arts & life

dining in

On The Side

S

imply delicious. When your holi-
day meal becomes big and broad,
it's time to reign back on the urge
to complicate. Just like accessorizing your
outfit, when you would never wear all your
jewelry at once, there's no reason to provide
intricate options. Here's where these side-
dish recipes fit just perfectly. All are make-
ahead and merely reheated.

CHUNKY SMASHED
NEW POTATOES
3 pounds new red potatoes, unpeeled
and uncut
'/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
'/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Truffle salt or truffle-flavored olive oil
(optional)

PAREVE NOODLE KUGEL

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray a large roast-
ing pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients in the pan and
toss well with your hands. Bake 35-45
minutes, or until the potatoes are soft-
ened.
Remove from oven. Lightly mash the
potatoes (be sure to use olive oil left in
pan), keeping them very chunky. Season
to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle
with truffle salt or drizzle with olive oil if
desired.
Makes 8 servings.

❑

Dress up your

holiday entrees

with these easy

and delicious

extras.

All recipes ©Annabel
Cohen 2014
annabelonthemenu®
gmail.com .

Options: Add raisins or dried cherries, 2
cups of chopped apples or a drained can
of pineapple tidbits to this. If you like your
kugel with a topping, sprinkle 2 cups of
breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes on top
before baking.

1 pound dry medium egg noodles
%cup (1 stick) margarine, melted
6 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch
baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Set aside.
Cook noodles according to package direc-
tions and drain well (do not rinse). Transfer
the noodles to a large bowl, add remain-
ing ingredients and stir well. Transfer the
mixture to the prepared baking dish and
bake, uncovered, for 1 hour or until the tops
of the noodles are browned and the kugel
appears to be "set." Cover the kugel imme-
diately with foil and cool (the foil will make
the harder noodles on top softer and easier
to cut). Or cut immediately into squares and
serve the kugel warm, or chill until ready to
use (up to 2 days). Cut into squares, reheat
and serve.
Makes 20 servings.

WARM GREEN BEAN SALAD
WITH APPLE VINAIGRETTE
Though this is technically a salad, I serve
these beans as a side dish.

Vinaigrette:
'4 cup apple cider
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
'4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. dried dill
% tsp. salt
% tsp. ground black pepper

Beans:
1 pound green beans, stem ends cut
(pointed ends untouched)
1 cup thin-sliced red or Bermuda onion
2 cups thin-sliced McIntosh apple

slices, peeled
Water
Place all vinaigrette ingredients in a small
jar and shake well. Set aside.
About 15 minutes before serving, place
the green beans, onions and apples in a
large saucepan with 1 inch of water. Cover
the pan and bring the water to a boil. Turn
off the heat and keep the lid on the pot until
ready to serve (up to 30 minutes).
Heat the dressing (in the jar) in the
microwave (without the lid) on high for 1
minute. Drain the beans and transfer them
to a serving dish. Drizzle the dressing over
and serve immediately.
Makes 8 servings.

BAKED RICE PILAF

Because most of the cooking for this one is
done in the oven, it's super easy.
1'/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup tiny diced carrots
11/2 cups thin noodles or orzo pasta
11/2 cups uncooked white rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Brush a 9x12
(or a 2-quart) baking dish with olive oil
or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set
aside.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medi-
um-high heat. Add the onions, garlic and
carrots and saute until softened. Add the
noodles and rice and saute until golden.
Add the chicken broth and salt and bring
to a boil. Transfer the rice to the prepared
baking dish.
Bake until the liquid is absorbed, about
40 minutes. Fluff with a fork, sprinkle with
parsley and serve. May be reheated in a
microwave oven. Makes 6 servings.

ON THE SIDE on page 108

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