Category Archives: Side dishes

Side dishes Travel Vegetarian

“Alta” Brussels Sprouts

December 30, 2006 – 7:08 pm

Last night my husband and I traveled to New York to meet a group of friends for an impromptu dinner at Alta, a tapas restaurant in the West Village. Between the seven of us we shared 20 delectable small plates with the unanimous favorite being the Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Fuji Apples, Crème Fraîche and Pistachios — it was the only dish we ordered twice!

I have already written to the “R.S.V.P” and “You Asked For It” sections of Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines, respectively, requesting this recipe from Alta’s Chef Mosher, but in the meantime I have done a little experimenting of my own. While my husband and I were not disappointed with my attempted re-creation — charred Brussels sprouts, sweet apples, sour crème fraîche and toasted pistachios alone combine to form a delicious mixture of contrasting flavors and textures — something was missing.

At Alta, over our second plate of these crispy mini cabbages, we all mused and speculated about this indiscernible ingredient: a very flavorful, at once vinegary, sweet and sharp sauce present in each mouthful. Here, I’ve reduced balsamic vinegar with honey to capture this effect and until I hear from one of the above contacted authorities with the secret formula, I can survive with this substitute. While we enjoyed this side dish tonight with our hamburgers, the combination of Brussels sprouts and apples would be especially delicious served aside a nice, juicy pork chop.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apple, Crème Fraîche and Pistachios
Serves 2

10 oz Brussels sprouts, tough stem removed and halved
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 Fuji Apple, unpeeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon crème fraîche, or more to taste

Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Toss the Brussels sprouts with enough olive oil to coat, a generous pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, gently simmer the balsamic vinegar with the honey until the mixture has reduced and is slightly thickened, 3-5 minutes. Set aside.

After 15 minutes, remove the Brussels sprouts from the oven, stir and rearrange with a spoon and test one with a paring knife. If the Brussels sprouts are not sufficiently charred or tender, return to the oven for five minutes. If they appear to be charring too much, reduce the oven temperature to 400˚F and continue roasting until they are knife-tender.
When the Brussels sprouts are finished cooking, remove from the oven, transfer to a bowl, and add the pistachios and apple slices. Pour the reduced balsamic mixture into the bowl and toss to coat evenly.

Transfer mixture to serving platter and top with a dollop of crème fraîche. Serve immediately, seasoning with more salt if necessary and more crème fraîche if desired.

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Side dishes Vegetarian

Roasted Vegetables

December 18, 2006 – 6:28 pm

There could not be a simpler method to prepare vegetables than roasting. These are simply tossed with extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, coarsely ground black pepper and fresh thyme, spread on a jelly-roll pan, and roasted for about forty-five minutes, or until each vegetable is knife-tender. If ever you are feeling devoid of vitamins or nutrients or are simply looking for a way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet, prepare this recipe. It is delicious! The recipe can be adjusted and applied to a variety of vegetables so long as each vegetable is of similar density. Here, however, the red bell pepper is an exception: the peppers caramelize nicely with the extra cooking time and moreover add beautiful color to an otherwise dull mix. Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables
Serves 4

1 medium-large sized carrot, peeled
1 medium-large sized parsnip, peeled
1 sweet potato, peeled
5-6 large shallots, peeled
1 medium-large sized fennel bulb, fronds and rough end removed
1 large red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes into pieces approximately 1½ inches thick. (The shape isn’t that important—in fact, irregular shapes look nice—but to ensure uniform cooking, try to cut all the vegetables into approximately the same size.) Keep medium-large sized shallot pieces whole and cut large shallots in half. Cut the fennel bulb into medium-sized wedges and cut the bell pepper into 1-inch irregularly-shaped cubes. Sprinkle the vegetables with the thyme leaves, toss with enough oil to nicely coat, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spread vegetables onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, stir and rearrange vegetables, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven again, test a sweet potato and a carrot to make sure each is knife-tender. If vegetables need more time, return to the oven again and test every five minutes until done. Remove from the oven, taste, adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary and serve immediately.

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Salads Side dishes Vegetarian

Barely Wilted Spinach Salad

December 3, 2006 – 1:39 pm


Although my kitchen shelves are filled edge to edge with various cookbooks, I always find myself referring back to a select few. One happens to be Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Vegetables. The other day I was looking for a sautéed brussels sprouts recipe, became unintentionally engrossed and found myself in the spinach section. In this section Alice Waters describes a simple method for making a warm spinach salad. It basically involves placing fresh spinach in a stainless steel bowl, tossing the leaves with a little bit of dressing and heating the bowl over a pan of simmering water until the leaves are just barely wilted. The method works beautifully and is much healthier than using the traditional warm vinaigrette created by reducing rendered bacon fat with vinegar. Moreover, it is healthier than many salads in general because wilted greens require a smaller proportion of dressing than do unwilted greens. It is also delicious. Here, I’ve prepared the spinach in the classic Roman style with raisins, pine nuts and sautéed apples, but the recipe could be adjusted in any number of ways. For a nice winter side dish turn your favorite spinach salad into a warm wilted salad employing this method.

Warm Spinach Salad
Serves 2

6 oz baby spinach
1/4 cup raisins
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 apple, peeled and small diced (I used a Honey Crisp)
1 medium shallot, small diced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
2 tsp. honey
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
6 tablespoons grapeseed oil

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the honey, salt, pepper, garlic and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly. Taste, adjust with more salt, pepper or oil if necessary. Store until ready to use.

To make the salad, place the spinach in a large stainless steel bowl and set aside. Fill a straight-sided sauté pan with one inch of water and heat until just barely simmering. If the raisins are very dry and shriveled, place them in a bowl and cover with some boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes until nicely plumped, drain and set aside. In a medium-sized sauté pan, heat 2 tsp. of the olive oil over medium-high heat. When oil is barely smoking, add apples and sauté until nicely golden brown, but still hold their shape, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer apples to bowl with spinach. Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in pan, add shallots and sauté until soft and slightly caramelized, another 3-5 minutes. Add the pine nuts and the drained raisins and sauté for 15 seconds more, then transfer to the bowl with the spinach. Toss the spinach mixture with the 2 tablespoons of dressing and place bowl over pan with simmering water. Increase the heat to high and with tongs, gently toss spinach in bowl until nicely wilted. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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