Veggie Sides & Mains

I don't think I've ever done a totally vegetable column before, so here goes.

Side 1:  Fried Potatoes

A week or so back I was getting ready to make dinner and only had one veg. Usually Sally likes me to prepare fish or chicken and two veg rather than a starch and a veg. But....

I had rice.  I had lentils, and I had a three or four sorry looking potatoes looking at me with too many eyes.  Then it dawned on me.  I hadn't made or eaten fried potatoes in a coon's age, as we used to say.  So I plucked out all those eyes, and sliced the spuds about 1/8" to 1/4" thick.

I know, I know, this is no big news to my Midwestern readers who grow and consume tons of spuds.  But down here in the swamps we tend to eat other things, including some spud-substitute root-starches like Name and Boniato.

Out came the griddle pan, and a splash of oil.  Down went the potato coins  with a dash of Badia Sazon Complettm seasoning, and Viola (or is that voila?) I had what we used to call Raw Fried Potatoes to go with the Poached Salmon and Frozen Peas I was making.

Side 2:  Broccoli Cheese

Another day, I was looking for something different to do with Broccoli, which we both love.  I stumbled across a recipe by one of my food Gurus -- Alton Brown -- and this is my take on his dish.

Disassemble two or three heads of broccoli into florets.  Toss the veg with a couple tablespoons of EVOO (I do this is a plastic bag.  Then add some (a shy quarter cup?) Parmesan cheese (the canned stuff is OK for this application) and toss again.  Finally add a quarter cup of Panko bread crumbs and some slivered Almonds, and toss a third time.  Dump the coated veg in a baking dish and bake at 350-375F for 25 minutes or so, until the cheese is melted and the panko is brown and crunchy.  Serve hot.

Main 1:  Vegetarian Lasagna

Sally asked me to make a 'potluck' dish for one of her office parties, and "make it vegetarian, please".

I know.... You're thinking "What's so special about Vegetarian Lasagna?"   Well in this case it's the method.  I've had vegetarian lasagna that used the eggplant as noodle substitutes -- essentially Eggplant Parmesan under a nom de kitchen.  I've had veggie lasagna that just layered a variety of vegetable slices cooked in sauce.  But this is the first vegetarian eggplant I've seen or heard of that treats a vegetable like the ground beef in a regular lasagna.

Assemble the usual suspects for lasagna -- marinara sauce (I like Newman's Owntm sauces), cheeses, noodles, fillers like spinach and/or mushrooms.  But instead of ground beef, pick up a largish eggplant of the same size, 1-2 lbs.  

Do not pre-cook the noodles.  That's a ridiculous waste of time, effort and water.  Don't spend money on those expensive no-cook noodles, either.  Ordinary old Lasagna noodles work just fine.  When the time comes, just lay them in the dish side by side, and add a layer of something on top.

Peel the eggplant, and either fine dice it, or use a grater like our Saladmastertm to achieve 1/4" to 3/8" nuggets of eggplant, similar to coarse ground beef.  Toss that in a skillet with  some ExtraVirginOliveOil and some Italian spices - oregano, thyme, sage, etc. and saute until most of the water is lost and the eggplant firms up -- just like you would brown the beef:

Add the marinara sauce, maybe some water, and your onion, garlic, mushrooms and other things just as you would for a meaty lasagna sauce:

Let that all cook together for a few minutes to marry the flavors.  Turn the fire off and set it aside to cool a bit.

Assemble your usual lasagna:  a smear of sauce on the bottom, a layer of noodles (uncooked), layer of cheese mix, noodles, meat sauce.... layer after layer.  Top with cheese and bake as you normally would.  Let it rest, then cut a slice of the best vegetarian lasagna you've ever tasted. 

Yummers!

Main 2:  Baingan Bharta -- Eggplant Curry

So we got together Saturday evening with our vegan friends Susan and Patrick, to watch the University of Florida football team continue its now 29-year-long winning streak against the University of Kentucky.  I said I'd make a "tailgate dish" even though we'd be watching from the comfort of the living room rather than a hot, sweaty parking lot.

Awhile back I'd visited my local Indian market to buy a specific item or two, without any cash.  They have a minimum $10 purchase to use your debit/credit card, so I picked up a couple other things, including a spice blend called Baingan Bharta Masala -- Eggplant Curry Spice Blend.   The spice is similar to the ubiquitous Garam Masala found in many Indian dishes, not particularly hot spicy.   Sally and I love eggplant in all its variations, so this sounded interesting, both from the prep/method side of things and the flavor profile.

1 largish Eggplant - 1-2 lbs

1 large White Onion, sliced

3-4 Roma Tomatoes, chopped

1 thumb Ginger, minced

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1+ cups frozen Peas

Baingan Bharta Masala (or you can substitute Garam Masala)

Peel that stupid label off the eggplant, rub the veg with a tablespoon of olive oil, and place it on a baking sheet in a 450F preheated oven, for 45 minutes or a bit more.  Better yet, roast it over an open flame!  Cool, peel, and chop the eggplant into a bowl.  Then rough mash with a potato masher, but leave it somewhat lumpy.

In a deep skillet, caramelize the onion, garlic and ginger.  Add the chopped tomatoes and toss to combine.  Then add the eggplant and spice blend -- I used about 1-1/2 Tbsp of spice, this is not a fiery blend.    Lastly, fold the peas into the mixture and heat through. 

Serve with Nan or Pita bread, or even a wrap.   This is a keeper!   I'm even going to enter it in a Tailgate Food recipe contest that I know of!

Dinner is served!

Main 3:  Breakfast (or even dinner) Omelet

I am not one of those chefs who advocates omelets which are  barely on the set side of runny, with a sprinkle of seasoning and a pinch of cheese.  I like my omelets to be fulsome -- full of some mushrooms, some cheese, some shrimp, some whatever.  

The best omelets I've ever had were from the New Orleans Cafe in Salt Lake City back in the late 80s/early 90s.  They had a Sunday Jazz Brunch, for us non-Mormon, non-churchgoers, that was outstanding both in music and food.  They featured a three or four egg Mushroom, Shrimp, Avocado and Cream Cheese Omelet that was heaven on a plate.  Like my omelets this was no barely set smear of wafer thin egg on a plate.  It was a MEAL!

Anyway, the omelet pictured here isn't that fulsome, but it does contain 4 eggs, a nice handful of mushrooms, a little diced red bell pepper, and some tasty white cheddar.

Saturday Breakfast for two, with a toasted bagel on the side with a schmear of chef-made marmalade, Marmitetm or just Oliviotm (our healthier butter-substitute choice).  

Add  few strips of bacon or a slice of fried ham and you've got dinner!