Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (31 page)

Grind the ham in a food processor, pulsing on and off until finely chopped, and place in a bowl. Add the pork, drizzle with the syrup, and season with the cloves, mustard, allspice, paprika, hot sauce, and grill seasoning. Use your hands to combine the mixture. Score the meat into 4 equal portions with the side of your hand and form each into a large patty.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the EVOO in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pineapple to the hot oil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to caramelize each side. Transfer the pineapple to a plate, wipe the pan clean, and add the remaining tablespoon of EVOO. Cook the burgers for 12 to 14 minutes until cooked through, turning occasionally. Toast the rolls while the burgers cook.

Serve the burgers on buns topped with lettuce, pineapple, red onion, and chutney.

I am always a little surprised to be asked by viewers or readers to write more veggie meals, as several nights a week in my own home we are meat-free. A fair percentage of my meals have always been vegetarian because my diet includes many vegetables, beans, and grains. Additionally, I have been aware for the past several years of the growing pressure on those living in households where one member, be it a child, a partner, or otherwise, is a vegetarian and the others are not. Here are some delicious meals, all of which I make in my own home for my husband (a
huge
meat eater) to everyone's satisfaction. Once you've worked your way through these, thumb through the book to find other meals that can be adapted easily: swap vegetable or mushroom stock for chicken or beef broth, omit pancetta or bacon, swap tofu for animal protein. Have fun eating your veggies!

Winter Greens Pasta

In Italy my mom and I shared a panini stuffed with a salty combination of greens, anchovies, and capers. It was so delish we gobbled it up. Here it is in the form of a pasta dish. I chose to use whole wheat pasta because the nutty flavor balances the deepness of the greens, but it is tasty with semolina pasta as well.

SERVES 4

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the pasta. Once the water is boiling, season with salt, add the pasta, and cook to al dente. Heads up: you'll need to reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.

Once the pasta water is almost to a boil, start the greens. Heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring every now and then, until the anchovies have completely melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the escarole and spinach. Season the wilted greens with black pepper and nutmeg.

When the pasta is drained, add the reserved cup of pasta cooking water, the capers, lemon zest and juice, arugula, and the drained pasta to the pot you used to cook the pasta. Add the wilted greens. Toss over medium-high heat for 1 minute to combine.

Here's a cheery holiday offering to take to a friend's house or to make for any new parents in your life; lasagna is a bottomless pan that keeps the eaters fed as long as need be. The red sauce looks like marinara but it is really a thick sauce of sun-dried tomatoes and pureed roasted red peppers.

SERVES 8

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Reconstitute the sun-dried tomatoes by placing them in a small heat-proof bowl and pouring hot water over them. Let them sit while you prepare the sauce.

Place a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO. Add the onions, half of the garlic, and the marjoram to the pot and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. While the onions simmer, place the roasted peppers in a food processor and process until pureed and smooth. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot with the onions, reduce the heat to medium, and bring the sauce up to a bubble. Drain the reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes and coarsely chop them. Add them to the sauce along with the basil and pureed roasted peppers. Simmer the sauce until it thickens up, 7 to 8 minutes. Adjust the seasonings.

While the sauce is simmering, wash out the bowl of the food processor. Make a spinach pesto by combining the spinach, pine nuts, and the remaining garlic in the food processor. Pour in the vegetable stock and pulse the machine until a very thick paste forms. Season the pesto with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and add ½ to ¾ cup of the grated Parm to the bowl. With the processor on, stream in the remaining ½ cup of EVOO. Transfer the pesto to a mixing bowl and stir in the ricotta cheese, egg, and extra yolk.

Assemble the lasagna by ladling a little of the red sauce into the bottom of a 13 × 9-inch baking dish. Top the red sauce with a layer of lasagna noodles and cover those with a thin layer of the spinach pesto mixture. Layer
red and green with pasta until all of the sauce and pasta are used. Top the lasagna with the provolone and remaining Parm. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 15 minutes more, or until the cheese is bubbly and brown.

Did you see the animated feature
Ratatouille
? I watched it on a long flight when I had forgotten my iPod at home and had exhausted my brain and my computer on work. I just wanted to drift off, and I thought a “kids' film” would provide the distraction I needed to fall sleep. Guess what? I LOVE THAT RAT! I laughed, I cried, I got looks from all my fellow passengers; but the humble, chubby rodent chef had me at his love of stinky cheese. I immediately wrote this dish in homage to my new short, hairy French friend, Remy. Uh huh huh huh,
c'est magnifique
!

P.S. You'll also find a version of this recipe in
Yum-O!,
my cookbook for kids and families to benefit our charity, Yum-o, but I simply could not put together a vegetarian collection and leave this one out.

SERVES 4