‘Veggies’ Articles
Written by Walter Greenspan on 26 November 2007
Chanukah (KHAH-nik-uh; KHAH-noo-kah) recalls the struggle for religious freedom and commemorates the Rededication of the Temple following the victory of the Jews over the Seleucid Greeks in the year 165 B.C.E. Chanukah means Rededication.
The 8-day rabbinic Jewish Festival of Chanukah always begins on the 25th day of Kislev and, depending on whether Kislev has 29 or 30 days, ends on either the 3rd or 2nd day of Tevet. This year, Kislev has 29 days and thus this year Chanukah will end on the 3rd day of Tevet. (On the civil calendar, this year Chanukah begins at sundown on Tuesday, December 4 and ends at sundown on Wednesday, December 12.)
According to tradition: a single portion of oil, used to light the 7-branch Temple Menorah (the symbol of the Jewish faith), that was to last only one night, lasted eight nights. In commemoration, the 8-branch Chanukah menorah is lit, increasing the number of candles lit each night, until on the eighth and last night, 8 candles are lit. In many American households, red, white and blue candles are set aside for use on the final night.
Continuing the theme of the “miracle” of the oil, the custom is to eat foods fried in oil on Chanukah. Latkes, fried potato pancakes, is typical to almost every American Jewish household of Ashkenazic (central and eastern European) descent. Jews of Sephardic (Spanish and Portuguese) descent favor sufganiyot, fried jelly doughnuts.
For the latkes and sufganiyot recipes, click MORE:
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Posted in Dessert, Ethnic, Jewish, Kosher, Recipes, Veggies | No Comments »
Written by Bill Peterson on 06 November 2007
This is for all of us that do not like pureed squash. There is no law that states that winter squash has to be smooth and slimy or the consistancy of baby food.
Start with your favorite winter squash. Hubbard, butternut, buttercup, acorn or, post Halloween, pumpkin. Seed, peel and dice into squares, chunks, whatever.
Take an equal amount of par cooked potatos and rough chop in chunks like the squash.
Do the same with an onion and green pepper (optional).
Put the vegetables in a single layer on a greased sheet pan, brush liberally with butter, olive oil or a blend such as Smart Balance. If you like the flavor, sprinkle salt and granulated garlic on also. Roast in a 350 degree oven until the squash is al dente. Don’t be afraid to dig in with a spatula and turn the mix so it browns evenly.
Serve as an alternative to hashbrown or fried potatos.
Posted in Veggies | No Comments »
Written by Dave Budge on 04 November 2007
Giardiniera is Italian meaning “pickled vegetables” (from Italian “giardino” which means “garden” in English.) Usually when one finds giariniera outside of greater Chicago it means a mix of pickled peppers, cauliflower, carrots and pimiento. Although that has a nice application the vinegar based pickling juice is too tart for other applications. Hence, for things like hot dogs and Italian Beef Sandwiches an oil cured mix is preferable. Here’s how I make mine.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb fresh Serrano peppers – 1/8 inch slice
- 2 carrots – 1/4 inch dice
- 1 cup cauliflower – 1/4 inch dice
- 2 stalks celery – 1/8 inch slice
- 1 cup large green pitted olives – rough chop (Don’t be cheap – spring for the good ones.)
- 1 cup pickling salt.
- 2 tbs crushed oregano
- 1 tbs crushed chili flakes
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- enough extra virgin olive oil to cover
Method
- Combine all of the vegetable – except the olives – in a large bowl. Add the whole cup of salt and mix completely so the salt covers the vegetable. Add enough water to just cover the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 12 hours.
- Drain the vegetable mixture and rinse very, very well to remove as much salt as possible.
- Add chopped olives and remaining spices. Mix well.
- Spoon mixture into jars (I use 1 qt canning jars and this usually makes 2 – 3 qts depending on the size of the veggies.) Pour olive oil into jars to cover (top off after 30 minutes when all the air has had a chance to escape from the veggies.)
- Put in fridge for at least 48 hours before serving.
This recipe is a rough guideline and you can change it to whatever your tastes are. Some people use green or red peppers and reduce the amount of Serrano peppers for a milder mix. I often will let the Serrano’s ripen to red before using to reduce the heat and keep the flavor.
This mix will keep well about 3 months in the refrigerator. Depending on the quality of the oil it may have a tendency to “gel” when it’s cold. Simply take it out a half hour before serving to restore its consistency.
This goes great on Italian sausages, eggs, spicy tuna salad as well as hot dogs and beef sandwiches.
And, if 2 to 3 quarts is too much for you remember that the holidays are on us soon and this makes an excellent gift for the “spicy” eaters in your life.
Buono Appetito
Posted in Condements, Italian, Recipes, Veggies | 5 Comments »
Written by Aaron Weissman on 26 October 2007
Well, the first hard frost of the year was last night. For my family, that means a frantic evening finally stripping our tomato plants of the last of their fruit. It came later than usual this year, but the time had come.
With all of those green tomatoes, there really is nothing to do but fry them. Some will be left to ripen naturally, but most become one of the best fried dishes ever.
The dish is really all about bringing out the sweetness of the tomatoes and contrasting that with the crunch of the breading and the saltiness of the seasoning. While traditional, I think cornmeal gives a bit of an off flavor and isn’t quite as nice as panko. Also, basil really brings out extra flavors in any tomato dish.
Here is our method:
Slice the tomatoes and then season with salt, pepper, basil and a bit of chipolte (if desired). Then dredge in panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and deep-fry until they float to the top of the oil.
Remove from oil onto drying rack and let any excess oil drain away. Eat while still warm.
Posted in Recipes, Tomatoes, Veggies | 3 Comments »
Written by JP on 26 September 2007
The color is in the trees and that familiar chill is reminding us the end of summer has arrived and snowfall is around the corner. With that in mind, I start to get the yearning for a nice big pot of homemade soup.
I do enjoy experimenting with recipes and trying new things. Luckily, my wife (The Divine Miss M) talked me into getting over my irrational fear and loathing of squash. Some of it was out of necessity, as we were at a fancy restaurant having Thanksgiving dinner. Yeah, it’s a long story – some other time perhaps. Anyways, it’s Thanksgiving, and I’m naturally ready to gorge myself on football and food. One of the courses included a squash soup – and thankfully I tried it.
Once we got home, I decided to attempt to replicate the recipe, and through trial and error I came up with the following. I’ve tried it with both butternut and acorn squash, and found that butternut is richer and more savory, while acorn makes a sweeter soup. I’ve paired them with stout breads (but asiago cheese bread was a little off-putting in my opinion) and I think a Pinot Grigiot goes well with it.
As with any recipe, change things up, add a little or subtract a little – make it your own and enjoy it to its fullest. It doubles nicely if you have a decent sized pot and I’ll bet it would slowcook very well too.
2 large butternut squash, seeded and chunked into 2″ cubes
Olive oil, for brushing
Kosher salt for seasoning
Freshly ground white pepper
1 Qt chicken or vegetable stock
4 Tbsp honey
1 Tsp minced ginger
1 Pt heavy cream
5 or 6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Half a sweet onion, finely minced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, maybe a bit more to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Brush the flesh of the squash with a little olive oil and season with salt. On a sheet pan lay the squash flesh side up. Roast for at least an hour until the flesh is nice and soft.
In a stock pot, add 2 tbsp butter, the onions and garlic finely chopped and sweat until tender. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, peeled and cubed and boil until tender.
Once the squash is roasted, scoop the flesh from the skin into the pot and add honey, ginger, white pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer and puree using a stick blender. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with additional salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Serve anywhere from warm to hot. (I wasn’t too fond of it cold, might just be me though.)
Mangiare!
Posted in Slow Cooker, Soup, Veggies | No Comments »
Written by Dave Budge on 05 September 2007
Saturday night I hosted my younger brother and sister-in-law for dinner at the lake. I grilled everything that was on the menu – well, except for the beverages. I made a London Broil that I had marinated in a chipotle lime sauce, Elote, and grilled nectarines drizzled with honey and just a hint of blue cheese. It was tasty – if I do say so myself.
There were only seven of us for dinner and, having a family the size of a rural Montana zip code, it’s difficult for me to cook without having excessive leftovers. On the counter lay two whole cobs of grilled corn, about two pounds of beef, and one grilled nectarine.
Using the beef was easy and we decided to have fajitas for dinner the next day. But what to do with the corn and fruit? Ah…
Grilled Corn Salsa with Nectarines
Ingredients:
- 2 Ears grilled corn – cut off the cob
- 1 grilled nectarine – medium dice
- 1 tomato – medium dice
- 2 scallions – chopped
- 1 – 2 jalapeno peppers – finely diced (chipotle peppers would be good too.)
- 2 cloves garlic
- juice of 1 lime
- 3 Tbs fresh cilantro – chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
Combine ingredients in a bowl, cover and chill. Simple.
The nectarine provides a nice sweetness to the salsa as well as an interesting texture. This complimented the fajitas really well but I think it could be used for all sorts of applications such as a relish for grilled chicken, beef or pork. It also tastes good just by itself and, I’m sure, if you put it out with some tortilla chips it would vanish quickly.
Posted in Appetizers, Ethnic, Mexican, Recipes, Veggies | No Comments »
Written by Dave Budge on 31 August 2007
Back when I lived in Chicago we would frequently go down to a Mexican neighborhood known as The Little Village on warm summer nights and feast on the street food. It was cheap, plentiful, and delicious.
On just about every commercial corner one can find a treat called Elote. Elote is a grilled corn on the cob that is covered in goodness. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 4 ears corn, shucked
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup grated cotija cheese (substitute parmesan if you can’t find cotija)
- cayenne pepper to taste (some people use ground cumin or chili powder as well)
- 4 wedges lime (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
- Grill corn until hot and lightly charred all over, 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the temperature of the grill. Roll the ears in melted butter, then spread evenly with mayonnaise. Sprinkle with cotija cheese, cayenne and serve with a lime wedge.
I use chop sticks from Chinese carry out to stick in the ends of the corn. Make sure you don’t have the sticks over the fire of course so they don’t burn or wrap them in aluminum foil. One thing for sure, your cardiologist won’t approve, but your taste buds will love you.
This is on the menu this weekend at our lake place on Lake Coeur d’Alene. I don’t know what the main dish will be but this could do all by itself.
Posted in Ethnic, Mexican, Recipes, Veggies | 2 Comments »
