Category: Garlic

  I toss together a lot of beet salads, some of which make it into the recipe collection. This one, as they always do, resulted from what I happened to have on hand. Adapt as you see fit but the crunch of the celery, the sweet, robust beets and the sharp zing from the garlic is a particularly fun combination especially in the cooler months.... Read more »

  -adapted from Afro Vegan by Bryant Terry   Afro Vegan is a gorgeous and inspiring cookbook for cooks/eaters of any persuasion. Bryant has a knack for flavor combinations coupled with deep knowledge of cooking and culinary traditions  in many African countries and the African diaspora. I adapted this lovely vegetable dish and un-veganized it by adding a bit of cream and bacon (and even a little chicken in the above version) which you could certainly omit.  ... Read more »

I make aioli starting in the spring when asparagus and snap peas show up. I love dipping blanched vegetables in it and making egg salad with aioli or spreading it thickly on toast and topping with whatever else I have on hand, until the tomatoes arrive and then it's tomatoes and cucumbers . . . and then green beans and artichokes get dipped. I sometimes plenty of basil or chives or parsley and tarragon. I thin it out to make salad dressings, top halves of hard-boiled eggs with it for a fake deviled egg. It's also perfect on a simply cooked piece of fish, chicken or any meat.  ... Read more »

  This is a delicious way to prepare bok choy. And the sauce works beautifully for any other quick vegetable stir fries as well. The Sichuan peppercorns are pretty key here--it's worth getting a jar of them and they keep well. They're more floral and flavorful than black pepper though you could use 1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper corns in a pinch here.  ... Read more »

  What to do with basil before the tomatoes are ripe? This salad, for one thing. I was in a hurry when I made this and really wanted to add toasted sunflower seeds but had none toasted. I’ve always toasted them in the oven but didn’t have enough time to do so. I toasted them in my cast iron skillet with just a little olive oil and salt. I had the heat on pretty high and they almost got too dark but I caught them, tossed them around a bit and reduced the temperature and toasted a bit more—in total probably just for about 5 minutes. They were smoky and delicious.   Serves 4  ... Read more »

This takes minutes to stir together and uses those beautiful fennel fronds that are often still attached to the fennel bulbs in your CSA share or at the market. And garlic scapes, the sometimes straight, sometimes curly shoots from hard neck garlic plants are juicy and tender and pack a nice garlicky punch in this sauce. You might serve this sauce with grilled fennel and garlic scapes and grilled salmon. Makes about 2/3 cup sauce.... Read more »

Mustard greens pair nicely with the sweet and fragrant green garlic, the immature stalks of garlic, used much like green onions, in the spring. And the brown mustard seeds give the dish a little zip and crunch. I had this over black beans and rice one day and with a fried egg the next. ... Read more »

--inspired by Richard Stewart from The Gumbo Shop   Gumbo Z'herbes or Gumbo Zav or Gumbo Verte are all names for the the green gumbo often made during lent in New Orleans. There are dozens of versions of Gumbo Z’herbes, some with meat, some without, some with up to 13 kinds of greens.   This makes a big pot of soup but it’s hardly worth making a smaller batch. And it gets better with age and freezes well. This takes about 60-90 minutes to make (excluding the bean soaking time), including all the washing and chopping, depending on how fast of a chopper you are. You can also used canned beans in a pinch.   Serves 12... Read more »

This is the classic Tuscan bread salad made at the height of tomato season. Tuscan bread goes stale very quickly so there are lots of recipes to use it up in flavorful ways. The success of the dish depends on using really flavorful, ripe tomatoes and a good olive oil. And you can use fresher bread if you don’t have stale—see directions below.   Panzanella in the United States often employs toasted chunks of bread more like croutons, tossed with tomatoes, etc. Give this version a try. The texture is completely different and so delicious.... Read more »

Spinach cooks down a lot so use as much as you have/can spare. I like to use a big bunch in this dish.  Use as many garlic scapes as you want here—it can handle a lot. You can add more broth than I suggest and create more of a soup than a risotto which you can serve with a nice crusty piece of bread if you’d like. You can also use water instead of vegetable stock in this dish. The garlic and spinach are delicate but flavorful and don't need a rich stock. ... Read more »

--inspired by Tender by Nigel Slater   The turmeric gives the finished dish a golden hue and the mustard seeds and ginger add texture and flavor, as does the sweet, mild green garlic, used generously here.... Read more »

  I originally made with just with radishes but turnips and bok choy and green garlic are all at home here. You can add thinly sliced, quickly broiled beef to this and serve it over rice for a complete meal. It would be lovely with most any grilled fish or tofu . . .. The lemon juice and the mint really add something here, taking it from a fine but uninteresting stir-fry to something a bit more vibrant. Toasted sesame seeds would be a nice addition too.... Read more »

I can eat a whole bunch by myself, cooked this way. You can serve it alongside a piece of fish or hearty salad or just a slice of good bread and cheese.   with scrambled eggs and a warm biscuit -- I have them this way courtesy of my biscuit-making husband. add chopped up, to a  sharp cheddar quesadilla to which I also usually add pickled red onions and a few cayenne flakes. toss with a little olive oil and roast at 450 degrees until crisping and browning. Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy. Top a pizza with blanched raab alongside some spicy pork sausage and a good slick of olive oil and a cheese of your choice—Parmesan to feta to ricotta salata to goat cheese. ... Read more »

Beans, greens and garlic (and possibly pork) is a heavenly combination. You can use home-cooked or canned beans. I typically have beans cooked with this method on hand or in the freezer, however, sometimes I use the slow, oven method that requires no soaking just about 1 1/2-2 hours, unattended in the oven in a covered pot. It works beautifully so if you have the time by all means try this method.  ... Read more »

There are so many versions of this incredibly flavorful sauce. It’s delicious with many things and often served with roasted potatoes or with fish. The best version I've ever had was at Navarre restaurant in Portland. The chef and proprietor John Taboada kindly wrote out his version on the back of a menu. I have adapted this recipe a bit over the years. This sauce is quite forgiving. The important thing is that it has a good bite from vinegar, the texture from the grilled bread and the sweetness of the slowly fried garlic and ground almonds. Many combinations of peppers will work. The sauce will be thinner if you use a fresh tomato and you can thin it out with a little more olive oil if you want a saucier consistency.... Read more »

  Simple, delicious and beautiful on a hot day, any day, really. You can use other summer squash in place of the zucchini.  I began making this dish for my family when I was in high school and it's remained a standby.  ... Read more »

  --inspired by Catherine Faris of Nuovastoria.com   This takes time to cook but putting it together is straightforward and just involves a lot of chopping. It's delicious with chard, kale, mustard greens, beet greens or any combination thereof or any other leafy green. It is delicious with a fried or poached egg and extra harissa and some Greek yogurt or with a simple piece of baked, poached or panfried fish, or just as is! It's a good accompaniment to lamb in any form. Harissa is a Tunisian hot chili sauce whose main ingredients are piri piri (type of chili pepper), Serrano peppers and other hot chili peppers and spices such as garlic paste, coriander, red chili powder, caraway as well as some vegetable or olive oil. It is most closely associated with Tunisia, Libya and Algeria but also popular in Morocco. There are many store-bought brands and you can also make your own.  Harissa varies in its level of spiciness so start moderately as you can always add more when serving.  ... Read more »

I love the spiciness of the mustard greens with the creamy richness of the beans. Turnip greens are good here too as are sturdier greens like collards or kale or chard. Bacon would certainly not be amiss but it’s delicious as is. I love this with pinto beans and meaty white beans or Cannelini or the smaller navy beans.   Serves 4 (more or less, depending on what else you're serving)... Read more »

  This is a very adaptable salad (template). Substitute vegetables and herbs as you wish just be sure to chop everything quite small. This is a good dinner salad on a warm night especially if you add cooked beans, cheese and/or toasted seeds or nuts or cooked chicken.   This makes a lot of salad so feel free halve the recipe. I load mine up with herbs—mint, parsley, cilantro, chives and thyme. The more the better!... Read more »

I ate this dish in Southern Italy (Calabria) many years ago. When all the ingredients are at their peak it’s a wonderful, simple dish. Use any kind of pole bean; green, wax or Romano. Serve with bread and some cheese and you have dinner. It is similar to this dish, however, this one is a bit more robust thanks to the potatoes. ... Read more »