This dressing is meant to go with Salad of Romaine Hearts with Cherry Tomatoes and Scallions. This dressing would be good as a sauce for pork chops or grilled halibut as well.
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INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch spinach, stems removed and washed 1 small onion, diced finely 1 large clove garlic, minced Light flavored olive oil as neededContinue reading »
This dressing is for a green salad with blueberries, almonds, and mozzarella, but would work well with other things as well. Use with cold shrimp or chicken, or a salad of sliced radishes and green onions, slaws, or with fennel, among other things.
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For this salad, you want to use a softer lettuce such as a butter lettuce or green or red leaf. It works better with the blueberries, as something crunchier, like romaine, might overwhelm the berries texture and flavor. The dressing uses basil as the herb, but you could try mint instead. A little arugula would work well, but go lightly or the sharpness could drown out the other ingredients.
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This dressing goes with the Potato, Radish, Celery, Carrot, and Kale Salad, but will of course work elsewhere. Creamy is in quotes because there is just enough cream used to give the dressing silkiness and loft. You could also use mayonnaise instead of cream for a similar effect. The honey used initially for this dressing was from Keith Kimes’ hives on the Lewis Road High Ground Organics farm. It is a light bodied grade “C” with a high moisture content, so it mixes into the dressing readily, and is not super sweet, but very aromatic. Perfect for dressings.
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The flavors of this dish showcase the sweet and nutty flavor cauliflower possesses, which is best brought out by roasting. The idea of marinating vegetables may seem odd, but many are quite receptive to marinades. Although the flavors work fine with any color cauliflower, a white or yellow cauliflower will pick up a lovely color from the saffron and Pimenton de la Vera used in the marinade.
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This dish has both brightness and depth of flavor. Use this as a pasta sauce tossed with orecchiette pasta, to sauce fish or chicken, or just eat it as is. Although the tomato/basil water adds a lot of extra flavor and will reduce to add a bit of a glaze to the dish, the dish is fine without it if you don’t feel like taking the time. The tomato/basil water can be used in other dishes as well.
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Use this dressing with salads that have tomatoes, and add a little mozzarella to echo a Caprese salad, or use it when you have lettuces that have a tinge of bitterness to them such as romaine, escarole, or radicchios. This would be a nice easy sauce with fish or toss boiled shrimp in it and chill for a cold shrimp salad.
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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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These carrots get a spicy herbaceous flavor boost from the use of Cilantro Chili Sauté Juice as part of the cooking solution. Serve with rice or noodles.
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This is my version of a classic Portuguese soup winemaker and friend Jeff Emery told me about having in Portugal. This is one of those dishes that arose from a very poor culture, making the most out of what was available, such as garlic, eggs, and stale bread. This version is gussied up a bit in that the stock is infused with additional garlic and the stems of the cilantro to really up the flavor. Try this with a Portuguese style wine from Jeff’s Quinta Cruz label for Lisbon vacation on the cheap.
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This is based on something we used at India Joze long ago, and has its roots in South East Asian cuisine. It is quick to make and keeps a few days in the refrigerator. Use a splash as a condiment for vegetables, eggs, or noodles, or use it when sautéing/stir-frying for flavor and to lubricate the pan.
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Here, cauliflower gets treated the way meat is often cooked in restaurants-started in a pan to brown and finished in the oven. Faster than roasting with deeper browning outside while the inside stays firmer. It is then “dressed” with ingredients long associated with Sicilian cooking-capers and chili flakes, and some vinegar.
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This is a variation on the Quickle theme. The “pickling” solution is heated to infuse it with the flavors of the herbs and spices, and then is poured over the roasted beets so it is absorbed as the beets cool. Tarragon is a great flavor to go with beets, and the other spices are there to enhance this marriage.
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This dish is a starter, or you can place it into a salad for a larger dish. Tobiko is the bright orange or red flying fish roe most often seen on the outside of California rolls. You can get it at Japanese markets and better fish mongers. If it is frozen, that’s fine as that is usually how it is shipped. This recipe only uses a little, so freeze what you won’t use within a few days. Chervil is an herb not used so much in the US, but is loved in France. Think of basil, tarragon, fennel, or anise, only much more delicate and subtle. Here, it brings a nice contrast to the brininess of the tuna and tobiko. A sharp knife is important to the success of this dish, and if you wish, you can freeze the tuna for 10-15 minutes to firm it up before cutting.
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This is easiest to make using various colored zucchini shaped summer squash, although with a little thought patty-pan and crookneck squash will also work. If your rosemary stalks are not the firmest, run them in with a metal skewer or a bamboo one that has been soaked in water first so it does not ignite.
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Vaguely Middle-Eastern and Indian in influence, this is a colorful dish with surprising flavors. Remember, peeling purple carrots may render them simply orange, so use a scrub brush or wash cloth to gently clean the outside of these carrots and remove any hairy rootlets. Roasting the carrots deepens the flavor, as well as the color, which adds to the contrast with the sharp mustard.
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Use this as a salad dressing for slaw, or on shellfish. It is also great on shaved fennel salads.
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Although this is typically made with dry herbs, you could give it a whirl with fresh ones if you wish.
Chervil is an herb not often seen fresh in the US. It is a delicate herb, in structure and flavor. It has a flavor similar to basil, tarragon, and anise, but is far subtler, and there is a bit of an Italian parsley note as well. It lends a pleasant clean and sweet note to the blend that is enhanced by the marjoram. Tarragon adds an earthiness that melds with the chives and parsley, and enhances the anise notes of the chervil. Chives are the bass line of the group, and parsley wraps them all together with its clean, almost sharp, flavor.
Try this fresh if you wish, or dried for the traditional take. This blend goes well with fish, chicken, and vegetables such as summer squash and carrots. It is good added to a beurre blanc at the end, or scattered over grilled lamb meatballs at the end as well.
Chervil and chives are not herbs that do well with long cooking, so wait until the end of a recipe before adding, or add if the cooking time is short or quite gentle.
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The City of Watsonville is voting (already by mail-in ballot, June 4 actual election day) on Measure T, which would expand the city’s urban limit line. The proposal would pave the way (pun intended) for the development of 95 acres of farmland, with the stated goal of attracting big box stores like Costco. Included in these 95 acres of prime farmland is the ground we currently lease at the Redman House.
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There are many dishes where the greens of things such radishes, turnips, and carrots are combined with used as a sauce for the roots they are attached to. Here is a recipe that has a powerfully “green” flavor to it similar to that of nettles, and is colorful as well. Be sure to wash the leaves in several changes of water as they seem to hold sand and fine particles well.
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Unless you have home made tomato sauce, canned tomatoes work best here, especially if you have good Italian San Marzanos. Otherwise, just use your favorite. Be sure to use a really big pan for sautéing the squash, or do it in batches. If the squash is crowded it will steam and just get mushy.
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This could have been named “Sweet and Sour Escarole” but the sour is not that pronounced, unless you choose to add vinegar to the dish. Escarole is a chicory that is milder than most radicchios, and is a great foil for dishes such as grilled steaks and chops. It has a mild pleasant bitter flavor and a little bit of chewiness with a silky texture when cooked. This is a basic recipe for sautéed escarole and is easy to elaborate on. Escarole cooks in minutes so is great for meals on the fly.
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