Category: Vegetables + Salads

Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon
2 pints Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, halved
1 apple, cored, cut into 1/4-inch slices and halved crosswise
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Arrange bacon in a single layer on a large baking pan. Bake until browned, about 10 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for another 15 minutes. Add apple in another layer. Roast for another 10 minutes or until apples are soft.
2. Remove from oven and put into a salad bowl. Separate bacon pieces and chop into smaller pieces. Toss back in the bowl with sprouts and apples and vinegar.

Adapted from Mare Restaurant, Boston

Ingredients:
a dozen zucchini squash blossoms, stamen removed, gently washed in cold water and dried with paper towel
1/2 cup goat cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsps fine yellow cornmeal
1 cup milk
1 large egg
oil, salt and pepper

1. In a medium bowl, combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, basil, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork until well blended. Using a teaspoon, stuff the squash blossoms.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal with salt and pepper. Stir to mix well. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the milk and egg until well blended. Dip one blossom into the milk mixture, then into the flour mixture. Place on a large plate or pan. Repeat with all of the blossoms.
3. Add oil to a large heated heavy skillet. Fry the stuffed blossoms until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on white paper towels and serve.

Adapted from The New York Times

Ingredients:
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 medium eggplant, diced
1 red pepper, cored, stemmed and julienned
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
1 onion, quartered
12 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tomatoes, cut into eighths
1/4 cup red curry paste, or to taste
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper
Thai basil leaves for garnish

1. Heat oven to 450°. Place a Dutch oven over medium heat and add all but a tablespoon of the peanut oil. A minute later, add all vegetables except tomatoes; sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir. Put pot in oven and roast, stirring once or twice, for 30 minutes. Add tomatoes, stir, and continue to roast until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, about 45 minutes to an hour total.
2. Put remaining oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add curry paste and stir; whisk in coconut milk, peanut butter and soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Keep warm.
3. When vegetables are done, stir in coconut milk mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more soy sauce or curry paste if necessary. Garnish with herbs and serve hot or warm.

This is one of my favorite summer salads adapted from Dan Barber’s Blue Hill Restaurant in New York City. In the summer, you can go to the market and all kinds of tomatoes are available. Watermelon also come cheap. This salad is already refreshing, but to add mint and basil in it just makes it more special.

Ingredients:
1 watermelon, preferably seedless, rind removed, cubed
1 quart of yellow, red, orange cherry or graped tomatoes, halved
lemon juice
red wine vinegar
1 small Thai chili, chopped
handful of basil, finely chopped
handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
olive oil, salt, pepper

1. Into a bowl, whisk the vinegar and the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chili and the herbs.
2. Add the tomatoes and the watermelon. Toss. Chill and serve.

Adapted from The Tasting Room, New York City

Ingredients:
2 pints of oyster mushrooms
1 cup sugar snap peas, destringed
1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
4 large eggs
chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup crushed hazelnuts
2 tbsp chives, minced
salt and pepper

1. Clean mushrooms, using your fingers to brush away dirt and remove woody parts. Break into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
2. Place a small pot of salted water over high heat. When water boils, add peas and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water.
3. Place a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add mushrooms and stir until their color deepens and aroma intensifies, about two minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, remove from heat and continue stirring. After a minute, mushrooms should release some liquid; if not, add a tablespoon or two of the stock. Return pan to heat, add butter and peas and stir until hot, about 2 minutes. Shut off heat and divide among four plates.
4. Fill a deep skillet with a few inches of water, add vinegar and salt and place over high heat. Crack eggs into small, separate cups. When water boils, reduce heat to a low simmer and carefully pour in eggs one at a time. Cook until whites are firmly set. Strain eggs with a slotted spoon and transfer each to a plate atop mushrooms. Sprinkle with hazelnuts, chives and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.