Smashed Potatoes
1 kilo Yukon Gold potatoes
1 kilo baby red potatoes
1/2 kilo baby white potatoes
1 bunch italian flat leaf parsley
1 bunch regualar curly parsley
1 bunch chives
1 litre + 1 cup heavy cream
2 sticks butter
Fill a large pot halfway with cold water, and place the potatoes in the pot, in order of size, with the largest ones on the bottom of the pot, and the smallest on the top. Bring the water to a full boil, and drop down to a simmer (Medium high heat). Sprinkle liberally with salt.
In a wide, shallow saucepan, simmer the cream gently until it reduces slightly, and some of the water in the cream evaporates off (takes roughly 10 minutes over a low simmer). Cook (the taters) until the largest potato is fork-tender. Remove from heat, and drain off the water. DO NOT PEEL THE POTATOES. Using a large potato masher, smash together the different potatoes and butter together. Slowly incorportate the cream while you're smashing. When almost all of the potatoes are smashed to your liking, chop up the herbs as finely as you can get them, and stir together everything with a large wooden spoon.
Variations:
- Ground black pepper
- teeeensy dash of truffles
- When removing the cream from the heat, stir in 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.
- Mix the herbs with sour cream, and stir it into the general mixture
- Sauteed wild mushrooms stirred in
- In leiu of cream, use a bechamel sauce made from skim milk (1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 cup milk. melt the butter in a wide, shallow pan. Stir in the flour, stirring constantly. Pour in heated milk, and whisk vigorously. Drop down to medium heat. Whisk in another cup of milk. Stir in some parmesan cheese after removing from heat.) to save on excess fat. If using the bechamel instead of cream, leave out the butter as well.
- Smashed fresh garlic, as soon as the taters are removed from the water. The heat from the potatoes will cook the garlic just enough, so that you get an intense garlic flavour.
- In leiu of only butter, use a mix of butter and olive oil.
- Fresh roasted corn (my favourite)
- The next day, stir in just enough milk so that it becomes a loose mixture. Simmer over low heat for an excellent potato soup. Serve with a crusty french bread.
Green beans
1 - 1.5 lb green beans
1 medium white or spanish onion, diced fine
grated (unsweetened, please) coconut
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon white sesame seed
1/2 teaspoon black sesame seed
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
ground chili powder to taste
salt to taste
handful of curry leaves (can be found at any indian store -- this one is optional)
1/2 teaspoon of oil (do NOT use olive oil in Indian cooking. it's evil)
String the beans, and chop them up finely. You want to have rounds that're roughly 1/2 an inch thick. (Easy way of doing this is to wrap a rubber band around the center of a bundle of beans, and just chop down from both sides).
Heat the oil in a large shallow pan, or a wok. When it gets hot, put in your mustard seeds, the cumin seeds, and both kinds of sesame seeds. The spices will pop, and you'll probably feel the sting of a couple hit you if you don't stand back. So stand back when you do this. When the popping reaches a crescendo, throw in the curry leaves. Immediately after, throw in the onions. Sautee the onions until transluscent.
Add the coconut, and cook until you smell a slightly nutty aroma in the air. Add the chopped green beans. Stir around for about a minute or two. Add the tumeric powder and the lemon juice. Stir around for another minute or two, until the beans are coated with the yellow colour. Once coated, drop down the heat to medium, and add the chili powder. Cook for just under a minute, constantly stirring. Sprinkle on salt to taste. Serve over a bed of rice. ^_^
Broccoli Alfredo
Broccoli, I find is best when steamed, and lightly sprinkled with salt, crushed garlic (only one clove, please), chili powder, and a dash of Mrs. Dash. Either that, or with my lowfat fettucine alfredo with broccoli. Bear in mind that if you'd like it to be more vegetable-ey, you can double the broccoli. As it is, the whole entire thing has 1 tablespoon of butter, and that sprinkle of cheese (whose flavour adds enough to justify it) for fat. Bulking up the vegetables will pull back on the carbs and give you more ... roughage. >_>
1 head broccoli
1 lb fettucine (or linguine if you prefer)
2 cups nonfat or skim milk, simmering
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
handful fresh flatleaf parsley
Get your milk simmering over low heat.
Separate the broccoli into florets, and finely dice the stem (it's the same stuff, why waste it). Put into a microwave-safe bowl with about 1/2 inch of water on the bottom of the bowl. Cover and microwave about five minutes (or until done). The water should be evaporated by now.
Start a pot of water boiling for the pasta. Add a splash of lemon (not salt) to avoid the pasta sticking. No oil, please. The sauce won't stick if you add oil to the pasta water.
Over medium low heat, melt the butter. When melted, sprinkle the flour evenly over it. Stir constantly until the flour darkens slightly. You'll get a very lightly nutty aroma. Add 1 cup of your milk (about half -- this doesn't have to be precise here). Turn up the heat to medium high. Whisk constantly, until the mixture seems to have thickened (this won't happen until the milk comes to a full boil). When it's gotten thickened, add the second cup of milk, and whisk constantly. When this thickens, remove from heat, and add the cheese. Whisk through.
By now, the water should be at a rolling boil. The pasta should be done in about 8 more minutes (give or take, depending on what you get). Pasta should never wait for sauce. Anycow, drain the pasta, and shake. Toss with the sauce. Toss with the cooked broccoli.
Chop up the parsley, and sprinkle over the top.
This one's a really good side dish for grilled chicken.
Variations (Instead of, or in addition to broccoli):
Diced, cooked zucchini
Can of corn
Instead of fettucine, use elbow macaroni, and add a bag of mixed frozen vegetables (I like the asian blend myself, but the choice is yours).
Sun-dried tomatoes
Zucchini Sticks
Because of the oddish texture of the zucchini seeds, I tend to try to minimalise them when I'm cooking them. Zucchini sticks are this treat I decided to throw together, because it amused me at that moment.
How many ever Zucchinis you're making, sliced thin, lengthwise (this one should work for four)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
Salt to taste
(you can substitute italian seasoning, but then you'll feel like all your stuff tastes the same)
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (superfine Japanese bread crumbs)
1 egg white
1 whole egg
Nonfat cooking spray
Beat the eggs together. Add a tablespoon nonfat milk. Set them aside in a wide, shallow bowl
Mix the dry ingredients together (the herbs, the bread crumbs, the chili). Set them aside on a plate.
Slice your zucchini lengthwise, about 1/4 inch thick. Dip in the egg wash, then toss lightly in the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Set aside on an oven-safe wire rack. When all your zucchini are coated, lightly spray with the nonfat cooking spray (on both sides). Bake at 350° F for about 5 - 10 minutes, or until browned. This is ideal for a toaster oven situation.
Serve as a side to either a pasta dinner.
While I'm here, might as well hammer out the simple tomato sauce.
1 large onion, diced fine
1 head garlic, crushed and minced fine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 16 oz can whole tomatoes
1 bunch basil
1 teaspoon oregano (dry)
2 fresh bay leaves, or 1 dry bay leaf
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (removes the tinny taste from tomato)
1 teaspoon ground sage
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup red wine (A decent pinot noir should do it)
Yeah, it seems like a lot of flavourings, but you're really cutting back on the fat, so work with me here.
In a deep stock pot (or something similar) gently heat the olive oil over medium heat. When it's been on the heat for about 30 seconds, add the onions. Sprinkle the salt on top and stir. Put on the lid to the pot, and let sit about 5 minutes over low heat. This is called sweating, and avoids the need for a lot of oil. It lets the natural juices of the onions cook it, instead of oil.
After five minutes, sprinkle on the dried herbs (and the bay leaf, whether fresh or dry). If the pot is looking a little ... dry, you can add a tablespoon or two of chicken stock or water or wine. Let sit covered over low heat for another two or three minutes. Add the tomato paste, and stir around. If it's looking dry again, splash in a bit more of your liquid. Let simmer uncovered for a minute or two. Open your can of tomatoes, and crush them in with your hand. DO NOT ADD THE LIQUID. This will be reserved to add in later on if the pot starts looking dry. Crank the heat up to high.
Stir around, and let cook for about 5 minutes, uncovered. Add your wine. Let cook for another five minutes, uncovered. Add the chili flakes, the crushed garlic, the Worcestershire sauce, the vanilla extract, and the remainder of the tomato liquid, and let simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
When finished, tear in the basil, and stir around until it becomes incorporated. Serve over your favourite pasta.
Variations (in combination or singly):
Add carrots in with onions
Add broccoli rabe (chopped) with onions
Cauliflower florets just before adding in the tomatoes. Cook for five minutes
Fresh spinach, chopped fine, added in with the garlic and the rest
Thinly sliced snow peas when adding garlic, et al
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