Coriander-Roasted Broccoli

Posted on January 3, 2017 by melsmosaic

Some recipes catch my attention. Some ingredients in the kitchen find ways to catch the side of the shelf and shatter. Some determination then comes about to still make a recipe happen.

Saw this recipe for Coriander-Roaster Broccoli in a recent issue of Food & Wine, which just sounded amazing. So, had been to the store, everything was ready and cooking was starting.

Ingredients

-2 garlic cloves
-1 tablespoon cumin seeds
-2 teaspoons coriander seeds
-Kosher salt
-1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-2 heads of broccoli  (1 3/4 pounds), sliced lengthwise through the stems 1/4-inch thick

Well, reached for the coriander and the (glass) jar fell from the shelf onto the (granite) countertop. I had opted to use ground coriander vs. seeds and the stuff was everywhere, along with chards of glass mixed in. Ok, that was not going to be used. Very fortunately, I happened to have cilantro on hand! Magical/close enough of a substitute.

Note, I was also using ground cumin.

Directions

-Preheat the oven to 450°. In  a mini food processor, combine the garlic, cumin, coriander,  1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 cup of the olive oil; puree until smooth. *I added a bit of water because of the (arbitrary) amount of cilantro I used, to make it smoother. Played with the amount of oil, too.

-Arrange the broccoli on  2 large rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with the remaining  2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and toss to coat. Roast for 5 minutes. Spoon the coriander oil over the broccoli, toss and roast for about 10 minutes longer, until just tender, shifting the baking sheets halfway through. Serve hot.

This stuff was awesome! Luckily it was a small error that occurred and can’t wait to try with coriander proper. I will likely make it with this again, too.

Nom Nom…tomatoes and eggplant

Posted on October 14, 2016 by melsmosaic

Found another recipe recently that I had to try from Food & Wine — Marinated Eggplant and Tomato Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella. What sounded unique about it is that the eggplant is never cooked, it just marinates for a heck of a long time. Hey, think about it as veggie ceviche, right?

Ingredients

1 pound small or medium Italian eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick, slices scored on both sides at 1/4-inch intervals — I just picked up the first eggplant I saw
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 basil sprigs, plus basil leaves for garnish
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, coarsely chopped
8 ounces buffalo mozzarella, coarsely torn or chopped (I used a goat gouda)

Directions
-In a colander set over a large bowl, toss the eggplant slices with 1 1/2 teaspoons  of salt. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, tossing occasionally. — I actually let that sit for a few hours while I was out

-Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the olive oil with the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, basil sprigs, oregano and crushed red pepper; season lightly with salt and black pepper.

-Squeeze all of the water from the eggplants and pat dry. Chop into bite-size pieces. Add to the marinade and let stand for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. — then once this was done I put it in the fridge overnight — was REALLY glad I actually read this recipe thoroughly several times

-Add the tomatoes to the eggplant mixture and toss to coat; discard the basil sprigs and garlic. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the mozzarella and basil leaves.

Make Ahead
The recipe can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

This was pretty good, quite unique. It also looks quite Chrismas-y. I think it got even better the next day. And actually, the next day, used it more as a bruschetta and also tossed it in salad. Can’t complain!

Throw it together

Posted on August 4, 2016 by melsmosaic

I got handed all this stuff from friends from various farmers’ markets (not the stuff I had) and had to put it together. So I also had all the fresh veggies I purchased that I (still) needed to use. What did I make? Delicious salad!

Ingredients:

-(Huge) tomatoes
-Peaches
-Avocados
-Red onion
-Garlic Salt (some form of garlic belongs in near everything)
-Pepper
-Lemon juice

So fresh, so good. I’m surprised I have leftovers. That’s what I’m eating tonight.

Farmer’s Market Finds

Posted on August 4, 2016 by melsmosaic

Roamed by the farmer’s market the other day and had to stop when I saw all the great looking heirloom tomatoes. These guys were awesome. I knew I wouldn’t be leaving without some. I had to pick, though, and that was the hardest part. The one I really wanted was the big orange one behind the the large group of smaller red guys on the right (not in the basket). But first I had to take it to the scale…1.8 pounds. WHOA! Ok, I was not going to pay over $7 for 1 tomato. I grabbed various colors of the smaller guys.

Then, next to them were some eggplant I’d never seen before, Fairy Tale Eggplant. I was told to slice them longways and grill (can’t have a BBQ at my place) or pan sear/cook them. They had a nice flavor to them, different than a normal eggplant — a bit sweet — and just so fun.

Love the farmer’s market!

Roasted Squash Heaven

Posted on February 18, 2016 by melsmosaic

Made another delicious recipe from Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook the other day as pary of a friend’s 50th birthday dinner. I can’t find anything bad from his book. Just love it! This time it was Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Onions with Tahini & Za’atar

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash (2 1/4 lb), cut into 3/4 by 2 1/2″ wedges (I peeled it and cut into cubes)
2 red onions, cut into 1 1/4″ wedges
3 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 1/2 tbsp tahini
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water
1 garlic close, crushed
3 1/2 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp za’atar
1 tbsp coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt & pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Put the squash and onion in a large mixing bowl, add 3 tbsp of the oil, 1 tsp salt and some pepper and toss well. Spread on a baking sheet with the skin facing down and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the vegetables have taken on some color and are cooked through. Keep an eye on the onions as they might cook faster than the squash and need to be removed earlier. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

To make the sauce, place the tahini in a small bowl along with the lemon juice, water, garlic and 1/4 tsp salt. Whisk until the sauce is the consistency of honey, adding more water or tahini if necessary.

Add the remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil into a small frying pain and place over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts along with the 1/2 tsp salt and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the nuts are golden brown. Remove from heat and transfer the nuts and oil to a small bowl to stop the cooking.

To serve, spread the vegetables out on a large serving platter and drizzle over the tahini. Sprinkle the pine nuts and their oil on top, followed by the za’atar and parsley.

This was served with a spinach salad from the same cookbook and some roasted shrimp. Could barely stop eating this stuff. Definitely on the list to make again.

Green Vegetable Soup

Posted on January 11, 2016 by melsmosaic

Cold weather, new soup. Went for one I saw in Cooking Light — Green Vegetable Soup.

Ingredients

3/4 cup uncooked orzo
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks (about 2) (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1 cup thinly sliced celery (didn’t use this because I didn’t feel like getting a whole head of celery)
1 tablespoon minced garlic, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 cup water
3 thyme sprigs (went for dry)
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1/4 pound) (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups baby spinach leaves, divided (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

2. While pasta cooks, heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Add leeks, celery, 2 teaspoons garlic, and salt; sauté 5 minutes. Add stock, 1 cup water, and thyme. Cover; bring to a boil. Add peas and beans, and simmer, uncovered, 4 minutes. Discard thyme. Stir in pasta and 1 cup spinach.

3. Place 1 cup spinach, basil, cheese, rind, juice, 1 teaspoon garlic, and 2 teaspoons oil in a food processor; process until smooth. Divide soup among 4 bowls; top with pesto. (I didn’t make this part).

This stuff was ok. I think there was way too much orzo in there. Nothing to write home about. It was missing a lot of flavor, thought that could be because I didn’t make the pesto. I’m not keeping the recipe.

Baby Eggplant

Posted on December 29, 2014 by melsmosaic

Was roaming around the produce section at Sprouts the other day and saw these random purple, oblong-ish things that I didn’t recognize at first. Stopped and then determined what they were. Whoa — baby eggplant. So neat. They were 1.5″-2″ long and just too good to pass up. And, they were a whopping 5 for $1.

To cook, decided to slice them in half, longways, season with some Italian herbs, drizzle with olive oil and put on the grill.

Cooked for 10+ minutes, turning once. So good. You could eat them in one bite, scoop out the middle, pop the inside out by pressing from the skin. They had just a bit of a different taste from regular eggplant. They would be perfect to serve as appetizers because they can totally be finger food.

Asparagus Salad with Manchego and Almonds

Posted on June 26, 2014 by melsmosaic

As I continue going through some Cooking Light recipes, the next one I tried was an awesome asparagus salad. The proper title — Shaved Asparagus Salad with Manchego and Almonds. What was unique about this is that the asparagus is raw. I can count on less than one hand the amount of times I’ve eaten un-cooked asparagus. Game on! When I made this, I did not add the egg because of everything else I was making for dinner, I didn’t need that extra bit of protein/food.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar (I used tarragon vinegar because I didn’t want to buy a fresh bottle of sherry vinegar just for this and that’s what I had on hand)
1 1/2 teaspoons walnut oil (again, didn’t want to buy something new, so used some sesame oil)
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic (of course I used more than that!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound large asparagus
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
1 ounce Manchego cheese, shaved (about 1/4 cup)

Directions

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Using a sharp peeler, thinly peel asparagus to equal 3 cups asparagus ribbons. Add asparagus and parsley to bowl; toss gently to coat. *They make this sound SO easy. Not so much. With a carrot, yet, but with a smaller asparagus spear/stalk, not so much. After awhile on each one, I’d stop and just throw a larger piece in the bowl.
*THIS IS THE PART I DIDN’T DO* Combine 8 cups water and white vinegar in a large skillet; bring to a simmer. Break each egg into a custard cup, and pour each gently into pan. Cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove eggs from pan using a slotted spoon.
Place about 2/3 cup asparagus mixture on each of 4 plates. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons almonds; top each serving with 1 egg. Sprinkle evenly with Manchego cheese. *I don’t get this fancy. I tossed everything in a bowl.

It was DELICIOUS! Crisp, fresh and some nice tang with all the flavors. Highly recommend it! I can’t decide if next time I’m going to try cutting the asparagus with a mandolin or V-slicer or cutting them in half and using the food processor with the proper blade. I just need to hope the hit the blade horizontally to slice properly. Though, I guess even if not, they’ll taste the same!

Brussels Sprouts Actual

Posted on November 29, 2013 by melsmosaic

After testing a Brussels Sprouts recipe last week I opted for a standby for Thanksgiving dinner. It has veggies, fruit and nuts. Had made it a few times and it’s quick, easy and delicious and would be better for Turkey Day. What do you need? Can’t ask for many fewer basics:

-Brussels Sprouts
-Dried apricots, coarsely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
-Pistachios, coarsely chopped — if you even want to (about 1/3 cup)
-S&P
-olive oil

Have some fun getting those apricots ready.

Cut the Brussels Sprouts in half.

Blanch the Brussels Sprouts for 3 minutes and rinse.

Heat some olive oil in a pan, throw all ingredients (Brussels Sprouts, apricots, pistachios, S&P) on top.

Heat for about 5-7 minutes until nice and browned. Serve and enjoy. I love them and there sure weren’t many leftovers.

Zuch-anoush and More Mediterranean Flair

Posted on August 1, 2013 by melsmosaic

More playing in the kitchen! I had this enormous zucchini that my friend gave me from her garden that led me make a twist to one of my favorite dips. When I can find Baba Ganoush without dairy (yogurt) because of my lactose intolerance I love it, but it can be hard. So, I tend to make it at home. But, it’s fun to make small changes to the recipe. Therefore, I have made it with zucchini vs. eggplant a few times. The hardest part of all this is thinking ahead and roasting the zucchini a for a good 45 or so minutes. You just cut the zucchini into big chunks, throw it on a cookie sheet and put it in oven at about 425 to roast it.

When it’s done, you want to be sure to squeeze it to get rid of extra water. After that, throw it in the food processor and add tahini, lemon juice, garlic, S&P…and any other spices you might like. This batch seemed to be missing something but it was still good! I dipped carrots and crackers into it.

I was in a Mediterranean mood that day and continued in the kitchen and made a Village salad. I’d grabbed a great yellow (vs traditional red) tomato at the farmer’s market and added a cucumber that I had from my friend’s garden and some greek olives. I had a red onion in my fridge but totally forget to put that in there. I threw some other ingredients in the mix to both clear out my fridge and add some fun — celery and walnuts. Sprinkled with a Penzey’s spice mix and olive oil. Great, healthy, hearty meal!