Posts Tagged “vegetables”
I promise that you have never tasted anything quite like this. It is nothing – and I mean NOTHING – like the beet borsht that my mother poured out of Manischewitz bottle and topped with a boiled potato and sour cream
This soup is nothing short of spectacular.
Most minestrones I have known (and loved) are heavy, rich and satisfying on a cold winter day. This wonderful spring minestrone is rich, but it is also light and bright and filled the best of spring produce: peas, asparagus, artichokes. A perfect vehicle to use up the last of the ramps.
There is a moment late in March in my part of the world when the world changes. If you look closely, you will notice tiny chartreuse sprouts poking up through the ground that were not there the day before. And then, if you are watching for it, within a week, you will also notice that first robin beaking for food around the no-longer-dormant ground that you’ve seen since maybe September.
Spring.
Sadly neglected by most of us, parsnips are a real treat. If you are unfamiliar with them, they are surprisingly sweet. Some people have described parsnips as buttery, slightly spicy, and sweet, and compared them to butterscotch, honey or cardamom.
Broccoli is another one of those hearty green vegetables that proliferate during the cold months. But what do you do with a stalk of broccoli, Fellow FoodBeest? Steam it? Butter it? Maybe a little lemon juice and/or salt? Am I the only one who thinks that’s really boring?
This cauliflower pasta is inexpensive and easy and, of course very good. Some recipes steam the cauliflower, but doing it causes it to lose its best texture and caramelization so I roasted it. It then gets tossed with capers for their salty pungency and white raisins for sweetness. Add a little garlic, a little wine vinegar and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and what you get left with is “happy mouth.”
Chanukah, a fairly minor holiday in Israel and most other Jewish communities around the world, got amped up in America in the late 19th Century when some Reform rabbis decided Jewish Americans need a little more Christmas. And since then Chanukah has gone totally steroid with marketing, gifts, decorations and parties.
The gratin is perfect as a vegetarian main dish or as both a vegetable and starch side dish if you serve it with meat. It would also be a great addition to brunch. The two cheeses, together with the tomatoes, eggplant and the squashes was inviting on this chilly post-Thanksgiving day.
There I am in the kitchen holding the mandoline with one hand and the root end of a Brussels sprout with another. I am counting the slices. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Stop. Now I get really careful. One. Two. Three. Four. Stop. No blood. Get another Brussels sprout.
Every year my son Josh (the chef) contributes his winter squash soup our Thanksgiving dinner`. It is stunningly amazing. Sweet with just a touch of tartness and rich and complex with a bit of a kick, this soup is perfect for these days of changing weather.
