Vegetables

Roasted Broccoli, Red Pepper and Onion 

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If you have to have vegetables, at least these are pretty.

Ingredients:

3 lb broccoli crowns, cut into pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips, 2 inches long
1 red onion, sliced vertically into 1/4-inch slices
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1¼ tsp dried Italian seasoning
½ tsp coarse salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 Tab olive oil
1 Tab lemon juice

Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 425°F.
  2. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, red pepper, onion and garlic.
  3. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
  4. Drizzle oil over top and mix with a large spoon.
  5. Transfer vegetables shallow baking pan and bake 20 minutes, mixing once, until broccoli is browned in spots and tender.
  6. Return vegetables to bowl; add lemon juice and mix gently.

Serves: 10

Source: relish.com—Recipe by Jean Kressy

Orange Herb Butter

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This is a great way to broil salmon, or any other fish.  Try it on chicken or pork too.

Ingredients:

½ c unsalted butter (1 stick)
½ tsp grated orange zest
2 tsp fresh orange juice
1/4 tap cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp coarse salt.

Directions:

Mash together butter, grated orange zest, fresh orange juice, cayenne pepper, garlic, and salt.

Source: Martha Stewart Everyday Food – June 2012

Herbed Green Beans with Feta

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OK, so it is another green bean recipe, but this is not that much work and quite good – and different.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs green beans, trimmed
  • kosher salt
  • ¼ c olive oil
  • 4 Tab fresh mint leaves, torn (divided)
  • 2 Tab fresh dill, chopped (divided)
  • 2 Tab matchstick size strips of lemon zest (divided)
  • 2 Tab fresh lemon juice
  • 2 oz feta, crumbled (about ½ cup) (divided)
  • fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Working in two batches, cook beans in a large pot of boiling, generously salted water just until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
  2. Using tongs, transfer to a colander set in a bowl of ice water; let cool.
  3. Drain well, then pat dry with paper towels.
  4. Toss beans, oil, 2 tablespoons mint, 1 tablespoon dill, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and half of feta in a large bowl.
  5. Season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired.
  6. Serve beans topped with remaining feta, 2 tablespoons mint, 1 tablespoon dill, and1 tablespoon lemon zest.

    Serves: 10

    Source: Bon Appétite, August 2013 Rebecca Jurkevich

    Comments: Beans can be cooked 1 day ahead. Wrap in a paper towel, place in a resealable plastic bag, and chill.

Roasted Winter Vegetable

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You can do this with any root vegetable, including the ones no one uses very often like turnips, rutabaga.  Kids will eat them because roasting brings out the sugar and they are slightly sweet.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ lbs carrots, peeled
  • 1 ½ lbs parsnips, peeled
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and seeded
  • 5 Tab olive oil
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 3 Tab flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:Preheat oven to 425°.

  1. Cut vegetables in 1 to 1 ¼ inch cubes. They shrink so don’t cut too small.
  2. Place all the vegetables in a single layer on 2 baking sheets.
  3. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well
  4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all vegetables are tender, turning once with a spatula.
  5. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.

Comments: The more surface area you have directly touching the roasting pan or the hot air of the oven, the more caramelization you’re going to get, because it’s the outside of a piece of food that gets the most intense heat. So this means two things: 1) don’t pile your vegetables on top of one another — lay them out in one layer. And 2) how you cut your vegetables really matters. Tiny pieces will have more exposed surface area relative to their insides than big chunks.

Serves: 10 – 12

Source: Barefoot Contessa Family Style 2002

Untemperamental Spinach and Cheese Soufflé

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This will make everyone think you are a real gourmet cook!  You can set this all up way before dinner time and just pop them in the oven.

Ingredients:

  • ¾ c flour
  • 2 c milk
  • 6 egg yolks (save the whites)
  • 1 c Gruyère or Swiss cheese, grated
  • ½ c cooked chopped spinach, well drained (about 4 c fresh leaves)
  • 1 ½ tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
  • dash of hot pepper sauce
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • 8 egg whites, room temperature
  • ¼ c Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • 2 ½ c whipping cream

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Butter 10 – 12 half cup custard cups or ramekins.
  3. Place flour in heavy medium sauce pan.
  4. Add ½ c milk and whisk until smooth
  5. Slowly add remaining milk and whisk until smooth.
  6. Whisk over medium heat until thick and smooth, 3 – 4 minutes.
  7. Remove from heat and cool slightly, whisking constantly.
  8. Add yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
  9. Stir in Gruyère, spinach and rosemary.
  10. Season with hot pepper sauce, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  11. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.
  12. Fold into spinach mixture.
  13. Spoon spinach mixture into prepared molds.
  14. Place molds in baking pan.
  15. Add enough boiling water to pan to come halfway up sides of molds.
  16. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out almost clean, about 20 minutes.
  17. Remove from oven.
  18. Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover, refrigerate.
  19. Preheat oven to 350°.
  20. Butter pan large enough to hold ramekins.
  21. Sprinkle bottom of pan with Parmesan.
  22. Invert soufflés in baking pan, remove molds.
  23. Pour cream around soufflés.
  24. Bake until soufflés are heated through and puff – 15 – 20 minutes.
  25. Serve with cream sauce from pan.

Serves: 10 – 12

Source: Leslie in Texas, Food.com

Caramelized Onion Dip

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Way good dip – hot or cold.  You can top it with those crunchy onion bits that go on the green bean casserole at Christmas.

Ingredients:

  • 2 c onions diced (3/4# – 3-4 medium onions)
  • 2 Tab oil
  • ½ c sour cream
  • ½ c mayonnaise

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Add chopped onion and sauté 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  3. Reduce heat to low; cook 20 minutes or until onions are deep golden brown, stirring occasionally.
  4. Remove onion mixture from heat.
  5. Cool.
  6. Add sour cream and mayonnaise.

Serves:  2 cups

Source: tasteofhome.com.

Margie’s Mushrooms

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These are the same mushrooms that are on the Lamb Sliders.  They are also wonderful with a steak or just because you like mushrooms.

Ingredients:

  • 4 lbs small white or small portabella mushrooms
  • 2 Tab butter
  • 2 Tab olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 2 c red wine
  • 4 Tab sherry
  • 4 Tab brandy
  • salt and pepper
  • pinch nutmeg.

Directions:

  1. Wash mushrooms
  2. Slice mushrooms ¼ inch thick.
  3. Heat butter and oil in heavy pan.
  4. Saute mushrooms until they are dry.
  5. Add garlic. Saute 1 minute.
  6. Add wine, sherry and brandy.
  7. Cook down to semi dry.
  8. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.

Serves:  3 cups

Source: Margie, the daughter.

 

Chuck Wagon Scalloped Corn

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This is a very forgiving side dish.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ lb unsalted butter
  • 2 medium onion, chopped
  • 6 c fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
  • 2 oz package oz cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 4 Tab canned chopped green chiles, drained
  • 2 c fresh bread crumbs

Directions:

  1. Lightly butter a 9 x13 baking dish.
  2. In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
  3. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the corn, cream cheese and chiles.
  5. Reduce the heat to low and stir until the cheese is melted.
  6. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and toss with bread crumbs.
  7. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumbs.
  8. Bake in 350º oven until the dish is bubbling and the crumbs are browned, (about 20 – 25 minutes)

Serves: 10

Source: Jimbo Humphres, Double X Wagon, Dickens, Texas, The Chuckwagon Cookbook – Recipes from the Ranch and Range for Today’s Kitchen, B. Byron Price

Roasted Zucchini with Toasted Pecans and Lemon

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Makes a pretty fancy vegetable!

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs green zucchini (about 5-6 medium at 6”-8” long)
  • 3 Tab extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  • ½ c crushed pecans
  • 1 ½ Tab walnut oil
  • 1 ½ Tab lemon juice
  • grated zest of one large lemon
  • Maldon or Kosher Salt

Directions:

  1. Heat the oven to 425° with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven.
  2. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, and then cut each half lengthwise in thirds, so each zucchini yields 6 slender wedges of roughly equal size.
  3. Slice the wedges crosswise into equal thirds.
  4. Place the zucchini in a large bowl and add 1 ½ tablespoon oil, 1 ½ teaspoons of white vinegar, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and black pepper.
  5. Toss to combine.
  6. Arrange the zucchini, skin side down, on the rimmed sheet and roast 15 -20 minutes or until just beginning to brown.
  7. Place the pecans on a separate baking dish and toast for the last 3 – 4 minutes of cooking time. The pecans will be done when fragrant and gently browned.
  8. While the zucchini roast, whisk the walnut oil, 1 ½ tablespoons of the lemon juice, the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a large microwave safe bowl.
  9. Heat oil mixture in microwave for about 2 minutes
  10. Add the zucchini to the dressing and toss to coat.
  11. Transfer the zucchini to plates.
  12. Scatter the pecans and lemon zest over the top.
  13. Drizzle dressing from the bowl over the top.
  14. Sprinkle with salt.

Serves: 10

Source: Simple Fresh Southern, Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor, Matt Lee and Ted Lee, South Carolina

VPWL Gourmet February, 2013 

Greenback Tomatoes

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This works really well with a hunk of meat and a starch.  It can be prepared early in the day and popped into the oven at the last minute.

Ingredients:

  • 3 large tomatoes, sliced ½ inch thick – 12 slices (re-purpose ends)
  • 20 oz frozen chopped spinach
  • 2 c French bread cubes ¼ inch (2-3 slices, including crust )
  • 3 green onions – white and green parts, chopped
  • 6 eggs, slightly beaten
  • ¾ c butter, melted
  • 1/4 c fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ tsp Tabasco sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • ¼ tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer in a greased 9×13 inch dish.
  3. Cook spinach, drain well. (squeeze dry)
  4. Combine spinach with remaining ingredients,.
  5. Spread over tomatoes.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes.

Serves: 8-12

Source: Chicago Entertains, Kenilworth Union Church, Mrs. Donald M. Stone