In the battle to get a 5-year-old boy to embrace vegetables, the
Food Network's Alton Brown offered up these parsnip muffins, which
were the easy winner in the taste test. They could be made
healthier by substituting white whole-wheat flour for the
all-purpose and by cutting back the sugar a bit.
Parsnip Muffins
Start to finish: 40 minutes (20 active)
Makes 12 muffins
½ cup sliced almonds
Cooking spray
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 eggs
¾ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups (10 ounces) packed grated parsnips
Place the almonds in a single layer in a pie pan and set in oven.
Heat the oven to 375 F. Bake the nuts until lightly toasted,
approximately 20 minutes while the oven heats.
Meanwhile, spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking
spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking
soda, nutmeg and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, vegetable oil and
sugar. Add the flour mixture and parsnips, and fold with a spatula
until all of the flour is moistened. There will be some
lumps.
Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups (ª cup per muffin).
Sprinkle the top of each muffin with the toasted almonds.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. The
muffins should reach an internal temperature of 210 F and be golden
brown.
If needed, use a small knife or offset spatula to loosen the
muffins and immediately remove them from the tin to a cooling rack.
Cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Store completely cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to
3 days.
• • • •
Holly Smith, a contestant on Food Network's "The Next Iron
Chef," praises this vinegary tomato and bread soup as being the
perfect kid food - they can get their hands messy while mashing the
bread into the tomatoes. That may be the case, but the 5-year-old
tester still wouldn't touch it. He doesn't like tomatoes. His loss.
It was delicious.
Pappa al Pomodoro
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
2 pounds tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 to 3 slices ciabatta, torn or cut into small chunks
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
In a large non-reactive bowl, combine the tomatoes and bread.
Set aside.
In a saute pan over medium, combine the olive oil and garlic.
Cook, stirring often, until the garlic turns just golden. Remove
the pan from the heat and stir into the tomatoes and bread.
Season with 1 tablespoon of the salt and the cayenne. Use your
hands to mix and work the ingredients until uniformly chunky
smooth. Add 1 tablespoon each of the balsamic and sherry vinegars.
Mix well, then taste. Add more vinegar if desired. While mixing,
discard any excess tomato skins.
Adjust seasonings, then mix in the basil. Serve at room
temperature. If desired, drizzle with additional olive oil.
• • • •
Rachael Ray described this offering to the 5-year-old tester
as "a dream, rich, simple and delish." It's also easy to make and
is loaded with 3 pounds of spinach and chard. That's a lot. The kid
agreed it was good. Except for the 3 pounds of greens.
Broken Florentine Lasagna Bake
Start to finish: 1 hour (15 minutes active)
Servings: 4
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Ground nutmeg, to taste
1½ cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, cracked
1 bunch green chard, stems removed and leaves roughly
chopped
2 pounds spinach, tough stems removed and leaves roughly
chopped
12-ounce box no-boil lasagna noodles
Heat the oven to 375 F.
In a medium saucepan over medium, melt the butter. Sprinkle
the flour over the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute.
Slowly whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture, then season
with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Let the milk mixture heat and thicken a couple of minutes,
then stir in about 1 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Set the sauce
aside.
In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high, heat the olive
oil. Toss in the garlic clove and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the
chard and wilt it down, about 2 minutes, then add the spinach, a
few handfuls at a time as they wilt down. Season with salt and
pepper.
Break the pasta sheets into large pieces. Toss them into the
skillet and give them a good stir to incorporate them with the
greens. Pour the sauce into the skillet, stirring again to evenly
mix. Smooth the top down and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of
Parmigiano-Reggiano over it.
Cover the skillet with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove
the foil, then bake for another 15 minutes to brown the
cheese.
• • • •
Alexandra Guarnaschelli, host of Food Networks' "Alex's Day
Off," came up with this kid-friendly soup that is topped with
popcorn. The 5-year-old taste tester who generally avoids squash
loved it.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with
Popcorn
Start to finish: 2½ hours (30 minutes active)
Servings: 4 to 5
3 pounds butternut squash, washed
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Kosher salt, to taste
Ground white pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
½ tablespoon garlic oil
1 cup skim milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 to 2 cups water, depending on consistency
2 cups popped popcorn
Heat the oven to 375 F.
Trim the ends of the squash, then halve them lengthwise.
Scrape out the seeds and arrange the halves in a single layer, cut
sides up, in a large roasting pan. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium, melt 4 tablespoons of the
butter. When the butter turns light brown, remove it from the heat
and immediately divide the butter between the cavities of the
squash halves. Drizzle the cut sides of the squash with the
molasses.
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of
salt,
¼ teaspoon of white pepper, the ground ginger, fresh ginger,
cinnamon and cloves. Sprinkle the cut sides of the squash with the
seasoning mixture.
Add enough water to the roasting pan to come about 1 inch up
the sides of the squash. Cover the pan with foil and seal the edges
tightly. Bake for 2 hours. To check for doneness, pierce one of the
halves with the tip of a small knife. The knife should slide in and
out easily. Uncover and set aside to cool.
Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh (and any liquid in the
cavities) from the squash, being careful not to take any skin with
it.
In a large saucepan over low, combine the squash flesh, zest
and juice of 1 orange, Worcestershire Sauce and the garlic oil.
Stir to blend. Taste for seasoning, adding salt or additional
molasses for sweetness.
Add the milk, cream and 1 cup of the water and stir to
blend.
In a small saucepan, melt the remaining butter and heat until
lightly browned. Stir the browned butter into the soup.
Transfer the soup to a blender, in batches if necessary, and
puree until smooth. If a thinner soup is desired, an additional cup
of water can be stirred in. Adjust seasonings. Serve topped with
popcorn.
• • • •
Melissa d'Arabian, host of Food Network's "Ten Dollar
Dinners," bravely tried to tempt a picky 5-year-old with a cheesy
wilted spinach dish. Would it bring back memories of the curried
spinach he loved as a toddler? It didn't. He refused to eat
anything but the sauce, and then only the tiniest lick off his
fork.
Creamed Baby Spinach
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 large shallot, finely chopped
10 ounces baby spinach, washed and chopped
3 tablespoons chicken broth (or water)
1/3 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
In a large saute pan over medium, melt the butter. Add the
shallot, then saute until soft and caramelized, about 7 to 8
minutes. Add the chopped spinach and toss well. Add the chicken
broth, then increase heat to medium-high.
Cover the pan and let the spinach steam down for 3 to 4
minutes. Remove the lid and add the half-and-half. Allow the liquid
to reduce by a third, stirring to keep from burning.
Once reduced, lower the heat to low and gently stir in the
mozzarella until it starts melting. Add the Parmesan and stir just
until it starts to melt, then turn off the heat. Season with salt
and pepper.
