Dining In: A wintertime one-pot meal

The holiday season is finally behind us and winter has set in. We have a few weeks before the revelry of Mardi Gras, and we find ourselves wanting to do nothing more than take a deep breath and relax. But relaxing doesn’t mean hibernating or being anti-social. Rather, this is one of the best times of year to just hang out casually with good friends on a Friday night and enjoy a simple, stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal.

This menu is a great do-ahead dinner that practically cooks itself. It takes just a few minutes of prep time in the morning and can then be put in a slow cooker to simmer away all day. It makes a wintry dinner party doable and a lot of fun!

THE MENU

• Asian Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Sharp Cheddar
• Cajun-style Choucroute Garnie
• Warm Apple Gingerbread
All recipes by Tracey Koch

Asian Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Sharp Cheddar

This salad is simple and delicious. We decided to change it up a bit and use Asian pears. With a firm, crunchy texture and a flavor that’s a cross between an apple and a pear, it works well in salads or alongside cheeses for an appetizer or cheese course. They are available from early fall through the early winter. If you can’t find Asian pears, try using regular pears or apples.

Servings: 6

¼ cup sherry vinegar
½ cup walnut or grape seed oil
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 large ripe Asian pears
1 head butter lettuce (washed and torn into bite-size pieces)
1 cup fresh shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup toasted walnuts

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper to make a dressing. Set it aside.

2. Peel and slice the pears. Toss them into the dressing.

3. Divide the lettuce between 6 chilled salad plates. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pear slices from the dressing and divide the pear slices between each plate.

4. Top each salad with some of the sharp cheddar cheese. Drizzle each salad with a little of the remaining dressing. Sprinkle each salad with some toasted walnuts and serve.

Cajun-style Choucroute Garnie

Choucroute Garnie is a French/German dish of sauerkraut cooked down with potatoes, onions and sausages. It is a perfect dish to serve on a cold winter night and is easy to put together. A traditional Choucroute Garnie may contain sausages like bratwurst or knockwurst. However, we decided to spice it up a bit and make it using sausages that we like here in Louisiana. In our version, we used tasso, a Cajun green onion sausage and a nice smoky andouille. We found we like this dish even better using these more flavorful types of sausage, though this dish works with many types of meats and sausage. Feel free to experiment.

Servings: 6

4 medium red potatoes, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound tasso
1 pound Cajun green onion sausage, cut into quarters
1 pound smoked andouille sausage, cut into quarters
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup water or chicken broth
1 32-ounce jar sauerkraut
2 bay leaves
1 12-ounce bottle of beer
Spicy Creole mustard to taste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the potatoes. Boil the potatoes for 3 minutes and drain well. Set the potatoes aside.

2. In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Sauté the tasso for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Remove the tasso. Brown the sausage and andouille for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the meat to paper towels to drain.

4. Add the chopped onions to the skillet and sauté until soft. Stir in the chopped garlic and continue cooking a few more seconds.

5. Add the parboiled potatoes, salt and pepper and sauté 5 more minutes.

6. Pour in the water or broth to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bits off the bottom.

7. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut. Set it aside.

8. Place the potatoes and onions in a layer at the bottom of a slow cooker. Top it with the sauerkraut and bay leaves.

9. Top this with the sausages and tasso. Pour the beer over everything and set the cooker on high.

10. Cook for 3 to 4 hours; or, set it on low and cook all day. Serve with spicy Creole mustard.

Warm Apple Gingerbread

This easy and satisfying dessert is a perfect end to this cozy meal and a favorite treat in our house during the cooler months. It is great in the morning with your coffee or in the afternoon with a hot cup of tea. The applesauce keeps this quick little cake very moist.

Servings: 6

1 box gingerbread cake mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1¼ cups unsweetened applesauce
1 egg, slightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the gingerbread cake mix, cinnamon and nutmeg.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce and egg.

4. Fold the applesauce mixture into the cake mix until well incorporated.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until a tester in the center comes out clean.