Broccoli and cauliflower are caramelized with shallots and green garlic, then used to top a flatbread.
Ingredients
1 t butter
1/2 head (2 C) cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
1 bunch (2-3 C) broccoli diCicco (regular broccoli is fine too)
1 stalk green garlic, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
pinch salt
1 t sugar
2 Lavash flatbreads (pitas, tortillas, or a small pizza crust would work too)
1/2 C cheddar cheese
1/4 C parmesan cheese
lemon wedges, for topping
sauce: 1/4 to 1/2 t salt
pepper (to taste)
1/2 t dijon mustard
2 t lemon juice
1 t red wine vinegar
1/4 t parsley, dried
1/4 t thyme, dried
pinch cayenne
1-2 T olive oil
Instructions
Heat skillet. Add butter. Add veggies and a pinch of salt. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sugar, stir, and continue to cook over low heat for 15-20 more minutes, or until veggies are caramelized.
Whisk together sauce ingredients, streaming in olive oil last, as you whisk.
Top flatbreads with the sauce, veggies, and cheese. Bake at 350F until the cheese is melted, about 5-10 minutes.
Serve with a lemon wedge to squeeze over before enjoying.
During the colder winter months, we get lots of root veggies from Abundant Harvest Organics. Things like rutabagas, turnips, and beets. We get other produce too, of course, but the root veggies are usually the ones that I have more trouble using up.
Especially beets.
I’m new to liking beets. So I’m learning to be creative with their preparation.
I took last week off from my show. I try to do this every few months or so, not for a vacation, but to work on the behind the scenes stuff that can get neglected. Planning, blog maintenance, and cleaning out the produce drawers are some of those oft thought of, but rarely done chores.
My produce drawers are now almost empty.
A little while ago I made Beet Chips as a part of a Mâche and Citrus Salad. Since then, I’d been wondering if those little chips would be good in pasta. So I looked through The Flavor Bible to see things that might compliment and made up a dish for a dinner last week.
It’s pretty simple. Think beets, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and honey with pasta. Add a few more carefully chosen ingredients, and dinner is ready.
3/4 C parmesan cheese, plus a little more for topping
lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
Toss beets with 1 t olive oil, 1 t garlic salt, and 1/8 t pepper. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, switch position in oven (if using 2 baking sheets) and bake 5-10 min more, or until beets are tender and crispy.
Cook pasta.
Heat skillet and add oil. Add shallot and 1/4 t salt. Cook oven med-low heat for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, honey, and 1 T lemon juice, and cook 2 minutes.
Whisk cornstarch with 1/4 C cold water. Add to shallot mixture along with remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened. Add beets and pasta water.
Drain pasta and toss with beet mixture. Add parmesan cheese and 1 T lemon juice.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a lemon wedge.
Recipe Type: Main, Dinner, Casserole, Pasta, Tuna, Fish
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3
There’s no canned cream of mushroom soup allowed in this Tuna Casserole!
Ingredients
2 C cooked rotini rice pasta
1 shallot, chopped
1 watermelon radish, grated
2 carrots, grated
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 C mushrooms, chopped
2/3 C peas (frozen)
1 t dijon mustard
1 t lemon juice
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T cornstarch
1/2 C water, divided
1 C pasta water
pinch cayenne
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried parsley
1 t garlic sea salt (or regular sea salt)
pepper
1 can tuna
1/3 C parmesan cheese, grated (plus a little more for topping)
Instructions
Cook pasta. While it cooks, heat pan, add shallot, carrots, radish, and mushrooms, and 1/4 C water. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, peas, tuna, and seasonings; cook 1 minute.
Whisk cornstarch with 1/4 C water, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and dijon. Pour over veggies, bring to a boil and cook for a minute or two.
Stir in cheese.
Add pasta water and stir.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Let sit for a few minutes before serving so pasta can soak up the sauce.
Serve topped with a little bit of parmesan cheese.
This week, I had the‚ privilege‚ of making dinner for a sick friend and his wife. When someone’s ill, there isn’t much one can do to help (doctors and nurses are excluded from this statement). So being able to provide food is a blessing to those of us who want to do something, but other than praying for healing, can’t make it better.
It’s also the case when a new baby arrives. You can’t fix the sleepless nights, but you can bring dinner over so the exhausted parents can have a break. (Hint hint, Andy and Laura, Geoff and Angie, Sean and Paige… If you’re reading this, please can I make you dinner?! I freely admit that it is mostly just an excuse for me to get to hold your wee child. Oh wait, you’re not reading this, because you’re hanging out with your new small person… Right.)
On Tuesday, after making the Roasted Broccoli and Fried Egg Sandwiches for my show, I made this Minestrone Soup for dinner. It was a kinda last minute idea. I had most of the ingredients, and Husband picked up a few extras on the way home from work. It was a chilly day and soup just seemed essential, plus it seemed like a good meal to bring to friends.
I’ve made Minestrone so many times. I’ve written it down twice. Tim loved this particular version so much that, even though it’s probably not too different from some of the others, I wanted to record what I’d done. When he yells that “it’s so freaking good”, it’s hard not to. 🙂
I had it for lunch again the next day. It was just as good, and maybe even a little better.
1 head broccoli diCicco, chopped (including leaves and stems)
3 carrots, chopped
1 shallot or onion, chopped
1/4 C water
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 C peas
1 C kale (or spinach), chopped
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 to 2 t salt
1 1/2 to 2 C diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1 1/2 to 2 C garbanzo beans, cooked
1 1/2 to 2 C cannellini beans, cooked
3 C vegetable stock
3 C water
1 T Italian herb mix (or a bit of each: oregano, thyme, and basil)
1 t fresh rosemary
1 T lemon juice
lemon wedges, for serving
parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
Heat soup pot, add olive oil; add broccoli, carrot, shallot, and 1 t salt. Cook covered over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 C water, cook covered for 5 minutes more. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add vinegar, tomato paste, kale/spinach, broccoli greens, and peas; cook 2 minutes.
Add stock, water, and herbs; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 10-20 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Add 1 T lemon juice.
Cook pasta, but do not add to soup. Drain and keep warm.
Add beans to soup, cook 3 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Place a scoop of pasta in a bowl, add soup, and top with parmesan cheese and a squeeze of lemon.
Notes
This could be made in the Crock Pot too. Add the lemon juice and spinach in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Just cook the pasta separately. Leftovers can be frozen, without pasta.
