Category: Vegetables and Salads

Roasted Pepper and Artichoke Antipasto

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Summer is finally here and I am all about it, y’all. Gimme all the greens, gimme all the corn, gimme all the tomatoes, gimme all the peppers. This simple vegetable antipasto is like summer on a platter. Best of all, you can make it ahead of time and let the flavors marinate. Now go outside and get some sun.

Roasted pepper and artichoke antipasto

Ingredients:

4 red bell peppers
3 yellow or orange bell peppers
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
a few drops of hot pepper sauce (optional)
4 canned artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 garlic clove, sliced
salt and pepper
1 handful basil leaves, plus more to garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Lightly oil a foil-lined baking sheet and place the whole peppers on the foil. Bake for about 45 minutes, until beginning to char. Remove from the oven, place in a heatproof bowl and cover lightly with plastic wrap for 5 minutes.

2. Slice the sun-dried tomatoes. Remove the core and seeds from the peppers and peel away the skins. Slice each pepper into thick strips.

3. Whisk the vinegar, oil, and hot pepper sauce, then season with salt and pepper.

4. Toss the peppers with the sliced artichokes, tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Pour the dressing over and sprinkle a few more basil leaves on top.

Egg Flower Soup with Lemongrass and Mushrooms

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This isn’t a traditional egg flower soup recipe by any means. But I love egg flower soup in any permutation and have been making this easy version for years — decades, even! Lemongrass, tomato and nori seaweed are unexpected ingredients here, but trust me, it works. Sometimes, the sum is greater than the parts.

Egg flower soup with lemongrass and mushrooms

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken stock
2 stalks lemongrass, bottom 8 inches, lightly crushed
3 fresh shiitake mushrooms, caps thinly sliced
1 ounce enoki mushrooms, trimmed and separated
1/3 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup thinly sliced bamboo shoots
1 sheet nori, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 package soft tofu, cut into 2-inch-long x 1-inch long strips
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Bring the chicken stock and lemongrass to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the mushrooms, peas, bamboo shoots, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the tofu, tomatoes, and nori, stirring gently so the tofu does not break apart. Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring gently, until the soup returns to a boil and is slightly thickened.

3. Slowly pour in the beaten egg, stirring slowly but constantly to create “egg flowers.” Drizzle in the sesame oil and serve.

Korean Seaweed Salad

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Confession time: I’m eagerly awaiting the day that seaweed goes trendy in American food circles. Greek yogurt had its day. So has turmeric. It’s seaweed’s turn, y’all. I’m glad nori has gone mainstream. Now let’s make it happen for wakame, for mokuzu, for hijiki.

This easy to prepare and super healthy Korean salad makes good use of wakame, or miyeok as it’s known in Korean. It’s perfect alongside a meal of grilled meat and rice, or by itself, really.

Korean seaweed salad

Ingredients:

1 cup dried wakame (miyeok) seaweed, soaked in cold water for 20 minutes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Blanch the drained soaked seaweed in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain again and set aside.

2. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, and garlic in a serving bowl and add the seaweed and mix well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving and serve cold or at room temperature.

Artichoke and Spinach Filo Rolls

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This is the story of how misreading a recipe can lead to glorious results. Almost twenty years ago when I just learning how to cook, I mistook a recipe’s instructions to use puff pastry for filo dough. Frozen artichoke hearts became marinated artichokes. Shallots became onions. You get the picture. By the time all was said and done, this appetizer was the result. I had a totally different recipe on my hands. And you know what? It was delicious.

This recipe is endlessly adaptable but the spinach and the artichokes have stayed the same over the years. Oh, and nutty, melty Gruyere is key. It’s an impressive appetizer that’s easier to make than it looks. In this case, just make sure to read the recipe.

Artichoke and spinach filo rolls

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch spinach, blanched, squeezed dry, and chopped
1 cup drained marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1 package puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 egg

1. Heat oven to 400F degrees. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, abut 4 minutes. Remove from pan and combine in a bowl with spinach and artichokes. Set aside to cool. Stir in Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses and season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Unfold half of the puff pastry sheets (about 15 layers) in one stack on a flat surface. Top with vegetable-cheese mixture, leaving half-inch border. In a small bowl, combine egg and 1 tablespoon water. Starting at one end lengthwise, roll up pastry, jelly roll-style. Cut into 1-inch slices.

3. Lay slices flat 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Brush with egg mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Homestyle Sichuan Tofu

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Sichuan chili bean paste is my most used condiment in the fridge these days. Made from fermented broad beans, soybeans, salt, rice, and spices, doubanjiang is spicy, salty and packs a punch — a delicious, warming punch. It’s perfect stir-fried with all manner of ingredients (seriously). It’s essential in this easy, warming dish of tofu and a healthy amount of alliums. Add a bowl of rice and you’re all set.

Homestyle Sichuan tofu

Ingredients:

1 block of firm tofu (about 1 pound)
Vegetable oil for shallow-frying
2 tablespoons chili bean paste
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 inches ginger, sliced
2 leeks, halved lengthwise and sliced diagonally
1 1/3 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons cold water

1. Cut the tofu into square slices 2 inches long and 1/2 inch thick.

2. Heat oil for shallow-frying to a high temperature. Add the tofu slices in batches and fry for a few minutes until golden (they should still be tender and white on the inside). Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. In the same wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over moderate heat. Add the chili bean paste and stir-fry until the oil is red and fragrant. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry about 30 seconds, until fragrant.

4. Add the chicken stock and tofu and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, season with sugar and soy sauce, and simmer for 4 minutes until the liquid is reduced and the tofu has absorbed some of the sauce. Add the leeks and stir briefly until just cooked. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the wok, stir until the sauce thickens, and turn out onto a serving platter.