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A Good Dish

making food simpler

Improving An Old Standby–Add Vegetables And Smoky Heat To Potato Leek Soup To Increase Flavor And Nutrition

December 4, 2020

Potato Leek Soup with cauliflower and arugula
Earthenware Mug by Ayumi Horie
Potato Leek Soup with cauliflower and arugula
Earthenware mug by Ayumi Horie – verso

We are all looking for comfort in these stressful, isolated times. To soothe ourselves, we can turn to nature for calm, exercise for stress relief, phone or zoom calls to connect with others, hobbies, books, movies or tv series, podcasts or brief socially distanced outdoor meetings. Cooking is another outlet for soothing. It is constructive and, depending on what you make, comforting, nutritious and economical.

Soup is one of the most comforting foods and one of the most comforting soups is potato leek. A bowl of potato leek soup is warm, savory, smooth and filling. But it can also be very white, starchy and bland, all part of the comfort factor. Is there a way to make it a bit more flavorful and a little less calorie dense? I believe there is a simple solution—add equal amounts of vegetables and some smoky chili powder.

Sauté leeks before adding potatoes

Potato leek is one of the easiest soups to make. All you do is sauté the leeks, add potatoes, seasoning and maybe some garlic, top off with broth, simmer and purée. But it can be much improved by adding equal amounts of cauliflower or broccoli, carrots and greens, even cabbage. I had some leftover celery leaves and parsley stems so I tossed those into the mix. You can use leftover cooked vegetables if you add them just long enough to warm through before blending smooth. Leeks are milder than onions but with a more delicate, greener flavor. The French make a cold version of potato leek called vichyssoise by adding plenty of cream, which I find too rich but you might enjoy. I used Yukon Gold potatoes which are less floury and more flavorful than white potatoes but white will work. Prior to serving, I stirred in just enough chipotle chili powder to add flavor and warmth without the substantial heat you would get from using more. If you want to fancy it up a bit, you can drizzle each bowl with some herb or chili oil or a little adobo sauce for another layer of flavor.

Add vegetables once potatoes have softened so they don’t overcook

This is a particularly fortifying soup for a cold day or night. Both the potatoes and the chili powder will help you feel warmer while providing comfort. We could all use a little more of both of those feelings as the pandemic continues and the days get colder and shorter. Please be safe and stay well!

Potato Leek Soup blended with broccoli and carrots
Earthenware cup by Ayumi Horie

POTATO LEEK SOUP WITH VEGETABLES

  • 2-3 TBs olive oil
  • 2 large leeks, chopped (If you don’t have leeks, you can get away with onions)
  • 4 cups of cut up potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold
  • 4 cups of vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, herbs, greens such as kale, arugula, watercress, spinach, etc.)
  • 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
  • 2 cups water (or more stock)
  • Salt or herb salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1/2-1 tsp chipotle chili powder or 1 TBs chipotle in adobo sauce or 1/2 tsp cayenne plus 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Heat oil over medium heat in a stockpot.

Add leeks and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Add potatoes, stock and water, bring to a boil and lower to a simmer.

Cook until potatoes are easily pierced.

Add broccoli, carrots, cauliflower or kale and cook until softened. Add fragile greens and herbs toward the end since they only take a minute to wilt.

Purée with an immersion blender if you like your soup smooth (or use a regular blender, taking care not to overfill and burn yourself-I speak from experience) or smash with a potato masher if you like your soup chunky.

Season to taste with salt, pepper and chili powder.

Serve with a sprinkle of chives or parsley and more chili powder or paprika.

 

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Filed Under: Recipes, Soups, Vegetables

A Sweet, Crunchy Alternative To A Routine Tossed Salad–Fennel With Pear & Walnuts

November 11, 2020

Fennel salad with pear and walnuts
Porcelain bowl by The Bright Angle

Fennel fronds, as we recently discovered, make a wonderful pesto. Did you wonder what I did with the fennel bulbs I had left after trimming all the fronds? I like sautéed and roasted fennel but since fresh local lettuce is harder to find as the days get shorter, I decided to use the fennel for salad.

My usual fennel salad is a toss of many vegetables. It is reliable and keeps well for several days. This week I didn’t have a lot of vegetables in my fridge but I did have a bag of lovely Bosc pears. I added some celery and walnuts and tossed the whole thing with a balsamic vinaigrette. It was so good that my husband and I couldn’t stop eating it! Fortunately, with two bulbs of fennel in the mix, even our enthusiastic chow down left us enough for another meal.

Pear and walnuts
complement the fennel

Fennel is actually quite nutritious, full of fiber and potassium (to balance sodium). It has a good crunch and can keep well in the fridge for almost a week until you find time to use it. It might even taste better on the second day. I kept the ingredients pretty basic but you could tart it up with some orange segments or chopped apple instead of pear or toss in some dried cranberries or raisins. Add Parmesan or some variety of blue or goat cheese to make a whole meal out of this salad if you like, but it is pretty good all on its own.

Fennel salad
Porcelain bowl by The Bright Angle

REALLY EASY FENNEL SALAD

Combine in a large bowl:

  • 2 bulbs of fresh fennel, quartered lengthwise, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 cup raw or lightly toasted walnut pieces
  • 2 pears, preferably Bosc, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley

Mix together:

  • 3 TBs balsamic vinegar
  • 3 TBs olive oil
  • Big pinch each of salt and pepper

Pour dressing over vegetables, toss and serve.

This salad will keep refrigerated for 3 or 4 days.

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Filed Under: Recipes, Salads, Uncategorized, Vegetables

The Greenest Pesto From A Source You Might Have Otherwise Thrown Away – Fennel Fronds

October 29, 2020

Fennel frond pesto on pasta
Wood fired slip and iron painted plate by Bandana Pottery

You can make pesto with almost any kind of leafy green or herb from arugula to cilantro to Swiss chard. Although the most common variety is basil, I have tried and liked pesto made with, in descending order, kale, broccoli, garlic scape, parsley and carrot tops. My new favorite – fennel frond –  surprised me. Don’t flinch like I did at first, thinking it would be too licorice-like. It isn’t. I actually thought I wouldn’t like it but I really do! This is a surprisingly tasty pesto and not at all fennel-ly, for those who don’t like that anise flavor.

Fresh fennel from Brix Bounty Farm

Any pesto is an easy recipe. You blend garlic, some kind of nut, salt, greens or herbs and possibly lemon and then add in cheese (or for vegan pesto, miso or nutritional yeast). Then you stream in oil, usually olive, and there you have it. The whole process takes less than 30 minutes. A traditionalist will use a mortar and pestle but a food processor or blender works efficiently. Conventional basil pesto uses pine nuts, walnuts or almonds. Joshua McFadden’s (popular for good reason) kale pesto recipe calls for pistachio nuts. This fennel frond pesto specifies pumpkin seeds. You could certainly make this recipe with walnuts or pistachios if you prefer them. Adding Parmesan or Pecorino creates another layer of flavor but you don’t need cheese; it can be both vegan and delicious with just a few spoonfuls of nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan for that umami flavor.

Trimmed and washed fennel fronds

I usually buy fennel to add to a salad or to sauté. The fennel I got last week from a nearby farm was quite frilly and not trimmed the way you find supermarket specimens. There was so much greenery on these two bulbs that I couldn’t bear to throw it away so I did an internet search for what to do with fennel fronds. Surprisingly, among suggestions for adding fronds to soups and salads and flavoring aquavit, there were many recipes for fennel frond pesto. My version below is a combination of several I found. You can substitute some other greens or parsley for some of the fronds if your fennel isn’t as leafy as mine was. Don’t be hesitant – all those fronds along with the lemon make a zesty and very green pesto which would be as good on fish or lamb or tofu as it is on pasta. And did I mention easy?

Fennel frond pesto on grilled salmon
Wood fired plate by Bandana Pottery
Fennel Frond Pesto

FENNEL FROND PESTO

  • 2-3 cups chopped fennel fronds (from 2 bushy fresh bulbs)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds (or walnuts)
  • 2-3 TBs fresh lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon) plus the flesh (discard seeds and peel but if you have an organic lemon, you can include the zest/rind for even more lemon flavor)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or 2 TBs nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

In a food processor, pulse together garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Add lemon flesh (and zest, if using), pumpkin seeds, cheese or nutritional yeast and fennel fronds and pulse and process until well blended.

Stream in oil until the pesto is the consistency you like.

Check for salt and pepper.

Use immediately or store in refrigerator for up to one week.

Freezes well (with a sealing layer of oil) for a blast of green mid-winter.

*Bandana Pottery (Naomi Dalglish and Michael Hunt) will be participating in Pottery On The Hill, an annual sale which will be online this year Nov. 13-15.

Bottoms of Bandana Pottery plates

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Filed Under: Recipes, sauces and dressings, Vegetables

Get A Big Flavor Boost To Your Summer Meals With An Easy Tomatillo Salsa

August 20, 2020

Tomatillo salsa verde
Porcelain Scallop bowl
by Heather Knight-Element Clay Studio

We’ve belonged to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)for over 20 years and every time our farm share included a basket of tomatillos, I had to search for a use for them. One of the best discoveries I made was a delicious mango/tomatillo salsa so good you could forgo the chips and just dive in with a spoon. This summer I found a very different tomatillo recipe, a salsa verde, from Roberto Santibañez, published in The Washington Post cookbook club (free to subscribers), which sounded so good I had to try it. As he promised, it is tangy and zippy and easy to make and can be used to make chilaquiles and enchiladas, for spicing up plain fish, chicken, tofu or shrimp, or just for dipping with chips or crudités. I altered the recipe to include lime and onion for more complexity but otherwise the recipe is his.

Fresh Tomatillos

A salsa verde is any green sauce including those made with herbs (think pesto or chimichurri), avocado or tomatillos. In Italy, it might be predominantly capers and parsley while the Mexican version is mostly made with tomatillos, cilantro and chilis of different heats.

I didn’t grow up eating tomatillos but I’ve really come to love cooking with them. I’m not sure they were even grown in New England in the 70’s and 80’s although you can probably find them at any farmers market these days. Since trying them starting in the 90’s, I think I’ve liked every tomatillo recipe I have tried. You can use tomatillos raw in salads for a sharp acidic tang, but cooking mellows them a bit. Just make sure, after removing the husk, to wash off any tacky coating on the skin to avoid bitterness.

Most tomatillo salsa recipes call for roasting the vegetables but that feels like too much heat in the kitchen during the summer. This recipe specifies a brief simmer and sauté, which seems more doable on a warm summer day. You could even skip the sauté and mix in the oil directly. If you want it less spicy, remove the seeds from the jalapeño. And if you want it sweeter, add some mango or peach when blending. The amount of cilantro is flexible and you could also add parsley for more green. If you don’t have a lime, just leave it out. No scallions in your fridge? Use a quarter of a red or white onion or don’t use any. The great thing about salsa recipes is that they are endlessly adaptable. So try it this way first, decide how you like it and make it your own.

Tomatillo salsa verde
Porcelain bowl by Heather Knight-Element Clay Studio

TOMATILLO SALSA (from Truly Mexican by Roberto Santibañez)

  • 1 lb tomatillos (about 10-12, depending on size), husked and washed
  • 1 jalapeño, stemmed but not seeded (if you want a mild salsa, remove the seeds)
  • 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4-1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 TB olive oil
  • 1 TB fresh lime juice, plus zest if you like a stronger lime flavor
  • 2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

Put cleaned whole tomatillos and jalapeño in a saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, simmering about 15 minutes or until tomatillos lose their bright green color. Turn off heat and drain.

Put cooked tomatillos and jalapeño in a blender or food processor with the garlic, salt and cumin. Blend or pulse until coarsely chopped. Add cilantro and scallions and blend until smooth but you can still see the seeds.

Heat the oil in the now dry sauce pan until shimmering. Pour in the salsa and a quarter cup of water, bring to a simmer and turn off. Stir in lime juice. Let cool and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or process in a water bath to make shelf stable.

 

Outside of porcelain scallop bowl
by Heather Knight-Elements Clay Studio
Some kind of maple?

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Filed Under: Recipes, sauces and dressings, Vegetables

Refrigerator Pickles Taste Great And Are Surprisingly Easy To Make

August 6, 2020

Refrigerator Pickles
Folded Tray by Stuart Gair
Soda Fired Stoneware

Homemade refrigerator pickles pack a lot of punch for the small effort it takes to make them. Kirby cucumbers are perfect for pickling right now. When I spotted some at the farmers market last week, I bought 2 quarts and got to work. You will need some clean (either run through the dishwasher or washed with soap, well rinsed and briefly boiled) glass jars with lids, white vinegar, salt, garlic and pickling spices.

Kirby Cucumbers From Happenchance Farm Ready To Jar

Pickles and sauerkraut are having a moment, along with yogurt, kefir, kimchi and other fermented foods since they are high in pre and probiotics. Vinegar pickles are not but they taste good and have all the good qualities of the vegetables you use. Some pickles can be extremely salty but I have limited the salt in this recipe. The amount of salt you use is up to you. If you don’t like or can’t eat vinegar, make a salt brine using a ratio of 1 to 3 kosher salt to water and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Cukes and Spices
Awaiting Brine

I often see beautiful photos of homemade pickles in matching Ball jars but I just wash out and save glass jars from food or condiments we have eaten. They are good enough because I am not boiling and processing my pickles (too much heat in the kitchen), just refrigerating them. The spices will depend on your preferences. Start with mustard seeds, peppercorns and fresh dill and then see if you want to vary the flavor. Almost any spice seeds can work-coriander, fennel, celery, dill and cumin-plus bay leaves, fresh horseradish, ginger, turmeric, allspice and cloves are all good flavorings. If you don’t like garlic, just leave it out or substitute shallots. If you hate dill, use fresh thyme or another herb. Most pickle recipes call for sugar but I didn’t use any. For a touch of sweet, add a tablespoon to the brining liquid before boiling or, for really sweet (bread & butter style) pickles, add up to a cup of sugar. And you don’t have to stop at cucumbers. If you blanch them, carrots, daikon, sweet and hot peppers, beets and green beans all make delicious pickles. Make certain to pour the brine to the top of the jar to make sure the vegetables are completely covered. Then refrigerate 2-7 days, depending on how cured you want your pickles, and munch away.

Footed Folded Tray by Stuart Gair
Soda Fired Stoneware

REFRIGERATOR PICKLES

  • 8-12 Kirby cucumbers, enough to fill 2 wide mouth 12 oz or quart glass jars with lids
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds (I used black)
  • 1 tsp peppercorns (I used black)
  • 6-8 sprigs fresh dill
  • 3 cups white vinegar (cider vinegar will work but may discolor cukes)
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Combine vinegar, water and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until salt is dissolved and set aside to cool while preparing vegetables.

Cut washed cucumbers into spears (or slices, if you prefer) and pack pretty tightly upright into clean glass jars.

Push garlic pieces and dill sprigs in between cucumbers.

Sprinkle in 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and 1/2 tsp peppercorns into each jar. I added a few allspice berries to each, as well.

Pour in somewhat cooled pickling liquid to fill jars, making sure cukes are immersed. Close with lids and refrigerate at least 2 and up to 7 days before eating, depending on how pickled you want them. Pickles, when under liquid, should keep in the fridge up to 2 months.

This recipe makes 2 jars of pickles but it could easily be doubled or halved, and you can use any size jars you like.

Jarred Refrigerator Pickles
Soda Fired Stoneware Teapot
by Stuart Gair
Drop Rim Bowl by Stuart Gair
Soda Fired Stoneware

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Filed Under: Recipes, Vegetables

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West 97th St Farmers' Market

Welcome to A Good Dish

Here you will find recipes and ideas for easy to make and tasty meals, sources for interesting dinnerware on which to serve those meals and resources for ingredients, classes and food related travel. My goal is to make daily cooking simpler and to inspire you to try different recipes beyond the handful you already make repeatedly. I hope that relaying my experiences will enhance yours. Follow along and let me know about your own cooking and food journeys.

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