Seasonal Winter Side Dishes
Paul Virant
Chicago, IL
Chef demonstration
Soups & Sides
Winter
Delicata squash, pea shoots, blue cheese
(serves 8)
- 4 delicata squash, washed, split lengthwise, thinly sliced
- 3T grape seed oil
- 3T butter
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 2 quarts pea shoots
- Blue cheese
- Roast the squash in the butter and oil until caramelized (about 5-7 min)
- Season, add the garlic, cook another minute
- Remove from heat, add the lemon juice and zest
- Toss in pea shoots, garnish with crumbled blue cheese, serve
Roasted river valley mushrooms with pickled green beans
(serves 8)
- 1lb oyster mushrooms, torn
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- 3T grape seed oil
- 3T butter
- Salt and pepper
- 1cup pickled green beans, sliced with ½ c of the pickling liquid
- Roast the mushrooms in a wide hot pan with the butter and oil for 2 minutes
- Add the onion and garlic, cook 2 more minutes, season
- Deglaze with the beans, serve
Caramelized chestnuts, sunchokes, milk jam
(serves 8)
- ½lb individually quick frozen chestnuts, thawed
- ½lb sunchokes, scrubbed, washed and thinly sliced
- 4oz butter
- Water
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2cup milk jam (or sweetened condensed milk)
- In a wide saucepan cook the chestnuts in butter to brown @5 minutes
- Add the rosemary, cover with a lid and continue cooking on low heat another 10 minutes until they are almost cooked through
- Add the sunchokes, cover and cook until tender
- Serve with a garnish of rosemary