Two Side Dishes from "Back to Basics"

I must say that the first week of January has been a good one for the goals. It usually is, of course. I found plentiful opportunity to use this cookbook; it really is just a matter of planning. I quite like the Barefoot Contessa, in case you hadn't guessed. I have a couple more from her coming up, but I didn't want to put all of them into one huge post.

Pan-Roasted Root Vegetables

This was good, and plenty easy, but my veggies never browned the way they're supposed to. Next time I'll try leaving them at a higher temperature for a while. Of course, you can use whatever veggies you like (I've never even heard of white turnips). Serves 4

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 white turnip, unpeeled and 1-inch diced
2 carrots, 1-inch diced
2 small parsnips, peeled and 1-inch diced
1/2 celery root, peeled and 1-inch diced
8 Brussels sprouts, halved if large
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 celery ribs, 1-inch diced

1. Melt the butter in a large saute pan that has a tight-fitting lid.
2. Add the turnip, carrots, parsnips, celery root, Brussels sprouts, thyme, salt, and pepper, and toss with the butter. Cover the pan cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add the celery and stir. Cover the pan again and cook another 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add a few Tbsp of water if dry. Serve hot.
   

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli
I forgot to put the olive oil on. The results were somewhat crispy. Worth trying again. Normally I just steam the stuff, so this was a big change for us. Serves 6

4-5 pounds broccoli
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
7 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1/3 c grated Parmesan
2 Tbsp julienned fresh basil

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Cut the broccoli florets from the stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk. Cut the larger florets in half. You should have about 8 cups total.
3. Place the florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss with the garlic and drizzle with 5 Tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
4. Roast 20-25 minutes until crisp-tender and slightly browned. 
5. Remove from the over and immediately toss with 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.
   

If I select one cookbook a week to work from, I will not get halfway through the collection by the end of the year.

Swiss Chard with Cannellini Beans and Tomatoes

I hardly ever blog side dishes. This is because I hardly ever make side dishes; throw some vegetables in the steamer and make some rice, is my idea of a "goes-with." But every once in a while I have no choice, because I have chard in the refrigerator and nowhere for it to go, and I do hate throwing away market vegetables just because I was too lazy to do anything useful with them.

Much as I love my cookbook collection, the internet is really useful in these situations. No one book has more than a handful of chard recipes--fun if you have time to browse through a dozen or more books, not so good if you really need to figure out a menu now--while a quick search puts hundreds of them in reach. Like this one, for instance.

With this sort of cooking (unlike with Indian food), I view the recipe as a sort of vague guideline. I didn't have two pounds of chard, so I halved the entire recipe from the start. There was no way I was going to get out another whole pot, and there is no way chard takes fifteen minutes to cook, unless you have some kind of mutant chard from hell that is trying to climb out of that pot. I threw it in a braising pan with some olive oil and let it soften there, added the garlic, beans, and most of a can of diced tomatoes since I didn't have any fresh ones.

The results were perfectly fine. I am not sure I'll make this again, but it was quick and effortless and reasonably tasty.

This should be a good week for cooking, so I hope to continue with more regular blogging. Our supper club will be meeting this weekend for the first time ages, the forecast continues relatively cool and fall-ish, and other parts of my life are pretty quiet for a change. I am in major pantry-stocking mode, and my shelves overflow with pasta, beans, and broths.

In sad news, the end of farmer's market season is in sight. The Kendall Square market, which has livened up my Thursdays at the office for the past few months, officially lasts through October, but yesterday only one farm showed up.