Build a Better Feast

Drop that ham and ditch the green bean casserole. Tradition won’t hog-tie your holiday spread this ­season. You and your guests deserve better than yams in a can. That’s why we’ve enlisted Peter ­Serpico, chef de cuisine at ­Manhattan’s ultra-exclusive Momofuku Ko, to serve as your sous-chef for a drool-inducing menu that will warm the winter months and satisfy your hunger for something more.


Rib Eye with Butternut Squash

“Beef is the perfect cold-weather food,” says Serpico. “It doesn’t even need a sauce.” This cut carries the heft of a turkey, without the dried-out, lackluster flavor that bogs down most birds.

You’ll need
     Grapeseed oil
     Large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into bite-sized pieces
     2 large onions, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
     4 lb rib eye, French cut
     2 Tbsp fresh cracked black pepper
     1/4 cup sea salt
     2 heads garlic, peeled and cut in half horizontally
     1 pack cedar grilling papers ($10, fireandflavor.com)
        Maldon sea salt

How to make it
Heat 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil in a sauté pan on medium and cook the squash and onions in it for 5 minutes, until the squash starts to caramelize. Score the rib eye with a paring knife, making small cuts along the surface. (This will give the meat a better crust, says Serpico.) Rub the meat with cracked black pepper and sea salt. Coat a large baking dish with grape-seed oil and heat in the oven at 375˚F. In a large roasting pan, sear the rib eye on medium-high for 5 to 10 minutes on each side, or until the meat takes on a dark caramel color. Pour off the excess fat. Toss the squash, onions, and garlic in the bottom of the baking dish and place cedar papers on top of the vegetables. Rest the rib eye on the cedar papers and roast at 375°F for 1½ hours. Let the meat rest for 25 minutes, and then drain fat from the pan and remove the garlic cloves. Slice the meat from top to bottom, between bones. Finish with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve atop the cedar planks,
squash, and onions. Makes 4 servings


Tip: Before using them, burn the cedar planks on your burner. The charred wood will intensify the aroma of your main course, says Serpico.

Tip: Season the rib eye just before searing. “Don’t season too far ahead of time,” says Serpico. Water follows salt, so the seasoning will dry out the meat if it sits too long before cooking.

Tip: Slice your meat to check for doneness and you’ll disrupt the cooking process. Instead, Serpico inserts a long metal skewer into the center of the meat. Remove the skewer and touch it to the spot between your bottom lip and your chin. If it’s warm, the meat is rare to medium-rare. If it’s too hot to touch, it’s well done. For the rib eye, the skewer should feel slightly above body temperature, he says.

Tip: Meat cooks long after you remove it from its heat source. Think of the resting period as the meat’s time to self-marinate. Rotate the rib eye every few minutes to circulate the juices, bathing the meat in flavor. And flip it occasionally to prevent juices from settling.



Brussels Sprouts with Water Chestnuts and Bacon Dust

You’ll need
     4 cups fresh brussels sprouts
     1 Tbsp olive oil
     7 fresh water chestnuts
     5 pieces bacon
     2 sprigs thyme
        Sea salt
        Pepper

How to make it
Clean the brussels sprouts, removing the first few outside leaves. Quarter the sprouts, coat them with olive oil, and roast them in a pan over medium heat until lightly browned. While the sprouts cook, peel the water chestnuts and smash the pulp with the flat of your knife. Cook the bacon in a skillet until it’s completely crisp. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes, and then chop the bacon into tiny pieces. Top the sprouts with the bacon dust, water chestnuts, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Makes 4 servings



Mustard Greens with Roasted Cashews and Pea Tendrils

You’ll need
     1 head mustard greens, torn into bite-sized pieces
     1 bunch mizuna
     Handful of pea tendrils or pea leaves
     1 Tbsp butter
     2 cups cashews
     Sea salt
     Juice of one lemon
     4 Tbsp olive oil

How to make it
Wash and dry the mustard greens, mizuna, and pea tendrils. Brown the butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, stirring continuously until it smells nutty. Add the cashews and stir for 5 minutes until browned. Drain the cashews on a paper towel and salt lightly. Char the pea tendrils in the skillet (with no oil) on medium. Add a splash of water as the leaves burn slightly. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until the tendrils wilt. Plate greens with the mizuna and charred tendrils and cashews. Finish with lemon juice, and olive oil and salt to taste. Makes 4 servings



Beet Salad with Seared Ricotta Salata

You’ll need
     2 lb whole beets
     3/4 lb ricotta salata, cut into flat chunks
     2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
     5 basil leaves
        Juice of one lemon
        Maldon sea salt
        Sea salt
        White pepper

How to make it
Remove the tops from the beet bulbs, and boil the bulbs in salted water until they’re tender. Wash and dry the beet tops and remove the greens from the stems. Set both aside. In a separate pan, shallow fry the ricotta salata in grapeseed oil, turning carefully until every side is crisped to a dark brown. Let the cheese cool, then crumble it and set it aside. Next, drain the beet bulbs, reserving ¼ cup of the juice. As you wait for the bulbs to cool, finely dice the stems. Sauté the stems and the greens in the beet juice on medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the greens wilt and the juice evaporates. Peel and chop the bulbs into bite-sized pieces and put the sautéed stems and greens, ricotta, torn basil leaves, lemon juice, salts, and pepper over top. Makes 4 servings

Tip: Use a long metal skewer to pierce the beets as they boil. If your skewer slides through without resistance, your beets are done. You can use the same tactic with the butternut squash and brussels sprouts.

Tip: Put down the paring knife. You can peel beets with a couple of paper towels. Just clasp a beet and rub off the skin. You’ll save your digits from red stains—either from the beets’ deep pigment, or from your own blood when the knife slips on a beet’s slick surface.

Turn to the next page for the best Asian vegetable swaps...

Add These Asian Vegetables, Boost Your Health   
Less than 10 percent of supermarket shoppers consume Asian vegetables regularly, according to researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale—which means you may be missing out on the protective powers of Eastern food. Make these swaps and reap the rewards.

Try: Graffiti eggplant
Instead of: Roasted potatoes
The Benefit: This fiber-packed vegetable may help fight high blood pressure, according to a recent study. Cube it and coat it with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then sauté over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until tender.

Try: Bok choy
Instead of: Creamed spinach
The Benefit: Bok choy contains indole-3-carbinol—scientist-speak for a compound that may help fight colon and prostate cancers. To cook it, separate the leaves from the head, wash the leaves, and sauté them for 5 minutes in a skillet with olive oil and one clove of garlic, sliced.

Try: Fava beans
Instead of: Canned peas
The Benefit: One cup contains almost eight times more protein than the same amount of canned peas.

Try: Daikon sprouts (Kaiware)
Instead of: Croutons
The Benefit: These sprouts contain agents that may fight colon cancer, according to Italian researchers. Add them to any salad.