Category Archives: Sides

It’s a Baby Choy!

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Want a simple way to save money at the grocery without clipping coupons?  Buy produce that is in season.  Vegetables and fruits that are “in season” are almost always cheaper.  And they are definitely the best bets in terms of freshness and taste.raw-bokchoy

In my purse I carry an ancient, tattered and torn list of “in season” veggies.  I was hoping to score a good deal on artichokes (in season) but they did not have any.  Totally out.  A grocery store.  Totally out of artichokes.

So I decided to look for something else from my list.  As I looked through the produce section I saw the cutest little veggies – baby bok choy.  These are also in season so I picked up two.

I must admit that we were bok choy virgins before today.  Seriously, these are some pretty plants (see above) and even though I had no idea what they tasted like or how to cook them, I picked up two.  I don’t know if these were unusually pretty specimens or not but I could have used these for centerpieces – seriously.

I did some recipe digging and it seems that Bok Choy is very often used in asian cooking – lots of stir fries and soy sauce renditions. Since I was making steak for dinner, I was looking for something a little more generic.  Besides, I was hoping taste the actual vegetable and did not want to cover it in sauce.  And a simple slaw just fit the bill…shredded-veggies

It goes together super fast.  The bok choy did wilt right after washing so I would not make this too far in advance.  The dressing is very light and not at all strong.

finished-saladI loved the slaw – hubby thinks it was ok – teenager not so much.

Bok Choy, Carrot and Apple Slaw

adapted from “Everyday Food”

3 heads baby bok choy

1 tsp. coarse salt (divided)

1 apple, peeled and cut into matchsticks (I used Granny Smith)

1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. canola oil (I used vegetable oil since that’s all we had)

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger

freshly grated pepper

Cut bok choy in half lenthwise.  Cut the stem off as well as any bruised leaves.  Rinse each half thoroughly to remove any grit.  Slice each half crosswise into thin strips.  Place in a colander, rinse and shake out water.  Coat top with 1/2 tsp. salt and cover with a plate that fits into colander.  Place a canned good on top of plate to weigh it down.  Meanwhile, place apple and carrot in medium bowl.  Add juice, oil and ginger.  Add bok choy to the apple and carrot mixture.  Add remaining salt and grind pepper over to taste.  Toss to distribute.  Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.

I personally think this would be a great topper for turkey burgers… am I nuts?

Herb Biscuits and Experimenting with Potatoes

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I received a subscription to Bon Appetit from my lovely daughter.  She truly knows me :) .

This month’s issue has a great recipe for Herbed Biscuits(page 20).  I made them last night to go along with our “Depression Era Meal” inspired by Clara (see previous post).

done-on-pan

Coming from almost entirely Irish ancestry, you would think that I would have made fried potatoes before.  I think I have made every other variety – from mashed to au gratin.  I had never attempted to make them cubed and fried though.  And I do love fried hashbrowns at diners.  So, after watching Clara, I decided to whip some up.

I cubed up a number of potatoes and tossed them into my iron skillet with some oil.  I then sliced up two small onions and put those in too. I continued to fry the potatoes and onion until everything was soft and nicely browned.  It took a lot longer than I thought it would.  And I cut up too many potatoes to allow the Polish Sausage I used (instead of Clara’s hot dogs) to fit into the same skillet so I had to cook that up separately.  In the end I heavily seasoned the potatoes with pepper and some salt and plated it all, along with these yummy biscuits.

It was like diner heaven here in my little kitchen!

dough

These biscuits make me wish I had fresh herbs leftover from my garden to use.  The dried herbs were fantastic though.  I am out of parsley and tarragon and substituted rosemary instead.  Very tasty, quick and easy.  And the scent coming from the oven was just to die for!

cut-dough

Paremesan Herb Biscuits

adapted from Bon Appetit, Feb. 2009

2 cups all purpose flour

6 Tbsp. instant dry milk powder

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated (all I had was the canned kind – gasp! – and they turned out great)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried tarragon (or rosemary)

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

3/4 cup (or more) ice water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Whisk first 9 ingredients in large bowl.  Add butter and cut in with fingertips until course meal forms (well incorporated).  Gradually add ice water and toss until moist clumps form.  Add 1-2 Tbsp. more water if needed to make slightly sticky dough.

Gather dough into a ball and knead a few times on a lightly floured surface.  Using floured hands (dough will be sticky), press dough into a 6X6 inch square.  Cut dough into nine 2″ biscuits. Place biscuits with sides touching on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Baked Sweet Potato “Fries”

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Ina Garten.  Need I say more?  I just love everything about her.  From her gorgeous (yet rustic) home right down to that cute little hubby of hers.  The food she creates appeals to the masses but still holds a bit of sophistication.  And talk about yummy!

I was hoping to get her new cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, for Christmas.  I didn’t.  So I went out to the bookstore today and picked it up as a belated present to moi.  It was almost dinner time when we got home and the father-in-law was on his way over for what has become our weekly dinner and a movie (“Tropic Thunder” this week – not sure I’d recommend by the way).  I quickly flipped through the book and decided to add Ina’s Sweet Potato Fries to tonight’s dinner.  And we were not disappointed.

Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato Fries

I peeled up two rather hefty sweet potatoes, thinking we would have a lot of leftovers.  It turns out that was not a problem.  Two people ate the entire batch.

Baked Sweet Potato “Fries”

(adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled

2 Tablespoons good olive oil

1 Tablespoon light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus some extra for sprinkling on cooked fries

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Halve the sweet potatoes and then slice each half into large fries (Ina says 3 long spears).  Place them on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat.  Spread them all out in one layer.  Combine brown sugar, salt and pepper and sprinkle mixture over potatoes.  Bake for 15 minutes and then turn with a spatula.   Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until golden.  Sprinkle lightly with salt.

I would recommend eating these as soon as they come out of the oven.  My potatoes got done before our Reuben Loaf  (recipe coming tomorrow) so I put the fries in a bowl and covered them to seal the heat in.  That was a mistake as it steamed them and the crunch was gone.  But the flavor remained and these babies were gooood.