Category: Vegetables

An-End-of-the-Season TOMATO GRATIN 3.0 by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

There are stll decent, ripe tomatoes at our petite Farmers’ Market in South Boston. To be sure, they are really winding down. I keep making this dish every week because it is so delicious and so simple to assemble.

As I have made it a few times I have refined my technique and found the best ‘hack’ is to preslice the tomatoes and lay them out on paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Either do this step a couple of hours before you want to assemble and bake the gratin, or do it the day before and leave them in the fridge overnight.

A ceramic/glass/porcelain gratin dish works beautifully for this recipe — I used a porcelain quiche dish. It is 10-inches in diameter and about 2 1⁄2-inches deep. It is deep enough to build 3 layers of sliced tomatoes, which I found, after having made the gratin three times, to be the perfect number of layers!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Italian -Style by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

Can roasted Brussels Sprouts truly be festive? Sure. Why Not? Especially if they are beautifully roasted and deliciously seasoned. The secrets to good roasting are high heat (400 degrees F) to promote deep browning and caramelization and a heavy-duty sheet pan or large cast iron skillet to promote even cooking without scorching.

This recipe glazes the cooked sprouts with a reduced balsamic vinegar, fennel seed, orange juice and orange rind sauce to give the sprouts an Italian flair. And adding diced and crispy-cooked pancetta to the finished dish would not be amiss here either. Finally, garnish your dish of roasted brussels sprouts with a few tablespoons of toasted pignoli (pine nuts). Buon Natale!

Farmer’s Market Bounty with Lentils by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan Every Monday

Every Monday morning on my walk to Foodie’s Market I pass a (very) small Farmer’s market which has just finished setting up for the day - everything is lined-up, orderly and pristine and I love being ‘first-in-line’. This week I bought small red onions, carrots, green beans, garlic and some very, very long, wild scallions. The scallions’ long greens were over 2 feet! And the farmer assured me they were delicious. So, of course I bought some. Here's what I did with my Bounty: I separated the scallion whites and greens. I peeled and sliced the carrots diagonally. I also peeled and shaved slivers of garlic, then found some petite black lentils in the cupboard. Gathered a few pots and pans, olive oil, butter, and some warm
spices (cumin & coriander). Let’s begin.

Broccolini, Sausage and White Beans by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

Let’s begin with a look at broccoli, broccolini and broccoli rabe and if you get them mixed up you aren’t alone. First, they are all ‘cruciferous ‘vegetables from the cabbage family. Broccoli, the most common has a very recognizable shape, with a tight head of florets and thick stalks.
Broccoli rabe has thinner stalks, is leafier and has a slightly bitter taste and is very common in Italian pasta dishes. And broccolini, is the hybrid vegetable - a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli. It was developed in the early 1990’s by a Japanese seed company and is different in both flavor and texture and is often served with ginger and sesame. It is more tender and sweeter than both broccoli and broccoli rabe. The bunches are smaller and almost all the bunch is edible. I have used broccolini in this iconic Italian ‘riff’ because it is quicker to prepare than broccoli and less assertive in taste than broccoli rabe. Make it and see what you think.

Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Burrata & Hazelnut Sauce by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

YUM. BURRATA.
Burrata is a soft, mozzarella-like cheese enclosing a pocket of fresh cream that delivers its goodness when sliced open. It takes these simple roasted asparagus to another place.…maybe to a sun-kissed piazza in Apulia? Just slice open the room temperature burrata on top of the still-warm roasted asparagus and the cream filling will spill forth coating the asparagus. Again, YUM. I added an herb sauce with parsley, vinegar, olive oil and toasted hazelnuts. My thinking is as follows: the burrata dresses the asparagus and the herb sauce dresses the burrata. Everybody’s happy.

‘FLUFFY’ BROCCOLI by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

I am constantly searching for ways to make vegetables more delicious and appealing…so I’ll eat more of them. A bowl of just-steamed plain broccoli or green beans will never ‘speak’ to me! This preparation will yield tender-cooked broccoli that’s just perfect for adding to other dishes. It’s very, very versatile. Here, I added the ‘fluffy’ broccoli to cooked udon noodles that I dressed with a store-bought Asian flavored vinaigrette. Or go ‘Italian’ by adding the fluffy broccoli to cooked penne pasta tossed with extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmigiana cheese. Spice it up with some diced pickled pepperoncini peppers. Move-over avocado toast! Spread your toast with mashed chickpeas or hummus and top with this ‘fluffy’ broccoli. Make scrambled eggs and add a couple of spoonfuls of prepared ‘fluffy’ broccoli before serving. Ready to try it?

Pickled Pepper Poppers by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

This is a quick and vibrant pickle: a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy, a little bit piquant and a little bit fragrant. I envision it piled on an after-the-feast turkey sandwich or as an accompaniment to a holiday cheese board. I used one bag (1-pound) of mini bell peppers for this recipe, which yielded about 3 cups of juicy pickled peppers.

Caramelized Onions, Roasted Carrots & Hummus with ‘Everything Spice’ By Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

I just love a toasted and buttered ‘Everything Spice’ bagel. It’s a ‘spiced-up’ sesame bagel. So, imagine how excited I was to discover that Foodie’s carries Morton & Bassett ‘Everything Sprinkle’ in our spice aisle. M&B’s blend is sesame, poppy and caraway seeds with onion and garlic. And that’s how this quick and flavorful recipe was created; the spice was at-hand and created a spark!

It’s an easy recipe: Roast some carrots and caramelize a few onions, spread out a layer of hummus, add a drizzle of pomegranate molasses (or balsamic glaze) and a liberal sprinkling of ‘Everything Spice’. And serve with toasted pita chips or crackers.

Grilled Mexican Street Corn by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

Truth-be-told I have neither seen nor eaten Mexican Street Corn in Mexico; only at a carnival

in Rhode Island! But, it’s an easy and fun dish to serve at your own backyard carnival.

Pulling the husks up and over the peeled ears of corn and tying them ‘ponytail-style’ gives

you a convenient ‘hand-holder’. Plus, it looks very cool.

Grilled Cabbage Wedges with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

I have been seeing recipes for grilled cabbage popping up on my favorite internet food sites and the results look delicious.  So, I decided to jump right on in.  I ‘grilled’ my cabbage on my stove-top using a large square ridged pan, which by-the-way nicely holds 3 grilled cheese sandwiches.  The cabbage wedges can be grilled outdoors on a more traditional gas or wood grill of course.  This cooking process will be quicker and your cabbage will probably become more blackened as a result.  All that extra char will only add extra deliciousness.