Winter Foods

But I Bet George H. W. Bush Still Wouldn't Eat It!

FLASH-ROASTED BROCCOLI WITH SPICY CRUMBS
2 oz. sliced pepperoni
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs which is weird because as far as I know, the Japanese do not eat bread)
1/4 cup plus 2T olive oil  (they call for extra-virgin, but when I saw what happens to it, "regular" olive oil is just as good.  And cheaper.)
2 lbs. broccoli, trimmed into long spears
2 T Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 425.
Chop the pepperoni, garlic and bread crumbs in a mini-cuisinart
Put 2 T of olive oil in a skillet and cook the bread mix until it's crisp then scrape it onto a plate and let it cool. 

It also occurs to me that one coud boil or steam-cook the broccoli, dip the florets in a shallow dish of Dijon and then wrap a slice of pepperoni around the brocc' and toothpick it.  Be a helluva lot easier...

Toss the broccoli with the rest of the olive oil, spread it on a rimmed cookie sheet and roast it for about 15 minutes.  Turn it once.  Then spread mustard on one side of the broccoli and press the broccoli into the crumb mixture. 

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Anthony Bourdain remarked in the December issue of Food & Wine that you can never have too much cheese, bacon or starch.  This is first cousin to scalloped potatoes, but doesn't contain milk. 

TARTIFLETTE
2 1/2 lbs. potatoes peeled
1/2 lb. slab bacon cut in a small dice
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
pepper to taste
1 lb. Reblochon-style cheese, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350.  Cook the potatoes, drain and let cool until you can cut them into a small dice and set them aside.
Cook the bacon, drain off all but 1T bacon fat and saute the onion until it's a golden brown. 
Add the bacon, the wine and finally the potatoes.  Stir it up.  Put half of this mixture into an oven-proof dish.  Spread half of the cheese over the potatoes, add the rest of the potatoes and cover with cheese again.  Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes  or until it turns golden brown and begins to bubble.