Posts by: Andrew Cohen
This soup has a rich and creamy texture, and a light body. It is a little on the sweet side from the onions and squash. If you wish to add substance to it, you could add cooked rice- Forbidden or wild rice would be nice for color and texture- and various vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, spinach, etc. If you wish, you can roast the squash or steam it instead of sautéing it.
Continue reading »
Although any pretty much any carrot will work, big Chantenay carrots are great here. Chantenay become sweeter and seem to be tenderer as they get larger, and for slow cooking, as in this recipe, they are perfect. The nuts added at the end add crunchy contrast to the tender vegetables, and the nutty flavor adds depth to the dish.
Continue reading »
This dressing goes with the Filet Beans, Radish, and Butter Leaf Salad, but will go with lots of other things as well. Salads and light slaws will pair with this, but this will also be good with cold shrimp and cold smoked or cured salmon as well as chicken dishes.
Continue reading »
Serve this unlikely seeming combo as a tapa, appetizer, or side with grilled shrimp or chicken. The cauliflower will be a little sweet to contrast with the green grassy, sometimes spicy padrons, and the vinegar in the marinade will add piquancy to the whole. Use large crystal salt for an added layer of crunch. These would be good with a glass of chilled sherry. If you want to dress this up a bit, use the Charred Scallion Sauce on the website.
Continue reading »
Slow cooking the Romano beans brings out the sweetness of the bean and leaves them meltingly tender without getting that furry feeling that over cooking these beans in water can yield. The scallions add the bass line to this dish, and the sweetness of the fennel adds top end. Once this dish gets going, resist the urge to stir it, or even open it, for at least 30 minutes.
Continue reading »
This recipe involves cooking tomatoes, onions, and garlic down to a jam-like consistency and tossing blanched broccoli in the sauce to coat. The recipe may make more than you need for the broccoli, and if that is the case, just freeze the remainder and use it on pasta, other vegetables or use it coat roasted chicken, fish, or shrimp.
Continue reading »
This is a variation of the traditional eggplant babaganoush where pomegranate molasses is added in to lend sweetness and depth. Much of the flavor of good babaganoush comes from charring the eggplant. Here, turning the pumpkin skin down to finish the cooking caramelizes it and lends that smoky quality to the puree.
Continue reading »
Another version of a “pesto using” cilantro, with a South West flair underscored by the use of spices and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and pine nuts. Romano, Dry Monterey Jack, or Cotija cheese are appropriate for this dish as they are less pungent than Parmesan, although some Cotija can have quite a “barnyard” aroma. This pesto was devised to go with the Collards, Butternut Squash, and South West Cilantro Pesto recipe. Besides vegetables, try this on grilled pork chops, chicken, shrimp and fish.
Continue reading »
This salad is amenable to any of several dressings; Balsamic, Maple, Apple Balsamic, Cilantro, Cinnamon Cilantro, or even Traditional Blue Cheese or Lighter Blue Cheese Dressing. Any of these will work, but here the recipe is set up with Cilantro Cinnamon Vinaigrette
Continue reading »
You could view this as a pasta dish, with the collards standing in for the noodles, and the squash as part of the sauce, such as the potatoes in a traditional Pasto alla Genovese, and serve it on its own, or use it as a side dish.
Continue reading »
This is a dish with lots of flavor, and while filling, it will not weigh you down. The apple adds an unexpected lightness and sweetness that plays well with the squash and makes an excellent foil for the earthiness of the other ingredients. Feel free to leave it out if it seems discordant to you. This basic recipe is a good starting point for playing with your food. Try different types of squash. Experiment with whatever leftover grains you might have. Switch the greens around as well as the mushrooms.
Continue reading »
This salad uses a dressing of Date Molasses, which is a thick syrup made of dates that has a tangy sweetness to it. The kabocha croutons can be made ahead. Be sure to use the green kabocha as it is drier than the orange.
Continue reading »
This dressing was designed for the Spinach Kabocha Squash and Dates salad, but will work with other spinach salads as well as salads with Little Gem or Romaine lettuces. If you have nut oils on hand, it is nice to match the oil with the nuts if you are using them in a salad. This dressing would also be a good sauce on chicken or grilled lamb chops.
Continue reading »
If Dr. Seuss designed a food, I’m sure it would have been what we know as Winter Squash. From dull and stolid looking to wildly shaped and brightly colored, winter squash run the gamut. Like Dr. Seuss books, winter squash also yield a treat when you open them, a warm-colored flesh and a mellow flavor–sometimes mild and nutty, sometimes sweet.
Continue reading »
Allioli, or Alioli (Catalan and Spanish) is Spain’s answer to the French garlic mayonnaise called “aioli”. Originally just pounded garlic and oil, typically it is made with egg yolk now. Here, I cheat and use jarred mayonnaise. Version 2 is a lower cholesterol version with bigger flavor based on a sherry vinaigrette. Allioli is used with fish, seafood, potato dishes, or grilled dishes.
Continue reading »
This dish was inspired by a recipe from Maria Helms Sinskey. Use this as a side, on toasts as a starter, or to stuff Portobello mushrooms for a light supper.
Continue reading »
Although this salad is known to many as Israeli salad, it seems it is more commonly called Arab salad in Israel. No matter what it is called, a variant of this exists in most places throughout the Middle East, and in Israel- a country of immigrants-there are hundreds of versions all based on family heritage or personal preference.
Continue reading »
This sauce walks a fine line between charred and simply burnt. The flavor hits something primal-earthy, funky, yet sweet. Some people are taken aback or put off by the first taste, but feel compelled to try it again, and then they slather on whatever they are eating. The sauce seems to bring flavors out of whatever it is with-steak tastes more beefy, yet gains sweetness. Salmon tastes more of the sea. Used with roasted winter squash and you get more nutty and sweet characteristics, and a gorgeous plate. It keeps well and is great to have on hand for adding to sandwiches, eggs, or dipping carrots into.
Continue reading »