Easter vegetables

My usual assignment for a family Easter gathering is vegetables. There’s one dish I make every year — an element of comfort — and one new — a surprise.

The idea for the traditional one comes from 2001 Food & Wine magazine. For a couple of years, I followed the recipe to a T, then, started simplifying and modifying. Here it is now.

ROASTED VEGETABLES

— a selection of root vegetables you like: potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, celery root, fennel — the amount you need. For a family dinner of 10, maybe 2-3 lb
— salt & pepper to taste
— olive oil
— 6-8 oz Gorgonzola or Gorgonzola Dolce
— 1/4 cup sweet balsamic vinegar
— parsley for garnish

These steps can be done the night before:

Peel and cut the vegetables the way you like, coat them with olive oil, add salt & pepper to taste. Roast them for about 20 min at 425° F on large jelly roll pans. If there’s a lot of vegetables, do it in batches so pieces don’t touch. This way they’ll get a nice char and keep their shape. Take 20 min as your starting time and then just keep checking as it might take longer depending on your oven and the size of vegetables. Cool them off and place in a dish you’re going to serve them in. This dish should be one of those oven-to-table. Evenly dot the vegetables with Gorgonzola and cover with foil.

If you cannot get your hands on a good vinegar there’s a trick to doctor a cheap one and no one will tell. Take 1/2 cup of that vinegar, add 1/2 tsp of sugar and boil it until it’s reduced by half.

Chop parsley.

As you’re ready to serve:

Reheat the vegetables in the oven — if you have time and space, you can keep them @ 200°F for a while, if you need them fast, 15-20 min @ 400°F should do. The Gorgonzola will melt into vegetables and disappear creating a beautiful sheen.

Sprinkle vegetables with vinegar and parsley. Ready to go!

BROCCOLI SALAD

This recipe is based on the one from Smitten Kitchen, one of my favorite food blogs/books. This year, the salad was completely made by Charlotte. So good it was Charlotte and not me as I do not have her patience, precision, and attention to detail and the presentation here matters. Presentation is not my strength.

— about 1 1/2 lb broccoli and here you’d want the one with stems
— 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
— 1/2 cup dried cranberries
— 1/2 cup buttermilk
—1/2 cup mayonnaise
— 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
— 1 tsp sugar
— 1/2 tsp salt
— 1/2 small red onion finely chopped
— lots of freshly ground black pepper

Ahead of time:

Peel and chop or grate or slice broccoli stems. Finely chop the rest of the florets.

Toast almonds. And measure cranberries.

Combine the ingredients of the dressing: whatever is on the list. Yes, onion goes into the dressing.

When ready to serve, mix all together.

SALSA CRIOLLA

My friend Maria de Lourdes gave me the idea to make this one. Maria is Ecuadorian and knows all things Latin cooking. When she talks about food, she makes me want to move in with her.

The other day, we were having lunch together and I told her about my recent experience with Peruvian food. I have never had it before and was quite surprised with Peruvian ceviches. Before that, anything Latin felt to me like beans, corn, rice, and pork. Maria de Lourdes educated me on the difference between coastal countries and those inland. She also mentioned a few salsas I’ve never heard about before.

By that time, my first Peruvian cookbook was already in the mail. (Please don’t tell Tom.) Guess what was the first recipe in the book: Maria’s salsa. Apparently, every Latin American country has its own version of this recipe. Naturally, I had to give it a try.

— 2 large red onions, very thinly sliced
— juice of 5 lemons
— olive oil: 1 1/2 quantity of the lemon juice you’ve got
— salt & pepper to taste
— handful of cilantro chopped the way you like

Place onions in a large colander and run boiling water over them, mixing with the fork to make sure water touches all the onions. Drain, cool, and squeeze the water very well.

Mix lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper very well. Maybe shake it — I did — and pour over the onions.

Just as you’re ready to serve, mix in cilantro.

It’s truly addicting!

By the way, if you have TV in your kitchen, preparing these vegetables goes very well with Stranger Things. Charlotte and I managed to cover the last five episodes of the first season.