Zucchini Fritters by Sicut Cervus

2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teasp salt
1/2 teasp baking powder
1/2 teasp oregano OR 1/2 tablesp chopped fresh basil


Fold all ingredients together. Fry in hot oil and butter. Serve with lemon wedges OR with thick sweet tomato sauce (1/2 c tomato paste, 1/3 cup water, some chopped basil, a pat of butter, salt & pepper to taste)

Whipped Carrots by Li

Simmer three medium carrots in chicken stock with one garlic clove for 12-14 minutes, put in food processor with three tablespoons of heavy cream and one teaspoon unsalted butter, process until light and smooth. YUM and really easy. Kid refused to eat it but damn, I'm all over it.

Cauliflower Kugel by bookseller

At Whole Foods, they called this Cauliflower Kugel, and they served it as part of a Passover line-up, but there's nothing particularly Passover-y about it, except that the original recipe called for some matzoh meal (which I didn't have, and so used flour instead). The flavors of dill and sour cream (I used yogurt) are in fact very eastern European and thus part of the Ashkanazik larder. And this would be a great side dish at a Seder -- or any other meal -- that featured salmon, say. But still, it's just a tasty veg dish, not particularly Jewish or Passover-y.

Slice up a bunch of members of the onion family (recipe said leeks; I used scallions and some wild garlic), and sweat them in butter till soft. I used three bunches of scallions and three large stems of wild garlic in about two tablespoons of butter. Mix with about 1/3 - 1/2 cup each chopped fresh dill and fresh parsley, about 1/3 cup sliced or chopped almonds, 1/2 cup flour or matzoh meal (or cracker meal), and 20 oz. (raw weight) cauliflower florets that have been chopped into small bits and microwaved for about 2 minutes with a couple splashes of water.

If you used zucchini, some mushrooms -- also cooked first, to cook out the water -- would be a terrific addition. Mmmmmm, I bet that would be better than the cauli, even.



In another bowl, soften a bit more than half of an 8 oz package of cream cheese (nuke it for a minute), and mix it well with a scant cup of Greek yogurt (or sour cream), a large egg, 1.5 tablespoons of butter, and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of black pepper). Mix this with the veg, and scrape everything into an oiled or Pam-med 9 x 13 baking pan. Sprinkle another 1/3 cup of almonds (I used pumpkin seeds) over the top, and bake at 325 for about 35 minutes; check after 10 to see if it's browning too quickly, in which case cover with tin foil.

Beans with Greens and Olive Oil by bookseller

Soak 1/4 pound dried white beans (I used cannelini; lots of others would probably work as well) overnight in water to cover generously. Drain, cover generously with water, and add any aromatics that you think might be nice; I used half a chopped onion, a clove of mashed garlic, a bay leaf, and a piece of dried chorizo. Bring to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer till beans are tender (mine took about 90 minutes; timing will vary according to both the kind and the age of your beans). Drain, and eat any pork products you had in the pot.

Julienne the leaves only (save the stalks for some green gumbo) of four stalks of chard (I used red; any other kind -- or any other kind of dark green leafy green, for that matter -- would work as well). Chop half a small onion and one or two cloves of garlic.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil (I used garlic oil, in which I had soaked cloves of garlic) over medium-high heat in a largeish pan; spread the drained beans in a single layer, stir them around, and then let sit 3-4 minutes until they are starting to get brown and crusty.

Trickle perhaps a teaspoon of olive oil down the side of the pan, stir the beans around again until the brown sides are facing up (don't make yourself crazy here, MOST of the brownsides, SORT OF up), and repeat till brown and crusty on the other side.

Add a bit more olive oil (the beans do soak that stuff up!), the onion and garlic, and a generous amount of kosher salt and pepper; stir-fry perhaps 2 minutes till the onion and garlic are smelling good. Add in the chard -- plus, if you're feeling reckless, some more olive oil -- and stir everything around until the chard wilts down. Taste for seasoning (mine needed nothing), and scarf. Makes an extremely tasty and healthy side-dish for 3-4.

Sweet Potatoes with Rosemary by CU Tiget

Sweet potatoes: Dice them, add salt pepper, rosemary and olive oil and then bake them. That's the best way to prepare themr

As for sweet potatoes... by MollyDunlop

As for sweet potatoes, I like them fried or roasted with onions and cumin, or made into a casserole with mashed apricots and sour cream, or as french fries. I really don't get the American tendency to add sugar/honey/maple syrup to an already sweet vegetable.

Turnips (swedes) benefit from being frosted before they are harvested. Then they should be boiled and mashed with good "floury" potatoes butter, and a good quantity of black pepper. Not an exciting dish, but a good accompaniment for roast meat or, of course, haggis.

Kale Chips by c-beth

My favorite way to prepare greens lately is making kale chips. Rip up a bunch of kale, coat VERY lightly in olive oil, sprinkle w/ sea salt and red pepper and roast on a baking sheet at about 415. Crunchy goodness!

Cold Steamed Artichokes by bookseller

Step one: Use a serrated knife (the Ginsu you got at the state fair with half a dozen steak knives is perfect for this) to slice off the top two inches. Fancy-ass cookbooks will tell you also to A) use shears to snip off the nasty prickles at the tops of the leaves, and B) to peel the stem; both of these are nice, neither is necessary. Step two: Bring a pot of water to boil; insert a steamer of some kind. Step three: Put artichoke in steamer, cover pot, watch rerun of "Top Chef." Step four: Remove artichoke from steamer (turn off burner first), stick it in fridge. Step five: Devour.

Yeah, you do have to remove the choke, which sounds terribly daunting, but in fact takes about two seconds with a teaspoon. And it's dead-easy to tell whether you've removed all of it. I am so loving this. I have tried them dipped in cilantro chutney, and goat-cheese and pesto dip (deeply boring -- so boring I am throwing out the rest of the dip before it can develop the kind of interesting green fur that is so difficult to remove entirely from Tupperware), but my absolute favorite is a very garlicky, very mustardy vinaigrette emulsified with a raw egg, which -- surprisingly -- keeps for weeks in the fridge. I'm sure it's not hugely healthy to keep the raw egg around for that long, but on the other hand, all the mustard and vinegar acts as a preservative.

Where I come from, melted butter is ALWAYS an ample sufficiency, though you wouldn't want to use it with cold chokes (the cold leaves would chill the butter and make it solidify). If you wanted to zing up the butter, you could add some lemon juice and/or maybe a little finely minced lemon zest. To eat the chokes cold, go for either your favorite salad dressing or any kind of dip you like with raw veggies (keep it on the thin, runny side).

Killer Coleslaw by bookseller

Killer coleslaw that is dead easy. The only trick is to make it at least the night before; it gets spicier and better as it sits, and will last a good 10 days in the fridge.

1.5 pounds green cabbage, sliced thin (the bagged stuff is just fine)
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mustard (good old Gulden's spicy brown is what you want here, no Dijon)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish (the stuff you get in the fridge case at the supermarket -- you could probably use horseradish sauce if you can't find the regular stuff)
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder


Mix up everything except the cabbage in a BIG bowl. Dump in the cabbage and use your hands to squish it all around, so that all of the cabbage (and if you're using the bagged stuff with carrot, that's cool) has been squished into the dressing. It will look a bit dry, but don't be fooled; the cabbage will give up a lot of liquid and it will get moister in the fridge overnight. Leftovers are great with crabcakes or on a corned beef sandwich.

Roasted Beets by Verbal Remedy

Beets are also delish wrapped individually in foil, roasted on a grill (45 minutes or so), cooled/peeled/chunked, then mixed up with basil, olive oil, citrus, garlic, and the aforementioned feta.

Fried fresh-picked okra by Erythrosine

Okra (from the farmer's market or someone's garden: it should be tender, not hard, and the pods should be picked before they get more than about three inches long)
cornmeal
salt
pepper
coconut oil

Slice the okra about 1/4" to 1/2" thick, then stir it with cornmeal which you have seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat a good thick frying pan on the stove until hot, add coconut oil to the pan, then fry the okra until browned and tender, about ten minutes. Don't waste this on the kids.

Red and Gold Beet Gratin with Greens by Aquarius

3 medium red beets with their greens
3 medium gold beets with their greens
1 Tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese*
1/4 pound Prima Donna gouda cheese, grated**
4 egg yolks, beaten
Salt, pepper, and parsley to taste
1/2 cup Ritz or other wheaty crackers, crumbled
Dash grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat oven to 400°. Cut the ends off each beet, and wrap them in foil packets with a drizzle of olive oil (optional: include an onion or a shallot and some whole herbs such as rosemary for extra flavor). Put them in the oven to roast. Go teach the neighborhood kids to play with matches for half an hour or so while the beets are roasting.

Remove the beets from the oven and drop the heat to 375°. Allow the beets to cool. Meanwhile, combine the cheeses, egg yolks, salt, pepper, and parsley in a bowl. Set aside.

Pick out any brown or spotty leaves from the greens, and thoroughly rinse the rest. Roughly chop the greens. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the greens and garlic until thoroughly wilted and fragrant. Combine with cheese/egg mixture.

Peel the beets (they should peel easily after roasting) and slice them into thin rounds. Layer the red beets on the bottom of a lightly oiled glass, ceramic, or Corningware pan. Mix the yellow beets with the cheese, eggs, and greens.*** Pour the mixture over the red beets and top with the crackers and Parmesan.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

*Crazy random once-around-the-fridge cook that I am, I used cottage cheese because it's what I had on hand. But ricotta would probably be more traditional.

**It's a rather strong aged gouda. Can't find it? Fontina, Gruyère, or a combination thereof will do ya fine.

***Why do it this way? Because if you mix the red beets in with the cheese, the whole thing will turn pink.

Roasted Beets by Aquarius

Roasted beets (much better than boiled, IMHO) cooled and sliced thin, served over arugula and curly endive, and topped with a disk of chevre that I'd coated with breadcrumbs and Herbes de Provence and fried, to make a warm melty crouton. It was dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.

Grilled Corn with Herbs and Lime Butter Sauce by Claire Carpenter

8 ears of corn in the husk 1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (chives, parsley, basil, sage, tarragon (I used basil)) 6 tablespoons lime butter sauce (to follow)

Prepare grill for cooking over moderate heat. Grill corn in husks on lightly oiled grill rack, turning, covered, until kernels are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. (You can skip the grilling and just boil the corn.) Remove corn from grill and let stand until cool enough to handle but still warm, about 10 minutes. Discard husks and stem ends from corn.Cut kernels off cobbs with a large knife and toss with herbs and lime butter sauce.

Lime Butter Sauce

1 large garlic clove, chopped 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 stick unsalted butter

Puree garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds. This sauce can be used on just about anything - salmon, salad - you name it.

More on Cabbage by bookseller

Ok, I was the person who posted about the cabbage, so I'll try to clarify:

Very lightly creamed cabbage (sauteed with a lot of onion, small amount of cream hard-boiled down) with good balsamic vinegar stirred in at the end off-heat

Assuming you're using a whole head of green cabbage (the hard, round one), shredded fine (knife, rather than food processor -- because I can't find the shredding blade for my food processor -- and cut as for coleslaw, with each shred no wider than 1/3 the width of your index finger). For that amount of cabbage, which will serve 4-6 people, I would use 2 medium-sized yellow onions, cut roughly the same size as the cabbage. I would stir them around in the pan in fat over medium-high heat for a while (15-20 minutes, but stirring only occasionally) until they turned a deep golden brown. Then add in the cabbage, and stir that around for a while; it will wilt down from an unimaginably huge pile to a merely big one; mix it in with the onions.

I would then add in perhaps 1/4 cup of cream. If your pile of cabbage and onions is such that this amount of cream amounts to a drop in a bucket, add more until you can definitely see spoonfuls of liquid cream -- not bowls-full, but what might be left in the cereal bowl after you finish all the cornflakes -- sloshing around on the bottom of the pan. With the lid off, turn the heat up to high; your goal here is to bring the cream to a boil and, by thereby evaporating the water in the cream, thicken the cream to the point where it clings to the cabbage and onion like a glaze. Stir away with your wooden spoon. Taste it -- you might want some salt and, if you're me, quite a bit of freshly ground black pepper. It should taste creamy and rather bland. That's when you stir in perhaps 2 tablespoons of good balsamic vinegar, to slice through the richness of the cream and the blandness of the vegetables and wake up your tongue.

Balsamic is one of those things where you really do get what you pay for. I'd get it at the gourmet store, rather than the supermarket, and buy the oldest stuff you can afford.

A small amount? How much is a small amount? What does that mean, hard-boiled down? Lid on or lid off? Which is the good balsamic vinegar? How do I know? From the price?

ETA "hard boil" meaning bring it to the most vigorous boil your stove will provide, over the highest possible heat, while stirring.

VERY IMPORTANT: Remember, anything with liquid -- stew, soup, vegetables in liquid (like cream), etc. -- the quantities are to your taste, and can always be corrected. If the consistency is too thin, boil the liquid down until it thickens, or use a thickener (flour, cornstarch, arrowroot). If it's too thick, add liquid (water, stock, juice, wine). If it's too salty, either dilute with liquid or cook for a while with a raw potato added; this will absorb the salt. If too much of one thing, balance with another, etc. It's all dependent on what YOU like.

Various Cabbage Recipes by bookseller

Very lightly creamed cabbage (sauteed with a lot of onion, small amount of cream hard-boiled down) with good balsamic vinegar stirred in at the end off-heat is one of my favorite things ever. Even better, of course, with bacon, but then, so many things are.

Slivered raw cabbage tossed with curried mayo (cook curry powder in a small amount of fat to release oils, add to mayo), peanuts, and peas is a great thing. I stole the recipe from Formaggio Kitchen in Boston about 20 years ago, and sometimes I throw some carrot in there as well.

Lazy-person's stuffed cabbge (just layer the cabbage leaves with the filling, as if you were making lasagne) is just as delicious as stuffed cabbage rolls, and a lot less work.

Finally, colcannon -- chop cabbage, steam till tender, mix with mashed potatoes -- is one of my favorite cold-weather dinners. And there is a classic Italian recipe for buckwheat pasta with cabbage and cheese that is lighter than it sounds (it's not baked) and is absolutely wonderful.

ETA you might also think about making a basterdized version of lion's head casserole. Traditionally, this is a Chinese dish of large pork meatballs served with a "mane" of greens (cabbage or bok choy). I've made it very successfully with chicken rather than pork, I like the meatballs smaller (bite-size), and I use a ton of cabbage. I would just look for a recipe for lion's head, sub chicken for the pork if you want to, and double or triple the amount of greens.

Braised Cabbage and Carrots by GaudyNight

2 slices bacon, diced
1 t. butter

Melt butter in large fry pan or heavy sauce pan; sauté bacon until crisp and lightly brown. Add:

1 large onion, sliced
2 large carrots, grated coarsely
½ t. savory, thyme, or marjoram
1 bay leaf
½ t. salt
½ t. freshly ground pepper


Fry all this gently, uncovered, 3-4 minutes.

Add 6 c. shredded cabbage (about ½ head).

Cover and braise 10-15 minutes over low to medium heat; stir occasionally. Uncover. Add:

1 t. lemon juice
2 T fresh chopped parsley
(Additional salt to taste)


I think Mr. Night sometimes uses vinegar instead of lemon juice, but I like the lemon juice better.

Sauteed Cabbage by curly and MollyDunlop

Cabbage sauteed in butter (or bacon fat, I imagine) until it is so, so tender and little bits of it are starting to turn brown and carmely is wonderful. You can add onion, cumin seeds, I like about 1/4 tsp of turmeric for flavor and color. You can also add thinly sliced apples.
[curly]


I generally heat some butter and olive oil to a fairly high heat, added sliced cabbage and toss it to coat with oil, put on the lid and cook for a few minutes at medium heat, then finish with some grated nutmeg. I tend to use nutmeg with any cabbage-related vegetable.
[Molly]

... it's actually more like Molly describes. You sautee for a few minutes to coat the cabbage in fat, then cover and let it steam slowly for a while. 10-20 minutes seems to be a safe time range, depending on temperature.
[curly]

Sweet Potatoes by Erythrosine

Not as delicious as oven roasted, but very efficient to make: one large sweet potato, quartered lengthwise and then sliced, tossed with one tablespoon of olive oil, covered and microwaved three minutes, shaken, then microwaved until soft, which took another three minutes.

Lemon Herb Roasted Potatoes by Alecto the Night Owl

2 1/2 lbs red potatoes
1/4 c olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425°. Wash potatoes, rinse and pat dry. Dice potatoes into 3/4" cubes. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, oregano, thyme, paprika and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well. Add potatoes and toss. Arrange on an oiled or non-stick baking sheet and bake for about 35 minutes. Turn potatoes at 15 minutes. Bake until tender and well browned.

I sometimes make up the oil mixture and keep it in the fridge. The herbs infuse into the oil and make the potatoes a little tastier.