Archive | Side Dishes RSS feed for this section

Asian Stir Fry Sauce (this time with vegetables and your choice of noodles or rice)

27 Jul

One of my favorite prepared sauces comes from Sang Lee Farms in Cutchogue, on the North Fork of Long Island http://sangleefarms.com/. Their Asian Stir-Fry Sauce is all organic and adds incredible Asian pop to stir fry dishes, without the annoying cloying sweetness and goopiness of other seasonings in a bottle.

However, I run out of it pretty fast, so I am in the process of trying to recreate it at home. I haven’t quite got it, but this version is very yummy and does the job pretty damn well. When I hit exactly the combination I want, I will make larger batches, but for now, the amount in this recipe will season a couple of pounds of vegetables – enough for two to four people, depending on what you serve it with.

We used soba noodles (Leandro’s request, cause the curly noodles and Japanese writing on the package caught his eye and he absolutely loved them). We also had enough left over to drizzle over some cold chicken wraps I made the next day (and which will be the next post, haha!).

Do you make your own stir fry sauce? Please add your ideas in comments in this post!

Soba noodles make a worthy (and fun) accompaniment to stir fry veggies

Asian Stir-Fry Sauce

¼ Cup soy sauce or tamari (preferably low-sodium)

½ tsp crushed garlic

Scant ¼ tsp sesame oil

¼ tsp grated ginger

½ tsp lemon juice

Mix ingredients together and refrigerate overnight if possible.

When you are ready to cook the dish, begin preparing a cup or two of white rice or a package of soba noodles or other pasta of your choice, following package instructions.

Vegetables

2-2.5 lbs mixed stir-fry vegetables, cut into ¾ inch pieces (we used onions, carrots, some leftover chard stems and a beautiful purple pepper, all from Restoration Farm, plus broccoli from the supermarket)

Generous ½ tsp sugar

Heat the  vegetable oil in a 12 inch skillet with a heavy bottom, until just rippling and just beginning to smoke. Add vegetables and sprinkle the sugar over, coat with the oil and cook, stirring frequently, for about eight minutes, looking for caramelization on the vegetables. Lower the temperature to medium if you get a lot of sticking.

Push vegetables to the side and add a tablespoon of the stir-fry sauce , stir to heat, then mix with the vegetables. Add two to three more tablespoons as desired, being wary of making it too salty.

Serve over rice, noodles or pasta.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Zesty Zucchini and Sizzling Squash with lemon and oregano

21 Jul

This is a simple seasonal recipe that highlights the flavors and freshness of summer (and can be done in a jiffy at a campsite).

Summer squash refers to vegetables such as zucchini and yellow squash, that look like gourds, but have thin, tender skins. Right around this time of summer backyard gardeners start to harvest so many of them, they will be giving them away. This is a fast and easy way to take advantage of the bounty without working too hard!

How this dish looked at our campsite on the beach

Sauteed Summer Squash with Oregano and Lemon

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, peeled and diced

2 medium summer squashes (yellow/zucchini), quartered lengthwise and sliced

Tsp dry oregano

Juice of half a lemon (you may add by teaspoon to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a skillet at medium high until liquid and fragrant. Add onions and stir to coat. Add zucchini and stir to coat. Lower heat and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add oregano, lemon and salt to taste and cook until flavors are blended, just a minute or two, longer if you want it very tender. Serve over rice, with pasta or just on its own.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Roasted Beet Salad with Orange and Beet Greens

16 Jul

We’ve been away on a camping trip for a week, but starting back up with a bang….BEETS!

Wacked-out color, floppy texture, weird vegetable discs out of a can. Ick.

That about sums up what I knew about beets as a kid. Later I got into the occasional fresh carrot, beet and apple frappés at farmer’s markets in Puerto Rico, but that was more a Saturday morning hangover-helper type thing as I was shopping for vegetables than a real affection for beets themselves.

It wasn’t until many years later that I had a food revelation at Blue Hill restaurant in Greenwich Village. I was doing a story on Chef Dan Barber for Le Connoisseur, a Puerto Rico food and wine magazine. He is a locavore chef in the tradition of Alice Waters and even owns his own farm. His other Blue Hill is located at Stone Barns, the Rockefeller organic farm center right by Sleepy Hollow, north of New York City http://www.bluehillnyc.com/.

So the chef trotted out a number of tiny dishes, including a single square of beet on a skewer. It looked like a precious jewel and the flavor was giant: intense, concentrated, sweet. I was hooked in a single morsel.

However, it wasn’t until getting involved in CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that I actually had to figure out how to prepare them myself. Like, do you actually cook them? How? Do you peel them first? What about the greens?

Here are some short answers, followed by a showstopping roasted beet recipe.

Trim off the greens about an inch from the actual beet. You can eat them and they should be used within a day or two, taking out larger ribs before cooking. They can be used like most other leafy greens.

The unwashed beet roots will last about three weeks in the fridge. To use, scrub gently and do not remove the root. Do not peel before cooking. You can wrap in foil and roast at 400°F for 1-1.5 hours or simmer in salted boiling water for 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Another option is to steam in a vegetable steamer for 30-45 minutes. the beets are done when a fork goes easily through the center. The skins will come off easily and should be removed while the beets are still warm. Use kitchen gloves or put your hands in plastic bags to handle them, as they will stain*. Flavor affinities include goat cheese, tarragon, herring and ham.

I have toyed around with this next recipe for several years now, and I think I have finally hit just the right balance of sweet and sharp. It also takes advantage of the beet greens. It is a gorgeous looking salad and the taste is, well, revelatory.

El amor entra por los ojos -- This dish is love at first sight!

Roasted Beet Salad with Orange and Beet Greens

6 medium beets with beet greens attached

1 large navel orange, peeled, separated into segments, pith and white removed

2 shallots, peeled and chopped fine

¼ -1/3 Cup red wine vinegar

¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tsp grated orange peel

Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim greens from beets. Cut off and discard stems. Coarsely chop leaves and reserve.

Wrap each beet loosely in foil. Place on oven rack and roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool, then peel beets (use gloves or small sandwich bags to protect fingers from stains. Cut into eight wedges and place in medium bowl.

Bowl four cups of water, then add beet greens and cook until tender, just 2-3 minutes. Drain, cool and squeeze out as much water as possible. Add greens to beet bowl. Add orange segments (you may break them up) and shallots to bowl. Whisk vinegar, oil, garlic and orange peel in a small bowl to blend well and add to beet mixture. Stir to coat, season with salt and vinegar and allow to stand for at least an hour at room temperature before serving.

*You may notice that beets add color to your subsequent bathroom visits. Do not be alarmed! And kids find it very amusing.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Marianne’s Black Bean and Sweet Corn Salad (Summer BBQ/Buffet Dish)

8 Jul

Marianne has been one of my closest friends since we were 13, so when she offered to bring something over for our last BBQ, I was not afraid to ask for exactly what I wanted: her black bean and sweet corn salad! It’s something I make myself fairly often, but I like her version better and now I know why; the balsamic vinegar gives it a touch of sweetness that balances the onion and plays well with the crunchiness of the corn.

This dish works well with virtually all grilled meats, including fish. And in a pinch you can substitute frozen or canned corn, but a Long Island summer calls for real corn off the cob….MMmmmmm!

Marianne’s Black Bean and Sweet Corn Salad

2 1 lb cans of black beans, rinsed and drained

4 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked and silk removed

½ medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 medium red pepper, seeded and diced

3 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Bring abundant water to boil in a large pot. Boil corn to your liking (Marianne says 15 minutes; I usually boil for a maximum of three minutes, but since her recipe is so delish, I defer to her on this one!). When the corn has cooked, cool and then, holding the corn upright at an angle, cut kernels off corn. In a bowl, toss all ingredients together gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make this salad on the day of your event for the crispest veggies, but enjoy the leftovers — if you have any — for several days!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Party Snacks: Garlic Scape and Garbanzo Spread

6 Jul

This is the last of the recipes I used to make a recent Mediterranean Summer Buffet of appetizers and party snacks.

But I am only half as maniacal about DIY as you think I am — I also opened jars:  of artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers and I purchased good mixed olives which I arranged on a platter for grazing. My dad grilled asparagus, eggplant, red and green peppers and hunks of red onions a couple of hours ahead of time with a brushing of olive oil and we arranged those on a platter, finished with flaky sea salt for delicious crunch. Some crunchy bread toasts and we were good to go! You could also use a hummus and cubes of feta to round things off.

So try this spread if you’ve still got garlic scapes that need using. It has my favorite chick peas as well and the lemon gives it a very attractive bright flavor. Almost no prep required!

Enjoy the party!

A Gorgeous Summer Table

Garlic scape and chick pea dip

1.5 Cups chick peas (or 2 15.5 oz cans chick peas, rinsed and drained)

2 garlic scapes, topped and tailed

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil (plus extra if desired/for garnish)

2 Tbs plain yogurt

¼ Cup lemon juice and zest of one lemon

1 Tbs chopped parsley (plus extra for garnish)

1 tsp cumin

¼ tsp salt (may not be necessary if using canned beans)

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until reaching desired smoothness. You may add more olive oil if necessary or garnish with a drizzle of oil and sprinkle with parsley.

Look out for more party buffet ideas in future!

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Toasted Garbanzos (Summer Buffet Dish or addictive T.V. Snack)

5 Jul

 

Chick peas are my favorite pulses (legumes). In soups, as falafel, in salads…I love, love, love their density, their subtle nuttiness, their cute shape. So it is a great joy to discover yet another way to prepare and enjoy them. These superpower beans are easy to toast and just a bit of seasoning is all the enhancement they need.

These almost didn’t make it to the buffet table, because I kept snacking on them in that compulsive way that one snacks of popcorn or potato chips.

These I made from 1/2 lb of dry beans. Instructions for soaking follow the toasting recipe.

 

Toasted garbanzos

2 cups chick peas ( or 2 15.5 oz cans, rinsed and drained)

¼ cup olive oil (you may substitute vegetable oil)

1 generous tsp cumin

Several gratings of black pepper

1 tsp coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Mix all ingredients and lay in a single layer on a rimmed oven dish. Cook for 20-25 m until crisp and golden, stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature and serve.

To soak chick peas: Rinse and sort through the chick peas, then place in a bowl with more than enough water to cover overnight. Change the water in the morning and leave for several hours. Rinse and drain, then simmer with enough water to cover for two hours, scooping off any foam. It takes a long time, but there are long periods of neglect involved, so don’t worry! The savings and the texture and flavor are terrific!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Newer Entries →