Recipe: Green Noodles with Cauliflower, Broccoli and Mustard Butter

Oodles of Noodles

Um, yum!  There is a ridiculous amount of butter in this recipe, and yes, we ate the whole thing (serves 2 to 4 people).  There is also a ridiculous amount of broccoli and cauliflower in this recipe, which should counter the effects of the butter, one would hope.  From the Greens cookbook.  If you’re feeling super special, you can make this with Deborah Madison’s fresh herb pasta recipe, or if you’re looking for a quick weeknight recipe, some herbed linguine from Trader Joe’s does the trick.

Ingredients

• 1, 8 oz package spinach & chive pasta from Trader Joe’s
• 7 T soft butter (yes, this is 1 tablespoon short of an entire stick of butter, but let it hold you back!)
• 2 T dijon mustard (the stronger the better)
• 3 shallots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 t balsamic vinegar
• 2 t parsley (optional – our parsley plant needed a break, so I omitted this with no ill effects.  Could have used arugula, but didn’t have any on hand)
• 1 cup breadcrumbs – I used my immersion blender to obliterate some leftover baguette
• 2 sun-dried tomatoes
• 3-4 cups broccoli & cauliflower florets, broken into tiny pieces (we used a whole head of cauliflower-though it was relatively small-to make up 2 cups of each vegetable)
• thin strip of lemon peel, very finely slivered
• S, P & Parmesan

Cream 4 T of the butter with the mustard, shallots, garlic, vinegar and parsley (if using) and set aside to let flavors mingle.

For the bread crumbs: melt the remaining butter, add the bread crumbs and fry until they are crisp and brown.  This makes a lot of breadcrumbs – we saved some to top soup later in the week.

Bring a large pot of water to bowl.  Melt the mustard butter in a wide skillet.  Throw the broccoli and cauliflower into the boiling water and cook for about 1 minute.  Scoop them out and add to the mustard butter.  Cook the pasta according to directions.  Add cooked pasta and lemon peel to the butter/ veg mix and toss well, season with S&P.  Serve topped with the crunchy breadcrumbs and some parmesan.  Do not think of how much butter you’re consuming and enjoy with some white wine!

Recipe: You-won’t-believe-it’s-not-takeout Thai Curry

Who needs take-out when you can make this delicious, healthful(?) Thai curry at home?

Ingredients

• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1T yellow curry paste
• 1 can coconut milk (don’t get the “light” stuff, it just isn’t the same)
• 3T soy sauce
• 1/2 cup veggie broth
• 1T sugar (brown sugar, if you have it)
• lots of cauliflower florets
• 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of tatsoi, leaves only
• 1/2 cup of basil

Saute the onion in oil until translucent, but not browned.  Pour in the coconut milk and curry paste, stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes to let flavors develop.  Meanwhile, combine sugar, broth and soy sauce.  Add broth mixture to coconut milk along with the carrots, cauliflower and half the basil.  Cover and cook until carrots and cauliflower are softened – about 20 minutes.  Add the tatsoi and the rest of the basil and cook until tatsoi is wilted.  Serve with brown rice.  Yum!

Recipe: Cauliflower Tempeh Curry

I had high hopes to make a great cauliflower curry this week and was going to do a version of this recipe from 101 Cookbooks but various circumstances stood in the way, so I made this simple curry, served with brown rice.  I’m not a huge fan of tempeh, but wanted to give it another try.  It was good here, but still not my favorite thing in the world.

Ingredients

• 3/4 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 package tempeh, cut into bite sized chunks
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 jar masala simmer sauce
• a couple handfuls frozen pes

Slowly cook the onion in some butter until softened.  Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower until cooked through.  Add the tempeh to the onion and warm through, add the jar of sauce and some water until everything is bubbly.  add the cauliflower and cook a couple minutes longer.  Add the peas and cook for another couple minutes until the peas are cooked.  Serve over brown rice.

Recipe: Vegetable Bollito Misto with Mustard Butter

Bollito Misto literally translates from Italian to “Mixed Boil” and doesn’t sound like the sexiest way to cook vegetables.  In Italy, mammas make bollito misto by boiling various meats together for hours (tongue, capon, veal, etc.) then serving the meats with tasty sauces and serving the broth with tortellini.   Deborah Madison had a veggie version of bollito misto in Vegetarian Suppers that I wanted to try and it was fantastic.  Easy to make and super satisfying on a chilly, rainy night.

Ingredients for the broth

• Several sprigs of thyme and parsley
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 t peppercorns
• 2 t salt
• 2 t olive oil
• 2 baby shallots, sliced down the middle (or 1 small onion chopped)

Take 2 large sautee pans (I used a 10-inch and a 12-inch) and fill 2/3 with water.  Divide ingredients among the saucepans and bring to a simmer.

Ingredients for veggies (vary the amount depending on how many people you’re serving.  This made enough for 2 with leftovers for lunch the next day.  Leftover veggies can also be joined with their stock to make a pureed soup)

• 3 turnips, pealed and cut into wedges
• 4 or 5 radishes, quartered
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into long sticks
• 1 large carrot, cut into long sticks
• 4 Brussels sprouts, quartered
• 1/4 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• a handful of fingerling potatoes, larger ones halved lengthwise

Use one of the pans for stinky or difficult vegetables (turnips, radishes, brussels sprouts) and the other for more neutral vegetables.  Slip the veggies that take the longest to cook in the water first (potatoes, carrots, celery) and then continue to add in the other veggies as you move along.  Basically I added in the veggies as I prepped them.  Keep checking the veggies and gently stir them.  If you’re afraid that anything’s getting overcooked, it’s easy to take it out of the broth.  Continue to simmer until everything is cooked through.  It won’t take long.

Ingredients for the mustard butter

• 4 T butter, softened
• 2 t dijon mustard (or any other mustard you happen to have)
• small handful chopped herbs (I used parsley, thyme, basil and marjoram)
• salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside

To serve:  With a slotted spoon pile the vegetables in a dish and pour a little bit of the broth on top.  Dot with the mustard butter, which will begin to melt into the sauce and serve with some good bread.