Vegetables Archive

  • I’ve got some plaintains right now turning a nice black in my kitchen. I have loved plaintains even before we lived in Miami, and now I’m bummed about how difficult it is to find really good ones cooked up here. I do like that Cuban restaurant down on Kearny near Pine (Paladar Cafe Cubano – also their Cafe con Leche is great) but cooking up a batch at home is easy, and this recipe for Grilled Plaintains with Brown Sugar Glaze from Serious Eats is perfect for grilling season (which I guess is technically nearly year-round here in Berkeley). They...

    Foodblog-a-Round: The Odd Fruit or Vegetable

    Posted on 2010.06.18 | No Comments
    I’ve got some plaintains right now turning a nice black in my kitchen. I have loved plaintains even before we lived in Miami, and now I’m bummed about how difficult it is to find really good ones cooked up here. I do like that Cuban restaurant down on Kearny near Pine (Paladar Cafe Cubano – also their Cafe con Leche is great) but cooking up a batch at home is easy, and this recipe for Grilled Plaintains with Brown Sugar Glaze from Serious Eats is perfect for grilling season (which I guess is technically nearly year-round here in Berkeley). They...

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  • Shhh… I actually made this on Saturday but if you don’t tell anyone, neither will I! I know brussels sprouts aren’t most people’s favorites, but for some reason in the past couple of years I have fallen in love with them. They can be a little bitter, but if they’re cooked right (especially golden brown… with bacon) that harshness mellows right out and instead they taste a little caramelized and little like green-vegetable popcorn. Or maybe that’s just my imagination. In this case I shredded the brussels sprouts so they cooked through more quickly, and the lively flavor of the...

    Sunday Dinner: Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Lemon Butter

    Posted on 2010.02.28 | No Comments
    Shhh… I actually made this on Saturday but if you don’t tell anyone, neither will I! I know brussels sprouts aren’t most people’s favorites, but for some reason in the past couple of years I have fallen in love with them. They can be a little bitter, but if they’re cooked right (especially golden brown… with bacon) that harshness mellows right out and instead they taste a little caramelized and little like green-vegetable popcorn. Or maybe that’s just my imagination. In this case I shredded the brussels sprouts so they cooked through more quickly, and the lively flavor of the...

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  • I can tell we’re specializing here in dishes that look really cook and impressive but in fact are easy to through together. In fact Monday’s dinner was simple from top to bottom, from the braised scallops to the blueberry cheesecake ice cream (stay tuned for those recipes). The roasted baby artichokes were the dish that took the most prep, but even then, the actual making is simple. And with the instructions in my trusty copy of Saveur (which had a great feature on artichokes a while back), it’s a cinch to prep the baby artichokes. Basically for each baby artichoke,...

    Roasted Baby Artichokes with a Garlicy Twist

    Posted on 2010.02.17 | No Comments
    I can tell we’re specializing here in dishes that look really cook and impressive but in fact are easy to through together. In fact Monday’s dinner was simple from top to bottom, from the braised scallops to the blueberry cheesecake ice cream (stay tuned for those recipes). The roasted baby artichokes were the dish that took the most prep, but even then, the actual making is simple. And with the instructions in my trusty copy of Saveur (which had a great feature on artichokes a while back), it’s a cinch to prep the baby artichokes. Basically for each baby artichoke,...

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  • Sunchokes may also be known as Jerusalem Artichokes, but they are no artichoke. In fact they are all brown and knobby and look a lot more like overgrown ginger (but don’t taste like ginger) than anything else. I feel like we’ve been seeing sunchokes everywhere (Top Chef anyone?). Lately they’ve been all over restaurant menus too — from fried to pureed — which I really enjoyed — and I was excited to see the sunchoke recipe in the latest issue of Fine Cooking. I whipped up a bunch of the roasted sunchokes with artichoke hearts today during the Super Bowl...

    Sunday Dinner: Sunchokes

    Posted on 2010.02.07 | No Comments
    Sunchokes may also be known as Jerusalem Artichokes, but they are no artichoke. In fact they are all brown and knobby and look a lot more like overgrown ginger (but don’t taste like ginger) than anything else. I feel like we’ve been seeing sunchokes everywhere (Top Chef anyone?). Lately they’ve been all over restaurant menus too — from fried to pureed — which I really enjoyed — and I was excited to see the sunchoke recipe in the latest issue of Fine Cooking. I whipped up a bunch of the roasted sunchokes with artichoke hearts today during the Super Bowl...

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  • We try to incorporate a lot of interesting whole grains into our diet — and quinoa is one of our favorites. But just boiling it up and tossing in some salt, pepper and oil is not that interesting, and even the lusciousness of tossing in some easily melting cheese like crescenza gets repetitive. So when I saw this recipe in the latest issue of Fine Cooking, I couldn’t wait to try it. I whipped up a batch as the side dish for our dinner tonight (braised short ribs again — I meant to do tequila-braise but we ended up with...

    Sunday Dinner: Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Dried Fruit and Lemon-Cumin Vinaigrette

    Posted on 2010.01.31 | No Comments
    We try to incorporate a lot of interesting whole grains into our diet — and quinoa is one of our favorites. But just boiling it up and tossing in some salt, pepper and oil is not that interesting, and even the lusciousness of tossing in some easily melting cheese like crescenza gets repetitive. So when I saw this recipe in the latest issue of Fine Cooking, I couldn’t wait to try it. I whipped up a batch as the side dish for our dinner tonight (braised short ribs again — I meant to do tequila-braise but we ended up with...

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  • I love corn. Pop corn, corn kernels, cornbread, corn tortillas… but none of these can beat a nice young ear of corn on the cob. Good lots of ways, from grilled to boiled, from plain to slathered in chili lime butter. But I don't cook corn the way my mom always did. There seems to be a divide on whether corn should be boiled a long time or a short time… I always err on the shorter. It takes away the raw-raw flavor, but leaves the corn crisp and sweet. It's so simple, it doesn't really qualify as a recipe....

    Sunday Dinner: Corn on the Cob

    Posted on 2009.10.04 | No Comments
    I love corn. Pop corn, corn kernels, cornbread, corn tortillas… but none of these can beat a nice young ear of corn on the cob. Good lots of ways, from grilled to boiled, from plain to slathered in chili lime butter. But I don't cook corn the way my mom always did. There seems to be a divide on whether corn should be boiled a long time or a short time… I always err on the shorter. It takes away the raw-raw flavor, but leaves the corn crisp and sweet. It's so simple, it doesn't really qualify as a recipe....

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  • Take young brussels sprouts, ends trimmed off and sliced in half. Toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add a squeeze of lime. Do the same with cherry tomatoes, in a separate bowl. Throw the brussels sprouts on the grill in a grill basket or similar (ours was on medium). Open up the top in a few minutes to check and stir. Watch for charring if it bothers you – I think it adds a little flavor. When the sprouts look toasty and a taste seems close to cooked (losing its bitterness and raw cabbage flavor), add...

    Sunday Dinner: Grilled Brussels Sprouts and Cherry Tomatoes

    Posted on 2009.09.20 | No Comments
    Take young brussels sprouts, ends trimmed off and sliced in half. Toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add a squeeze of lime. Do the same with cherry tomatoes, in a separate bowl. Throw the brussels sprouts on the grill in a grill basket or similar (ours was on medium). Open up the top in a few minutes to check and stir. Watch for charring if it bothers you – I think it adds a little flavor. When the sprouts look toasty and a taste seems close to cooked (losing its bitterness and raw cabbage flavor), add...

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