Category: Side Dish

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Red Rice and Quinoa Salad with Orange and Pistachios

made by Loren
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s!! recipe in Food & Wine.
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 cup quinoa
1 cup Bhutanese red rice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup dried apricots (diced), cherries or cranberries
1-2 Navel Oranges, supremed and cut into small pieces
1 large or 2 small red beets
Bring 2 medium saucepans of salted water to a boil. I added 1 ½” chunks of beet to the red rice water, for color, removing them after it was sufficiently red, before adding the rice.Add the quinoa to 1 saucepan and the red rice to the other.
Cover and simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 12 minutes for the quinoa and 35 minutes for the rice. Drain the grains and spread them out on baking sheets to cool.
While grains are cooking, grate the rest of the beets and put aside.
Step 2   
In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
Step 3 
In a large bowl, combine the orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, garlic and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the quinoa, rice, onion, and shaved beets. This can sit for 1-2 hours before serving. Add apricots, pistachios and scallions and lettuce just before serving.
Make Ahead
The cooked quinoa and rice and the dressing can be refrigerated separately overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.
Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Jerk Cauliflower

http://divaliciousrecipes.com/2016/09/14/jerk-cauliflower/
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Serves 4
Ingredients
  1. 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
Marinade
  1. 5 scallions/spring onions
  2. 1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
  3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  4. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  5. 1 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  6. 1 teaspoon marjoram
  7. 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
  8. 2 scotch bonnet peppers
  9. 2 tablespoon lime juice
  10. 2 tablespoon olive oil
  11. 1/4 cup vinegar
  12. ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  13. ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  14. 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  15. 2 cloves garlic
  16. 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
  1. Chop the spring onions, peppers, onion and garlic.
  2. Place in a food blender and add the remaining marinade ingredients.
  3. Puree until you have a smooth consistency.
  4. Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl and add about a quarter of the marinade to the bowl. Mix well until the cauliflower is coated.
  5. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  6. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F degrees.
  7. Arrange the cauliflower florets on a baking tray and bake for 40 minutes, turning over half way through cooking.
  8. Eat and enjoy!
Notes
  1. Nutritional Info per quarter – 114 Calories, 7g Fat, 3g Protein, 11g Total Carbs, 4g Fibre, 7g Net Carbs

I went to a farmers market and they had huge orange cauliflower so I decided to use that for this month’s theme..

cauliflower one.png

The recipe calls for preparing in advance and letting it sit in a marinate for at least 2 hours (for me it was closer to 7 hours) .

I used a lot more of the jerk/marinade than the recipe called for (probably twice as much). I’m not sure if that’s partly why the final dish was very spicy.

I couldn’t find scotch bonnets so I just habaneros instead.

habanero.png

This isn’t a very precise recipe. I prefer recipes to give weight measurements for ingredients. For example it says you need I need 5 green onions. Depending on where you get them around here they be about the size of a straw or about ½ the size of a leek.

Onions – what kind? What size? Also, I used all fresh herbs but it wasn’t clear if that’s what I was supposed to do.

(I think this was the first time I’ve cooked with fresh marjoram:
marjaram.png

I thought it needed a little more salt. Overall for me I would give it 7 out of 10. Next time I may cook it at a lower temp for longer.

cauliflower row.JPG

 

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto (Pesto Alla Trapanese)

 Ingredients

  1. ¼ cup slivered almonds
  2. 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2 1/2 cups)
  3. ½ cup packed fresh basil leaves
  4. 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
  5. 1 small pepperoncini (hot peppers in vinegar), stemmed, seeded, and minced (about 1/2 teaspoon) (see note)
  6. Table salt
  7. pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
  8. ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  9. 1 pound pasta, preferably linguine or spaghetti
  10. 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

Instructions

Serves 4 to 6

A half teaspoon of red wine vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes can be substituted for the pepperoncini. If you don’t have a food processor, a blender may be substituted. In step 2, pulse ingredients until roughly chopped, then proceed with the recipe, reducing processing times by half.

1. Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Cool almonds to room temperature.

2. Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperoncini, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.

3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.

4. Add pesto and ½ cup Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta cooking water so that pesto coats pasta. Serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately.