Salsify

I have been searching high and low for a few years now for this root vegetable...and finally here it is! I will explain. A while ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to go to dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY. Any "foodie" from the New York Area is familiar with Blue Hill. Stone Barns is an agricultural center 30 miles north of New York City and is a full working four season farm. The Blue Hill Restaurant at Stone Barns uses all fresh ingredients from its farm and surrounding farms in the Hudson Valley region. There are no menus, just a listing of almost 100 ingredients that are available. A menu is then created around the items that you select. The chefs, making magic in the kitchen (which you can view from a picture window outside) use your selections as a guide and then come up with a tasting menu that they believe you would enjoy by the items chosen. This is really more of an experience than a typical dinner out. We enjoyed many different items that night and being that it was a few years ago now, my memory is fading on each dish that was presented to us. However, one that I will never forget was the Salsify, a root vegetable that was cut into match stick sized pieces and served on a tiny bed of nails. I don't remember any seasoning or sauce, it was just cooked and in its natural state. It was so unusual to me at the time (not so much now), I went on the quest to find it in every produce store I could get to. No luck until now. I found it on the shelves at my local Whole Foods. It was just sitting there, almost teasing me, as if it had been there all this time. I don't remember but I think I even gasped when I saw the sign for it. I quickly grabbed a handful and snapped a picture right there in the middle of the produce section to send along to a friend who knew of my "hunt". I searched the Internet for recipes that included salsify but then decided to recreate those little matchstick size pieces instead. Peeling the veggie first, cutting it into the smaller pieces, then tossing into a bowl with some lemon juice and water to prevent it from browning, I then boiled the salsify in water until fork tender. When the little white "sticks" came out of the boiling water, I then drained them and popped them in a 350 degree oven for another 15 minutes. They never even made it to our dinner plates, we just kept munching on them while I made the rest of our dinner. I have read descriptions of salsify as having an oyster like flavor, although I did not get that. Rather, it reminded me of a cross between an artichoke heart and a very dense potato. Glad that I opted to keep it as close to natural as possible, I will definitely try one of the handful of yummy recipes I found next time. Hopefully, it doesn't take another 2 years to get my hands on some more!

Blue Hill at Stone Barns

630 Bedford Hills Road

Pocantico Hills, New York 10591

(914) 366-9600

http://bluehillfarm.com/

Red Cabbage

I knew very well, other than the color of the Red Cabbage, I wouldn't find much difference in the way of taste. Possibly, the texture my be slightly different however. I did notice that the Red Cabbage seemed to have more of a "crunch" and from the information that I found, the red version keeps better. With the temperatures still sky rocketing, the last thing I felt like doing was boiling cabbage on the stove or even turning the stove on for that matter. So, I decided to make a colorful coleslaw with the shredded red leaves. And colorful it was, with some leftover Orange Cauliflower and green onions added to it, it was as pretty as it was tasty. Seasoned with mayonnaise, soy sauce, apricot vinegar and little sesame oil, it had an oriental flavor and was delicious. A sprinkling of sesame seeds on top of each serving finished off the side dish. This was a far cry from the type of coleslaw that I grew up with. My 90 year old Grandfather, was and still is the "slaw maker" in our family. His recipe doesn't get any simpler; Shredded traditional cabbage, which is considered "White Cabbage" by the way, Miracle Whip salad dressing, apple cider vinegar and sugar. It sounds crazy, I know, but it is actually tasty and has become a comfort food over the years. I'm starting to think that Miracle Whip and sugar may be some kind of fountain of youth. At 90 years old, Gramps still drives, lives on his own and up until a couple of years ago, worked at Costco. As good as my red cabbage coleslaw was, I think his might just be better...for 90 reasons!

Baby Spinach

Baby Spinach just cries out to be used for a good tossed salad. It's mild leaves seem to hold up well under many a vinaigrette and meshes well with just about any cheese you can think to throw into the salad. I have been so fortunate to have many friends send veggies my way from their gardens this summer. Funny thing is, no one has given me any fruit, up until now. My boss received some incredible peaches in the mail the other day from friends. Knowing that she would never be able to finish all herself and considering the usually busy house is more like a ghost town these days, she sent me home with a handful of very ripe ones. Almost instantly, I had visions of tossing a few into a spinach salad with some feta cheese. As tasty as my idea sounded, I thought I would jazz it up a little more. I sliced the peaches, drizzled some balsamic vinegar over them and popped them in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. They had such a nice golden hue to them and the tang of the vinegar complemented the sweetness of the peaches nicely. Now they were ready for my salad. I whipped up a quick vinaigrette with some fresh rosemary and tossed all the ingredients into the bowl. Topped my salad with some feta cheese and dove right in. Granted, the spinach was suppose to be the "star" of this dish but admittedly, the peaches stole the spotlight! It did prove my point that baby spinach is so versatile and you can make a wide variety of different salads when it's base are the tasty little leaves.

Sunflower Greens

I never understood what a "Super Food" was. I guess now I know. Any green that contains almost as much protein as a chicken breast has got to be pretty "super" in my book. 3.5 ounces of these little guys contain 22.78 grams of protein! The same amount of chicken breast has 26.25 grams, that is pretty damn close. It's hard to believe that these little green stalks can be compared to chicken. Just by tossing a handful onto any sandwich adds so much nutritional value, you may never buy iceberg lettuce again. That's just what I did. By adding a good amount to my turkey sandwich, I boosted up the protein in my dinner, not to mention the flavor. The greens add a nice earthy taste. They are heartier than bean sprouts and add more texture than it's stringy cousin the Alfalfa sprout. However, they are not the easiest to find. I was lucky to find this bag of "super food" at the local Balducci's but have never seen them anywhere else. Happy hunting!

Lima Beans

As you can tell from my photo, this was a "dining out" night. After attending a friend's wedding ceremony and cocktail reception, my husband, myself and a group of friends decided that we weren't going to waste our dressy outfits and new shoes to just head home. Last minute dinner plans formulated quickly as we all sipped our champagne while we toasted to the bride and groom. We had a good size group together quickly and cellphones started dialing some of our favorite restaurants to see who would be able to take our group of wedding-goers. As luck would have it, one of my favorites agreed that they could take a party of our size but we had to get there soon. We headed out and towards Columbus Park Trattoria in Stamford, CT. After standing outside in sweltering temperatures, in new shoes that felt like were now melted to my feet, I was not in a "decision" making mood. When our waiter went down the row of friends taking their orders one by one, I still had no idea what I would be ordering. Granted, everything I've had there in the past has been delicious but I just could decided. Lastly, he came to me and asked what I would like. I shocked even myself when I said "surprise me". The poor man looked at me blankly and asked if I was really sure. I assured him it would be fine and to make sure whatever he brought out to me had some vegetables and hopefully an unusual one at that. This could have gone really bad. However, knowing how delicious everything there is prepared, I wasn't too worried. And any fear I might have had was quelled when the waiter brought over this yummy dish of wide ribbon pasta. I assume the light sauce that coated the pasta and veggies was made with butter and white wine. Ground sausage added a nice flavor to the dish and I was thrilled with the Lima Beans that scattered throughout, mainly because I hadn't "done" Lima beans yet! The beans added a nice texture to the mix of the pasta ribbons and the ground sausage. Even though there was a lot going on in this dish and plenty of other veggies, I think the Lima beans definitely brought something to the party. I would happily let my waiter choose my dish for me again, especially in a place where I've never had a meal I didn't enjoy!

Columbus Park Trattoria

205 Main Street

Stamford, CT 06902

(203) 967-9191

http://www.columbusparktrattoria.com/index2.htm

Orange Cauliflower

I knew right off the bat that the Orange Cauliflower wasn't going to taste much different than your plain Jane white version but 365 vegetables is a boat load of veggies and I can't afford to miss a single one! My suspicions were confirmed with the first bite. Yes, exactly the same texture and taste. However, upon doing some web surfing, I did find out some interesting facts about Orange Cauliflower. First off, it contains 25 times more vitamin A than it's stark cousin. That alone, would be enough make me grab the orange head over the white when at the grocery story. Secondly, let's be honest, it's just so much prettier and fun looking than it's counterpart. Granted, I only enjoyed the cauliflower as part of a crudites platter that had a yummy dip along side it but I can envision it standing out on the dinner plate with it's unusual hue, even going as far as possibly using a citrus glaze to accent it's color. In a nutshell, more vitamins, same taste, fun color.

Yucca Root

Having seen Yucca root nearly every time I walk through any produce section, this is the first time I have even gone near it. The other day while trying to decide which vegetable will be on the proverbial chopping block that evening, I caught a glimpse of that odd vegetable out of the corner of my eye. "Oh what the hell!" I thought to myself, figuring I'd eventually have to get to it, so why not now. I always laugh a little bit to myself when buying a vegetable I know nothing about. What do I look for? How do I know if it's ripe or not? Should it smell like that? Because I usually "wing it" in the produce store and grab what peaks my interest right then and there, I don't research my next "victim" that often. So I picked out a few yucca roots that I thought looked good and went home to figure out what to do with this weird looking vegetable. Within a few minutes of surfing the net, I found that yucca makes great french fries. So I followed a simple recipe and boiled the peeled root for 15 minutes, then cut into french fry like strips. Then I added to strips to a frying pan with olive oil and let them crisp up. Tossing them with some sea salt and coarse ground pepper immediately upon exiting the frying pan insured the seasoning would stick to the fries. The fries were awesome! No ketchup need for these guys. However, I did make a mustard garlic aioli to dip them into but the flavor of the yucca was so tasty on it's own we barely touched the aioli. Before the fries hit the fry pan, I tasted the boiled yucca root to get an idea of what I was in for. Even before the frying, the flavor was delicious and instantly fell in love with the earthy taste this veggie had. I can think of numerous dishes that I would use yucca instead of potatoes and think it would make a great edition to a few stew recipes I have. Now when I peruse the produce aisle, I will no longer avoid and say "yuck" to the yucca!

Zucchini

Living in a condo, there is not much of a garden we can have, so when people offer us goodies from their gardens, we happily accept. That's how I came to get this beautiful zucchini. Not being able to have a garden or even a yard, for that matter, is one of the only things I regret about living in a condo. I grew up in apartments and condos my entire life, so I am fairly accustom to it. But as a child, I remember having a garden at my Grandmother's house in Connecticut. I remember the rows of squash and string beans; vines of tomatoes and cucumbers. Maybe because it was many years ago and I was young, I don't remember anything else but those vegetables. If it were my garden now...it would be vastly different. But I digress and must rely on good produce stores and generous "gardener" friends, like my zucchini "connection". Along with my gifted zucchinis, squash and cucumbers came an array of recipes that my friend thought I might like to try out. One in particular was a recipe for Greek Zucchini Cakes. I tweaked the recipe just a smidge by omitting pine nuts and using seasoned breadcrumbs in its place. They were delicious! The feta cheese with the tang of the dill really gave it that Greek flavor that they were named for. What was supposed to serve 4-6 people quickly turned into serving 2! This recipe is definitely going in my "keeper" file and the zucchini cakes will be making a repeat performance very soon!

Greek Zucchini Cakes Recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/greek-zucchini-cakes-recipe/index.html

Sea Beans

I'm wandering through the produce section of Whole Foods the other day and out of the corner of my eye I see a basket of these odd looking things just sitting there. Bright green and looking like some kind of cross between a cactus and a piece of seaweed. There it was, right between the ginger root and rosemary skewers, looking so out of place. There wasn't even a tag or description associated with the contents of the basket. I had no idea what they were but I knew I wanted them. I had to hunt down a employee of the produce department just to tell me what the unusual looking item was. When asked, he looked as confused as I was but then proceeded to tell me that they are really good sauteed with some butter. "But what are they?" I continued to ask him. He finally fessed up and told me that he had no clue! Figuring someone in this store had to know what they were, he set out to get the answer. He was back 10 minutes later with a print out on a receipt indicating that they were, Sea Beans. "What the hell are these things" I thought to myself as I scooped up a handful and planning on figuring that out later. The minute I got into my car, it was time to go to the Google! I found out that these quirky little veggies are neither seaweed or a cactus but a succulent that grows near the beach and in marshy areas. This is where their intense salty flavor comes from. Right from the start, I figured these edible beach flora would probably be better cold then cooked. Thinking that boiling them might make the sea beans too soggy and lose some of their crunch, I decided to steam them for a few minutes. There is something about the saltiness that lends itself to an Asian flavor so I added some sesame oil, a touch of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds. Letting it chill in the fridge for a little while, it made a tasty salad. Apparently, these funky vegetables are seasonal and are only around in the summer months, so track them down now if you're interested. I'm thinking next time they might be a good edition to the lobster pot along with some steamers!

Kirby Cucumbers

Growing up, I can remember that one of my favorite salads was, cucumbers with french dressing and that's it! The thought of that now makes my stomach turn. I am so glad that my palate has matured and I no longer eat mayonnaise sandwiches or egg noodles with ketchup. I do still love both ketchup and mayo and often label myself as being "condimental". Also as a kid, and still to this day, I love pickles. Needless to say, vinegar is high on my list as well. I am always making salads with different kinds of vinaigrettes to go with them. I rarely buy bottled salad dressing anymore but go through gallons of olive oil and vinegar in a years time. So after a day of fried clam strips and french fries, a little vinegar to cut through all that grease was just what I needed. When I make a salad and know that I will be the only one eating it, I always add extra vinegar and plenty of garlic. I tend to tone down the more robust flavors of the dressing when I know my husband is going to be having some. My salad was extra tangy tonight and adding some dill to the mix made it taste more like a pickle than a cucumber salad. Long gone are the days of mayo sandwiches and noodles with Heinz but I will never give up a kosher dill or a salad that tastes like one!

Snap Peas and Pea Tendrils

Michael Jordan's Steakhouse, Michael Buble and Mohegan Sun...oh and Peas too! This made for an incredible night. I will be honest, as good as these beautiful Snap Peas and Pea Tendrils were, the highlight of my night wasn't the legumes on my plate. Michael Buble was even yummier looking and sounding then those veggies and took center stage for me. Dinner at Jordan's was delicious, as it always is, but it was exciting to find something somewhat unusual on the menu for my 365 Vegetables. These snap peas were offered as that evenings vegetable on the specials menu. I'm sure our waitress was wondering why I was asking so many questions about vegetables at a place that most people are quizzing her on the different cuts of steaks but she played along and was happy to humor me. She had to explain to me what the "tendrils" part of that evenings' veggie was. It sounded just unusual enough, so I ordered it along side at incredible piece of steak. As I sat there, with a great glass of red, enjoying my dinner and anticipating the concert, I realized something. A delicious main course, albeit, a New York strip or Cornish game hen, is only as good as the vegetables and sides to back it up. How boring would it be to sit there and chew on a piece of steak the entire dinner with nothing to compliment the flavor of the meat. It's the combination of the wine, the steak, the peas, the bread, that make the meal, the meal. It would be like listening to Michael Buble sing without a microphone and no band to back him up! Who am I kidding? I could listen to him sing in the shower...wait...yup that's sounds about right!

Okra

I don't know how I started eating Okra years ago but since I can remember, once every few months I pick up a jar of pickled okra. It's contents barely last a day in the fridge as I am constantly snacking on the peculiar pickles. This vegetable, with it's fuzzy texture and odd innards are something that I would have NEVER been offered up at our family dinner table. It remains a mystery where the love for pickled okra came from. However, pickled is the only way I have enjoyed okra all these years and I figured it's time to change that. I'm sure there are plenty of ways to prepare these odd, furry vegetables but time and again, I hear about fried okra, so I gave it a shot. It's funny, ever since I started this vegetable "project", I have fried more times than I care to admit in my house, something I never usually do. But you can't steam or sauteed everything and it has definitely made the other "resident" in this house very, very happy. Not being 100 percent sure the best way to go about frying up the okra, I did a little research online. A handful of recipes suggested cutting the okra into little "wheels" and letting sit in cold water in the fridge for an hour or so and then drain. What I saw then was like something out of a science fiction movie. I knew okra "innards" could be somewhat "slimy" but it turned my stomach at the amount that oozed out of the bottom of the strainer when I poured the okra-water mixture out. I quickly threw the okra wheels into a bowl with cornmeal seasoned with smoked paprika, salt and pepper, just so I didn't have to look at those little, slimy, green chunks. Tossing the okra until completely coated and barely any green shown through, it was now ready to take a dive in the vegetable "jacuzzi" heating up on my stove. The okra hung out in the bubbling vegetable oil for roughly 5 or 6 minutes, just until they were a nice golden color. Out they came, drained on a paper towel and sprinkled with salt and pepper. After a minute or two to cool, the taste test commenced. At first bite, all I could think of, was what looked like an "alien attack" in my sink earlier but I quickly got past that after the second bite. Long gone was the "slime" and in is place was a soft center with a crispy flavorful outer coating. The only thing missing was something sinful to dip them into, as if the frying didn't do enough damage to my daily calorie count! Maybe I should stick to the pickled okra just for the sake of my waistline and only "jacuzzi" them once a year....ok maybe twice a year!

Broccolini

I always thought that Broccolini was a cross between broccoli and asparagus. At least that is certainly the way it appears. With the head of a broccoli floret and the body similar to an asparagus spear. Surprisingly, it's actually part of the cabbage family. It's a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese chard. Regardless of where, what or how, it's delicious! I've been buying broccolini for years now and have been preparing it the same way each time; steamed with fresh lemon squeezed over it. As yummy as it is like that, it can get boring, especially when I steam it to death, that's how my husband likes all his vegetables...mush! I however, prefer a crunch still left to my veggies and that's just how I prepared the broccolini this time. Trying something different, I roasted the bunch in oven with some olive oil. Something, I always do with asparagus but never with broccoli. After about 20 minutes at 450 degrees, I tossed the broccolini with some balsamic vinegar and a little salt and pepper. The roasted spears had an texture unlike what I'm used to, I definitely got my "crunch"! The crisp floret was a nice change from the typical soggy head doused in lemon juice. However, like asparagus, if the spear isn't cooked well enough, it tends to get a little stringy. Regardless, the flavor offered up by roasting along with a good balsamic, has changed the way I cook broccolini. The days of vegetables cooked beyond recognition, like baby food are over. Someone (you know who are) better get used to it!

Grape Tomatoes

Again, tomatoes became my "go to" vegetable. Granted these little guys, which came out of my friend's garden in Florida, are very different than the few I had last week. It was another late night and the day got away from me. I had a butternut squash that was calling my name and a great recipe for it but we got a little sidetracked at a friends house and ended up coming home way past dinner time, certainly too late to put a squash in the oven. Having a fresh bunch of basil in the fridge along with a container full of these guys, I couldn't help myself making a tomato salad at 10:30 pm. With a little vinegar, some good olive oil, fresh garlic and salt and pepper, it made a nice vinaigrette for the tomatoes. I have been making tomato salads like this for years now but the one part that was always a pain, was cutting each one of these guys individually in half. Then one day, I caught a Rachel Ray episode (before my "beef" with her started...that story is for another time) and she offered up a little trick to making this task easier; Take two medium size storage container lids, put a handful of tomatoes in one on the counter top, with the lip facing up so they don't roll out and the other one on top of the tomatoes (kind of like a sandwich), gently press down, taking a long knife, slice through the entire bunch at once! It saves so much time and is a great trick, even if it came from "her"!