FamilyFood

White Asparagus with Ham and Gruyere

For this easy side dish, I tossed a bunch of white asparagus gently with a little olive oil (not too much as the cheese will release some oil), salt, and pepper.  I arranged it in a baking dish and topped with:

• 1 large slice or 2 small slices of Black Forest Ham, julienned
• a handful of grated gruyere
• a handful of grated parmesan

Bake at 350º until asparagus are tender but crisp, about 10-15 minutes depending.

Simple Sides: Roasted King Trumpet Mushrooms

I love King Trumpet (or Oyster) mushrooms because they have the same meaty texture of fresh porcinis (which are nigh impossible to find) even if they don't exactly have a fresh porcini's rich flavor. They also don't have the creepy gills and unappealing sponginess that portobellos have. (I love mushrooms and simply cannot choke down a portobello.)

The easiest way I know to make them is just to stick 'em in a hot oven and don't bother them too much.  You begin with beautiful raw mushrooms, ends trimmed. Toss them with olive oil, garlic, and alae (pink) Hawaiian salt (or sea salt).

Get into my belly!

Put them into a 375º oven for about 25 minutes. You can give them a gentle stir about half-way through the cooking time.  When they are done, they come out looking like this:

Chewy, garlicky yumminess.

I served these alongside lamb chops when the smart and soignée Katherine came to dinner a few weeks ago.

Crunchy Korean Cucumber Salad

This salad is so easy to prepare it's stoopid.  The key, though, it making sure you serve it immediately after you toss it so that the salt doesn't have a chance to wilt the cukes. I like it when the cucumbers are still icy-cold from the fridge and you get the pleasant crunch of sea salt with every bite. The recipe calls for ground toasted sesame seeds (You can find sesame seed grinders at any Japanese market.), but if you can't find a grinder a mortar and pestle will work.  Or just sprinkle them on without grinding.

KOREAN CUCUMBER SALAD

• 2 medium-sized cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped into chunks
• half a thinly-sliced small yellow onion, or 1-2 green onions, thinly-sliced
• a drizzle of toasted sesame oil (maybe a teaspoon or two)
• a hefty grinding of toasted sesame seeds (see photo)
• sea salt to taste (large flakes are great, but avoid large the coarse rocks usu. found in salt grinders)
• optional: shaved garlic is great in this, so are a few very thinly-sliced green chilis.

Toss everything together and serve immediately. Serves 4 as a side dish (or two of my children--they love this).  We had this along-side kalbi (Korean BBQ ribs) last night.

Creamy Brussels Sprouts

When Mary Tsao mentioned the creamy brussels sprouts the first time, I sat up and took notice. When she mentioned them a second time, I knew I would be making them ASAP.

ASAP was last night. I cooked up two pounds of sprouts and Bunny, my five-year-old brussels sprouts freak, ate about a pound and a half of them. Next time I think I'll double the recipe and that'll be dinner along with a loaf of crusty bread.

They were creamy and cheesy and nutty and in a word: gooooooooood.

"Steakhouse" Salad: Tomatoes, Sweet Onions, and Blue Cheese

This salad, is hands-down, my family's favorite. What's not to love about thick slabs of sweet, juicy heirloom tomatoes; thinly-sliced piquant onions; and crumbles of sharp and salty blue cheese (in this case Stilton and gorgonzola)?

Bunny and Wallie love blue cheese (just like their parents) and by the time I get around to serving this salad, I notice that there are far fewer crumbles on it than I thought...Hmmmm...

Simply arrange the tomato slices on a plate and lightly salt them (just a touch to bring out the tomato flavor; the cheese is salty), top with onions and cheese and fresh ground pepper, then drizzle with fruity olive oil.  We had this alongside grassfed tri-tip from Whole Foods, and it was the perfect complement to the meal.

Panzanella: Italian Bread Salad

This classic Italian dish is the perfect way to transition from summer to fall. You combine hearty leftover bread—the drier the better—with juicy tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. Some people like to add all manner of things like cucumbers or peppers or olives. I'm a purist and I like to keep it simple. I might add some thinly sliced sweet red or yellow onion or a splash (just a splash) of red wine vinegar, but I try to let the tomatoes shine through.

For this recipe, I used about 1/3 of a loaf of very stale La Brea Bakery whole grain loaf, three large and juicy heirloom tomatoes, a couple handfuls of fresh basil, about 4 glugs of fruity olive oil (use the best you have), half a thinly sliced onion added just before serving, a slug of red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper.

You need to start the recipe at least two hours before you serve it.  The best part about it is that it needs no refrigeration, in fact, refrigeration destroys the flavors, so make sure to keep and serve it at room temperature.

The procedure is as follows:

• Dice bread into 1-inch cubes, and layer into a bowl.
• Placed chopped tomatoes (no need to seed) and any accumulated juices into the bowl atop the tomatoes.
• Salt the tomatoes, drizzle olive oil over everything, scatter basil over the top, and just let the bowl hang out on your kitchen counter for 2-4 hours.
• Just before serving, add the onions and a splash of vinegar.  Toss well. Salt and pepper to taste, and add a touch more olive oil.  Serve. Serves 4.

You can also omit the last step and just serve it after the bread has had a chance to absorb the tomato juices.

Sauteed Italian runner beans

Runner beans (aka Italian flat beans) have been so delicious from our local farmer's market lately.  My favorite way to do 'em up is to saute some smashed garlic and sweet red onion in olive oil until the onions go all caramel-y. (In winter time I also add a bit of diced pancetta.) Then I dump in the beans (ends snapped) and sauté until they are crisp-tender. Sea salt and fresh ground pepper are the finishing touch.  We had these along side grilled lamb tonight.

"Spanish" Rice

I make this because the girls love it. It's a "Mexican Monday" staple. It's a great accompaniment for carne asada or chile verde or enchiladas.

SPANISH RICE

3-4 glugs of olive oil
1/2 a large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, smushed
a half palmful of cumin seeds
1.5 cups of long grain white or brown rice
2-2.5 cups of water
2 medium tomatoes, quartered
2 tsps of tomato paste (for flavor and color, I use the kind that comes in a tube.)
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, garlic, and cumin seeds in olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat until onions are translucent and cumin seeds become fragrant. Add in rice and saute until rice is well-coated with oil, about 1-2 minutes. Add water and raise heat so that mixture comes to a simmer. Add in tomatoes and tomato paste, stir. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 20-25 minutes without disturbing until all liquid is absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste. Fluff rice with a fork before serving. Serves 4 with leftovers.

Views from a barbecue-filled weekend

Can I just say, I love the afternoon light in our backyard? I never ever take photos with flash and afternoon is my favorite time of day for the beautiful, golden light.

On Saturday it was burgers, BBQ kosher chicken, and cupcakes (Wallie and cupcake crumb mouth).

Then on Memorial Day, we brought out the big guns. Schaub's "black meat" aka marinated bottom sirloin (which my husband likes to refer to as "baby seal')...

And sangria (which I drank way too much of):

I made some sides (grilled chicken pasta salad with red peppers and fresh baby spinach, broccoli salad) and bought a side (rosemary orzo with golden raisins)...and people brought more sides.

Chicken kebabs off the skewer.

The condiment tray (I love me some condiments).

"Healthy" crudités with non-healthy dip and salt and pepper (Italian-style).

...and despite me giving away "meat carepackages" to everyone who came (we also cooked up about 2 dozen sausages and a slab of salmon) we have enough food left over to last us through until Labor Day, it seems.

God, I love cooking outdoors. It really can't be beat.

Crunchy Broccoli Salad (or reason #96 to keep ready-made bacon on hand)

I normally prefer uncured, nitrite-free bacon (or pancetta) for me and my family, but I cannot deny the appeal of ready-cooked bacon. It's convenient, cooks up in seconds in the micro, and doesn't get your kitchen all greazy.  Bacon can be such a production to cook, and frankly, I don't like the clean-up.

Costco carries the thick-cut, ready-cooked style I prefer, and I keep the pack in my freezer and take out slices as needed.  I use it for:

• quick BLT's with avocado
• topping burgers
• Cobb salads
• warm spinach or Brussels sprouts salads
• crumbling over deviled eggs
• crumbling into potato salad
• crumbling into pancake/waffle batter
• oh! and for breakfast, alongside eggs or in egg sandwiches

One of the best uses for ready-made bacon is the broccoli salad below. I made it for two BBQs this weekend, and it was a hit both times. I'm sharing the recipe from the Essential Mormon cookbook in the hopes that you will try it and then order the book. It's a fun cookbook of tasty, simple, and satisfying dishes and is a delightful read as well.

BROCCOLI SALAD

You've probably had this, but not as good.

2 bunches broccoli (about 1 pound) cut into small florets
1 medium purple onion, finely chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I used Irish white cheddar)
6 strips of cooked, crumbled bacon
1/2 cup sunflower seeds or raisins (I used the seeds)
1 recipe Broccoli Salad dressing (1 cup mayo, 2 tbsp red or white wine vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt [I used less sugar and added pepper])

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Serve immediately or later that day. (Keeps for about a day.)

To order the cookbook, click the icon below.