*May/June 2010 COTM - GOURMET: Salads and Vegetables

[Caitlin McGrath]

Welcome to our May and June 2010 COTM, Gourmet Today: More Than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen.

Please use this thread for review and discussion of recipes from the following chapters:

Salads
Vegetables

The Chowhound Team has asked me to remind you that verbatim copying of recipes to the boards is a violation of the copyright of the original author. Posts with copied recipes will be removed.

[LulusMom]

Ground Beef (Turkey) salad with Shallots, Lemongrass, Cilantro and Mint (p. 199)

I loved this, totally loved it. My husband thought the salad part could use some dressing - that it was a bit dry. Lulu thought it was too spicy, and to be honest, it was very spicy. I definitely cut her a break on this one and didn't insist on a second bite (normal rule: two bites of everything). So I guess this is a somewhat mixed review, but mostly I loved it and husband liked it very much.

Fairly labor intensive for a salad, when they say active time is 1 hour, they're not kidding. First you make a rice powder: toast 2 tablespoons of rice until golden, let cool, grind to a powder. Next, you make a paste of lemongrass stems, chopped shallots, toasted dried hot chilies (recipe calls for 4-6, I did 5 and they must have been *really* hot ones, nice and spicy), chopped garlic, chopped galangal, water, and salt. Next you make a sauce of lime juice, fish sauce and brown sugar. Whew!

Heat oil, add the chili puree and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add beef (or for us, ground turkey) and cook about 5 minutes. Heat off, add the sauce and the rice powder and combine. Recipes asks you to mound the beef on a platter and top with cilantro and mint, and arrange romaine, cucumbers and carrots. Instead I served on individual plates with the romaine, cucumber and lettuce on the bottom and the meat piled on top with the cilantro and mint scattered over. I didn't have a problem with the dryness, but I was careful to add a bit of meat to each bite, which gave it plenty of flavor. I probably should have scattered the meat a little more evenly around the plate for maximum flavor per bite. But again, I just loved this.

[Gio]

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts, Pg. 580

Another tasty vegetable side dish from this book I really like, it reminded me of a recipe JoanN described in a recent post. Butter, S & P and water are combined in a skillet and brought to boil. Trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts are added and simmered half covered till tender, The cover is removed and the sprouts are cooked till water has evaporated. A cup of heavy cream (1/2 & 1/2) and water are added, brought to boil then crumbled chestnuts are tossed in. Simmer and stir till the chestnuts are heated through. Taste, serve. Very nice. I used the packaged shelled and roasted chestnuts from Trader Joe's. Although I love roasted chestnuts the packaged saves quite a lot of time and effort. This was the second side dish for Christmas Lunch.

[Gio]

Porcini Onion Stuffing, Pg. 426

We had this for Christmas Day Lunch along with a Tuscan roast pork from Mary Ann Esposito's "Celebrations Italian Style" I halved the recipe and served it as a side dressing. Full of flavor from the mushrooms and the leeks I substituted for the onion, it's really more a savory bread pudding, I think. We liked it very much.

I had the Pullman loaf as recommended in the recipe and used about 3/4 of it, torn in small pieces which were then baked till dry in a 350F oven. The porcini are re-hydrated then drained, reserving the liquid, and chopped. Cook button mushrooms, onions and shallots in butter for 20 minutes then chopped celery, carrot, garlic and porcini are added, stirred and cooked for 5 minutes. Next chopped thyme, sage parsley and S & P. Add all this to the bread cubes. Liquid from the porcini is poured into the skillet to deglaze then is tossed with the vegetable bread mixture. Into a buttered baking dish it goes, cover, and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Delicious, I recommend it and will make it again.

[beetlebug]

Is the Mary Ann Esposito book from the North End of Boston? I think I have that book somewhere. Can't look for it now though. Hope you and everyone had merry merry eating days.

[Gio]

I don't think so, beetlebug. I've had the book for years and this is the first time I actually cooked from it. As it turned out the roast was a bit on the dry side which disappointed G but while it was cooking the house smelled..."Italian". Just like my grandmothers were in the kitchen. The sauce was terrific. though. Dig out your book... the recipes are very straightforward and just reading them brings me back. Merry "eating days" to you, too.

OT: I saw Ms Esposito in the old Pace's store in Saugus when they first moved to that location. She was about to film a promo but waved and greeted me. What a sweetheart she is.

[LulusMom]

Something very wrong with me (or my eyes) but I read that last bit as "she was about to film a porno, but waved and greeted me." Seemed a little incongruous, but certainly VERY friendly.

[Gio]

Corn and Tomato Gratin

Don't have the book in front of me but the recipe is at this site:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

Made this last night to go with marinated chicken breasts and we Loved it.

Used 4 hot house tomatoes and 4 cups frozen corn. Instead of milk and cream I used 1/2 & 1/2. The tomato slices are supposed to be salted and drained but I skipped this part and shot straight to the assemby after cooking the corn in cream and salt and mixing bread crumbs. basil, cheese and a pinch of salt & pepper together. Into a buttered baking dish go layers of tomatoes, crumbs, butter, corn, ending with crumbs and butter. Bake uncovered in a 375F oven about 45 minutes. Easy and satisfying.

[buttertart]

Basil is so good with corn, flavor synergy. Must try this.

[Gio]

Delicioso...! Buon Appetito e Boun Natale...

[buttertart]

I wish I knew how to say "the same to you" in Italian, cara Gio!

[Gio]

Lo stesso per voi.
Grazie Buttertart...

[buttertart]

:)

[Rubee]

Salt-Baked Potatoes, p. 623

I've had these in restaurants but never made them at home. I don't know why - it's easy and really makes a crispy-skinned potato with so much more flavor. I'll be doing this all the time now. Simply prick the potato, roll in lightly beaten egg white, and then crust in kosher salt before baking in a pan. Crack off crust before serving.

[buttertart]

Graham Kerr was where I first saw these - you don't even have to roll them in egg white, the salt clings to a wet potato. Works in the MW too, and with the salt you get more of a real baked texture than usual.

[Rubee]

Thanks buttertart. Good to know, even easier!

[blue room]

Yes, good to know, I was worrying about me wasting eggs with this plan..but i love that crusty texture on a baked !

[buttertart]

Absolutely no need for the egg. My mom started doing this ages ago (Galloping Gourmet era) and always liked the fact that the potato took on some seasoning from the salt (motherly dictum: three things demand salt - eggs, potatoes, and tomatoes).

[blue room]

Thanks, ageless moms! I would add rice.

[LulusMom]

My mom was a Galloping Gourmet addict too. Wonder how many of us grew up with those moms?

[buttertart]

blue room: You are right there but rice was only for 2 things - pudding (baked in the oven, yum) and "Spanish Rice" (onion, hamburger, Campbell's tomato soup and rice baked - a favorite of everybody in the family but my dad, who hated ground beef anything except burgers - and then only if he supervised the grinding - had worked in butcher shops as a kid...).
LulusMom: A bunch, I bet - we used to watch it together after I got home from school. I recently reread the cookbook and found it pretty weird, there isn't much in it I'd want to make.

[LulusMom]

Times have definitely changed. I'd love to look at one of her books sometime. The only meal I really remember her making (although I'm sure she made quite a few) was sole veronique. A big deal was made about this.

We've just finished putting together a Mickey Mouse clubhouse, and breaking out the champagne. Merry Christmas to all.

[buttertart]

Indeed.

[blue room]

We had rice for a slightly more varied group of dishes, but it was always, and only, Minute Rice!

[Gio]

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette, Pg. 619

We roast squash frequently, all kinds of squash acorn included, usually with maple syrup or brown sugar but this was really different and delicious. We used a small acorn squash from our CSA which ended mid-October and halved the recipe.

The squash is sliced in half lengthwise, seeds and fibers removed, ends chopped off, then sliced in wedges lengthwise. I simply followed the natural ridges of the squash. These are tossed with S & P and EVOO, placed on a baking sheet cut side down, roasted at 450F about 35 minutes. In the meantime the vinaigrette is made: make a garlic/salt mash, put into a bowl with lime juice, chopped red chile (1 t red pepper flakes), chopped cilantro and whisk in EVOO. When the squash is cooked the vinaigrette is drizzled over.

Gosh, was this so tasty. The miracle of the squash still good was a surprise and it was so delicious after roasting that even the skin was edible: crispy and sweet. The tangy vinaigrette was the prefect dressing. Definitely going into rotation.

Served with the Green Beans with Ginger Butter on pg.568 and slow cooker roast pork.

[The Dairy Queen]

I think I'll have to duplicate your entire meal! It sounds so delicious. I have a ton of CSA squash and I just bought some lovely green beans yesterday.

The slow cooker roast pork was not a COTM/Goumet Today recipe, right?

~TDQ

[Gio]

Hi TDQ. Thank you for the kind words... The roast pork (boneless butt) was not a COTM recipe, just one I hurredly concocted with a sliced onion, salt/pepper/cumin/cayenne/brown sugar/cider vinegar/ketchup/chili sauce..amounts as you like. Cook on low for about 8 hours. We warmed a few fresh corn tortillas and wrapped the sliced meat , drizzling the sauce over. It was really great with the squash.

[blue room]

Braised Red Cabbage and Onions p. 582

This is wonderful--we're having sauerbraten and this tomorrow. Both are the sort of thing that's better the next day. Two cups of red wine in a pot of red cabbage, onion, sugar, 2 vinegars, apple, pepper, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf--low and slow cooking until cabbage is very tender (I took a little bowlful out early to take the picture, it's more uniform in color and texture now.)
I think it needs a little--just a little--more sweetness, next time I'll add another apple but this time I just added a little sugar. I would yes! do this again--next time with pork of some kind.

[JoanN]

That just looks and sounds wonderful. Makes me want to cook a goose.

[JaneEYB]

Winter Tabbouleh p.185

Loved this salad. I had bulghur, cauliflower, pomegranate, walnuts, mint and parsley but didn't have fennel or Belgian endive but decided to make this anyway as it sounded so perfect to have with grilled lamb. It was really good - the dressing made with pomegranate molasses was a delicious tangy sweet/sour. It was really pretty too, with the white cauliflower, green herbs and red jewels of pomegranate seeds. The recipe is from Sam & Sam Clark of Moro restaurant in London.

[mebby]

The recent cauliflower thread had me in the mood. I remembered Jane's report on this cauliflower-based tabbouleh and had most of the ingredients in the house, so I did a riff on this and also served with lamb. It was seriously delicious, despite the fact that raw is not usually my favorite prep for cauliflower (I do swoon for the roasted variety however!).

I made a number of subs based on what I had on hand...no endive, no fennel, used whole wheat couscous instead of bulgur, subbed crushed skin-on marcona almonds for the walnuts, added a couple small persian cukes chopped and a de-seeded jalapeno to make up for some of the crunch missing due to the absence of the fennel and endive, also added a chopped scallion, used two garlic cloves in the dressing, a pinch more cinnamon, added marash pepper to both the salad and the dressing and used half the oil and skipped the optional sugar in the dressing.

Despite all that I think I kept to the spirit of the dish and I will definitely be making this again. So delicious and healthy to boot. I loved the small pieces of chopped raw cauliflower and the dressing was the perfect accompaniment -- great sweet/tart flavor but not overpowering as sometimes I find pomegranate molasses can be.

10pm last night found me in front of the fridge with a spoon and the bowl of leftovers!

[Gio]

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Pancetta, Pg. 579

Roasted Brussels sprouts - Yum. RBS with minced garlic and pancetta - even better. Sprouts are trimmed and rinsed, tossed with EVOO, S & P, garlic and pancetta, on a baking sheet 20 - 25 minutes in an oven at 450F. A little water to deglaze the pan which I thought was useless so omitted it. I was going to use dry vermouth instead but forgot. Really didn't need that anyway. Served with pan grilled pork chops seasoned with S & P & lemon juice and fingerling potatoes dressed with a simple vinaigrette. Lovely meal.

[greedygirl]

Made this dish on Boxing Day. Big hit. Huge. A friend said they were the nicest brussel sprouts she'd ever had! Can't wait to have them again.

[Gio]

Oh good...! Now you have to make the Brussels sprouts with chestnuts, on pg. 580
My report below...
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7055...

Happy Happy.

[Gio]

Tomato Salad with Red Onion and Herbs, Pg. 171

This salad has been in rotation at casa G & G since 6/16/09 not just because it's so flavorful but it's versatile as well. Is is a salad? Is it a relish? It's both...
The dressing consists of garlic, lemon juice, Dijon, S & P, sugar. The salad is thickly sliced tomatoes and thinly sliced red onions and shallots. If I'm going to use this as a relish I chop the onions and tomatoes. Tomatoes are placed on a deep platter, the onions are distributed over top then the dressing is drizzled over all. A combination of chopped minced herbs are sprinkled to finish. I've used combinations of fresh basil, parsley, cilantro, tarragon, mint, even fennel fronds. Whatever I had on hand and keeping in mind what the main dish is. If I'm using this as a relish I chop the tomatoes and onions instead of slicing them.

The last time I made this was a few nights ago to serve with the grilled lamb burgers on pg, 546.

[JaneEYB]

Indian-spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes p. 588

I was going to make aloo gobi from Nigella's Feast for an Indian meal tonight but since I haven't yet posted on Gourmet Today threads, I decided to see what might work from there and I'm glad I did. The ingredients were more or less the same as for aloo gobi but cooked quite differently. The potatoes and cauliflower are first oven roasted before being mixed with the fried onions and spices. Very tasty and will def. make again.

[BigSal]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. The roasted vegetables add a touch. We will also make this again. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[beetlebug]

Celery, Sesame and Tofu Salad (pg. 179)

Wow, was this a disappointment. I LOVE tofu and this was bland, even after I dressed it up.

Slice up the tofu into 1/4 inch slices. Then, put a weight on it so it gets rid of the excess liquid. Then, make into slivers. Meanwhile, slice up 4 celery stalks and make the dressing of rice vinegar, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soy sauce and black pepper. Combine everything together including the sesame seeds.

I left out the sesame seeds but I don't think it would have made a huge difference. It needed more soy and sesame. And, I also added salted chiles to give it an oomph. The black pepper gave it a bit of a gritty consistency without adding any extra flavor.

It was a bummer especially since it was my lunch today.

[Gio]

Sautéed Shell Peas with Lettuce, Pg. 616

This is a very easy way to cook either fresh or frozen peas. Since I had a plethora of fresh shell peas from our CSA I used one pound of them shelled, and about 2 cups of mixed lettuces, shredded. The procedure is to start by melting 1 or 2 T of unsalted butter in a skillet over a moderately high flame. Add the white parts of a few thinly sliced scallions and cook till tender. Stir in the lettuce, usually green, and stir fry for about a minute or so. Add the peas and about 1/4 cup chicken stock. Simmer uncovered till "most of the liquid has evaporated." At the end stir in the green parts of the scallions which have been thinly sliced and taste for seasoning. Adjust with salt if you wish. I had not cooked peas with lettuce before this although I'd read about the dish for a long time. This was very nice and a good accompaniment for a pseudo-porchetta recipe I made...along with Italian bread and spicy tomato sauce.

[Channa]

Grilled Zucchini and Tomatoes With Feta Sauce, p 559

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

In addition to zucchini and cherry tomatoes, I grilled orange bell peppers, fennel, red onion, and sliced Japanese eggplants. That made it more colourful, and turned it into the main course.

I found the feta sauce tasty, but felt it over-powered the vegetable flavours. Would I make it again? No.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Green Beans with Ginger Butter, p. 568
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

This is a straightforward recipe - blanched and shocked green beans are sauteed in some butter with ginger, lemon zest, salt - that was a pleasant side dish with the beet risotto (I'll report on that in the appropriate thread). I grated the ginger instead of cutting it in matchsticks, and used a bit less butter than the recipe called for.

[BigSal]

We made this too. I wanted to like it much more than I did. I did like the freshness and the spiciness the ginger added, but as is we'd probably not seek it out again. Grating the ginger is a good suggestion and for us more lemon zest or even juice to balance the flavors. In ours the ginger flavor dominated.

[Caitlin McGrath]

You know, I halved the recipe, but I used the zest of half a largish (Meyer) lemon, and the recipe calls for half a lemon's zest, so I probably had a greater lemon-to-ginger ratio than the recipe as written. With that and the grated zest, the ginger flavor was certainly present but not overwhelming at all.

[BigSal]

Thanks. I think I'll try it again with more zest.

[Gio]

Green Beans with Ginger Butter, Pg. 568

We made the green beans last night and like the dish very much. Steamed the beans, used less butter but cut the ginger matchsticks, Served with the Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette on pg. 619, which was spectacular BTW. Main was slow cooker roast pork.

[Gio]

Roasted Leeks, Pg. 608

This a wonderful way to cook leeks on their own. I love them but tend to use them only as an ingredient in a side dish rather than individually. Very simple to prep and cook this way. After trimming the heavy dark leaves and long stringy roots, but leaving the root end on, slice each leek lengthwise right through the root end. Wash thoroughly in many waters, and even between each leaf being careful not to separate the leaves from the root. Drain in a colander. Set an oven rack in the middle and pre-heat oven to 400F. Place leeks in a roasting pan, season well to coat with salt and EVOO, then roast for 35-ish minutes till Very tender. Turn leeks after 20 minutes. They were slightly browned on the edges which enhanced their sweetness. Very nice! Served with the Herbed Potato Salad, pg. 160 and grilled Trader Joe's spicy chicken sausages.

[JoanN]

I adore roasted vegetables but never even thought to try leeks. This sounds terrific. Gonna give it a try. Thanks for finding it.

[Gio]

Herbed Potato Salad, Pg. 180

A welcome change from a mayonnaise based dressing is this one with EVOO, S & P, minced shallot, chopped parsley and thyme. Yukon Golds are recommended but fingerlings may be used as well. I used the YGs. At first glance I wondered how just much flavor this combination of ingredients could possibly have but my concerns were unfounded. It was delicious. The secret I think is to have very fresh ingredients, in this case herbs. As if we haven't heard That before. This would be a good potato salad to take on a picnic or other occasion where it would be sitting out for a time.

[Gio]

Herbed Potato Salad, Pg. 180

Made this again last night and once again loved it. I took a few liberties with the original recipe in that I used a combination of herbs: chopped parsley, cilantro and thyme. The potatoes I used this time were fingerlings and after tossing them with EVOO, and S & P I sprinkled sweet paprika over top. This is a very servicable recipe in that it can accompany just about any main dish...

[greedygirl]

Beef salad with potatoes and cornichons; p197

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

I made a half recipe of this tonight with a few substitutions. I used leftover rare rolled sirloin instead of pot roast, and asparagus instead of green beans, as that's what I had to hand.

The recipe has you wrap two large "boiling potatoes" in foil before baking for about an hour until tender. I wasn't sure what a "boiling potato" was, so I used a large red potato, which turned out to be a mistake as it was too floury and broke up when I sliced it after baking. Ho hum. I made the dressing as directed, using dijon, red wine vinegar, shallots, S&P, sugar and olive oil, but only used half of it. You dress the warm potatoes and green beans (asparagus in my case) first, and pile on top of salad leaves. Then toss the beef, which you have warmed in the oven or microwave and cornichons in the leftover dressing.

This was nice enough, but nothing special really. Mr GG, who usually loves anything beef, was equally unenthralled. Not a bad way of using up leftover beef, but not great either. I would have probably preferred the rare sirloin in a sandwich tbh. I'd try it again if I ever had leftover pot roast, I guess.

[Caitlin McGrath]

A boiling potato would be a waxy variety, as opposed to a starchy variety such as you'd use for baked (jacket) potatoes or mash.

[greedygirl]

Yeah, you don't really get large boiling potatoes here - they tend to be small, salad potatoes, which is what threw me.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Ah. We get them in lots of varieties in sizes from an inch across to maybe 3 inches (which is probably what the recipe wants). In future, you might want to just use the approximate equivalent of your small ones, for this recipe or other American recipes.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Cucumber, Mustard, and Dill Salad, p. 171
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

This is very simple, and very good. White wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar, salt, and olive oil are whisked together, and tossed with thinly sliced cucumber and fresh dill. I used only 1 teaspoon sugar rather than 1 1/2, and found that to be perfect. I bet honey would be good instead of sugar, too, for a honey mustard effect. I also didn't peel or seed my cucumber (my "seedless" cucmber wasn't too seedy).

I adore dill, and of course it is a natural pairing with cucumbers. I ate the whole bowl myself, and would happily have it again tomorrow. It was lightly dressed and nicely flavored.

[Gio]

That's good to know, Caitlin. On Sat., we have the first pick-up of our summer CSA share and we'll be getting, among other items, Romaine Lettuce, Boston Lettuce, Salad Mix, Cress and Radishes. I'm going to need all the salad dressings I can get. Good thing I Love salads...! Also, this farm makes their own honey which we've been buying for years so your tip about using honey as a sweetener is timely for me.

[LulusMom]

Great to know. You can never have too many good cucumber salad recipes, and this one is on my list. Thanks for the report.

[Rubee]

I love dill too and was just looking at this recipe, thinking it will be nice with chicken or fish on the grill. Will have to make it this weekend!

[Karen_Schaffer]

Jicama slaw, p. 175

I thought someone else had already made this, but I'm not finding the note. Probably I was thinking of the Napa cabbage slaw discussion. Anyhow, matchstick-cut jicama is dressed with a lime juice vinaigrette and mixed with chopped red onion and cilantro. I'm not a fan of cilantro, so I subbed mint and lovage (about 2/3 mint and 1/3 lovage, since lovage is so strong).

The flavors were good, but I think I'm ready to admit to myself that I just really don't like jicama very much. There's a 'starchy' mouthfeel that reminds me of raw potatoes, and I just don't like it. Some jicamas are better than others (Variety? Maturity? Growing conditions? I rather suspect the amount of rain/irrigation can make a big difference). But even the best ones I've had I ate more out of interest than real liking.

[Gio]

Well, if nothing else, Karen, these recipes we cook allows us to determine what we really like and what we don't. I discovered that after making a green papaya slaw everyone raved about during the Vietnamese month.
Someone very encouraging recently said, "at least you tried."

[greedygirl]

Very true, Gio. Personally I love green papaya but have never tried jicama as you can't get it here. I'm not very keen on napa cabbage though, which I believe we call Chinese leaf, so I will continue using white cabbage as a substitute.

[JoanN]

Stir-Fried Asparagus with Oyster Sauce (page 568)

Super quick. Super easy. Pantry ingredients (for anyone who cooks Chinese). And really, really good.

Sliced garlic and salt (I passed on the salt and didn’t miss it) are tossed into the wok followed by cut up asparagus. Stir-fry for a minute then add chicken stock, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine and cook until crisp-tender. Top off with sesame oil.

It doesn’t sound as though it would be anything special, but the balance of ingredients is just right. I was serving this with simply broiled salmon and was sorry I had decided against making rice. I would have liked to have had it on the plate to sop up the sauce.

I don’t know why this isn’t mentioned in the headnote, but I can imagine making this with green beans, sugar snaps, pea pods, broccoli, bok choy--just about anything--and I’m sure I will.

[Gio]

Thanks for this report Joan. I have a bunch of asparagus from the farm sitting in the fridge waiting for this recipe, especially that sauce. I've noticed that the sauces and pestos do lend themselves to spin-off dishes.

[BigSal]

Thanks for sharing this recipe and for pointing out that this recipe would work with other vegetables. I just made this tonight with green beans (parboiled) because I didn't have asparagus. I learned from your experience and made brown rice to sop up the sauce. Glad I did. Will make again.

[The Dairy Queen]

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette page 558

Very straight forward. Boil sweet potatoes, whole. Drain, cool, peel and quarter. Grill, then drizzle with lime cilantro vinaigrette and serve either warm or at room temp. I let them boil a tad too long, which made it more difficult to grill them (because they were so soft), so, beware.

I wasn't bowled over by this, but I liked it. I really liked the technique, so, I will try it again. My husband didn't adore it, but we served it at room temp, which he thought might be a factor. (He'd prefer it warm). Plus, he just doesn't seem to love citrus as much as I do.

We grill a lot of sweet potatoes, especially this time of year, but a) they take forever and b) I think we probably use more oil than we should consume in order to do so and c) they are a pain to slice. I worry I'm going to lose a finger one of these days. I think I'm going to try it this way again and see if I can't perfect the technique and experiment with other vinaigrettes, etc.

I served this with the portobello buffalo burgers (reported on in "meat" thread)--I didn't think it was the best match, in hindsight. The cook's menu planning mistake, not Gourmet's.

~TDQ

[Gio]

I haven't read that recipe yet, but reading your description I immediately thought of tossing the potatoes in the vinaigrette Then grilling them. I wonder how that would be?? Or roasting them coated with the vinaigrette and not boiling them first. Or substituting orange for the lime...

[The Dairy Queen]

It's funny that you mention that, Gio, because I was really surprised that the vinaigrette went on AFTER the grilling. Very odd, I thought. I kept checking and re-checking the recipe to make sure I hadn't done it wrong. (And, I'm checking it right now just to be sure. Yep. Drizzling the vinaigrette is the last thing.) Anyway, I think tossing the potatoes in the vinaigrette, maybe half of it or something without the cilantro, BEFORE grilling might be worth trying the next time around.

And orange is a very interesting idea!

I do like the boiling step as it seems to save a little time on the grill AND makes the potatoes easier to peel and cut. But, it's important to not over boil as I unfortunately did.

~TDQ

[Gio]

Stir-Fried Bok Choy, Pg. 573

Made this at the beginning of the month and just realized I never reported on it.
This is a typical Asian stir-fry that includes frying garlic, ginger till fragrant, adding the washed and thinly sliced bok choy which is stir-fried for a bit, then Chinese rice vinegar, and a bit of sugar and 1/4 t salt. This is covered and cooked for 2 minutes, then uncovered and stir-fried for another 2 minutes. The choy is placed into a bowl and the remaining sauce is boiled to reduce then poured over the choy. I forget the main dish but I do know that steamed basmati rice figured in the final presentation...

[Gio]

Steamed Broccoli with Olive Oil and Parmesan, Pg. 574

This has to be the easiest side dish I ever made. We have broccoli at least once a week, have made hundreds of variations on a theme yet never thought to mix grated cheese with it.

Trim and peel stems from 1 1/2 lbs broccoli then slice into matchsticks. Cut the head into smallish-ish florets. The recipe doesn't say but I rinsed the lot in several waters in a bowl fitted with a colander. Steam all, place in a bowl and toss with EVOO, salt, pepper and Parmigiana. Really tasty made like this. A little too salty for me but that may have been due to the heavy-handed salt-pincher. I'll make it again but omit the salt and add some heat .. cayenne? red pepper flakes? Dunno. We'll see.

The chicken curry with cashews on pg. 404 was the main dish and the two went together very well.

[LulusMom]

My husband gets all nervous when I serve broccoli ... maybe this recipe will help change that. Thanks for the heads up.

[greedygirl]

I made and reported on this as well. I used purple sprouting broccoli and my cheese went pink!

[The Dairy Queen]

HA! I love the pink cheese.

Thanks for reporting on this Gio (and gg!)--sounds like a keeper! It's not always easy to achieve the triumverate of easy, delicious, and healthful!

~TDQ

[Gio]

Oh, sorry I missed that GG. I usually do check the thread to see if I'm being redundant. I would have loved to have seen pink cheese. Would have lent another color note to the presentation. LOL

[greedygirl]

Do you have PSB in the States? It's one of my favourite vegetables.

[Gio]

We may have but I don't think I've ever seen it in the farm stands where I shop. I have had Romanesco Broccoli which I like. I could phone a farm we go to infrequently to ask if they grow it. Alternatively, I'll have to keep my eye out when we're in the supermarket. I just Googled for images so now I know what to look for.

[LulusMom]

I think I must have been stunned into a fugue state by the idea of pink cheese on my broccoli.

[amyzan]

LM, another idea for steamed broccoli is the sesame sauce from the spinach recipe in GT. Unless your hubbie despises sesame, this is great on broccoli or green beans.

[LulusMom]

Thanks amy. He's good with sesame, so that is a nice idea. I'll look up the recipe.

[amyzan]

Sure, do adjust the soy sauce or sugar to your taste. I like to use dashi instead of sake, but the sake's not overwhelming, so you might try it as written first. I guess I'm just saying don't be afraid to make the recipe your own. I've even used warm tea or chicken broth to thin the sauce instead of dashi or sake, in a pinch.

[beetlebug]

Stir Fried Chinese Broccoli with Garlic Sauce (pg. 577)

This was tasty and rounded out the meal nicely. I did make some subs, instead of chinese broccoli (gan lan), I used rabe. Also, instead of chicken stock, I used water.

Pretty basic and easy - blanch the chinese broccoli. Then, stir fry garlic and broccoli together for a few minutes. Then add a mixture of stock, cornstarch, soy, sugar and salt. Simmer for a few minutes until the mixture thickens.

I think the sauce would benefit more from the chicken stock v. water. However, it was still a satisfying vegetable side if you don't have half a cup of stock handy OR if you're too lazy to use the instant stock (which I was).

[Gio]

Romaine, Radish and Cucumber Salad with Tahini Dressing, Pg. 167

Loved this ! Different. Since I had a little more than the 1/4 cup of tahini in the jar I used it all and increased the other ingredients accordingly.

Into a blender go tahini, water, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, salt and cayenne. Blend till smooth and set aside. Tear romaine, halve then thinly slice radishes, slice seedless cucumber lengthwise and thinly slice. Toss all with the tahini dressing. Eat.

This was a nice diversion from the usual vinaigrettes. However, it was a little too thin and watery for me so next time i'll simply reduce the amount of water. The plus was it was perfect with the vegetables and the cayenne added a good hit of heat. I had wonderful vegetables from our local farm... the radishes were huge and not too sharp. The salad was served with baked penne with fresh mozzerella and a spicy tomato sauce.

[beetlebug]

Thanks for posting since this has been on my list. I'm just waiting for my CSA to start (next week, yeah!). Now I'm really looking forward to this salad.

[Gio]

Lucky duck! Your CSA starts next week. I have to wait till 12 June. (Connors Farm)
Nothing like realy fresh vegetables to make a perfect salad, and of course, the perfect dressing.

[LulusMom]

I do wish I'd re-read your post before making this, because like you I found it a bit on the watery/thin side. Still and all, absolutely delicious salad dressing. Hit with all of us. I didn't have the radishes, and an upset system led me to leave the green onions out, but it was a wonderful and really refreshing salad. I'll make this dressing again any time I have tahini in the fridge (so often I buy it for one thing and then it sits there forever until it isn't worth using any more).

[Gio]

I've made this salad and the tomato & onion one so many times I've stopped counting. This book gets referred to every time I'm stumped for a "what to do with what I have..."

[LulusMom]

I think it would taste wonderful over good tomatoes - thanks for the tip.

[soypower]

Sauteed Radishes and Watercress p. 626

I really wanted to cook something from this month's book but didn't want to leave the house for any ingredients. Luckily, this was such a simple recipe that I actually had all the ingredients on hand. I never would have thought to saute radishes or watercress and before as I've only ever eaten them in raw preparations.

But these were absolutely delicious. The radishes really had a mellow sweetness to them and the watercress was a great contrast. Although, I believe I cooked the radishes longer than the recipe called for - they were completely tender, not 'crisp-tender' and I only cooked the watercress for about 30 seconds. I was surprised there was no garlic or lemon juice to this recipe. And if I hadn't devoured it all so quickly, I might try a squeeze of lemon the next time I make this...And oh yes, I'm sure there will be a next time.

Also, I used korean watercress so I'm not sure what the flavor difference would be with just normal watercress.

[soypower]

Made this again this morning but subbed radish greens for watercress (per a lot of suggestions on epicurious). Ergh. I guess I'm not a fan of greens that are that bitter. Cooked till crisp tender this time and really enjoyed it, despite having to pick around the radish greens.

[Gio]

(Grilled Chicken Breasts with) Tomato and Bread Salad, Pg. 525

This recipe is in the Grilled Dishes chapter but since I only made the salad, really a panzanella variation, I'm reporting on it in this thread.

Cubed crusty "peasant-style" bread is toasted under a broiler (grill) until golden. I used a half loaf of fresh Italian bread. All the following ingredients are tossed together:
1/4" pieces of 3 tomatoes, 1/4 cup of the pale inner ribs of celery - chopped, 1/4 cup pitted and halved Gaeta olives, 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, 2 T drained capers and the toasted bread cubes.

Two garlic cloves are minced and mashed with salt then whisked with red wine vinegar, EVOO and freshly ground black pepper. This is tossed well and poured over the salad. One cup of fresh basil leaves are stirred into the salad then chopped celery leaves are strewn over top for garnish.

DH thought the salad was mushy. He's used to the panzanella I make with stale bread. I liked the taste. Thought the addition of celery and capers gave the salad more oomph, somehow...certainly added to the flavor. I've been using celery leaves more often lately, it seems. I served this with a small organic free-range turkey roasted in the Weber and made the Roasted Beets with Horseradish Cream for the second time. Report here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7055...

[greedygirl]

Balsamic glazed beets, p571

This was really good. You boil beetroot in salted water until tender, then peel and cut into half inch wedges. In a large skillet, mix balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper, then heat. Add the beetroot and cook, stirring occasionally, until glazed.

Mr GG, who has never shown much interest in beetroot, loved this.

[BigSal]

Japanese Sesame Spinach (horenso no gomaae) (p. 629)

Quick, easy and delicious. This is something I've made before, but with slighty different ingredients (dashi instead of sake and regular soy). One cooks the spinach briefly to wilt, then cools and drains. I did not tie the spinach bunches with string. I fished the spinach out with s spider strainer instead. The spinach is then cut into 1" pieces. The spinach is seasoned with a dressing of sesame seeds, sugar, light soy (aka usukuchi soy, but regular soy would also work), and sake. It is important to make sure that you squeeze the water out of the spinach, otherwise watery spinach may lessen the flavor of the dressing. This dressing is also delicious with green beans (ingen no gomaae).The recipe reads that it makes 4 servings, but it only made two for us.

[yamalam]

I missed this on my first few skims, looks great! Thx for pointing it out

[BigSal]

Very classic Japanese flavors. Simple to make and everyday ingredients (for me). It is also something you can make in advance. Hope you like it.

[amyzan]

I made the Yellow Squash Casserole (will add page number later, but here it is on the web: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
I only made a quarter of the recipe, and subbed creme fraiche for the sour cream. I found the sauce a little bland, so added some dried basil to the roasting veggies. I was able to roast the squash all at once, since I only used a pound, and then roast the onion and pepper. I like the technique because the resulting casserole was flavorful. Between two of us, we at the whole thing, which fit nicely into a shallow casserole. Served with chicken burgers with roasted anaheim chiles and cheddar cheese, good combo. Will make this again this summer, as it's a nice change from our usual summer squash saute.

[Gio]

I was *supposed* to make this casserole for dinner last night but time became scarce. So, I took all the ingredients with the exception of the butter, bread crumbs, flour, broth, and sour cream... and stir-fried them in a wok in a small glug of canola oil. And, taking Amyzan's tip I added some dried basil and thyme.
Delicious compliment to leftover roast pork and Collard Greens Miniera on pg. ?
I really love this book!

[twilight goddess]

This loooks excellent. Mmmmm. Hoping to try it too. I found a summer squash with sour cream casserole here on chow a few summers back, and this is close, but with more veggies. Yum.
Page 642.

[Gio]

Indian-Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes, Pg. 588

A different technique for cooking the vegetables in the beginning and a host of Indian spices really did create a nice dish for last night's dinner. When I first read the recipe I knew immediately the amounts of the spices had to be increased so that's what I did...to a very satisfactory result.

Yukon Gold potatoes are cut into a 1/2" dice and the cauliflower is cored and sliced into small florets. A baking sheet is preheated with the oven set to 475F and the vegetables are tossed in a bowl with oil (we used sunflower), cumin seeds and salt. Spread the potatoes and cauliflower in one layer on the sheet and bake for 20 minutes or till tender and browned "in spots"... 30 minutes for us.

While the vegetables are roasting stir-fry chopped onion, garlic, jalapeño and ginger for about 10 minutes. Add ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne for 2 minutes then stir in a bit of water to lift the cooked bits. Add the roasted vegetables, cover and cook for 5-ish minutes. Serve with lemon wedges...which I totally forgot.

We had, left over from Sunday lunch, half a roasted chicken, so I hacked it into pieces and added it to the sauced vegetables. Lovely! This was served with sautéed bok choy using more or less the same spices as the main dish except I used peanut oil, more garlic and ginger then a drizzle of sesame oil at the finish.

[Gio]

Indian-Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes, Pg. 588

Made this again last night. but. I did tweak it a leeeedle bit.
The previous night I roasted a couple of large turkey thighs and a tray of chopped cauliflower, potatoes, and eggplant with a small handful of raisins, EVOO, S & P. One large thigh was left and half of the vegetables.

Following the recipe I first made the curry sauce, then stir-fried the chopped onion, garlic, jalapeño and ginger. Next 2 chopped celery ribs and 2 sliced leeks were added. After a few minutes I tossed in 2 chopped tomatoes and let that cook... added the L/O veggies and heated those through then tossed in the chopped turkey. Because of the extra vegetables I increased the amounts of the spices, and this time I used chicken broth instead of water to lift the tasy bits from the wok bottom. Green tomato chutney was served on the side. Deeeelicious!

[greedygirl]

Steamed Broccoli with Olive Oil and Parmesan, p574

Very simple this, but good. Steam prepared broccoli for five minutes or until tender, and toss with EVOO, parmesan and seasoning.

I used my favourite purple sprouting broccoli, which is in season at the moment, and the cheese went pink! Very nice with a simple grilled steak.

[LulusMom]

Frisee and Celery Salad with Toasted Fennel Seed Dressing (p. 162)

We looked at every store and farmers market, but no frisee. So ... just used some regular lettuce mix I found at the grocery store along with the called for endive. Skipped the celery, although I'm sure it would have been a nice addition. But the main calling card of this recipe is the dressing. If you love fennel, this is the dressing for you. And I love fennel. You toast some fennel seeds and then grind. Add this to some olive oil to infuse. Then the rest of the dressing is lemon juice, chopped shallots, salt, and sugar. Lulu and I were in heaven. Husband is just ok with fennel, and liked but didn't love the salad. We all agreed that it went wonderfully with the gnocchi alla romana - cut through the richness of it nicely.

[BigSal]

Roasted Green Beans (p. 569). Toss green beans in olive oil, salt and bake 375 for 35 minutes. I've roasted other vegetables, but never green beans. This was a new way (for me) to eat them. I really do enjoy how roasting intensifies the flavor of the vegetable.

[LulusMom]

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Scallions and Cilantro (p. 633)

I'm not the world's biggest sweet potato fan, but like them ok and am always looking for ways to add them to my diet since they're so healthy. So I figured this would be a good way to go. And they were fine, just not that exciting, BUT I think that might be because they were served with something with tons of kebang flavor, so take all of this review with a grain of salt. Not something I'll be rushing to make again though.

[beetlebug]

If you have the big yellow gourmet book, there is a fabulous sweet potato fry recipe in there. It's roasted but has loads of flavor because you spice it up with fennel, oregano, red pepper flakes, coriander seeds and salt. Pg. 585 in the yellow book.

[LulusMom]

I don't have Gourmet Yesterday, although I'm starting to think it'll probably end up on the shelf soon. I'm a huge fan of fennel, so I'm sure that would help with the sweet pots. Thanks for the recommendation. Our favorite way to have them (which we do like a whole lot) is cut up with onions and roasted in olive oil with herbs de provence and some chunky salt.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I was intrigued by beetlebug's description, and the recipe looks scrumptious! It's here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[LulusMom]

and promptly put in my recipe box there. Thanks to you both!

[beetlebug]

Thanks for posting the link. This is why I have a hard time with internet "cookbooks." It didn't even occur to me to see if epi had it.

[Rubee]

Grilled Corn with Herbs and Lemon Butter, p. 553

This is under the "Grilled Dishes" chapter and made another nice side dish for dinner this weekend. I served it with Grilled Lemon-Coriander chicken on the rotisserie and Arroz Verde. To save time and prep beforehand, I shucked the corn, grilled it for a few minutes, and then cut it off the cob (I used both yellow and white corn). Before serving, I heated it up in a pan with the lemon butter (garlic, lemon juice, butter, s&p) and tossed with fresh herbs - chives, basil, oregano, and sage.

[smtucker]

Wow. You are getting corn on the cob in May? I will mark this page to make in August when the New England summer finally gives us fresh corn. Looks wonderful.

[Rubee]

I know, still getting used to the differences in seasons here out west! It was on sale at our local Sprouts for 19 cents an ear.

[Gio]

Potato Salad with Chile - Cilantro Salsa, Pg. 180

This may well be the very best potato salad I've ever tasted. Ever. However, let me say at the outset that it may not be to everyone's liking. The leader notes state that ,"The cilantro and jalapeños will get your taste buds humming." Not only did mine hum...they hit High C. Spicy, yes. Garlicky, yes. Cider vinegary, yes. But put them all together and if you're looking for something different in a potato salad this is it. And, it's pretty to look at. I mostly halved the recipe but kept a few ingredients at full strength.
Also, for those who don't like cilantro or cider vinegar perhaps basil and red wine vinegar can be subbed?? I dunno. I just know we fell in love with this salad.

So, the full recipe calls for 4 lbs of fingerings or other small potatoes, I used 6 med. Yukon Golds quartered. A fourth cup of cider vinegar (I used 1/8c + that in which the shallots sat for a bit), 3 jalapeños 2 of which have seeds and ribs removed..all 3 are chopped coarsely (I used 2 and kept the ribs & seeds). Two cups fresh cilantro sprigs,
1 1/2 shallots chopped (I used 2 small which I marinated in a bit of cider vinegar to soften the bite). 1 clove garlic and finally 1/4 c EVOO...I used 1/8 c. All of this is processed in a MFP till finely chopped.

The potatoes are put into a pot of cold water along with 2 1/2 Tblspns salt, brought to boil then simmered for about 15 minutes. I omitted the salt. They are drained, rinsed under cold water, and drained again, then tossed with a bit of vinegar and seasoned with S & P. Toss the potatoes with the salsa and be transported.

I served the salad with chicken breasts marinated in Veggo's chimichurri sauce, and plain steamed asparagus.

[LulusMom]

Oh good! This is on my list (although once again I'll sub a different vinegar for the cider).

[buttertart]

That sounds superb, thanks for pointing it out. And making it, of course!

[waver]

Hi, I'm pretty sure this is the link - could someone confirm? Thanks for pointing it out.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[Caitlin McGrath]

Yup, same recipe. That does sound good!

[roxlet]

I just made this for tonight's dinner, and it is spectacular. I also went very easy on the olive oil, and IMO the recipe does not suffer one bit. I made my son taste it, and his response was, "can I have some more of that now?" Great flavors, and a very light potato salad, which is most welcome. I'll be making this all summer.

[LulusMom]

This potato salad was wonderful! Lovely pop in the mouth, and very pretty. I subbed white wine vinegar for the cider, but aside from followed the recipe (although I did halve it - and there is still plenty leftover). It was easy dinner night - hot dogs, and since I really wanted to not miss out on making something from this book, this seemed the perfect side. And it was. Many thanks Gio, for your report. You were absolutely right.

[soypower]

Sounds amazing!!

Here's the epicurious link:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[greedygirl]

I made this tonight too, using leftover Jersey Royal potatoes, which I warmed briefly in the microwave before dressing with the cider vinegar. As there were only two of us and a scant pound of potatoes, I used one jalapeno from the garden and about a TBSP of oil and vinegar. It was plenty spicy enough, and very tasty indeed. Served it with slow-cooked ribs and a mixed salad.

[Rubee]

Potato Salad with Chile-Cilantro Salsa, p. 180.

I loved this, so glad you reported on it! I used russets since that's what I had. I cut up three large potatoes but made the whole batch of salsa using three jalapenos. It was delicious served with BBQ chicken on the rotisserie. BTW - for Arizona locals, my new favorite BBQ sauce is Desert Smoke BBQ's Pineapple-Habanero.
http://www.desertsmokebbq.com/

I've been using the leftover salsa on everything. So far, mixed in mayo for a chicken sandwich, in tacos, tossed with sauteed corn off the cob, and in a vinaigrette.

[Rubee]

Grilled Corn with Chipotle Mayonnaise, p. 552

This is under the "Grilled Dishes" chapter, and was another winner from our Cinco de Mayo feast last night. Grilled corn with mayonesa, chili, lime, and queso is a popular Mexican street snack that I've made but this is even simpler. I was going to make homemade mayo, but glad I didn't since it was good as is just mixing Hellman's with chopped canned chipotles in adobo. Corn is first grilled in the husk, then shucked, and finished a few more minutes on the grill. Serve slathered with the spicy mayo and lime wedges. Great flavors. Corn is 19 cents an ear right now, and I'll be making this again for family this weekend.

[Channa]

Hijiki and Carrots with Sesame Seeds, p 586

This was very easy, and was a nice addition to a Japanese-style meal. It would be a good introduction for those who think they don't like seaweed.

Hijiki is soaked, drained, and sauteed with carrots (part sesame oil). Then it's simmered with soy sauce, sugar, and mirin until nicely glazed. When cool, it's sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

It's very sweet and salty, and altogether delicious. I'd recommend using Japanese soy sauce for the proper flavour. The recipe seems to make a lot, but we kept refilling our bowls, so I was glad we had so much.

[Gio]

Roasted Beets with Horseradish Cream, Pg. 570

I Loved This ! The recipe calls for roasting the beets in an oven, but since we were grilling a pork roast over wood chips in the Weber, we put the packages along side. The beets were perfect.

The beet greens, if any, are cut from the beets to be used in the dish but I put them aside for another recipe. Wash the beets and triple wrap them, whole, in aluminum foil. Roast the beets for 1 - 1 1/2 hours in a hot oven. In the Weber over indirect heat they roasted for 2 hours. When cooked unwrap and allow to cool enough to handle before slicing. For the Horseradish Cream combine sour cream, undrained horseradish (gosh I love that stuff) and a pinch of S & P. The combination of roasted pork, roasted beets and horseradish cream was terrific. Didn't even dress the escarole salad I made... the meat and veggie was enough.

[Gio]

Sautéed Swiss Chard with Onions, Pg. 601

This recipe calls for using both the stems of the chard and the leaves. Yay ! The finished dish is delicious and we liked it very much.

I had just bought a lovely bunch of the 'Bright Lights' from the farm, the ones with the red and orange stems, but you could use a large bunch of any variety. Rinse chard well, separate the leaves from the stems and chiffonade them. Chop the stems and leaf ribs. Heat EVOO and unsalted butter in a pot or skillet then add thinly sliced onion, thinly sliced garlic, and just a pinch of S & P. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Add stems and ribs, another pinch of S & P, cover again, stir now and then, cook till all is al dente. Add the leaves, a handful at a time, cook till wilted...about 8 minutes. That's it. With a slotted spoon transfer everything to a serving bowl. Luscious side dish for just about any meat or fish.

[Gio]

Sautéed Swiss Chard with Onions, Pg. 601

Made this again last night. This time I added a couple of teaspoons of red pepper flakes, pepperoncino, It gave another flavor note to an already very nice dish. Served it with a chicken recipe from Molto Italiano and GT's salad of romaine hearts.

[JoanN]

I made this last night as well, but instead of onion I used green garlic from the farmer’s market. The scapes were a bit past their tenderest, so I cut them up and cooked them with the chard stems. I sliced the garlic bulbs into thin slices as I would have the onion. This was really great. Would have liked it even better with a hint of hot. Adding a note to the book right now.

[Rubee]

Thai Grilled Beef Salad (Yum Neua), p. 199

Delicious, and healthy too. I really liked the balance of flavors in this (made recipe as is and added a little more fish sauce and chile to taste) though missed the toasted ground rice I've had in other versions. The intro says this recipe comes from Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. I've linked to that recipe below which is very similar to the one in Gourmet - just minor differences in amounts of vegs, etc.

Beef tenderloin is seasoned with black pepper, grilled, left to sit, and sliced thinly. The dressing is made with chiles (I used red Thai chiles), fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Toss the beef in the dressing with shallots, scallions, cilantro and mint, and garnish with cucumber slices. I served it with sticky rice, and I'll be making it often this summer.

Recipe Link:
http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/spe...

[roxlet]

This sounds fabulous, and I love that it's low fat.

[nomadchowwoman]

Looks great, too. I'm bookmarking this one.

[Gio]

Roasted Savoy Cabbage with Raisins, Pg. 580

Very tasty and a nice change of flavor for the cabbage.

Rehydrate golden raisins in hot water for 30 minutes. Quarter, core and tear the cabbage in large pieces.(I sliced the cabbage) . Preheat oven to 400F with rack in the middle. The cabbage is browned first in a heavy oven-proof skillet, in batches, using peanut oil, and seasoning each batch with salt & pepper. Butter and a sprig of thyme are added, the cabbage is cooked till wilted. The raisins are added after draining and the skillet is placed in the oven to roast for 30-40 minutes. Discard the thyme before serving. We liked this...loved the hit of sweetness by the raisins. I have long stopped cooking cabbage with apples and this was a welcomed alternative.

[Gio]

Broccoli Spears in Garlic Sauce, Pg. 574

This is really a quick and easy way to create a stir-fry vegetable dish to serve as a side or as I did over linguine, also with noodles or rice...

Broccoli stems are peeled and sliced, florets are sliced into small-ish wedges. Heat canola oil ( I used peanut) in a wok or skillet, add 4 smashed garlic cloves, stir-fry till golden. Add broccoli, stir-fry 5 minutes then add some oyster sauce and chicken stock. Cover and cook till broccoli is al dente. Take off heat and toss with sesame oil. {I cooked the linguine, tossed with EVOO and red pepper flakes then tossed the pasta with the broccoli.} Very nice. Especially for a weekday meal.

[Rubee]

Grilled Zucchini with Garlic and Lemon, p. 559
Grilled Potato Wedges with Chili Salt, p. 557

Both of these recipes are under the "Grilled Dishes" chapter, and made nice side dishes to accompany some steaks on the grill. Zucchini slices are grilled , cut into pieces, and tossed with a dressing of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and zest, and s&p. Simple and fresh. For the potatoes, russets are cut into wedges, brushed with olive oil, and grilled. I actually roasted these in the oven to get a head start and finished them on the grill. After they are cooked, they're tossed with olive oil (I used melted butter), cayenne, chili powder, paprika, and salt. These were good as is, but even better the next day when I used the leftovers in potato salad. In fact, E's son said it was the best potato salad he had ever had!

[greedygirl]

Napa Cabbage Salad with Buttermilk Dressing, p163

Loved this - I think of it more as a slaw than a salad, and it might just become my staple, especially as it's simple to make and a lot lighter than a regular coleslaw.

Slice napa cabbage (I used white, I'm not altogether sure what napa cabbage is over here, tbh), dice radishes and slice two celery ribs diagonally. Toss with the dressing, which is buttermilk, mayo, cider vinegar, shallot, sugar, seasoning and chives.

We liked this very much indeed- it was light and tangy and it went very well with slow-roasted ribs and potato wedges for a weekday supper.

[buttertart]

Napa is the shorter type of Chinese cabbage - not the one I remember being commonly available in Canada (and is perhaps in the UK as well?) which is long and slender, about the size and shape of a bunch of celery. Napa is about half the length and twice the girth of that type. It's white shading to pale green and the leaf edges are rufflled slightly.

[greedygirl]

Just googled it and I don't think we have it here. Maybe Chinese leaf would be the closest substitute?

[buttertart]

It's a bit more strongly flavored than Napa, you could use half and half regular white and it to approximate it. (My dad used to buy the Chinese leaf as a treat when I was little, we ate it like celery.)

[LulusMom]

Think changing to a plain white wine vinegar would make a huge difference? I truly dislike the flavor of cider vinegar, but love the sound of everything else in this.

[greedygirl]

I think it would be fine.

[shaebones]

I made this as well. Liked it very much. Had no radish so sub'd thinly sliced red bell pepper. Served w bourbon steak tips and sweet potato. Yum.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[amyzan]

I made the spicy napa cabbage slaw with cilantro dressing, p. 163, and served it alongside bison burgers for dinner. Flavor improves on sitting, but it doesn't keep well, either. I like that it has plenty of cilantro. If you let it sit too long, though, it will can get assertively hot depending on the size serrano chile you use. So, if anyone in the house is sensitive to chile heat, you might want to stick with the ten minutes recommended.

GG, you might find napa cabbage in an Asian grocery? It's the kind of cabbage used to make kimchi, and though I don't know much about the growing season there, I'd imagine it'll come in sometime soon. It's a cool weather vegetable, if it's grown there at all. Here, it's grown early spring and then again in the fall. (It cannot survive hot summers in this part of the US.) Savoy makes a nice substitute, because it has a similar crinkly texture with more flexible leaves where the veining from the core is less pronounced than in green cabbage.

[greedygirl]

I think you're reviewing a different salad - the one before maybe which is Asian-style. The buttermilk dressing doesn't have any chile and does have cider vinegar.

As for napa cabbage, I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it is the same as Chinese leaf/cabbage over here.

[amyzan]

Oh, yes, whoops, I'll edit. Thanks!

[Gio]

Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro Dressing, Pg. 163

We made this salad last night and the only substitution I had to make was a jalapeño instead of a serrano. The slaw wasn't too hot at all, although the farm where I buy the jalapeños grows really hot ones. And, I just had a forkful and it seems it will be good enough to serve again tonight...there's a lot left over since I made a full recipe. The rice vinegar, sugar, ginger, oil, chili and salt dressing is so tasty, I'll have to make it again for sure. This went very well with Grilled Tofu with Asian Greens on pg.,327.

GG: Here's a Google page of napa cabbage images:
http://www.google.com/images?q=Napa%2...

[bear]

Hey, Gio, where do you manage to buy hot jalapenos in the Boston area? Mine always taste like smaller green peppers.

[Gio]

Hey Bear... we get jalapeños at Connors Farm and Tendercrop Farm...occasionally at the Reading Market Basket. The peppers at the farms have been nice and spicy. The MB is chancey but sometimes we hit it right there too. We don't remove the ribs and seeds most of the time.

http://www.connorsfarm.com/
http://www.tendercropfarms.com/

[bear]

Thanks, Gio. I've been wanting to hit up Tendercrop anyway, and I'll have to check out Connors when I'm in the area as well!

[LulusMom]

Made this salad (the spicy napa cabbage slaw with cilantro dressing) tonight with the tuna burgers. Great combo, and we Loved this salad. Very easy to make, and tons of flavor (especially since I used 2 serranos instead of a jalapeno). This makes a fine side, and would go with either asian or mexican, south american food. The napa cabbages in my grocery store were pretty lousy looking, but this was still wonderful. I look forward to making it again and again.

[greedygirl]

Roasted Asparagus with Feta, p84

The all-too-short British asparagus season is upon us, so I've made this dish twice already! It's a simple but delicious starter which I've served to guests.

Basically, you toss prepared asparagus in a couple of TBSP of EVOO, season, and then roast in a hot oven until tender. The recipe says about 12 minutes, mine were ready in ten. Then you crumble 2 oz of feta over the top. Job done.

Very yummy and I'll make this a lot. It would be good with a soft goat's cheese, I think, or parmesan.

[The Dairy Queen]

I had my eye on that one too! Might have it tonight, actually! Thanks for the report!

~TDQ

[greedygirl]

I think I've put this in the wrong section - it should be in Hors D'Oeuvres. Oops!

[oakjoan]

gg: Weird that it's in hors d'oeuvres...sounds difficult to pick up as finger food. Sounds just right as a first course or veg with dinner.

In any case, I'm trying this soon.

[JoanN]

Roasted asparagus with Parmesan is one of my mainstays. I usually serve it as an accompaniment to a main, though, rather than as an app. And I always put the asparagus back in the oven for a couple of minutes after sprinkling the cheese over it 'cause I like the cheese melted and even a bit crunchy around the edges.

[BigSal]

I just made this tonight. Quick and delicious. Definitely a make again dish. We served this with the grilled chicken with lemon, garlic, and oregano and the residual sauce from the chicken was quite good with the asparagus.

[beetlebug]

Roasted Asparagus with Feta, p84

Thanks GG for pointing this out. Quick and delicious. I'm going to try and make it a couple of times before the asparagus season ends.

Mine were also done in about 10 minutes.

[Caitlin McGrath]

There was no earthly reason for me *not* to make this. I had asparagus to cook, I had the oven on already for another dish, and there was crumbled feta left over from something else. My oven was at 425 for the other recipe, so I let them go a bit longer; they were done in 15 min or so. I can't add to everyone's comments - simple, delicious.

[twilight goddess]

Just yesterday I just happened upon the roasted asparagus with feta while bopping around on epicurious, and then somehow I ended up on this thread today, totally coincidentally, and here it is right at the top. Guess this preparation of asparagus is in the cards! I am making paprikash tonight, so this could be a yummy roasty side. Mmm.