Makes 6 Servings

Chef Bill’s gluten-free, dairy-free vegetarian cakes are a favorite even with the staunchest omnivore. Guests love these hearty and satiating cakes. They are perfect for small for appetizers topped with smoked salmon or crème fraîche, as a side to poultry or pork, or as an entree.

4 cups quinoa

1 yellow onion, medium dice

10 cloves garlic, medium dice

2 bunch kale, washed, drained, and chopped

1 large carrot, peeled, medium dice

¼ cup chopped fresh thyme

Prepared roasted red pepper coulis

1. Bring 1 gallon of salted water to a boil. While you are waiting sauté your onions, carrot, and garlic over medium heat until your onions are translucent but not caramelized. Add the kale and fresh thyme and sauté for one minute. Remove veggies from heat, season lightly, and set aside.
When water is boiling add quinoa and cook until grains are a little al dente some will start to burst, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Drain quinoa but reserve cooking liquid, while quinoa is still hot take ½ and put in blender with a little of the cooking liquid and blend you will have to stop the blender and scrap down the sides add a little liquid at a time until the quinoa is a thick paste.

2. Mix whole quinoa with veggies and quinoa paste and work with a spatula until incorporated. Spread out onto a greased ½ sheet pan 1 ½ to 2 inches thick (or a casserole dish works well too; you don’t want it to be too thick or it won’t cook through, and if it’s too thin, it will break apart.)

3. Cool in refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight to set.

4. To serve cut into 4 inch squares and pan fry in olive oil until both sides are golden brown and crispy.  Serve topped with roasted red pepper coulis.

Dear Stephanie,

Thank you so much for this recipe (Note from editor: recipe follows). It sounds fabulous.  When my husband and I ate at the restaurant it was just a plain rice cake as a side with our salmon and I loved it.  This is quite a bit fancier, but we can have it plain as just a rice cake or we can make it completely as the recipe is meant to be.  I have never used sushi rice so it will be a bit tricky, but I will try it.

Thank you again for your prompt response.  It is very kind of you.

Happy holidays to you too!

Natha O.

Musubi (Rice Cakes)

Makes 4 Servings

Rice Cakes:

1 Cup Uncooked short-grain white sushi rice

1 Cup Water

3 Tablespoons Rice vinegar

1½ teaspoons Sugar

Toppings:

3 Scallions

2 Cups Spinach, basil or kale

6 slices Canadian bacon or Prosciutto

6 slices Cheese (Havarti or Jarlsburg work well)

1 Tomato, sliced thin

6 Eggs

¼ Cup Olive Oil

Chopped garlic scapes or chives for garnish (optional)

For the Rice Cakes:

1.      Fill a large pot with water and swirl in the rice.  Drain.  Repeat 3 times until the water runs clear.  Drain.  Set aside in a bowl to dry for at least one hour.

2.      Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice; turn heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.  Remove from heat when liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente.  Spread rice out on a cookie sheet and cover with a towel to cool.  (Traditionally the cooked rice would be spread out in a flat bottom, large wooden bowl and the rice would be fanned to cool.)

3.      Mix together the rice vinegar and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.  Stir the vinegar mixture into the rice very gently, using a wide, flat wooden spoon or spatula, being careful not to break the grains.

4.      Wet your hands and form the rice into 4 hamburger-size patties.  Use a hamburger press that has also been wetted with water if you’d like, but be careful not to press too hard; you want the rice to stick together, but don’t want to break the grains.

5.       Place the cakes on a silicon- or parchment- lined cookie sheet.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For The Toppings:

1.       Julienne the green parts of the scallion.

2.      Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Place rice cakes in the skillet and cook until lightly brown about 3 – 5 minutes.  Flip and cook until golden brown on the second side.

3.      Place one slice of cheese on each rice cake.

4.      Sauté greens (spinach or kale) in a second skillet just enough to gently wilt.  Divide greens equally on rice cakes. (If you are using basil just add the fresh leaf atop the rice cake)

5.      Lightly brown Canadian bacon in the now-empty skillet and layer each slice atop the spinach.

6.      Add a tomato slice to each.

7.      Prepare the eggs – fried, scrambled, over easy or poached – and serve atop rice cakes.

8.      Garnish with scallion greens, garlic scapes or chives.

This is a nice alternative to the typical breakfast starch options and is perfect for our gluten-free guests at Harrison House and Tucker House inns.  It is also quite versatile.  Serve it with any number of topping including salmon or crab, or over a stir-fry for dinner.

Italian Cannoli

From La Cucina Anna Maria:  Good Life Recipes from San Juan Island

Shells:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons shortening or lard

1 teaspoon honey

¼ teaspoon honey

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup Marsala wine

1 egg slightly beaten

1 ½ quarts vegetable oil

metal tubes or dowels (6 x ¾ inches available from gourmet shops)

Filling:

1 pound ricotta drained (choose fine curd cheese)

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

2 ounces semisweet chocolate coarsely grated

3 tablespoons chopped citron (optional)

2 tablespoons crème de cacao or almond oil

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Combine flour, shortening, honey, and salt, wetting mixture gradually with Marsala wine.  Knead with fingers until dough is firm.  Shape into ball, cover with cloth and let stand one hour.

1. In a food processor, combine ricotta cheese, confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon and crème de cacao or almond oil.  Season to taste.  Stir in grated chocolate and citron.  Put in pastry bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Cut dough in half and roll into thin sheets ¼ inch thick.  Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 4 inch squares.  Place metal tubes diagonally across squares.  Wrap dough around each tube by overlapping the two opposite points.  Seal points with beaten egg, pressing together with fingers.
3. Heat oil in large pot until 370 degrees.  Drop tubes carefully a few at a time into hot oil. Fry on all sides until shells are a deep golden brown color.  Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.  Cool.
4. Fill pastry bag with cheese filling and pipe filling into ends of shells or spoon into shell ends.  Sprinkle with confectionary sugar before serving.
5. Shells store well unfilled in airtight containers.
6. Makes 12 cannoli.