Cuisine: Side dish
Asparagus Gratinato with Grana Padano
Asparagus Gratinato with Grana Padano is delicious and easy to roast. Grana Padano is one of the most popular cheeses of Italy. The name comes from the noun grana, which refers to the distinctively grainy texture of the cheese. Though similar to Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano is inexpensive because areas producing the cheese are bigger. Grana is less crumbly, milder and less complex than Parmigiano Reggiano.
By - Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Chilled Broccoli & Snap Peas with Creamy Tarragon Dressing
Chilled Broccoli & Snap Peas with Creamy Tarragon Dressing is sucn nice and refreshing salad for your summer BBQ or picnic.
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 5 mins
- Yields: 6 - 8 Servings
Long Lake Lentil Salad
This recipe comes from my friend Jacki. She calls it Long Lake Salad. Du Puy lentils or French green lentils were originally grown in the volcanic soils of Puy in France, but now they're also grown in North America and Italy. They're especially good in salads since they remain firm after cooking and have a rich flavor. They cook a bit slower than other lentils. I used golden raisins and dried apricots instead of currants and added goat cheese and toasted walnuts.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 6 - 8 Servings
Havana Black Beans
The perfect accompaniment to Cuban Chicken with Pineapple and Cuban Style Rice and Peas.
- Prep: 8 hrs
- Cook: 2 hrs
- Yields: 8 Servings
Spring Vegetables Steeped in Dashi (Ohitashi)
Ohitashi is a method of steeping vegetables in a delicate dashi, which infuses ingredients with umami and lovely flavor but retains the food's natural taste and sensibility. The trick is to first blanch and shock the vegetables (quickly boiling in water, "blanching," then halting the cooking by plunging in ice-water, a.k.a. "shocking"). By partially cooking this way, you transform ingredients from the raw state, but still retain their integrity, and allow them to absorb the dashi. Ohitashi is very versatile, and you can prepare it with green beans, spinach, shishito peppers, broccoli, snap peas, sugar peas, cherry tomatoes, and all kinds of mushrooms. I used asparagus, sugar snap peas, shiitake mushrooms and green onions.
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 45 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Cuban Style Rice and Peas
This Cuban Style Rice and Peas is another versatile dish where you can add left over chicken pieces, or ham. This rice freezes well. Reheat in microwave with a about a 1-2 Tablespoons of water. Serve this with Cuban Pineapple Chicken and Havana Black Beans.
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 4 - 6 Servings
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
These Grilled Portobello Mushrooms make a great side dish for a grilled steak.
- Prep: 1 hr 10 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Broccoli Rabe with Caramelized Onions
Broccoli Rabe or Rapini is a vegetable. The edible parts are the leaves, buds, and stems. The buds somewhat resemble broccoli, but do not form a large head. If you have leftovers, use it the next day stuffed into a baked potato, put it on pizza, or add it to a sandwich.
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: 4 - 6 Servings
Roasted Broccoli with Pepperoni Crumbs
This Roasted Broccoli with Pepperoni Crumbs is an absolutely addictive side dish! Broccoli seems to be a popular vegetable in our house. I basically always roast vegetables. This bread crumb mixture adds extra crunch and flavor, though it takes it away from being vegetarian. There are some many other uses for this fabulous crunchy mixture. I even threw it on our baked potatoes. I could even see sprinkling it over salads.
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Red, White & Blue Potato Salad
I catered an event for 100 people. I was asked to make potato salad. Making potato salad makes me nervous! People are very particular about their potato salad and making it for 100 is tricky. I used 3 kinds of potatoes - red, purple and white. I did this so I did not have to peel them (all 16 pounds!). Fortunately, I had the foresight to boil the purple ones separately. They would have turned the entire dish a grayish / blueish tinge. I scaled the recipe down for you! This is a very simple and basic recipe, but it ended up being a big hit.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 15 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
