Vegetables | A Good Dish

Transition Soup: When A Salad Isn’t Warming Enough, Make Flavorful Green Minestrone

October 12, 2016

Green Minestrone Earthenware cups by Karon Doherty — Green Minestrone
Earthenware cups by Karon Doherty

When the temperatures start to drop at the end of the day, I want something warming but not heavy to eat. Earlier in the week, I rooted around in the refrigerator and came up with some spinach, celery, parsley and green beans from last week’s market. With the help of some frozen peas, a can of white beans, a box of stock and a handful of grated Parmesan, green minestrone was on the table in less than an hour. A warm, nutritious dinner couldn’t be much easier.

Minestrone is usually a red, tomato-based soup with beans and pasta, traditionally a small pasta like baby shells or ditalini, tiny pasta tubes. Because I try to avoid white flour when I can, I substituted potatoes for pasta in my version. And because I had no tomatoes but did have some lovely arrowhead spinach and parsley from our farm share, green minestrone seemed the logical choice. I tested substituting a bag of frozen spinach for the fresh and it worked fine but made the soup thicker. If you use frozen, consider using less spinach or add more stock. If you still have a zucchini in your crisper, cut it into bite-sized pieces and add with the green beans. If you don’t have white beans, use garbanzo or pinto beans, or fresh shell beans. If you aren’t being a purist about the green of the soup, add some carrots with the beans – the color contrast of green and orange is beautiful and seasonal.

Spinach, celery and Parmesan are all fairly salty so they seasoned the soup well enough. I only added a ½ teaspoon of salt but taste and judge for yourself. If you want more zing, add some scallions, jalapeño or cayenne. A little fresh dill added at the end could be tasty. If you don’t have an immersion blender, purée in a standard blender a few cups at a time. (Use a ladle to transfer soup to the blender and watch out because it will be very hot.) Please be careful not to overcook the vegetables – you don’t want them to turn to mush. If you need to reheat your soup, take care just to warm not cook it again.

Because it was National Clay Week, I served the minestrone in cups by Karon Doherty, one of the most passionate, generous and whimsical ceramic artists I have known. These colorful earthenware cups illustrate her playful approach to creating clay art, which was often boldly autobiographical. Karon was an enthusiastic maker, teacher, mentor, friend and artist who we lost much too soon (d.1999) but her spirit lives on in her delightful artwork.

Karon and Louie Earthenware cups by Karon Doherty — *Karon and Louie*
Earthenware cups by Karon Doherty

GREEN MINESTRONE

2 TBs olive oil
1 large (Spanish sized) onion, peeled and chopped
2 large or 3 regular cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 lb. bag or 5 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach, washed with thick stems removed
2 cups frozen peas
2 cups potato, chopped (about 4 small)
1-2 cups fresh green beans, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 cup (about 2 stalks) celery, thinly sliced
1 – 2 cups cooked white beans, like Cannellini, Great Northern, or Navy Pea or a 15.5 oz. can
4 cups (1 32 oz. box) of vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to garnish
1/2 cup chopped parsley (optional)
1 cup carrot, chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a medium stockpot.

Add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent and starting to turn golden, about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the spinach and 1 cup of peas and stir until the spinach wilts.

Add stock, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook about 4-5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and use an immersion (stick) blender to purée until smooth.

Turn on the heat and add the potatoes, celery and carrots, if using and cook 5 minutes.

Add the other cup of peas, green beans, white beans and parsley, if using.

Cook 3-4 minutes until beans are just tender then turn off the heat.

Stir in the grated cheese and taste for seasoning. (I added 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper)

Serve garnished with a little bit of grated cheese or a sprinkle of parsley.

Serves 4-6, depending on portion size

Succotash – Summer’s Last Laugh

September 21, 2016

Succotash with cranberry and Romano beans and cherry tomatoes Porcelain bowl by Heather Knight, Elements Clay Studio — Succotash with cranberry and Romano beans and cherry tomatoes
Porcelain bowl by Heather Knight, Element Clay Studio

Just say the word out loud 3 times – it will make you smile, if not laugh, thinking of Daffy Duck or Sylvester the Cat saying “suffering succotash”. The actual dish is a delicious way to use the end of summer vegetables while we can still get fresh and local – corn, yellow wax or Romano beans (the flat Italian green beans), cranberry or other shelling beans, limas, zucchini and red peppers. My favorite version is very simple and one I make whenever I have leftover corn on the cob. Truth be told, I often buy and cook more corn than we need just so I can make this dish.

Fresh cranberry beans waiting to be shelled

Shelled cranberry beans ready to be cooked

Traditional succotash includes lima beans but since they aren’t often available fresh, I use cranberry beans. If you don’t want to use a starchy bean, just leave it out. I’ve tried making it both ways and they are equally tasty, the one with shell beans being more substantial. You can use zucchini, okra, green peppers, cooked carrots or almost any other vegetable that will hold its shape, including chopped cooked greens. The succotash definitely benefits from tossing in some chopped fresh green herbs. If you no longer have fresh corn available, you can use frozen. Cooked succotash keeps for several days in the refrigerator and holds up well in a lunchbox.

Take care when cutting corn kernels off the cob

The recipe is so simple, in fact, that it really just involves steaming or cutting the vegetables and tossing them with some butter, in which the onion is sautéed, and salt and pepper. But for your ease of mind and precision, here are some measurements for guidance. (A tip when cutting corn off the cob – hold the corn upright by the thicker end with the point in the bottom of a medium sized bowl. Use a sharp knife to slice down the cob to release the kernels and catch any milk that is released. Keep turning and cutting while you carefully slice down into the bowl). The amount of jalapeño or Serrano pepper you add will determine the heat level. The most important thing is not to over cook the vegetables. And chuckle away!

Lighter succotash without starchy beans and with more green herbs Bowl by Heather Knight, Elements Clay Studio — Lighter succotash without starchy beans and with more green herbs
Bowl by Heather Knight, Element Clay Studio

END OF SUMMER SUCCOTASH

1 large onion, diced
1 tsp neutral oil, like avocado or grape seed
2 TBs butter
2-3 cups fresh corn kernels, cooked and cut off the cob
1-2 cups Romano, yellow or green beans, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
1-2 cups cranberry or lima beans, shelled and cooked
1 large red pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, basil, dill or a combination
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir just until warmed through.

Add salt and pepper to taste. (I used 2 big pinches of salt and 1 of black pepper)

Serves 4 as a main course or 6-8 as a side dish.

Optional add-ins to boost flavor:

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup zucchini, cooked and diced
1 cup okra, cooked and sliced
1/2 cup kale, arugula or collards, cooked and chopped
1 cup carrots, cooked and diced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced

Easy and Versatile Mango Salsa

September 14, 2016

Mango Tomatillo Salsa Porcelain bowl by James Makins — Mango Tomatillo Salsa
Porcelain bowl by James Makins

Mangoes are 3 for $4 at our local green grocer this week and freshly picked tomatillos are now in season at farmers markets. Time to make mango-tomatillo salsa! It is a simple but very flavorful recipe (and so good it is hard to stop eating) which uses a lot of late summer vegetables – tomatillos, red, green and jalapeño peppers and cilantro plus lime and pineapple juice. It’s easy to make – just a combination of chopping and blending – and delicious with tortilla chips or celery, in tacos or even an omelet and on top of cooked fish, tofu, chicken or pork. You can purée a cup of the salsa to pour over your protein of choice for a marinade. This salsa makes a delicious chicken salad – just add diced or shredded chicken, toss well and top with chopped almonds and more cilantro.

Mango Tomatillo Chicken Salad with Almonds Plate by James Makins — Mango Tomatillo Chicken Salad with Almonds
Plate by James Makins

The original recipe came from John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger’s wonderful slim volume of very flavorful sauces and relishes entitled Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys and Chowchows. I’ve altered it only slightly. It is essentially a green salsa with diced mango and peppers. I use mangoes that give just a bit when pressed but are still firm so they are easy to dice. If they are riper, they are harder to cut but sweeter. It’s always a toss up. The fineness of the dice is a personal preference. I like everything diced quite small but you may like it chunkier. If you don’t have fresh tomatillos, you may use a 12oz can of tomatillos. And if you like really hot salsa, don’t take out the seeds of your hot peppers.

Fresh tomatillos in a porcelain bowl by James Makins

Don’t be intimidated if you have never used tomatillos. They are a tangier, crisper and slightly tarter green tomato. If you don’t like mango, try papaya or pineapple. This salsa keeps in the fridge for 5-6 days and the recipe makes a lot, so you can eat it with chips, make tacos, use it in chicken salad and still give a jar to a friend.

MANGO SALSA

Purée in a blender or food processor:

6 medium tomatillos, husk removed and quartered
2 TBs minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
1-2 jalapeño or Serrano chilies, seeded and minced (the number depend on how hot you like your salsa)
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup (a small can) unsweetened pineapple juice
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (2-3 limes, depending on juiciness)
2 TBs cumin seeds, toasted (toast in a hot, dry pan until fragrant and browned but don’t walk away – watch closely and be careful not to burn)
Pinch of salt

Place in a medium bowl:

3 firm but ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced small
1 medium red onion, peeled and minced
1 sweet red or yellow pepper, seeds removed and diced small
1 green pepper, seeds removed and diced small

Pour purée over diced fruit and vegetables. Mix well and refrigerate. Makes about 1 quart.

Optional add-ins:

1 cup jicama, peeled and diced small

1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped instead of cilantro

1 cup peeled cucumber, diced small

1 cup pineapple, peeled, cored and diced small

1 cup diced avocado (but in this case, it will only keep one day in the fridge)

Ripe mangoes on a porcelain plate by James Makins

Labor Day Picnic Ideas

August 31, 2016

detail of picnic scene by Milton Avery in the Avery show on exhibit now at the Bennington Museum — detail of picnic scene by Milton Avery
in the Avery show on exhibit now at the Bennington Museum

A Labor Day picnic is a way to use up the contents of your produce drawer and have a lovely late summer meal outdoors. Whether you box it all up to transport to a park or beach or plate it to serve in your yard, a picnic is a fun, easy and festive way to eat on a day when we take off from our ordinary labor. Picnics often involve less complicated foods and certainly less dishes to do! When our son was young, we would picnic at a nearby playground with other families on warm summer nights. The kids could run around and we got a break from the kitchen and time to chat with other parents. Now we are more likely to take a picnic when we go to hear music outdoors and almost always when taking the train or flying somewhere.

Picnic food has certain requirements – no mayo (or other ingredients that go bad from sitting out for a while), ease of eating (often to be picked up in the hands or off paper plates) and easily transported. I usually think of Italian antipasto when composing a picnic – if food can sit out on a buffet table for hours, it will probably be fine in a cooler or picnic basket. I try, whenever possible, not to use plastic containers so for picnicking or lunch boxes, I use glass or stainless steel boxes. I know everyone is not so persnickety. Even deli sandwiches or containers of salad bar takeout provide the makings for an improvised picnic.

Tomato and cucumber salad with pesto vinaigrette

All kinds of simple foods work on a picnic – cheeses, salami or other dried sausages, olives, nuts, sandwiches without mayonnaise, rice, pasta, and bean salads with oil based dressings, whole, sliced or cut up fruit (peaches, figs and watermelon are perfect right now), cleaned and cut raw vegetables like carrots, celery, peppers, jicama, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes). With just a bit more effort you can include cooked vegetable salads (like broccoli, cauliflower, roasted peppers, corn or summer squash) with vinaigrette and even cooked chicken, ham or bacon, smoked or cold, poached fish, canned tuna or salmon prepared with oil or mustard and even a frittata can hold up to jostling and temperature fluctuations if you are careful about sauces and timing and carry some cold packs.

My favorite picnic food is pesto. It’s great on pasta, beans, rice, baked or fried tempeh and tofu, chicken, fish or lightly cooked vegetables and doesn’t spoil easily. The traditional basil is my fallback but there are terrific versions made with arugula, kale, parsley and even Swiss chard. You can make it with or without cheese and even without nuts, black pepper or garlic, if you can’t eat or don’t like them. Just make sure to wash and dry your greens before blending and add plenty of fresh olive oil and salt which help preserve the greens. I use a food processor but you could make this with a mortar and pestle or in a strong blender.

Rice pasta salad with pesto and arugula Bowl by Silvie Granatelli — Rice pasta salad with pesto and arugula
Bowl by Silvie Granatelli

So head out to a park or the beach, hiking or boating, your deck, porch or yard while the weather is mild and bring a meal with you – it’s easy to prepare ahead and you won’t spend your day off concerned with meal planning. If, by chance it rains, spread your tablecloth or blanket on the floor and invent a pretend outing. I once planned a birthday picnic in Riverside park but when it rained, everyone just brought their fixings to our apartment and we had a wonderful indoor celebration. You can picnic anywhere. Don’t forget lots of water and lemonade, beer, wine and/or a thermos of your favorite concoction to add to the festive feeling. Happy outings!

Indoor potluck picnic at a friend's apartment — Indoor potluck picnic at a friend’s apartment

PRETTY TRADITIONAL BUT DELICIOUS BASIL PESTO

1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted or raw
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Pinch of salt and pinch of black pepper
2-3 cups washed and dried fresh basil leaves
Handful of washed and dried parsley or watercress or arugula, optional
4 TBS extra virgin olive oil, or more to reach desired consistency

Put garlic in processor and pulse until finely ground. Add basil and any other green, if using, salt and pepper and process until all well mixed and leaves are all ground. Add nuts and cheese, if using, and pulse until ground and combined. Stop and scrape down sides. Stream in the oil while the motor is running. Stop and scrape down sides and see if it needs more seasoning or oil to reach a smooth consistency.

Use right away, thinned with a little (a couple of TBs) cooking water from pasta, rice or vegetables, to toss with pasta, rice, vegetables, cut up chicken or cooked beans (cannellini or great northern work well but so do many other types). Grate in a little lemon zest or squeeze in a little lemon juice for a fresh taste or add a pinch of cayenne or crushed chilies for heat. If using the salad for a picnic, cool in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Pesto keeps well in the fridge for weeks with a thin coating of oil on top or in the freezer for months.

Clean basil ready to be turned into pesto

PESTO VINAIGRETTE

Shake or whisk until well blended:

2 TBs pesto
1 TBs wine or balsamic vinegar

Ray Bradley – Tomato Whisperer

August 24, 2016

Ray Bradley with heirloom tomatoes at 97th Street Greenmarket

Tomatoes are ripe and tomatoes are Ray Bradley’s specialty. According to Bradley, the New Paltz chef turned farmer who grows and sells many different vegetables throughout the year, heirloom tomatoes are his favorites. Bradley farms because he loves to eat and cook what he raises. As it turns out, tomatoes, with their short season, have become a primary cash crop.

One of the best things about shopping at a local Farmers’ market, besides all of the fresh, organic and flavorful vegetables, is talking with the people who grow that food. Each one has a back story, none more compelling and meandering through the food world than Ray Bradley. With a cooking background that ranges from Cape Cod, Shelter Island, Florida and Costa Rica and includes stints at Le Cirque, Montrachet and Bouley in Manhattan, he moved into farming in order to grow his own organic vegetables. The full bearded, hardworking Bradley drives from his upstate farm to the 97th Street Market in Manhattan on Fridays during the summer and fall and to the Grand Army Plaza Market, in Brooklyn, on Saturdays year round.

Ray (right) and his sales associate Hardeep Maharawal at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket in early spring — Ray (right) and his sales associate Hardeep Maharawal
at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket in early spring

The life of a farmer is fraught with difficulty and Bradley’s plight has been no different. He has had floods and droughts, pests and plant diseases but the good years seem to outweigh the bad, overall, he says. In order to bring in more income, Bradley has been an innovator with products – he makes and sells his own paprika and tomato juice – and events. His farm is now known for its on-site, guest chef cooked dinners, often with wine pairings, pizza or grill parties showcasing his farm products, including farm grown salads and his own pork, beer and spirit tastings featuring his own farmhouse ale, as well as a farm stand. Just last week, he hosted a BLT and beer afternoon to celebrate the tomato harvest and his just-smoked bacon. Currently, he is running a raffle to raise money to build an outdoor wood-burning oven to expand his on-farm cooking possibilities.

Bradley Farmhouse Ale from Pull Brewing — Bradley Farmhouse Ale
from Pull Brewing

Bradley grows and sells the usual vegetables – broccoli, lettuces, onions, zucchini, peas, beets, parsley, potatoes and cabbage – that you see at most farm stands, although with Bradley, the varieties are specific to his tastes. The only potato he grows, for example, is the Carola, a small yellow-fleshed type, because that is his favorite. But, perhaps as a result of his culinary experience, he also grows a wide variety of less ordinary crops – flat Italian pole beans, fennel replete with fronds, French gray shallots, haricot vert (those delicious skinny green beans), sweet delicata and buttercup squash, fava beans, bush basil (tiny, spicier leaves), sorrel and purslane, a small-leafed lemony green. But his best sellers, by far, are his heirloom tomatoes, which range in size from tiny and round to huge and rippled, and in color from pale green to orange to red to purple.

Whether oblong or circular, Bradley’s heirlooms are full of flavor. He credits this to both the quality of seeds and soil and the way he raises them. He plants the seeds he saved from the previous year’s crop (when he finds a particularly good tasting tomato, he dries and saves those seeds) in April. By May, once any chance of frost has passed, he is transplanting small seedlings into the ground to give them the best chance of putting down good roots. Besides starting with good seeds and amending what was good soil to start with, perhaps the main reason his tomatoes are so flavorful is that he doesn’t water them – he says that is what develops the intensity of flavor. Whatever the cause, the tomatoes are delicious – we’ve been eating lots of them with just a simple vinaigrette and sprinkle of fresh basil or oregano. Bradley eschews vinaigrette, preferring not to mask the taste of his tomatoes. When we eat his heirlooms mixed or side by side with other tomatoes, the difference in flavor is obvious and the Bradley’s win every time.

Besides heirlooms, Bradley grows more ordinary cooking, husk and cherry tomatoes. It’s hard to stop eating the small yellow/orange or red/green cherries from Bradley’s farm – they are sweet and addictive and I rarely get them into a salad because we devour them straight out of the paper bag. Bradley says he uses a tomato peeler with a serrated blade to peel the large tomatoes which he then freezes so he can make fresh sauce during the winter, although sometimes he just tosses them into the freezer whole. When the weather is cool enough, as it is this week, he can make sauce to use in cooking once the season has passed. That way, he can have fresh tomato flavor throughout the year. After all, the reason Bradley grows these gorgeous tomatoes in the first place is because he loves to eat them. Lucky for us!

Bradley drives his vegetables to markets in New York from New Paltz twice a week in the summer

RAY BRADLEY’S TOMATO SAUCE

Preheat your oven to 400F.

Score (cut an x) whole tomatoes with a sharp knife.

Place on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast until skin is peeling off.

Remove skins and put in a pot with some sautéed onions and garlic.

Simmer until they begin to break down.

Cool and put up in glass containers.

Ray suggests sautéing a little onion and garlic and adding the sauce to them to re-heat when ready to use.

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