Fast, Fresh & Green (6 page)

Put out a platter of these at your next buffet meal and watch them disappear. They make great hors d’oeuvres or antipasto, but they’re delicious on a dinner plate, too.

1 RECIPE CARAMELIZED PLUM TOMATOES IN AN OLIVE OIL BATH (
page 41
), any excess oil drained

20 FRESH BASIL LEAVES

8 MINI—MOZZARELLA BALLS (
1 in/2.5 cm in diameter), each sliced into 3 to 4 pieces

KOSHER SALT

1
Have ready a serving platter
or shallow dish and twenty 4-in/10-cm cocktail skewers.

2
Lay the plum tomatoes
, cut side up, on a cutting board. Place a basil leaf, shiny side down, on each tomato half. Put a piece of mozzarella on one end of the tomato and sprinkle a little salt over it. Fold the other half of the tomato over the cheese and put a skewer through the “sandwich” at an angle, so that about ¾ in/2 cm of the skewer comes out the other side. It’s best to skewer through the folded—over ends of the tomato (and the cheese), but not the middle, to prevent the “sandwich” from flopping open. Arrange the tomatoes on a serving platter in diagonal rows, tucking them close to one another.

Yields 20 sandwiches; serves 6 to 8

The trick to roasting Brussels sprouts is to first cut them in halves (if they’re on the small side) or quarters (if they’re a bit mature). Whole Brussels sprouts will just burn on the outside before they’re cooked all the way through. I like halves because I can arrange them cut side down, which browns the bottoms and tops but keeps some of the moisture inside. For that reason, I try to choose sprouts that are on the small side; these days some of the Brussels sprouts in the store are the size of small cabbages! At any size, they deliver a delicious nutty flavor when roasted.

I make a smooth, flavorful butter sauce to dress up the roasted sprouts, but you could just drizzle them with a little melted butter and season with a squeeze of lemon. This butter sauce is also delicious on roasted broccoli. Serve the sprouts with a braised pork butt on the weekend, or a pan—seared ham steak on a weeknight. They’d also be delicious with bratwursts and beer.

1 LB/455 G SMALL BRUSSELS SPROUTS,
trimmed and halved lengthwise

2 TBSP EXTRA—VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

½ TSP KOSHER SALT

2 TSP BALSAMIC VINEGAR

1 TBSP PURE MAPLE SYRUP

1 TBSP FRESH ORANGE JUICE

½ TSP FINELY GRATED ORANGE ZEST

2 TBSP COLD UNSALTED BUTTER,
cut into 16 pieces

1
Preheat the oven
to 475°F/245°C (Gas Mark 9). Line a large (18-×-13-×-1-in/45.5-×-33-×-2.5-cm) heavy—duty rimmed sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper.

2
In a mixing bowl
, toss the Brussels sprouts with the olive oil and ½ tsp of the salt. Arrange the sprouts in one layer, cut side down, on the parchment.

3
Roast until brown and tender
, 15 to 18 minutes. (The tops will be dark brown and crispy and the sprouts should feel tender when pierced with a paring knife.) Transfer the sprouts to a mixing bowl.

4
Combine the balsamic vinegar
, maple syrup, orange juice, and orange zest in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat just until it’s hot (you will see a bit of steam), but not simmering. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cold butter, several pieces at a time, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth and creamy. (Don’t reheat the mixture or the butter will break and the sauce won’t be creamy.) Pour the sauce over the sprouts and stir thoroughly but gently until most of the sauce has been absorbed. Transfer the sprouts and any remaining sauce to a serving platter or dinner plates.

Serves 4

Every time I make these, I get a silly kick out of seeing all the colorful little dice arranged on the parchment paper. (But then again, I’m very enthusiastic about vegetables.) These make a nice side dish on their own, or try them as a bed for steak or as part of the Warm Bistro Salad on
page 47
. I hold back on some of the salt before roasting, because I like to season the vegetables with a little bit of Fresh Herb Salt when they come out of the oven. (I don’t do this before roasting because the heat can make herbs turn bitter or lose their flavor altogether.) A small drizzle of olive oil is nice, too.

Be sure to choose a mix of at least three or four different vegetables for color and flavor variety. I don’t peel turnips, potatoes, or sweet potatoes before roasting—only carrots and parsnips. Make the herb salt while your vegetables are roasting; don’t be tempted to make it hours ahead—it doesn’t hold well. You can easily double this recipe if you’ve got two sheet pans and a little more time. (Or, if you’re short on time, you can cut the vegetables into larger pieces—see the variation following this recipe.)

1 LB/455 G ROOT VEGETABLES (
choose a mix of turnips, carrots, orange or white sweet potatoes, parsnips, red potatoes, and Yukon gold potatoes), cut into ¼-in/6.5-mm dice

2 TBSP PLUS 1 TSP EXTRA—VIRGIN OLIVE OIL,
and more if needed

KOSHER SALT

3 OZ/85 G SHALLOTS (
about 4 medium), trimmed, peeled, and cut into ¼-in-/6.5-mm-thick slices

Fresh Herb Salt (optional)

½ TSP CHOPPED FRESH ROSEMARY OR THYME

½ TSP KOSHER SALT

1
Preheat the oven
to 475°F/245°C (Gas Mark 9). Line a large (18-×-13-×-1-in/45.5-×-33-×-2.5-cm) heavy—duty rimmed sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper.

2
In a mixing bowl
, toss the diced vegetables with 2 Tbsp of the olive oil and ½ tsp of kosher salt. In a small bowl, coat the shallot slices, without breaking them apart, with the remaining 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt.

3
Spread out the vegetables
and the shallots (keeping the rings together) in one layer on the sheet pan. (They will be somewhat crowded.) Roast until all of the vegetables are tender and some are beginning to brown around the edges (the shallots will be browned on the bottom), 22 to 24 minutes.

4
To make the Fresh Herb Salt
(if using), combine the herbs and salt in a small bowl and mix well with your fingers. Let sit for a few minutes before using.

5
Toss all the vegetables together
, breaking up the shallot rings, and season with up to ½ tsp of Fresh Herb Salt or a few pinches of kosher salt. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over the vegetables, if you like, and toss again.

Serves 3

If you’re not in the mood for cutting small dice, but you crave the flavor of roasted roots, you can follow this recipe with a few tweaks. Skip the shallots (they will burn and taste too bitter on a less—crowded sheet pan), but increase the amount of root vegetables to 1¼ lb/570 g and cut them in larger dice (½—to ¾-in/1.25—to 2-cm pieces). The roasting time will not be much longer because there is more space between the vegetables. Check for tenderness with a paring knife after 20 to 22 minutes, but continue cooking for up to 28 minutes if you want more browning and crispness. Season with Fresh Herb Salt or kosher salt and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

Serves 3 to 4

If you’re having friends over, this lovely winter salad could be the first course for a warming dinner of braised short ribs or lamb shanks. But if it’s only the two of you some chilly night, you can simply make two large salads instead of four smaller ones and eat this for dinner with a hunk of good artisan bread and a nice young red wine. If you just want to cook the tiny roasted vegetables (they’re cute), and not bother with the salad, see the recipe on
page 44
.

Be sure to use at least four different vegetables in this salad for a variety of colors and flavors. (Don’t peel the turnips, potatoes, or sweet potatoes.) I call for a salad green called curly endive in this recipe. It is often mislabeled in the grocery store as “chicory.” It is not, however, escarole, which has broader, thicker leaves; nor is it frisée, which has thinner, more delicate leaves. If you need a substitute, frisée would be a better option than escarole. Either way, serve the salad soon after dressing as it will begin to wilt fairly quickly.

Since this recipe was designed to be an alternative use for the Tiny Roasted Root Vegetables, it takes a bit more time than some. While the vegetables can be prepped and cooked in 35 to 40 minutes, washing the greens and making the salad will add on 10 to 15 minutes.

6 CUPS/95 G TORN CURLY ENDIVE,
washed and dried

1 RECIPE TINY ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES WITH SHALLOTS
(
page 44
), made without the herb salt

2 OZ/60 G BACON,
cut into medium—small dice

2½ TO 3 TBSP OLIVE OIL

1 TBSP PLUS 1 TSP RED—WINE VINEGAR

1¾ TSP DIJON MUSTARD

KOSHER SALT

FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

1
Put the curly endive
in a large, heat—proof mixing bowl. Choose four salad plates and make room on your counter for plating the salads.

2
Make the Tiny Roasted Root Vegetables
, roasting the vegetables for 18 to 22 minutes. (They don’t need to be well—browned for this recipe.)

3
In a small nonstick skillet
, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for just a minute or two. You should have 1 to 1½ Tbsp of fat left in the pan. Add enough of the olive oil to make about 3 Tbsp total. Add 1 Tbsp of the red—wine vinegar and 1½ tsp of the Dijon mustard. (It may sputter a bit.) Whisk to combine, but don’t worry if the warm vinaigrette looks “broken”—that’s fine.

4
In a mixing bowl
, season the curly endive with several good pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir the warm vinaigrette again and pour it over the endive. Toss the endive thoroughly until it’s well coated with the vinaigrette. Portion the endive onto the four salad plates. In the same mixing bowl, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, the remaining 1 tsp of red—wine vinegar, the remaining ¼ tsp of Dijon, and a pinch of salt. Stir to roughly combine. Add the roasted vegetables to the bowl and toss them with the oil and vinegar mixture (break up the shallot rings, if possible). Portion the vegetables on top of and around the endive, and garnish each salad with the crisp bacon pieces. Serve right away as the curly endive will begin to soften.

Serves 4

This colorful and bright—tasting roasted vegetable salad has a secret ingredient in the dressing—cocoa. You won’t know it’s around—just that this tastes delicious.

A large sheet pan is especially useful for this recipe. If you don’t have one, use two smaller sheet pans. This is a large amount of vegetables, and if you pile them all on one smaller pan, they will steam rather than roast.

1 GLOBE EGGPLANT (
1¼ lb/570 g), unpeeled, ends trimmed, and cut into ¾-in/2-cm dice

1 LARGE RED BELL PEPPER (
6 to 7 oz/170 to 200 g), cored, seeded, and cut into ¾-in/2-cm pieces

1 LARGE YELLOW OR ORANGE BELL PEPPER (
6 to 7 oz/170 to 200 g), cored, seeded, and cut into ¾-in/2-cm pieces

¹
/
₃
CUP/75 ML PLUS 1 TSP EXTRA—VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

1¼ TSP KOSHER SALT

2 TSP FRESH LEMON JUICE

2 TSP SOY SAUCE

2 TSP DARK BROWN SUGAR

½ TSP UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER

2 TSP FINELY CHOPPED FRESH GINGER

1½ TSP MINCED FRESH GARLIC

2 TBSP COARSELY CHOPPED FRESH PARSLEY

12 LARGE FRESH BASIL LEAVES,
torn into ¾-in/2-cm pieces

1
Preheat the oven
to 475°F/245°C (Gas Mark 9). Line a large (18-×-13-×-1-in/45.5-×-33-×-2.5-cm) heavy—duty rimmed sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper.

2
In a large mixing bowl
, combine the eggplant, bell peppers,
¹
/
₃
cup/75 ml of the olive oil, and salt. Mix thoroughly, transfer to the sheet pan, and arrange the vegetables evenly in one layer. Roast the vegetables, flipping or stirring once with a spatula halfway through cooking, until the eggplant is shrunken and nicely browned, about 30 minutes. The peppers will be softened and somewhat browned on the skin side. Let cool for 5 minutes.