side dish

Side Dish Recipe: Baked Aparagus Fries

by Anne Maxfield on May 24, 2012

Accidental Locavore Trout With AsparagusThe Accidental Locavore tried a recipe for asparagus fries (that aren’t even fried) to mixed results recently. Here’s the recipe adapted from spoonforkbacon and I’d love to know what you think. The prep time is a little long, depending on how many you’re doing, however it’s easy (but messy). Try to use one hand for the dredging and dipping and keep the other clean and dry for other tasks. From start to finish it will take less than an hour and feeds 4.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1lb asparagus, washed and cut in 4″ pieces
  • 3/4 cups flour
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil

Directions

Accidental Locavore Asparagus FriesStep 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mix Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper together in a shallow bowl. Place flour in another shallow bowl. Place beaten eggs in a third shallow bowl. Dredge the asparagus spears in flour and shake off excess (not much flour will stick, but that’s okay). Dip in egg and then in panko mix. Make sure spears are thoroughly coated with crumbs. Place on cookie sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil.
Step 2
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!

 

The verdict: Frank really liked them and thought they’d be a great hors d’oeuvre with a dipping sauce. Try mayo thinned out with a little lemon and some cumin.  This time of year asparagus are so good, I’d rather (toss them in olive oil or mayo and) grill them. However, if you’re serving some fussy eaters, this is a good way of sneaking a veg in. What do you think?

 

 

 

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A Friend of the Accidental Locavore’s Recipe for Greek Ratatouille

by Anne Maxfield on November 4, 2011

Accidental Locavore Greek Ratatouille

Have you ever gotten a recipe you just had to try, but knew you were going to fiddle with? The Accidental Locavore’s  friend Amie Gartenberg had this Greek version of a ratatouille over the summer and said it was just delicious. I used it with the last of the eggplant and peppers and a few other things (well, a lot of other things). Trust me, it’s forgiving! Her recipe was adapted from allrecipes.com. Takes about a two hours (mostly cooking time) and serves 12.

Briam 
For the sauce:
• 3 tomatoes
• ½ cup olive oil (or less)
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar (optional)
• 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh oregano (I used 1 tbsp dried)
• ¼ cup capers
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• Salt & pepper, to taste

 

For the vegetables:Accdiental Locavore Farm Box September
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, sliced 1/4″ thick
• 1 tomato, cut in 1 ½ “ chunks
• 2 potatoes, cut in 1 ½ “ chunks
• 2 medium eggplants, cut in 1 ½ “ chunks
• 3 zucchini, sliced ½” thick
• 3 red bell peppers, sliced ½” thick
• 1 cup carrots, sliced ½” thick
• 1 cup green beans, cut in half horizontally
Feta cheese and pita bread for serving

 

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Place the tomatoes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, parsley, mint, basil, oregano, capers and garlic in the work bowl of a food processor (a blender or stick blender would be fine). Pulse well to form fresh tomato sauce. Add salt and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish then add all remaining veggies. Toss to coat all with the oil. Pour the tomato sauce over the top and mix thoroughly. Add a little water, if required, to cover the vegetables with sauce. Bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour until all the vegetables are tender. Serve with feta cheese sprinkled over the top and warm pita bread.

 

My verdict: Delicious, although I really strayed from the recipe. For the sauce: no sugar.  I forgot to get basil and parsley, so just doubled up on the mint and (dried) oregano and added what was left of a bottle of white wine (about ½ cup) to thin it out. Amazingly, I didn’t have any zucchini or green beans left and I’m not a fan of cooked carrots, so they didn’t make the mix. For the peppers: a pimento, several padrón peppers (otherwise known as the Russian roulette of peppers and these were hot) and a pale green one. The Locavore tossed in a handful of mixed, pitted olives in keeping with the Greek theme and a bag of frozen artichoke hearts. I served it as a side dish, however it would be great over orzo. The feta adds a nice creaminess so make sure to sprinkle some on top.

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Accidental Locavore Recipe for Potato Salad With Pepperoni

by Anne Maxfield on August 8, 2011

Accidental Locavore Potato Salad With PepperoniSince the Accidental Locavore had so many beautiful fingerling potatoes, it was time for another potato salad. This one is adapted from the NY Times to feed 4 as a side dish. I left the garlic in with my potatoes, but you can take it out if you want. This is a pretty quick and easy recipe for a nicely spicy potato salad.  It’s also a good picnic potato salad as there’s nothing to worry about spoiling (except your appetite!).

  • 1 pound small potatoes
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 6-8 sprigs thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • Salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 6 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 tablespoon oregano (fresh or dried)
  • 4 ounces pepperoni, finely chopped
  • 4 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • Ground black pepper.

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add potatoes, garlic, thyme, peppercorns and 2 tablespoons of salt, then boil until potatoes are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes depending on size.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add sage and oregano and fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pepperoni, lower heat to medium-low, and render fat from the meat for about 2 minutes. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. When the potatoes are done, drain them, discard thyme and peppercorns, and lightly crush potatoes with the back of a fork. Keep warm in a bowl, covered with a kitchen towel.

4. Add the vinegar to the skillet and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour mixture over warm potatoes, toss and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve and enjoy.

 

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Recipe: Cauliflower Gratin With Goat Cheese

by Anne Maxfield on October 1, 2010

Accidental Locavore Cauliflower GratinAs you probably know by now, I’m almost as big a sucker for goat cheese as I am for bacon. So, the minute I tasted Bobby Flay’s cauliflower gratin with goat cheese, I was a fan. Since then I’ve tried to replicate it, with moderate success. The recipe he has online has (dare I say this?) too much cheese, so I’ve tried to simplify it and tone it down. This is the latest batch, done on the fly last weekend to a very appreciative audience. This would serve about six as a side dish.

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  • I had two small heads of orange cauliflower, and a medium-small head of white
  • Cut the cauliflower into small florets.
  • Steam until almost tender (I did 5 minutes in the microwave)
  • Put the cauliflower in a gratin pan
  • In a small bowl add 1/2 cup heavy cream and about 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese (I’ve been using Vermont Creamery’s classic chevre), 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, salt and pepper
  • Mix to combine the ingredients and pour over the cauliflower
  • Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan over the top. You can also dot with butter if you want to make it a little richer.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown

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