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Chef2Chef Recipe Club - Volume 6 Issue 46 - March 8, 2004 Chef2Chef Recipe Club Member Forum: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- Hello Recipe Club, I'm happy to announce that Chef Paul Silva is hosting another week of our Recipe Club. His theme will be Savory Vegetable Side Dishes. Without further ado. They are the Carl Reiner to the Mel Brooks, the Ed McMahon to the Johnny Carson and the Pinky to the Brain. They are side dishes - never starring on the plate, but playing second fiddle and supporting the main item - an afterthought, at best. At least that's how some people see them. I don't! When composing menus, I find that the sides are what really pique my interest, and can turn a good dish into a great dish. The same can be done at home, and without long complicated recipes. I want to focus solely on vegetables this week. Vegetables are, to me, the most exciting foods to work with. Your creativity knows no bounds with vegetables, and like a cut of beef that has been aged properly, a vegetable picked when it needs to be, at the peak of freshness, needs little fussing with to highlight the true flavours. The recipes that follow reflect that philosophy. Now put those frozen packages and boil-in-a-bag items away, let's hit the market and start cooking! (Note: these recipes are also friendly to those low-carbohydrate diets that are popular these days) -------------------------------------------------- Recipe Club, You can always win cool stuff at Chef2Chef.net Do you need a brand new Chef Knife? Chef Revival is giving away eight 8 inch Chef Knives on March 31st to some lucky Chef2Chef.net Recipe Club members. Register for a chance to Win! http://ads.chef2Chef.net/goto.php?id=36 Register to win a copy of the Chef of the Month, Russell Cronkhite's cookbook, A Return To Sunday Dinner. A must have for your cookbook collection http://marketplace.chef2chef.net/sweep/ Sign up for a FREE Subscription to Food Arts Magazine. The Magazine for the Foodservice and Hospitality Industry. U.S. residents only. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=242 -------------------------------------------------- Instead of telling you how good veggies are for you (boring), let's talk about how they assault the senses! The aroma of roasted asparagus with lemon and dill is heady, the colours of baby beets with shallots and balsamic vinegar utterly vibrant and the texture of silky spaghetti squash (say that five times fast!) with dried cranberries is wonderful. When using vegetables, think of all these things - aromas, colours and textures - and let them guide you! -------------------------------------------------- Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Dill This is my favourite way of using the thicker asparagus that you find arriving midway through spring. The lemon and dill are added at the end to lighten things up and to add to the already wonderful aromas coming from the oven. I once served this to someone who didn't like asparagus, and watched him eat two servings! Serves 4 Ingredients: 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed 3 Tbsp. olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste 2 lemons, zested and juiced 1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped dill 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1/2 tsp. honey Preparation: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a shallow dish, toss the asparagus, olive oil and salt and pepper together. Lay the asparagus in one level layer. Place in oven and roast, uncovered for approximately 10 minutes, or until the asparagus is just tender. Transfer to a serving plate. Whisk the lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, olive oil and honey together in a small bowl. Top the asparagus with some of the dressing and keep the rest on the side. -------------------------------------------------- Athens Foods: More fillo than anyone, everyday, all over the world! Athens is world's largest producer of fillo dough and fillo products. We have over 40 years of experience in perfecting the fillo dough process and are committed to continually creating new recipes and fillo appetizers, desserts and delicacies. Find AthensT and ApolloT Fillo Dough in your local supermarket or specialty foods store. For more information about Athens or where to buy http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=395 -------------------------------------------------- Baby Beets with Shallots, Balsamic Vinegar and Horseradish I love baby beets - they look great, and don't take very long to cook. Look for candy cane or golden beets, if they are available - the colour contrast is amazing, and they taste fabulous. The sweetness of the beets find their foil in the bite of the balsamic vinegar and horseradish. If you can't find fresh horseradish, prepared is fine. Keep peeled horseradish in a container of water, or wrapped up in wet paper towel and refrigerated. Serves 4 Ingredients: 3 bunches, or approximately 20 baby beets 1 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 2 shallots, peeled and sliced thin into rings 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced 1/2 tsp. minced ginger 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1 small knob (about 1 inch x 1 inch x 1 inch piece) horseradish, peeled Salt and pepper, to taste 2 Tbsp. chopped tarragon (optional) Preparation: Trim the stalks off the beets. Place in a medium saucepot and cover with cold water to cover by 2 inches. Add 1 tsp. of salt to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and run cold water over the beets until they are cool enough to handle. Peel them by rubbing the skins - they should come off easily. Slice the beets in half (any way - lengthwise or widthwise - no matter!) Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. When the butter is foaming, add the shallots and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until the shallots have softened and browned a bit. Add the beets, garlic and ginger and sauté for an additional 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vinegar (keep your nose out of the way of the pan!) and cook on high until the vinegar has reduced to by 75 percent. Remove to a serving bowl, grate some fresh horseradish over, to taste, and garnish with tarragon (if using). -------------------------------------------------- Catalina Offshore Products For over twenty years Catalina Offshore Products Inc. has been distributing the freshest seafood to wholesalers who sell to restaurants and supermarkets everywhere. Now Catalina is selling its freshest seafood, including a variety of sushi/sashimi grade products, directly to the public via the Internet for wholesale prices. For More Information http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=400 -------------------------------------------------- Spaghetti Squash with Dried Cranberries This is a great Holiday side dish - festive colours and flavours abound here. The texture of spaghetti squash is a favourite of mine, and one squash that is severely underused. The key in using spaghetti squash is not to over cook it, or else you won't get those lovely long strands. Feel free to use other dried fruit, herbs or nuts in here (I personally love toasted cashews with this dish). Soak the dried cranberries in Brandy for a bigger "kick"! Serves 6-8 Ingredients: 2 5lb. spaghetti squashes Salt and pepper, to taste 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 cup dried cranberries (or cherries) 1/2 cup orange juice 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. lemon zest, chopped 2 Tbsp. chopped Italian flat leaf parsley Preparation: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the spaghetti squashes in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Divide the brown sugar, olive oil and nutmeg amongst the four pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Place cut side up on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Carefully turn the squash over and cook an additional 25 minutes, or until the flesh is soft, but not mushy. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Scrape the flesh with a fork, working across the shorter sides of the squash (widthwise, not lengthwise) and put into a bowl. Reserve. You can do this a day ahead and keep refrigerated until ready to use. In the meantime, add the dried cranberries (or cherries) to the orange juice. Let plump up for at least 30 minutes. Remove the dried cranberries (use the leftover orange juice for a martini!) and pat dry. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the squash, rehydrated cranberries, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sauté until the squash is just heated through. Remove from the heat and fold in the lemon zest and parsley. Put on serving platter. -------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS, Comments, Technical Support: http://forums.chef2chef.net |