IN-SEASON RECIPES

I hope it isn't un-Christmas-spirited to want to make things as easy as possible at holiday time. Since I want to play and not be behind the stove, I look for recipes with the best labor-to-deliciousness ratio. These three recipes make the cut! Chocolate Cherry Granola With Christmas cookies everywhere, I like to give gifts like this chocolate cherry granola that occupy a different niche. These make wonderful ice cream toppers. Yield: 10 cups 6 cups rolled, old-fashioned oats 3 cups raw or roasted unsalted nuts, such as pistachios, hazelnuts or a mix, roughly chopped 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds 1 cup maple syrup 1 cup olive oil 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons Kosher salt 2 cups dried cherries 1/4 cup cocoa nibs, optional Preheat the oven to 325. In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts, and pumpkin seeds. In a medium pot, heat maple syrup, olive oil, cocoa powder and kosher salt until mixture bubbles and dry ingredients are dissolved. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Lay out on two sheet pans. Bake until nicely toasted, about 20-25 minutes. I prefer not to stir to end up with some big chunks. Cool for 8-10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl or storage container and stir in dried cherries and cocoa nibs, if using. Local ingredients: maple syrup ——— Cheese Balls My father is a great winter port wine enthusiast, and these are the perfect accompaniment. Although I am providing a recipe, this is solidly in the choose-your-own-adventure category. Keep the cream cheese and butter, and use any leftover bits of cheese, fresh or dried herbs, anything in the onion or garlic family — whatever appeals to you. Yield: 20 +/- 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 4 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 cup goat cheese 1 cup finely grated hard cheese 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender 1/2 teaspoon fennel pollen 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 3/4 cup finely chopped pistachios In a small stand mixer or with an electric handheld beater or immersion blender, beat butter and cream cheese until very smooth. Add goat cheese, hard cheese, lavender, fennel pollen, and cayenne and beat together. Scoop into about twenty 1-inch balls and roll in pistachios to coat well. Serve at room temperature with bread or crackers. Local ingredients: butter, cream cheese, cheese ——- Sausage Pinwheels I stockpile ready-to-bake hors d'oeuvres in the freezer for drop-in visitors and holiday potlucks. If you use store-bought puff pastry, these sausage pinwheels are a breeze to make and freeze into logs until needed. 16 ounces of loose sausage or your favorite link sausage removed from its casing 1 package of puff pastry dough 1 egg, lightly beaten Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook sausage until brown in a large skillet. Drain if fatty, cool slightly, then chop in a food processor using the pulse function. Roll out the cold puff pastry dough into a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle and position it with the long side facing your workstation. Egg wash the dough, spread sausage mixture evenly. Roll tightly into a cylinder. Chill or nearly freeze. When ready to bake, cut frozen logs into 1/2-inch slices and spread out on a parchment-lined pan. Bake until nicely golden brown, about 20 minutes. Local ingredients: sausage, egg