sides and salads Archive

Roasted Strawberry Vinaigrette

First off, I’d like to thank you all for your support, kind words, and encouragement! I’m so excited to start my new job at Plate & Pitchfork, and your support means a lot.

In all the excitement of preparing for the new job (and training my replacement at the old job), I’ve not had a lot of time to cook. Honestly, I’ve not had a lot of time to do anything (Laundry, housecleaning, etc.). It’s just a busy season in life.

But, I bought a few pints of strawberries at the Montavilla Farmer’s Market last weekend and they sort of forced my hand. I used up some of the strawberries to make Minted Strawberry Shortcakes with Lemony Whipped Cream.

But I was over-zealous in my strawberry purchasing (they looked so good!) and I had a lot of strawberries leftover. They were just sitting in the fridge, begging me to use them. I noticed that a couple of the strawberries were beginning to brown, and I knew I had to do something about it. I couldn’t let them go to waste!

So I roasted the strawberries and then blended them with garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and spices. I transformed the last of my strawberries into a vinaigrette (and a darn good one, at that).

I saved the strawberries and got a delicious salad dressing out of the deal.

It’s a win-win situation.

ROASTED STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE
(Slightly Adapted from Glow Kitchen)
Makes 1.5 cups (or so) of vinaigrette.

Ingredients:
1 pint of ripe strawberries (2 cups)
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
14 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary
Salt & pepper, to taste

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating, de-stem the strawberries and slice them in half. Line a baking pan with tinfoil and place the strawberries on the lined baking pan. Bake, until the strawberries are roasted and caramelized, about 20 minutes.

Remove strawberries from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, blend the strawberries together with the rest of the ingredients, using a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Depending on your preference you can add more olive oil (or water) if the dressing is too thick.

Store the vinaigrette in an airtight container in the fridge. The dressing will keep for a week (or more).

Curried Potato Salad

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t planning on posting this recipe.

(I’m not sure what my problem was, since this potato salad is really damn delicious.)

It’s just that potato salad is a funny thing. It’s not a particularly sexy dish, it’s a bit kitschy and old fashioned, and it certainly doesn’t look good in photographs. But good grief, it sure tastes great. But it doesn’t matter how Stepford-wife I feel when I show up to a BBQ with a bowl full of potato salad, it always gets eaten. Every last bite.

My girlfriends all implored me to post this recipe on the blog, despite the fact that it photographs like an ugly, yellow bowl of mush. (It doesn’t taste like an ugly bowl of mush, I promise.) I’ve always loved the combination of curry and potatoes, and it works just as well in this context. This potato salad somehow still tastes like the one you remember from your childhood, but with more adult flavors: curry, cilantro, and cumin.

Since Memorial Day is right around the corner, it does seem like an appropriate time to post a recipe for the ultimate BBQ side dish. Funny enough, I’m actually making this potato salad for my family’s Memorial Day BBQ, which means I’ll make this recipe 3 times in one week. Thankfully, I happen to really like this salad. And I kind of can’t wait to eat it again.

If you’re looking for something to eat alongside a giant bowl of potato salad on Memorial Day, check out my “What to Eat: Grill Edition” over at Plate & Pitchfork’s blog. I posted a little bit of everything – grilled kebabs, pizzas, veggies, meats, and more!

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

CURRIED POTATO SALAD

Ingredients:
6-10 small Yukon Gold potatoes (or other small waxy potato), cut into 1″ or 2″ cubes (skins left on)
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
1.5 Tablespoons mayo (I used Kewpie mayo)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt & pepper to taste
2-3 stalks celery, diced
1 small shallot, finely diced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Method:
Bring a medium-large pot of water to a boil. Carefully add the cubed potatoes to the water and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and cooked all the way through. (I test them with a fork or knife tip after 15 minutes).

Once the potatoes are cooked, drain the hot water using a colander or strainer. Rinse the potatoes with cold water and set aside to continue cooling. (Optional: I like to sprinkle a bit of red wine vinegar over the potatoes at this time, as it absorbs into the potatoes and gives them an extra tang.)

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, mayo, red wine vinegar, curry powder, coriander, cumin, and salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking. Set aside.

Once the potatoes have cooled to room temperature, gently toss them with the diced shallots and celery. Gently stir in the yogurt mixture, to coat. Once the potatoes are coated in the yogurt mixture, gently stir in the chopped cilantro. Chill in the refrigerator for at least a half an hour before serving. Just prior to serving, garnish with more fresh cilantro and a dash of curry powder.

Sautéed Radishes with Butter and Chives

Hello friends! I feel like I’ve been gone forever.

I was in Chicago and St. Louis for a week, and I had a lovely time. I caught up with old friends, ate a lot of good food, and experienced tornado season in the Midwest. I then came back home and wrote a big, long post about my travels (complete with lots of pictures!) and somehow managed to delete the entire post. My dear friend ‘Auto-Save’ managed to save immediately after I deleted everything I’d written. Go figure.

So, you’re just going to have to trust that Chicago and St. Louis were fantastic. I just don’t have it in me to re-write the post.

But, now I’m back home in Portland. As great as it is to be home and sleeping in my own bed, I can’t help but feel slightly overwhelmed. There are emails to write, vegetables to plant, clothes to be washed.

And then the sun came out and wrecked all of my plans (in the best possible way)! I had every intention of accomplishing things, but all of those intentions went out the window the second the sun came out. I went to the farmer’s market, BBQed with friends, drank margaritas in the sunshine, and generally had a fabulous weekend.

I did manage to stop by the farmer’s market on Saturday morning. I had planned on only picking up a couple of things, but instead left with two giant bags of produce: radishes, asparagus, ramps, rhubarb, tomato plants, and more. I can’t get over how much I love spring in Oregon! I was so excited about my farmer’s market purchases that I promptly came home and made myself a delicious spring meal: tartines with ricotta and ramp and radish pesto (more on these in another post), and sautéed radishes with chives and butter. Nich works on Saturday evenings, so I poured myself a glass of French rose and dined alone in the backyard. It was absolutely perfect.

I feel almost silly posting the recipe, as it’s ridiculously simple. But I’m a new convert to cooked radishes and thought I might make a few converts out of y’all! I love radishes, but like most people, I grew up eating them raw. It wasn’t until somewhat recently that I realized that radishes are super delicious when cooked. I’m not sure how to explain the flavor of a cooked radish, it’s just a bit more mellow and sweet than a raw radish. Cooked radishes retain some of their radish-y bite, but the cooking calms them down a bit. (Also, most things taste better when sautéed in butter. It’s a fact.)

I could talk til I’m blue in the face, but really, you must try it for yourself. Just cook up some radishes with butter, and you’ll be happier for it. I promise.

SAUTEED RADISHES WITH BUTTER AND CHIVES

Ingredients:
1 bunch of radishes, washed and leaves removed (reserve leaves for another use)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon minced chives
Salt & pepper, to taste

Method:
Slice radishes into quarters (or sixths, if the radishes are large).

Heat butter in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted and beginning to brown, toss in the radishes. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and freshly ground pepper, and give the radishes a stir.

Cook radishes, until golden brown and caramelized on the outside, about 8 minutes. (Stir occasionally, to ensure that all sides of the radishes are browned.) When the radishes are done, remove from heat and toss with the minced chives. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.

Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Whole Grain Mustard

We had two glorious days of spring in Portland this week. It was sunny and 65 degrees in Portland and the streets were flooded with pasty white hipsters.

I joined with my fellow pasty-skinned Portlanders and reveled in the sunshine. I even left work early on Thursday, just to soak in a little extra sun. On a whim, the husband and I decided to invite a few people over for dinner that evening.

We BBQed. We sat outside (without jackets!). We pretended it was summer, never once stopping to think about the fact that it’s March in Portland.

And while we knew in our hearts that the sun wasn’t here to stay, we made the best of it while we could.

It was perfect.

And here we are, 3 days later. As I write this, I am curled up on the couch with a blanket and a cup of coffee. It is absolutely horrible outside and our two days of sunshine seem like a distant past.

But you know what? I’m OK with it. We made the most of those two days, and we’ll have more beautiful days to come.

When those days arrive, you can be sure I’ll be grilling up some Brussels Sprouts.

GRILLED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH WHOLE GRAIN MUSTARD
Adapted from Serious Eats

Note (1): If it’s still cold and miserable where you live and you don’t feel like BBQing, these Brussels sprouts could easily be cooked on a grill pan on the stove.

Note (2): This is a very basic mustard sauce, and could easily be adapted. A touch of honey would be lovely with it, or perhaps some crushed garlic.

Ingredients:
1 pound of Brussels Sprouts
2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste

Equipment needed:
Bamboo skewers
BBQ or Grill pan

Method:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the sprouts (i.e. cook them in the boiling water) for 3-4 minutes. Remove sprouts from the boiling water and rinse with cold water (or plunge into an ice bath).

Remove sprouts from cold water and pat dry. Trim the bottom stems of the sprouts, and remove the outer leaves. Mix together the mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl, toss the Brussels Sprouts in the mustard sauce. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

Once sprouts have marinated, prepare them for grilling. Skewer sprouts, placing 3-4 sprouts on each skewer. (Note: Since the sprouts aren’t cooked all the way through yet, they are a bit tough to skewer. You can also place the sprouts directly on the grill without a skewer, if they are large enough to not slip through the grill grate.)

When the grill is nice and hot, place the skewered sprouts on the grill. Grill for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until the sprouts are nicely charred on all sides. When ready, remove the sprouts from the grill and toss with a bit more mustard sauce.

Enjoy immediately!

P.S. I had a few leftover grilled sprouts, so I tossed them into a curry noodle bowl I had for lunch the next day. It was amazing.

Roasted Broccoli with Sriracha, Honey, and Soy Sauce

This recipe is really, really easy.

This isn’t one of those awful recipes that makes a lot of promises (It only takes 15 minutes! It will look perfect! Everyone in your life will love you forever if you make this for them!), but then fails to live up to said promises (It actually took two hours! And it looks/tastes like cat food! Everyone hates me!).

No, this isn’t one of those recipes (I’m looking at you, Martha).

I will not promise you the moon. Instead, I will make very realistic promises about this dish.

This dish can be prepared in under two hours (realistically, it should take 15 minutes).

This dish will taste good (as long as you like the taste of broccoli and as long as you don’t add so much Sriracha that your tongue burns off).

These are the promises that I’m prepared to make at this time.

In all seriousness, if you like broccoli you should make this. I invented this recipe one night, in a desperate attempt to quell my hunger after a long workout at the gym. I came home and was disappointed to find a rather empty fridge: I had raw broccoli and some leftover brown rice. I was tired, sore, and cranky – but somehow I managed to throw together this dish. I’m so glad that I did. This is now my new favorite side dish/main course/work lunch/ mid-day snack. I’ve made this broccoli 3 times in the past week and a half. I’m slightly obsessed.

So, I felt that I had to share it with you all.

Roasted Broccoli with Sriracha, Honey, and Soy

1 small crown of broccoli, cut into bite size florets
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup slivered almonds
4 green onions, sliced thinly
Optional: Red chili flakes

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil or a Silpat.

In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, Sriacha and black pepper. Pour mixture over the raw broccoli and toss to coat.

Spread broccoli pieces in an even layer across the baking sheet. Roast for 8-10 minutes, until broccoli is tender (and the outer edges are beginning to turn dark brown).

Remove broccoli from the baking sheet to a bowl. Toss with almond slivers, green onions. Taste and adjusting seasonings if necessary. Serve immediately. (I like to eat it atop brown rice with a little extra soy sauce…)

Sautéed Sweet Potatoes with Whiskey, Brown Sugar, Cayenne and Rosemary

I absolutely hated sweet potatoes when I was a kid. Or, at least I thought I did. Really, I think I was misinformed about sweet potatoes. My only real experience with sweet potatoes was with the famed Thanksgiving side, “Sweet Potato Casserole”. You know the dish I’m talking about, right? The bright orange casserole, which was usually made with canned sweet potatoes and was topped with some sort of marshmallowy substance. The whole thing was devoid of texture and sickeningly sweet. (I apologize if I’m stepping on any toes here, I do know that there are many out there who love this classic Thanksgiving dish. I’m just not one of them!)

This is what I knew of sweet potatoes, and I did not like it one bit.

But then I grew up and figured out that sweet potatoes are awesome. They’re a surprisingly versatile little root vegetable, and can be used in various sweet or savory applications. In addition, they’re classified as a “superfood“. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I’d like to pretend it means that sweet potato fries aren’t bad for you. Fried superfood is still a superfood, right?

But, I digress.

The point is, sweet potatoes are fantastic. I could eat them a million different ways; in pies, biscuits, soups, stews, gratins, and more. But of all the ways to enjoy sweet potatoes, there is one recipe that is my clear favorite. I like to sauté them with butter, whiskey, rosemary, shallots, brown sugar, and cayenne. Just take a moment and let your eyes wander back over that sentence. Yep. There are a lot of good things in that sentence. And when you combine all of those good things with sweet potatoes, it’s downright magical.

The potatoes are buttery, salty, sweet, and a little bit spicy. The whiskey and the brown sugar work together to give the sweet potatoes beautiful brown, caramelized edges. (I’m making myself hungry as I type this. Seriously.)

And the best part about these potatoes? They’re really, really easy to make. And, you can do a lot of the prep work ahead of time. If you boil your sweet potatoes a day ahead of time, they only take 10 more minutes to cook. TEN MINUTES. I used to over-complicate the holidays and make ridiculous dishes that required me to slave over the stove all day. I’ve since learned my lesson, and I try to relax and actually enjoy the holidays. That’s one of the reasons I love this recipe, it allows me to do just that.

All of that to say, these sweet potatoes will be making an appearance on my Thanksgiving table this year. And who knows, maybe they’ll end up on your table as well. :)

(P.S. In the spirit of “Thankful November” I would like to mention that today, I’m thankful for the company of a good book and a snuggly cat. Oh, and I’m thankful to have a working heater. It is COLD out there!)

Sautéed Sweet Potatoes with Whiskey, Brown Sugar, Cayenne and Rosemary
Serves 4-6

4-5 medium (red flesh) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 small shallots, diced
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped finely
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons whiskey
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Salt & pepper, to taste

This step can be done ahead of time: Place sweet potato cubes in a medium size pot and cover with water. Add a dash of salt, and place over high heat. Allow the water to come to a boil, and then reduce heat and allow the potatoes to simmer until soft (20 minutes or so). Drain water, set potatoes aside. If you do make the potatoes ahead of time, store them in the fridge in a sealed container until you need them.

In a large non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add shallots, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add in sweet potatoes, and gently stir to coat with butter. Allow to cook for 2-3 more minutes. Sprinkle cayenne, brown sugar, rosemary, salt and pepper over the potatoes while they cook. Be careful not to over-stir, so that they potatoes retain their shape (and don’t get mushy. You want them to remain in cubed form!). Turn the heat up to high, and deglaze the pan with half of the whiskey. Allow the sweet potatoes to caramelize. Once slightly browned on one side, turn the potatoes over (or give a quick stir) and sprinkle with more brown sugar. Add in the rest of the whiskey, and cook until potatoes have caramelized and have light to medium browning. If the potatoes begin to stick at any point, add in more butter.

Taste, and adjust seasonings if needed. I like them to pack a punch, so I use more cayenne than indicated. Sprinkle a bit more fresh rosemary over the top of the potatoes and serve immediately. If you really want the potatoes to pack a bit of a punch, drizzle just a touch more whiskey over the top of the potatoes before serving.

Green Beans with Blackberries, Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese

It’s Thursday evening. I’m wrapped in a blanket, drinking coffee, and watching the rain fall outside my living room window. It’s so gloomy outside, and yet I’m so cozy. It is the perfect fall evening.

And here I am, posting a bright and summery recipe for green bean salad. You know, sometimes a girl just wants green beans and blackberries in the middle of October. To be fair, I did get the berries at the farmer’s market. I’m sure we are at the (very!) tail end of blackberry season, but they are technically still in season. As for the green beans? I bought them at the regular old grocery store. They were probably shipped from California (or Mexico!), but I’m not sweating it. You can’t be perfect all the time.

This particular salad was inspired from a similar salad I had during the Montavilla Harvest Dinner. The salad was the brainchild of Chef Adam Sappington from The Country Cat, and it was fantastic. The salad was the second course in a six course dinner, and I thought it was the highlight of the evening. It was simple, but stunning. I liked it so much that I decided to re-create it at home!

I’m not kidding when I say this salad is simple. There are four ingredients, not counting the dressing. But each of the ingredients work so well with the others. The flavors are spot on. It makes me wonder why I’ve never tried this combination before. Green beans, blackberries, caramelized onions and goat cheese. I can’t get over how good it is. It’s good enough to justify posting a summer salad in the middle of October. ;)

Green Bean and Blackberry Salad
1lb green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup blackberries
1/4 cup goat cheese, room temperature
1 medium-large yellow onion, sliced into thin rounds
The juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 Tablespoons olive oil (+1 tablespoon for caramelizing the onion)
1.5 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
Salt & pepper, to taste

In a medium sized pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook green beans in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes, or until bright green. Remove green beans from the boiling water and plunge into an ice bath (or rinse well with cold water, to stop the cooking). Pat dry and set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add the onions and cook over medium-low heat until caramelized. I like a deep golden (almost brown) color on my caramelized onions. I cook for 20-30 minutes (or longer) over low heat and stir occasionally. Once onions are caramelized to your liking, remove from heat and set aside for later.

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add a dash of salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Take a couple pieces of caramelized onion and using the end of a wooden spoon (or any other kitchen tool that will work), muddle the onion in the dressing mixture.

Toss the green beans and caramelized onions in the dressing mixture (be careful not to overdress, toss just to coat!). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving, to allow flavors to meld.

When you’re ready to serve the salad, sprinkle the blackberries over the green bean mixture. Either crumble or place small dollops of goat cheese on the salad. If you so desire, drizzle a bit more balsamic vinegar over the salad (I drizzled a bit of high quality aged balsamic over the whole salad, and it was superb.)