Posts by: Andrew Cohen

Another kale salad, and I think it’s a good one. The process of crumpling the kale does something that makes the kale sweeter, and the beets match the earthiness of the kale. The cucumbers add a nice hit of cool moisture that goes well with the dry salt flavor of the pistachios.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This is a great way to get more vegetables into your life, and this dish is great for breakfast or for dinner. Cooking the eggs so the yolk is still runny provides a silky sauce for the earthy kale, and runny yolks contain lecithin, which helps counter the effects of cholesterol in the body. If you wish, you could add bits of prosciutto or mushrooms to the kale, or scatter the ramekins with some cheese a few minutes before they come out of the oven.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

The creamy part of this dressing derives from yogurt. Use this dressing with beet and kale salads, cucumbers, with chicken, or shredded carrot and lettuce salads.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This is pretty much just what it says, a typical pico de gallo salsa, but made with summer squash rather than cucumbers, and scallions stand in for white or yellow onions, and mild sweet Gypsy peppers replace the typical jalapeño. Basil and lemon replace the cilantro and lime, making this an “alternate dimension” salsa fresca. If you like it hot, add a spicy chili or two or scatter some pizza-house chili flakes in.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Quite simple, but quite good. This is a versatile combination-cut the squash into different shapes, grill it just enough to cook through and chill it and dress it with cold dressing for a salad tossed with some romaine or Little Gem lettuce. Use mint instead of basil, and go Mid-East.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Here’s a riff on the more forward flavored Charred Scallion Vinaigrette. The yogurt softens the “charred” flavor, and the basil combines with the charred scallion to yield a flavor reminiscent of a wood-fired pizza with a thin crust nicely charred in spots. Use for drizzling on grilled summer squash, or dipping crudité or hot grilled or cold steamed shrimp.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Gypsy peppers fried in oil that you fried basil leaves in. The crisp leaves form a garnish to the peppers and scallions with garlic which bottom notes. Eat this on toasts, pizzas with fresh mozzarella, serve with simple grilled fish or with pasta.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

You don’t really need anything else with this sandwich, except maybe some chips, and a beer or some iced tea. You have meat, a couple vegetables, starch, it’s all there. If you take the time to fry chicken, it is always good to make extras as it is the perfect leftover to start another meal with.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This came about to go into a sandwich with a coleslaw done for the CSA box. Nothing too fancy, no brining or soaking, just dip, shake, and fry.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This was made to go on a fried chicken sandwich, but is great as is. Using a Ben-Riner or other fixed blade slicer (or even a food processor) makes this a quick-fix dish.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Use this for South West inflected slaw, for a dip for vegetables or chips, or however. This was made for a slaw to go on a fried chicken sandwich.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Another dish in the “I love to sauce vegetables with vegetables” category. Here, the earthy funky qualities of leeks and collards are counterbalanced with the sweetness of carrots. The carrots are cooked and milled to a consistency that is not quite a pureé, not quite chunky, but a good match for the silky leek and collards. Although the recipe seems long, the time to make is not, and it is a simple dish to prepare. The sauce goes well with other items such as cauliflower, grilled squash, chicken, pork, or fish.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Sometimes simple is best. If you want to add a little more dimension to this, New Natives grows broccoli microgreens which perfectly straddle the line between arugula and almond, and will add loft to the salad. Gorgonzola Dolce is a sweeter version of Gorgonzola, but if you cannot find it, just use Gorgonzola.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Crunchy topped vegetable studded gooey goodness. What’s not to like? And if you have carnivores to deal with, add in crumbled Italian sausage, bacon, or ham and you will make them quite happy.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This is a dressing based on a sauce posted before. The trick is to char, not to burn the scallions. This flavor strikes some as odd at first, but there is something about it, maybe the primal fire-pit thing makes b.b.q. irresistible, which makes this dressing very appealing. It goes well with bold and earthy flavors, such as the radish escarole salad, or with a grass-fed beef steak salad. Keep it handy for dipping vegetables into or anointing sandwiches with, or drizzling on firm fleshed fish, shrimp, and eggs.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This salad is a contrast of textures and flavor elements. Soft butter lettuce and crunchy radish. Bright clean flavors of radish and lettuce against the smoky charred notes of earthy funk laden scallions. This is nice with a big slab of well toasted country rye bread with plenty of really good butter on it flecked with large crystal salt such as Murray River or Sel de Guerande.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Use this as is for a side dish, or cook some pasta such as orecchiette, cavatelli, or casarecce (or whatever) and use this as a sauce. Don’t forget to add 4-6 ounces of the pasta water to the dish to help form the sauce. It may seem odd to use salami here, but it is not uncommon in Italy, and the right salami can bring a lot of flavor to a dish. The Toscano called for here is typically flavorful and fairly easy to find.  For this dish, larger fat grains are good, and a fine deep flavor with some spice is good.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

It seems the majority of people I tell about sautéing cucumbers balk at the idea, yet never think twice about eating sautéed zucchini. Bearing in mind that summer squash are a New World import, all those Chinese dishes with zucchini in them probably used cucumber originally. When cooked well, cucumber has a pleasantly mild flavor that plays well with other flavors, and can retain its pleasing crunch while softening up at the same time. Some partners to consider are King Oyster and regular oyster mushrooms, snap and snow peas, chicken, sweet carrots, fish or scallops, or mild soft greens such as spinach. The version here is kept very simple to showcase the cucumber flavor and lovely marriage with the basil. Consider this as a bed for poached or baked chicken, or fish or sautéed scallops, or gently sautéed pork chops.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Sweet and hot, with normally crunchy carrots cooked tender and sauced with whole grain mustard which adds pop and crunch texture to the dish, along with a little heat and sweetness, as well as depth from the fig. Serve with kasha, pork chops or chicken, or greens. This is a dish that is quite simple, and is easy to gussy up.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Another recipe for the Quickles file. Romanesco lends itself beautifully to quickling-it maintains it crisp texture yet no longer tastes raw. This iteration was made for a Sicilian influenced salad, but it is easy enough to change your destination by changing your herbs and spices. Use these in the salad recipe or serve with plates of salami and charcuterie, burgers, or braises. Good with grilled salmon as well. If you just want these as a snack, see notes about adding lemon.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Here’s a nice crunchy salad with some tang to spark the appetite when it is hot. This salad would be good as a foil to fatty grilled meats.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Although a simple dish, there is plenty of subtle flavor, and this is a great side for spicy or boldly flavored dishes.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Strawberries have enough tartness to stand out in a salad. The ones you want are the ones that have a little firmness to them still, not the really soft ones.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This dressing is for a salad of soft lettuces and strawberries, but would go with cold pasta salad with tomato and cucumber, with cold chicken for a hot summer day, poached salmon hot or cold, or something with cabbage or kales, as well as salads made up of Romaine or Little Gems.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Carrots and mint, carrots and basil, these seem a natural combo. Adding the caramelized Tokyo turnips adds just a touch of bitter to the mix which contrasts nicely with the sweet carrots. If using purple carrots, keep the turnips separate until serving so the color of the carrots doesn’t make the turnips look smudgy. As bunches of everything vary, you want an equal amount, or slightly more carrots than turnips.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Here in California, we have so many things to be thankful for when it comes to fresh food. Avocados are certainly one of those things, and they are in prime time right now. Given that California produces 95% of the avocados in the USA this is not surprising. Of those, the Haas is the most widely grown, as it is worldwide. Overall, the Haas accounts for 80% of avocados grown. However, at one time in California there was something like 100 varieties grown, with the majority of them in the Santa Barbara/Ventura area and further south.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Sort of a cross between a kale salad and a quickle. Allowing time to sit in the refrigerator will soften the cabbage a little without taking away the crunch. Caraway gives the salad a Nordic bent. Use cumin, coriander, and a little lime juice to take this in a South Western direction, or sub lemon or orange for lime and go Middle Eastern/North African. This salad keeps well, and is a great lunch box item as it travels well.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This is the dressing that goes with the above named recipe, but this, or any number of variants, could go with any salad of dense leaves such as the cabbages, kales, or things like mei quin choi or shredded carrot or celeriac. Lighter in oil, this recipe will not emulsify like a regular vinaigrette. Adding mustard will help the salad thicken, but be careful what mustard you use and how much lest you blow out the dressing and just have a thin and pungent mustard garnish for the salad.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This recipe is actually based on a chicken dish, but instead the broccoli gets the chicken treatment. This dish can be served hot with dinner or cold in small amounts as salad/snack/appetizer. You could also just blanch the broccoli until just crisp-tender and drop it into ice-water to stop the cooking, and then toss it in the sauce ingredients which were cooked together earlier and allowed to cool.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Simple in make-up, but the flavors are refreshing and the contrasts of cold and warm and crisp and succulent make for an enjoyable salad. The dressing is made from the butter and oil used to roast the radishes, and are infused with fresh basil flavor.

Continue reading »

Tagged with: