Romanesco Salad
Bright Romanesco florets are tossed with an equally vibrant red wine vinaigrette, plus red onions, celery and capers in this fabulous salad from food blog Simple Recipes.
Ingredients:
2 heads Romanesco
2 stalks celery
½ large red onion
1 cup loosely-packed fresh parsley
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Dressing:
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ anchovy, minced (optional)
¼ cup high-quality olive oil
Method:
1. Cut Romanesco heads into quarters, stalk to tip. Cut out the tough core and any outside green leaves. Cut again lengthwise. Place into a steamer basket in a pot with about an inch of water. Sprinkle the Romanesco florets with a little salt. Bring water to a boil. Cover and steam until just tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove Romanesco florets from steamer, place into a bowl, and chill.
2. Thinly slice the celery and red onion. Place the red onion slices in a bowl and cover with water. Set aside.
3. Smash the whole clove of garlic (not cut, just smash with the flat side of a chef’s knife) and place in the bottom of a small bowl. Add the vinegar and salt, stir to dissolve the salt. Add the minced anchovy if using. Whisk in the olive oil.
4. Break up the wedges of Romanesco into smaller chunks of florets. Place into a large serving bowl. Add celery, onions (drained of the water), parsley, capers, and lemon zest. Remove the garlic clove from the dressing and add dressing to the salad. Toss to coat with the dressing. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes, preferably an hour. (It’s even better left overnight.) Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to serve.
Grilled Vegetable Medley
This recipe is extremely adaptable depending on the veggies you have on hand; feel free to mix it up!
Ingredients:
2 small, or 1 large zucchini, sliced into long strips
6-8 Hakurei turnips, trimmed of any greens and scrubbed clean
4 baby fennel bulbs, trimmed of green ends and sliced into thick wedges lengthwise
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Spread the vegetables out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Arrange the vegetables on the grill grate, or in a grill basket, and cook until all the veggies are softened and slightly charred (some will take longer than others, so plan to just keep watch). Remove from the heat and reserve until it’s time to serve up some risotto!
Herbed Turnip & Beet Chips
These crispy, herb-coated vegetables are a great complement to barbecue fare.
Ingredients:
5 turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
3 beets, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh herbs, such as rosemary, parsley or thyme
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400º. Wash, peel and thinly slice turnips and beets. (For quick results, use a Cuisinart food processor with the slice-blade.)
2. Transfer onto a foil-lined cookie sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and herbs. Toss together and arrange in a single layer.
3. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes, then turn them over and let cook another 20 minutes, or until they have reached the desired crispiness.
Chorizo Frittata
This savory-spicy frittata is delicious served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner!
Ingredients:
8 eggs
½ pound chorizo sausage
½ cup chopped leeks, white and light green parts only
½ cup chopped green onions
2 cups hearty greens, such as kale, washed, greens removed of any tough ribs and roughly chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes
½ cup milk
1 cup crumbled cotija or queso fresco cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375º.
2. Cook the chorizo sausage in a large ovenproof skillet until done, breaking the sausage into small chunks with a wooden spoon. Then, add the leeks and green onions and cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 2-3 minute, until both are softened and fragrant. Add in the cherry tomatoes and greens and cook until the greens are just wilted, then remove from the heat.
3. Crack eggs and break over a shallow bowl. Break yolks with a whisk or fork, then whisk together with the milk and ½ cup of the cheese, seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Add eggs to the frying pan and mix with the chorizo and vegetables.
4. Top the frittata with the remaining ½ cup cheese and then bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm.
F&L Summer Fruit Cake
Moist and incredibly flavorful, this summer fruit cake comes together in just minutes!
Ingredients:
F&L summer fruit cake mix
2 eggs
2 cups of summer fruit or berries, diced if needed
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, diced fruit or berries, stirring well to combine.
2. Pour batter into a greased cake pan and back for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly and serve warm.
Variation: This is also lovely baked in a cast-iron pan as an upside down cake. For this method, melt â…“ cup butter and â…“ cup sugar in a cast iron pan over medium-low heat, then pour in the mixed cake batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and invert the pan on a rimmed plate. Let sit 5 minutes then carefully remove the pan from the cake.
Red Cabbage-Fennel Slaw with Cilantro
This light, fresh dish is fantastic on tacos, pulled pork sandwiches or simply served as a summery side.
Ingredients:
1 small head green cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced
2 baby fennel bulbs, trimmed of fronds, cored and very thinly sliced
2-3 carrots, coarsely grated
¾ cup freshly-chopped cilantro
½ cup sour cream or crème fraîche
½ cup milk
Juice from 1 lime or lemon
Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream or crème fraîche with milk and lime juice. Season to taste with fresh ground pepper.
2. In a separate bowl, combine cabbage, fennel, carrots and cilantro. Drizzle with dressing, tossing to coat. Season with more pepper as desired and salt to taste.
Beet & Snap Pea Salad
This colorful salad is perfectly complemented by a lemon-honey vinaigrette.
Ingredients:
1 bunch beets, trimmed of any greens, washed and scrubbed
½ pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 cups mixed salad greens
Lemon-honey vinaigrette (see recipe)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Wrap the beets in aluminum foil. Bake until tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool. Peel beets and cut into wedges.
2. Cook sugar snap peas in large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Pat dry.
3. Line a serving platter with the greens Mix the beets and snap peas in a medium bowl with about ¼ cup of the honey-lemon vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper and then spoon the mixture over the greens. Drizzle with additional vinaigrette as desired.
Citrus-Fennel Salad
This classic Sicilian salad can be topped with any variety of citrus; try it with this week’s combo of grapefruit and Cara Cara oranges!
Ingredients:
2 cups citrus fruit
6-8 baby fennel bulbs
½ cup good quality olives, green or black
4 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
Method:
1. Peel and slice orange or grapefruit into small segments, removing the membrane when you come across it. Reserve half to use for the dressing. Slice the fennel, ideally with a mandolin, or as thinly as you can. Reserve some of the green fennel tops for garnish.
2. Toss the fennel, orange slices and olives in a bowl together.
3. In a small separate bowl, combine citrus juice, the extra virgin olive oil and salt and whisk to form an emulsion. Dress the salad with this mixture and garnish with some fennel tops.
Meyer Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette
This lovely vinaigrette is bright with lemon juice, sweet honey and fresh parsley.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons freshly-squeezed Meyer lemon juice
1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, pressed
¾ cup olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Whisk together lemon juice, zest, honey, parsley, mustard and garlic in a small bowl.
2. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until smooth. Use immediately, or chill for a later use. If chilled, allow vinaigrette to come to room temperature again, then whisk again to combine.