Category: side dishes

Roasted Artichoke Salad (the easy way)

During our time in California, artichokes were a family favorite. We usually got them at roadside stands on Highway 1. Our favorite was an old man named Dutch who sold them out of the back of his station wagon. We’d bring them home and steam them whole with lemon and garlic. We all became expert at eating them leaf by leaf scraping the tender flesh with our teeth until we reached the heart. That best part, was relished last. Here is a link to another Artichoke post that features pictures, memories, and a tasty soup recipe.

https://mamadskitchen.net/2014/03/14/memories-of-highway-one-and-artichokes/ 

Artichokes are available here most of the year and we often get them. The problem is that they have to travel from California and sometimes arrive past their prime. Still we try to enjoy a perfectly steamed edible thistle whenever we can.

There are other ways to experience artichokes. They have come in cans and jars forever. These are convenient and versatile, but they lack the texture and frankly, some of the flavor of fresh. Then there are frozen artichoke hearts. They retain more taste and texture than their canned cousins. Unfortunately, they are not always available. For years, I relied on Trader Joe’s, but haven’t found them there recently. To my surprise, I have found them at Walmart (of all places). They are sold in 12 ounce bags for under $3.00 at certain stores. They are firm, large, and tasty, and they are the cornerstone for today’s recipe.

I think that this qualifies to be called a salad as it is filled with vegetables and is tossed with a dressing. While many salads are served cold, this one can be served warm or at room temperature as well as chilled, but I think that the flavors are best warm. It is a wonderful accompaniment to grilled proteins and could be a nice addition to a potluck table.  Another benefit with this salad is that it can be a meatless main dish thanks to the chickpeas (use the whole can if you are going meatless) and if you want a little more protein, add some crumbled feta cheese.

I used the little bell peppers (Lollipeppers are my current favorite) that can be found in every grocery store along with some crimini mushrooms and red onion. These along with the artichoke hearts were seasoned with salt and pepper and tossed with a little olive oil. Within 20 minutes in the oven they were lightly caramelized and tender.

As I said, this is salad done the easy way so, canned chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes, and olives joined the mix. If you have a Mediterranean olive blend available use that, but kalamata or even green or black olives would work.

When it comes to a dressing, use your favorite vinaigrette recipe or make it easy on yourself and use a bottled dressing that you love. I used a Mediterranean Dressing and Marinade from Aldi. I think it has a nice balance of flavor and have used it as a dressing as well as a marinade in various dishes.

All that is left to do is toss the roasted vegetables with the canned/jarred additions. To assure that the vegetables really absorb the dressing, add it while the roasted vegetables are warm. Then serve it, let it stand until dinner is ready, or chill it. This does get more flavorful with time so it can be made ahead and I think it tastes even better the second day

Here is the recipe as I have been making it and as always you are welcome to play with it however you choose.

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Roasted Artichoke Salad

Hearty and healthy, the perfect salad to accompany grilled proteins.

Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 6
Author: binner216@comcast.net
Ingredients
  • 1 Pkg. Frozen Artichoke Hearts 12 oz. package
  • 1 Cup Baby Red Bell Pepper Rings About 4-6 peppers, sliced
  • 4-6 Ounces Crimini Mushrooms Halved or quartered
  • 1 Cup Chopped Red Onion Cut in about 1 inch pieces
  • 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes Oil packed, drained
  • 1/3 Cup Kalamata or Mediterranean Olives Halved
  • 1 Cup Chickpeas Drained and rinsed
  • !/2 Cup Mediterranean Salad Dressing (more as needed) Store bought or homemade
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
  • 1/2 Cup Feta Cheese, crumbled Optional for garnish.
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup and lightly coat with cooking spray. Combine the artichokes (no need to thaw), peppers, mushrooms, and onion in a large bowl. Add the oil to the bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread out on the prepared baking sheet. Reserve the bowl and do not wipe it out.

  2. Roast in oven for 20 minutes or until everything is slightly caramelized and tender.

  3. While the veggies roast, Combine the chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives in the bowl.

  4. When the vegetables are roasted, add them (and any pan drippings) to the bowl and gently toss to mix. Add the dressing and toss to coat evenly. If needed add more dressing to make it the consistency and flavor that you want.

  5. Transfer to a serving bowl and add some crumbled Feta Cheese if you desire. Serve warm, chilled, or at room temperature.

Have fun making this recipe to your own liking and I hope you enjoy these edible thistles as much as I do.

Incredible Melting Vegetables: An Adventure in Love and Yum

If you spend more time than you should browsing recipe sites, you have probably encountered more than a few recipes for “Melting” vegetables of one variety or another. I have too, and I confess that it has become a bit of an obsession in the Kitchen of Love.

It is a technique that involves roasting vegetables at a very high heat until they begin to caramelize, then adding a broth or other flavorful liquid along with flavor enhancing additions and continuing to roast until the liquid is mostly absorbed. The result is very tender vegetables that virtually melt in your mouth and have been known to result in sighs and the utterances of “yum.”

My obsession started with potatoes. Almost creamy and bursting with flavors they became my side of choice. Now I am branching out to other vegetables. The newest favorite is Butternut Squash which is incredible with a maple syrup infused broth. So perfect for Fall.

The squash is peeled and sliced at least an inch thick, tossed with oil and butter, sprinkled with salt and pepper and roasted at a heart stopping 500 degrees. Then the magic happens.

A base of broth (in this case chicken, but vegetable would work) is combined with White Balsamic, Dijon Mustard, Maple Syrup, and more Butter is poured carefully over the squash before it returns to the oven. It roasts until most of the liquid has evaporated. It is ready for its closeup embellished with an herb of your choice. In this case it was Sage, though thyme or even rosemary would work.

I adapted this recipe from Eating Well and with a few tweaks to suit my taste (more maple syrup and white balsamic) and made it my own. As I always say, it is your dish and your prerogative.

https://www.eatingwell.com/melting-butternut-squash-with-maple-butter-11785095

But, I am determined to not stop there. A quick search resulted in recipes for melting vegetables from Beets to Zucchini ( I may try artichoke bottoms to make the alphabet analogy complete).

There are some vegetables that probably wouldn’t work. Tomatoes and peppers would probably melt into mush with this technique, but firmer, heartier vegetables like cauliflower, sweet potatoes, onions, and broccoli could withstand the heat and come out melty and delicious. So let the experiment begin…

Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables and when it is given the “melting method” it is sure to make the pickiest veg eater happy. This is my adaptation of a recipe from Eating Well. It starts with florets mostly the same size. This recipe calls for butter for the initial cooking along with some salt and pepper. For the second go round it is bathed in stock (chicken or vegetable) infused with garlic rosemary and yes, more butter.

Once the second roast is finished, the cauliflower lily is guiled with parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

 

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Melting Cauliflower

A simple spin on making cauliflower your new favorite vegetable

Course: Side Dish
Servings: 4
Calories: 140 kcal
Author: binner216@comcast.net
Ingredients
  • 1 Head Cauliflower Broken into similar sized florets (Approx.8 cups)
  • 4 Tbsp. Butter (melted) Divided
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
  • 4 Cloves Garlic Grated
  • 1/2 Cup Vegetable or Chicken Broth
  • 1 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary (or herb of your choice) Chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan More if you dare
  • 1/4 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a metal 13X9 inch pan with cooking spray. Toss the Cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and spread out in the prepared pan, season with salt and pepper. Place the pan in the oven and roast about 20 minutes, turning the florets once. They should lightly browned in spots.

  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, remaining butter, grated garlic and about half the rosemary. Carefully pour it over the cauliflower and return the pan to the oven. roast for another 10 minutes or so until the liquid is reduced by half.

  3. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the parmesan and gently mix. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the remaining rosemary and the red pepper flakes. Serve hot.

As Fall slips into Winter, Melting Vegetables will be recurring visitors to the Kitchen of Love. Maybe they will visit you kitchen and table as well.

 

Melrose Peppers – A Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I have talked at length both here and on my Face Book page about the summer glory of Melrose Peppers. They are one of my home town’s claims to fame and a source of joy to Italian cooks in the Chicago area. I grew up eating these in the summer and I anxiously await their arrival now. The waiting was excruciating this year. I came home empty handed twice, before I finally hit the jackpot as always at Caputo’s. Finally these wonderful Italian frying peppers are here. It seems that they arrived later than usual, but looking at past posts, mid-August is about right. They are only around for a short time each summer so we lovers of the pepper must take advantage. I have… Quite a lot… Papa D may be getting close to his capacity for them…

They are wonderful fried and then scrambled with eggs  and mounded  onto crusty bread to create a totally yummy sandwich. They are also wonderful grilled with or without  Italian sausage. Always the crowning touch  to  a one (grill) pan meal in the summer.

This year I found a new ingredient that seems to go with Melrose Peppers as well as sausage or eggs. That my friends, is the potato. Now, this is not earth shaking news, but it is an idea I had never thought of before, so to me it was a minor revelation. The simple addition of potatoes gave more body and a heartiness to a light summer side dish. Somehow the starchiness of the potatoes enhanced the flavors of the peppers and onions.

This has become a frequent “sider” as it has a special affinity to grilled proteins. It is perfect with pork, chicken, beef, and sausage (tried them all) and I do not doubt that it would be quite comfortable next to fish or seafood.

The ingredients are simple. Peppers, Melrose of course, but another frying pepper like Cubanelle could be used. The thinner flesh of frying peppers cooks a little faster and takes to light caramelization well. For potatoes, Yukon Gold work well here because they hold their shape as they fry. As far as onion goes, yellow are fine and as always if you like another variety, please use what you love. Now for seasoning. Garlic just goes without saying, but I find that granulated or powder work better than fresh. The frying time is relatively long and if you don’t watch the pan carefully the garlic may burn and your side dish will wind up one step away from the garbage. I am very generous with the salt and also use a good amount of pepper. Dried Italian herbs or red pepper flakes can be added if you like. All of this comes together in a large fry pan containing a good amount of olive oil. This could easily be a Non-Recipe, Recipe, but since I’m working on getting back in the blog saddle here is a recipe that will serve 2 people generously.

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Fried Peppers with Potatoes and Onions
Course: Side Dish
Servings: 2
Author: binner216@comcast.net
Ingredients
  • 2 Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes Cut in thin wedges
  • 10-12 Melrose Peppers Cut in strips
  • 1/2 Medium Onion Cut vertically in thin wedges
  • 2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder To taste
  • Salt & Pepper To taste
  • Red Pepper Flakes Optional, to taste
Instructions

  1. Heat a large fry pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan.

  2. Add the potato wedges to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes. They should just be picking up some color.

  3. Add the peppers and onions to the pan and mix with the potatoes. Add some salt and the garlic powder and toss again. Cover the pan and let everything steam for a few minutes.

  4. Continue to cook uncovered until the peppers are very tender and the potatoes and onions are nicely browned.

  5. Add additional salt, pepper, garlic powder, and the red pepper flakes if you are using them to your taste Serve immediately.

As I said earlier, this is a wonderful partner for whatever you are grilling. Our last perfect pairing was with grilled Sicilian Sausage (another great Caputo’s find). A little toasted sourdough was a nice garnish.

As this delicious season slowly fades away, I hope that if you can find these little beauties that you give them a try. If not, there’s always next year.

Barese Sausage with Pasta and Green Bean Salad

It seems like it’s been years since I shared my thoughts and recipes here. I just checked and it has been just about 2 years. I haven’t stopped cooking, far from it, and I have shared a bit on Facebook, but even with all the time retirement and the pandemic gave me I never made it here. It does feel odd, and I am definitely a bit out of my comfort zone. Years ago, my Mary Kay director instilled the philosophy in me to “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” So, I am going to do just that (Thank you, Sarah Belle).

While I cook many different types of food, I am an Italian girl at heart, and as a good Italian girl I love Caputo’s,. (Check them out by clicking on the link above. )This small local chain of stores has been bringing a traditional taste of Italy to the Chicago suburbs since the 1950’s. The products and produce are marvelous with selections for every cuisine. Many have cafes that serve the best Calamari  (among other items) and reasonably priced Italian wines. You can even sip and shop while listening to Italian music from opera to the Rat Pack  They also feature imported pastas, tomato products and a variety of homemade sausages.  This little story is about how they came together to make a wonderful dinner.

It started with Barese Sausage. These finger size sausages are made of beef, lamb, and pork, flavored with parsley, garlic, and pecorino cheese. They come linked together which makes them easier to grill, and this is my favorite way to cook them. They have a complex flavor that is not at all spicy, but still delights the palate.

I chose imported whole wheat linguine for the pasta portion of this meal. In a very small nod to healthier options I have been using whole wheat pastas more often. The taste Is a bit heartier and stands up well to bigger flavors.

Finally, I used canned Italian Cherry tomatoes for the sauce. These sweet little nuggets are packed in tomato puree and have a convenient pop top can and the “just right for two” 14 ounce size. So, the starring players were in place and needed to meet their supporting actors. Onions and garlic of course, sauteed in olive oil laid the foundation. Once they were lightly caramelized the tomatoes went in. I gave them a gentle squish and let them simmer until they came together in a thick sauce.

It would have been wonderful to add some fresh basil and parsley, but my balcony herbs are having a slow start, so I used some of my homemade pesto, always ready in the freezer for just such occasions. Once the pasta had cooked to al dente, I added a ladle or two of the pasta water to the sauce  and finished with freshly grated Pecorino. I chose to serve the Barese along with the pasta so that we could fully enjoy its unique flavor.

This is what I call a “No recipe, recipe.” The description above and these few notes are all you need.

I used one small onion sliced lengthwise and two cloves of finely chopped garlic.  Use as much olive oil as you like (1 Tbsp or more) and one can of tomatoes to serve 2 with a little left over.

I cooked about 4 ounces of pasta in salted water. I saved about 3/4 cup of the water for the sauce. I added 1/4 cup of pesto, but more or less would be fine. I like a lot of grated Pecorino (1/3cup), but use as much or as little as you want.

The final touch was a Green Bean Salad. I made a variation of my Mom’s salad. Since I have returned to the blog, I feel the need to share an actual recipe. While my Mom’s used basil or mint and garlic, this time I used lemon zest, rosemary, and lemon thyme. I used a bit of lemon juice and some rosemary infused vinegar. Every recipe can be tweaked to suit any cooks whim.

Mom's Green Bean Salad
Print Recipe
Nothing says summer like fresh green bean salad. This is my mother's recipe. She always made it with mint, but I also like it with fresh basil. Either way it is the perfect companion to grilled chicken.
Mom's Green Bean Salad
Print Recipe
Nothing says summer like fresh green bean salad. This is my mother's recipe. She always made it with mint, but I also like it with fresh basil. Either way it is the perfect companion to grilled chicken.
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Blanch the green beans in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes (until they are the tender crisp that you love.) Plunge in ice water to stop cooking and drain well.
  2. In a salad bowl combine the vinegars and olive oil. Stir in the garlic and add the drained green beans and basil (or mint).
  3. Toss to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for at least an hour before serving.
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It feels good to be back and much like riding a bicycle, I remembered how to do it, more or less.

The Morning (or several mornings) After…Thanksgiving Leftovers

Thanksgiving 2020 is now history. For most of us, it was very different. More intimate, scaled down, and possibly quieter (unless grandchildren were involved). Leftovers haven’t changed much, there are still a lot of them because even if the gathering was smaller, the recipes were not. Several mornings ago, I used my two favorite parts of the meal for a breakfast creation. I have christened it Stuffing Benedict and it is a squint eyed reimagining of the classic Benedict.

It is really simple. Baked Stuffing Patties are topped with a fried egg and drizzled with gravy. That’s it in a nutshell, if you’ve got stuffing and gravy leftover you can make this. What I would like to share are the recipes that I used. The stuffing was my Cali-Itali. Sourdough bread, Italian Sausage, and Artichoke Hearts combined with a little spinach and lots of onions and garlic.  Recipe Link Here

The Gravy was another nod to the Cali-Itali heritage, Garlic and Wine Gravy. Turkey stock, a nice California Chardonnay, Shallots, Herbs and of course lots of Garlic. Recipe Link Here

Hopefully, next Thanksgiving will feel a little more normal. In the meantime, stay healthy and safe, oh, and cook with love.