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To me, “white balsamic vinegar” is a bit of a misnomer as one of the things that give balsamic vinegar its particular flavor is the succession of barrels it goes through over time. The white balsamic version is lighter and subtler than regular balsamic vinegars, and makes a nice dressing or sauce for when you want to complement more delicate flavors.
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This dressing goes with an escarole, arugula, almond, and white peach salad, but would be nice with Little Gems or romaine with almonds and Gorgonzola Dolce and some peach scattered around. It would even be nice drizzled on crostini topped with Gorgonzola and arugula. If you don’t feel like washing the blender. You can do this by hand, just be sure to thoroughly pulverize the white peach before whisking it in.
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This dressing has more garlic than usual, and was made with grilled vegetables in mind, but will work for milder greens if you have a yen for garlic. Still, this is not really strong as garlic dressings go. If that is what you want, just add more garlic cloves.
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This dressing was made for a salad of butter lettuces and broccoli carrot quickles and avocado, but would be nice with Mediterranean inflected foods. Try it on grilled lamb or swordfish, or with grilled and peeled peppers and onions. Be sure to use a good quality vinegar as there is nowhere for a bad one to hide, and there are a lot of less than good wine vinegars out there.
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This is a riff on part of a recipe from “Eleven Madison Avenue” that caught my eye. I like to play with vegetables in the kitchen, treating them as one might a piece of protein like a roast or steak. Here carrots get to be the roast. I like how such a simple recipe can yield complex flavors, and how the flavors can vary by merely cooking the carrots longer. This recipe will work with any carrot, as long as you adjust the recipe to accommodate the size of the carrots. This was made using bunched Chantenay carrots that averaged 6 inches long and 1½ inches at the widest part of the crown. Although the cooking time is lengthy, once the carrots are in the oven there is nothing to do to them. You could also cook these ahead of time and reheat them later, although the texture will be a little different.
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Here’s a riff on a salad I had at a friend’s restaurant. I use baby arugula in lieu of basil, but if you can find basil, use it by all means. I cook the beets longer than I usually would so they take on a texture similar to tomatoes, and you could use different colored beets just as you might use various tomato types, just remember to keep the red beets separate while prepping until the last moment as they will stain everything.
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This is a variation of the traditional eggplant babaganoush where pomegranate molasses is added in to lend sweetness and depth. Much of the flavor of good babaganoush comes from charring the eggplant. Here, turning the pumpkin skin down to finish the cooking caramelizes it and lends that smoky quality to the puree.
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This is a fast and loose interpretation of a Thai “yellow curry”. Be sure not to cook the vegetables to long or they will get mushy and unpleasant. This dish has some heat to it as written, but if you prefer it mild, simply omit the chilis. If you do not have Thai basil, substitute cilantro or mint. If you like your food spicy, substitute in 1/2 cup of Cilantro Chili Sauté Juice for a half cup of the stock.
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As egg whites contain no cholesterol, and the “yolk” consists of tofu and mayo made from oil and avocado, this is a cholesterol free dish that is full of flavor.
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From Ball Home Canning SiteMakes about5 (16 oz) pints
Horseradish and hot peppers give this relish its zest. It’s a great way to use up extra zucchini from the garden, and it makes a great accompaniment to bratwursts hot off the grill.
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INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch of beets 1 teaspoon olive oil salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons of water 1-2 tablespoons vinegar such as white balsamic or sherryContinue reading »
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups roasted beets 1 Tbsp neutral flavored oil such as grapeseed or olive oil 1 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 oz. orange juiceContinue reading »
This is a fancy appetizer I did for a party once, but it is so good it keeps showing up. Although I like the stacked presentation a lot, this salad works equally well when simply tossed in a bowl and then put onto plates. Also, since I like it so well, the 3 inch diameter salad isn’t always large enough.
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This is a variant of an old standby around here, and is similar to what you get when you order Chinese Chicken salad. The dressing is good for many things-try it on sliced cucumbers. You can add things to this slaw to fancy it up easily; try chopped dates and peanuts, or raisins or green onions.
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INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch chard (Rainbow, red, or Swiss) 1 medium brown onion 2 cloves garlic, peeled and de-germed 2 ounces cream sherry or Marsala Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or other herb of your choice) ½ cup homemade bread crumbs (or store bought)Continue reading »
Although this seems like a lot of ingredients, this recipe utilizes two components that are then combined for the end product. The second set of ingredients is used to flavor the collards and uses the stems that would usually be discarded, which bothered me. When I first did this recipe, I was tossing the stems into a small teapot that “was there” to keep them out of the way-thus the genesis of this idea.
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Here’s something I like to have around the house. I use it as a snack on toasts, or I top entrees with it. I add it to soups and put it in sandwiches. I call it Fennel Jam or Fennel Marmalade, depending on how big the pieces are when it’s done. For this dish, you want to cook it in a pan that will hold the vegetables close, so they will stew. I prefer a medium sized “chefs pan”- the one with the bowl shape- as this allows for a smaller cooking area as the jam cooks down.
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This is the long cooked version of kale, and it results in very tender, succulent greens with a smooth flavor. You can use the same recipe, only blanch the greens until they have just wilted and then cook them with the wine and finish the recipe. This provides a more toothsome dish with a more assertive flavor.
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Most people find the idea of cooked radishes strange until they taste them. The cooking seems to remove most of the sharpness, and brings out sweetness in radishes. Sort of like a turnip, but without the bitterness, cooked radishes have a pleasant bit of funkiness that is all their own. This recipe can be made two ways-the only difference is whether you cover the radishes for the first thirty minutes of roasting or not. The difference in the flavor is pronounced, however. If you cover the radishes, they will have a more turnip-y flavor and will be plumper and a bit crisp. If you cook them uncovered the entire time, the radishes brown up, shrink and shrivel a little, and develop a roasted flavor that is quite pleasing. They will be tender and succulent as well. Both are excellent, and I recommend you try them both ways at the same time so you can see what I am talking about.
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