Tag Archives: sides

Green Beans Gremolata, Ina

Posted on by

gb
1 pound French green beans, trimmed
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans and blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender but still crisp. Drain the beans in a colander and immediately put them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and preserve their bright green color.

For the gremolata, toss the garlic, lemon zest, parsley, parmesan, and pine nuts in a small bowl and set aside.

When ready to serve, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Drain the beans and pat them dry. Add the beans to the pan and saute, turning frequently, for 2 minutes, until coated with olive oil and heated through. Off the heat, add the gremolata and toss well. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and serve hot.

Rosemary Onion Skillet Potatoes

Posted on by

rosemary onion potatoes 2

1 tablespoon butter
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/2″ pieces, about 1 cup’s worth
3 medium russet potatoes, cut into 1/2″ pieces, about 4 cup’s worth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions, toss to coat and then cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and browned. Add the potatoes to the skillet, drizzle lightly with oil and then sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and then spread flat across the skillet.

Cover with lid and reduce heat to medium. Let the potatoes cook for 10 minutes. Stir and cover with lid again. Cook 5 more minutes. Remove lid, stir and cook uncovered, for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are browned. The potatoes should be soft and well browned. Serve as is, or increase the heat to medium high and continue cooking in an open skillet, stirring every 2-3 minutes, until slightly crispy. Serve hot or let cool and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Potatoes can be reheated in a hot skillet for a few minutes just before serving. Enjoy! 6 servings from http://www.barefeetinthekitchen.com/

Japanese Quick Pickled Cucumbers

Posted on by

Japanese-Quick-Pickled-Cucumbers-The-Lemon-Bowl
1 seedless cucumber – halved and thinly sliced
2 scallions – diced
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce – low sodium
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sambal oelek chili paste – optional
back roasted sesame seeds – optional garnish

In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy, sugar, sesame oil and chili paste.
Add cucumbers and scallions to bowl and toss well. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

Garnish with black roasted sesame seeds.

Baking Powder Biscuits, James Beard

Posted on by

beard-baking-powder-istock

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3/4 cup milk
Additional melted butter for dipping

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Add baking powder and salt to the sifted flour, and sift again into a mixing bowl. Work in the butter with your fingers (or two knives or a heavy fork) until it is the consistency of cornmeal. Add milk and stir into the dough just enough to make the particles cling together. (It should be a very, very soft dough.) Turn onto a floured surface and knead for about 1 minute. Then either pat or roll out to a 3/4-inch thickness.
Cut out the biscuits into rounds or squares, according to your taste. Dip each in the melted butter and arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet or pan. If you want them crisp all around, place them far apart; for fluffier biscuits, place close together. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Yield 12 to 18 biscuits

Warm Lentil and Potato Salad with a Garlicky Mustard Vinaigrette, smitten kitchen

Posted on by

12070781734_f5a77933cb

2 large shallots, 1 halved, 1 finely diced,
4 sprigs of thyme
1 small bay leaf
1 cup dry small green lentils (see Note up top for varieties)
1 small bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 pound fingerling potatoes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced or smashed to a paste (I use less)
1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1/4 cup of your favorite olive oil
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed if salted, drained if brined, and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons cornichons or other sour gherkins, roughly chopped
1 to 2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Cook lentils: Pick over and rinse lentils. Place them in a small/medium saucepan with the halved shallot, thyme branches, bay leaf, some salt and 4 cups of water. Simmer the lentils over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm-tender. Drain (discarding shallot, thyme and bay leaf) and keep warm.

Meanwhile, cook potatoes: In a separate saucepan, cover potatoes with 1 to 2 inches cold water. Set timer for 15 minutes, then bring potatoes to a simmer. When the timer rings, they should be easily pierced with a toothpick or knife. Drain and keep warm.

Make the dressing: Place the chopped shallot and red wine vinegar in the bottom of a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in minced garlic, dijon, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper and olive oil. Stir in chopped capers, cornichon and scallions.

Assemble salad: Slice potatoes into 1/2-inch segments and place in serving bowl. Add lentils, dressing and all but 1 tablespoon parsley and combine. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Scatter salad with remaining parsley.

Serve alone, with a soft-cooked egg on top, or as a side to a larger roast, chop or sausages. Reheat as needed. If you plan to make this at the outset of several meals and would like to eat it warm, I’d keep the dressing separate, warming only the lentils and potatoes and stirring in the cold dressing to taste.

Keeps in fridge for up to 5 days. Makes 4 lunch servings, 6 servings as a side dish

Vegetable Tian Recipe, Ina Garten

Posted on by

Olive oil
2 lg Yellow onions , cut in half and sliced
2 clove Garlic , minced
1 lbs Potatoes,unpeeled , med. round
3/4 lbs Zucchini
1 1/4 lbs Tomatoes , medium
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper , freshly ground
1 tbsp Thyme leaves (plus extra sprig) , fresh
2 oz Gruyere cheese , grated

1. For this dish to look its best, you want to choose potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes that are about the same diameter so the slices look similar.

2. Preheat the oven to 375F.

3. Brush a 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking dish with olive oil. In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

4. Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4 inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only one layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil.

5. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, or until browned. Serve warm.

Terry’s Notes:

This is a lovely lucious dish. Perfect for a buffet.

This dish multiplies very easily; use any size pan and bake for the
same amount of time. Just be sure you only make one layer.

Ina says that Yukon gold potatoes are particularly good. I used red
bliss.

I sliced everything in the Cuisanart so it was al the elements were
the same thickness.

Served with Tomatillo Grilled Shrimp, cumin rice pilaf and cherry pie a la mode. (cck – 8/9/06)

Green Bean Casserole from chocolate moosey blog

Posted on by

Green-Bean-Casserole-Without-Canned-Soup-886516 ounces frozen green beans
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped white or yellow onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream or milk
1 large shallot, peeled and sliced thin (I subbed more white onion because I live in a town without shallots)
Salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Have a 1.5-2 quart casserole dish ready.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil green beans for 3 minutes. Drain and quickly run under cold water to stop the cooking. Let dry.

In a large deep skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms and saute until onions start to brown and soften. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in the broth and Worcestershire sauce. Add the sour cream and stir until melted and smooth. Add the cream/milk and cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. If the mixture is not thick enough, boil for another few minutes. Add the green beans.

Spoon into the casserole dish and bake 25-30 minutes or until the beans are fork tender.
Meanwhile, separate the shallot slices into rings. In a clean skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook the shallots until golden brown. Sprinkle with some salt then place on top of casserole.

Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions from smitten kitchen

Posted on by

Adapted a little from Alton Brown and a little from trial-and-error

gbc

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crispy Onions
2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons panko or plain breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Canola, safflower, peanut or other high-heat oil, for deep-frying

Mushroom Sauce
3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped
Few gratings fresh nutmeg (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon table salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Assembly
1 to 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved (see note about volume)

Make the crispy onions: Toss onion with flour, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Heat a 1/2-inch or so of oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet until a drop of water flicked into it will hiss and sputter. Add onions, just a handful at a time in something close to a single layer, and fry until a light golden brown (they’ll get more color in the oven; I overcooked mine a bit, forgetting this). Remove with a spider or large slotted spoon, let oil drip off a little, back into the skillet, then spread onions out on paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining onions. Set aside until needed; this makes a lot.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare the beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and boil greens for 5 minutes (for standard green beans) or 2 to 3 minutes (for haricot vert, or skinny ones). Drain beans, then plunge them into ice water to full stop them from cooking. Drain again, and set aside. (If you are adamant about only using one pot, you can boil them in your 12-inch cast iron skillet that you use for the other steps. But a saucepan can be easier.)

Make the mushroom sauce: Over medium-high heat, melt butter in the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and saute them until they start releasing their liquid, anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how they were chopped. Add the garlic and saute one minute more. Add the flour and stir it until it fully coats the mushrooms. Add the broth, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring the whole time. Simmer mixture for 1 minute, then add cream and bring back to a simmer, cooking until the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently.

Assemble and bake: Add cooked greens beans to sauce and stir until they are coated. Sprinkle crispy onions over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and onions are a shade darker. Eat at once.

Do ahead, a few ways: Onions can be made long in advance (up to a day) and keep at room temperature, loosely wrapped (they’d get soggy in an airtight container). Green beans can be cooked and kept in fridge until needed, at least one day. Green beans can also be combined with mushroom sauce and kept refrigerated for up to a day. Add onions and bake shortly before serving. Finally, it’s less ideal, but the entire dish can be cooked, loosely wrapped (so the crispy top doesn’t get soggy) and then rewarmed in a low oven before serving. Just keep an eye on the topping so it doesn’t get too brown while reheating.

A few notes:

  • I made a half-recipe of this dish (in a 9-inch skillet) as there are only three of us. Yours will be bigger. It was so good, we wished we had more.
  • I recommend a range of quantities for the green beans; if you like your casserole to be heavier on sauce and lighter on vegetables, use the lower amount. If you’d like a more vegetable-heavy dish, light-to-moderately coated with the sauce (as mine is in the photos), use the higher amount.
  • This makes a loooot of crispy onions. We didn’t mind. But you could probably stretch half the onion volume more thinly over your whole casserole (saving the other half for snacking/sandwiches), or you could just say, “It’s Thanksgiving. Let’s do this,” and use them all. Either way, you win.
  • [Apologies, this was originally in the recipe and I’d meant to make it a footnote due to the unevenness of the results.] If you’d like to bake the onions instead of frying them, Alton Brown recommends spreading them on 1 to 2 oiled baking sheets (but I’d use parchment paper next time) and baking them at 475 (but I might try a lower temperature) for approximately 30 minutes (though I’d check it at 20 minutes), tossing them around a few times to ensure even cooking. However, I found this a little pesky — it’s much harder to get them crisp and golden and they’re prone to getting too dark before most of them are cooked. I ended up deep-frying the rest and have zero regrets. It’s Thanksgiving. Let’s do this properly.
  • About the sauce thickness: Alton’s original sauce was on the thin side (2T butter for 2T flour). I thickened it when I made it so that it is a moderately thick sauce — it coats the beans (as you can see in the photos) but it does drape a little bit once baked (i.e. there will be more on the lower half of the pan than the top half when it comes out of the oven). If you’re nervous and want to make sure that your sauce is definitely very thick, you can do so by using 1 extra tablespoon butter and 1 extra tablespoon flour in the sauce — i.e. more roux makes thicker sauces. Draining your green beans well and even patting them out on towels will help ensure they don’t “liquefy” the sauce too much.

Tomatonaise Is The Condiment Of The Summer from food republic

Posted on by

Note next time I make this I will whirl the tomatoes and then add other ingredients.

Happy first hot day of the summer! Why am I wearing a cardigan? I don’t know! How long do air conditioning units last? I think mine’s broken, or else the filter is unhappy. But I’m super happy because hot weather, besides making blow-drying one’s hair absolutely excruciating and sweaty enough to basically be pointless, means there will most likely be tomatoes at the farmers market this weekend. And that means tomatonaise sandwiches.

What is tomatonaise? It’s my secret summer weapon. It’s just super-ripe tomatoes food-processed, or immersion-blended, with mayo, salt and pepper in a ratio that only you can dictate. If it’s more tomatoey, it’s an amazing spread or finishing touch on fish. If it’s more mayo-esque, it’s also an amazing spread on a simple sandwich like leftover baked ham or sharp cheddar. If it’s chunkier, it’s a nice little salad with some basil. You cannot lose. Unless you don’t like tomatoes or mayonnaise, and some people don’t. Crazy people.

Here are some other things you can do with tomatonaise, other than loading it into a baguette and eating the whole thing:

  • Toss it with shredded chicken for a super-juicy and flavorful closer-to-vegetarian tomato chicken salad. Nobody said Meatless Monday was about cold turkey. Ooh! Tomato turkey salad!
  • Top your burger with it = ketchup pouts in the corner. Pouts harder when the party turns into a pizza burger.
  • Top your meatball sandwich with it = tomato sauce pouts in the corner.
  • Mix with pasta and anything that goes with pasta or tomatoes (slow pitch right there) and chill for pasta salad.
  • Introduce it to brie.

Guaca-chi The Washington Post, August 7, 2013

Posted on by

This marriage of kimchi and guacamole isn’t anything close to traditional, but it’s what happened when Food editor Joe Yonan was called upon to make a quick appetizer for a group of hungry people while he was staying in an unfamiliar house.

Don’t mash the avocados the way you would when making guacamole; they’re best left in chunks. The dish is best served just after it has been made.

Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.  Makes 1 3/4 cups (4 appetizer servings)

  • Flesh of 1 ripe avocado, cut into large chunks
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
  • 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought kimchi, preferably spicy, with its liquid
  • Sea salt (optional)

Toss the avocado chunks with the lime juice in a serving bowl.

Chop the kimchi if the pieces are bigger than bite-size, then gently toss it and all of its liquid with the avocado. Taste, add salt if necessary, and serve.