Roasted Fall Vegetables

There is an old adage when it comes to wine, "don't choose a wine by the look of its label." A label's design is intended to  catch a consumer's eye, without regard to the specifics of the wine, such as the grapes used, the terrior, and/or the process.  Yet, most people purchase wine based upon the label.

Recipes are a lot like wine.  One should not choose a recipe based upon the picture.  The photograph, much like a wine's label, is designed to get the attention of the browser.  

This recipe represents an instance where I did not follow that old adage.  I was looking for a colorful side dish to go with a roasted turkey.   While surfing the Internet, I came across a recipe from Colorful Recipes that had a picture of colorful roasted vegetables.  Based upon that picture, I decided to make this recipe as that vegetable side dish. 

And, as I expected, the finished product did not come close to the picture that initially grabbed my attention.  That is the problem with choosing things based upon sight alone.  It is important to learn more about the recipe, such as the ingredients, cooking process and cooking times, before making a decision.  Once can say that the old adage applies to just about everything, not just about wine or recipes but also books or even people.  In the end, it is important to look beyond the first impression and really get to know what or who you are working with. 

ROASTED FALL VEGETABLES

Recipe adapted from Colorful Recipes

Serves 6  to 8

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1/2 pound green beans

3 small-medium carrots, peeled and cubed

8 ounce baby bella mushrooms

1/2 red onion, cut into wedges

1 head of garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning

Fresh thyme, to taste

Salt, to taste

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place all of the ingredients on a large baking sheet. Toss well with the oil, vinegar and herbs.  Bake 45 to 50 minutes until fork tender.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Roasted Green Beans, Mushrooms, and Onions with Parmesan Breadcrumbs

A while back, our family had a fruit and vegetable CSA allotment. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, which is a program where you purchase the produce directly from a local farm.   The CSA provided me with an opportunity cook more vegetables.  I created a "CSA Challenge," which pushed my culinary abilities by cooking dishes that included beets, turnips and sweet potatoes.

For this challenge, I had green beans.  My typical side dish for green beans is to blanche them for a couple of minutes to preserve their color, and then saute them with a little butter, salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Occasionally, I add some slivered almonds.  While this side dish does the trick, especially when you do not have a lot of time to cook a meal, I wanted to try something different. I wanted to prepare the beans with ingredients that I would not typically think of when I am pondering green bean recipes.

I came across a recipe that included, among other things, mushrooms and "parmesan breadcrumbs."  Neither ingredient is one that, at least for me, I would generally associate with green beans.  So, I decided to make this recipe.  The result is a rather colorful dish, with the different colored green beans, the red onions and the brownish mushrooms.  The parmesan breadcrumbs add a "crunchy-ish" kind of texture that gives a hint of parmesan cheese, which helps to make this dish work.  

ROASTED GREEN BEANS, MUSHROOMS AND ONIONS

WITH PARMESAN BREADCRUMBS

Recipe adapted from Delish

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of green beans, trimmed

1 medium red or yellow onion, sliced into rings

8 ounces of cremini mushrooms, sliced

8 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Juice from 1 lemon.

Directions:

1. Prepare the vegetables and mushrooms.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  On two rimmed baked sheets, arrange green beans, onions and mushrooms.  Toss each with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast until deeply browned, about 30 to 35 minutes.  

2.  Toast the breadcrumbs.  In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add breadcrumbs and oregano and cook, stirring constantly until breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan.

3.  Finish the dish.  Squeeze lemon juice over roasted vegetables and top with Parmesan breadcrumbs.

ENJOY!

Malohta (Green Beans with Walnuts)

Green bean dishes are somewhat tricky for me. The difficulty does not come from cooking with green beans.  Instead, the trick is finding a recipe that I will want to eat ... and eat again.  A while back, I came across a rather simple dish of sauteing beans in butter, garlic, salt and a little lemon juice.  That recipe has become a standby, and I make it often.  Too often, in fact.  And, recently, I decided that I needed to find another green bean dish to make.

I turned to the trusty Internet to find me a recipe, focusing on one that I would like enough to make again and again.  After perusing recipes, one recipe caught my eye ... Malohta.  This is a Turkish green bean dish that originates from the Black Sea region.  I decided to give this dish a try and I have to say that I was not disappointed with the result.

The one ingredient that sets this dish apart is the use of walnuts.  I've seen many a green bean recipe that used almonds.  Walnuts provide a different taste and texture to the dish.  The pinch of coriander also adds some additional flavor that was lacking in other green bean recipes.  When the walnuts and coriander are added to more traditional ingredients, such as garlic, lemon juice and crushed red pepper, the end result is a very tasty green bean dish.

MALOHTA (GREEN BEANS WITH WALNUTS)

Recipe from Binnur's Turkish Cookbook

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Approximately 1/2 pound of green beans, washed and trimmed

2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup of walnuts, ground

1 garlic clove, smashed with salt

1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

1 pinch coriander

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1.  Cook the beans.  Cut the beans in 2 or 3 pieces depending on how long they are.  Boil in salty water until they are softened, then drain.  Pour lemon juice and olive oil and toss.

2.  Finish the dish. Mix the walnut with garlic red pepper, coriander, salt and pepper.  Toss with green beans.  Leave in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving. 

ENJOY!

Turkey, Artichoke and Green Bean Paella

A while back, I made a Turkey Paella for Clare and her parents.  It was a wonderful combination of turkey thighs, turkey sausage, artichokes, roasted peppers and other ingredients.  Ever since that time, I have wanted to make a Paella for my parents.  Recently, when my parents were visiting us, I had the opportunity to make the dish for them.

I came across an article about Paella written by Mark Bittman, a food columnist for the New York Times magazine.  Bittman opened the article by noting that he had been accused of making arroz con cosas -- rice with things -- by the Catalans who lived near Valencia.  The accusation seemed serious, given Valencia is the home of paella.  It was also somewhat obnoxious, evincing an "air" that anything different that what may be produced over coals within the geographic boundaries of the Spanish is necessarily inferior.   

Mark Bittman appeared to be non-plussed by the critiques.  His response ... "paella really is just rice with things -- as is risotto, as is pilaf." 

More importantly, Bittman provides some useful insight and guidance into paella.  First, one needs rice, preferably short grain rice (such as risotto, but it should be Spanish bomba rice or Valencia rice).  Second, one needs olive oil.  Third, one needs vegetables.  After that, there are options.  The New York Times produced a very interesting graphic to depict the many options that are available to the cook:

Photograph by Sam Kaplan for The New York Times. Food stylist: Suzanne Lenzer. Prop stylist: Randi Brookman Harris.

This graphic is very helpful, although I did not follow it all for this paella.  Instead, I decided to make another turkey paella, but I decided to go a different direction with the recipe.  I found some grilled artichokes, which would help to provide some smoky flavors to the dish.  I also decided to use some green beans in place of peas.  The combination -- turkey, artichokes and green beans -- are all stuff my beautiful Angel loves to eat and, together, they made a great paella for my parents.

Bittman provides more advice.  He notes that water is most often used in paella, but stock is also acceptable.  Bittman suggests chicken stock or seafood stock.  While chicken stock would work, I found a turkey stock.  I felt that the turkey stock would help to deepen the turkey flavors in the stock.

Finally, Bittman notes that the one unusual aspect to paella is that the paella is not stirred.  The reason is that you want to achieve a browning of the bottom of the rice.  The Valencians have given a name to that browning ... "soccorat."  It is the signature feature of paella.  Bittman concludes, "should you achieve it, no one will say you've made arroz con cosas."

Needless to say, the Turkey, Artichoke and Green Bean Paella was excellent, except that I did not achieve that socarrat.  I guess that there is always the next time.

TURKEY, ARTICHOKE AND GREEN BEAN PAELLA

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds of turkey, cut into even sized, small pieces

1 pound of artichokes

1 pound of green beans

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 bell pepper minced

1 tomato, seeded and minced

1 garlic clove minced

2 cups of Spanish Bomba rice (or Arborio rice)

4 cups of turkey stock

1/2 cup of dry white wine

1 pinch saffron

1 bay leaf

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Prepare the ingredients.  Heat the olive oil in a the paella pan.  Add the turkey in batches and cook until browned on all sides.  Remove and set aside.   Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the green beans.  Blanche the green beans for a few minutes and then remove to an ice bath to cool.  Drain and set aside.  Rinse the artichokes

2.  Make a sofrito.    Add the bell pepper, onion, tomato and garlic and cook until soft. 

3.  Add the main ingredients (other than the rice).   Add the turkey, artichokes and green beans to the pan.  Add the wine and allow it to reduce by half, about 1 minute.  Pour in the turkey stock and bring it to a boil.  While the stock comes to a boil, add the saffron to some hot water to rehydrate and then add the saffron and water to the pan, along with the bay leaf.  Season with salt. 

4.  Cook the rice.  Add the rice, taking care to spread it evenly around the pan.  Cook over medium-high heat without stirring until rice has absorbed most of the liquid, which should take about 15–20 minutes, although it may take longer.   Also, if you pan is like mine, which is larger than the burner, rotate the pan every few minutes to make sure that different parts of the paella are over the heat and the rice cooks evenly.)  Cook until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is al dente. Remove pan from heat, cover with aluminum foil, and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!

Green Beans with Toasted Almonds and Lemon

Every other year, Clare and I spend Thanksgiving with her parents.  Clare's parents, Frank and Geri, have a tradition of spending the holiday with some longtime family friends.  All of these families consider themselves to be extensions of one another, creating one big family for the holiday.  

Both Frank and I love to cook; and, when it comes to preparing the Thanksgiving meal, we are both more than willing to do our part.  This year, the hosts had not only a gargantuan turkey (over twenty pounds if I recall correctly), but bags of fresh green beans. I will readily admit that I am not a fan of green beans. I usually steer clear of them whenever ordering at restaurants and I do not use the ingredient very often in my own cooking.  However, we needed a vegetable for the dinner, and, the green beans were that vegetable.  

What happened next is a collaboration between Frank and myself.  We decided to blanch the green beans to keep their color, and, just before the meal was ready, we would saute the beans in a little butter, add some toasted almonds and parsley.  We would finish the side dish with some lemon juice to add some acidity and lightness to the dish. The end result was a green bean dish that even I liked.  

GREEN BEANS WITH TOASTED ALMONDS AND LEMON

A Chef Bolek Collaboration with Frank Savage

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of green beans, washed and trimmed

1/4 to 1/3 cup of slivered almonds, toasted

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 teaspoon of parsley flakes
Pinch of crushed red pepper

1/4 lemon, juiced

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Blanche the green beans.  Bring a pot of water with a teaspoon of salt to a rapid boil.  Add the green beans to the pot and cook for two to four minutes, depending upon the size of the beans.  Prepare a bowl full of ice water.  After the beans have cooked, remove them from the boiling water and place them into the ice bath.  Drain the beans and set them aside.

2.  Toast the almonds.  Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spread the almonds on a sheet pan.  Place the sheet pan in the oven.  Toast the almonds until they begin to turn brown.  Remove from the oven. 

3.  Saute the green beans.  Heat the butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add the beans and saute for about three minutes until they are warmed through.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Sprinkle the almonds, the crushed red pepper and the parsley flakes.  Finish with lemon juice.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Fresh Green Beans with Romaine and Tomatoes, Oil and Lemon Dressing

Photo courtesy of Nanther Thangarajah

I am a big fan of Julia Child, although I have to admit that I do not have any of her cookbooks and I have not made any of her recipes.  This is the first Julia Child recipe that I've ever made.  Both Clare's father and I made this dish as a side dish for the Guest Chef Night menu. 

While I am not a very big fan of vegetables, I have to say that this recipe is a refreshing mix of beans, onions and tomatoes.  All of these vegetables (and fruits) are all tied together with very light, lemony dressing that is probably the most labor intensive part of this recipe, but all of that labor is definitely worth it in the end. 

As for the beans, they just need to be blanched and then cooled in an ice bath, which helps to preserve their color and crispness.  Each ingredient to this salad -- the beans, tomatoes and onions -- need to be refrigerated and then assembled shortly before serving.  This is a great side dish to any many course.   

FRESH GREEN BEANS WITH ROMAINE AND TOMATOES,

OIL AND LEMON DRESSING

Recipe by Julia Child from Julia Child and Company,

     Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1978 at 154-55
Serves 8

Ingredients for salad:

2 1/2 pounds fresh green beans trimmed and blanched

1 head romaine lettuce (or other fresh salad greens)

Salt, to taste

Ground pepper, to taste

Ingredients for dressing:

1 lemon

1 small clove of garlic

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

6 or more tablespoons of olive oil

2 medium size red onions sliced into thin rings

1 quart cherry or grape tomatoes 

Directions:

1.  Blanche the beans in hot boiling water for about three minutes and then remove the beans to an ice bath.  Once the beans are cooled, wrap the blanched beans in a clean towel and store in a plastic bag.  Wash and dry salad greens.  Wrap in a clean towel and store in a plastic bag.  Refrigerate both the beans and the greens.

2.  Zest half of the lemon.  Pound garlic and zest with a little salt into a paste.  Whisk in mustard, a tablespoon of lemon juice and olive oil.  Taste the dressing to ensure that it does not become too acidic.

3.  Toss the onions with the dressing and refrigerate. Halve the tomatoes, place cut side up on a dish and lightly salt.  Cover and refrigerate.

4.  Arrange salad greens on plate and lightly salt.  Toss the blanch beans in a bowl with the onions and dressing.  Arrange the tomatoes around the edge of the plate.  Baste the tomatoes with dressing.  Cover and keep cool until serving time.

ENJOY!