Category Archives: Vegetables

by | March 25, 2013 · 2:54 am

Karl’s Moroccan Artichoke Dip

In making my Moroccan Oxtail Tajine I trimmed a bunch of artichokes down to their bases.  This left we with a pile of leaves and stems that I was loathed to just throw away.

My mother, Claudia, raised me to not waste food. I feel like it is an absolute sin when, for example, a recipe for chicken stock has you boil a whole chicken with vegetables and then instructs you to throw away the “solids.”  These are recipes written by people who have never been hungry a day in their lives. I simply cannot do that!

Karl’s Moroccan Artichoke Dip

Karl’s Moroccan Artichoke Dip

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by | March 18, 2013 · 2:15 am

Karl’s Colcannon

This is a recipe I have been making for years, because every other recipe I had tried struck me as bland. Please notice the absence of any word like “traditional” in the title. Today, I have just been reading a “rant” about “Traditional Irish Soda Bread,” which I found through a Karen Boatman’s “Home Plates” article. In many ways I have to agree with his sentiments.

Karl's Colcannon

Karl’s Colcannon

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by | March 11, 2013 · 4:27 am

Karl’s Green Mole Rice (Arroz Mole Verde)

I wanted a new side dish to go with my Pork Tamales with Mole Poblano. In Mexican cuisine beans and rice are the standard side dishes. Refried beans do not really lend themselves to a lot of variation. This left me to do something with the rice, but I wanted to do something other than my usual Mexican Rice.  I thought about making a green mole rice, but when I Googled “Mole Verde” most of the recipes were on how to use this sauce on chicken with rice as a side dish.

Karl’s Green Mole Rice (Arroz Mole Verde)

Karl’s Green Mole Rice (Arroz Mole Verde)

Green Mole

Green Mole (Mole Verde)

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by | March 5, 2013 · 3:49 am

Karl’s Spicy Giant Bamboo and Celery Stir-fry

I needed a vegetable side dish to go with my twice-cooked tofu. In China, it is a very poor household indeed that has only one dish to go with their rice. Variety is the spice of life and the Chinese take their food very seriously. Like the French, if they are not eating, they are talking about food or thinking about food.

To make a change from what I made to go with the twice-cooked pork, I used celery as the foil to the giant bamboo in my side dish.

Spicy Giant Bamboo and Celery

Spicy Giant Bamboo and Celery

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by | March 1, 2013 · 11:10 pm

Karl’s Spicy Giant Bamboo and Daikon Stir-fry

I needed a vegetable side dish to go with my twice-cooked pork. I wanted something with spice, color and crunch. I had some daikon radish, red bell pepper and green onions left over from another meal that would add the color. I only needed some chili garlic sauce to add the spice and some giant bamboo for the crunch.

Karl's Twice Cooked Pork and Spicy Giant Bamboo and Daikon Stir-fry

Stir-fry on the right

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by | February 22, 2013 · 6:54 pm

Karl’s Sweet Potato Latkes with Apple Sauce

I have always struggled with making latkes. I am forced to limit the amount of oil that I cook with because of Jan’s dietary restrictions. As a result, fried foods are not a common occurrence in my household. Without enough oil in the pan to half-deep fry the potatoes the centers of the latkes never quite get cooked before the outsides are nearing burnt. Thank you cooking shows!  I noticed that professional cooks sometimes “finish off” pan-fried dishes to avoid this problem. Ten minutes in a 350° oven insured that they were cooked and did not destroy the crispness of the latkes.

Sweet Potato Latkes

Karl’s Sweet Potato Latkes with Apple Sauce

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by | February 11, 2013 · 3:31 am

Karl’s Saag Paneer

Adapted from Sinful Curry

My son-in-law, Chris, just got back from two weeks in Shanghai, so he wanted anything but Chinese food for this Sunday’s dinner.  I decided on Indian and I was trying for 5 dishes: Chicken Dopiaza (Chicken and Onion Curry), Chana Peshawari (Piquant Chickpeas), Split Red Gram (lental) Dal, Saag Paneer, and Pulao Rice.  I have never made the first three dishes and they are definitely works in progress to be posted later. Last year I started making my own Palak Paneer. Once you have made fresh palak paneer you will find it hard to go back to any of the commercial imitations that are available.

Saag Paneer

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by | January 20, 2013 · 6:37 am

Karl’s Tzatziki

Adapted from The Shiksa in the Kitchen

Ingredients

1 English cucumbers
1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1 cup plain lowfat Greek yogurt
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh chopped mint
1 clove garlic, crushed (or more to taste)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
Pinch sugar

Fresh mint sprig for garnish (optional)

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by | January 10, 2013 · 10:10 pm

Karl’s Spicy Daikon Radish Pickle

This dish has its origin in our time in Chengu, China.  We lived in the Foreigner’s Hotel. This was known as “the Panda House” and, yes, with its fenced in garden, it did look just like the Panda House at the local zoo.  Many mornings we would walk down stairs to eat at the hotel restaurant rather than cook in our apartment. This was partly because the gas was so iffy – the local children thought it was a great joke to shut off the gas valve to the foreigner’s apartments.

Daikon Radish Pickle

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by | January 10, 2013 · 10:07 pm

Karl’s Pickled Japanese Cucumbers III

Based on a www.thekitchn.com recipe

In this variation I was reminder of a couple of technique by Nami’s Just One Cookbook. When you are making pickled vegetables you can play with more than just the flavors.  If all of your pickles are the same shape it is just boring.  The visual appearance of the dishes is a very important ingredient in Japanese Cuisine.

Pickled Japanese Cucumbers

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