April – Roasted Broccolini with Cream & Parmesan Cheese

April – Roasted Broccolini with Cream & Parmesan Cheese

It’s spring, but summer produce hasn’t quite hit the markets yet. Cabbage family vegetables abound, I search for new ways to use them. In browsing my collection of cookbooks I found this one from Diana Henry’s book ‘From the Oven to the Table‘. It’s a book I’ve had for some time but hadn’t carefully browsed. On the title page it describes the recipes in the book as “simple dishes that look after themselves”. That would certainly describe this simple but delicious dish. It’s a similar dish to my toasty creamed cabbage recipe.

Roast Cabbage Steaks with Cream and Parmesan

Toasty Roast Cabbage Steaks with Cream and Parmesan

This one has the addition of some crisp breadcrumbs, which would also be a nice touch with the cabbage.

Roasted Broccolini with Cream and Cheese

Roasted Broccolini with Cream and Cheese

Both dishes are easy and delicious, like a gratin but without all the fuss of making a white sauce. Make sure you have some crusty bread on hand to dip into the cream which is reduced slightly into a yummy sauce. This could serve as a vegetarian main course or a wonderful side with a roast.

Roasted Broccolini with Cream & Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs of broccolini
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream
  • Generous 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese or a combination of Parmesan and sharp cheddar (or Gruyere)

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
  2. Trim the bottoms of the broccolini. If any of them are thick, halve them along their length
  3. Put the broccolini in a roasting pan or sheet pan and toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 12 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile melt the butter in a frying pan, add the breadcrumbs and turn over in the butter until they are coated, but not toasted.
  5. Remove the broccolini from the oven after the 12 minutes, pour over the cream, sprinkle with the cheese and the buttered crumbs. Return to the oven and roast for a final 10-11 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
  6. Serve immediately.

Note: I had some leftover croutons in the cupboard and use those for the crumbs, simply smashing them with a rolling pin until they were the appropriate size.

Roasted Broccolini with Cream and Cheese

Roasted Broccolini with Cream and Cheese

I imagine other vegetables would be equally delicious treated this way…quartered Brussels sprouts? I plan to use this method with fresh asparagus as well. Since asparagus cooks quickly, I would add the cream I would skip the initial roasting.

The pan cleaned up easily after an overnight soak, much to my surprise.

 

July in the Kitchen – Grilled Sweet Potatoes

July in the Kitchen – Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables, and they are super good for you as well. They lend themselves to many cooking methods but I’ve been on a search to find one that suits the grill and can be (mostly) made ahead. This recipe fits the bill. You can do the pre-baking earlier in the day (when it is cooler), and then pop them on the grill to brown at the last-minute. This would be a perfect side dish for your BBQ on the 4th.

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Here is a bit of background on the healthiness of sweet potatoes. They are ranked as one of the top nutritional vegetables by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Amazingly the sweet potato has been found to contain between 100-1,600 micrograms of vitamin A in every 3.5 ounces. It could be possible to meet over 90% of your daily vitamin A needs from this single food.

Eat the skin and you get more fiber than a single serving of oatmeal.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Miso-Sesame Sauce

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Miso-Sesame Sauce

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Miso-Sesame Sauce

  • ¼ cup of mild white or yellow miso
  • 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons of organic peanut oil
  • 1 sweet potato per person, scrubbed well and sliced ½ inch thick
  • Chopped cilantro and a couple of tablespoons of seedy mix for garnish
  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk together the miso, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil. IMG_3329
  3. Place the sliced sweet potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet. Brush the exposed side with the sauce. IMG_3330
  4. Roast 20 minutes.
  5. Turn, brush with the sauce and return to the oven for another 20 minutes.
  6. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and leave at room temperature until ready to roast.
  7. Grill until toasty brown on each side, this should only take a couple of minutes on each side. IMG_3331

Garnish with cilantro and some seedy mix or roast pumpkin seeds.

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The same sauce was delicious brushed over some fresh salmon steaks prior to grilling.

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Yum!

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Do you think they will like this at Fiesta Friday? It will be a wonderful side dish for BBQ ribs or chicken. And easy since you can make it ahead.

Fiesta Friday

Fiesta Friday

Please join us for the party, Fiesta Friday #75. Click on the link to see what’s up at Angie’s, the food and company is wonderful.