Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Gratin

This rich, flavorful gratin dish makes a fantastic light supper or lunch main course. It also happens to be gluten-free and kosher for passover -- go figure. Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Gratin adapted from Epicurious

4 10-ounce bags fresh spinach leaves 3 red bell peppers 1 1/2 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced (about 3 cups) 1 large shallot, chopped (about 1/4 cup) 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup whipping cream 4 large eggs 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat large deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches (about 10 cups at a time), sauté fresh spinach in dry skillet until bright green and wilted, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer spinach to strainer. Squeeze spinach dry; roll in kitchen towel to remove excess water.

Char peppers directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and slice peppers into 1/4-inch-wide strips.

Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, shallot, and garlic; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk cream and eggs in large bowl to blend. Whisk in all cheeses, salt, and pepper. Stir in spinach, leek mixture, and 2/3 of roasted red peppers (reserve 1/3 of peppers for topping). (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Transfer spinach mixture to prepared dish. Bake gratin until knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Arrange remaining red pepper strips decoratively atop gratin and serve.

Squash Stuffed with Quinoa, Pears and Cranberries

This is a dead-easy recipe that's gluten free, kosher, kosher for passover, and wonderful year-round. Squash Stuffed with Quinoa, Pears and Cranberries from the archives

1 red onion 2 firm pears, any kind will do 1 stalk celery ¼ cup pecans 1 bunch fresh thyme 1 small container apple juice (total ½ cup) 1 small container vegetable broth (total 2 cups: can substitute water) 4 delicata squash, depending on size, or 2 butternut squash 1 box quinoa of any variety 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Bring the broth to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the quinoa and cook according to the directions on the package. (We cooked ours over medium heat for ten or so minutes, then turned off the heat and let it steam the rest of the way.)

Once the heat has been turned off, add the diced pears and cover the pot, allowing them to par-cook with the quinoa.

Meanwhile, sauté onion and celery in a couple Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat, until soft and translucent. Add thyme, and continue to sauté. (Here’s the truth: we let the onion and celery go on a bit too long, and it got a bit charred…and delicious. I highly recommend charring the onion and celery!)

Add the cranberries, onion/celery/thyme, pecans and apple juice to the cooked quinoa, and toss. If needed, add salt and pepper.

Halve squash, and remove seeds. Roast squash face down on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper until a knife can easily pierce the flesh -- about 45 minutes for butternut and 15 for delicata. Turn over and allow to cool about 20 minutes.

Fill squash with quinoa mixture; if desired, drizzle with a bit of honey. Serve warm.

Roasted Vegetable Terrine

The flavors in this dish are straightforward, but certainly not boring: just pure roasted vegetables, compressed into a terrine. Feel free to omit the goat cheese if you want the dish to be non-dairy. Title: Roasted Vegetable Terrine Categories: Terrines, Vegetables Yield: 8 servings

2 yellow peppers 2 green peppers 2 red peppers 1 large eggplant 2 medium zucchini or yellow squash 1/2 cup Pitted kalamata olives 1/8 cup capers, rinsed 7 oz Goat cheese, crumbled, optional handful Fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and position a rack in the setting closest to the heat source. Alternatively, preheat your broiler.

Lay peppers individually on their side and cut off 1/2″ from each top and bottom. Set peppers upright and make 2 cuts from top to bottom on opposite sides. Open up peppers, pull out seeds; trim and discard white pith. Place 4-6 pepper halves on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Put on oven rack or in broiler, and roast until blackened in spots, about 15 minutes for the oven, 7-10 for the broiler. Flip over and give another 3-5 minutes to roast on back side.

Peel eggplant and slice vertically into 1/4″ slices. Repeat steps with peppers, roasting or broiling until tender and browned, about 7 minutes per side. Same for the zucchini, which need only about 4 minutes per side, if that. Be sure to salt and pepper each vegetable.

Line a terrine, 8x4″ loaf pan, or springform pan with plastic wrap, leaving an 8″ piece overlap on each of short ends. Line bottom with grilled red pepper, cutting it to fit, if necessary. Cover pepper with layers of eggplant and zucchini, and top with basil leaves, goat cheese (if using) and half olives.

Continue making layers with vegetables, cheese and olives, ending with peppers. Fold plastic wrap over vegetables. Weigh terrine down with several cans of food. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

To facilitate cutting, place terrine in freezer for 1 hour before serving. When ready to slice, remove weight and plastic wrap. Place a cutting board on top of terrine and flip two over. Remove plastic wrap. Using a serrated knife and a sawing motion, cut terrine into 3/4″ slices. (If using a springform pan, slice into pie-shaped slices.) Serve at room temperature