Category: Vegetables + Salads
Vegetables + Fruits + Fungi Recipes
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Snack’s spinach triangles, or spanakopita, is one of my favorites things to eat in New York City. Filo, or phyllo, which means “leaf” in Greek, are tissue paper-thin like sheets of dough made from flour. They burn easily so keep the oven temperature at less than 300º when baking so that they don’t turn brown…
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The boy likes his coleslaw but I can’t stand mayonnaise. I wanted to make a batch for him without going the KFC route. I used two kinds of cabbages for color. The purple cabbage, also known as red cabbage, looked very pretty against the yellow bell pepper. A sprinkle of scallions provided some green and…
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I like the ritual of meeting friends for a weekend brunch but I’m usually disappointed with the menu selections. Unless I’m meeting something at Barney Greengrass in New York City, I’d rather cook my own brunch feast. Ingredients: 5 large eggs 1 large tomato, sliced thinly 1 bunch baby spinach, thoroughly washed, coarsely chopped 1…
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I can never ignore a fennel and cheese salad on a menu. It’s so easy to make your own version at home. I like to make this salad before I start cooking because it ties me over until the main course is done. The key is to use lemon juice so that the fennel doesn’t…
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I’m not a big fan of cabbage unless it’s for Korean pickles, or kimchi, so when this recipe from The New York Times called for Savoy cabbage, I used Napa instead because it gets tender faster especially when braised. Ingredients: 2 pounds of beef spareribs, cut into individual ribs, excess fat removed 1 Napa cabbage,…
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Oyster mushrooms are incredibly cheap in Chinatown. They’re usually white or of a light brown color and they look more like fans than the familiar capped mushrooms. You can add a little cornstarch when making the sauce to thicken it, but I left it out. I prefer thickening the sauce by simmering it until it…
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Sweet potatoes, or yam, are readily available in larger supermarkets. They’re very starchy with a hint of sweetness and make a great side dish with roasted chicken. Ingredients: half a pound of sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced salt, pepper, olive oil 1. Preheat oven to 350º. Toss and shake all the ingredients in a covered bowl.…
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Ingredients: 1 bundle of asparagus 1 garlic bulb, peeled and crushed salt, pepper, olive oil 1. Preheat oven to 350º. Toss and shake all the ingredients in a covered bowl. 2. Transfer to a shallow baking pan and roast until tender and a little wilted, about 30 minutes. Related post/s: Roasted Brussels sprouts
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If only more parents would roast Brussels sprouts, there’d be more children eating them. Ingredients: 2 pints of Brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed, halved 1 garlic bulb, peeled and crushed fresh thyme leaves salt, pepper, olive oil 1. Preheat oven to 350º. Toss and shake all the ingredients in a covered bowl. 2. Transfer to a…
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Meatballs are so easy and fun to make even with the least expensive ground pork available from your supermarket. They make this simple soup recipe chunkier and heartier. Ingredients: half a pound of ground pork 2 bunches of watercress, thoroughly washed 1 large carrot, finely chopped 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped chicken stock 1…
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I usually have several bags of baby spinach handy after a trip to either the farmers’ market or a big warehouse store like Costco or BJ’s. What’s better than a tossed vegetable salad? Why, a tossed vegetable salad with crispy bacon, of course! Ingredients: 1 bag of baby spinach 4 slices of bacon 4 Belgian…
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This is a very easy salad to make. Di Palo’s in New York City frequently cooks and preserves artichokes in olive oil and sells them in a plastic container. You can use canned artichokes as long as you drain them and use good olive oil as dressing. Endives are available in nicer supermarkets but you…