. Once the flavor is to your liking remove the infuser ingredient, and enjoy!

Serving Suggestion:
Pour equal parts of the chai tea vodka to cream and top with a sprinkle of nutmeg for a Chai Martini. Add the cinnamon vodka to hot cider. 

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Brown Butter Balsamic Sauce

Our first attempt at pasta...result...great success! Our venture into gnocchi makin' was a joint effort starring a Mr. Andrew Kennedy (gnocchi kneader and roller), Ms. Larkin Kimmerer (gnocchi forker), and the off the wall peeps (gnocchi kneaders, forkers, and rollers)... Roasted butternut squash, some fine 00 flour, and some aged balsamic... and some "friendly's"...'nough said! :)

For the Gnocchi

Ingredients

2 cups 00 flour

2 cups roasted butternut squash, pureed (roast cubed-up butternut squash with olive oil and salt and pepper for about 35 minutes at 375 degrees).

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 Tbs. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

Directions

1. On a flat surface, mix flour, salt, and nutmeg together and form into a mound.

2. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the roasted butternut squash puree and 1 cup parmesan cheese.

3. Mix the flour, squash, and cheese together and knead for about 5-10 minutes. Add a bit of flour to the board as you need to keep the dough smooth. Continue kneading until smooth.

4. Shape the mixture into a ball and cut into four pieces.

5. Roll each quarter of dough into a ropes about 1 inch thick (might be easier to but into eighths instead of quarters to do this).

6. Cut each rope into about 1-inch pieces.

7. Gently press a fork into the surface of the gnocchi to leave a slight indentation.

8. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the gnocchi float to the top.

9. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain excess water and add directly to the sauce...

For the Brown Butter Sauce

Ingredients

1. 5 Tbs. Butter

2. ~1 tsp. salt

3. ~1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Cook butter for ~5 minutes over medium-high heat until foam dissipates and butter begins to brown. Add the balsamic vinegar and salt and cook an additional 2 minutes.

3. Add the gnocchi directly to the pan with the butter sauce and toss together. Toast the gnocchi for a few minutes in the pan and serve warm with freshly grated parmesan!

YUM!

Difficulty?
Kelly Kut Rating: This is a really fun recipe to make and pretty simple in terms of homemade pastas. It takes time, but I would definitely recommend gettin' some friends together to help...shout out to Larkin (forker), Andrew (roller, kneader, forker), Renee (sue chef), and Stephanie (roller)...great success!

Taste?
Renee's Mmmmm-gasm Scale: When I studied abroad in Italy I had some of the finest food of my life while living with an absolutely amazing Italian family. I was lucky enough to gain an undying appreciation for the Italian cuisine, and I am being completely honest when I say that this butternut squash gnocchi was Italy status. The texture was just right, as it wasn't doughy or too hard, and the butternut squash flavor and hints of nutmeg were magnificent. The balsamic butter sauce was excellent, as well, adding just enough of flavor yet still allowing the gnocchi to hold its own. 10,000 mmmmm-gasms, 'nough said.


Appearance?
Stephanie's Hotty Hot Hotness Rating: The precooked gnocchi looks like giant Captain Crunch cereal because of the orange tint from the butternut squash in the dough, but the finished product was nothing short of elegance. The "pillows" of pasta were nicely complimented by the glaze of the balsamic butter sauce; a lovely presentation that would qualify for the finest of authentic Italian restaurants!

Great Day, Great People, Great Meal...Sun-dried tomato Pesto Pasta and Grilled Vegetables

This post is not simply a recipe. Rather, this post is the outcome of perhaps one of the finest days we have had during our short duration in New England. It all started with a bicycle ride on the Minuteman Trail from Cambridge to Concord...the ring of our bike bells to call out the foliage...the brisk New England air that froze our Californian and Texan frames...graceful bicycle collisions in tribute to the battles fought near this revolutionary trail :) ...a trip to a Concord farm... and an amazing meal. This meal was a collaborative effort on the part of some of the finest New England has to offer including Mr. Kennedy, Miss Viskin (and her amazing parents), Mr. Mizell, and the ladies of 51 Porter Road. Beautiful Place...Great Company...and Amazing Food.

Menu:
1. Grilled homegrown zucchini, eggplant, onion, and peppers
2. Sun-dried Tomato, parsley, and spinach pesto pasta with creamy goat cheese

Ingredients:
-For the Veggies
1. Zucchini, sliced in rounds
2. Eggplant, sliced in rounds
3. Onion, sliced in rounds
4. Olive Oil
5. Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder
-For the Pesto and Pasta
1. ~1 cup packed parsley (flat or curly)
2. ~2 cups spinach
3. ~3/4 to 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
4. 4 garlic cloves
5. Sliced almonds, toasted
6. 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil (depending on how thin you want it...you can always thin it out with a bit of the pasta cooking water).
7. 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
8. 3 oz. crumbled herbed goat cheese
9. Salt and pepper to taste
10. A dash of lemon juice

Directions:
For the Veggies:
1. Toss all the veggies in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

2. With the grill on medium-high heat...place the veggies on and grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until tender but not mush. Get some good grill marks too!
For the Pesto and Pasta:
1. In a dry skillet, toast the almonds over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes until golden and fragrant.
2. In a food processor, combine toasted nuts and garlic.
3. Add spinach, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper, cheese, and sun-dried tomato to the food processor and pulse until a thick even consistency is reached. Taste for seasoning and drizzle a bit of lemon juice over the top.
4. In a pot of boiling, salted water, add 1 pound of pasta and cook according to package directions. (Use a short pasta).
5. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining and then drain the pasta.
6. Return cooked pasta to pot and add about 1/2 the pesto and the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir to combine and coat all the noodles (add more pesto if needed).
7. Stir in about 1/2 the goat cheese till melted and creamy.
8. Pour the pasta out into a big serving bowl and garnish with additional chopped parsley, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, slivered almonds, the remaining goat cheese, and a sprinkle of lemon juice and parmesan.

Serve and enjoy... especially the company!

Difficulty?
Kelly Kut Rating: No cuts!!! However, I did have an amazing team who did a lot of the choppin'...(Note: minor bike injuries were suffered and mouth burning courtesy of a Mr. Kennedy's peppers).


Taste? Renee's Mmmmm-gasm scale: Aw man, my taste-buds were sure in for a treat this crisp autumn afternoon. The wide array of flavors from the slightly sweet, yet spicy pesto to the utter deliciousness of the grilled vegetables, satisfied me to the very core. Overall, this meal evoked 9,5000 mmmmm-gasms. The pesto was very unique and distinct with the addition of sundried tomatoes, and the goat cheese was a very pleasant addition as well. The only issues I had were the hot as hell peppers that Mr. Kennedy roasted. (He did a stellar job with the grilled veggies otherwise!) I had no idea how hot those would be, and they burned both my and Kelly's lips for a good portion of the beginning of the meal. I was honestly transported back to Italy; sitting at the table with my amici, savoring a delicious meal, talking, and enjoying each other's company was just amazing.


Looks?
Stephanie's Hotty Hot Hotness Rating: Hmm, this one's tough because the pasta was so damn good. The sun-dried tomatoes in the pesto made the usual bright green delight turn to a burnt brown color...not the most appetizing of colors. This statement must be followed with the fact that the dish of extra pesto sat next to me at the table and I kept trying to find new things on the table to eat just to have a vector to get that pesto into my mouth. Bread, zucchini, crackers, eggplant...my spoon! Whatever it was, it was better with this pesto! Definitely a recommended dish, regardless of the color!

Speaking of color...this New England place knows how to put on a show in the autumn. What beautiful leaves! Bravo trees, bravo.