Tried a few new recipes over the weekend. Unfortunately, forgot to take pictures!
Cecyl's cousin Taylor came to visit us and was with us for two dinners.
The first night, I roasted some Portobello mushrooms (turns out, they cook a lot easier and tastier if you score them, essentially creating a cross-hatched pattern on top), tomatoes, and wilted greens. Turns out, Taylor loves mushrooms!
The next night, I figured if I was going to subject this poor girl to my plant-based creations, I should probably ask her which vegetables she likes. She asked for mushrooms and asparagus. So, I cracked open my new Vegetarian cookbook from America's Test Kitchen and selected the following recipes:
Broiled Asparagus with Balsamic Glaze
Snow peas with shallots, parsley, and lemon
Mushrooms with shallots and thyme
Cauliflower pilaf (an old standby)
I was excited to try to make balsamic glaze - I've had it in restaurants, figured it would be a fun addition to have in the kitchen. Recipe called for 3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, simmered on the stove for 15-20 minutes until it is reduced to 1/4 cup, then add 1/4 cup of olive oil. Well, 3/4 cup turns into caramel after about 12 minutes - as fun and sticky and stretchy as it is, not exactly what I was going for. I watched the second batch closely, and after 8-10 minutes, it was down to 1/4 cup so I removed it from the stove. Once I combined it with the olive oil, it was so delicious I wanted to eat it for dessert!
Broiling the asparagus was also a great call - only took 10 minutes under the broiler (vs. 30 minutes if you roast them). I gotta broil vegetables more often!
Mushrooms turned out nicely as well - I'd forgotten how much I loved thyme. The recipe called for 1/4 cup of dry marsala, which I didn't have, but found an online substitution of 1/4 cup dry white wine + 1 tsp of brandy.
The snow peas were simple, easy, and quick - they cooked in a matter of minutes.
Cecyl's cousin Taylor came to visit us and was with us for two dinners.
The first night, I roasted some Portobello mushrooms (turns out, they cook a lot easier and tastier if you score them, essentially creating a cross-hatched pattern on top), tomatoes, and wilted greens. Turns out, Taylor loves mushrooms!
The next night, I figured if I was going to subject this poor girl to my plant-based creations, I should probably ask her which vegetables she likes. She asked for mushrooms and asparagus. So, I cracked open my new Vegetarian cookbook from America's Test Kitchen and selected the following recipes:
Broiled Asparagus with Balsamic Glaze
Snow peas with shallots, parsley, and lemon
Mushrooms with shallots and thyme
Cauliflower pilaf (an old standby)
I was excited to try to make balsamic glaze - I've had it in restaurants, figured it would be a fun addition to have in the kitchen. Recipe called for 3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, simmered on the stove for 15-20 minutes until it is reduced to 1/4 cup, then add 1/4 cup of olive oil. Well, 3/4 cup turns into caramel after about 12 minutes - as fun and sticky and stretchy as it is, not exactly what I was going for. I watched the second batch closely, and after 8-10 minutes, it was down to 1/4 cup so I removed it from the stove. Once I combined it with the olive oil, it was so delicious I wanted to eat it for dessert!
Broiling the asparagus was also a great call - only took 10 minutes under the broiler (vs. 30 minutes if you roast them). I gotta broil vegetables more often!
Mushrooms turned out nicely as well - I'd forgotten how much I loved thyme. The recipe called for 1/4 cup of dry marsala, which I didn't have, but found an online substitution of 1/4 cup dry white wine + 1 tsp of brandy.
The snow peas were simple, easy, and quick - they cooked in a matter of minutes.
