Tag Archives: vegan

Quick Pickles

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Yellow bowl of quick pickles made from English cukes

I’m sharing this simple little tip for making quick pickles because it’s been as hot as hell here in the Bay Area the last few days and I’m resorting to cool foods to help out.

This always happens.  Much of the US is cruising into fall by this time, with soups, jackets, flaming foliage and pumpkin chais running rampant.  We sit here with a string of 95 degree days.  Hate that.  I don’t care how cool the summer has been overall.  I can’t deal with extreme heat.  The resident akita-chow, Berry, has been miserable, too.

These pickle-like creatures can be made in the morning and served in the evening, and are helpful when you want something to serve with a sandwich or a curry.

Futz with the recipe as you like.  If you want them like Vietnamese cucumber salad (i.e., sweet/sour), use more sugar and only a bit of salt.

Quick Cuke Pickles

1 English cucumber, cut into large chunks – as in the photo (do not peel)
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1).  Place the cuke chunks in a glass or earthenware bowl.
2).  Combine remaining items in a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.
3).  Pour liquid over cukes.
4).  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to remain on kitchen counter for 2 hours.
5).  Transfer to fridge and allow to cool for several hours.
6).  Drain and serve.

Tandoori Asparagus

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Tandoor asparagus on a white plate

Here’s something easy to do with asparagus that makes them a little different.

You’ll need some dry tandoori spice blend.  You can make your own, but there are some good ones on the market.  Having it on hand is great when you can’t figure out what kind of side to make with din-din and you’re sick and tired of bland veggies.  While I might put together my own spice blend for a main dish, I usually use packaged stuff for everything else.

I suggest going to an Indian or Pakistani grocery for your spice blends.  I wrote a post about this last year, which you can check out.  These stores carry imported products, which are much less expensive than their American-made counterparts.  For example, MDH puts out a good Tandoori blend, and you’ll pay about $1.50 for 100 grams at Vik’s Market in Berkeley.  This is a steal.

Give this a try and then alter the recipe to your taste.  It works well with green beans and potatoes, but you’ll need more oil for the latter.

Tandoori-style Asparagus
   Makes enough for dinner sides for 4 and leftovers

2 pounds fresh asparagus
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons tandoori spice blend
2 teaspoons sea salt

1).  Wash, dry and trim the asparagus, and then peel the bottom quarter or so of the stems to get rid of the woody, stringy part.
2).  Toss oil, spice blend and salt on a sheet pan and mix with your hands.
3).  Place asparagus on sheet pan and coat spears well with seasoned oil.  Hands are your best tool for this.
4).  Arrange in single layer (or you can put on a rack, if you like).
5).  Blast in preheated 425 deg. F. oven (convection, if you have it) and take out when they are to your liking.  If you use thin asparagus and leave them in longer than you really should, they will be very soft at the ends but the tips will be crunchy and salty/spicy, which I like.
6).  Remove with tongs to serving plate and present with lemon wedges.

These are good as leftovers on a sandwich.  I know I say that about everything, and it’s usually true.  This time it’s really true.

Roasted Peppers for Summer!

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Tricolor roated peppers in blue dish with olive oil

Hurray for June!  It’s now bell pepper season in Cali, and I can turn out roasted peppers to my heart’s content!

Roasted peppers are delicious and cut a lovely appearance.  If you stick to a recipe that’s basic, leftovers are versatile.

There are a couple of ways to go here, depending upon how much time you have and what you want to do with them.

First, red and orange bell peppers are generally sweeter than the yellow, but it’s nice to have that extra color on the plate.  You’re free to include regular old green ones, but these have bitter notes, so I leave them off.

Try to get peppers that have been allowed to ripen on the plant, because they’ll be sweeter – more caramelization in the roasting process, you see.  This is why it’s great to buy at stellar produce shops like Berkeley Bowl and Monterey Market.  If you ask them this kind of thing, they’ll know.

Roasted Tri-color Peppers with Olive Oil and Black Pepper

2 red, 2 yellow and 2 orange organic bell peppers, washed and dried well
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper in grinders
Optional:  Shaved or grated Parmesano Reggiano

1).  Jack up your oven to 425 F. – convection, if you have it.
2).  Place peppers on a sheet pan and slide into oven.
3).  Using long tongs, turn them over now and again (like every few minutes) so they darken and cook evenly.
4).  When they are nice and brown/black — and they don’t need to be a solid brown/black, rather they should have lots of spots that are evenly distributed — take them out with tongs ASAP and pop into a couple of large Ziploc bags and seal them.  You are harnessing moist heat here to cause the skins to pull away from the flesh.  Put the bags in bowls in case the heat causes them to break, which happens, so that you catch the natural juices.  You’ll need the juices later.
5).  After about an hour, take out the peppers, one by one, and slip the skins (which should be loose) off.  Pull the stems off and gently tear the pepper to open it and push out the seeds with your fingers.  Don’t rinse them, rather use your fingers to get all the “bad” things off.
6).  Cut or tear them into large strips and arrange on a plate.
7).  Pour the pepper juices over the top.*
8).  Crank a little sea salt and coarse black pepper over peppers.
9).  Finish with a drizzle of excellent olive oil and some Parmesano Reggiano, if you like, but they are delectable without it.

*If you prefer, you can make a vinaigrette out of the pepper juices, olive oil and a little lemon juice, and top peppers with this

Leftovers (without the parmesan) can be served on a sandwich, like my famous egg, roasted red pepper, roasted potato and turkey breast on toasted whole grain bread.   You can also use them as a base for a pureed hot or cold soup, and in a ground walnut and red pepper spread, called muhammara.  Another fun thing to make with them is a terrine, layering the colors.  There are endless uses, and they will be about a million times better than what you get in a jar or can.

Roasted red pepper, egg, cheese, turkey, potato on whole wheat

If you have no time on your hands, you can make a simple roasted pepper.  Just wash, dry, seed, and cut up.  Arrange on a sheet pan and rub with a little olive oil to coat.  Add a dash of salt to the mix if you like, and roast at 400 F. until they get a bit singed.  Take them out and transfer to a serving dish.

roasted yellow peppers in a green bowl

This version is tasty, but they still have their skins, so you’ll have to take that into consideration.