Broccoli, Date and Pistachio Dense Bean Salad

Serves 2-4 

1 ½ lbs. broccoli
evoo
sea salt and black pepper
1 can cannellini beans or chickpeas, drained
⅓ c. toasted pistachios or almonds, chopped
12 deglet dates or 6 medjool dates, pitted and torn
handful chopped coriander/cilantro leaves

Spiced vinaigrette
2 t. ras el hanout, baharat or curry powder
2 T. white wine vinegar
¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
1 small shallot , thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1 T maple syrup
1/4 - ½ t. red chilli/pepper flakes
½ t. sea salt

In a jar, combine the as el hanout, baharat or curry powder, vinegar, olive oil, shallot, garlic, maple syrup, red chilli/pepper flakes and salt. Shake to combine.

Finely chop the broccoli flowers. Remove the woody exterior of the stalk and then shred it with a cheese grater and add to the rest of the broccoli.

Heat a large frying pan on medium high for 2 minutes. When hot, drizzle with olive oil and add the broccoli, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and lots of black pepper and toss for 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

To the broccoli, add the beans or chickpeas, pistachio, and dates. Add the dressing and toss to evenly distribute. Add the herbs, season with salt and black pepper and toss again. The salad can be prepped ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

If you don’t have dates, you could go for dried fruit like raisins (sultanas), apricots, cranberries or figs – I would soak them in a couple tablespoons of water, orange juice or 1 part vinegar mixed with 3 parts water to rehydrate them and make them plump and juicy.

Roasted Cauliflower with Harissa Chili Oil & Smoky Yogurt

A modification of Yotam Ottolenghi's flavorful recipe.

Smoky Yogurt
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½  t red wine vinegar
½ t crushed red chile flakes
½ t smoked sea salt, or a couple drops of liquid smoke and 1/2 t kosher salt
1 ½ t water

Rose Harissa

40 g dried guajillo chilies

25 g dried ancho chilies

4 garlic cloves, peeled 

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds 

1½ tsp caraway seeds 

1 tbsp tomato paste

1½ tsp granulated sugar

1½ tsp paprika

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp rosewater

4 tbsp cider vinegar

½ cup olive oil, divided 

1½ tsp salt

Place a large frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is very hot, add the chilies and garlic. Toast until fragrant and charred, about 2 minutes. Pick out the garlic and set aside. Transfer the chilies to a heat-proof bowl.

Pour enough boiling water over the chilies to cover them, and then weigh them down with a small plate. Soak for 30 minutes to soften and rehydrate, then strain. Roughly chop the chilies and add them to the bowl of a food processor.

Meanwhile, add the cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds to the same pan, and toast over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the seeds to a mortar and pestle and roughly crush them before adding them to the food processor along with the chopped chilies, garlic, tomato paste, sugar, and chili powder or paprika. Pulse a few times until roughly chopped and combined.

Add the lemon juice, rosewater, the cider vinegar, olive oil, and a pinch of salt to the food processor. Blitz until you have a coarse paste.

Transfer the harissa to a sterilized airtight jar and keep refrigerated if not using right away. Harissa keeps, covered with a layer of oil, in the refrigerator for several weeks. 

>>for the chili oil

60 g Rose Harissa

1 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp Aleppo chili

3/4 tsp granulated sugar

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Salt

½ c olive oil

In a bowl, add the Rose Harissa, tomato paste, Aleppo chili, sugar, garlic, salt, and olive oil, and whisk to combine.

2 large whole cauliflower with leaves (about 4 lbs)

1 large onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges

4 Fresno chilies, stems on, slit down the center

cilantro leaves

1 lemon; cut into wedges

Cut each cauliflower into quarters, making sure that the leaves remain attached at the base.

Fill a large pot with well-salted water and bring to a boil. Boil the cauliflower for 2 minutes, weighing it down with a lid a little smaller than the pan to ensure they stay submerged. Transfer the wedges to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Add the onion and chilies to the baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make the Rose Harissa (see page 18).

Pour the chili oil over the cauliflower, onions, and Fresno chilies. Use your hands to toss well (wear gloves if you are sensitive to spice), massaging the chili oil into all of the crevasses of the cauliflower.

Roast the cauliflower until the cauliflower is golden brown and crispy, 45 to 60 minutes, basting the vegetables with the chili oil 2 or 3 times throughout cooking.

Transfer the roasted cauliflower to a serving platter, spooning all of the remaining chili oil and its solids collected from the baking sheet over the top. Drizzle with smoky yogurt and garnish with cilantro leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice, and serve immediately.

  

Mixed Grilled Vegetables with Basil-Tarragon Vinaigrette

- 6 portobello mushrooms 
- 2 red onion 
- 1 red bell pepper 
- 1 yellow bell pepper 
- 2 zucchini 
- 2 yellow zucchini 
- 1 fennel bulb 
- olive oil 
- salt and pepper 
Vinaigrette 
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves 
- 1/4 cup fresh tarragon 
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 
- 1 clove garlic 
- salt and pepper 

Directions: 

1. Slice mushrooms into planks.

2. Cut onions in half; cut each half into 4-6 wedges, leaving stem intact.

3. Slice the top and bottom off peppers; discard seeds and ribs, cut into 1x3" strips.

4. Slice zucchini at a 45-degree angle into 1/2" thick slices.

5. Discard fennel tops; slice bulb lengthwise into 1/4" thick sections, leaving stem end intact.

6. In a large bowl, toss vegetables with just enough oil to coat; season with salt and pepper.  Grill over high heat until just crisp-tender, turning once.

7. Put vinaigrette ingredients in blender and puree.  Adjust oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

8. Arrange grilled vegetables attractively on platter and drizzle with vinaigrette. 

Carrots Cooked in Carrot Juice

This amazing method of cooking carrots comes from the fantastic Lucky Peach Magazine, a quarterly journal of food and writing. It’s a recipe by David Chang and comes from an article in the latest ‘Chefs Edition‘ where he challenges a few cooking techniques.

I’ll get to the carrots in a bit, but in this article, which is superbly written by Peter Meehan, Chang says ‘We’ve got to talk about it in the Chefs Issue. About not always blindly  following culinary dogma. Especially blanching. And stocks. Boiling stocks is so stupid. And olive oil is a scam for idiots.’

He puts forward a great argument for all of the above with Mark Bittman, and it’s an excellent read. I knew immediately that I wanted to test this technique as I really get the notion that blanching vegetables in water before finishing them off in the pan is weird. Im not sure if I totally agree with Chang’s philosophy about never blanching vegetables, because a quick blanch for some dishes can take the much needed raw edge off, but cooking carrots (or vegetables in general) in their own juice makes so much sense. The flavour intensifies and they are completely delicious. David cooks up these carrots in fresh carrot juice which has been fortified with kombu to add fantastic umami flavour. He’s very big into adding umami.

• 1 cup carrot juice
• 1 sheet kombu 
• 1 - 2 T butter
• 4 carrots scrubbed and roughly sliced on the bias
• salt to taste

1. In a small pot, heat the carrot juice with the kombu (lowest setting and allow it to steep for 20 - 40 mins.
2. Melt the butter in a wide pan with a lid and once the butter has stopped bubbling add your carrots. Add a large pinch of sea salt and toss it all around to coat the carrots. Add the carrot juice and cover the pan.
3. Continue to cook the carrots until done to your preference, giving the pan a shake now and again or stirring. They should be cooked around 6 - 8 minutes - or longer if you prefer softer. The goal is to be left with a reduction of juice that acts as a glaze to coat the carrots.

Edamame Succotash

I decided to try some "clean eating" as I gear up to drop these last 5-10 pounds before the wedding. This dish is super healthy, very colorful, and my cup and a half that I had for lunch comes in at 320 calories, 10 grams of fat, 42 grams of complex carbohydrates, 11 grams of fiber, a whopping 19 grams of protein and only 2 grams of natural sugar. 

From Clean Start by Terry Walters

2 cups water

1 ½ cups shelled edamame

sea salt

2 ears corn, cooked, kernels cut off

1 ½ cups cooked aduki beans

1 small red onion, diced

1 small orange bell pepper, diced

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1 tbsp tamari (or low-sodium soy sauce)

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

In a medium pot over high heat, bring water to a boil. Add edamame beans and a few pinches of salt and cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, drain water and return edamame to pot. Add corn, beans, onion, and bell peppers and toss to combine. Add tamari, sesame oil and sesame seeds and fold to distribute all ingredients evenly. Serve warm or cold. Serves 4.