There are a some things we can always count on in life: mother-in-laws will inevitably drive us bonkers, our kids will probably need therapy down the road, and Marisa Tomei will always be cooler than we are. Who could forget Untamed Heart? Or The Wrestler. Then there’s that little hit film, My Cousin Vinny.
In light of the Oscar-winner’s recent 49th birthday, we’re celebrating Meatless Monday with a vegetable medley recipe that the actress created for an intimate dinner party with the help of her pal, famed chef Mario Batali. We may not be able to tame your relatives, or your little ones for that matter, but we have it on high authority that this wintry crowd pleaser is bound to give you a couple more cool points. And that’s gotta count for something.
Marisa Tomei’s Autumn Vegetables With Goat Cheese And Pumpkin Seed Oil
Ingredients:
1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil1/4 cup Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and sliced into 1/8-inch disks (optional)
2 parsnips, scrubbed and sliced into 1/4-inch disks
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 leek, white part only, cut into 3-inch julienne pieces
1/2 celery root, peeled and cut into julienne pieces
1/4 pound mizuna, watercress, or frisee
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 1-inch baguette slices, toasted for 2 minutes in 400°F oven
1/4 pound fresh goat cheese
2 tablespoons pumpkin-seed oil (available at specialty stores)