A Veggie Venture

Kitchen Parade Extra: Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Recipe

2008-05-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today's recipe at KitchenParade.com: My recipe for strawberry rhubarb cobbler, one of spring's classic dessert recipes, topped with a buttery cornmeal crumb.

Thank goodness for rhubarb recipes. Otherwise A Veggie Venture might become altogether too healthful, bereft of sweets and desserts. Once the rhubarb is ready for harvesting and starts to show up in the grocery stores, who can resist a thick slice of rhubarb pie, the perfect balance of rhubarb-sour and sugar-sweet? But for simplicity, an easy cobbler recipe is the ticket, whether a 'plain' rhubarb cobbler or today's recipe, rhubarb and strawberry cobbler.

BUSTED Many thanks to Maggie, a reader who makes her home in New York City on the top floor apartment of a building originally constructed in 1839 as a one-family house. Maggie's apartment runs due north to due south so the northern windows get no direct sun and southern windows and skylights get so much sun that anything short of a cactus would be fried. After reading Tuesday's post about how to grow fresh herbs in pots, Maggie wrote -- ever so poignantly -- to remind me that not all homes have the space, light and open air to grow fresh herbs, even ones with wonderful front stoops perfect for watching the world pass by. She's thinking about investing in an aerogarden, something I wrote about on BlogHer and has the added benefit of year-round fresh herbs.

Maggie, thank you for your letter and the Aerogarden suggestion. Readers, keep those cards and letters and comments coming!

NEVER MISS A KITCHEN PARADE RECIPE! Who's been missing Kitchen Parade recipes? You know, like that recipe for Lime Chicken so perfect for a weeknight supper? Or light, bright and quick Lemon Asparagus Pasta that so celebrates the best spring asparagus? If you were accustomed to learning about new Kitchen Parade recipes via announcements here on A Veggie Venture, well, those announcements are a thing of the past, thanks to the two sites attracting increasingly different readers. Good news: Kitchen Parade is easily available too, just sign up for Kitchen Parade via e-mail or Kitchen Parade via RSS. Many thanks!

WHY DOESN'T THIS POST ACCEPT COMMENTS? Because I hope that you'll click through to today's column or Tuesday's herb post to comment there!

Do you suffer from lachanophobia? Turn to A Veggie Venture and Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg for the best vegetable recipes online. Find a quick recipe for tonight's vegetable in the Alphabet of Vegetables or plan menus with vegetables in every course. If you're a dieter, turn to hundreds of zero-point, one- and two-point Weight Watchers recipes and many low carb recipes.
© Copyright 2008

Never Buy Fresh Herbs Again

2008-05-06T07:00:00.015-05:00

Pantry with a Purpose: How to grow a few favorite fresh herbs at home. Recipes for easy, delicious and economical dishes using fresh herbs from food bloggers.

Food prices are skyrocketing with no end in sight. This is the second post tackling the idea of saving money on groceries by -- stay with me a minute, it's not entirely intuitive -- by cooking more. The idea, you see, is to stop paying crazy-high prices for commercial products, by making our own.

Now I know that fresh herbs are a luxury in many households, it's dried or nothing. But cooking at home is as much about eating better as eating less expensively. Fresh herbs add life to salads, vegetables, salad dressings, meat dishes, even desserts and drinks.

In my grocery, small (plastic) packets of fresh herbs are now $3. Trader Joe's sells fresh herbs for $2 but to my taste, they're not worth a nickel. Either way, buying just one packet a week adds up to $100 - $150 a year. Instead, I spend maybe $20 on plants, then use them all summer long. So here's my challenge, will you join me? Never Buy Fresh Herbs Again.

HOW to GROW HERBS in POTS
HOW to GROW HERBS in the GROUND
HOW to GROW HERBS in APARTMENTS
HERB-HAPPY RECIPES from MY FELLOW FOOD BLOGGERS

MORE IDEAS for SAVING MONEY on GROCERIES
~ Never Buy Salad Dressing Again ~

HOW to GROW HERBS in POTS

Pots Choose pots at least twelve inches in diameter. Smaller pots simply cannot hold enough moisture on hot summer days. Terra cotta pots look great but are heavy, expensive and fragile. I really like the foam pots which look like terra cotta but are light, relatively inexpensive and last at least a decade (maybe longer, I just know that three of mine are that old).

Location Find a spot that gets direct sun for at least six hours a day and is open to rainfall. Late-day sun is hard on plants so if there's a choice, pick a spot that's bright in the morning but shaded in late afternoon.

Drainage The pot may already have drainage holes in the bottom. If not, it's simple enough to drill a few holes in the bottom. Otherwise the plants may actually 'drown', since their roots could be in water. In addition, I like to place an inch or so of small rocks in the bottom of the pots to help drainage. During the spring, it's easy to buy bags of small stones at the garden store. During the year, for houseplants say, I use aquarium gravel.

Soil For extra-large pots, fill the bottom third or half of the pot with styrofoam popcorn or even used wine corks. The pot will need less soil and be quite a bit lighter, making it easier to move or at least turn. Then fill with soil. If you're doing just a couple of pots, buy a pre-mixed soil called 'potting soil' which will be loose and easy to work. For more soil, it's easy to make your own potting mix.

Time-Release Fertilizer Some potting soils already include a time-release fertizer. Otherwise, sprinkle the top layer with a fertilizer such as Osmocote (a real miracle product). Work it into the top couple of inches of soil.

Plants It's late in the season to start from seed and honestly, it's not something I've had much luck with though others of course do. I buy small containers of herbs for $2 - $3 each. Most are annuals, this means that they'll last just one season. A few are perennials and will return year after year. My own tact is to grow a few favorite herbs, ones to use all summer in small quantities. So I buy one plant each of chive, rosemary, oregano, dill, lavender, tarragon and thyme plus three basil plants. I don't grow parsley and cilantro (even though they're favorites) because these are less expensive to purchase at the grocery store and easy enough to use up an entire bunch. I allow three herbs for a twelve-inch pot.

Finally, Planting! As soon as the frost date has passed (here's a list that shows frost dates by state, it shows April 30 as the last frost for St. Louis but the common wisdom is that it's really Mother's Day weekend), gently remove the plant from its container. Sometimes you can slip the base of the plant between the fingers of one hand to contain the soil, then turn it over. Some times you need to tug gently to remove the plant from the container. Dip the plant into water, using your hand to contain the soil. Crack open the bottom of the dirt, this lets the roots descend into the pot's soil more easily. Place the plant in the potting mix, fill in the sides with soil but don't mound the dirt around the plant's stem. Once all the plants are in, soak the pot with water.

TLC - Tender Lovin' Care In hot climates, pots will need to be watered every day unless it rains. I soak my pots every single morning, filling them until the water begins to drain out the holes in the bottom. Every three or four weeks, it also pays to refresh the fertilizer.

Buds & Flowers Aha! This is a trick. The 'flowers' on basil, dill and other plants may be beautiful but if we really want fresh herbs, we need to nip these off as soon as they appear. That said, I love the flowers of garlic chive so much that I keep an entire pot of garlic chive, just for the greens and flowers!

Harvesting It's great fun to step outside with scissors to gather a few herbs. Just cut off what you need. At the end of the season, you may want to harvest all the herbs for preserving for the winter.

Winter Interest For the winter, woody plants like rosemary and lavendar, for example, die off but their dried versions provide great architectural interest throughout the winter. The soft-leaved plants like basil will just disintegrate after the first frost.

For Next Season Each year, it's important to amend the soil in pots by at least half, some gardeners even recommend replacing the soil entirely. While amending the soil with new potting mix, also work out roots and bulbs that will be in last year's soil.

HOW to GROW HERBS in the GROUND

Space This post isn't really intended for 'real gardeners', people who feed their families by tilling the soil. But the good news for the rest of us is that it doesn't take a 'garden' to grow herbs, just a small sunny corner will do. I switched from pots to a side garden two years ago, testing herbs in dense clay-like soil just to see what would happen. They did great! This year I've built up the soil so that it's workable and I'm betting that this year, the herbs will truly thrive. If you've got a place that will work for herbs, it's cheaper and easier to maintain plants in soil than in pots -- no pots to buy, less watering. Otherwise, the principles are the same.

HOW to GROW HERBS in APARTMENTS

UPDATE Many thanks to Maggie, a reader who makes her home in New York City on the top floor apartment of a building originally constructed in 1839 as a one-family house. Maggie's apartment runs due north to due south so the northern windows get no direct sun and southern windows and skylights get so much sun that anything short of a cactus would be fried. After reading this post, Maggie wrote -- ever so poignantly -- to remind me that not all homes have the space, light and open air to grow fresh herbs, even ones with wonderful front stoops perfect for watching the world pass by. She's thinking about investing in an aerogarden, something I wrote about on BlogHer and has the added benefit of year-round fresh herbs. Maggie, thank you for your letter and the Aerogarden suggestion. Readers, keep those cards and letters and comments coming!

HERB-HAPPY RECIPES: RECIPES using FRESH HERBS

Note to RSS and e-mail readers: the Del.icio.us technology used to collect these herb recipes only displays the recipe lists online. Want to see the herb recipes? Click through to Never Buy Fresh Herbs Again.

Basil Recipes
A plant or two will be plenty for salad for the summer. But to make pesto, you'll need to buy big bunches of basil - or grow a lot!

Rosemary Recipes

Tarragon Recipes

Chives Recipes
Worried about your 'green thumb'? Then start with chives which are completely forgiving and so useful.

Fresh Mint Recipes
There are many varieties of mint. In 2008, I'm adding spearmint to the collection.

Preserving Fresh Herbs

PRINT! Now you can just this page without wasting ink and paper on the header and sidebar. Here's how.

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of each new post (99% are recipes) from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new posts will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

Fresh Asparagus with Aioli ♥

2008-05-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

Today's recipes: How to cook and shock fresh asparagus to retain the bright green color and enhance the natural asparagus flavor for serving chilled. How to make aioli, the classic sauce.

First the aioli. There are only two hard things about aioli.

Spelling -- Is it spelled aioli or aoli or ayolee or what? (It is spelled aioli, two i's.)
Pronunciation -- Is it pronounced [ahy-oh-lee] or [a-yaw-lee] or [?-?h-lee]? (Experts vary.) Please, don't trust my choice of #3, not from the bookworm who confidently corrected her 7th grade history teacher's pronunciation of the 15th president -- you know, James Boo-cha-nan.

After that, aioli is dead easy. Just whisk together garlic, egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard and olive oil. Better yet, get out the food processor. At first I tried the whisk 'n' willpower method to make aioli. After ten minutes, I was bored to tears and my wrists were done-in. Kitchen power tools, people, they're great -- it took all of a minute for the mini food processor attachment to the immersion blender to whip this to a good consistency, someplace between mayonnaise and heavy cream, thick enough to dip into, thin enough for a slow pour. Once you master a basic recipe for aioli, there are many variations, adding herbs for brightness or bits of vegetable (red pepper, say) for color.

Now the asparagus. At Easter, my favorite dish at a magnificent brunch prepared by a former White House chef and recent Silver Toque winner was, um, yes, the asparagus. Aiii it was good -- arrayed on huge platters, stems peeled halfway to the tips and perfectly salted. At first, I thought there might have been garlic in the cooking water. The chef sniffed at that idea so hmm, perhaps not. At home, it took three tries and three pounds of asparagus to get the salt balanced properly. (Yes, I concede, dozens of spears were sacrificed to get the salt right.)

SALT It's another ingredient with (in my mind) an undeserved bad reputation. Because salt is "bad" for us, we cook rice and pasta and eggs and -- heavens, vegetables -- with minimal salt and even -- horrors -- without salt. Our bodies require salt. My solution, my rationalization? If we'd all just nix prepared and commercial food -- and their high, high proportions of sodium -- then it seems to me, we can let loose with salt for food cooked at home. I'm not a nutritionist so please don't violate a doctor's order. But I'd love to know -- is salt a good thing or a bad thing in your world? How much salt would you use to cook a pound of asparagus?

FREE ICONS for BLOGGERS Share your love of fresh produce, whether from the farmers market, your own garden or even a CSA farmbox. Four icons celebrate fresh local vegetables and fruits -- and my fellow bloggers are invited to use them on their own blogs. Here's more information about the free icons for bloggers.

VEGETABLE RECIPES from the ARCHIVES
~ more asparagus recipes ~
~ more recipes for Dips & Spreads ~

PARTY ASPARAGUS

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 25 minutes but can/maybe should be made in advance
Serves: It depends on who's eating!

8 cups water
3 tablespoons kosher salt (or 1-1/2 tablespoons table salt though not recommended)

1 pound asparagus, thick spears are best for this

Bring the water to a boil on MEDIUM HIGH in a pan that's able to hold the asparagus, flat, in no more than two layers with water to spare between the spears. (I use a 9x13 pan.) When the water comes to a boil, add the salt and stir a bit to dissolve. (If using more water, the ratio is 4 cups water:1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt.)

While the water comes to a boil, fill another pan with ice, then cold water. Have this ready before the asparagus goes into the boiling water, you want it to be really cold.

Meanwhile, wash the asparagus well. (Chew on a tip. If it's gritty, keep washing.) (1) With a vegetable peeler, peel the skins off the asparagus, about half-way up. Work carefully, you really don't want any skin. (2) Now snap off the woody ends. Start by bending somewhere near the end, moving your way up until the spear breaks off by itself. (3)If aesthetics are important, now slice a bit off the ends for evenness.

Drop all the asparagus at once into the pan and let cook til done, maybe four minutes, maybe six or even eight, it depends on how thick the spears are and how chilled they were when being dropped into the water. Lift one out and test. Once they're done, lift out all the asparagus and immediately drop into the ice water. (This is the "shocking" process, like moving from a hot sauna into the icy sea.) Leave them in the water just long enough to cool down (we don't want them soggy), then transfer immediately onto several layers of paper towels to drain and dry, tapping the top sides too.

For a party, these can be made several hours in advance. To my taste, the asparagus should be served at a temperature somewhere between well-chilled and room temperature.

AIOLI

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes but can be made in advance
Makes about 6 tablespoons

2 garlic cloves, chopped small
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (the good stuff, I use gorgeous olive oil from O Olive Oil)
Salt & pepper to taste (I used no salt, just a little lemon pepper, excellent)

Whisk together the garlic, yolk, lemon juice and mustard -- alternatively do a whiz or two in a small food processor (there's not enough volume for a big food processor). Slooooowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking or processing, being sure to incorporate what's been added before adding more.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Half Tablespoon: 75 Cal (97% from Fat, 1% from Protein, 2% from Carb); 0 g Protein; 8 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 6 g Mono Fat; 0 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; NetCarb0; 0 g Sugar; 3 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 3 mg Sodium; 17 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

Per Whole Tablespoon: 150 Cal (97% from Fat, 1% from Protein, 2% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 17 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 12 g Mono Fat; 1 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; NetCarb1; 0 g Sugar; 6 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 7 mg Sodium; 34 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 4 points (Yes, 1 x 2 = 4. It's a vagary of the Weight Watchers points calculation, if you want to cheat, have two half tablespoons for 2 points rather than a whole tablespoon for 4 :-) I didn't promise diet food, here!)

PRINT JUST A RECIPE! Now you can print a recipe without wasting ink and paper on the header and sidebar. Here's how.

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

Recipe Favorites: Creamed Spinach ♥

2008-05-03T07:00:00.002-05:00

Today's vegetable recipe: Fresh or frozen spinach in a light cream sauce with a hint of nutmeg. Low carb. Weight Watchers 1 or 2 points.

~ recipe & photo updated 2008 ~

This is a long-time favorite recipe, one served all seasons, on weeknights and weekends, for kids and grown-ups, for just-family and company alike.

Creamed spinach is a favorite because --
It's reasonably healthful and reliably delicious.
It makes up without fuss and uses inexpensive ingredients that are often on-hand.
It works with lots of meats but especially pork and chicken and lamb.

Most of all, however, I like how it can be made a half hour or an hour ahead of time and it'll hold -- including the bright green color -- while the rest of dinner gets finished. This makes it ever-so-versatile when timing is a question.

MORE RECIPES from the ARCHIVES
~ more recipes for creamed vegetables,
they don't deserve their bad name! ~
~ Ontario Greens create the 'effect' of creamed spinach without a white sauce ~
~ more spinach recipes ~

CREAMED SPINACH

This recipe was first published in 2005 on Day 185 and is republished online in 2008, after making it four times in two weeks, twice with frozen spinach and twice with fresh spinach. (Fresh is definitely recommended!) It's more 'spinachy' than 'creamy' so to my taste, perfectly balanced.

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 15 minutes
Serves 4 or 8

1 - 2 pounds frozen spinach
~~ OR ~~
1 - 2 pound fresh spinach, preferably not baby spinach which is too tender

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped (2008: shallot was lovely)
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup skim milk, warmed in the microwave
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (about 1/2 ounce)
Additional salt and pepper to taste

If using frozen spinach, defrost in the microwave. (2005: It doesn't work to just dump the still-frozen spinach into the sauce. It really does need some cooking to taste good.) If it's really watery, press through a colander to remove the excess liquid.

If using fresh spinach, chop roughly, then lightly steam.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, melt the butter over MEDIUM HIGH. Add the onion and sauté until soft and fully cooked. (Be sure to cook the onion all the way through.) Stir in the flour, salt and nutmeg until smooth. Reduce the heat to MEDIUM. Add a tablespoon of the warm milk and stir until the milk is smoothly incorporated into the flour. Repeat until all the milk is used. (You're making what's called a white sauce. If you add all the milk, or too much of the milk at one time, the sauce will contain unsavory lumps of flour.) Let cook, stirring all the while, for a minute, then stir in the Parmesan. Add the spinach to the sauce and stir well, then let cook for a couple of minutes for the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust seasonings. To hold for serving in 30 - 60 minutes, reduce heat to LOW and cover.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
With 1 pound spinach, serving 4, Per Serving: 125 Cal (34% from Fat, 26% from Protein, 41% from Carb); 9 g Protein; 5 g Tot Fat; 3 g Sat Fat; 14 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb10; 306 mg Calcium; 3 mg Iron; 779 mg Sodium; 12 mg Cholesterol, Weight Watchers 2 points

With 2 pounds spinach, serving 8, Per Serving: 80 Cal (29% from Fat, 29% from Protein, 41% from Carb); 7 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 9 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb5; 241 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 431 mg Sodium; 6 mg Cholesterol, Weight Watchers 1 point

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Long forgotten but it is included in the family cookbook

KITCHEN NOTES
While creamed spinach is 'good' when made with frozen spinach, it's out-of-this-world delicious when made with fresh spinach. I don't recommend bags of the 'baby' spinach, however, for the leaves are so tender, they don't stand up to the sauce. Instead, gather fresh spinach leaves, wash them very well, cut off the stems and the center core, then chop roughly. Just delicious!

Baba Ganoush ♥ (Recipe for Middle Eastern Eggplant Spread)

2008-04-29T07:00:00.004-05:00

Today's vegetable recipe: Purée of grilled eggplant with garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley. A Middle Eastern spread or dip that's traditionally served with pita bread. Low carb. Weight Watchers 0 or 1 points.

Before I loved the garlicky, lemony taste of baba ganoush, I loved the sound of baba ganoush, pronounced [bah-bah gah-NOOSH]. Say it three times, you might love the sound too -- but it only takes one taste of baba ganoush to love how it tastes!

ALTERNATE SPELLINGS Baba ghanoush; baba bannoujh; baba-ganouj; babaganoush

This version uses grilled eggplant which adds a smoky flavor and adds parsley which brightens the color. It's a winner! The inspiring recipe from Alton Brown suggested adding sugar or honey if the baba ganoush were slightly bitter. There was no bitterness here but I so loved the idea of honey that after taking the photo, I swirled some in (not mixing it in, leaving it distinct) and -- oh swoon -- very good!

TAHINI Baba ganoush also calls for tahini, a thick paste of ground sesame seeds. It comes in a big jar and is expensive so you'll want to be able to use it in something other than baba ganoush. The other classic recipes that calls for tahini is hummus (here's the Kitchen Parade recipe for a simple hummus) but for something truly spectacular, I suggest Armenian Tahini Bread?

Other tahini recipes include the Tasty Brown Rice & Asparagus with Tahini Dressing from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks, Lentils & Rice with Tahini-Onion Sauce from Veggie Meal Plans and Chicken & Asparagus with Tahini Sauce from Kalyn's Kitchen.

For more recipes from my fellow food bloggers, there's a brand-new website for Food Blog Search. It searches more than 2000 food blogs, all hand-approved by Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes, Kalyn Denny of Kalyn's Kitchen or - well - me! All the time, we add to the list, focusing on personal food blogs with home cooking and from-scratch recipes. This makes it a great source of reliable, tested and creative recipes.

DIPS & SPREADS from the ARCHIVES
~ Easy Easy Radish Spread, three ingredients plus salt & pepper ~
~ Spinach Artichoke & Bacon Dip, a classic ~
~ Beet Pesto, perhaps my favorite recipe from all of 2007 ~

~ more recipes for vegetable dips & spreads ~

BABA GANOUSH

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 60 minutes
Makes 1 1/4 cups

1 pound globe eggplant

2 cloves garlic - next time I'll start with 1 clove
Juice of 1-2 lemon - I used 2 lemons, less than the equivalent of 2 1/2 lemons that Alton Brown called for; next time I'll start with the juice of one lemon, than add more depending on taste
2 tablespoons tahini - stir it well first
1/4 bunch of parsley - a small fistful, Alton Brown called for 1/2 a bunch
Salt & pepper to taste

GRILL THE EGGPLANT
Wash the eggplant but leave it whole. Prick the skin with knife tip in a few places so it won't explode. Grill for about 30 minutes, turning every 7 or 8 minutes. The skin should be blackened. When it's done, the eggplant will start to deflate. Slice off the stem end, let cool until you can handle it. Slice into the eggplant (it'll be a little messy) and scrape the flesh off the skin (a grapefruit spoon worked great). Discard the skins and any big chunks of seeds, let the flesh drain in a colander for 10-15 minutes.

In a food processor, mix the eggplant flesh with all the remaining ingredients and process til smooth. Taste and adjust to taste. Serve with pita bread or as a spread for sandwiches.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Tablespoon: 15 Cal (45% from Fat, 12% from Protein, 43% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 1 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 2 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; NetCarb1; 1 g Sugar; 10 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 3 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 0 points

Per Quarter Cup: 61 Cal (45% from Fat, 12% from Protein, 43% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 7 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb 3; 2 g Sugar; 39 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 11 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

KITCHEN NOTES
NITPICKING ALTON BROWN - I just now noticed that all of Alton Brown's ingredients seemed double what seemed "right" to my taste. Perhaps this is because he used a two-pound eggplant, even though the recipe didn't say? AB, you're a rock star but some times, details do matter!
Other varieties of eggplant would work just fine, but have a higher proportion of skin:flesh so you'll need to start off with more eggplant. Here's what varieties of eggplant look like.

Slow-Roasted Asparagus ♥

2008-04-27T06:34:00.004-05:00

Today's asparagus recipe: Spears of asparagus quick-cooked, topped with grated Parmesan and dotted butter, then roasted. Low carb but definitely not low-calorie. Delicate, dark and dreamy.

These days, when people talk about slow food, it's generally code for Slow Food, the Italian organization that's become an international movement, one that fights the disappearance of local food traditions, people’s dwindling interest in the food we eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.

But not me, when I write about slow food, I mean slow food quite literally, that is, food cooked unusually slowly, sloooooow food.

This obsession with all-things-slow, it started with my first forays into slow-roasted tomatoes and really picked up steam with the life-changing slow-baked potatoes. But I would never-ever-ever have guessed that asparagus -- so lovely when steamed just-til-done, you know, that tender-crisp point of perfection -- would turn into some entirely different vegetable when cooked for such a long time.

The inspiration came from pastry chef and cookbook author Gina DePalma. In a recent Spapshot from Italy at Serious Eats, she wrote that the Italians have an undeserved reputation for 'hammering their vegetables', cooking them til kingdom come. (Ha. I hadn't thought about the underlying meaning of that phrase! And speaking of phrases, the comments on Serious Eats are interesting, they really 'hammer' Gina for bringing an abomination to asparagus. Clearly, others could benefit from real experience with slow food!)

These are delicious! They won't replace all my other favorite asparagus recipes and they're best for fat spears of asparagus but add this recipe to an already long list of all the great ways to enjoy asparagus. Thank you, Gina, for the inspiration!

RECIPES from the ARCHIVES
~ more asparagus recipes ~
~ more slow-food recipes ~
~ unusually raw vegetables, the other end of the spectrum ~

SLOW-ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 1 hour
Serves 4

Water to cover, well-salted
1 pound asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ounce Parmesan, grated
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Bring the water to a boil. Preheat oven to 400F.

Meanwhile, wash asparagus well. (Optional: With a vegetable peeler, peel off the skin right up to the tips. Gina doesn't do this but I've learned to appreciate this step.) Snap off the woody end, discard (though you'll find a very tasty edible bite at the first part of the discarded end, the 'cooks treat'). Cook for 3 - 4 minutes, just until beginning to soften but still bright green. Remove from water and drain.

Spread a tablespoon of olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. (Gina puts foil down for easy clean-up.) Roll the spears in the oil until they're completely covered. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on the baking sheet, butted up tight against each other, the tips pointed one direction. Sprinkle spears with Parmesan, then dot with butter.

Roast for about 30 minutes, what Gina calls "roast the heck out of them", until they are slightly browned and bubbling. Use a spatula to transfer to a serving dish.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 96 Cal (61% from Fat, 20% from Protein, 18% from Carb); 5 g Protein; 7 g Tot Fat; 3 g Sat Fat; 3 g Mono Fat; 5 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; NetCarb3; 2 g Sugar; 106 mg Calcium; 3 mg Iron; 111 mg Sodium; 10 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point (but soooo on the verge of 2)

KITCHEN NOTES
This would be a great way to serve fresh hot asparagus to guests -- plating is the only last-minute attention that's required.
If you happen to have individual oven-safe serving dishes, these would make for great presentation. The spears look soo good straight out of the oven, especially how they stick together: part of the charm is how the spears become one. Hmm. How about this? Another way to get the same affect for individual servings would be to use one roasting pan but to separate the asparagus into four separate sections, then lift onto individual plates. Yes, much easier!

Never Buy Salad Dressing Again

2008-04-23T07:00:00.002-05:00

Pantry with a Purpose: How to stock a pantry with simple ingredients for making easy, delicious and economical homemade salad dressing recipes. Links to quick recipes for classic salad dressings from food bloggers.

Almost, not quite, but any day now, it will be salad season! Tender spring greens are soon to appear. The weather's turning warm and so we make our annual return to lighter, fresher and 'greener' food. So here's my challenge to readers of A Veggie Venture and to salad lovers from all over: Never Buy Salad Dressing Again.

I'm here to help. Cookbooks and cooking magazines often suggest ingredients for a well-stocked pantry. But how many of us fill our pantries, then forget to empty them?! And we shouldn't: 'cooking from the pantry' is the best way to save money on groceries -- at the same time avoiding the calories, additives, waste and inconvenience of carry-out, drive-through and frozen food.

So let's stock our pantries with purpose -- just for salad dressings. And then -- this is the best part -- we can learn to love the deliciousness of simple homemade salad dressings, some of us for the first time, some of us all over again. With any luck, you'll challenge yourself to make a salad every single day, for a week, for a month, for the summer, but every day. Let's get started.

~ Know Your Salad Dressing Style! ~

~ Pantry Basics for Salad Dressing ~
~ A Well-Stocked Pantry for Salad Dressing ~
~ Tools ~

~ Classic Salad Dressing Recipes ~

KNOW YOUR STYLE!

Are you a make-it-on-the-fly salad dressing maker? Or one who wants to make a 'batch' and then use it for a week? Different recipes will appeal to these two camps so it pays to know. Don't worry, both are good and many salad-makers (me included) do both.

'Dress a Salad' Here, we make a dressing for an individual salad, whisking and tasting and adapting the dressing's ingredients for particular greens, for particular add-ons. Quantities can be adjusted to make a salad serving one or a large salad for the table.

'Make Salad Dressing' Here, we 'make salad dressing', usually a bigger batch that will last a few days or even a week or more. Quantities can be adjusted here, too, for smaller volumes.

PANTRY BASICS

Just a few pantry items. These are the only ingredients needed for beginners but also the ingredients used by experienced salad makers again and again.

Olive Oil - Preferably of high quality but perfectly good salad dressings are made with inexpensive olive oil too. If you do invest in a bottle of good olive oil for salad dressings, watch for bottles with dark glass and labels that read 'extra-virgin' and 'first cold press'. It's used in small amounts so it's just fine to buy a small bottle to minimize the up-front expense. Once home, do a taste test. Dip your finger in, does it taste good? smooth? lack harshness? Keep a bottle of good olive oil separate from the cooking oils, we don't want to waste the good stuff. Store it in a cool dark spot, behind a cupboard door, for example, rather than out in the light or near a stove's heat source.
Vinegar - Plain white vinegar or apple cider vinegar will do but may require more doctoring. If you buy just one vinegar for salad dressing, buy unseasoned rice wine vinegar which is far less harsh and is quite inexpensive.
Salt - Sea salt or kosher salt, preferably. If need be, table salt will do just fine.
Mustard - Anything other than yellow mustard of hot-dog fame. Start with Dijon mustard, a classic.

A WELL-STOCKED PANTRY

Add one or two of these extra pantry items at a time. Keep one or two of the fresh items on hand at a time.

Other Vinegars - Basics include red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar (my personal favorite) and champagne vinegar. When you open a bottle, taste the vinegar - it will be sharp, yes, but do you like how it tastes? If so, it'll make a great salad dressing.
Variety of Oils - Options include walnut oil, avocado oil, pumpkin seed oil, grapeseed oil and more. These tend to be expensive and have short shelf lives so buy in small volume and use quickly.
Dried Herbs - Especially useful for make-ahead dressings.

Fresh Garlic - A clove or two of garlic does wonders for salad dressing.
Dairy Products - Low-fat buttermilk, cream and milk are common ingredients in creamy salad dressings.
Fresh Lemons - Can be used as the 'acid' in a salad dressing, replacing the vinegar.
Fresh Herbs - Salad dressing is the #1 reason to plant a few herbs in pots on the patio or balcony. Good choices are chive, French tarragon, basil, thyme and oregano. But otherwise, buy one packet at a time from the supermarket to experiment with what you like.

TOOLS

No special tools required!

Salad Bowl I love my low, wide wooden walnut salad bowl that somehow manages to feed from one to eight. But any bowl will do, just keep it handy.
Knife & Cutting Board For quickly chopping garlic and fresh herbs.
Fork This is all that's needed to 'whisk' the dressing.
Small Food Processor For dressings that need real mixing, the food processor attachment of an immersion blender works great. Some dressings become airy and ethereal when 'emulsified' - that's the term for combining two ingredients that don't necessarily want to be combined (think oil and water), usually done by slowly adding the oil while vigorously mixing the rest -- that's best done in a large food processor or blender with an open top.
Glass bottles After emptying any salad dressing bottles already on hand (what, down the drain? who thinks I'd suggest such?!) save them for storing make-ahead dressings.

CLASSIC SALAD DRESSING RECIPES

Easy! Just hover your mouse above an interesting recipe to display the ingredients needed (past the four basics of olive oil, vinegar, salt and mustard). New recipes added as I find them.

For DRESSING a SALAD

Mostly, we 'dress salads' with a vinaigrette [vihn-uh-GREHT], a classic oil and vinegar combination with a 3:1 mix of oil:vinegar. To my taste, this is too rich so I reverse the proportions. Learn the proportion you and your family likes, it'll work again and again.
For anyone who's not 'dressed a salad' before, my photo tutorial for how to make a simple vinaigrette will be helpful.

For MAKING SALAD DRESSING

READER RECIPES Does your family have a 'house dressing'? If you're willing to share a favorite salad dressing recipe, please, I'd love an e-mail!

Who Is Up for the Challenge? Never Buy Salad Dressing Again!

SALAD & SALAD DRESSING RECIPES from the ARCHIVES
~ more recipes for 'green salads' ~
~ more salad dressing recipes ~
~ more recipes for 'vegetable salads' ~

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

German Salad Dressing ♥

2008-04-22T07:00:00.006-05:00

Today's recipe: Milk. Vinegar. Sugar. No more. No oil! Low carb. Weight Watchers zero points.

It gets no easier than this. When my brother-in-law visited over Christmas, he mentioned the salad dressing that his mother, a World War II German war bride, makes all the time. They call it 'German Salad Dressing'. Me, I'm tempted to dub it "salad dressing for dummies" because it has just three ingredients.

Three ingredients.

And it's got me to thinking. Why in the world do we buy bottles of salad dressing when it's this cheap and simple and tasty to make? So I'm launching a new series of occasional posts with collections of simple classic recipes for home cooks who want to feed their families economically and healthfully. Look for the first one tomorrow. I'm calling it "Never Buy Salad Dressing Again". Who will take the challenge?

FREE ICONS for BLOGGERS Share your love of fresh produce, whether from the farmers market, your own garden or even a CSA farmbox. Four icons celebrate fresh local vegetables and fruits -- and my fellow bloggers are invited to use them on their own blogs. Here's more information about the free icons for bloggers.

VEGETABLE RECIPES from the ARCHIVES
~ more salad dressing recipes ~
~ more five-minute recipes ~
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~

GERMAN SALAD DRESSING

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Time to table: 5 minutes
Makes 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons)

1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons good vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)

Whisk together.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Tablespoon: 9 Cal (2% from Fat, 1% from Protein, 97% from Carb); 0 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 2 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; NetCarb2; 2 g Sugar; 1 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 0 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 0 points

KITCHEN NOTES
The dressing is especially good with soft lettuces such as Boston, red leaf and green leaf.
For aesthetics, use a clear or light-colored vinegar versus a dark balsamic vinegar.

Eggplant Steaks ♥

2008-04-20T07:00:00.002-05:00

Today's vegetable recipe: Eggplant slices brushed with steak sauce and honey, then broiled and topped with Parmesan. Easy. Quick. Tasty.

I love to chat up the produce guys at the grocery store. They're full of good tips. Just yesterday, one was unpacking a lug of gorgeous eggplant. "Do you ever get Japanese eggplant?" I asked, just curious. "Some times," he answered. "Do they sell?" I wondered. Nope. "But the globe eggplants are one of our best sellers."

Really? This veggie evangelist had best catch up! There are several good eggplant recipes here -- but clearly, not enough. I grabbed a couple of eggplants, came home and straight-off made these for lunch -- using pantry ingredients, nothing more. They were just excellent, creamy on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside, lots of flavor. Score one for eggplant lovers, here's another great way to cook eggplant.

While the 'Eggplant Steak' name suggests something meaty and substantial enough for a vegetarian supper, for me, these are a side dish.

NUTRITION NOTES The Alton Brown recipe that I modified called for four whole tablespoons of olive oil. Really? I couldn't imagine any oil was necessary with so many other wet ingredients. So I mixed two versions of the sauce, one with oil (albeit just one tablespoon) and one without. The oil isn't necessary -- but it does help the eggplant cook evenly and glisten beautifully. Side by side, I preferred the eggplant slices brushed with the oiled sauce but otherwise wouldn't have missed it.

FOR THE RECORD This is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging, this week hosted by The Well-Seasoned Cook.

FREE ICONS for BLOGGERS Share your love of fresh produce, whether from the farmers market, your own garden or even a CSA farmbox. Four icons celebrate fresh local vegetables and fruits -- and my fellow bloggers are invited to use them on their own blogs. Here's more information about the free icons for bloggers.

EGGPLANT RECIPES from the ARCHIVES
~ Roasted Baby Eggplant Halves with Herbs, impressive-looking and delicious ~
~ Grilled Eggplant with Balsamic Honey Syrup, utterly delicious ~
~ Summer Vegetable Stew, one of my very favorites from Year One ~
~ more eggplant recipes ~

~ 2006's asparagus with anchovies & garlic, quick, easy, low-calorie and a tad unusual ~
~ 2007's English peas with fresh mint, the English classic ~

EGGPLANT STEAKS

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves 4

1 one-pound globe eggplant, stem end trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch slices cross-wise

SAUCE
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (oops! I didn't know til just now that I forgot this)
2 tablespoons thick steak sauce (St. Louisans, I used the great steak sauce from Tucker's Place, mine came from Schnucks but I've seen it elsewhere too)
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
1 tablespoon honey (if needed, warm it in the microwave for a few seconds to make easier to pour)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste.

1/2 ounce of fresh Parmesan, grated

Mix the sauce. Brush onto both sides of the eggplant slices, arrange on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler until golden brown (the inspiring recipe said 2 minutes, mine took 3). Turn over and repeat. Sprinkle with cheese and put back under the broiler for another minute or two, just until golden. (Watch carefully, Parmesan will turn fast.)

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Made with oil, Per Serving: 110 Cal (35% from Fat, 9% from Protein, 55% from Carb); 3 g Protein; 5 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 3 g Mono Fat; 16 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb12; 10 g Sugar; 50 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 206 mg Sodium; 3 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points

Made without oil, Per Serving: 81 Cal (13% from Fat, 13% from Protein, 74% from Carb); 3 g Protein; 1 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 16 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb12; 10 g Sugar; 50 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 206 mg Sodium; 3 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from Alton Brown's Good Eats

Recipe Favorites: Day 345: Cream of Celery Soup ♥

2008-04-16T10:58:00.000-05:00

Today's vegetable recipe: Simple celery soup that tastes like something 'more'. Weight Watchers 1 point.

~ recipe & photo updated 2008 ~

Awhile back, I puzzled over a tidbit in a magazine. "To have fun," it asked, "would you prefer to go to a party with lots of old friends or one where you'll know hardly anyone?"

Turns out that if FUN is the desired experience, then partying with new people is the ticket. (Okay, yes, I know, who can make such a generalization? and why is new fun better than laughing over old jokes? and yes, the folks who did the study, went to the parties and probably wrote the piece in the magazine might have all been Es in the Meyers-Briggs schema. And who reads this stuff anyway? Please, bear with me.)

And so it's turned out cooking and writing about vegetables for nearly a year now. It's great fun to try new vegetables. But it's also quite something to discover new dimensions in standby vegetables.

Take the under-appreciated celery. It had me extolling leafy virtues in Day 247's apple and celery salad (2008: my go-to salad whenever finding plenty of celery leaves in a celery bunch). It had me moaning about Day 317's simple braised celery. And here I am again, raving about a simple and yet somehow complex soup that is somehow 100% celery and yet 100% something else altogether.

The Wednesday Chef had the same reaction on Monday with a Leslie Brenner recipe from the Los Angeles Times. Luisa's soup was as elegant as her description; mine was intentionally more rustic. Still, our two versions prove: celery can surprise.

NUTRITION NOTES This is a winner calorie-wise, just 1 point or 2 points for Weight Watchers but tasting like far more.

NEXT TIME I would definitely serve a creamy smooth version of this soup like Luisa's as a dinner party starter; just strain out the solids through a strainer or my favorite chinois.

DECEMBER 2006 UPDATE I made this soup again for a family gathering. It was a big hit, everyone slurped up the last drops. Because the soup is so light, it pairs well with crusty bread, good cheese and sandwich meat for a complete meal. I did strain the soup but prefer it with the homely fiber.

2008 UPDATE This lovely celery soup recipe was originally published in 2006, just as I was ending that first mad of year of cooking a vegetable in a new way, every single day. Now that I'm revisiting favorite recipes, again and again I'm pleased that the recipes taste just as good the second time around. This is a classic vegetable soup recipe, so spare and simple. And in days of rising food prices, it's also cheap to make -- a bunch of gorgeous celery this week was only $.99, so almost $.50 a pound.

VEGETABLE RECIPES from the ARCHIVES
~ more soup recipes ~
~ more celery recipes ~

CREAM of CELERY SOUP

See the Wednesday Chef's inspiring post and recipe
Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 60 minutes
Makes 7 cups

5 cups good chicken stock (I had 4 cups homemade turkey stock, it seemed plenty)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (the inspiring recipe called for 3 tablespoons)
1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 Idaho potato (about 3/4 pound), peeled and diced (see ALANNA's TIPS)
1 bunch celery, trimmed, in 1/2 inch pieces (about 10 ribs, I put in the leaves and everything)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (see TIPS)
2 tablespoons cream, optional (I didn't use any)

Bring the stock to a boil in the microwave. (This is a time-saving tip that can be omitted if there's no rush.)

Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over MEDIUM HIGH til shimmery. Add the onion and stir well to coat with fat. Let the onion cook, stirring often, while prepping the potato and celery. Add the potato and celery and stir to coat with fat. Let cook until the broth is hot, then add it. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to MEDIUM (or the temperature required for a slow simmer). Cook until celery is soft, 20 - 30 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper.

In two or three batches for safety, puree in a food processor or blender til smooth. (The job's too much for an immersion blender.) For an ultra smooth elegant version, strain out the solids and add cream. Serve and enjoy!

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Made with 1T butter, potato, 2T cream, left unstrained, Per Cup: 97 Cal (23% from Fat, 15% from Protein, 62% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 16 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; NetCarb13; 55 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 492 mg Sodium; 7 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

Made with 3T butter, potato, 2T cream, strained, Per Cup: 126 Cal (41% from Fat, 12% from Protein, 48% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 6 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 16 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; NetCarb13; 56 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 493 mg Sodium; 16 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points

ALANNA's TIPS
The purpose of the starchy potato is to thicken the soup. With no potato on hand, I used 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice for thickening.
Some folks say that white pepper has little flavor. For color purposes, it would be especially advisable if you're making an 'elegant' version. I was plain out so just used black pepper.