Macro Mom » endive

Spring Challenge Day 17- Soba Noodles With Endive And Radicchio

macromom — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:51:35 +0000

Soba Noodles With Endive And Radicchio

8 Ounces buckwheat soba

About 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

2 to 3 Cloves fresh garlic, finely minced

2 Yellow onions, diced

Sea salt

Mirin

Balsamic vinegar

3 Belgian endives, quartered lengthwise

1 radicchio, shredded

Juice of 1/2 lemon

3 to 4 Sprigs flat-leaf parsley, finely minced for garnish

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the soba noodles al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain and rinse very well, as Japanese noodles are generally coated with salt in the drying process, which can alter the taste of the final dish.

Place the oil, garlic and onions in a deep skillet over medium heat. When the onions begin to sizzle, add a pinch of salt and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Spread the onions evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle the onions evenly with the mirin and the vinegar and then lay the endive, cut side down, on top. Add the radicchio, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the endive is quite limp and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Add noodles and stir gently to combine. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the parsley.

- A light dish, the endive is so tender it almost melts in your mouth!

This recipe is printed with permission from Christina Pirello

Spring Challenge Day 10-Endive Risotto With Walnuts

macromom — Tue, 10 May 2011 13:53:52 +0000

Endive Risotto With Walnuts

5 Cups of spring or filtered water

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 to 2 Cloves fresh garlic, finely minced

1/2 Yellow onion, finely diced

Sea salt

1/2 Cup white wine

1 Cup arborio rice, do not rinse

2 to 3 Medium Belgian endives, quartered

1/2 Cup pan-roasted walnuts, coarsely diced

1 Red bell pepper, roasted over an open flame, peeled, seeded and finely diced

Pour the water into a saucepan over low heat and keep warm throughout the cooking.

Place 2 tablespoons of the oil, the garlic and onion in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the onion begins to sizzle, add a pinch of sea salt and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and rice and saute until the rice absorbs the liquid. Turn the heat to medium-low and begin adding the warm water, by ladlefuls, and stirring it into the risotto, adding more liquid only as quickly as the rice absorbs it. When the dish is about 80 percent cooked, season to taste with salt. The total cooking time should be 25 to 30 minutes. The risotto will be creamy, but the rice will retain some firmness.

While the risotto cooks, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a small saute pan and lay the endive, cut sides down, in the oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook, uncovered, until the endive is tender and the edges are richly browned, about 7 minutes. Set aside.

To serve, spoon the risotto onto a platter and arrange the endive, cut sides up, around the rim. Stir in the walnuts and garnish with bell pepper.

Note: To pan-toast the walnuts, heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast the walnuts, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

-Okay well I burned the walnuts.. and so I picked out the 3 little pieces that were not burned and threw those in. Also I used a red onion. I brought this dish to a potluck!

This recipe is printed with permission from Christina Pirello

Put a Spring in your step!

macromom — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:04:07 +0000

When I think of spring I think of how new and fresh everything smells – new grass, wet leaves, colourful flowers and yummy vegetables right from the garden. Right now in the Northeast spring is just arriving, so we are still in the mode of finishing off what is left in the root cellar . Until it becomes a proper spring where everything is green and growing and the snow has all melted we will start by cooking lighter, using shorter cooking times and adding more raw ingredients to our daily meals.

First I go and buy our 50 lb bag of long grain organic brown rice for summer, and I start mixing short grain and long grain 50/50 as well as adding quinoa and cous cous to the meal plan. Next I start growing counter top sprouts – alfalfa, radish, lentil and sunflower. I like to add these to salads, sandwiches or serve them on their own.

The first spring vegetables that we get really excited about are fiddle heads, a local wild fern that can be collected in the woods. They’re only around for a short time, so we only get to eat them once or twice. They are delicious, with a delicate flavor that needs no seasoning, just a quick blanche or stir fry.

We have a patch of watercress in a spring on our property. Watercress has so many uses and we love the spicy crispness. When fresh herbs like mint, chives or oregano start growing they liven up a meal. Parsley too – there is a large Lebanese community where I grew up and I had the pleasure of learning how to make tabbouleh (a parsley salad, with bulgar and lemon juice) while working in a Lebanese restaurant.

Here are a few recipes to put a spring in your step:

Endive salad

1lg Belgian endive, sliced into bite size rounds

4 red radishes, sliced into thin circles

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1 ripe pear, de-seeded and sliced into quarters

1 stalk of celery, diced

1/2 Tbsp of lemon juice

several drops of toasted sesame oil

1/2-1 tsp umeboshi vinegar

Toss all ingredients together and serve as a light side to any meal.

Tofu wontons in watercress soup

wontons:

1pkg wonton wrappers

1lb of fresh firm tofu, crumbled

1 tbsp ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic,minced (optional)

2 tbsp shoyu

1/2 red onion or red pepper, diced

1 cup napa cabbage, shredded

1 tbsp sesame oil

Broth:

4 cups water

2 cups vegetable stock

1 lg bunch watercress, chopped into large pieces

2 onions, diced

2 tbsp shoyu

In a wok, heat oil and add garlic, ginger and onion. Saute for 1-2 min then add cabbage and tofu. Stir fry until lightly browned. Add shoyu, cook for 1 more minute and set aside until cool.

Place 1 tsp of tofu mixture on each wonton and fold. Set aside wontons in such a way that they do not touch each other and stick.

To make broth, bring water to a boil. Add onions, stock and soy sauce. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add watercress and simmer for 2 more minutes.

In a separate pot bring 5-6 cups water to a boil and add a splash of oil and about 10 wontons at a time (depending on the size of the pot). Cook wontons until they float to the top. Scoop out the cooked wontons and set aside. Serve bowls individually with a couple of wontons and steaming hot broth poured over them.