Tag Archive for 'Side'

Creamy Maple Polenta Succotash

Published
by
marc
on September 7, 2008
in Side, Summer, Vegetable and Vegetarian
. 11 Comments

The photo doesn’t look like much and the name might remind you of Sylvester from Looney Toons, but if creamed corn is your thing, this is your Holy Grail.

Succotash is truly an American dish if there ever was one. Its roots go back to a time before the Pilgrims had the first Thanksgiving. Beans and Maize (corn) were popular crops for Native Americans because together they are a rich source of both protein and carbohydrates. It was common for the two to be cooked together and the term succotash was derived from the Narraganset term: msikwatas.

Since then a lot of other ingredients such as cured meats and cream have been introduced and the name refers to just about anything that has corn and beans in it. My version uses milk along with polenta to make a satisfyingly thick (though not overly cloying) “pudding” in which kernels of crisp sweet corn and fresh fava beans are suspended. The maple syrup brings out the natural sweetness in the corn and with a bit of cream added at the end it makes for a symphony of harmonious textures and flavours. It’s a balanced meal by itself but also works great as a side for meats and poultry.

If fresh fava beans aren’t available, fresh lima beans or fresh peas would work as well. In the dead of winter, this would also taste great with canned corn and cannellini beans. Additions such as bacon and cheese (pecorino or gruyere are two possibilities) would certainly make this richer and I can even imagine turning this into a gratin by putting it in a casserole dish, topping with cheese and breadcrumbs and baking.

2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 Tsp kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp regular salt)
1 Tbs maple syrup
1/8 tsp sage
fresh ground black pepper
1/2 C polenta
2 ears corn removed from the cob along with any “milk” from the corn (about 2 cups)
1 cup shelled fresh fava beans
2 Tbs cream

Add the milk, salt, maple syrup, sage and pepper to a sauce pan and heat over medium heat until simmering. Add the polenta and stir continuously until it starts to thicken, about 10 minutes.

Turn down the heat to medium low and add the corn. Cook stirring regularly until the polenta is no longer soupy but not too firm about 10-15 minutes. Add the beans and cook for a few more minutes until the beans are bright green.

Remove from heat and taste, adjusting salt and pepper as needed then stir in the cream. Serve while hot.

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Creamy truffled swiss chard

Published
by
marc
on July 22, 2008
in Side, Vegetable, Vegetarian and Winter
. 12 Comments

Given that steak is such a dense heavy dish I never fully understood why steakhouse sides are always so heavy. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a good baked potato with butter, sour cream, cheddar, bacon and chives, but it’s not exactly what I’d call a contrast up against a big hunk of grilled meat.

Creamed spinach is one of those steakhouse sides that I’ve always loved in theory (what’s not to like about a veggie that consists of more cream and butter than spinach?). But every time I tried to order it (usually in a steakhouse) I was so filled up by the headline act that the thick cloying side just didn’t work for me.

For my version, I went with another green veggie that has a bit more texture that could stand up to the bechamel. Instead of cream, I used milk, although you’re welcome to put the cream back in if you’ve been feeling a little skinny lately. I added gruyere to give it some more depth and a nice crusty top and since steak dinners have a certain decadence about them, I added some earthy truffle oil and shaved black truffles.

Honestly though you could leave the shaved truffles ($15 an ounce) out as a few drops of the truffle oil adds plenty of flavour at a much more reasonable price. Also, if you’ve never used truffle oil before, be careful, a little goes a long way and I find that too much oil makes stuff taste rather unpleasant.

Continue for full recipe

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Yuca with yogurt mojo

Published
by
marc
on May 23, 2008
in Cuban
. 5 Comments

This yuca was a spontaneous purchase I made yesterday while at Wholefoods. It’s a long thick root that looks like a giant sweet potato with a waxy scaly skin. I’ve never cooked it before and have only eaten it a handful of times and yet this staple in many parts of the world called to me as I was heading to the cashier.

Yuca also known as “cassava root” is the the tuber below a cassava plant. According to Wikipedia, “the cassava plant gives the highest yield of food energy per cultivated area per day among crop plants, except possibly for sugarcane”. Both the leaves and the roots are eaten, and the roots are turned into flour which is used to make tapioca, boba, bread, etc.

But there’s a catch: it contains a compound that turns into cyanide in the presence of an enzyme found in the plant. The leaves have a particularly high concentration of this compound but it’s also found in the roots. Luckily, cooking renders it harmless, so just make sure it’s cooked all the way and you’ll be fine.

It’s got a texture somewhere between potato and pumpkin with a slight sweetness. Doused in olive oil and dressed with a garlic yogurt mojo sauce, it makes for a great side for fish and meat dishes. The tart yogurt and lemon give it a nice light taste while the potent raw garlic adds a ton of peppery flavour.

How do you like to prepare yuca?

1 small yuca (cassava root) peeled and cut into large even sized chunks
1 garlic clove finely minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C plain yogurt
1 Tbs lemon juice
olive oil
cilantro leaves

Add the yuca to a large pot of salted water and bring to boil. Boil until you can pass a fork through a piece of yuca. You want it cooked through, but you also don’t want to over cook it as it will lose its shape.

Mash the minced garlic and salt together to form a paste then add the yogurt and lemon juice. Stir to combine.

When the yuca is cooked, drain and dump into a bowl. Add copious amounts of olive oil while gently tossing until the surface of the yucca is slightly shiny. Plate the yuca and pour the yogurt mixture on top. Scatter some cilantro leaves on top and grind a little black pepper to finish.

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Sauteed kale with garlic

Published
by
marc
on March 13, 2008
in Side, Vegetable and Winter
. 0 Comments

Sauteed kale with garlic

Most recipes call for cooking kale 30+ minutes, but unlike collard greens, Lacinato isn’t as fibrous and doesn’t need to be cooked that long (you can even eat it raw). A quick saute followed by a 10 minute steam is enough to preserve the green color, flavor and firm texture without turning it into a smelly brown mess boiled in liquid. I also like to use a minimal amount of liquid so all the nutrients don’t leech out into the water.

You can turn this into a meal by frying some pancetta with it then dropping a soft poached egg on top and serving it with a thick slice of crusty bread. Or experiment with different spices and aromatics such as sage, chili peppers, or shallots for a different take. If you want to go asian, replace the salt with a splash of soy sauce and the wine with Mirin.

1 bunch Lacinato kale roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic sliced thin
Splash of good olive oil

Splash of white wine or water
Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Squeeze of lemon

Heat a large pot with a lid over high heat until very hot. Add a splash of good quality olive oil and then the garlic.

Saute the garlic for a few minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.

Add the kale, a small splash of white wine and the salt and pepper and stir. Lower the heat to medium low, cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Adjust seasoning if needed and serve with some lemon juice squeezed on top.

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Lemony potato salad

Published
by
marc
on March 12, 2008
in Salad, Side and Vegetable
. 1 Comment

Lemony potato salad

If you’re not a big fan (or even if you are a fan) of the starchy mayonnaise that usually passes for potato salad, give this recipe a try. It’s much less creamy and if you’re totally anti-mayo, you can just omit it and replace it with an equal amount of olive oil. It’s lemony, with a little bite coming from the briny capers and a little crunch coming from the pickled onions and cucumber.

Try adding some different spices like basil, dill or caraway. A little whole grain mustard complements the capers nicely and adds another textural element as well.

2 russet potatos cut into 3/4″ cubes

1 Tsp kosher salt
1/4 small onion sliced as thin as possible
2″ length of hothouse cucumber seeded, quartered and thin

1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs good olive oil
1 Tbs mayonaise (optional, if omitting add another Tbs olive oil)
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 Tbs drained capers

Boil the potatoes in ample water until soft enough to stick a fork through.

While the potatoes are cooking, put the sliced onions and cucumbers in a bowl with the salt and add some water. This pickles them, breaking down the cell walls of the veggies and releasing water making them more crunchy. Let them sit for about 10 minutes then squeeze out as much of the water as you can using your hands (the more water you get out, the crunchier they’ll be).

Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, mayo, and salt to make the dressing.

Drain the potatoes well and put into medium bowl and cover with the dressing while still warm. Gently combine the potatoes and dressing trying not to smash the potatoes too much. Add the onions, cucumber, and capers and mix until evenly distributed. Taste to make sure it’s okay, you can add more lemon, more salt, or even a pinch of sugar if you want to mellow it out a bit.

Serve it warm or let it come to room temperature.

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