Category Archives: SIDE DISH RECIPES

ZUCCHINI PANCAKES

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I think of all the vegetables, I like zucchini just about the best. And I think that’s because it is so versatile and of course so tasty. Not to mention – inexpensive. Especially in the summer when you can easily grow your own, or beg your neighbors for any extra zucchini they might possibly have just laying around. (Like your neighbors aren’t going to be thrilled that someone is actually asking them for zucchini. So much nicer for them than having to leave “care-packages” of zucchini on people’s front porches in the dead of night!)

As I was saying, zucchini is a marvelous vegetable. So when I happened to be watching the Food Network a couple of days ago and saw Ina Garten make these pancakes, I was hooked. Of course, I had to change the ingredients up a bit, because that’s what I do! But the bones of the recipe are strictly Ina.

I just figured, and rightly so I feel, that seasoned salt, olive oil instead of vegetable oil, additional onion, a bit of Parmesan cheese, and a dollop of sour cream could not possibly hurt the basic recipe. And I do believe it made a difference.

So if you too are zucchini lovers, or even if you aren’t particularly fond of this mild mannered, non-presumptuous vegetable, give these pancakes a try. They make just a stunning side dish. Plus they are different. And what cook doesn’t love serving something different to their family and friends?

So get thee to the store and buy yourself some zucchini. You will be amazed at how easy the batter comes together. And the fact that the pancakes are so versatile. They go perfectly with any type of meat. And they contain (but you don’t have to announce this to your children) a green vegetable. (In some cases, sneaky is OK. I believe this is one of those times!)

  • 7 T. all-purpose flour, or more as needed
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. seasoned salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 lg. eggs
  • 2 med. zucchini (a healthy ¾ lb.)
  • 3 T. finely minced red onion
  • unsalted butter
  • olive oil
  • sour cream (Mexican crema agria is the best), opt.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, seasoned salt, and pepper. Stir in the Parmesan until all bits are coated with the flour; set aside. Whisk the eggs in a good sized bowl. Grate the zucchini using the large grating side of a box grater*. Add to the eggs along with the onion. Stir well to mix the ingredients. Stir in the flour mixture only until thoroughly combined. The batter should be fairly thin (like regular pancake batter).

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But if the batter is too thin, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Note: Do not prepare the batter ahead of time or it will get soggy and won’t fry up properly.

Heat a very large fry pan over medium heat. Add equal amounts of butter and olive oil to liberally coat the bottom of the pan. When the butter and oil are hot, drop heaping spoonful’s of batter into the pan. (Make sure they are not touching. Kind of like kids in the back seat of a car.) Cook the pancakes about 2 minutes on each side, or until each side is brown and crispy. When the pancakes are done, serve immediately, or place on an oven-proof plate and keep warm in a pre-heated 300 degree oven. If your pan is not large enough to fry all the pancakes at once, wipe out the pan with a dry paper towel, add more butter and oil to the pan, and continue to fry the pancakes until all the batter is used. (The pancakes can stay warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes.) Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream.

*If you grate the zucchini ahead of time, place in a colander to allow liquid to drain. Then squeeze lightly just before adding to the eggs.

 

SWISS STEAK WITH CHEDDAR CHEESE POLENTA

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And I know, everyone else puts Parmesan cheese in their polenta. Well I do too! Most of the time! But there are just times when I want cheddar cheese in my polenta, darn it! And for this dish, cheddar cheese is perfect. And yes, I do know that potatoes are traditionally served with Swiss steak. But serving Swiss steak with polenta is my nod to staying current with culinary fads. (Plus Mr. C. loves polenta. Potatoes, not so much!)

Of course serving Swiss steak in the first place is kind of Betty Crocker 50s. But I’m hoping by posting this recipe that those who have never tasted Swiss steak will be so enraptured by the whole ease of preparation and use of fairly inexpensive ingredients that they will gravitate to this recipe like cats to a Christmas tree. Or that those who may remember their mother’s Swiss steak, but have relegated it to the past along with bell-bottom jeans and Cracker Jacks, might just be forced to recall how delicious Swiss steak actually is. And of course learn how easy and relatively inexpensive it is to prepare. (Oh wait, I already mentioned that! Too late, it’s already in print. But truly, can you ever say something is easy and inexpensive to prepare too many times? Especially right after Christmas? I think not!)

This Swiss steak simply melts in your mouth and the cheesy polenta has a wonderful flavor along with a delightful mouth feel. And truly, who cares if Swiss Steak may only appear on the menu of a roadhouse somewhere along Route 66 along with Chicken Fried Steak and Liver and Onions. Good old- fashioned road houses still know what’s tasty and “down home”. And so will you if you give this recipe a try.

So if you want a wonderful “new” and delightful combination of dishes to serve to your family, especially now that it’s officially winter, give these two recipes a try. Each is wonderful on its own. But in combination with a green veggie or salad, you have a winter dinner your family is sure to love. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Ho ho………..

  • 1½ lbs. London broil or thick round steak, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 7-9 pieces
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
  • 2-3 T. olive oil or bacon grease
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 6-8 button mushrooms, sliced
  • ½ c. dry red wine
  • 2 T. tomato paste
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp. sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 c. beef broth

Tenderize the pieces of meat with a table fork, pricking the meat on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a paper or plastic bag and shake until all the pieces are coated with flour.  Heat the olive oil or bacon grease in a large covered Dutch oven. Add the meat and brown on both sides.   Remove the steaks to a plate and repeat until all of the steaks have been browned.

Add the onions, garlic, celery, and mushrooms to the pot. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine and tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the canned tomatoes, smoked and regular paprika, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth; stir to combine. Return the meat to the pot, submerging it in the liquid. Cover the pot and place it in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1½ to 2 hours or until the meat is tender and falling apart. Check after an hour and make sure there is enough liquid. Add a bit of water if necessary. Serve with polenta, mashed potatoes, or noodles.

CHEDDAR CHEESE POLENTA

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  • 1 c. whole milk
  • 3 c. water
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 c. polenta/cornmeal
  • 2 T. unsalted butter
  • 1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Bring the milk, water, salt, and pepper to a boil in a medium saucepan. Pour polenta slowly into boiling liquid, whisking constantly until all polenta is stirred in and there are no lumps. Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until polenta starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Polenta mixture should still be slightly loose. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 to 6 minutes. When polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a wooden spoon. Polenta is done when texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender. Turn off heat and gently stir butter into the polenta until butter partially melts; then mix cheese into polenta until cheese has melted completely. Cover and let stand 5 minutes to thicken; stir and taste for salt before transferring to a serving bowl.

 

VEGETARIAN BAKED BEANS

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So, I have to tell you, starting a pot of baked beans without first frying up about a half pound of bacon just felt sick and wrong. I mean really, how could baked beans taste right without this quintessential ingredient? But I wanted a vegetarian side dish that could, if need be, stand in as the compulsory protein if one of my guests didn’t eat meat. So I took my standard recipe and simply left out the first ingredient.  

So if you too would like to step over to the dark side, I suggest you give this recipe a try as written. It produces absolutely lovely baked beans and I promise you will not miss the bacon in the slightest. Even Mr. C, whose middle name actually should have been “bacon” loved the beans and didn’t miss it in the least.

So next time you invite the gang over for a backyard BBQ, include these beans in your menu planning. They are perfectly delicious and the best part – they are truly at their finest when they have had a day or two to mellow out in the refrigerator. So, for you, that means one less dish to prepare on the day of the event. (As you know, I am just crazy about dishes that can and really should be prepared ahead of time.)

For additional recipes that are fun to serve at a picnic/BBQ, search under the heading BBQ & PICNIC RECIPES. Cheers to the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer!

And for a sad story about baked beans, see my story below. Sigh…… 

  • 1 lb. small navy beans
  • water
  • ¼ c. maple syrup (the real stuff!)
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • ½ c. molasses, or more to taste (regular or part black strap)
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 1 24-oz. bottle of ketchup
  • ¼ c. yellow mustard
  • ¼ c. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 T. kosher salt, or more to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped

Carefully wash the beans removing any matter that doesn’t look like a healthy, fat dried bean. Place in a large bowl and cover with water by about 3 inches.  Place in refrigerator overnight. Next day, rinse and drain the beans.

Place in a covered pot with enough water to cover the beans by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently until the beans are tender, about 40-45 minutes. (Do not worry that the beans will become mush while they are spending their time in a low oven. They will be just fine!)

Drain the cooked beans and place in a Dutch oven. (The main thing here is that the beans must be covered as they bake. If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can bake them in any kind of pan, as long as the pan is covered, even if it’s covered with aluminum foil. However, it may take a longer baking time if you use aluminum foil rather than a tight cover. Sad story to follow.)

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the maple syrup, brown sugar, tomato paste, ketchup, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Add the mixture to the beans along with the chopped onion. (I usually rinse out the ketchup bottle with a little water and then throw the liquid in with the other ingredients.)

Bring to a boil, cover, and bake in a pre-heated 225 degree oven for 3-4 hours. (Check the beans periodically to make certain they are not getting too dry. While you have the lid off, give them a little stir. Add water as needed.) Uncover the beans the last hour to brown them up a bit. Best made the day ahead and either re-warmed or served at room temperature.

Sad story:

So here it is, 3 days before I plan to serve baked beans to our home concert (JazzVox) guests, and I place 4 pounds of beans to soak. (quadruple recipe) Next day I cook the beans in water for a short time, but not long enough. Then I throw the rest of the recipe together in a large pan and cover the whole mess with aluminum foil. Seven (7) flippin’ hours later the beans are still in the oven and they are still crunchy! There is obviously no hope for these beans. So I did what any self-respecting cook would do. I tossed the whole shebang into the yard waste barrel, sent a little invocation to the Gods of yard waste asking for their help with the next batch, and started all over again. Sad, right?

And just to prove that this girl obviously can’t learn from her mistakes or that the Gods were watching the World Cup while I was requesting assistance, the second batch of beans still didn’t have that wonderful creamy mouth feel that should be the hallmark of really good baked beans. Once again, I simply didn’t cook the beans long enough on the stove top before adding the other ingredients. So once again, the beans were in the oven about 7 hours. OK, this time they weren’t crunchy. They tasted fine, but I knew they could be better.

So the moral of my sad story is to cook your beans until they are tender. Not over cooked, but perfect. And when you figure out how to do that, would you please let me know!

 

 

 

POSOLE (HOMINY) SIDE DISH WITH PORK AND GREEN CHILE

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So I guess the first order of business is to apologize for not posting for over a month. But we were on a trailer trip and I just didn’t have the time or the inclination. (How’s that for putting my priorities in the proper order?) But I did return from our visit to New Mexico with a couple of new and exciting recipes to share with you. But first, a little insight into New Mexico’s take on Southwestern cuisine.

Unlike most of the Mexican restaurants in the Seattle area, whole pinto beans are served in New Mexico restaurants rather than mashed or refried beans. And along with the whole beans, the two best restaurants we visited served posole (dried white corn hominy) as a side dish instead of rice. (I seriously dislike most Mexican rice, so this was just fine by me!)

In fact, I enjoyed the posole as a side dish so much, I couldn’t wait to get home and work up a recipe for myself.

Now as most of you know, most posole is served as a stew. In fact, I have both red and green posole stew recipes already posted on this site – Red (Rojo) Posole with Pork and Green Posole with Chicken. But when posole is served as a side dish, all the wonderful flavor of a stew is still right there; it just isn’t as “saucy”. But before I say more about this recipe, and because I know you are all just dying to know if we enjoyed our trip, the answer is yes, yes, yes! In fact, we can hardly wait to return. The quality of the art in the Santa Fe area was beyond belief! The pueblos, Aztec Ruins National Monument, and Mesa Verde were spectacular. And of course the food was wonderful. And the high road (scenic byway) between Taos and Santa Fe was an absolute delight. (Very reminiscent of driving through the hill towns in Italy.)

Along the way (all 5,327 miles) we visited other areas that were equally amazing. Our favorites were Craters of the Moon, Moab, Bandelier National Monument, and Vedauwoo.

But the area that captured our hearts and caught us completely by surprise was the Eagle Cap Wilderness in North-Eastern Oregon. What an absolutely enchanted and lovely part of the world. So much so, that I told Mr. C. that if we didn’t already live in paradise, I could actually see us living in a home somewhere between Enterprise and Joseph, Oregon. Beautiful mountain vistas, plenty of open space, creeks in abundance, a lovely lake, and the cost of living about half what it is here. (What’s not to love about that, right?!) The photos below were taken at our RV park outside Joseph, Oregon where we spent 3 fabulous nights.

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(The “swimming” hole just beside our trailer)

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(The creek right behind our trailer)

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(The cow pasture and view of the mountains just behind our trailer)

But enough with the travel log and back to this recipe. Suffice it to say, that when I served this dish to Mr. C. last evening, he declared it a masterpiece. And of course I had to agree with his excellent evaluation. If there ever was a food that could awaken the spirits of the indigenous people from the region now known as New Mexico, it would have to be this combination of ingredients.

So if you too feel the need for a little awakening or just a change from your normal rotation of favorite dishes, give this recipe a try. It is simple to prepare, but it does take some planning and time to cook. So find yourself some dried white corn posole (QFC usually carries it) and take a culinary trip to the Southwest. You will not be disappointed.

For additional recipes from the Southwest, look under Mexican Food Recipes.

  • 2 c. dried posole
  • water
  • 1 T. vegetable oil
  • ½ lb. lean pork, cut into small pieces and dried with paper towels
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 med. onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 c. canned mild diced green chiles or roasted, peeled, and chopped Anaheim chile
  • ½ tsp. dried oregano (Mexican oregano preferably)
  • 6 c. chicken broth

Place dried posole in a non-reactive container, cover with water by about 3 inches, and place in your refrigerator overnight. Drain well before proceeding.

Heat the oil in a large, covered pan. Season the meat well with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and fry, stirring frequently until brown. Add the onion and cook until transparent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chile, oregano, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 3 hours or until the posole is tender and some of the kernels have popped open or “blossomed”. (After about 2 hours of cooking, taste and adjust the seasoning.) Stir regularly and add water as needed. (Don’t add too much water, because you are not making stew. This recipe is served as a side dish, in much the same way you would serve whole or refried beans.) Adjust seasoning. Serve with any of your favorite Southwestern/Mexican dishes.

 

 

GRUYÈRE CHEESE SOUFFLÉ

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OK, I don’t care what anyone says, soufflés are really cool. But for some unknown reason, they have kind of gone out of fashion. And I don’t have the foggiest idea why that is. They are fairly inexpensive to make and could not be easier to prepare. The kind of cheese you use can be whatever you happen to have on hand, so there’s no reason anyone need even make a special trip to their local cheesery. And eggs, who doesn’t have eggs on hand? So what is preventing cooks from making this light and fluffy delicacy? Well I don’t know about anyone else, but I sure as heck know why I stopped making soufflés for about 10 years! I truly doubt anyone else out there has a similar excuse, but please allow me to tell you my true story about soufflés, a couple of cans of shrimp, my 4 kids, and why I disdained soufflés for such a long time.

When my kids were young, and their father and I were both working at good jobs, but paying a mortgage ($210 a month) that at the time seemed outrageous (remember I’m almost 71, so this was a long time ago), I made dishes like soufflés on a regular basis. Of course I didn’t use imported Gruyère cheese, but even with sharp cheddar cheese or inexpensive Swiss cheese, soufflés were delicious and actually quite inexpensive to prepare. Plus, everyone in my family loved them. So to kind of fancy up my soufflés, I would often make a shrimp sauce to go on top. Well, like I said, we weren’t rich, not technically poor by any means, but with 4 kids, baby sitter expenses, car payments, etc. we kept close tabs on our grocery dollars. And in those days, (the early to mid 70’s) canned shrimp was readily available and cheap, plus you couldn’t just go to your local grocery store and buy fresh shrimp and cook it yourself. Canned shrimp was just about the only way to go. And usually there was no problem with the quality.

But this one time, I made my usual basic sauce, opened a couple cans of shrimp, drained them off, and added them to the pot. We sat down to dinner, and the soufflé was perfect. But the sauce, OMG, there must have been more shell in the cans than there was shrimp. It was absolutely crunchy and absolutely inedible. I was so mad. Here I had made this perfect soufflé, and because of the sauce, the entire meal had to be thrown away. I don’t remember where we went to eat that evening, but it sure wasn’t our dining room! And I truly don’t think I made another soufflé for at least 10 years!

But as I got older and wiser, a) I stopped buying canned shrimp, b) I refrained from covering a perfect soufflé with a sauce, (what was I thinking?) and c) I forgave the soufflé, even though it wasn’t its fault in the first place!

So unless you have a reason as irrefutable as mine for not fixing a soufflé, give this recipe a try at your earliest convenience. You just won’t believe how lovely and creamy this soufflé feels in your mouth. It’s like eating a puffy bite of warm cheese. Just don’t try and dress it up with a fancy sauce. But if you must, just don’t use canned shrimp. Sometimes lessons can be learned at someone else’s expense. And I paid the piper already, so you have a free pass!

  • 5 T. unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
  • 3 T. finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4½ T. flour
  • 1½ c. milk (whole milk is best)
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper (not too much)
  • ¼ tsp. paprika
  • pinch of freshly grated or bottled nutmeg
  • 7 large eggs, room temperature, separated
  • 2 c. grated imported Gruyère cheese (5-6 oz.) or cheese of choice

Grease the inside of a 2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Sprinkle the finely grated Parmesan cheese along the bottom and sides of the dish. Set aside.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a heavy saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the milk. Return pan to heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to burble until very thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the salt, pepper, paprika, and nutmeg. Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time.

Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat to stiff peaks. (Be sure not to get any of the yolk in with the whites when you are separating the eggs or the whites won’t whip up as light and fluffy.)

Fold a third of the yolk sauce and a third of the Gruyère into the egg whites. Do not over-blend. Add the next third of the sauce and cheese into the whites and again fold gently. Add the final third of sauce and cheese into the whites. Scoop the mixture into the prepared casserole. Bake the soufflé in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until it has puffed and the top is nicely browned and firm to the touch. (A long skewer inserted into the soufflé should come out fairly clean.) Serve immediately.

 

 

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM WILD RICE PILAF

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Recently I have become totally obsessed with finding healthy side dish recipes. So I can’t begin to tell you how delighted I am to share this recipe with you today. And who better to share my obsession with, than a captive audience sitting in front of a computer screen? (I figure you wouldn’t be visiting my site unless you too weren’t hungry (so to speak) for new and exciting ways to prepare healthy and delicious dishes.)

So, a couple of days ago I was at our local Bartells. (For those of you who live outside the Seattle area, Bartells is a local drug store chain.) And whenever I go to Bartells for legitimate drug store items, such as makeup, I always peruse the middle isle for packaged foods that are featured at a discounted price.

This last visit I found great prices on flavored almonds and Lundberg rice products. So I bought two packages of their wild rice blend.

When I got home I immediately went on line and visited the Lundberg site for recipe ideas. And this recipe literally jumped off the screen and onto a word document before I even knew what hit me. It is gluten free (if you use GF tamari), vegetarian, and full of nutritious ingredients. What can be better than that? Well the fact that it’s absolutely delicious sure doesn’t hurt either!

So however you want to approach this recipe, as a delicious side dish or as a healthy side dish, you’re 100% covered.

So hurry up and read the recipe and get thee to the grocery store if you need ingredients, or straight to the kitchen if you don’t, and build your family a side dish that comes with its own PhD. (P-painless to prepare, h-healthy, D-delicious) And thank you Lundberg for both the lovely wild rice blend and the recipe. (Sorry for the slight modification.)

  • ¾ c. dried mushrooms* (shiitake, chanterelle, porcini) cut or broken into small pieces
  • 1 c. very hot water
  • 1 c. combination wild and whole grain brown rice (or Lundberg Wild Blend)
  • 1¾ c. vegetable broth (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base)
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 med. onion, finely chopped
  • 2 c. fresh button mushrooms, halved and thinly sliced (about 8 medium mushrooms)
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 oz. spinach, stems removed and rough chopped
  • 1 T. gluten-free tamari soy sauce
  • 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ c. sliced green onions or chives, garnish

*if you don’t have dried mushrooms, use another 2 cups of fresh button mushrooms

Place dried mushrooms in a bowl. Add the hot water and set aside. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, bring the broth and rice to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce heat to a low simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat (with lid on) and let steam for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook until softened; stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more. Drain the re-hydrated mushrooms and add to the pan along with the spinach; cook until spinach just starting to wilt. Stir in the tamari, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

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Gently fold mushroom-spinach mixture into cooked rice and garnish with green onions or chives.

YUKON GOLD AND SWEET POTATO GRATIN WITH MANCHEGO CHEESE

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I love regular old fashioned potatoes cooked any old way. Mr. C on the other hand, does not. But he does love sweet potatoes as much as I do. So when I had four Yukon Gold potatoes and one large sweet potato on hand that really needed to be eaten, I immediately went into research mode. I started investigating the possibility of combining members of the Solanaceae or nightshade family with a member of the Convolvulaceae family in the form of a gratin. But would that be like asking the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s to sit down to Sunday dinner together? The thought did arise.

My saner side soon disqualified my concern as ridiculous (yah think?) and I proceeded to seek out the perfect gratin recipe featuring tubers* and tuberous roots.

I found several recipes that looked good to me, but none that looked perfect. So I made a few changes, additions, and replacements here and there using several of the recipes I found, and came up with this version.

We both loved the gratin. The potatoes each had a definite texture of their own, and the Manchego cheese paired with the fresh thyme gave the whole dish a light savory flavor. A perfect entrée side dish when served with a mild flavored meat, chicken, or seafood.

And I do believe that those of you with small children or family members who disdain even the thought of sweet potatoes, could get this dish past the discriminating palates of even your most picky eaters. Just don’t tell them what’s in the gratin. Or, if you must tell them something, tell them it’s basically macaroni and cheese, but made with potatoes instead of pasta. That should do the trick!

*potatoes are technically tubers, not roots; while sweet potatoes are tuberous roots (some distinction, right?)

  • 2 T. butter, plus more for greasing the casserole pan
  • 1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (about 4 medium sized), thinly sliced (peeled or not peeled, your choice)
  • ¾ lb. (about 1 good sized) sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 loosely packed cup of grated Manchego cheese*
  • 1 medium sized shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • 1½ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • pinch ground nutmeg
  • 1 c. whole milk
  • ½ c. whipping cream

Liberally butter a covered casserole dish. Layer the potatoes on the bottom of the prepared dish, overlapping each slice by half. Alternate each layer with a different kind of potato. When the first layer of potatoes is complete; sprinkle with some of the cheese. Repeat until all of the potato slices and cheese are in the casserole pan.

Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. Add the shallot and cook for about 2 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the thyme, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and milk. Bring to a boil; then carefully pour the hot liquid over the potato slices. Press the potatoes down with a fork or whatever cooking implement works best for you. Cover the casserole pan and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven until the potatoes are almost tender and the milk is almost absorbed, about 45 minutes. Uncover and pour the cream over the top.

Return the casserole to the oven and bake uncovered for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown in spots and the potatoes are fork tender. Remove from oven, cover, and let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

*Manchego cheese is made from the milk of sheep of the Manchego breed. To be true “queso Manchego”, the cheese must come from the La Mancha region of Spain. Luckily Manchego (the real deal) can be purchased at Costco. (That’s a very good thing for us, because it’s Mr. Cs favorite cheese and he nibbles (and I use the term loosely) on it almost every day.)

SPLIT EMMER FARRO AND WILD RICE PILAF

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI found this recipe on the Bluebird Grains Potlatch Pilaf package. (Say that three times in a row for your daily tongue twister teaser!) Anyway, like I started to say, I found and prepared this dish (made a few minor changes here and there), loved it, and I am very excited to share the recipe with you.

Now I know that some of you are not in the habit of buying packages of grain and grass seed* except for the ones found in the bird-food section of your grocery store. But I’m going to ask you to put on your big kid pants, conquer your fear of growing feathers and wanting to fly south for the winter, and give this organic, healthy, protein rich, and GMO-free product a try. Plus, for all you locavores**, the farro is grown in the upper Methow Valley of Eastern Washington. (That’s local enough for this locavore!) The organic wild rice unfortunately is not grown locally. But I’m sure that doesn’t surprise you one little bit since Washington isn’t known for its wild rice production. (We leave that distinction to Minnesota, the land of 15,000 lakes.)

So, regardless of where the grains were raised, and despite the fact that we don’t really know whether the grains were lovingly tended and exposed to classical music as they were growing up***, all of us could profit from a few more healthy grains like farro and wild rice in our diet. So, fly to your local grocery store (and I mean “fly” figuratively rather than literally), and bring home a grain or two with which you are completely unacquainted. Then give it or them a try. You are going to find that the likes of quinoa, red rice, farro, and wild rice are just delicious. And I can’t overemphasize their nutritional value. Oh I could, but I think I have already nagged said enough on that subject!

For more recipes that feature farro, type “farro” in the search field at the top of the “home” screen.

*wild rice is a highly nutritious annual water-grass seed “zizania aquatica” naturally abundant in the cold rivers and lakes of Minnesota and Canada

**the practice of eating food that is locally grown

***my not too subtle dig directed at the kind of people who carry their need for information on food ingredients and growing conditions to the ridiculous

  • 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
  • 10 button mushrooms, halved and then thinly sliced
  • ¼ c. chopped shallot or onion
  • 1 lg. garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. Herbs de Provence (preferably without lavender)
  • 1 c. Bluebird Grains Farm’s Potlatch Pilaf (or ¾ cup farro and ¼ c. wild rice)
  • ¼ c. dry sherry or dry white wine
  • 2 c. vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1/3 c. toasted slivered almonds

In a medium sized covered saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add mushrooms, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms start to brown. Add the chopped shallot and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute or until the garlic releases its aroma. Stir in salt, pepper, Herbs de Provence, and the Potlatch Pilaf mix. Stir frequently for about 3 minutes. Add the sherry and cook for about a minute, or until the sherry is evaporated. Pour in the broth, bring to a vigorous simmer, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in the toasted almonds just before serving.

 

 

COLLARD GREENS WITH SMOKED PORK HOCK

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So I know you are asking yourself, what someone who was not born in the true South could possibly know about cooking collard greens. Well, I must admit that I knew next to nothing about the cuisine of the South until I started doing some serious study on the subject. And over the years I have learned a lot. And I must say, if there is anything finer than White Cheddar Cheese Grits (thank you Eden), Shrimp Gumbo or my new recipe for Collard Greens with Smoked Pork Hock, then I do declare, someone step up to the line (the Mason Dixon line of course) and show me the error in my thinking! Until then, I’m tellin’ you true. You can unassailably bet your best corn bread recipe on the fact that I am going to continue researching and publishing recipes that fit the category “all food Southern”. Because all you all, Southern food is the bomb!

So next time you want to fix a big old pot of “good for you” and “really tasty”, get yourself to your local market and buy yourself some collard greens. I am positive you, your family, and your friends are going to thoroughly enjoy this quintessential Southern dish.

  • 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 med. onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 2 c. chicken broth
  • 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
  • freshly ground black pepper (not too much)
  • 1 smoked pork hock (I prefer to use Sunny Valley Smoked Pork Hocks obtained in our area at Haggen’s Market)
  • 2-3 bunches collard greens (depending on the size of the bunches)
  • pinch of sugar, if required
  • hot sauce on the side, opt.

In a large covered pot, add the olive oil and the chopped onions; sauté until tender. Add the garlic and continue cooking for a minute or until the garlic releases its aroma. Add the chicken broth, red pepper flakes, pepper, and pork hock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 45-60 minutes. (The simmer time helps the broth take on the delicious, smoky flavor of the meat!)

Meanwhile, remove the center stems of the collard greens by holding the leaf in one hand and stripping the leaf down with your other hand. (Tender young leaves don’t need to be stripped.) Stack 6 to 8 leaves on top of one another, roll up, and slice into ½-inch thick slices. Then cut those slices in half. Wash the collard greens thoroughly, drain and set aside.

When the broth has finished simmering for about an hour, add the cleaned and sliced collard greens. Cover the pan and cook on med-low heat until the leaves are tender, about an hour and 45 minutes. Stir once or twice during the cooking process. (You basically want to slowly cook the greens in the flavorful broth. They will wilt down as they cook.) After about an hour and 15 minutes, remove the pork hock from the pan and allow it to cool to the point where you can remove the meat from the bones, fatty and connective tissue without burning your fingers. Chop or shred the meat into bite sized pieces and add back to the pot. When the greens are tender, adjust the seasoning (including a pinch of sugar if the greens are particularly bitter) and serve piping hot.

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Note: I like to serve the collard greens in individual little bowls so everyone gets their share of the greens and the amazing liquid. I then pass around chunks of nice crusty bread or the more traditional corn bread to mop up the potlikker. The savory broth (or “potlikker” as we from the south like to call it) is an important part of the whole quintessential “collard” experience.

And OK, for those of you who know me, you know that my “south” is really the southern part of Bellevue, Washington where I lived for most of my adult years. That qualifies as “south”, doesn’t it?

Additional Note: Smoked turkey legs or wings can be used in place of the pork hock, but they are terribly hard to find.

For more Southern recipes, please look under the category “Southern Cuisine” on this site.

 

EINKA FARRO WITH KALE AND SLIVERED ALMONDS

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I just get so excited when I follow, or as in this case adapt a recipe for a healthy dish and it turns out to be amazingly delicious. And this modified version of Stuart Dietz’s recipe for Einka farro is no exception.

Last evening Mr. C again brought me a package of meat from the freezer that desperately needed to be eaten. His latest effort to clean out the freezer resulted in a package of chicken sausages with spinach and feta cheese. So wondering what would go well with the sausages, I glanced in the pantry for inspiration. After a cursory review of what was available, my eyes lit on my new unopened package of Einka farro. I glanced at the package for recipes, but none were exactly what I was envisioning. So I went on line and found Mr. Dietz’s recipe for Einka Salad with Tuscan Kale & Butternut Squash.

This recipe immediately appealed because I had leftover butternut squash purée in the refrigerator and some kale that was almost as old as I am! I thought I would use the puréed squash as a bed for the farro. However, after tasting the farro, I decided the squash would be better on the side. The farro was delightful in its own right. All I thought it needed was a little crunch. So I quickly toasted some slivered almonds and added them along with the fresh parsley just before serving. The result was a wonderful and healthy new whole grain side dish.

I love it when the stars are in alignment and dishes work out as planned. Just don’t ask me about the other recipe I tried yesterday. It sounded good at the time, but the reality was less than stellar. I love maple flavored sausage links, but they are expensive and contain ingredients (corn syrup and MSG) that I am trying very hard to eliminate from our diet. So I thought I would try my hand at making a maple flavored breakfast sausage. Does the term “stinko” mean anything to you? But I’m not going to let one little defeat get the best of me. Don’t hold your breath, but I am going to continue working on this recipe, because I know I am not alone in my love of maple syrup sausage links. Wish me luck!

In the mean time, put maple flavored pork out of your mind and think healthy. Give this recipe a try!

  • 1 c. whole grain Einka farro* (I use Bluebird Grain Farms brand Organic Whole Grain Einka Farro)
  • 2½ c. water
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 c. ¼-inch sliced kale
  • 1 T. sherry vinegar
  • 2 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ c. minced shallot
  • 1½ tsp. finely chopped fresh sage
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3 T. dry white wine
  • 1/3 c. toasted slivered almonds
  • 2 T. chopped Italian parsley

In a medium sized covered saucepan, add the farro, water, and ¼ teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer over moderate heat until farro is tender, about 25 minutes. When done, add the kale, cover and remove from heat; let stand until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain well and pour back into the pan. Add the vinegar and 1 tablespoon of the oil; season with salt and pepper and toss. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat until shallot is translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sage and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook another minute, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer, stirring, until evaporated. Scrape the shallot and garlic into the pan with the farro and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning. When ready to serve, stir in the toasted almonds and parsley.

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Serve warm or at room temperature.

*You can substitute Emmer Farro for Einka Farro. Use the following cooking instructions if you make the substitution:

Place the water, emmer farro, and a pinch of kosher salt in a covered pan. Place on high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 35 minutes or until berries are plump and chewy. When the farro is done, add the kale, cover and remove from heat; let stand until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain well and pour back into the pan. Continue recipe as written above.