Summertime is just around the corner, and that means picnics, barbeques, pot lucks, and lots of summer salads. Every time warm weather comes around I start to get cravings for fresh, cold side dishes. For the next few posts I'm going to highlight some of my favorites.
To kick it off I'm going to share my recipe for Apple-Carrot Salad. Don't think it sounds weird - it is really quite delicious. You can use regular or golden raisins in this recipe, or for a treat substitute dried cranberries instead. Seriously, give this salad a try, it's great.
Lairdriin's Apple-Carrot Salad
2 apples, any type, same or mixed, chopped into smallish bite-size pieces
1/4 c grated carrot
2 Tbsp raisins
1 Tbsp sunflower seeds (shelled)
1/4 c plain yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
dash salt
Mix yogurt and lemon juice. Mix other ingredients and pour dressing over the top; stir. Enjoy immediately or let marinate for an hour to meld flavors.
Happy eating!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Potato Gratin
Gratins are delicious and use relatively cheap ingredients, but they do take a little bit of time to put together and bake. The result is ooey, gooey, cheesy goodness, though, so I do like going through the process from time to time.
These days with all the boxed side dishes available at the store, it's rare to see an actually homemade potato gratin. The boxed, neon-orange ones are admittedly easier and aren't completely awful, but they just aren't like the real thing. Here's how I do it.
Potato Gratin
4 medium potatoes, sliced thin (peeled or unpeeled, your choice)
1/2 small onion, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
3 Tbsp butter or margarine, divided
2 c milk or half-and-half
3 Tbsp flour
6-8 oz cheese, grated
2 Tbsp bread crumbs (dry)
salt, pepper, paprika, parsley
Heat oven to 400F. Rub a large casserole dish with the butter to coat. Reserve 1T butter for topping later; cut remaining butter into very small pieces. Whisk flour into milk with a dash of salt and pepper.
Layer the gratin in 4-5 layers. For each later, evenly spread:: a thin layer of potatoes, about a half cup of milk mixture, several bits of butter, a sprinkling of onions and celery, dash of salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley, and an ounce of cheese. After the final layer, the milk should come just barely up to the top of the potatoes. Reserve 2-3 oz of cheese for topping later.
Bake gratin in 400 oven about 20 minutes. In the meantime, melt reserved 1T butter and stir into breadcrumbs, mixing well. After gratin has baked 20 minutes, remove from oven and top with remaining cheese, and then breadcrumb mixture. Continue baking about 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown. Let rest 5 minutes and serve.
Happy eating!
These days with all the boxed side dishes available at the store, it's rare to see an actually homemade potato gratin. The boxed, neon-orange ones are admittedly easier and aren't completely awful, but they just aren't like the real thing. Here's how I do it.
Potato Gratin
4 medium potatoes, sliced thin (peeled or unpeeled, your choice)
1/2 small onion, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
3 Tbsp butter or margarine, divided
2 c milk or half-and-half
3 Tbsp flour
6-8 oz cheese, grated
2 Tbsp bread crumbs (dry)
salt, pepper, paprika, parsley
Heat oven to 400F. Rub a large casserole dish with the butter to coat. Reserve 1T butter for topping later; cut remaining butter into very small pieces. Whisk flour into milk with a dash of salt and pepper.
Layer the gratin in 4-5 layers. For each later, evenly spread:: a thin layer of potatoes, about a half cup of milk mixture, several bits of butter, a sprinkling of onions and celery, dash of salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley, and an ounce of cheese. After the final layer, the milk should come just barely up to the top of the potatoes. Reserve 2-3 oz of cheese for topping later.
Bake gratin in 400 oven about 20 minutes. In the meantime, melt reserved 1T butter and stir into breadcrumbs, mixing well. After gratin has baked 20 minutes, remove from oven and top with remaining cheese, and then breadcrumb mixture. Continue baking about 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown. Let rest 5 minutes and serve.
Happy eating!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Soup's On, Part VIII: Yummy Minestrone
Actually, I don't officially call my minestrone soup "Yummy Minestrone," but it is yummy. A very hearty Italian-style vegetable soup, minestrone is quite easy to make.
Minestrone soup has many variations, because in Italy it is the soup that has a little bit of whatever you have in the house or leftover. I don't make it exactly the same every time, often varying the veggies, but there are a few ingredients that I think are almost essential. If I make this type of soup without the pasta and beans, I call it Italian Vegetable Soup instead of minestrone, because it just doesn't feel like minestrone to me. The other ingredient I think of as essential is zucchini.
Here's my recipe for this classic soup. I make smallish batches, but you can see the recipe is easily doubled to make a larger batch.
Lairdriin's Minestrone
vegetable oil
a pinch crushed red pepper
1/4 c chopped sweet onion
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
1/2 stalk celery, sliced
1 small zucchini squash, sliced or chopped
1/2 c kidney beans
1/2 c garbanzo beans
1 c pasta, cooked until just under al dente
4 c good veggie stock
4 c water
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/8 tsp each: black pepper, dried oregano
a pinch each: dried marjoram, granulated garlic
salt to taste
parmesan cheese for garnish
In a soup pot, heat a little vegetable oil. Add crushed red pepper, onions, carrots, and celery, and cook for a few minutes. Add zucchini and cook until veggies are just cooked through. Add remaining ingredients (except parmesan). Be sure to fully incorporate the tomato paste.
Heat soup to simmer and add salt to taste. Simmer a few minutes. Serve soup hot with a generous sprinkle of grated parmesan on top.
Crusty bread for dipping is great with this soup. Happy eating!
Minestrone soup has many variations, because in Italy it is the soup that has a little bit of whatever you have in the house or leftover. I don't make it exactly the same every time, often varying the veggies, but there are a few ingredients that I think are almost essential. If I make this type of soup without the pasta and beans, I call it Italian Vegetable Soup instead of minestrone, because it just doesn't feel like minestrone to me. The other ingredient I think of as essential is zucchini.
Here's my recipe for this classic soup. I make smallish batches, but you can see the recipe is easily doubled to make a larger batch.
Lairdriin's Minestrone
vegetable oil
a pinch crushed red pepper
1/4 c chopped sweet onion
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
1/2 stalk celery, sliced
1 small zucchini squash, sliced or chopped
1/2 c kidney beans
1/2 c garbanzo beans
1 c pasta, cooked until just under al dente
4 c good veggie stock
4 c water
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/8 tsp each: black pepper, dried oregano
a pinch each: dried marjoram, granulated garlic
salt to taste
parmesan cheese for garnish
In a soup pot, heat a little vegetable oil. Add crushed red pepper, onions, carrots, and celery, and cook for a few minutes. Add zucchini and cook until veggies are just cooked through. Add remaining ingredients (except parmesan). Be sure to fully incorporate the tomato paste.
Heat soup to simmer and add salt to taste. Simmer a few minutes. Serve soup hot with a generous sprinkle of grated parmesan on top.
Crusty bread for dipping is great with this soup. Happy eating!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Zucchini And Mushroom Pasta With Crispy Garlic
I have seen crispy garlic made on a couple of cooking shows, and have wanted to try my hand at it for a while. Today, after a successful trip to the produce department of my favorite Asian market (I love that place!), I was trying to think of something to cook that would utilize the mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic that we got there. This pasta is the result.
I say this all the time, but this really is super easy to make. It is also very light, and relatively healthy, considering the use of olive oil, and half-and-half instead of full cream. I served it with a simple Caesar Salad and it made a great lunch. One nice thing about making the crispy garlic is that it also seasons the oil to flavor the sauce. This recipe serves 2 or 3 people, so multiply it as necessary.
Zucchini and Mushroom Pasta With Crispy Garlic
2 small or 1 large clove garlic, sliced very thin
3 Tbsp olive oil
dash each: crushed red pepper, black pepper, and salt
1/2 small zucchini, sliced
4 button mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp flour
1/2 c half-and-half
1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c cooked pasta, just under aldente
fresh basil
In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Use a slice of garlic to test: when the garlic just starts to sizzle, add the other slices of garlic one at a time so they don't stick together. The garlic will burn quickly; begin to remove the garlic almost immediately. The edges should be golden brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
To the remaining oil, add the zucchini slices, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the mushroom slices and cook another 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour into pan, stir, and cook 1 minute. Stir in half-and-half, parmesan, and pasta. Let simmer about a minute to thicken.
Add more salt if needed to taste. Serve, and sprinkle crispy garlic and chopped fresh basil on top.
Happy eating!
Zucchini and Mushroom Pasta With Crispy Garlic
2 small or 1 large clove garlic, sliced very thin
3 Tbsp olive oil
dash each: crushed red pepper, black pepper, and salt
1/2 small zucchini, sliced
4 button mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp flour
1/2 c half-and-half
1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c cooked pasta, just under aldente
fresh basil
In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Use a slice of garlic to test: when the garlic just starts to sizzle, add the other slices of garlic one at a time so they don't stick together. The garlic will burn quickly; begin to remove the garlic almost immediately. The edges should be golden brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
To the remaining oil, add the zucchini slices, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the mushroom slices and cook another 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour into pan, stir, and cook 1 minute. Stir in half-and-half, parmesan, and pasta. Let simmer about a minute to thicken.
Add more salt if needed to taste. Serve, and sprinkle crispy garlic and chopped fresh basil on top.
Happy eating!
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