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somethin’ on the side

A spin on a dish my dad and I made this past Christmas dinner. Beef Wellington (pate, mushroom duxelles, the whole bit) was served with roasted yukon gold potatoes and shallots, and a salad of shaved brussels sprouts, walnuts and apples julienne with a brown butter vinaigrette. Round two, here we go:

24 oz baby yukon gold potatoes
3 tbsp cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
10 oz brussels sprouts
1/2 apple (I used a Granny Smith for its tartness, but any crisp, firm apple will work)
4 oz pecorino, broken into small chunks
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss the potatoes with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste. Roast for about 25 minutes or until fork-tender.
3. Meanwhile, trim the ends off the brussels sprouts, halve, and thinly slice.
4. Julienne the apple (and leave the skin on, will ya?).
5. Halve the potatoes and toss with the brussels sprouts, apple, pecorino, lemon zest and juice and the rest of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

photo(2)This dish will do as a side, but I’ve been mackin’ on it for dinner the past few days and have not been sorry about it. You won’t be either.

One of my go-to salads is marinated zucchini. I’ve done it before, and I didn’t invent it, but I’m on my way to reinventing it. Here’s attempt numero uno:

1 medium zucchini, thick julienne (wide tooth blade on a mandoline)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp evoo
1/2-1 small garlic clove, grated
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp fresh thyme
3/4 tsp cumin
1/4 cup golden raisins, soaked in hot water and drained

Combine all ingredients and allow the salad to marinate anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how tangy you like it.

photo(1)

My boss had a bunch of tomatoes that he didn’t want. Frankly, I didn’t really want them either, but I’m lazy and cheap and grew up in a house that was on the board of the Clean Your Plate Club. So, like the good Brooklyn bag lady I am, I threw them in the tote bag and escorted them to their destiny.

Destiny, as it so happened, involved low-and-slow oven action and a healthy sprinkling of seasoning. Two and a half to three hours later, you get something that looks like this:

Aw nuts. Forgot to take a picture.  Well, I guess you’ll just have to make it to see for yourself.

6 tomatoes (I had a combination of plum and vine-ripe), quartered
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 t curry powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper

Drizzle tomatoes with the oil. Add seasoning and toss to combine. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a 250-degree oven for 2 1/2-3 hours, or until most of the moisture has evaporated. (Note: the tomatoes can be roasted at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time, or even longer at a lower temperature. Just depends on the texture and level of moisture you’re shooting for.)

With this first recipe since my hiatus, I will take baby steps to actual recipe testing. In Phase One–to last as long as I allow it–recipes will not include exact measurements, but will be significantly more structured than all previous recipes. Here we go:

photo

1 pound carrots, peeled
1.5 tablespoons curry powder
0.5 teaspoons salt
0.25 teaspoons pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, medium dice
1.5 tablespoons butter
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1-inch segment of ginger, peeled and minced
Lime zest (I dunno, like, 2 big strips?)
Avocado
Cilantro, rough chop
Scallion, whites/greens/whatever, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roughly chop the carrots into uniform size pieces. Toss with curry powder, salt, pepper, and 0.5 tablespoons of olive oil. Roast on a baking sheet for 25-30 minutes, or until tender and golden brown.

While the carrots are roasting, sweat onions in butter and the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Once the onions start to soften, add garlic and ginger and continue cooking over low heat. When the carrots are finished roasting, add them to the pot with the aromatics, toss in lime zest, and cover with water.

Cook the soup for 30 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with avocado (slices, chunks, or scoops) and scallions.

Well, really it’s compound butter. I’m just so damn angry that I hadn’t thought of this recipe on my own. And I’m sure you will be, too (though since I’m sharing, you’re probably so happy that we’re friends. You’re welcome). It’s honey-curry compound butter, for crying out loud!

Since I didn’t create it, I’m just gonna go ahead and provide a link to the recipe, saving myself minutes upon minutes of typing. Wow, look at all this time I now have…