January 28th, 2012 | Side Dishes and Vegetables, Vegetarian, Yankee Cook Recipes | No Comments »
Winter farm share = turnips, turnips, celeriac and turnips. I'd never put much thought into turnips until we joined this winter share. I'd mostly seen them in the supermarket in their huge, gray, unappetizing form. Now we get them from our farmer's root cellar, which sounded soooo romantic on that balmy day back in December when we signed up. Isn't that how the Puritans survived rugged win...
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December 20th, 2011 | Side Dishes and Vegetables, Vegetarian, Yankee Cook Recipes | No Comments »
We recently joined a terrific farm share and it is
so fun. Each week we go on a little road trip to the farm a few towns away where we get to pick our own vegetables. The variety is actually really great, despite it being December. So far there have been plenty of leeks, cabbage, greens, some fan
tastic Brussels sprouts, squash, turnips and radishes...
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August 15th, 2011 | Appetizers, Nibbles and Dips, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Vegetarian, Yankee Cook Recipes | 2 Comments »
We are former city-folk and this was the first blessed summer that I've had the opportunity to grow a vegetable garden since growing up in the 'burbs (I don't count the tomato plants I had on my fire escape in college). I was so eager to get started that I planted the seeds in little peat pots in early April and ...
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June 29th, 2011 | Salad, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Yankee Cook Recipes | No Comments »
When we first moved into our new place a few months ago, the garden was looking pretty dead. A closer inspection found dirt and little brown, dead-looking shoots sticking out of the ground everywhere. The following two months were a whirlwind of final papers, commencement activities, and art shows (M.Ed., thanks for wondering...
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November 25th, 2010 | Side Dishes and Vegetables, Yankee Cook Recipes | 1 Comment »
Squash, in some form or another is a requirement at the table on Thanksgiving. They are just so perfectly in season and once the winter sets in, it will be a while before something so perfect will be available again. I was planning to steam and mash mine with a little maple syrup and butter this year, but soon thought better of it once I realized that the other sides on o...
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October 27th, 2010 | Side Dishes and Vegetables, Vegetarian, Yankee Cook Recipes | No Comments »
Who doesn't love a little tiny pie? Tartlets take less time to bake than a full sized pie and, thanks to their petite size, they offer a smaller margin of error in bake time. Also, they're adorable.
Butternut squash is in season and widely available in New England this time of year. Simply roasted and served with a pat of butter is divine, but three o...
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September 15th, 2010 | Salad, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Vegetarian, Yankee Cook Recipes | 2 Comments »
We're having what may be the final barbecue of the year for us this weekend. After a season of potato salads and coleslaw, I was thinking a lighter side dish might be in order. Cucumbers are still going strong in our area, and so I was reminded of this Eastern European dish. Cucumber Salad is cool and refreshing and makes a great accompaniment to barbecued meats.
This is my husband's recipe. It's satisfying but...
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August 25th, 2010 | Side Dishes and Vegetables, Yankee Cook Recipes | No Comments »
It's late August and fresh, ripe veggies are being picked in gardens and on farms across New England. The sun and the rain have done their thing, and now the year's very best peppers, radishes, zucchini and tomatoes are ready to leap from their vines (or soil as the case may be) and onto a table near you.
It's lovely really, but it can be tough to tell what ca...
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July 21st, 2010 | Pork, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Yankee Cook Recipes | 4 Comments »
I've always been a proponent of balance. Savory and sweet come to mind, but also nutritious and not-so-nutritious. A big dish of veggies is great, but why not add a little cheese or bacony goodness to even the playing field between good and wicked? What would good be if there wasn't a wicked? What would greens be without bacon? Just fine of course, but isn't everything better with bacon? You're getting all ...
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June 28th, 2010 | Pork, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Yankee Cook Recipes | 2 Comments »
It has been a long few days. I've just completed the first half of the graduate program in which I am enrolled. To complicate things, I'm moving in a few days. It's just the time for simplicity in cooking.
That said, while this dish is quite simple, it's also quite appetizing, as it fills the kitchen with that most comforting of cooking aromas - bacon. The key here though, is to cook the bacon s...
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June 17th, 2010 | Appetizers, Nibbles and Dips, Cheese, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Vegetarian, Yankee Cook Recipes | 2 Comments »
Farmers Market season is back. Thank goodness. This time of year, there is an abundance of greens - young kale, chard, lettuces and cabbages - all so fresh and bright, they emit the aromas of spring's sun and rain. You can taste the photosynthesis, they're that fresh.
There are plenty of wonderful things to make with greens. Salads and sautés spring to mind. This quesadilla recipe is like ba...
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May 23rd, 2010 | Salad, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Vegetarian, Yankee Cook Recipes | No Comments »
Potato salad is the obvious side for a barbecue. Sure you can buy a tub at the market, but it's really not difficult to make at home. This recipe comes out thick and creamy. Red and green onions add color and flavor, and dill mellows out the mix.
It's also a pretty fast recipe. The potatoes are peeled and cubed before simmering, so they cook in less than 7 minutes. It's also great to make in advance, as the longer ...
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May 2nd, 2010 | Regional Cuisine, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Vegetarian, Yankee Cook Recipes | No Comments »
Fiddleheads, a type of fern harvested before the plant has a chance to unfurl, are as much a harbinger of spring in New England - and as fleeting - as a migratory bird passing through. They come up in the middle of spring, around the end of April and into May, when the soil has thawed and early vegetation makes its presence known.
The flavor is fresh and grassy, and offers a good contrast...
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March 10th, 2010 | Side Dishes and Vegetables | No Comments »
When I was in school and living on my own for the first time, for some reason I was really concerned about scurvy. While all the other students lived happily on ramen and frozen pizza, I'd come home and steam broccoli as a snack between classes. Unfortunately, I overdid it on the steamed broccoli, and by senior year, I'd pretty much had it with broccoli in any form.
Now I'm in grad school and on a recent trip ...
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March 7th, 2010 | Side Dishes and Vegetables, Yankee Cook Recipes | 2 Comments »
There are hundreds of ways to make mashed potatoes. Skin on, skin off, simply boiled and mashed, butter added, cream added, garlic added, etc. There are as many variations as their are cooks and deciding which route really depends on your personal preference and what you're serving it with.
I came by the technique of double-cooking mashed potatoes accidentally when I was r...
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February 2nd, 2010 | Side Dishes and Vegetables, Vegetarian, Yankee Cook Recipes | No Comments »
I've said it before and I'll say it again - Brussels Sprouts get a bad rap. But it's unfair to judge them. It's not their fault they get steamed sometimes. Doesn't everyone?
The little fellas can be as bitter as they are sweet, and steaming brings out the bitterness. Pan-frying has the opposite effect - the sprouts form a crisp, flaky exterior, with creamy, smooth inner layers. An...
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January 28th, 2010 | Side Dishes and Vegetables, Yankee Cook Recipes | 2 Comments »
I was visiting with a friend in New York a few years ago when the subject of dinner came up. We discussed going to a nearby fondue restaurant and, as much as I love cheese, I pointed out that maybe we should opt for something a little healthier with vegetables and protein, etc. My friend, who is a dietitian replied, "Cheese is a protein."
Case closed. That is why it's great to be friends w...
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January 6th, 2010 | Side Dishes and Vegetables, Vegetarian, Yankee Cook Recipes | No Comments »
I noticed the other day that the past few posts have been looking a little on the off-white to brown side of the food spectrum.
In my own defense, it's winter here. Fresh veggies are not as easy to come by unless you don't mind bringing them in from warmer climes. Which I kind of do. However, you need to get at least five servings of vegetables per day - not just seasonal root veggies.
...
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December 14th, 2009 | Pork, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Yankee Cook Recipes | No Comments »
A good nutritional rule of thumb is to try to have at least one serving of fruit or vegetable from each color of the rainbow every day. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. White? I guess potatoes get the shaft in this scenario. Either way, this dish covers two of the six - or three if white counts. Beets and cabbage a...
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October 28th, 2009 | Cheese, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Vegetarian, Yankee Cook Recipes | 2 Comments »
Beets and Brussels sprouts are so nutritious, but they each have a bad reputation, especially among those who don't care for vegetables. My theory on folks who say they don't like vegetables is that they were probably served plates of boiled, flavorless, or worse, canned veggies as a kid. For those who say nay to veggies, I recommend giving them one more try by adding a flavorful cheese or bacon and cooking in butter ra...
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Winter farm share = turnips, turnips, celeriac and turnips. I'd never put much thought into turnips until we joined this winter share. I'd mostly seen them in the supermarket in their huge, gray, unappetizing form. Now we get them from our farmer's root cellar, which sounded soooo romantic on that balmy day back in December when we signed up. Isn't that how the Puritans survived rugged win...
