Eat On Edgecliff

Sarah Kieffer’s cookie recipes are great. We made her pan banging chocolate chip cookies several times. These chocolate sugar cookies are just about perfect – crunchy, chewy and chocolatey.

Sarah Kieffer

• 2 cups (284 grams) all-purpose flour
• ¹/₂ cup (50 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
• ³/₄ teaspoon baking soda
• ³/₄ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 ³/₄ cups (350 grams) granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup (100 grams) for rolling
• 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line three sheet pans with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 3/4 cups (350 grams) of the sugar, and beat again until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla, and beat on low speed until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat again on low speed until combined.
• Place the remaining 1/2 cup (100 grams) of sugar in a medium bowl.
• Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-ounce (45-gram) portions (2 tablespoons). Roll each ball in the sugar. Place 8 cookies on each sheet pan.
• Bake one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake until the sides are set and the top begins to crackle, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Transfer the sheet pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the pan, then remove the cookies and let them cool completely on the wire rack. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• PJH comments: I make 40 gram portions as 45 grams seemed to big, I rolled in raw turbino sugar and cooked them for 13 minutes and they come out perfectly.

Betsy Mitchell via Kathryn Purcell

• 2-2.5 lb butternut squash
• 2 T butter
• 2 carrots chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 potatoes chopped (I usually use 1 big sweet potato)
• 4 c chicken stock
• 1.5 teaspoon curry
• Pinch ginger
• Pinch nutmeg
• Pinch salt and pepper (to taste)
• (I usually add an apple too if I have one, but not on the original recipe)

Peel, seed and chop squash. Melt butter in a big soup pot. Saute squash, carrots, celery, onion until soft. Add potatoes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 40 minutes. Add spices. Puree in a blender in batches and serve hot. (I use an immersion blender).

The added benefit to this easy and tasty soup is it lends itself to awesome topping options. Want to add fun colors, try dried cranberries, chopped pecans and blue cheese crumbles. Want to add a crunch? Try croutons or pumpkin seeds. Maybe sour cream, apples, bacon? Can be served with toppings or without!

Gina Depalma via Secrets of the Best Chefs via Smitten Kitchen via Kathryn Purcell

• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 2 large links (about 8 ounces) of sweet Italian sausage [can use more or less, up to you how much meat you want]
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 celery ribs, sliced or diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons or diced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced (reserve half for later in recipe)
• Kosher salt
• A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 cup brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 6 cups water
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 cups shredded or thinly ribboned Swiss chard leaves or kale
• Grated Pecorino Romano cheese to finish

On the stove: Heat 1/4 cup olive oil (enough to generously coat the bottom of the pot) in a large pot on medium to medium-high heat. When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown, about five minutes. Add the onion, celery, carrots, first two garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, and if you like your soup spicy, a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook with the sausage until the vegetables soften a bit, another 5 minutes. Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, water (6 cups is, conveniently, a little less than 2 empty 28-ounce cans, so you can get any tomato pulp you missed), more salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. (It might be necessary to add more water if the soup gets too thick, though we preferred ours on the thick side.)

When the lentils are cooked, add the chard and cook until the leaves are tender, just a few minutes more. Discard the bay leaves.

In an InstantPot or electric multi cooker: Proceed as written above, using the sauté function on high (I find this to be like medium-high on a stove) to cook the sausage and then vegetables. Once you’ve added the remaining ingredients, including dried lentils, lock the lid and set to high pressure for 15 minutes. Let it naturally release for at least 10 minutes (or longer, if you have time), to help keep the vegetables intact. You can manually release the rest. Use the sauté function on high again to bring it back to a simmer (this should take no time at all) and add the greens; cook until wilted.

Both methods: To finish, divide soup among bowls, then add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 garlic cloves to a small skillet (on the stove) and heat over medium until the garlic softens and hisses. Drizzle this over soup bowls, and top with fresh Romano, passing more at the table. Leftovers will keep for several days in the fridge.

***I usually use spinach instead of chard.***