Tag Archives: Shallots

Zuke Soup

Posted on by
  • 2 lbs. zucchini
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 1/3 c. chopped onions or shallots
  • 5 c. chicken broth
  • ½ tsp. cumin
  • ½ tsp. chili powder
  • ¼ c. corn meal
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 c. sour cream

Peel and roughly chop zucchini, reserving ½ a zuke to slice into paper-thin slices.  Melt butter, cook onions or shallots until wilted.  Add chopped zucchini, broth, cumin and chili powder.  Bring broth to a boil, whisk in corn meal.  Cook until soft.  Puree.  Before serving, reheat and thin if necessary with water.  Whisk in half of the sour cream, garnish with zuke slices. If you wish, this can be served cold, chilling instead if reheating.  Serve remaining sour cream at table as a garnish.

Red Lentil Salad with Feta and Beets

Posted on by
  • 2-3 beets
  • ¼ cup grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
  • 1 Tbsp. minced shallots (or 1 small onion)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp. ground cumin
  • ½ tsp. ground fennel seeds
  • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
  • 1 bunch arugula, torn into bite-size pieces
  • ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wrap the beets in foil and roast them for 45 minutes, or until tender; let cool.  Peel the beets (rubbing under cold water) and cut them into wedges.  In a medium skillet, heat the oil until shimmering.  Add the shallot and garlic and cook over moderately high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add cumin and fennel seeds and cook just until fragrant.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the vinegar, lemon juice and cayenne.  Season with salt and pepper and whisk until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add lentils and cook just until tender.  Drain and transfer to a bowl.  Toss the lentils with half the vinaigrette and let cool.  Stir in parsley.  Toss the arugula and beets with the remaining vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper.  Mound the salad on dinner plates and spoon the lentils on top.  Garnish with the feta and serve.  Serves 4.  From Food and Wine Jan. 2001.

Ponzu Grilled Salmon with Golden Beet Couscous

Posted on by

Couscous:

  • 1  teaspoon extravirgin olive oil
  • 2  tablespoons  thinly sliced peeled shallots (about 1 large)
  • 8  ounces small golden beets, thinly sliced, peeled, and quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1  cup  uncooked Israeli couscous
  • 2  cups  water
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1  cup  raw spinach leaves, trimmed

Sauce:

  • 1/2  cup  fresh orange juice
  • 2  tablespoons  brown sugar
  • 3  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2  tablespoons  sake (rice wine)
  • 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
  • 1/2  teaspoon  cornstarch
  • 1/8  teaspoon  crushed red pepper

Remaining ingredients:

  • 4  (6-ounce) salmon fillets with skin (about 1 inch thick)
  • Cooking spray
  • Lime wedges (optional)

To prepare couscous, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and beets; sauté 5 minutes or until shallots are tender and just beginning to brown. Stir in couscous; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add water and salt; cover and simmer 8 minutes or until couscous is tender. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Toss gently until combined and spinach wilts. Keep warm.

To prepare sauce, combine orange juice and next 6 ingredients (through red pepper) in a small saucepan, stirring well with a whisk; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 1 minute.

To prepare fish, brush cut sides of fillets with 1/4 cup sauce; place, skin sides up, on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill salmon, skin sides up, 2 minutes. Turn salmon fillets; brush with remaining 1/4 cup sauce. Grill 3 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or desired degree of doneness. Serve with couscous and lime wedges, if desired.

Yields 4 servings.

Adapted from Kathryn Conrad, Cooking Light, JUNE 2005

Cream of Cucumber Soup

Posted on by
  • 2 lbs. Cucumbers
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 1/3 c. chopped onions or shallots
  • 5 c. chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp. wine vinegar
  • ½ c. chopped dill
  • ¼ c. farina or ½ lb. Cubed potatoes
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 c. sour cream

Peel and roughly chop cucumbers, reserving ½ a cucumber to slice into paper-thin slices.  Melt butter, cook onions or shallots until wilted.  Add chopped cucumbers, broth, vinegar and 1/3 c. of the dill.  Bring broth to a boil, whisk in farina or add potatoes.  Cook until soft.  Puree.  Before serving, reheat and thin if necessary with water.  Whisk in half of the sour cream, garnish with cucumber slices and a sprinkling of dill.  If you wish, this can be served cold, chilling instead if reheating.  Serve remaining sour cream at table as a garnish.

From The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash.

Cabbage Salad with Apple and Celeriac

Posted on by
  • 1 small green cabbage
  • 1 bunch watercress
  • 1/2 small celeriac
  • 1 Granny Smith apple
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 Tbs. sherry vinegar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbs. hazelnut or walnut oil
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • Chives and chervil for garnish

Prepare a vinaigrette:  peel and dice the shallot and combine with the sherry vinegar, salt and pepper, and the two oils in a large salad bowl.  Cut cabbage in half, remove core and slice thinly.  Wash and dry watercress, removing larger stems.  Peel celeriac, cut into thin slices, and then into julienne.  Peel and core the apple and cut into small dice.  Add the cabbage, watercress, celeriac, and apple to the vinaigrette and toss thoroughly.  Serve with chopped chives and chervil on top.