Ski weekend cooking: warm up with cozy dishes after a day in the snow

Sunset, Feb, 2004 by Kate Washington

There's no more exhilarating way to spend a winter weekend than by renting a mountain cabin for a few days of skiing with friends or family. All too often, though, when you're ravenous after a day on the slopes, you find that the charming cabin is equipped with sleds but no skillets, and the local grocery sells tire chains but no good cheese.

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Luckily, there's a simple solution: Make some of your food before leaving home and bring it along for a meal that requires minimal time and equipment to put together. Nibble on savory pancetta-wrapped mushrooms while you heat up a cheese-topped four-onion soup; use sturdy, easy-to-transport radicchio to assemble a sophisticated salad with pears. Even the most basic small-town market can be counted on to supply ice cream for our delectable coffee sundaes, a no-fuss dessert that, like the rest of the meal, will leave you with plenty of time to enjoy your getaway.

Pancetta-Wrapped Mushrooms

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 45 minutes

MAKES: 24 appetizers; 4 to 6 servings

NOTES: Pancetta, an Italian bacon that is cured but not smoked, is available in well-stocked supermarkets and in specialty food stores. If you can't find it, substitute thin slices of regular bacon. You can wrap the mushrooms in the pancetta (through step 2) up to 2 days ahead; cover and chill. Allow an extra 5 minutes for baking the chilled mushrooms.

  24  mushrooms (with 1-in.-wide caps;
      about 5 oz. total), rinsed and
      patted dry

      Salt and fresh-ground pepper

  24  fresh sage leaves, rinsed and patted
      dry

  24  thin slices pancetta (about 6 oz.
      total; see notes) or 12 strips thin
      sliced bacon

1. Trim and discard tough or discolored stem ends from mushrooms. Sprinkle mushrooms lightly all over with salt and pepper.

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2. Lay a sage leaf over the top of each mushroom, then wrap mushroom and sage leaf with pancetta. (If using regular bacon, cut each strip in half to form two shorter strips, and wrap each mushroom with a short strip.) If desired, leave tip of sage leaf protruding from wrapping. Spear mushroom with a toothpick, securing outer end of pancetta and leaving toothpick protruding to use for serving. Evenly space wrapped mushrooms in a 10- by 15-inch nonstick baking pan.

3. Bake in a 400[degrees] regular or convection oven until most of the pancetta is crisp and browned, about 25 minutes (see notes). Serve hot, leaving toothpicks in.

Per serving: 51 cal., 71% (36 cal.) from fat; 2.8 g protein; 4 g fat (1.4 g sat.); 1 g carbo (0.2 g fiber); 127 mg sodium; 6.7 mg chol.

Four-Onion Soup

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/2 hours

MAKES: 4 to 6 servings

NOTES: You can make the soup base (through step 3) up to 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Before serving, reheat soup, then proceed with step 4.

      2  pounds red onions

      1  pound sweet onions, such as Walla Walla

      1  pound leeks

      8  ounces shallots

      3  tablespoons butter About 1 teaspoon salt

  1 1/2  quarts fat-skimmed beef broth

  1 1/2  cups dry red wine

      2  teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
         Pepper

    3/4  cup shredded Swiss cheese

    3/4  cup shredded dry jack or parmesan cheese

      6  slices crusty French bread (1 in. thick)

1. Cut red and sweet onions in half lengthwise; peel and thinly slice crosswise. Cut off and discard dark green tops and root ends from leeks. Cut leeks in half lengthwise and rinse well under running water, flipping layers to release grit. Slice leeks thinly crosswise. Peel shallots and thinly slice crosswise.

2. In a 4- to 6-quart pan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add red and sweet onions, leeks, and shallots. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as necessary to prevent scorching, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 1 hour.

3. Stir in broth, wine, and thyme; add pepper and more salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 10 minutes (see notes).

4. In a small bowl, mix Swiss and dry jack cheeses. Set ovenproof soup bowls on a baking sheet. Ladle hot soup into bowls. Float a slice of bread on each bowl of soup, then sprinkle each with 1/4 cup shredded cheese.

5. Broil soup about 8 inches from heat until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Per serving: 499 cal., 29% (144 cal.) from fat; 23 g protein; 16 g fat (9 g sat.); 61 g carbo (5.5 g fiber); 1,019 mg sodium; 44 mg chol.

Radicchio and Pear Salad

PREP TIME: About 15 minutes

MAKES: 4 to 6 servings

   2  heads radicchio (1 lb. total), rinsed

    2  firm-ripe pears (1 lb. total)

  1/2  cup diced (1/4 in.) dry jack or
     parmesan cheese

  1/4  cup lemon juice

    3  tablespoons olive oil Salt

1. Cut radicchio heads in half lengthwise; cut out and discard cores. Thinly slice radicchio crosswise and transfer to a large bowl. Peel and core pears; cut into 1/2-inch chunks. Add pears and cheese to bowl with radicchio.