—
Get ready for
Rosh Hashanah:
Vegetables.
ften, people take the quick and
simple route to
adding a few veg-
gies to their meal: steamed
green beans or roasted
asparagus. And that's fine
— it's appropriate to pair a
mostly unadorned vegetable
with more complicated
dishes.
Still, it's a pity to discount
a vegetable just because it's
an accompaniment, espe-
cially when with minimal
effort, one can enhance
and elevate it and make it a
wow-factor.
Veggies don't always have to be green
(though most of the ones in the
following recipes are). Adding
color in the form of red bell
peppers, or serving red cabbage
(which is actually purple) or
multi-hued vegetable combina-
tions, is downright fabulous. In
fact, nutrition-wise, the more
variety, the better.
The following recipes are easy
and interesting, even a bit exotic
— and some are sweet as befits
the holiday.
FRENCH GREEN BEANS WITH
PEPPERS, MUSHROOMS AND
SEASONED ALMONDS
Topping:
3 Tbsp.
olive oil
2 /3 cup
slivered
almonds
Y2 tsp. salt
1 /2 tsp.
paprika
Y2 tsp.
granulated
garlic or garlic powder
1 /4 tsp. ground pepper
1 /8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 /4 tsp. caraway seeds
Vegetables:
1 lb. fresh French green beans (hari-
cot vents), stem ends trimmed
3 Tbsp. olive oil or butter
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 bell pepper, julienne cut (match-
sticks)
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a medium skillet over
medium heat. Add almonds and spices,
and stir to coat. Saute until the almonds
are golden. Remove from heat, and set
aside to cool.
Place beans in a large saucepan or pot
with 1/2-inch water, and bring to a boil.
Cover, cook for 1 minute and remove the
beans from the heat. Allow the beans to
rest in the liquid.
While the beans are resting, heat the 3
Tbsp. oil or butter in a large skillet. Add
the mushrooms, and saute until just soft-
ened; about 3 minutes. Add the peppers,
and cook for a few minutes more, stirring
frequently.
Drain the beans, transfer to a serving
dish and season with salt and pepper to
taste. Top with the peppers and mush-
rooms, and sprinkle with the almonds.
Serve immediately (or reheat in the
microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, cov-
ered with plastic wrap).
Makes 8 servings.
❑
Contact Annabel Cohen at
annabelonthemenu@gmail.com .
LEMON-ROASTED
ASPARAGUS
WITH FRESH CILANTRO
21/2-3 lbs.
asparagus
(thin aspara-
gus prefer-
able), tough
bottoms
trimmed
2 Tbsp.
olive oil
2 Tbsp.
fresh lemon juice
grated zest of 1 lemon
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 /2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If the
asparagus is thick, use a vegetable peeler
to peel the large bottom halves (to make
the asparagus of uniform thickness).
Arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet
with sides.
Combine the oil, lemon and zest in a
small bowl, and whisk well. Drizzle this
mixture over the asparagus. Roast the
asparagus for 10 minutes, and remove
from the oven (don't worry if the aspara-
gus does not look cooked; it will continue
to cook as it cools). Transfer the aspara-
gus into a large bowl, season lightly with
salt and pepper, and sprinkle with cilan-
tro. Toss well, and serve warm or at room
temperature.
Makes 8 servings.
EGGPLANT, RED PEPPER,
ZUCCHINI AND CHEVRE-
STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
3 1 1 -lb.
acorn
squashes,
halved
lengthwise,
seeded
2 cups
diced zuc-
chini
1 small
eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch
dice
1 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped garlic
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 /4 cup olive oil
1 /4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup breadcrumbs
kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper to taste
%-% cup crumbled Chevre, another
soft goat cheese or Boursin cheese
(optional)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use a
sharp knife to cut small slices from the
bottoms of the cut squash so that they
sit squarely in one or two large baking
dishes. Cover the dish with foil, and bake
the squash for 40 minutes, until the flesh
is softened. Remove from oven to cool.
Set aside.
Combine the zucchini, eggplant, red
pepper, onions, garlic and parsley in a
large bowl. Add the oil and vinegar, and
toss well. Place this mixture in a roasting
pan, and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour,
until the mixture is softened and cooked
through. Stir in the breadcrumbs, and
season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cut the squash halves in half again (to
make 12 wedges), and arrange in a baking
dish. Divide the zucchini mixture among
the wedges (the filling will fall out of the
wedges). Cover the baking dishes with
foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Dot the
filling with the goat cheese, if using, and
bake for 10 minutes more. Serve imme-
diately.
Makes 9-12 servings.
SEA SALT AND
BALSAMIC BROCCOLI
2 heads broccoli, stems trimmed and
separated into florets (about 14 cups
total florets)
1 /4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
fine sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a
rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
Combine broccoli and oil, and toss well.
Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and
toss again.
Arrange the broccoli in a single layer
(as much as possible) on the prepared
baking sheet. Bake uncovered for 15 min-
utes. Serve hot or at room temperature,
drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
Makes 8 servings.
BRAISED SWEET AND
SOUR RED CABBAGE
3 Tbsp.
olive oil
2 lbs. red
cabbage
head, core
removed,
shredded or
very thinly
sliced
1 /2 cup
water
1 /4 cup sugar
%cup red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large pot over medi-
um-high heat. Add the cabbage and
water, and cook, stirring frequently until
the cabbage is softened (it will lose much
of its volume as it cooks down). Add the
sugar and vinegar, and stir well. Reduce
heat to low, cover and cook the cabbage
for 20 minutes more, stirring occasion-
ally. Season to taste with salt and pepper,
and serve.
Makes 8 servings.
All recipes © Annabel Cohen 2012; annabelonthemenu@gmail.com .
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August 23 • 2012