Posts filed under ‘Purely Vegetables’
Roasted Root & Ricotta Pizza
Pizza nirvana, in my opinion, is hard to come by, but when you do, it’s just the best darn food you can possibly imagine. I think I was spoiled by my trip to Italy when I was 20. In the autumn air, I wander the streets of Florence with no particular agenda other than to savor every moment. In the beautiful old-world charm of this Italian favorite, I had my first slice of the mother land’s pizza.
First off, it was huge! Really huge! The diameter of a car tire, or so my mind’s eye remembers. I know for sure that I was shocked – absolutely dumbstruck – that this was the size of pizza every individual in the little restaurant was getting. No going “halvesy”. You ate your pizza like a big hungry man. And devour it without a shard of proper ladylike manners I did!
The crust was so thin and crisp. The sauce perfectly balanced with garlic and basil. The bubbly mozzarella was no doubt fresh as it could be. Because the crust was so thin and the toppings so minimalist (in the best sense of the word), when I finished and pushed back my chair, I felt “just right” – not too full but most definitely completely satiated. Shortly after that I bought my first original piece of artwork from a painter along the banks of the Arno River and felt immensely happy with my travel adventure.
Once back in the States, I did my best to replicate that experience, trying several pizza recipes and kneading the dough under the Florence watercolor I’d hung in my kitchen as inspiration. I’m embarrassed to admit, dear readers, that I was a really bad pizza maker. The texture of the dough eluded me and always came out, well, soggy. I basically gave up on homemade pizza for several years until Deb, at Smitten Kitchen, nudged me out of my misgivings with her many tempting pizza posts and a very simple dough recipe.
As it turns out, the trick to entering pizza nirvana, begins with a touch of honey and dough rolled so thin you can practically see through it. Once you’ve got that, you can’t go wrong. But, it turns out, you can improve upon perfection. Now, I’m not going to be so bold as to say this recipe for Roasted Root & Ricotta Pizza is better than that being made by little eateries in Florence. But… However… You see… On the other hand….
It’s really really really good. Not a “minimalist” pizza by any means, this crispy crust gets loaded with aromatic and smoky roasted potatoes, rutabaga, onion, garlic, and even carrots, not to mention creamy ricotta and melty mozzarella. Mama mia, am I hungry all of a sudden!
Zesty Roasted Rutabaga and Carrots
What an interesting time of the year it is. There’s so much diversity in the weather – shorts one day, winter coat the next, and goulashes and an umbrella the day after. I’ve been enjoying this little adventure in atmospheric pressure, though I hope the snow is gone for good now that my tulips and alliums are pushing up through the aromatic spring earth.
One thing that isn’t full of diversity right now is my diet. All I’ve got left to play with in the kitchen are the same four root vegetables: rutabaga, carrots, potatoes and onions. Luckily, I happen to really like these long-lasting staples of the winter pantry. But even I get a little bored sometimes and wish for a new twist on the old favorites.
Searching around on one of my go-to resources for new recipe ideas, All Recipes, I saw this fun take on roasted vegetables, Zesty Roasted Rutabaga and Carrots. The lemony zing is deliciously sublime, and the overall dish is quite beautiful with its bright colors and flecks of dill. It makes a great side dish for a hearty dinner or an easy take-along for lunch since it’s as lovely at room temperature as it is warm.
If you or someone at your table is new to rutabaga, this is a great preparation to introduce this vitamin-packed root. The orange flesh speaks to the high levels of carotene (vitamin C) that come with every delicious bite. The rutabaga I used for this dish was in my crisper drawer since October and it was as fresh as the day it was picked. Who ever said beauty fades?
Kohlrabi & Carrot Salad
Here we are once again, standing on the doorstep of a brand-spankin’ new year. Every January there’s a sense of resolve in the air around my house. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I make resolutions. I don’t have a mind that operates in those clearly defined terms. But I do assess my current situation in life and think about where I’d like to see myself heading over the next 365 days.
I’ve never been a slender woman, although since high school I have been a fitness fanatic with a nicely toned body. Unfortunately, the chaos of changing careers, moving into our first house, taking on freelance assignments to supplement the drop in pay by going back to school, and giving up my daily bike commute, my hips have been sadly spreading over the past year. So, for the first time in years, I find myself starting this particular new year with the same misgiving about weight that so many do.
To that end, I’m on the hunt for recipes with fresh flavors but fewer calories and lower in saturated fat. This recipe for Kohlrabi and Carrot Salad is a bright colorful way to start off and tasty enough to help me keep my resolve. It’s a quick lunch, crunchy enough to make you feel full, or it’s a nice little starter to curb your appetite at the start of dinner. Kohlrabi in particular seems to me to be a great vegetable for satisfying some of the more common cravings out there: it’s got the crunch of a pretzel but the slight sweetness of an apple. Sprinkle it with a little salt and it’s surprisingly satisfying.
Honey-Ginger Carrot & Parsnip Latkes
Today is a special day for me. It was four years ago that D and I went on our first date. And what a first date it was. It started with a long stroll through the Philadelphia Museum of Art where we sat by the monastery courtyard fountain and he took my hand for the first time. Then we had a late lunch at More Than Just Ice Cream on Pine Street. He had the guacamole; I had the grilled cheese with tomatoes; and we both agreed that water is the only drink we ever order out. We shared an enormous slice of the house special: apple pie al la mode.
And because we were having so much fun already during that first encounter, we decided to catch a movie too. Does anyone remember that indie film Closer, the one with Damien Rice’s haunting melodies? While it was an interesting flick with a great soundtrack, it was most definitely NOT first date material, seeing as how it’s all about deception among couples. But somehow we made it through that and went on to have many more dates and here, 1460 days later, we’re celebrating another anniversary.
Sadly, we didn’t get to spend most of our special day together as he had a class to attend. But I decided to make something nice for a light bite when he got home. A recipe I spied in Eat Feed Autumn Winter (still equally in love with this book too) for Honey-Ginger Carrot Parsnip Latkes seemed like just the ticket. D was raised in a Jewish household and still has a soft spot for many of the traditional dishes he ate as a kid.
Fatal Attraction
I like to think it was fate that brought me to today’s recipe. One those chance encounters that really changes your perspective on life experiences. As it was, I’d always been a fan of creamy coleslaw but never really a fan of cabbage. I know there are legions of devotees to such standards as cabbage soups and sauerkraut. But, hey, I just don’t particularly like the taste of cabbage, okay? The only reason I like the creamy-style coleslaw you get at every truck stop and road-side diner is because it masks the flavor of the cabbage while still providing a good bit of crunch.
With that background info in mind, I wasn’t really looking for a new cabbage recipe. But during my last stint at the Headhouse Market around Thanksgiving, a customer practically came running over to our table when she spied the heads of crinkly-leafed Savoy cabbage we had. (Yes, that’s “savoy”, not “savory” for anyone wondering if I forgot the “r”.) Granted, these are the prettiest members of the Brassicaceae family of crops and worth some attention. But this customer was so very enthusiastic about them that I had to ask what her plans were for the two heads she bought. Turns out the NY Times had just printed a recipe for Savoy Cabbage Slaw With Applesauce Vinaigrette that she was dying to try.
Being the diligent customer service representative that I am, I made a mental note to go home and find the recipe so I could be familiar with it and recommend it to future customers if it proved worthy. After reading off the list of ingredients, my own curiosity was piqued so much that I decided to give the recipe a try with the small head of Savoy I’d brought home with me.
Holy molly, boy was I wrong about cabbage! Or, perhaps to be fair, up until this recipe I hadn’t known how to highlight its strengths. The fruity vinaigrette and the nutty walnuts along with the zing of the radishes all harmonize with – but do not mask – the cabbage’s flavor. I’m also certain using Savoy in this recipe is critical to its success since this variety of cabbage is not as poignantly “cabbagy”, and its texture is crisper than some of the standard heads (which I sometimes find almost rubbery).
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