Category: Vegetables and Salads

Three-Mushroom Omelet

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This recipe combines two of my favorite ingredients into something that’s so much more than the sum of its parts. Meaty mushrooms and creamy eggs are the canvas for a spicy, savory sauce that coat these unique parcels. Toasted pine nuts add extra depth. You can have these for brunch, or prepare them for a light dinner like I do. They’re #uglydelicious.

Three-mushroom omelet

Ingredients:

For the sauce:
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

For the omelet:
3 portobello mushrooms
6 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed
3 green onions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
7 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced
8 button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
10 snow peas, trimmed and sliced
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1. Prepare the sauce: stir the soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, and chili garlic sauce together in a small saucepan and set aside.

2. Remove and discard the stems from the portobello mushrooms. Scrape the gills from the underside of the caps and discard the gills. Thinly slice the caps.

3. Whisk the eggs and water together in a bowl.

4. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil. Pour about 1/3 cup of the egg mixture into the pan, tilting the pan so the egg coats the bottom, and cook until the bottom of the omelet is set, about 1 minute. Slide the omelet onto a plate and set aside. Repeat with the remaining egg mixture, adding oil to the skillet as needed, to make six omelets.

5. Heat the sauce over medium heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Set aside and cover to keep warm.

6. Heat a wok over high heat. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add the green onions, ginger, garlic, and all the mushrooms and stir-fry until the mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the snow peas, pine nuts, soy sauce, and oyster sauce and cook until the snow peas are tender, about 2 minutes.

7. To serve, spoon one-sixth of the mushroom mixture onto the bottom third of one of the omelets. Gently roll the omelet up like a burrito, leaving the ends open and placing on a serving platter seam side down. Repeat with the remaining omelets and filling. Spoon the sauce over them and serve immediately.

Cauliflower Larb

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Okay, okay. I know this larb isn’t even remotely authentic, but these days I sort of want to larb everything. Chicken larb? Check. Lamb larb? Check. And this cauliflower larb is surprisingly delicious, albeit much lighter than its meaty counterparts. Make this for a light lunch or dinner — you won’t miss the meat.

Cauliflower larb

1 head cauliflower, cut into large florets with some stalk attached
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 Thai chiles, finely chopped
1 4-inch piece lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, finely chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup sticky rice
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup chopped mint
Salt
Sliced Persian cucumber and Bibb lettuce, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Toss cauliflower with oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and well browned, about 50 minutes. Let cool slightly; chop into pea-size pieces. Transfer to a large bowl. Add chiles, lemongrass, lime leaves, fish sauce, and lime juice; mix.

2. Meanwhile, place rice in a small skillet and set over medium heat. Toast, shaking pan frequently to keep rice moving, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool. Grind in spice mill to a powder similar to cornmeal.

3. Toss green onions, cilantro, mint, and toasted rice powder into cauliflower mixture; season with salt. Serve with cucumber and lettuce to make lettuce cups.

Som Tam with Green Beans

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Salty, sour, and a little bit sweet, this Thai-inspired salad is a pinch to make and goes perfectly with all manner of grilled meats (or even on its own, really). I tried many variations of long bean salads in Chiang Mai a couple of years ago and the peanut and lime-flecked ones similar to this one remain my favorite.

Som tam with green beans

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 anchovy, minced
1 bird chile, minced
Pinch of sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 pound green beans or long beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths

1. Place the garlic, salt, peanuts, anchovy, chile, and sugar in a food processor and process to a paste. Transfer the paste to a bowl and stir in the lime juice and fish sauce. Add the chopped tomatoes and green beans, mix, and serve.

Herb-Roasted Acorn Squash

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I love this recipe because its endlessly adaptable. Don’t have acorn squash? Use delicata instead. Ran out of sage? Substitute with rosemary. Just don’t use a squash with thick skin like butternut, since you won’t be peeling it here.

Herb-roasted acorn squash

Ingredients:

1 pound acorn or delicata squash, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, sliced crosswise ½” thick
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
2 sprigs sage
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon wine vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Toss squash, garlic, sage, oil, and salt in a shallow baking dish to combine.

2. Turn garlic cut side down, then roast vegetables, tossing 2 or 3 times, until golden brown, very tender, and edges and cut sides are crisp, about 1 hour. Let cool a little, then add vinegar and toss to coat.

Thai-Style Broccolini

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What makes this broccolini Thai-influenced? The addition of fermented soybeans, which became one of my favorite seasonings when I visited Bangkok and Chiang Mai a couple of years ago. Salty and savory, you can swap out the broccolini for any leafy vegetable with equally tasty results.

Thai-Style Broccolini

Ingredients:

1 pound broccolini, cleaned and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fermented soybeans (dao jiao)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 cup water

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt. Add the broccolini and blanch for 1 minute, then drain and set aside.

2. Heat a wok over high heat and add the oil. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the broccolini. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the fermented soybeans and fish sauce. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the water, bring to a boil, and cover. Lower the heat to a low boil, cook for about 2 minutes, then remove the lid. You want the greens to be tender and still bright green. Serve warm.