Category Archives: side dish

Baby Artichokes — Pure and Simple

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When I visited Green Scene Organic Market in Walker a couple of weeks ago, I was given a lesson on artichokes  that covered both the large globe artichokes and the smaller variety referred to as baby artichokes.

Years ago, my friend Cathy taught me how to eat an artichoke. Unfortunately, they were cooked and ready to eat by the time I got to her house, so I never had the opportunity to learn how to prepare an artichoke. Like so many home cooks, I remained intimidated by the thorny vegetable that is actually an unopened flower bud of a plant related to the sunflower in the thistle family.

Erin Andrus Haefle, owner of Green Scene, showed me how easy it is to prepare a globe artichoke by snapping off some of the tough outer petals, trimming off the top with a knife and steaming it in a pot of water until it becomes tender. After preparing some artichokes at home and leisurely eating them with friends, I wondered why I didn’t give them a try much sooner — so many good conversations and buttery morsels of artichoke I’ve missed.

You can watch Erin on video as she demonstrates how to prepare an artichoke when you read my column on line this week. Click here to watch the video.

Part two of my artichoke cooking primer came from the chef at Green Scene, Kristin Melby. She turned a pound of baby artichokes into completely edible melt-in-the-mouth, two-bite nuggets.

You can learn how to prepare baby artichokes, too, by watching Kristin in the video below.

Baby Artichokes are delicious when sauteed in olive oil, showered with a bit of fresh citrus juice and sprinkled with sea salt. I think they would be lovely tossed with some pasta. When I prepared baby artichokes at home following Kristin’s instructions, we ate them as a snack while they were still warm.

I’ve discovered eating artichokes is a special event — a ritual of sorts. The artichoke experience forces me to slow down, enjoy the adventure and focus on the people who are joining me around the table.

I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

It’s all about food — real food.

Baby Artichokes Pure and Simple

Recipe from Green Scene Organic Market, Walker, Minnesota

  • 1 pound baby artichokes, cleaned and halved or quartered
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • half medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • pinch of Herbs de Provence
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
  • pinch salt
  • pepper to taste
  • freshly grated Parmesan Regiano

Prepare artichokes and keep in bowl of acidified water  (1tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup cold water) or equivalent amount of vinegar to water.

Pour 1/2 cup tap water into saucepan. Add artichokes and cover tightly. Steam over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.

Remove from heat and drain artichokes in strainer .Using the same sauce pan, return to heat and add the olive oil. Heat until a light smoke appears. Add onions and garlic and Herbs de Provence to pan and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add artichokes and continue cooking over low heat 5 minutes or more, depending on desired texture and artichoke size. Add lemon juice and season to taste.

Transfer to serving bowl. Add freshly grated Parmesan and serve.

 

Easy Winter Meal: Wild Rice and Sprouts

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Many would say the only way to prepare Brussels sprouts, the cruciferous vegetables that look like a miniature cabbage, is to roast them. I do love the ease of preparing roasted Brussels sprouts. The nutty flavor they develop in a hot oven is magnificent. But, there is another way to prepare the little green sprouts that offers wonderful flavor and crisp texture.

I’ve discovered that by slicing Brussels sprouts into thin ribbons, they can be stir-fried with other vegetables.

A little time with your chef’s knife is all it takes to prepare the sprouts for stirring up in a hot pan with onions, peppers and garlic. Add some honey and vinegar for a sweet and sour flavor. Then, just stir in some cooked wild rice. Viola!

Brussels sprouts are a good source of fiber. For it’s small size, the Brussels sprout is a powerhouse of nutrients with loads of vitamins that offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. If you are counting calories, you will love Brussels sprouts. They will fill you up while adding few calories to your day.

You can read more about Brussels sprouts in my column this week. You will also find my recipe for Maple-Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Apples. Just click here.

North Country Wild Rice and Honey Sprouts

  • 3/4 pound Brussels sprouts
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 cups cooked wild rice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Rinse Brussels sprouts. Peel off any discolored leaves. Trim stem ends. Cut each sprout in half lengthwise. Lay each half flat-side down on work surface. Slice lengthwise into thin ribbons. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in large skillet or wok. When oil is hot, stir-fry onion and red pepper until just tender. Add garlic and stir-fry one minute. Add prepared Brussels sprouts and salt. Stir fry until just tender. Stir in vinegar and honey. Continue to stir until honey melts. Add cooked wild rice. Blend and cook until rice is heated through. Taste and season with black pepper and additional salt, if needed. Serve immediately. Makes 6 to 8 side servings or 4 main servings.

Tips from cook

  • This dish can easily become an entree by stirring in leftover cooked meat or sauteed tofu.

 

 

Cucumbers and Yogurt are Saucy and Versatile

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While in Minneapolis last weekend, after a light Sunday breakfast at Sunstreet Breads, (Heavy Table recently had a nice write-up about Sun Street with photos) my husband and I stopped at the nearby Kingfield Farmers Market. We had discovered this lively market last summer. Last summer, Sun Street owner, Sovlveig Tofte, was selling her delicious bakery at the market. My husband bought one of her rhubarb turnovers that day and was talking about it for a week. He was so happy to find them at her Sun Street Breads when we were there for breakfast. He even shared it with me. Yes, those turnovers are just the right balance of sweet, tart and flaky and they make you sigh with indulgent satisfaction.

I was delighted to find Foxy Falafel at the market again this summer. I remembered watching people pedal for a smoothie at her booth.

On this summer’s visit to the Kingfield Farmers Market, I was ready to try a Foxy Falafel fresh pita stuffed with shreds of pickled cabbage, tomatoes and cucumbers with hummus and bite-sized chunks of falafel, of course. I did a pita of half beet falafel and half traditional (chickpea). It was just the kind of sandwich I was looking for — it’s a hold-with-two-hands hefty and wholesome meal . I felt so good and healthy after that lunch. I didn’t take pictures, but you’ll enjoy this piece about Erica Strait, the chef behind Foxy Falafel, written by Sarah Rykal over at Simple, Good and Tasty. My friend Crystal, over at Cafe Cyan, wrote about Foxy Falafel’s debut on the market scene last summer and has a few pictures, too.

After that Foxy Falafel sandwich at the market, I was ready to make my own when I got home. Jenny Breen’s cookbook, “Cooking Up The Good Life,” was my guide as I ventured into the land of falafel-making. I followed Breen’s recipe precisely and wound up with amazingly wonderful falafel. Along with her Tahini Sauce, I added my own yogurt-based cucumber sauce.

I often use this sauce as a dressing for a salad of fresh greens. It’s wonderful stirred into tuna salad. Spoon it alongside grilled meat or roasted vegetables for a real taste-treat. And, don’t forget, it’s a must with homemade falafel, whether it’s stuffed into pita or served as an appetizer. You’ll find the Falafel recipe I used from Cooking Up The Good Life in my column this week. Click here.

Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce

  • 1 cup whole milk yogurt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon mint leaves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup peeled and finely chopped seedless cucumber
  • 1 chubby clove garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a 4-cup glass measure or mixing bowl. Cover and allow to sit in refrigerator for at least a couple of hours for flavors to develop. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Tips from the cook

  • Fresh dill weed is a nice substitute for mint when you can pick it from your garden or buy it at the farmers market.
  • Look for seedless cucumbers later in the summer at your local farmers market. In the supermarket, you’ll find the long, slender, seedless cucumbers wrapped in plastic in the produce department.
  • Watch as I share tips and prepare Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce on Lakeland Public Television. Click here.
  • See more about last year’s visit to Kingfield Farmers Market and other interesting places when I vacationed in Minneapolis last summer by clicking right here.

Olive oil, fresh herbs and vinegar with grilled asparagus

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I’ve been trying to do something with the big weed patch that used to be a vegetable garden in a generous-sized plot in my yard near the river. As I’ve been digging weeds, I keep finding clumps of oregano. This aromatic herb must be one of the most tolerant of neglect and sandy soil. And, I guess it doesn’t care one bit about being surrounded by weeds. It’s not only growing, it’s spreading. I’ve been digging each little bunch of oregano up, plopping it into pots and sharing them with friends.

I continue to snip chives and tarragon, plants that are tucked in among the perennial flowers in my garden. I always plant plenty of Italian parsley in the big barrel planter. Last week, all of these herbs went into a vinaigrette. If I’m able to get my basil to grow this year (I’ve planted it in pots rather than the ground this time around), I’ll be adding that to the mix of herbs in this vinaigrette.

Of course, this vinaigrette is wonderful on a salad of fresh greens. But, there are more ways to enjoy this herb-infused oil and vinegar dressing. Spoon it over roasted potatoes or into potato salad. Brush it over pizza dough before adding toppings. Use it to glaze grilled chicken breasts. Or, when you have a bunch of asparagus (or the ends of asparagus spears after making spicy pickled asparagus), grill it and eat it with a drizzle of Fresh Herbs Vinaigrette.

My husband has a grill pan designed for vegetables. I rolled the asparagus ends in some of the vinaigrette before he put them in the pan on the grill. Since the ends had been blanched, they didn’t need much time on the grill. Before serving, I drizzled more vinaigrette over the ends and garnished with shaved Parmesan.

Easy, healthful and delicious. And, a great way to enjoy fresh herbs and fresh asparagus.

Fresh Herbs Vinaigrette

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk fresh lemon juice, grated zest and vinegar together in a 2-cup glass measure. Slowly pour in olive oil as you continue to whisk to form an emulsion. Add garlic and chopped fresh herbs and mix. Store in covered jar in refrigerator. Shake well before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 1 cup vinaigrette.

It’s like fried rice, but it’s made with pasta

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As a young girl growing up in a northern suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, I had little exposure to ethnic foods other than the Hungarian and German foods prepared by my grandma, my mom and my aunts. But, there was a Chinese restaurant not far from our house that we sometimes went to for supper when my mom was too tired to make a meal after a long day of work as a business manager at a small manufacturing company.

It was the fried rice that was always my choice. It was brought to the table hidden under a bowl. When the bowl was lifted, there was the rice, a mound the shape of an upside-down bowl. The rice was brown with soy sauce and speckled with bits of scrambled eggs, onions and peas, maybe some sprouts, and small bits of either chicken or pork.

Years later, married with two young children and living in Fargo, North Dakota, I took a Chinese cooking class from Andrea Halgrimson. And, that is when I learned to make a mean bowl of fried rice that was pretty close to the rice I use to get at the Roseville restaurant.

After a recent meal of Baked Orzo with Vegetables (in my last blog post) and grilled Marinated Sesame Chicken Kabobs, there was some of each leftover. A couple of days later I turned it into Fried Orzo with Chicken. It was a quick and easy meal that was full of flavor. I used the Fried Rice recipe that I still have from Andrea’s class back in 1984. With a couple of embellishments, it was a wonderful way to turn leftovers into a brand new meal. It’s like fried rice, but it’s made with pasta.

Fried Orzo with Chicken

  • 3 to 4 cups Baked Orzo with Vegetables or plain cooked orzo
  • Leftover cooked chicken, onions and peppers from Marinated Sesame Chicken Kabobs, chopped
  • 1/2 cup frozen green peas
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
  • soy sauce
  • pinch of sugar
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper

Heat canola and sesame oils in wok or large saute pan over medium heat. Add beaten eggs and stir-fry until partially set. Turn out of pan onto a plate. Add a little more oil to pan and heat. Add chopped chicken, onion, pepper and peas to pan. Stir-fry until heated through. Add Baked Orzo with Vegetables and partially-cooked eggs and continue to stir-fry until hot. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Tip from the cook

To serve Fried Orzo molded, lightly spray a glass custard cup with non-stick vegetable spray. Pack Fried Orzo into the bowl. Invert bowl onto plate and remove bowl, leaving a perfectly molded serving of orzo on the plate.

 

 

Baked Orzo with Vegetables

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Last weekend my son and daughter-in-law prepared a delicious meal of grilled chicken and vegetable kabobs with sides of fresh fruit and a rice and vegetable dish. They used a rice recipe that I’ve been making for years. It’s a baked dish that takes all the guess-work out of how long to cook the rice. You don’t want it to turn to mush and crunchy rice is surely not appealing. Baked in broth and a bit of butter, the rice turns out perfectly every time. Last weekend, my son and daughter-in-law used fragrant jasmine rice and it was wonderful.

After spending a couple of weeks working on perfecting an orzo salad for my column, my mind started turning with thoughts of trying to use the small, flat, rice-shaped pasta as a replacement for rice in the baked side-dish that’s been a family favorite over the years.

Silly me — I thought for sure this weekend that brings us the month of May would definitely bring warm sunshine that would demand a meal from the grilling. I was so wrong.

The Grill Master in my house was a good sport as he went out in the rain to light the grill. During a short break in the rain, chicken kabobs cooked to perfection over the hot coals. With an outside temperature of 45 degrees, a little heat coming from the oven as the orzo baked was appreciated.

I used a little less broth for the orzo dish than I do when I make the dish with rice. It took less time to bake, too. The orzo absorbed the broth as it baked. It’s texture was creamy. It was the perfect go-along for chicken kabobs.

Since the vegetables are added raw and bake with the orzo for only 10 minutes, it’s important to mince them. The carrots will have an al dente texture.

When I’ve made this dish early in the day to serve with supper, I bake it for the required time, then take it out of the oven and stir in the vegetables. The vegetables will cook a bit as they sit in the hot pot with the orzo. At serving time, just transfer the baked orzo with vegetables to a microwave-safe bowl and heat it up for a few minutes in the microwave oven.

I’m optimistic that warm weather will soon arrive and stay for a while. Baked Orzo with Vegetables will stay on my list of sides to serve with anything grilled all through the sunny spring and summer season.

Baked Orzo with Vegetables

  • 1 cup uncooked orzo
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 1/2 cups boiling chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 6 tablespoons minced Italian flat-leaf parsley
  • 6 tablespoons minced carrots
  • 6 tablespoons minced celery
  • 6 tablespoons minced green onions
  • 6 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange slivered almonds in a single layer on a small baking sheet. Place in oven as it preheats. Watch the almonds closely and remove from oven when they begin to turn light brown.

Melt butter in a 2-quart oven-safe pot over medium heat. Add uncooked orzo. Stir the orzo as it toasts in the butter for about 5 minutes. Carefully pour in the boiling chicken broth. Stir. Place top on pot. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 35 minutes.

Remove pot from oven. Stir orzo. Add vegetables. Place top on pot and return to oven. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven. Add toasted slivered almonds and parsley. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

 

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes made easy with a blender

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In many homes on Easter Sunday, a succulent ham shank, crusted with brown sugar and mustard, is brought to the dinner table glazed and bubbling, surrounded by creamy scalloped potatoes. This will happen again in just a few days in many homes, but not mine.

Ham has never been part of the Easter meal tradition at my house. Growing up with a German-Czechoslovakian father meant every holiday dinner involved a roasted loin of pork, crusted with flavorful caraway seeds and softball-sized dumplings to soak up the drippings from the pork and lots of creamy sauerkraut.

After I got married, though, I discovered ham and scalloped potatoes. I tried to learn to prepare a moist ham and creamy scalloped potatoes. But, I almost always wound up with dry ham and curdled potatoes. I gave up and went back to the familiar pork dinner that I was more comfortable with in the kitchen. My favorite guy missed the cheesy scalloped potatoes, but adapted well to the more German-style Easter meal.

Early in my marriage, I clipped a recipe for Blender Scalloped Potatoes from a newsletter from somewhere and glued it onto one of the pages of the 3-ring binder that served as my personal recipe collection. I wrote a short comment beside the recipe after making it for the first time back in the 1970′s — “So good and so easy.”

No pre-cooking the potatoes and not a single can of cream-of-anything soup in sight. The recipe makes enough to fill a 1-quart casserole dish, which was just enough for my family over the years. If you’re serving a crowd, make two or three batches to create a large pan full of scalloped potatoes, or make several individual servings by using ramekins.

I don’t believe there could be an easier way to prepare creamy, cheesy potatoes. Whole milk (I’ve experimented with reduced-fat and no-fat milk. They don’t give the rich, creamy results that whole milk delivers) goes into the blender for a whirl with an onion and a tiny bit of flour. The liquid mixture gets poured over raw, cubed potatoes in a baking dish. A few dots of butter and a hefty handful of grated Cheddar finish the preparation before the potato dish goes into the oven for about 90 minutes. That’s it.

Any leftover scalloped potatoes reheat nicely in the microwave oven. Add some chopped leftover ham to the potatoes before reheating. That’s a meal in a dish.

I must admit that I’ve never served these potatoes with ham. Try them with pork chops or meat loaf or steak — the best!

Blender Scalloped Potatoes (So good and so easy)

  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 ounces (1/2 cup) grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Lightly butter 1-quart glass baking dish or 4 (6- to 8-ounce) ramekins.

Put potato cubes into prepared dish(es).

Pour milk into blender. Add onion chunks and flour. Process until mixture is smooth. Pour mixture over potato cubes. Dot with butter. Spread cheese over all.

Bake, uncovered, in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the potatoes are tender.

Tips from the cook:

  • I find the cheese gets very dark brown after 1 1/2 hours in the oven. I often bake the dish without the cheese for 60 minutes, then add the cheese for the last 30 minutes or so. I like the cheese to get golden, but not so dark that it looks burned.
  • For more depth of flavor, I sometimes skewer a chubby clove garlic and a bay leaf on a toothpick and dunk it into the potatoes, just along the side of the dish, before baking. At serving time, I pull out the pick that is still holding the garlic and bay leaf.
  • I like using white sharp cheddar cheese for these scalloped potatoes.

Orzo and Wild Rice with high “wow” factor

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It’s easy to get into a side-dish rut. Rice or pasta are always favorite choices for me. Over the last few years, I’ve made a gradual move to brown rice and whole wheat pasta. And, believe it or not, I rarely prepare potatoes, unless they are the first ones dug from the garden that I can buy at the farmers market.

Last weekend when we grilled a whole chicken, I was not in the mood for making choices. That’s how wild rice and orzo, a rice-shaped pasta, wound up on our dinner plates. Rice and pasta. It was a pleasant change from the norm. Sweetened with honey drizzled from a tablespoon, colored with sweet red and yellow bell peppers, a bit of saltiness from soy sauce and a squirt or two of fresh lemon juice for bright flavor, worked together to create a dish that brought a “Wow!” from my husband.

All I can say is that this side dish is amazing. It’s different than any wild rice dish you’ve had in the past. If there is one negative, it’s the fact I dirtied two pots cooking wild rice and orzo separately.

This side-dish was wonderful with grilled chicken. It would also be perfect with a steak right off the grill.

Wild Rice and Orzo is uncomplicated to prepare and has a high “Wow” factor. Use it as a bed for meat or seafood, or up the “wow” factor by packing it into a glass bowl sprayed lightly with cooking spray, then unmold onto the plate. I used some antique sherbet/compote bowls to make the perfectly-shaped mound you see in the photo.

Orzo and Wild Rice

  • 1 cup wild rice, uncooked
  • 1/2 cup orzo, uncooked
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/2 of a red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 of a yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cook orzo according to package directions. Rinse wild rice and put in saucepan with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered until rice is done. Kernels of will be split open, revealing the white inside. It should be tender, but still a bit chewy. Drain and set aside.

Saute onion and bell peppers in 2 tablespoons butter in large pan. When tender, add garlic and saute another minute. Stir in honey. Add wild rice, parsley, orzo, soy sauce and lemon juice. Stir in cooked wild rice and orzo, continuing to stir until heated through. Serve immediately. Makes 6 very generous servings.

Try serving this Orzo and Wild Rice dish with Grilled Three-Citrus Spring Chicken I have in my column this week.