Category Archives: side dish

Grandma’s Coleslaw with Warm Dressing

When I think about perfect no fuss side dishes for the summer my grandmother’s coleslaw always comes to mind. My paternal grandparents were Gottscheers, descendents of a small colony founded in 1350 with only 300 families. Gottscheers lived in a small area within the Austro- Hungarian Empire only 331 square miles. Customs and ltheir own dialect was handed down generation to generation, as were recipes. My grandparents were part of the large emigration from their homeland to the United States in the early 1900’s. Gottscheers remained close once they arrived in the United States. My grandparents were part of the Gottscheer group living in Ridgewood, Queens. My grandparents and their friends would socialize often, which included Sunday night card games. this coleslaw was served many, many sunday nights and it brings to mind love, friendship and just having a good time.
From by the bay wishing you happy food memories with your friends and loved ones!
Maryann

foodgawker coleslaw

Grandma’s Coleslaw with Warm Dressing
Serves Six

Ingredients
1 medium head of cabbage, quartered removing core
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup fine granulated sugar
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions
Using a mandoline over a large mixing bowl, finely shred one head of cabbage. Set aside. To make dressing bring to a boil in a small medium sauce pan  the vinegar, sugar and sea stirring occasionally. Boil until the sugar and salt have dissolved.  Slowly add the oil and bring back to a boil. Remove pan from heat and pour dressing over the cabbage. Add caraway seeds, celery salt and pepper. Mix well. Place into a mason jar or container. Store at room temperature or
in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Rosemary Baked Beans

What’s another easy and impressive side dish to serve guests this Memorial Day Weekend? Homemade Rosemary Baked Beans. It is a quick toss of ingredients and then bake in the oven and you have taken this ordinary side dish into an extraordinary treat! Using cannellini beans makes the dish lighter and fresh rosemary really steps up the taste. If you are making the ketchup from last week’s post this is another perfect use.  It’s definitely another taste sensation!
From by the bay wishing you cannellini food memories!
Maryann
blog baked beans
Rosemary Baked Beans
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 28 ounce cans cannellini beans, drained in rinsed
6 tablespoons ketchup, homemade if possible
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fine black pepper
6 slices bacon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl add all ingredients except the bacon and mix well. Pour the beans into 2 lodge mini 12 ounce servers. Cover with top with bacon strips and place on a baking sheet and place in the over for 25 minutes or until bacon is browned and fat rendered. Serve warm.

Natural Red Dye Easter Eggs

One of the many traditions for Greek Easter is the coloring of all the boiled eggs red. In the Greek religion the Easter eggs are used to symbolize the blood of Christ. There is a game played at Easter called Tsougrisma. Each player gets a red egg. One player will gently tap the egg of another player. The winner is the one whose egg does not crack. This player will go on to play others. The winner is the one who successfully cracks the eggs of the other players. It is said that this will bring good luck to the winner through out the year. These are important traditions to my Greek heritage mother, so I did a little research. My maternal grandmother came to the United States early in the 20th Century from a small fishing village in Greece. In that small town they didn’t have access to red dyes. I discovered that the traditional way to dye the Easter Eggs was with a natural dye made from yellow onion skins. This method yields a deep rich byzantine red color, like the color that you find in many of the religious Greek icons. It’s the perfect color, the color of my mom’s childhood and it’s all natural. I suggest trying this out. You boil your eggs in the dye and you can save the dye to color more eggs, I kept it in a plastic container in the fridge. Have fun coloring your Greek Easter eggs!

blog red eggs
Red Easter Eggs
Makes 6 eggs
6 white eggs, room temperature
skins of 6 large spanish or yellow onions
3 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
In a medium ( 6 1/4 inch) sauce pan add the onion skins, water and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and place cover on the pan. Let simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and strain dye into a bowl and cool. The dye will appear orange, but it will yield red eggs. In the same medium sauce pan add the eggs in one layer. Cover with the cool liquid and add the salt. The eggs should be completely covered , if not add a little water until they are. Bring this to a low boil, reduce heat and cover the pan. Simmer no longer than 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a skimmer remove eggs and place on a wire rack to dry. Once dry, use a paper towel to rub olive oil on the eggs to give a glossy finish. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve cold or room temperature

Sauteed Kale with Garlic

Guess what the new spinach is ? Kale! That’s a quote from a recent episode of “Modern Family” when Mitch, just returning from shopping the farmer’s market, asked Cam. Kale, an under appreciated green vegetable is having it’s moment to shine in the food world. I have joined the legion of fans of Kale and have started to make this vegetable a more regular guest on my dinner table and yes it is the new spinach. Mitch is right! I’m sharing two kale side dishes today, one is preparing kale the way I would broccoli rabe and the second is replacing kale for romaine in my favorite Caesar Salad recipe, using a dressing that doesn’t include raw eggs but packs the same taste! So get on the kale bandwagon and try it tonight!

From by the bay, wishing you tasty and new green leaf memories!
Maryann
blog kale saute
Sauteed Kale with Garlic 
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Place saute pan on medium heat add kale and wine and cover , stirring occasionally until kale is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove kale and strain off any liquid left. Place pan back on medium heat and heat up oil , add garlic and chili flakes saute a minute then add kale, let cook 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
This is a great side dish , but I also use this at room temperature on toasted bread top with fresh ricotta and then the kale and lastly a shaving of pecorino cheese or also as part of a pizza topping as just a few other serving ideas.

Kale Caesar Salad

blog kale caesar
Kale Caesar Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound kale leaves, coarsely chopped
toasted croutons
large shavings parmesan cheese
1 recipe Caesar Salad Dressing – see below
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
Place kale in a bowl , mix well, add salt and pepper. Mix again. Top with croutons and using a grater top with large shavings of parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
You can use the exact recipe using chopped romaine lettuce for a Classic Caesar Salad.
Caesar Dressing for the Faint of Heart ( also known eggless)
Ingredients
7 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Directions 
Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight cover and shake well to emulsify. Use for Caesar Salad.

Green Spring Vegetable Salad

blog green veg salad

Today Febuary 3rd  is National Wear Red Day.  “Go Red for Women” is in celebration of women bonding together to create awareness and fight heart disease. It’s a good time for each of us to reflect on how we might change our lives in order to lead happier, healthier lives. It doesn’t always have to be big changes, we can make several small changes to our lifsestyle that can result in being healthier. For example, I have decided to walk to work twice a week.  It may not seem like a lot but in my case that is 5.2 miles per week, 270 miles a year and 27000 calories a year.  Another small change you can make is increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet. I do this and limit the amount of fats in my diet and focus on eating lean protein. I suggest cooking with olive oil which is a monosaturated fat which is the healthiest one to incorporate into your diet – besides the fact that it tastes better. So in honor of day I am sharing a few of my favorite heart healthy dishes!  Think about how you might lead a healthier life today!

From by the bay wishing you healthy food memories!
Maryann

Green Spring Vegetable Salad
Serves 4
4 cups assorted blanched green vegetables ( fava beans, asparagus, scallions, peas)
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fine grey salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped

Directions

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well, Serve at room temperature.

To blanch vegetables:
Fava beans – to pan of simmering water add shelled fava beans. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove and place into cold water. Drain beans and remove bean from waxy casing. Use for salad.
Fresh Spring Peas – to pan of simmering water add shelled peas. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove and place into cold water. Drain and use for salad.
Asparagus – snap off woody ends of asparagus. Cut into 2 inch pieces and to pan of simmering water. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove and place into cold water. Drain and use for salad.
Scallions- cut off ends with roots and tops using just the white and light green part of the scallion. Cut this into 2 inch pieces. Add to pan of simmering water and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove and place into cold water. Drain and use for salad.

Tip: to make this process easier I use a strainer to remove the vegetables from the simmering water leaving the heat under the pan and keep reusing the hot water.

Lemon Cilantro Coleslaw

blog coleslaw lemon

Lemon Cilantro Coleslaw

Serves 6-8

 

1 head cabbage finely shredded

1 carrot finely shredded
1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fine sugar

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup fresh cilantro and Italian parsley , finely chopped

2 large scallions finely chopped


Directions

In a large bowl place all ingredients and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours. This can be served cold or at room temperature.

Very Berry Cranberry Sauce

I know that cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple , but I love serving it through out the holiday season. I grew up eating canned cranberry sauce. In fact my Uncle Tom, owned a canning factory in Egg Harbor, New Jersey. This was the family’s source for most of our cranberry needs. We had cases of cranberry sauce and loved it!  When my Uncle Tom decided to close his plant and move onto other ventures we were ready to buy our sauce at the supermarket, but instead my Uncle Tom brought to the house some fresh cranberries and taught me how to make my own cranberry sauce. It tasted terrific and was so easy to make!  There was no going back and I’ve been making some version of his cranberry sauce ever since! This is a favorite of mine for Christmas celebrations, I love the mix of all the berries , as well as that little kick of kirsch. The kirsch, reminds me of  Christmases when I was a little girl watching my grandfather pour a shots of this wonderful cherry smelling liquid to celebrate with his friends and family!  The sauce is the perfect compliment to all your holiday foods –  smoked ham, pork loin, turkey or even beef! You are guaranteed to create some happy food memories with this very berry sauce!

From By the Bay wishing you the berriest food memories!
Maryann

blog cranberry xmas

Very Berry Cranberry Sauce
Serves Six

 

½ cup cranberry juice cocktail

1 cup fine sugar

1 12oz, package whole fresh cranberries

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup dried cherries

¼ cup cherry brandy (Kirsch)

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

 

Directions

Combine cranberry juice, brandy and sugar in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, dried cranberries, dried cherries and allspice. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer approximately 10 minutes until the cranberries start to burst. Remove from heat. Cool completely and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken. Serve chilled.

blog berry cran sauce

Maple Roasted Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad


blog sweet potato salad

 

Maple Roasted Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad

Serves 4

2 cups sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 red onion, sliced

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon dried red chili flakes

3 cups baby arugula leaves

2 tablespoons gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Coarse sea salt to taste

Directions to roast sweet potatoes and red onion:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line with parchment a baking sheet add the sweet potato cubes, sliced red onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, red chili and salt. Mix well.  Place in oven and roast for 45 minutes.

Directions for toasted pine nuts:

Use a small dry fry pan heat and add the pine nuts stirring until they are golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool.

Directions to assemble salad:

 

To a bowl or serving platter add the arugula with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss. To the arugula add the roasted sweet potatoes and red onions. Top with crumbled gorgonzola cheese, pine nuts, black pepper and finish with coarse sea salt to taste. Serve warm.

 

Great American side dishes

Article first published as Great American Side Dishes on Technorati

OK, why side dishes?  When I’m planning  the menu for an all american  barbecue that menu will include one of these classic side dishes:  macaroni salad , potato salad or coleslaw. I think it’s essential to have favorite versions of each at the ready to prepare. They need to be delicious, yet simple. My first 4th of July on the Bay was such a meal. Coleslaw was not a problem, I fortuantely had my grandmother’s coleslaw recipe, which I have enhanced along the way with additional herbs and lemon juice. I developed a great potato salad recipe one day, really by accident when I had leftover roasted baby yukon potatoes. I have been serving it ever since with raves from all my family and friends. For me, macaroni salad was the side that I didn’t have my go to recipe.  I spent hours looking for the perfect macaroni salad recipe. It sounds silly but so many had too many extra ingredients : ham, relish , eggs etc.   So many versions but none really appealed to me, so I needed to come up with my own. This recipe is light on the mayonnaise and refreshing with the lemon juice, celery and dill. Hope you will make these your great american side dishes too!

From by the bay wishing you great american food memories! Maryann blog coleslaw lemon

Lemon Cilantro Coleslaw

Serves 6-8

1 head cabbage finely shredded

1 carrot finely shredded 1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fine sugar

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup fresh cilantro and Italian parsley , finely chopped

2 large scallions finely chopped

Directions

In a large bowl place all ingredients and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours. This can be served cold or at room temperature.

Variation:

Summer Dill Coleslaw

1 head cabbage finely shredded

1 carrot finely shredded

½ cup white vinegar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ cup fresh dill, chopped

Directions

In a large bowl place all ingredients and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours. This can be served cold or at room temperature.

Hint: Use a mandolin when shredding your cabbage, the thinner the cabbage is the better the coleslaw will taste.

blog potato salad

Roasted  Potato Salad with Mixed Herbs

Serves 4

2  pounds baby Yukon Gold Potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 sour cream

1/2 chop mixed chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, mint, cilantro)

3 scallions chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Additional salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Toss potatoes in bowl with salt , pepper and olive oil. Arrange potatoes into single layer in an ovenproof baking dish. Roast approximately 1 hour, until golden brown on outside and tender when pierced by a knife. Cool completely. Sliced potatoes ½ inch thick and place into bowl. Add mayonnaise, sour cream, herbs, scallions, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerator until ready to serve.

Variation: Roasted Dill Potato Salad

The mixed chop herbs should be parsley and dill about half of each. Remove from the above recipe mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. In it’s place make a dressing with ½ cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon grainy mustard. Whisk together and pour over the potatoes and herbs. Garnish with crumbled bacon from three cooked slices.

blog mac salad
Dill Macaroni Salad

Serves 6

1 pound cooked elbow macaroni

3/4 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3 celery ribs, chopped finely

1/2 onion ,chopped finely

3 tablespoons dill, chopped

2 tablespoon fine sugar

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon hot paprika

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Optional: 3-4 tablespoons water

Directions

In a large bowl add all ingredients. Combine well. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready for use. Before serving from the refrigerator  add 3-4 tablespoons of water to add a little moisture. Garnish with additional paprika and dill leaves.