Making my Vegetable List and Checking it Twice

By some incredible miracle, I am actually closing in on the end of recipe development for my new book, right on the schedule I set for myself. I’ll have just about a month left to write the chapter introductions and the remaining text. It’s all making me a bit breathless (whee! such fun this ride!) and my neck aches from a combination of leaning over the kitchen sink and sitting at the computer. I’ve been trying to hop on my yoga ball, take short walks, and fit in other short fun activities to break things up.

Last weekend, I took time off to go with Libby and Roy to visit Island Alpaca, a farm here on the Island that’s home to a beautiful herd of alpacas. We met a particularly friendly alpaca who was named, appropriately, Il Bacio (the Kiss). He (or she?) took to Libby right away, but also didn’t hesitate to give Roy a smooch, too (Roy was game!). Just petting the alpaca’s soft fur was relaxing enough for me; they should have these cute animals in hospitals and retirement homes!

Another thing I do to calm myself down is go over my lists (yes, I’m a list maker; what a surprise, you say)—lists of recipes and list of ingredients used in the book, in particular. I keep track of which vegetables I’ve done the most with…and keep an eye out for vegetables I’m neglecting.

Up until very recently, for instance, the poor portabella mushroom was missing from the book. Early on I had done something with a stuffed portabella that I just did not like. And I must admit, I had sort of an attitude going about these things, as they’ve become a bit of a cliché as a meat substitute for vegetarians. (Plus, it annoys me that restaurants often undercook them.) And while the recipes in my new book (all vegetable main dishes) will be largely vegetarian, I don’t come at them from the point of view of what makes a good meat substitute. For me, it’s all about flavor and about giving vegetables a starring spot on the plate. I want things to taste good so we can all eat more vegetables. If you’re like me, you’ll find that many of the dishes in fact are all you need for supper on many nights. If you’re like Roy (or me on certain nights of the week), you’ll be happy with these recipes—and a few slices of grilled steak, a piece of fish or a grilled sausage on the side.

I’m glad to report that I love the two recipes I developed last week that feature portabella mushrooms. One is a grilled asparagus and portabella salad with a ginger-sesame dressing and a limey slaw. (Yes, I was grilling in winter—not so bad, really; vegetables cook quickly! But sure, it would have been nicer to develop summer recipes in summer, but I didn’t have that luxury this time around.) The other is a dish that features farro, a yummy Italian grain, flavored with roasted shallots and grapes and served over a marinated roasted portabella. (Pardon the test photos here—I do my best to plate the food quickly and record what it looks like, but I don’t have time to fuss!)

Tackling a neglected vegetable is pretty fun, actually; but I don’t really know what to do about the opposite problem. There are some things I’ve just used too much. I am obsessed with alliums for example. Not just yellow and red onions, but leeks, scallions, cipollini onions, sweet onions and most especially, garlic and shallots. For starting a vegetable dish out on the road to great flavor, there’s nothing like beginning with an allium—especially if you roast, sauté, grill or otherwise treat it to lots of heat. While most cooks are friendly with garlic, people ask me often about shallots. (I always keep a pile on hand, see top photo.)

I once thought shallots were fussy—something used mostly raw and minced in a salad dressing. But now I think of them as a real vegetable—I use them halved or quartered in roasted vegetable dishes, stir-fries, braises, and pastas. I slice and sauté them for soups, gratins, and pilafs. I fry them in olive oil to make crispy garnishes or to infuse a warm salad dressing. And sometimes I just roast them alone to use later in salads, in mashed potatoes (like I would use roasted garlic), on bruschetta or crostini, in frittatas, and on pizzas. They have a particularly sweet and earthy flavor (more so of both than a yellow onion) so a little packs a big punch. (Though it’s perplexing how the shallots in the grocery stores have lately reached the size of tennis balls. Not sure what that’s all about.) In case you’d like to get friendly with shallots (and prepare yourself for the onslaught in Fresh & Green for Dinner!), I thought I’d include a basic recipe for roasting shallots here today. Happy shallot cooking!

Roasted Shallots

Heat the oven to 425°F. Cut 4 large shallots (about 6 oz.) in half and peel. (They are easier to peel after you cut into them. Cut a bit of the hairy stem end off, too, but keep a little in place to keep wedges intact.) Cut each half into two or three wedges. Toss the wedges in about 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (to coat well) and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Arrange the shallots snugly in a small baking dish. You can put them over a bed of herbs if you like, which will help keep the bottoms from getting too browned (but it isn’t necessary). Sometimes I use some thyme or rosemary that has wilted a bit in the fridge. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and roast for 50 to 60 minutes, until the shallots are very well softened and golden brown on the bottoms.