Side dishes.
Sometimes they can be such a bother.
And boring.
Don’t want to steam asparagus AGAIN?
Tired of the same old potato routine ?
Do you like garlic and shallots and red bell peppers ?
Don’t mind a bit of jalapeno?
Is fresh ginger a favorite?
Ready for the bright taste of fresh basil and a blast of lime?
Hmmmm?
Got it.
Butternut Squash with Ginger, Two Peppers and Fresh Basil
Adapted from The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper
1 large butternut squash, cut in half. Peel one half and refrigerate the other.
Coarse salt
A couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil
A large knob of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced and then the slices cut into matchsticks
1 large spoonful garlic confit, smashed (or just a few fat garlic cloves, sliced)
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
½ large red bell pepper, sliced thin
½ large jalapeno, seeded and sliced thin
2 scallions, sliced on diagonal
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lime
About ½ cup chopped fresh basil
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cut the peeled squash half in half again and slice ¼ inch pieces.
Add to the boiling water and cook at the boil for 10 minutes.
Drain.
In a large skillet over medium high heat add a couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil. When oil is wavy , add the ginger, garlic, peppers, scallions, shallots and season with the coarse salt and grind some black pepper in. Cook for a few minutes, stirring. Cover skillet and turn heat down to medium and cook for between 5-8 minutes.
Add the fresh basil and cook for just a bit. Remove from heat, season and squeeze the lime juice over and serve.
Serves 2 generously.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Two Years Ago on Feeding Groom
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Butternut Squash with Fresh Ginger, Two Peppers and Fresh Basil
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sweet and Dark Chocolate Sorbet with Crystallized Ginger
****** UPDATED**********************September 7, 2009
I have been thinking about this Dark Chocolate Sorbet all weekend. It was calling to me from the past!
Seriously, how can one resist when something so delicious, so easy and so divine calls.
You don't.
You do the 2009 version....with a few added ingredients that make this even more memorable.
Sweet and Dark Chocolate Sorbet with Crystallized Ginger
Adapted from Cuisinart Recipe Booklet: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Sherbets and More!
4 cups water
1-2/3 cup vanilla sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground chipotle pepper
1-1/2 cups unsweetened Ghirardelli cocoa powder
1 whole tablet Ibarra sweet Mexican chocolate, ground to a powder
1/2 cup crystallized ginger
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Combine water and sugars in 3-¾ non reactive (stainless, ceramic or glass) saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the cocoa, the ground Ibarra chocolate and ground chipotle pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and transfer to medium bowl. Stir in vanilla and chill in refrigerator 2 hours.
Stir chilled mixture. Add to freezer bowl of ice cream maker and follow the instructions. With the Cuisinart model, let mix til thickened, about 30 minutes.Add the crystallized ginger and let it mix in thoroughly.
The sorbet has a soft creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer sorbet to airtight container and place in freezer for 2 hours or more. Best done day ahead.
Makes 14 ½ cup servings.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Chana Punjabi with Roast Chicken
Occasionally, I entertain the idea of joining the world of vegetarianism.
I entertained it wholeheartedly years ago only to fall off head first into a lamb chop and pretty much haven’t entertained it at all since then.
I do try to incorporate several meatless meals a week into our food routine, but Groom is not much on them. He tolerates the Hay Stacks and the various pasta sauces. The question always asked after I announce our dinner plans usually is “Could we have some chorizo with that?”, “ Didn’t I see a bit of prosciutto in the fridge?”, “ We have some roast chicken left over …that would be a delectable option.” He has his moments.
I understand his thinking. And I usually pretend that I didn’t hear him (he’s a very patient man with me).
But, last night I did listen.
Because I had to.
I had come across a column by Elaine Louie (she of the divine ONE POT Columns) in the N Y Times called The Temporary Vegetarian which featured a recipe called Chana Punjabi. A chick pea sauce cooked til thick and creamy and served over rice with fresh cilantro, tomatoes and ginger. It looked divine, sounded perfect and was vegetarian and would be easy to do in a pinch.
Absolutely perfect.
Except I only had one can of chick peas and as I was pondering the lack thereof, there was Groom.
“We have roast chicken. It would be great in this.”
He was right.
Chana Punjabi with Chicken
Adapted from Elaine Louie’s adaptation of Heather Carlucci - Rodriguez’s recipe
Extra virgin olive oil
½ large onion, chopped
Small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped fine
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Garam masala
1 spoonful garlic confit, smushed
6 San Marzano tomatoes, chopped
½ small lemon
1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 cups chopped roasted chicken
1 cup chicken broth
Small handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Cooked rice
Heat a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat and add a couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil. Add the chopped onion, jalapeno pepper and fresh ginger. Cook til onion is soft and golden, add the smushed garlic confit and tomatoes. Add about a ¼ cup chicken broth, stir to blend and then put in food processor and hit it with a couple of pulses. Add back to the pan on the stove and add all the spices, season with a bit of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Squeeze half a small lemon into pot.
Add chick peas, and chicken broth to cover bring boil. Add roast chicken and lower heat . Let simmer along while the rice cooks, adding more chicken broth if you need it.
Add chopped fresh cilantro right before serving.
Serves 3 generously.
This was fabulous on rice, but the ultimate side dish is smushed potatoes. I‘m sure there is a support group for people like me who like smushed potatoes with everything. If not, I’ll be happy to start one.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wild Salmon Cakes with Fresh Ginger
Life is a funny thing. Out of the blue, a person will enter your life and make changes that you could not expect. Out of the goodness of their heart and NOT because you promised an evening of fun and wine in exchange, they do something so kind and helpful that you are amazed. Witness the new look to Feeding Groom. Thanks goes to my new best friend.
So in the midst of change, which is a wonderful thing, Groom had planned to do dinner tonight. Crab cakes were on the menu…and let me tell you, he has command of that recipe. But, alas, the crabmeat had decided to take a turn that would have had us on the ten o’clock news, so we readjusted our thinking.
I had some wild salmon in the freezer for just such an emergency as this. Springing in to action, we did a great take on a salmon cake. This one is chocked full of fresh ginger, shallots, a bit of garlic and crushed red pepper and egg. Pass a lovely mayo based sauce lightened with a bit of Greek yogurt and flavored with toasted sesame oil, orange zest, chopped green onions and lemon and you have dinner. Fast, excellent and celebratory all in one.
Wild Salmon Cakes with Fresh Ginger
2 good sized (for lack of a better description because I forgot to weigh them) wild sockeye salmon fillets, skinned and coarsely chopped by hand
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 small shallot, minced
1 fat garlic clove, minced
1 small knob of fresh ginger..peeled and grated (I keep my fresh ginger in the freezer..it never turns blue and green, always fresh ..cut off a knob, peel and grate.)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Combine above ingredients in a bowl and make four good sized salmon cakes.
Put on a plate and place in freezer for 20 minutes. Put a large nonstick skillet on medium high heat and swirl a bit of extra virgin olive oil in. When skillet is hot, add the salmon cakes and cook about three minutes per side.
Plate with a good sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro.
Pass this sauce…
¼ cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
¼ cup Greek yogurt
2 thinly sliced green onions, green part only
1 tbsp fresh orange juice
Grated zest of one orange
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-½ tsp toasted sesame oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine and let sit til time to serve.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Scallops with Fresh Ginger and Sauteed Leeks
Lighten up is the theme around here as the festivities slow down and life gets back to normal. Knowing us, this won‘t last. Anyhoo, I was totally uninspired in the dinner department tonight until I picked up Mark Bittman’s Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times and started flipping through the pages. Groom loves scallops, and hasn‘t had anything that swims in a long time. I came across the recipe for Stir-Fried Leeks with Ginger and Shrimp. Bye, bye shrimp, hello scallops! I was off like a shot to the pantry to be sure I had some dry sherry because that would bring the sweetness out of the scallops. Leeks were hanging out in the refrigerator sending mental messages to me. This was terrific! Plus, it looks damn good on my grandmother’s china. Groom lit the candles. A round of applause for the chef.
2 large leeks, washed and chopped…use the white part only
6 -8 large sea scallops, patted dry
2 tbsp peeled minced fresh ginger
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
A good splash dry sherry.. I used Lustau Escuadrilla, a great dry sherry for cooking
Do a couple of swirls of extra virgin olive oil in a nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat. When it shimmers, add the leeks. They can sit for a minute or two and then stir occasionally until they are soft and start to turn brown. This takes about 10 minutes. Remove leeks from pan.
Add a swirl of extra virgin olive oil to hot pan and add scallops and sprinkle with the fresh ginger. Cook til golden brown on one side..doesn’t take long at all, turn the scallops and add the leeks back to the pan. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste and a good splash of the dry sherry. Let cook a couple of minutes til the scallops are done and you are good to go!
Serves 2-3.
*(I’m not a stir-fryer)
