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Through the years, I’ve been in the chicken and pasta rut. I prepared the same dishes over and over again like roast chicken, which is a family favorite, and pasta with saut�ed sausages. Now I am in the vegetable rut.
Since Thanksgiving, I’ve been cooking green beans with caramelized shallots, Brussels sprouts with crisp pancetta, oven-roasted potatoes with olive oil and rosemary or carrots and parsnips, which I saut� in duck fat.
Although Edward brought home a big green cabbage to go with our corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day, I want to cook some of our favorite vegetables in new ways.
I turned to "Vegetable Love: Vegetables Delicious alone or with Pasta, Seafood, Poultry, Meat and More," a hefty tomb written by Barbara Kafka. The book was named Cookbook of the Year by the James Beard Foundation several years ago.
Kafka is a no-nonsense chef with a quick wit that is reflected in her writing. Although she has mastered numerous styles, many of her recipes are easy to prepare with readily accessible ingredients.
Here are recipes from "Vegetable Love":
Fennel Compote
Ingredients:
2 medium-size fennel bulbs, about 2 pounds, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1-1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon of fennel seeds
3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, coat the fennel with the oil. Add the stock and fennel seeds. Cover and cook over low, stirring two or three times, for two hours and 15 minutes, or until the fennel is easily mashed with a fork.
Mash the fennel into a chunky pur�e. Season with the salt and pepper.
Serves four to six.
Cauliflower with Bacon and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1/4 pound of bacon, cut into 1/4-inch slices, then across into 1/4-inch strips
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/2 of a medium cauliflower head, cored and cut into 1/2-inch florets
5 ounces of mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch slices, then across into 1/4-inch-wide strips
3 medium shallots, chopped
1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup of water
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
In a 12-inch frying pan, cook the bacon on low for about 13 minutes, or until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat.
Add the butter, cauliflower and mushrooms. Cook for five minutes over high, stirring constantly. Add the shallots and cook for two minutes, stirring. Reduce the heat to low.
Add the bacon and parsley and cook for two minutes, stirring. Add the water and use a spatula to scrape up the brown bits. Cook for about one minute, until the water has evaporated. Season with the salt and pepper.
Serves four.
Braised Leeks
Ingredients:
12 small leeks, trimmed and cleaned
1-1/2 cups of chicken stock
Kosher salt, to taste
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the leeks in a pan or pot wide enough to hold them flat in one or two layers. Add enough stock to almost cover the leeks. Add the salt, depending on the saltiness of the stock. Bring to a boil and cook at a slow boil for 10 minutes.
Butter a baking dish wide enough to hold the leeks in a single layer. Place in the dish and pour the cooking liquid on top. Dot with the remaining butter.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the leeks are slightly browned and the liquid is almost evaporated.
Serves four.
