Quinoa, a grain with a texture like that of couscous, is sold at natural food stores. Serve this side dish with lime wedges.
This recipe yields crisp-tender beans. If you prefer a slightly more tender texture (or you are using large, tough beans), increase the water by a tablespoon and increase the covered cooking time by 1 minute. To serve 6, increase all of the ingredients by half and increase the covered cooking time by 1 to 2 minutes. Do not attempt to cook more than 11/2 pounds of green beans with this method.
You can make your own stock from chicken backs and necks, as Peter Davis of Henrietta’s Table does. Or use canned stock. He simmers summer squash, zucchini, carrot, celery, fennel, white beans, and tomatoes in this soup, then finishes it with handfuls of spinach and arugula.
One of restaurateur Jody Adams’s favorite dishes is based on a Spanish specialty in which noodles (angel hair here) are browned first in olive oil. It’s a delicious one-pot dish, which makes cleanup a breeze.
At Haley House Cafe in Roxbury, owner Didi Emmons gives cooking classes and this vegetarian lasagna gets positive reviews, she says, even from the most skeptical, picky, nay-saying youth. It’s a good way to introduce tofu to kids (there’s mozzarella too). Emmons layers slices of roasted butternut squash with spinach, mashed tofu, tomato sauce, and uncooked lasagna noodles. The noodles soften in the liquid in the dish.
You have to cheat a little to put spring on the plate this time of year. If you want to make a primavera (from the Italian, alla primavera means in the style of spring), you have no other choice. There are no fresh peas, but plenty of frozen sweet ones. Other greens come from markets in warmer climates. You can find plenty of sweet onions and fennel with bushy fronds. There are small carrots and parsnips; these sweet roots give the garnish a little heft.
Make a luxurious version of this dish with boneless halibut. Frozen artichoke hearts are simple to use and become flavorful in this mix of roasted vegetables.
Dried crushed red pepper adds heat to the glazed carrots.
Ziploc® Zip ’n Steam® Microwave Cooking Bags combine the taste and nutritional benefits of steam cooking with all the convenience of your microwave.
Ziploc® Zip’n Steam® Microwave Cooking Bags combine the taste and nutritional benefits of steam cooking with all the convenience of your microwave.