side dish recipe

Recipes for Asparagus: Steam, Grill, or Roast and Enjoy!

by Anne Maxfield on May 9, 2013

Accidental Locavore Green AsparagusThis time of year, recipes for asparagus are as plentiful as tree pollen (but not quite as excessive as recipes for ramps).  The Accidental Locavore shares recipes and ideas for asparagus (to see how to pick asparagus check out the “How To” section).

No recipes needed to grill asparagus, one of my favorite ways to cook them. If they’re not too big, just toss them in some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and throw them on the grill for 5-10 minutes, turn after a couple of minutes and cook until they start to have grill marks, are flexible and cooked through. If you’re working with bigger stalks, you might want to steam them (I use the microwave) for 4 minutes, then toss in olive oil and grill, or skip the steaming and just cook them a little longer over slightly lower heat (charred is not good).

This may sound a little crazy: a great recipe for grilling asparagus is to marinate them in a mayonnaise mix, then grill them. This recipe is adapted from Food & Wine. Feel free to substitute and/or add things like mustard, hot sauce, or sprinkle with something like Parmesan Cheese before or after grilling. Added bonus? The asparagus won’t stick to the grill. 6 servings if you’re not too greedy.

  • ½ cup mayonnaise (make your own-it’s easy and tastes so much better)
  • ¼ cup olive oil (use a good quality)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed (use the back of a knife)
  • 1 tablespoon sweet, smoked paprika (you can use the hot smoked paprika if you like, or substitute a little of the sauce from chipotles in adobo)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin (if you don’t have the smoked paprika, just use a little more cumin for that smoky taste)
  • 1 pound thick asparagus, woody bottoms snapped off or cut

Light a grill. In a shallow dish, whisk the mayonnaise with all the other ingredients, except the asparagus. Add the asparagus, toss and let sit for 30 minutes. Grill the asparagus over moderately high heat, turning to cook evenly, until tender, about 5-10 minutes.

Asparagus are also good roasted. Same principle as grilling, just toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until they’re cooked through.

I’ve roasted them with sprinkles of goat cheese and herbs de Provence, ok but not great. Better is some lemon zest, and grated Parmesan (you can add before they go in, or sprinkle on before serving.

When you steam them (4-5 minutes in the microwave and they keep their color), or (steam them in a pan) on top of the stove, to jazz them up a little hollandaise sauce is delicious, decadent and easy to make. Recently I made an “homage to hollandaise” with about ½ cup crème fraiche, 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard and a little squeeze of lemon juice mixed together and served with roasted asparagus. Not quite the guilt of hollandaise.

What’s your favorite recipe for asparagus?

 

 

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Asian Vinaigrette

by Anne Maxfield on December 6, 2012

Accidental Locavore Brussels Sprouts Asian VinaigretteThe Accidental Locavore saw this recipe from Momofuku online and was intrigued. When I saw the mass of comments raving about the dish, I figured I had to try it. With a last-minute plea to bring Brussels sprouts to my friend’s Thanksgiving leftover party, it was a shoo-in. I’ve adapted it from the Food52 website. It can be served warm or at room temperature and will serve 4-6.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Asian Vinaigrette

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Serves 4-6
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Total time 35 minutes
Meal type Side Dish
Region Thai
The Accidental Locavore's recipe for Brussels sprouts with an Asian vinaigrette. Brussels sprouts side dish recipe, good hot or room temperature.

Ingredients

  • 2lb Brussels sprouts (small ones if you can find them)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/4 cup sugar (or less, to taste)
  • 1/2 clove garlic, finely minced
  • 1 red birds-eye chile, seeded and sliced (Thai chile, see notes)
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro stems, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
  • 3 tablespoons mint, chopped

Directions

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 450°. While the oven is heating, trim the Brussels sprouts and cut in half. Put the cut sprouts in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss to coat with the oil and put on a large, rimmed baking sheet (preferably with cut sides down). Roast for 10-15 minutes until they start to get nice and brown. Toss and continue to cook for about another 10 minutes until they are browned and tender.
Step 2
While the sprouts are roasting, make the vinaigrette. Combine the fish sauce, water, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, sugar, garlic and chile in a jar. Shake to mix. Taste and adjust by adding more of anything as needed. If the fish sauce is too salty, more lime juice or rice wine vinegar will help.
Step 3
Put the warm Brussels sprouts in a serving bowl, toss with the vinaigrette, cilantro leaves and stems and mint. Serve and enjoy!
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Accidental Locavore Roasted SproutsMy Verdict: This was really good and when I took it to my friends, I never had a good taste of it (co-mingled with some great spare ribs, stuffing, etc) so I decided to give it another shot when I could just enjoy it at my leisure. With the second batch, I added the vinaigrette to the just-out of-the-oven sprouts, figuring that with potato salad it’s always better when you toss the warm potatoes with the dressing (it absorbs more of the flavor). Warm, they were great! A good kick from the chiles and a nice umami flavor from the fish sauce. What surprised me both times was the affinity between the Brussels sprouts and the cilantro; it’s quite a magic combination! Personally, I prefer them warm, but try them both ways and let me know what you think.

Notes: The original recipe called for 1-3 bird’s eye chiles with the seeds intact. Those little suckers pack a lot of heat! When I made it the first time with two chiles, I ended up trying to remove all the chiles because I thought it was going to be too spicy for a crowd. The second time, I used one chile and seeded it before I sliced it. It packed what I thought was the perfect amount of heat to make things interesting without taking away from the nuttiness of the Brussels sprouts.

Also, because the taste of fish sauce (click here to order) can vary widely, go easy on it, taste and add more if you like. I used a brand called “Tips”.

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Mexican Green Rice

by Anne Maxfield on October 25, 2012

This is an easy way of jazzing up rice and works well with the Accidental Locavore’s Shrimp la Vieuda. You can use any combination of things that suit your fancy. This will serve 4 as a side dish.

Mexican Green Rice

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Mexican Green Rice
Serves 4
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Total time 30 minutes
Dietary Vegetarian
Meal type Side Dish
Region Mexican
The Accidental Locavore shares an easy recipe for a tasty side dish, Mexican green rice. This vegetarian side dish is an easy way to jazz up rice.

Ingredients

  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
  • 3-4 small tomatillos, husks removed and halved
  • 1 small serrano or jalapano chile, halved and seeded
  • 1 small poblano chile, quartered and seeded
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
  • 2 cups chicken broth (if you want to make this vegetarian/vegan, use veggie broth)
  • salt to taste
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice

Directions

Step 1
In the work bowl of a food processor, add all the ingredients except the rice. Process until the veggies are pretty finely chopped. Pour into a small saucepan and heat over high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer (the lowest setting your stove has) stir in the rice and cover. Cook for 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Stir, serve and enjoy!
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Accidental Locavore Green Rice IngredientsNotes: There are a lot of things you could add – epazote, Mexican oregano, mint, lime zest, are all possibilities. If you’re heat-averse, omit the serrano or jalapeno. Diana Kennedy sautés white onion and the poblanos before adding them. Rick Bayless mentions adding peas towards the end. They both toast the rice before cooking it (like pilaf or risotto), but I’m lazy and this is how I’ve always made it.

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Grilled Corn Salad

by Anne Maxfield on September 13, 2012

As much as the Accidental Locavore loves corn on the cob, there does come a time, later in the summer, when a little variety is welcome. This is a great side dish salad, adapted from Food & Wine. I served it with some grilled pork chops, but it would work with just about anything. Serves 4.

Grilled Corn Salad

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Grilled Corn Salad
Serves 4
Meal type Salad, Side Dish
The Accidental Locavore shares a recipe for a refreshing salad with grilled corn, cilantro, mint and fresh lime juice. A summer salad recipe.

Ingredients

  • 4 large ears of corn, shucked
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons mint leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons cilantro, coarsely chopped

Directions

Step 1
Heat a grill or grill pan. Brush the corn with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderately high heat, turning until cooked and charred in spots, about 12 minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the onion and lime juice and let stand 10 minutes. Add the syrup, jalapeno, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper and mix well.
Working in a large bowl or on a cutting board, cut the kernels off the cobs (you want chunks here). Add the onion dressing, mint, parsley and cilantro, and toss. Serve and enjoy!
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My verdict: This was a great, fresh side dish! I made it on a grill pan and it came out fine. It would probably be even better on a charcoal grill. I did use the maple syrup, but am not sure how necessary it is. Wondering how some cheese (feta or a Mexican queso fresco) would be. I find cutting the kernels off of corn more difficult in a bowl, but if you don’t want to be cleaning corn up, it’s neater that way. For this, I started in a bowl, but ended up on a cutting board. You can save the cobs and freeze them for corn chowder later on in the fall.

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