Fall Cooking at Cafe Drake HRV

Mexican yellow rice, stewed black beans, roasted cauliflower, fried green tomatoes and string bean salad.

Here's a string bean salad you'll make again and again: trim ends of 1 lb. of thin string beans. Leave whole otherwise and cook in boiling water for apprx. 2-3 minutes. Remove from boiling water and place in ice water to halt cooking and retain vivid green color. When beans have almost cooled, drain very well in a colander and place in a large serving bowl. Make sure beans are dry. No puddles at the bottom of the bowl! Toss beans with olive oil and salt and black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with red wine vinegar. In a small deep bowl mash together 2 cloves of garlic with a pinch of salt. Moisten with a few drops of olive oil. Add to the beans along with 1/4 cup finely minced parsley. Finally, toss in 1/2 red onion, shaved into slivers. You can serve this alone or atop soft, buttery lettuces such as Bibb or Boston.

Leftover beans and rice, with jalapeno-corn muffins, homemade hot sauce and yellow pear tomatoes.

The string bean salad makes a nice partner to baked sweet potatoes. Above, yam dressed with a favorite dressing: equal parts yogurt and mayo mixed with salt, black pepper, sliced scallions and minced cilantro.

And those damn string beans showed up again, along with pear tomatoes, on a plate of salad and burgers.

Reheated burger patty with leftover yogurt/mayo dressing, dal, tabbouleh and snack mix. Hey, it's only lunch people.

Arugula and tomato salad, rice and pappadum.

You're probably ready for a steaming bowl of Broccoli and Bleu Cheese Soup by this time of year. It doesn't get easier than our version at Cafe Drake HRV. Start with 1 very large or two smaller bunches of broccoli. Cut florets into large pieces and trim and peel stalks. Cut these into smaller pieces and set aside while you fry 1 sliced onion in about 2 T. butter + 1 T. olive oil in a medium saucepan. When the onion begins to turn golden, add all of the broccoli along with 1 small, peeled and diced red potato (or Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn etc) and fry for 1 minute. Now add 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock, 5 whole black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf and, if desired, a small glass of dry white wine. Simmer, covered, on low heat until the veggies are all very soft. Cool slightly then puree till smooth in a blender. Return the soup to the stove and over very low flame, crumble in roughly 4 oz. bleu cheese. Stir to just melt. You'll need to season with salt now. An optional ingredient is heavy cream and now would be the time to add it if you desire true richness, about 4 T. should suffice. Serve soup piping hot in warmed bowls, with a bit of crumbled bleu cheese as garnish.

A side yard herb garden has yielded few pleasures greater than the luxury of healthy, bushy shiso leaf plants. Alas, this indispensable Japanese herb lives for the warm weather and radiant sun; the bits pictured above may be our last harvest of the year.

Above: kale salad, marinated cucumbers, roast teriyaki chicken with carrots and assorted peppers, shiso rice. Cafe Drake HRV feel in love with shiso rice after first sampling 25 years ago at Soho's treasure chest of Japanese comfort food, Omen. It couldn't be simpler to make. We cook short-grain brown rice until done, allow to rest covered for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. For 3 cups cooked rice you'll need at least 4-5 T. minced fresh shiso; stir into rice gently, replace lid and let all sit for another 10 minutes. A big pinch of salt stirred into the rice along with the shiso leaves helps boost flavors all around.

Most teriyaki sauces on supermarket shelves are loaded with stuff you don't want, like corn syrup and MSG. The natural foods stores charge extortionate prices for their versions. Make it at home and put it on a bird! As above, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a large baking sheet toss 5 or 6 peeled and sliced carrots and 2 green bell peppers (peppers cut lengthwise into 6 wide pieces) with 2 T. vegetable oil, salt and black pepper. If you like, sprinkle all over with sesame seeds and substitute cayenne for black pepper. Spread veggies into a single layer on baking sheet and place 6-8 chicken thighs on top. While the oven heats up, make a quick teriyaki sauce by blending together: 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 T. maple syrup, 1 minced clove of garlic and 2 t. fresh, grated or minced ginger. Pour this over the chicken and let a little bit drip over the veggies as well. Save some for basting in the last 10 minutes of cooking. The chicken thighs will take about 30-40 minutes to cook through and brown evenly. If the skin is not sufficiently crispy or brown, remove veggies and place the tray under the broiler for a minute or two, no more - the sugar in the sauce will burn easily. Nice garnishes include shredded shiso leaves, roughly chopped basil and mint in equal portions and slivered scallion.

Multi-Culti Mash-Up: chicken teriyaki, yellow rice, stewed black beans with Mexican dried chilies, jalapeno-corn muffin and spicy zucchini.

A new discovery at Cafe Drake HRV, golden nugget squashes are the perfect size for stuffing. Only 3/4 of the size of acorn squash, they cook faster and have a creamier flesh more akin to butternut squash.

Baked whole wheat egg noodles with tomato confit and Parmesan cheese, kale salad and olives.

It made us so happy how long those slow-cooked black beans hung around Cafe Drake HRV! Above, with German dark rye bread, house pickled chilies (from our garden) and brown rice dusted with nutritional yeast for a dairy-free, cheesey flavor.

More rye bread, poached and grilled bratwurst, yellow squash, salad and roasted eggplant puree.

Brussels sprouts stir-fried with green apples, onions and black mustard seeds.

BAsmati rice, yellow squash, moong dal, cilantro-apple chutney and Brussels sprouts.

We really really LOVE this new, improvised fresh chutney OMG! In a mini food processor puree to a paste: 1 tart green apple, peeled, cored and cut into pieces; 1/2 t. salt, 1 T. sugar, 1-2 T. lime juice, 1 small green chile, chopped and a huge handful of chopped cilantro. Throw in some mint leaves as well if you have them.

Guadalajara Beef Stew Step 1: Brown a pound of hormone-free and humanely raised beef cubes in olive oil.

Step 2: Place beef in covered casserole.

Step 3: Don't even think of rinsing out that skillet. Add some more oil and fry for a few minutes chopped onions, poblano peppers, garlic and tomatoes. Season bravely with ground cumin, oregano and a dash of allspice.

Step 4: Transfer cooked veggies to casserole with meat. Toss in (as above) sliced carrots, wedges of potato and apple and a few quartered tomatilloes. Pour in 2 cups of rich beef stock and about 1 cup of dark beer.

Step 5: Bake it all, covered for about 90 minutes in a 325 degree oven and this is what you get.

Topped with rice, a true one-dish meal.

The beef stew a couple of days later, reheated over cumin seed-flecked rice and crowned with spicy roasted peanuts.

Above two photos: dark German rye bread, aged Irish cheddar, grape tomatoes, Lolla Rossa lettuce (from Cafe Drake HRV gardens) and spicy Sicilian green olives.