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The trick to this dish is to simmer it gently so the cauliflower and potatoes don’t overcook. The cauliflower should be cooked through, but still retain some toothsome texture. Reducing the stock with the fennel and leeks adds flavor. Use a waxy potato rather than something like a Russet so the potato does not disintegrate and turn to mush.
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A quick dish to put together once the pesto is made, and that goes pretty quickly as well. Be sure to save a couple cups of pasta cooking water for the sauce before draining the noodles. Try to find linguini rigati (ridged linguini) for this dish as the ridges help hold a little more sauce.
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Here is an updated take on the “Wedge” salad. The Moped of salads-you would never want your friends to see you on one, but they’re fun to drive. Moist and crunchy, rich, creamy and tangy, sweet and smoky, the wedge salad hits on so many of the components that make a great dish. Here, I sub in Little Gem lettuce for the iceberg, and it works well as long as the leaves are firm and crisp.
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Quick and simple, but satisfying in its contrasts of flavors and textures. Be sure you are using Fuyu persimmons or you are in for a pucker surprise.
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Tagged with: avocado • celery • lettuce • little gem lettuce • nuts • persimmons • salad • vinaigrette
Tagged with: collards
For this recipe you will need to find a Japanese market or a good fish market. In the Santa Cruz/Watsonville area you can find what you need at Yamashita Market in Watsonville. As the tuna is served raw, be careful in your selection. This recipe is a contrast of crunches and a synthesis of flavors. The tobiko pop, the cucumber crunches, and the tuna sort of melts and has a little chew to it at the same time. The clean wet taste of cucumber harmonizes with the briny roe while acting as a foil to the saltiness. The sweet, slightly oily, and umami flavors of the tuna are set off by the other elements. The dressing is used sparingly, as a surprise accent that pops up as a little jolt of bass-line to the rest of the salads higher notes of flavor. This is an appetizer, or part of a string of dishes. The recipe is written as a small appetizer-just a few bites, as in 3-4. If you wish a bit more, double the volume.
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This is a part of classic cuisine that adds lots of wonderful flavor without fuss. It is also a great “go to” item for when you are pressed for time but still want something flavorful on the plate. It can be used as a base for a quick pan sauce or beurre blanc as well. Make this and store it in the freezer–it is like money in the bank. This butter takes advantage of the fresh mineral and herbaceous quality of parsley. As this is a simple recipe, it relies on the best ingredients for success. This compound butter is a classic for topping fish and steaks, but is good for a quick pasta, shrimp, or with vegetables.
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A favorite ice cream flavor of mine growing up was mandarin chocolate. When I started cooking I figured out what the “mandarin” part was and have played with those flavors in other things since then. Here is another dish inspired by those excursions. This recipe lists carrot, but they can be omitted if you choose. They are a good companion to fennel as they have sweetness to match the aroma of fennel and they have an earthiness that helps ground the fennel, onion, and orange juice.
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Maple syrup makes everything taste better it seems, and bacon can improve just about anything (except chocolate, but that’s another story), just as a good balsamic vinegar can. In combination, even those who think they loathe Brussels sprouts may be converted. Here, a small amount of vinegar is used as a contrast, so use the good stuff you have stashed in the back of the cupboard.
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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.
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This salad is based on a salad I used to get 30 or more years ago at Courtney’s Bistro in Manhattan Beach. I think it was the first time I had a real tomato, and I loved it. This recipe is about good ingredients simply presented so they show off their best. The mushrooms are done ahead of time, so this recipe is a snap to assemble last minute, and looks elegant on a plate making it a good one for company. Prep the lettuce ahead of time and store in a box wrapped in toweling in the refrigerator to make things easier. The mushrooms need to be started ahead of time-in the morning, the day before, or at least 2 hours ahead of serving.
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This treatment of favas is especially good when you have more mature beans which can have a more assertive taste and are starchier. This recipe works fine with young favas, and the taste is really bright and makes a great sauce for fish like halibut or other firm white fish. Depending on how much you mash the beans and how much oil or stock you use, this recipe can be used as a topping or dip for crostini or as a sauce for fish or vegetables or pasta.
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Tagged with: broccoli • cauliflower • fava beans • fish • pasta • puree • salad • sauce • summer squash • vegan
This is a variation of a southeast Indian dish. You can skip the chilies if you don’t want it hot, or add more if you like it really spicy. If you are not fan of cumin, use the curry powder option. The dish will be “sweeter” tasting, rather than earthier, but will still be just as delicious. If you do not have pink lentils (which are more of a salmon color, really) use another type that will hold shape once cooked. This dish has more texture than a dal that is simply simmered until the lentils disintegrate, which is why the lentils are soaked.
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Although this seems like a lot of ingredients, this recipe utilizes two components that are then combined for the end product. The second set of ingredients is used to flavor the choi and uses the stems that would usually be discarded, which bothered me. When I first did this recipe, I was tossing the stems into a small teapot that “was there” to keep them out of the way-thus the genesis of this idea.
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This is such a lovely and easy recipe for those beautiful chois that we are getting. Bok Choi literally means “white vegetable” and is in the same family as cabbage and turnips. Maybe you still have some green onions from last weeks box.
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You could do this with the vegetarian dashi, but the smoky aroma and depth of flavor from the hana-katsuo really make this dish. Although it is not quite the same, and it will tint the dish red, you could use smoked paprika if you wish to go vegetarian. Use this dish as a base for seared fish or roasted King Oyster mushrooms. You could also use this as a base for noodles/pasta.
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This recipe uses a store bought roast chicken, but feel free to use leftover chicken if you have it. If you wish, substitute soba or udon for the ramen, as each noodle type has something to offer to this dish. A Ben-Riner or other fixed blade slicer makes this dish a lot easier to prep. Thin slices help keep cooking time down.
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Since the main components of this dish are large, this is a knife and fork dish. It can serve as a base for something larger like fish, or you can use it as a side. Add some slices of pork and some noodles and it can be a one-pot full meal.
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Tagged with: bacon • braise • choi • mei quin • mei quin choi • mushrooms • oyster mushrooms • pork • scallions
This was made to go with steak in lieu of spinach. It has a similar texture, but doesn’t carry that oxalic acid texture that spinach sometimes has that makes the teeth feel furry. Also, mei-quin has a brighter flavor that goes well with hanger or flap steak and grass fed beef, and makes a nice foil to the flavor imbued by grilling.
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