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Monday

14

April 2014

1

COMMENTS

Roasted Asparagus with Almonds and Crispy Bacon

Written by Rachel, Posted in Dairy-Free, Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, Meat, Pork, Quick and Easy, Roasting, Sides, Vegetables

What a treat spring’s veggies are. Light and flavorful, they seem to bring a breath of fresh air to the table. I love hearty winter veggies, don’t get me wrong. But, there’s just something about those first crisp, slender, bright green asparagus that makes my heart happy.

Especially when they’re topped with bacon and almonds.

What a simply delightful side for your first spring barbecue.

I read in last week’s Abundant Harvest Organics newsletter that asparagus stalks can grow up to ten inches in a day! What!? Imagine if we grew that much in a day… that would be weird. (Now I’m giggling to myself picturing really tall tall tall skiiiiiiiinny people who don’t fit in their houses… oh dear…)

This recipe is an easy one. You ready? Asparagus is tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

I love to roast veggies any time of the year, so that’s what I did with the asparagus.

Favorite.

Things get a little bit crispy and nutty in the oven. This is the best part about roasting veggies. I could probably eat a whole pan by myself.

Thick and delicious bacon compliments the asparagus nicely. It goes into a cold pan, which keeps it from curling too much. I’m not sure about the splattering though… sometimes I cover the pan… baking the bacon also works well.

You could be fancy and wrap the bacon around a few stalks of asparagus to roast it. I thought about it, but then I thought that I’m too ~~lazy~~ practical. Chopping distributes the bacon a little better and takes way less time. But, if you’re in need of some serious bacon, or if you want something a little bit fancier, feel free to experiment.

The bacon and the almonds are chopped up in my version.

This was my Oma’s cutting board. I love having things that were once hers. It makes the fact that she’s gone a little more bearable. I have little pieces of her in the kitchen… that sounds weird… you know what I mean.

Oma means Grandma.

Mine was a fabulous cook.

I think she would enjoy the bacon and asparagus combination. Who wouldn’t?! I wonder, if there are any non-asparagus lovers out there, if they might enjoy it all roasted and topped with bacon and almonds.

Worth a try.

Unless you live with me, a hungry food blogger, who might just devour it all and not save you any… Might.

I want to make this again and again, it’s so good, and so easy. At the end, half a lemon is squeezed over the deliciousness. Make it for a spring brunch, an Easter dinner, or just to eat by yourself as you play Words with Friends with your brother.

Happy Eating!

Roasted Asparagus with Almonds and Crispy Bacon

Recipe Type: Side, Dinner, Vegetables, Pork, Bacon, Roasting, Quick and Easy

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
4 slices bacon
1 T olive oil
salt
pepper
1/4 almonds (I used roasted and salted), chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
Place bacon strips into a cold skillet. Turn on heat and cook until crispy. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Toss asparagus with oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 5 minutes. Turn and roast 5-8 minutes more, or until they are as crispy as you would like.
Top asparagus with bacon and almonds. Pour lemon juice over.
Serve immediately.

Wednesday

9

April 2014

0

COMMENTS

How To: Take the Bite Out of Radishes

Written by Rachel, Posted in Dairy-Free, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, Herbs, How To, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Roasting, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Radishes they have a bit of a bite.

They’re peppery.

I get it.

They can be great raw, when mixed with the right flavors (ahem, two recent posts: Radish and Feta Toasts, and Radish Slaw).

They’re super in soups (yep, did that on purpose), tasty in frittatas, impossibly good (and impossible to detect) in Shepherd’s Pie.

Buuuut, let’s try one more way. Let’s roast them.

Let’s tame the heck out of them.

Oh, and this is gonna be really simple.

You ready?!

When I was working on this recipe I tried a few different things. I was going to make a sauce for the radishes, or maybe add a little more to them when roasting. But I realized that they didn’t need it.

They have a fun and interesting flavor. Why mask it?

I thought they’d be good quartered. They could be halved, or left whole. Just adjust the roasting time.

Then they’re tossed with just a few things: thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

On to a baking sheet and they’re ready for the oven.

I told you it was going to be easy.

Just like their flavor, the colors become muted.

The remind me a bit of Easter eggs.

They’re served with a squeeze of lemon.

Simple as that. They’ve been tamed.

In my experience, cooking is generally a good way to tame a bold food. Whether it’s braised, roasted, sautéed, grilled… the heat usually mellows things out. However, if you’d like to try keeping things raw, mixing with complimentary flavors will also do the trick.

For radishes, think things like:

Lemon + dill + crab + cucumber + cream cheese.

Lemon juice + olive oil + parsley + onions.

Shrimp + soy sauce + scallions.

I like to chop or grate loud veggies when they’re going to be eaten raw (hello garlic, red onion, and radish!). It lets them continue to sing, just a little bit quieter, in harmony with the other ingredients.

There’s no need shy away from radishes any more. Whether they’re raw or cooked, I’ve got you covered.

Happy Eating!

Roasted Radishes

Recipe Type: Side, Roasting, Vegetarian, Vegan, Vegetables, Radishes

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 2

Taming radish’s peppery bite by roasting them.

Ingredients

1 bunch (about 8) radishes, tips and tails removed, quartered
1 t olive oil
to taste salt
to taste pepper
1/4 t dried thyme, crushed
lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
Toss radishes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes. Flip and roast for 5 minutes more.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

3.2.1269

Monday

31

March 2014

0

COMMENTS

Crostini with Sausage and Braised Greens

Written by Rachel, Posted in Appetizers, Braising, Bread, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Lunch, Meat, Pork, Sandwiches, Sausage, Sides, Snacks, Toasting, Vegetables

I may have a new favorite way to eat greens.

For a second, forget about what I know you must be anticipating as amazingness in the crostini. Ok. Done? Just for a moment… Because we need to talk about greens.

Not too long ago I talked about bitter greens and offered a few suggestions for their unbittering. I mentioned, but didn’t go into detail about braising. But, now that I’ve tried it, I may never go back to any other way of cooking greens. (Ok, that maaaaay be a bit dramatic…)

Braised greens are simply amazing.

Seriously.

Llano Seco sent me a ham hock. I just had to try braising the greens with it. Oooooh boy! What a fun treat. If you can find one, I’d totally recommend it. It will be worth it. If you can’t, vegetarian is wonderful as well. I’ve made braised greens both ways. I’ve enjoyed them all immensely.

The greens braised for about two hours. I’ve tried them after shorter amounts of time and they’re great too. So if you don’t have a lot of time, don’t worry about it. But, if you’ve got a few hours to spare, try it. (And by a few hours I mean a tiny bit of time to get the ingredients into a pot, then just one eyeball on the pot every so often.) The result is tender, flavorful, AWESOME greens.

They’re not only perfect to top our little crostini, but this big batch can be frozen and later added to soups, rice dishes, or used to top some Paris Potatoes.

Now we can talk about the crostini.

Sorry. Wait. I need to interrupt myself again to tell you that I made these, then I stood beside the photography table and devoured them. I just couldn’t stop.

Interruption over.

So there was a ham hock in the greens. Then there’s some Llano Seco Italian Sausage that’s chopped up and heated in a few tablespoons of the braising liquid. You could really just end there with the greens and sausage. Pile it all on some rice or potatoes and call it dinner.

But, I didn’t do that.

I wanted some little toasts. So I sliced up a baguette, drizzled it with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. They toasted up in the oven for a few minutes.

They were topped with some of the greens, and a few pieces of sausage. And then… a squeeze of lemon. One of my favorite ways to finish a dish.

If you can, share with friends. They will be glad you did.

Happy Eating!

Crostini with Sausage and Braised Greens

Recipe Type: Side, Snack, Sandwich, Toast, Meat, Sausage, Greens, Vegetables, Pork, Braising

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

Braised Greens: 2 T olive oil
2 C celery, chopped
1 radish, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
7 C vegetable stock
1 ham hock
8-9 C greens (mixture of any: chard, kale, collards, spinach…), roughly chopped
salt
pepper
2 T white vinegar
Crostini: 10-20 slices of baguette
olive oil
salt
pepper
1 clove garlic (optional)
3-4 T braising liquid
2-3 Italian sausages, halved and chopped
lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

Heat a soup pot. Add oil. Add celery, radish, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add ham hock and cook for 2 minutes. Add greens and vinegar and cook for 2 minutes more.
Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1-2 hours, stirring every once in a while.
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Drizzle baguette slices with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until crispy. Rub with a clove of garlic if desired.
Add 3-4 T of the braising liquid to a skillet and add the sausage. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until heated through.
Top each slice of toasted baguette with some greens (try to avoid too much braising liquid so they don’t get soggy), a few pieces of sausage, and a squeeze of lemon.
Serve immediately.

3.2.1269

Monday

24

March 2014

0

COMMENTS

Radish Slaw

Written by Rachel, Posted in Dinner, Gluten Free, Herbs, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Salads, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Anyone else find themselves in need of some good coleslaw when spring comes along? The days are longer, people enjoy more meals outdoors, and my nose starts to anticipate the smell of barbecues grilling through the open windows.

What I’d really like right now is some grilled fish, crispy potatoes, and this coleslaw on the side. Are you sitting outside, imagining how delicious this would taste?

Hello, spring. We welcome you.

Um, so these are not necessarily spring veggies per se. But, when combined with bright, fresh flavors like dill, parsley, and lemon, spring is ushered right in.

I like to grate veggies when I’m using them in salads and coleslaws. I feel like it helps them to mellow out a little. Instead of a big chunk of carrot or radish, it’s a light, flaky morsel.

If you’re not a big fan of the spiciness of radishes, this might be a way that you can handle them raw.

It’s how raw radish rolls in our house.

(I was going to ask you to try saying “raw radish rolls” a bunch of times fast, but then I tried it and it’s not so difficult…)

Can we talk about homemade salad dressing for a second?

I’m a big fan. That’s all I really wanted to say…

Ok, we can also talk about the dill in there and how its flavor pops, how the honey adds just a barely there hint of sweetness, and the yogurt adds a creamy dreaminess.

This coleslaw would be great alongside some grilled fish (again, my craving), or with some crispy fish tacos. It could also be fabulous with a Reuben, a chicken sandwich, or an ooey gooey cheddar grilled cheese sandwich.

Don’t miss this one!

Happy Eating!

Radish Slaw

Recipe Type: Side, Salad, Vegetable, Vegetarian

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Prep time: 15 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

Dressing: 1/2 to 1 t fresh dill, chopped
1/4 T fresh (or 1/4 t dried) basil, chopped
1/2 T fresh (or 1/2 t dried) parsley, chopped
1/2 C spring onion, diced
to taste salt
to taste pepper
2 t lemon juice
1/2 t apple cider vinegar
1/2 T olive oil
2 T milk (or cream)
1/4 C Greek (or plain) yogurt
1/2 t honey
Slaw: 1/2 C radish (any kind), grated (or minced)
1/2 C celery, diced (or minced)
1 C carrot, grated (or minced)

Instructions

Whisk together dressing ingredients.
Combine dressing with veggies. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.
Serve with your favorite seafood!

3.2.1269

Wednesday

19

March 2014

0

COMMENTS

Radish and Feta Toasts

Written by Rachel, Posted in Appetizers, Brunch, Cheese, Gluten Free, Herbs, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Sandwiches, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

It sure feels like spring here in LA. And our boxes of Abundant Harvest Organics goodness are telling the same story. We’re into the season of radishes, snap peas, and asparagus.

I love it!

Different varieties of radishes are sent to us year round it seems. I love using them in things like soups, frittatas, and Shepherd’s Pie.

Something these dishes all have in common: they hide the radishes well.

That’s ok. I mean, I figure that it’s great to get as many veggies into a dish as you can. But, how about if we highlight the radish a wee bit here, and enjoy a little bit of the bite.

You ready?

So that it’s not too strong, the radish is chopped small (diced or minced). Whatever kind of radish you have will do just fine.

Mix away. This is going on some toast!

Things get all fresh and bright and springlike when flavors like lemon, dill, and feta are combined together.

Can you taste it? Are you eating it for snack out on the porch, enjoying the spring weather?

Maybe you’re having it for dinner, along with some white fish that you’ve roasted in the oven. Mmm… I think that sounds lovely.

If there are any leftovers, wrap it up in your favorite kind of tortilla with some snap peas and kale. You’ll be glad you saved some for lunch.

Happy Eating!

Radish and Feta Toasts

Recipe Type: Side, Snack, Sandwich, Herbs, Cheese, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Dill

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

1/4 C radish, minced
1/2 T salted butter, at room temperature/softened
1/2 T olive oil
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 oz. cream cheese
1 T lemon juice
1/4 C spring onion, minced
1/2 T fresh basil, minced
1/2 to 1 T fresh dill, minced
1/2 T fresh parsley, minced
to taste salt
2-4 slices bread (sourdough, rye, French), toasted

Instructions

Combined radish through salt. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Spread on toasted bread.
Enjoy.

3.2.1269

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Sides Archive

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Roasted Asparagus with Almonds and Crispy Bacon

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How To: Take the Bite Out of Radishes

Happy Eating!

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Crostini with Sausage and Braised Greens

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Radish Slaw

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Radish and Feta Toasts

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