Posts by: Andrew Cohen
This is a variant of an old standby around here, and is similar to what you get when you order Chinese Chicken salad. The dressing is good for many things-try it on sliced cucumbers. You can add things to this slaw to fancy it up easily; try chopped dates and peanuts, or raisins or green onions.
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Baby artichokes aren’t “baby” really; it just refers to size, which is a result of where they grow on the plant. These come from lower down the stem inside the vegetation. For this recipe, the “chokes should be smaller, but this recipe will work just as well with medium sized artichokes.
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Although these showed up on my turkey day table, they would be good anytime. The dish is a variation on a theme, but everyone commented on it, so I proffer it up here. It was supposed to be “Peas and Carrots”, but I forgot the sugar snap peas in the heat of the moment, but I include that as a variation here.
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Not truly pickled, these beans are what I call “quickles”. With the red pepper dice it is a colorful dish, and the crisp texture and bright flavors make this especially enjoyable when it’s hot out. This dish is great cold, but can be served hot as well.
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This is a dish based on one I learned at Chez Panisse. The hardest part of the dish is peeling the squash.* Once that is done it goes together in a snap. I tend to go with savory seasonings, but you could use cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and orange juice as seasoning as well. These spices would go fine with garlic and pepper. Speaking of garlic, you can use a good quality garlic powder instead of the fresh if you wish.
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Probably the first soup I made. I remember thinking that I should make it because “Vichyssoise” was a funny name for a soup, and it was only much later (15 years?) that I learned that is the name for the cold version that has a dollop of cream added. This is one of those things that are easy to make, and it seems that if you are a person who uses leeks, there is always some in the refrigerator, just as there are always potatoes in the back of the pantry. This is my take on the classic from French cuisine.
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INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds of favas in the shell (about 2 cups peeled) 1 bunch of red radishes, tops and “tails” removed ½-1 tablespoon good unsalted butter 2 tablespoon flavorful extra virgin olive oil High quality large crystal sea salt or kosher salt to taste Fresh ground pepper to tasteContinue reading »
One day I read about how some Southern cook did her beans, and had to try it. I was so happy I did. This method produces meltingly tender beans that are sweet and have a full bean flavor, but the beans hold their shape. Just remember, patience is a virtue! Don’t keep checking the pot, stirring it, or otherwise messing with it. And you can’t hurry it. But it really is worth the wait.
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This is a riff on the Thanksgiving table. Green beans with brown butter and nuts, and green bean casserole were both influences for this dish. This version is lighter than the latter, and certainly fresher tasting as there is no canned soup in it, but it has a richness that is welcome in colder weather.
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Tagged with: filet beans
“Pumpkin” Gnocchi
These can be made with all sorts of winter squash, from pumpkins to butternut. The Marina di Chioggia would be a traditional one used. When making the gnocchi, try to handle them as little as possible for the lightest results.
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Tagged with: pumpkins
This is the slaw from the Harvest Fair, and it is quite popular, even with youngsters who normally run away from cabbage. Easy to do, it is light and crunchy, and the colors brighten any table. The dressing on this salad is a loose vinaigrette, using less oil than usual for a salad dressing.
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Originally done for High Ground Organics Harvest Fair, this was done for carrot salad. The apple cider vinegar matches up with the apples in the salad.
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This was a salad done for the 2011 High Ground Harvest Fair. I have to say many people seemed skeptical at first, but once they had a taste, they were eager to eat more. I even gave some to youngsters and was pleased to see them really enjoy this salad. Simple and quick to make, this will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
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Someone gave me box of apples once, and I was looking for ways to use them up before they could spoil. I came up with this one morning and the kids love it. I teach this one to the middle-school classes I teach, and love to hear how they use this recipe at home. This is a good way to get more fruit into a diet, and it is great as a complement to French toast, waffles, pancakes, and oatmeal. Try it with pork chops, duck, or roast chicken as a “sauce”. See below for ideas for dinner. Jonagolds are a good choice for this dish as they are great for cooking with. A nice balance of sugar and acid, crisp with a thin skin, these are good for pies as well as out of hand.
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Tagged with: apples
This dish is usually made with a pumpkin, but other winter squash will work as well. Winter Carnival, Butternut, Orange Hokkaido will all work for this. Some squash, such as the Japanese “Kabocha” types tend to be a little drier than pumpkins and most other squash, so you may need to add some butter or olive oil to the squashed squash.
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Tagged with: butternut squash • Carnival squash • hokkaido squash • Kabocha squash • pasta • pumpkin • squash • winter squash
INGREDIENTS:
4 pork loin chops cut thick, around 4-6 oz. each ½ pound of apples such as Granny Smith, Cameo, or Golden Delicious (1 Large or 2 medium), cut into ¼ inch thick slices or ½” cubes 1 medium shallot, minced 1 oz. high quality apple brandy such as Osocalis*, or a French Calvados. Cognac or brandy may be used as well. 4 oz apple cider or juice ½ tsp fresh minced rosemaryContinue reading »
Tagged with: apples • butter • cream • Granny Smith apples • herbs • pork • pork chops • rosemary • shallots
This is the basic method for cooking winter squash either to eat as is, or to prep it for something else, like soup or as a ravioli or tortellini filling. This works for most winter squash, with the only variation being the times, which will change based on thickness of the squash.
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Tagged with: basic • butternut squash • delicata • gluten-free • Kabocha squash • roasted • squash • vegan • vegetarian • winter squash
Here is a wonderful autumnal dish full of bright warming flavors and lots of depth. If you want to make this as the “one pot meal”, add another carrot and maybe a stalk or two of celery.
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Rapini with Capers, Onion, Lemons, and Mint
Inspired by the bright Mediterranean flavors of Italian salsa verde, this dish can be used as a side dish or used to top lamb, steamed potatoes, or mixed into farro or other whole grains. Basil could be used in lieu of mint.
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Tagged with: rapini
Fricco are lacy “crackers” made of cheese. They are great as a garnish and can elevate the most humble dish into something elegant. They can be shaped how you like by using a mold on the flat cooking surface, or you can drape the fricco over a mold so as it cools it will take that shape. At one restaurant we form strips of fricco that we then wrapped around a bottle to form rings that went around baby romaine leaves for a salad. Save the shattered bits for sprinkling on salads or into soups or eggs.
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Tagged with: cheese
This is your basic method for cooking shelling beans (or “shellys” as some people call them) such as cranberry, borlotti, or Tongues of Fire. This recipe is a great jumping-off point. You can eat these beans “as-is”, and if you have leftovers they go great with grains or into a soup such as a minestrone. You can use this recipe and add in sausages and cooked rapini for a one dish meal, or you can use a nice vegetable stock with some carrots and celery and add some long cooked farro, and puree for a wonderful soup. If you have pesto, it is a wonderful seasoning for these beans. Just stir in a dollop and enjoy an end of summer treat. Enjoy shelling beans while you can, as the season is fairly short, and then these will all be dried beans.
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My take on a classic. I think the lemon brightens the dish considerably. Yeah, I know, the dish has cream, but if you consider that you are only eating a couple tablespoons at a time, and it is on vegetables, it really isn’t so much. Reducing cream for the sauce is quicker than making a roux for béchamel, and doesn’t use any butter, so you come out ahead I’d say. This cream sauce would go brilliantly with peas.
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Something to go with Middle-Eastern themed dishes, but it would work with South-West or Mexican style dishes as well.
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This takes its inspiration from the “salads” of Morocco. There, vegetables are mixed, cooked or not, and then dressed and served at various temperatures and called “salads”, although they are not what most Americans think of when they hear “salad”. (“Hey! Where’s the lettuce?”) I love this for the colors as well as the flavor and textures. You’ll want your fixed blade slicer for this…
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Tagged with: beets • carrots • Chantenay carrot • cilantro • salad • vegetarian • vinaigrette • watermelon radishes
Here’s a riff on a salsa I do that is usually made with mint as the dominant herb. This has cilantro instead, with an addition of mint as an option, and is a sprightlier version of the salsa. It’s good with chips, but really it goes with so much more.
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These radishes are plum sized and colored, but unlike plums can pack a bit of heat. Here, I “quickle” them and use a dressing that helps mitigate the heat. The idea for this comes from taquerias, where there is always cilantro, sour cream and frequently radishes. I cheat, though, and use yogurt instead of sour cream.
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This is the basic method for sautéing mustard greens. You can add to it as you will. Blanch, then sauté in aromatics flavored with some sort of fat (I tend to go with bacon, ham, or prosciutto because I love the flavor, but good olive oil works fine as a base.) Finish with a dash of acid and serve. For the acid, I vary it based on what the dish is being served with. White wine, cider, red wine, or white balsamic vinegars, or lemon juice, all can come into play-just think of what the dish will be served with to aid your choice.
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