Lemon Pepper Broccoli
4 cups small broccoli florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper or to taste
1/8 tsp salt
Bring 1 inch of water to boil in medium saucepan. Place broccoli in vegetable steamer, set in saucepan, cover and cook 2 minutes or until crisp and tender.
Remove insert and let broccoli drain. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add lemon peel and crushed red pepper and stir until peel begins to brown, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and salt and stir until hot, about 1 minute.
Roasted Watermelon Radishes
From Sarah Voiland, 2011: A great simple recipe recommended to me by a winter farmers’ market customer. I found out about this just as we were running out of these radishes for the year, and I was so sad – to have to wait a whole summer before eating it again!
Watermelon radishes, cut into wedges
Olive oil to coat
A drizzle of maple syrup to coat
salt
pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut your radishes into wedges, six or so per large radish, fewer if smaller, aiming for consistent size. It’s pretty to keep a little bit of tail on each wedge. Toss in olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking pan in a single layer. Cover with foil and put in oven. The foil will protect them while they soften. After about 20 minutes, when they are soft, take the foil off and let them brown a bit before taking out to serve. Taste and add more salt if needed.
They’re great on their own, or cold on a salad too! You can do this with other radishes, though black radishes might be a bit spicy.
Braising Greens with Raisins, Onions, and Garlic
From Sarah Voiland, 2013
1 onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 LB braising greens
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil to cook
Saute onions and raisins in olive oil, add garlic when onions are translucent. Cook one minute. I like to add a dash of sherry vinegar here if I have it. Add the greens, and while they are cooking down add salt and pepper. Cook and stir until greens are wilted or to your liking. Sturdier greens may need to cook a little longer to be tender, add some broth or water to accompany them and cover lightly. When tender, taste and season. Add more olive oil if needed for taste.
Options: bulk it up with diced carrots, turnips, or cooked beans; add a little white wine or vinegar for flavor; top with flakes of parmesan.
Balsamic Honey Brussels Sprouts
From Sarah Voiland, 2014
1 stalk worth of Brussels sprouts, about a quart
2 medium to large carrots, chopped in rounds about 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbs honey
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
Trim your Brussels sprouts off the stalk, if they came to you that way, and wash. I leave them whole like mini cabbages, but you can also slice in half. Put in a large skillet with the carrots, olive oil and a little water, cover and steam on medium heat until tender. Stir a few times. Add water as you cook to keep them steaming.
Remove the cover and stir in balsamic vinegar, honey and sliced onions. Throw in some salt and pepper. Cook until onions are how you like them, and you’ve got a bit of browning on things. Taste and adjust vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.
This makes a quicker side dish than roasting Brussels sprouts in the oven, and with a lovely flavor. You could easily make this a main dish by adding sauteed tofu or a meat, and serving with rice.
Oaxacan Street Corn
From Sarah Voiland, 2014
You can make this with grilled, oven-roasted, boiled, or steamed corn. I first had this from street vendors in Oaxaca, where they call it elote. This is my adaptation.
Ears of cooked corn
Mayonaise (opt: you can add chopped garlic to it or make an aioli)
Chili powder and/or Cayenne Pepper
Crumbled or grated Cotija cheese (or feta)
Fresh lime
Salt if desired
Spread a thin (or thick) layer of mayo on your corn. Roll in crumbled cheese. Sprinkle with cayenne and chili powder.
This is a great item to set up in a buffet so people can do it themselves. Put out a bowl of lime wedges – the juice adds a lightness and tang that is key. Bite and flavor to your tastes! Feel free to experiment with different spices and cheeses.
Oven-Roasted Cabbage Wedges
From Sarah Voiland, 2015.
Cabbage, one head
1/2 cup or so, water or white wine
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp or so Caraway seeds (optional)
1/2 cup grated parmesan (or other) cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 375. Slice cabbage in half, remove the stem core, and cut into serving-sized wedges. Set wedges standing up (mostly) into a small casserole dish that is just a little taller than the wedges.
Alternatively, you could lay them on their sides on an oiled baking sheet with a rim. Pour a little white wine or water over them so there’s a little liquid in the bottom of the dish to steam them. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, a few caraway seeds if you want.
Cover with foil and bake at 375 until a fork goes through all the thicker ribs very easily.
Remove the foil and continue baking to brown a little. You can add grated cheese like parmesan or others now.
Remove from oven when it looks good (cheese melted, with some golden bits), and serve. Leftovers can be added to sandwiches, stirfries, anything.
