Posts from the ‘Vegetables’ Category

Aug 10

A Simple Bread Salad For Fiesta Friday #28

New Jersey’s finest fresh vegetables

I’ll be honest everyone, last week was rough for me. Not only was I extremely busy with work but I have to somehow balance demanding workload with 2 very sick senior dogs who are deteriorating despite my best efforts. According to my Vet he thinks Nando had a minor stroke, Izzy has had a very hard time breathing it seems only one lung is usable, the right side of her heart is enlarged, her trachea and bronchial stem have collapsed. They are also both diabetic. You have to know how much I love my dogs and would do anything to make hem happy and as comfortable as possible. I lacked inspiration to make anything substantial but did get a wonderful surprise via my friend who lives in New Jersey, it seems her neighbor a feisty Italian lady is quite the gardener and although I have never met her in person she picked these beautiful vegetables from her garden for me. There is a story behind her tomatoes, the seeds are from Italy and every year after she harvests the tomatoes she saves the seeds to propagate the species I guess you could say.

Although this salad is very simple and really does not require a recipe it is nonetheless very special. The vegetables are all from the sweet lady in New Jersey who each year lovingly saves the seeds so that the blood line will continue and the Italian tomato lives on year after year. So my offering for this Fiesta Friday hosted and lovingly put together each week by Angie@The Novice Gardener and our amazing co hosts Saucy@ Saucy Gander and Margot@Gather and Graze. If you had to do a double take, yes, Saucy and Margot agreed to stay on as co hosts a second week in a row. That Dame Edna just won’t leave the party, she really knows how to party hard.

Panzanella aka Italian Bread Salad

Some stale bread, a couple of days old is good cut into bite size pieces

Good juicy ripe tomatoes

Shallot

Cucumber

parsley and basil

toasted pine nuts (optional) I love them in the salad

salt and pepper

red wine vinegar and olive oil

Put the bread cubes in a big bowl, mix the tomato, shallot, cucumber with some vinegar and oil, salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the bread, add the chopped basil and parsley and pine nuts. Toss to combine and serve after letting it sit for about 30 minutes. The bread needs to soak up the juices of the tomatoes, vinegar and oil.

Panzanella

Fiesta Friday

Jul 25

113 Comments

Summer Vegetable Cous Cous With Feta And Pine Nuts For Fiesta Friday #26

Cous Cous loaded with Vegetables

I wanted a quick side dish that didn’t require standing over a hot stove, I had some great vegetables that I needed to use and some cous cous in the pantry and thought this will go nicely together. The vegetables I used are tri color small peppers, orange, yellow and red, yellow squash and sweet heirloom cherry tomatoes, I cranked the oven to 400 degree’s prepared the vegetables, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper and they were done in 15 minutes. The cous cous is so easy, I’m sure you know what I mean, boil some water, pour it over the cous cous, cover and let sit. I wanted to make this more interesting so I ran to my garden and got some parsley and mint which I chopped, thought well something crunchy like nuts would be nice and I remembered I had some pignoli in the freezer, I quickly toasted them on the stove top. To finish the dish I mixed it all together with some olive oil and the juice of lemon, sprinkled with more pine nuts and crumbled fets on top. Voila, easy, quick and delicious side or meal.

Fiesta Friday #26 is in full swing and I hope you all like my cous cous dish. Angie @The Novice Gardener is always there to make sure things are running smoothly and the co hosts this week, Prudy @Butter, Basil and Breadcrumbs and Jess @Cooking Is My Sport seem to have eyes in back of their heads keeping everything organized and in order. Great work everyone!

So pretty and nutritious

Here is what you will need for 4 servings:

1 summer squash, cut into bite size pieces

10 cherry tomatoes

4 small peppers with seeds removed and cut in half.

1 cup cous cous

1 cup water boiled

pine nuts about a cup toasted

feta for crumbling

a handful of parsley and mint leaves

salt and pepper

1 lemon juiced

olive oil

Roast the vegetables in a hot oven 400 degrees for approximately 15 miniutes. Remove from oven, you can at the same time toast the pine nuts ( I didn’t think of it at the time but in retrospect it would be a good idea, just watch them carefully stirring frequently or they will burn.

Make the cous cous, when it’s rested the requisite time according to package directions fluff with a fork. Place cous cous, roasted vegetables about 3/4 of the toasted pine nuts,herbs, a little olive oil, lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Sprinkle the remaining pine nuts and crumble feta on top and serve.

Fiesta Friday

Jul 18

93 Comments

Cold Roasted Summer Vegetable Soup Shots For Fiesta Friday #25

Summer Vegetable Soup

I’m not much of a soup person when it’s really hot out, however a cold or room temp soup is perfect summer fare. I had an over abundance of vegetables that I bought at the farmers market that I needed to use and I love roasted vegetables, I put them in salads, eat on their own or as a side they are delicious and very versatile. When I say I had a lot of vegetables I mean a lot, I roasted two 1/2 sheet pans of assorted vegetables, some I ate the others I thought I would make into a soup. This soup is a mix of asparagus, green beans, carrots, red scallions and summer squash. It takes a short time to roast and then you are done with the hot oven and all you will need is your blender or food processor, I simply put the vegetables in the processor, added salt, pepper,creme fraiche and vegetable broth. I garnished with mint and garlic that I fried in some olive oil. You can of course use whatever vegetables you like or have on hand. There really is no recipe. you puree vegetables and add liquid until it’s the desired thickness, I don’t use any spices if you like to add them I think it would be wonderful. Serve warm, cold or room temperature.

Week #25, my how time flies. Well this week our always glowing host Angie@The Novice Gardener has asked two bloggers that were the very first co hosts for Fiesta Friday, Hilda @Along The Grapevine and Julianna @Foodie On Board. We are in good hands my friends

garnish

Here is what I used:

1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and woody stems snapped off (make sure to really clean the heads they can contain sand)

approximately 2 cups green beans stem end snapped off and cleaned

6 small carrots roasted whole with about an inch of the green stem left on

4 yellow summer squash cut into large chunks

4 large red bulb scallions cleaned ends cut ( I didn’t use the long green stems only about an inch above the bulb)

vegetable or chicken broth (enough to thin the soup to desired consistency)

creme fraiche or kefir I added about 1/2 cup

salt and pepper to taste

Mint cut chiffonade

garlic sliced very thinly

Roast the vegetables in a 375 degree oven, I roasted the carrots, squash and onions longer than the asparagus and green beans. About 30 minutes for the carrots etc and 15-20 minutes for asparagus and green beans.

Remove from oven and place in processor with some stock, process until smooth. Pour into bowl and add the creme fraiche or kefir, salt and pepper, do all of this to taste and desired thickness.

In saute pan coat with olive oil, add garlic and when it just starts to turn a light brown add the mint, saute until mint is crisp and garlic is a nice light brown, remove to paper towel. When serving sprinkle some on top of each serving you can also add a dollop of sour cream.

Roasted summer vegetable soup

Fiesta Friday

Jun 27

73 Comments

Orecchiette With Pancetta And Broccoli Rabe For Fiesta Friday #22

Pasta Heaven

A simple rustic dish, no recipe required for FF#22. I love pasta, and orecchiette is one of my favorites. broccoli rabe is wonderful with it’s slightly bitter taste and when sauteed in garlic and pancetta it’s absolutely delicious. This weeks Fiesta Friday brings us an encore performance co hosting from Elaine@foodbod and also Prudy@butter,basil and breadcrumbs and as always Angie@The Novice Gardener is keeping a watchful eye out for all of us. This dish still tastes great at room temperature so it’s perfect for a buffet.

All you need is:

1 bunch fresh broccoli rabe, cleaned and thick stems cut off

2 thick slices pancetta chopped into bite size pieces

garlic 2 cloves sliced thinly

crushed red pepper flakes a generous pinch

orecchiette

Olive oil

salt and pepper

parmigiano and/or romano for grating

Steam the cleaned broccoli rabe until tender, set aside. Put large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. In large skillet add some olive oil, when hot add the pancetta, when it starts to lightly brown add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Now add the broccoli rabe and cook until tender and each piece is coated with the garlic and oil. Set heat to low and cook the pasta, when al dente, turn heat up to high and add the drained pasta to the broccoli and pancetta, saute turning until each is coated with the oil, add a little pasta water and let cook until water is gone. Place in serving bowl and grate some cheese on top.

YUM

Fiesta Friday

May 31

87 Comments

Salad e Olivieh For Fiesta Friday #18

Salad e Olivieh,flat bread

Last Friday I was a really good girl and brought vegetables, this week I’m gonna be bad and bring something not so virtuous, but oh so delicious, a small portion is all you need. Salad e Olivieh is the Persian equivalent of potato salad, I believe it has roots in Russia as well, there are a few different ingredients but it’s very similar to the Persian version, this contains shredded chicken, potato salad does not usually contain meat, although I have seen some with ham. I love this dish, it’s filling and so tasty, creamy and when drizzled with some good olive oil and scooped up with warm flat bread or lavosh it’s really wonderful. HINT: Make it the night before you are going to serve, to me it always tastes better after a rest in the refrigerator overnight, the flavors meld and its’ really delicious!

I used to make this dish all the time, it’s especially good for a pot luck or party because it serves a lot of people. I used rotisserie chicken for this which cut out some of the work and I’m all about side stepping some work as long as the results are good. I also had fresh spring peas and some homemade mayo. The cornichon and lemon give it zing, the combination of all the components is a real treat.

Fiesta Friday #18 is as always hosted by Angie@thenovicegardener and this week it’s co hosted by Mr. Fitz@cooking with Mr. Fitz and Justine@eclectic odds n sods and with all the incredible food and great company we have the makings for a really fun party!

Iranian Potato Salad

Makes a lot!! Serves at least 10 people

Ingredients:

1 Small chicken (baked or boiled and shredded) or use a rotisserie chicken
6-8 Potato’s (I like Yukon Gold) If the potato is large use 6, medium-small use 8
4 Hard boiled eggs chopped
1 cup Cornichon pickles chopped
1 cup Baby Peas, canned, fresh or frozen your choice.
1-2 cup Mayonaise (homemade or bought) You can add how much you like
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 whole lemon depending on size)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Bread of your choice, I like with either warmed flat bread or baguette drizzled with olive oil and toasted
Lemon wedges
Olive Oil to drizzle
Garnish with snips of chives and a sprinkling of sumac

Directions:
Prepare the chicken you can bake or boil. (I like to bake seasoned with some salt and pepper and thyme with a half lemon and shalot in the cavity. If you bake the chicken cover baking pan with aluminum foil, For a small chicken it takes less than an hour to bake. Boiling is approximately the same cooking time.
While chicken is baking peel potato’s and boil them whole until they are fork tender but not falling apart.When they are done drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Mash with one of those hand held mashers it’s a rough mash leaving lots of pieces of potato. Boil your eggs.
Chop your pickles, chop the hard boiled egg, shred the chicken add it all to the large mixing bowl along with the potato’s. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, mayonnaise starting with 1 cup add more as needed and according to your taste. Salt and pepper to taste and lastly add the peas gently incorporate so as not to mash them. Place in your serving dish and spread some mayonnaise on top, cover and refrigerate.
Refrigerate overnight. Before serving snip some chives on top and sprinkle with sumac. Serve with warm bread, squeeze some lemon on top and drizzle with olive oil.

salad e olivieh

May 24

86 Comments

The Virtuous Lacto-Fermented Vegetable For Fiesta Friday

Mixed Vegetables

You will probably think I am terribly boring bringing lacto-fermented vegetables to a party. But wait until you taste them, they are absolutely delicious and go so well with any number of savory dishes. I found some beautiful carrots. kirby cucumbers, sugar snap peas and spring onions at the farmers market and decided to try my hand at lacto-fermentation. I recently read about the health benefits you get from eating vegetables preserved in this manner on the wonderful website Healthy Green Kitchen it sounded delicious and super easy to do, mind you I am not one who is adept at preserving anything. So this is my offering for the party, crunchy healthful lacto-fermented vegetables.

I am very excited to participate in Fiesta Friday #17 and this weeks hosts are Jhuls@the not so creative cook and Selma@selma’s table and Alex@Dinner Daydreams. Of course I can’t forget the always effervescent Angie who put this whole party together. Thanks Angie and our lovely hosts.

Lacto Fermented Mixed Vegetables

Makes 2 large Weck Canning jars

3-4 kirby cucumbers cleaned and cut into quarters

4 small carrots. cut in half and halved again

4-6 scallions with part of the green cut off, cleaned and ends trimmed

approximately 1 cup sugar snap peas

4 cloves garlic, smashed

4 tbs sea salt

2 tsp peppercorns, I used a mix

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Wash your jars with warm soapy water. Place all the vegetables, salt, garlic, peppercorns and crushed pepper in large non reactive bowl and toss to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes stirring frequently to coat the vegetables with the salt.

Fill the jars with the vegetables and top off with spring or filtered water leaving about an inch space at the top. Make sure your vegetables are covered or completely submerged in the water. Place lid on the jars and secure. Let sit on the counter for 2-4 days. They are now ready to eat. Refrigerate after opening.

Pretty vegetables

May 18

64 Comments

Spaghetti With Broccoli And Garlic And Parmigiano Lemon Bread Crumbs

Pasta and broccoli

There are so many delicious sweet treats for Fiesta Friday #16 that I decided I would bring a savory dish. I make this often, practically every week, it’s one of my favorite quick and simple meals. I find that making some of the components of the dish in the morning really help this to come together quickly for dinner. I like to make the breadcrumbs and steam the broccoli in the morning. The breadcrumbs taste so good when they are made a few hours ahead of the meal. I also steam the broccoli in the morning and saute in the evening before serving. There really is no recipe per say for this dish, but here are the list of ingredients and instructions.

Fiesta Friday #16 is hosted by Elaine@foodbod and Stacey@10 legs in the kitchen and to find out more about Fiesta Fridays and hopefully join the party visit Angie’s lovely site The Novice Gardener. I must say I am having a blast participating, there are so many great cooks, we all have fun!

Broccoli- cut into bite size pieces

2 cloves garlic thinly sliced

pinch of red pepper flakes

spaghetti or pasta of your choice

approximately 1/4 cup chicken broth or pasta water

Bread crumbs (preferably fresh bread crumbs)

1 clove garlic minced

olive oil

parmigiano grated

pinch of lemon zest (zest of half a lemon)

black pepper a few turns of the pepper mill

salt if needed

Mix bread crumbs, lemon, parmigiano and black pepper. In saute pan heat some olive oil and add the minced garlic, now add the breadcrumbs and saute until toasted a golden brown. Remove the bread crumbs and set aside, don’t clean the pan use the same pan for the broccoli.

Steam broccoli to your desired doneness, for this dish I like it pretty soft, probably softer than most of you would want to cook it. I steam it for about 8-10 minutes. Put the water (be sure to add salt to the water) on for the spaghetti, when boiling vigorously cook to al dente and remove, save some of the water. To your saute pan add olive oil, garlic and pepper flakes, saute until the garlic softens and starts to turn a very light brown. Add the broccoli and stir until it’s covered with the oil and garlic, saute for a few minutes, add the chicken broth or reserved pasta water and cook for a few minutes, add the pasta and toss with the sauteed broccoli and cook for just about a minute. Remove from pan. Top the spaghetti with the bread crumbs and serve. I like to add more cheese.

Pasta Yum!

Fiesta Friday

May 15

71 Comments

Semolina Yeast Herb Pancakes With Eggplant And Garbanzo Stew

pancakes

A little different spin on the yeast and herb challenge for Fiesta Friday’s Challenge #1. These pancakes are Moroccan in origin, are so simple to make and really delicious. They are the perfect vehicle for whatever you would like to dip or scoop. I chose a roasted tomato,garbanzo and eggplant stew served with a cold yogurt, cucumber and mint salad. The pancakes only need one rise for an hour, the texture is different from your standard pancake because they are made predominantly with semolina. The basic recipe does not contain herbs but for this challenge I gathered some fresh herbs from the garden and added a little dried marjoram.

This very special edition of Fiesta Friday’s is hosted by the always wonderful Angie from The Novice Gardener and co- host Catherine@Catherine Cuisine, Angie and Catherine will not only host, they will also judge, yes, there will be a winner and a gift. So exciting.

Pancakes:

Serves 4-6depending on serving size

3 cups warm whey or water

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp instant yeast

1 3/4 cup semolina

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp honey

1 tsp salt

1 cup fresh herbs chopped (I used parsley, mint and chives) I used more parsley and chives than mint.

1 tsp dried marjoram

In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the warm whey or water with the baking powder. In a food processor, combine the semolina with the flour, yeast, honey and the remaining 2 3/4 cups of warm water; process for 30 seconds, until smooth. Add the salt and baking powder mixture and process for 30 seconds longer. Pour the batter into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. I made this in the morning and let it rise for an hour then refrigerated until ready to make. Be sure to let it come to room temperature before making the pancakes.

Heat a crepe pan or skillet coated with olive oil until its hot, a drop of water should dance on the surface. Add the chopped herbs and marjoram and stir to combine. Ladle some of the batter, it’s fairly thin,into the pan and quickly spread so it makes a thin layer. Let it cook until bubbles appear then flip and brown on the other side. Keep in the oven on warm until ready to serve.

Stew

Eggplant and garbanzo stew

1 large eggplant skin removed and cut into approximately 1 inch cubes

1 small onion or 2 shallot minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (I used canned)

2 cups tomato sauce ( I made my own from roasted cherry tomatoes pureed in the blender)

1/2 tsp turmeric

pinch saffron

juice of half a lemon or a dried lime (if using dried lime make sure to use a knife and make slits)

1 tsp harissa or add to taste and heat tolerance.

Salt and pepper to taste

A generous handful of parsley and a few mint leaves chopped

Toss the eggplant in olive oil and bake in 375 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes or until browned. In saucepan sweat the onion and garlic in some olive oil, add the garbanzo’s and saute briefly just to warm and coat with the oil, now add the tomato sauce, turmeric, saffron,harissa and lemon and let simmer for 30 minutes, watch carefully and add liquid if necessary, you don’t want it too dry.
Add the eggplant and simmer for another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and mint right before serving.

Yogurt,cucumber mint salad

2 cups plain greek yogurt ( I like full or reduced fat not non fat)

1 cucumber peeled and cut into small pieces

1- 1 1/2 tsp dried mint

salt and pepper to taste

Delicious meal

Fiesta Friday Challenge

Apr 29

85 Comments

Small Plates- Tapas

Cheese, wine,olives and bread

Tapas anyone?

I was recently inspired to make tapas after reading a post on the very beautiful blog Laura’s Mess. She and friends/fellow bloggers get together and prepare a feast frequently and it’s like a culinary tour of the world. I decided since I love the food of Spain and I am particularly fond of small portions that I would make tapas. You can eat a variety of foods and variety is the spice of life!!

For this meal I made some of my favorite Spanish dishes, they are simple and very tasty and I find that when you set out platters of a variety of food for friends it’s fun, add some good wine to the mix and it’s a great party. You can also make some of the food in advance. The meatballs and tomato sauce and the polenta keep very well for a day or two, I also boiled the potatoes for the patatas bravas a day ahead and fried them the day of, you can also make that yummy sauce ahead.

I am not going to post recipes for all,most of the recipes are not mine, but I will provide the link to the recipe if you want to make. I served the polenta with the meatballs and tomato sauce, the grilled merguez goes beautifully with the patatas bravas. The shrimp, well they are great on their own and don’t forget the cheese and olives and bread with some good olive oil for dipping. Wash it all down with wine I chose Rioja. Sangria would also be lovely with this!!

Here is the menu:

Patatas Bravas

Albondigas- Spanish meatballs (Recipe calls for pork, I used pork and beef)

Merguez (grilled)

Roasted Tomato Sauce (No recipe needed see below for instructions)

Gambas Al Ajillo- Spanish Garlic Shrimp

Cheesy Manchego Polenta

Assorted cheese. bread, olives

Lots of wine

Oven roasted tomatoes and garlic

Sauce-fresh tomato, garlic,thyme and olive oil

The tomato sauce is very simple, pre heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread cherry tomatoes and at least 3 cloves garlic on sheet pan, I used assorted heirloom, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and sprinkle generously with thyme. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes and garlic are softened and caramelized. Crush with fork or masher and add the meatballs, simmer on low heat for approximately 45 minutes to one hour. Serve with polenta.

Manchego Polenta

Polenta ( You can easily half the recipe if doing tapas)

Serves 4-6 depending on serving size

4 cups whey or water

1 cup polenta (corn meal) I used stone ground

pinch of salt

1 cup grated manchego cheese

2 tbs butter

2 tbs heavy cream, creme fraiche or mascarpone

black pepper (2 or 3 turns of the pepper mill)

In saucepan add the whey or water and pinch of salt, bring to a rolling boil. Whisk in the polenta, don’t dump it all in add slowly while you are whisking it thickens very quickly. Lower heat to low and continue whisking until its done. It takes approximately 3-5 minutes for regular cornmeal and 7-10 minutes for stoneground. Remove from heat add the butter, cheese and heavy cream. Stir until its all incorporated. Cover pan and set aside.

Meatballs

I baked the meatballs at 375 degree’s for 30 minutes then finished on stove top simmering in fresh tomato sauce.

Mar 20

69 Comments

Spring Is Here….. In Theory And A Spring Recipe

Spring Turnips

At 12:57 PM today it’s officially spring. It is a glorious day in NYC with temps in the 50’s and after a tenacious winter those warmish temps feel really nice. It will be short lived but thats ok I see the light at the end of the tunnel. The first little nubs of green are peeking through the earth and I know that very soon there will be buds everywhere.

I can’t wait for the spring vegetables to hit the market, right now it’s still winter produce. I wanted to make something that just screamed spring but, to be perfectly honest, was completely uninspired by anything I saw at the market.

I decided to reprise a recipe that I made a couple of years ago, it’s a great spring soup, it’s simple and delicious and it will be the first thing I make when the spring produce hits the farmers market. I posted this on Food 52 about 2 years ago and was a communiuty pick, the editors also made the soup and it was photographed by Mr Ransom the very talented food52 photographer. I also posted this here in May of 2012

Creamy turnip soup

Creamy Spring Turnip Soup With Wilted Radish Greens And Bacon

Serves 4-6 depending on serving size

3 cups spring turnips cut in quarters

3 young leeks cleaned very well and sliced

4 cups broth (I used chicken but vegetable broth would also be good or even water)

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Clean and slice your leeks, I like to clean, trim and chop into rounds and add to a large amount of clean water. The grit goes to the bottom, then I scoop them out and rinse again. Let them air dry while you prep the turnips. Peel, rinse and chop the turnips into quarters.

Heat only enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a heavy large saucepan, add the dried leeks and cook only until softened. Add the turnips and cook for a short time you don’t want them to brown only to start to soften, I cooked on medium/high heat, Add the stock, bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until the turnips are very soft.

You may not need all of the liquid depending on how thick you like your soup, so drain the turnips and leeks and process in blender until very smooth, Pour into a bowl and add back the stock until it reaches the consistency you like. Now add the heavy cream. Adjust seasoning. Stir and set aside while you make the topping. If you are serving the soup warm pour back in the saucepan and keep on very low flame.

Greens and Bacon

4-6 slices bacon (I like maple cured)

the leaves from a head of radishes

Remove the greens from the radishes and clean very well to remove any grit, Lay on paper towel to dry.

Fry the bacon until crisp, remove from pan and lay on paper towel, add the dried radish greens and saute only until wilted, Remove to paper towel. Ladle soup into bowls lay some of the wilted greens and crumble some of the bacon on top.