onions – Kate's Garden Kitchen

Root Vegetable Medley

November 25, 2020November 25, 2020katejerome2020gmail.comLeave a comment

Root hash with a fried egg and sriracha sauce

I had a wonderful dish in a local restaurant shortly after I moved to Asheville. I subsequently found out that root hash is served in many restaurants here, with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

It was meltingly delicious, heartbreakingly full of umami, so I decided to duplicate it. This time of year root crops are plentiful and delicious – parsnips, carrots, beets, turnips and even radishes. All of these combine beautifully, and when roasted, they take on a subtle smokiness that softens their pungency.

Carrots, parsnips, beets and garlic ready to chop

Use any combination of roots

You can use any combination of root vegetables, including potatoes and sweet potatoes. Apples give it a kiss of sweetness; onions give it a savory bite. And if you want to really go wild, add celeriac or parsley root. I have to say, the word hash conjures up a gloppy mess, a muddle or mess. Let’s call it a melange, medley, alliage, amalgam or even simply a blend.

Prep work is key

The key to a good hash is to cut the pieces all the same size and shapes so they will cook evenly. And the smaller the better. It may seem like a lot of work to cut everything into ½” squares, but you’ll be happy you did when they come out of the oven perfectly roasted.

Roast away!

Once your pieces are pared, you simply need to toss the vegetables with olive oil and minced garlic if you like. There’s no need to salt until they come out of the oven. Roast at 375. Stir them up and turn over a bit after 15 minutes and continue to roast for another 15 minutes, until they are tender when pierced with a fork.

Root hash (medley) makes a delicious side dish in itself, or a main dish when sprinkled with feta cheese, toasted nuts and scallions. Pair it with a salad with a pungent vinaigrette dressing and a slab of sourdough bread. I love it topped with a fried egg.

Roasted Root Vegetable Medley

2-3 cups cubed (½” cubes) parsnips, carrots, beets, turnips, radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, onions, celeriac, parsley root. Just about any combination is delicious. If using large beets, throw them into the microwave for a few minutes to soften them since they are denser than the other vegetables. Red beets will stain the hash, so golden or Chioggia beets will make a more attractive dish.

2 T. good quality olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 375. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and garlic. Spread in a single layer on a roasting pan or cookie sheet with sides. Or use a cast iron pan as long as you can make only one layer. Roast about 15 minutes and then stir. Roast another 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork and beginning to brown. Remove from oven and salt and pepper liberally.

Spanish omelet

October 26, 2020katejerome2020gmail.com3 Comments

Sometimes you just want something different for breakfast. Or lunch. I love a good frittata, made with eggs and just about anything else you want to put in it. A great alternative, similar to a frittata, but with a little more substance is a Spanish omelet. It’s still fairly light, but warm and buttery and rich with potatoes, the ultimate comfort food.

One of my favorite memories was a late summer evening meal on the beach with good friends. She served a Spanish omelet and fresh fruit salad and then followed it with Romeo y Julieta (cream cheese and guava paste on crisp crackers). Delicious food, good Spanish wine and dear friends. Watching the sunset over the lake was an experience I’ll never forget.

Spanish omelet or tortilla Espanola

Called a tortilla in Spanish cooking, the classic recipe is made with potatoes, onions and eggs. But you can add anything your heart desires to the recipe.

My riff on the classic

1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly

1 lb red potatoes, not peeled, sliced thinly

3 eggs

½ c. sliced mushrooms

½ c. sliced red sweet peppers

½ c. sliced swiss chard

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Use an 8” cast iron pan if you have one. Otherwise, any stovetop-to-oven pan. You can also use a round cake or stoneware pan but you will need to vary the cooking slightly since you can’t use these on the stovetop.

Cook potatoes in salted water, drain and cool.

Saute onion until soft in a splash of olive oil. Add mushrooms, peppers and chard and saute briefly until tender. Cool slightly.

Whisk eggs and 1 t. Salt. Add potatoes and vegetables and toss until coated with eggs.

Add a bit more oil to the pan, pour in the egg and vegetable mix, and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Put in the oven for 20 minutes until eggs are set.

Remove from the oven and flip upside down on a plate. Serve in wedges, hot, room temperature or cold.

Homemade Vegetable Stock

January 14, 2020katejerome2020gmail.com2 Comments

Almost every recipe you see needs broth or stock of one sort or another. And, before you decide to just add water, think first – stock adds a nuance of flavor that you might not even know you’ll miss.

Vegetable stock makes a big difference in flavor

Of course, when making hearty soups, stews and chili with vegetables, beans and other ingredients that give their own rich flavor, it may not be necessary to use stock for extra flavor. But when cooking rice or grains, the addition of flavored liquid can make the difference between bland and dynamite.

There are all sorts of broth and stock available commercially these days, from standard chicken to organic vegetable to the richest bone broths (many are even flavored with garlic, peppers, onions and paprika).

Make your own stock

Although they certainly do in a pinch and I always try to have some in my pantry, homemade stocks are far and away better. Not only because you know what’s in them, but because the flavor is superior and you can control the salt.

Keep a bag of vegetable trimmings in the freezer

It may seem a bit miserly but I’ve gotten in the habit of saving all my vegetable trimmings. I keep a bag in the freezer and toss in, after washing well, the leftovers from onions, shallots, celery, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, etc. It’s important that you wash the peelings before freezing them so you can simply put them in the pot when the time comes.

Add cheese rind and mushrooms for more flavor

When I have a full bag and a day when I’ll be home for at least half a day, I toss them in a large stock pot and add garlic, bay leaf and other herbs I happen to have. The pièce d ‘resistance is to toss in a Parmesan rind to boost the umami flavor. Mushrooms also provide this flavor. You can adjust the flavors however you like with herbs and the vegetables you choose.

Fill the pot, covering the vegetables and turn on low. There’s no need to salt the stock – you can get a better feel for salt levels when you actually use it in a dish. Let the pot simmer and fill your kitchen with a delightful aroma for the day. After four or five hours, strain the stock and refrigerate or freeze. I find it easiest to freeze it in one cup measures since I don’t always need more than that.

Dilled rice with homemade vegetable stock

Dilled Rice

1 c. brown rice

2 c. vegetable stock

1 large clove garlic

1 t. dill seeds or 1 T. dried dill or 3 T. finely chopped fresh dill

1 t. salt

Crush the garlic clove along with the dill and salt until you have a paste. A mortar and pestle is great for this but you can also just use the flat side of a knife. Add the paste to the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, reduce the heat to very low and cover. Cook about 45-55 minutes. When the liquid is all absorbed, fluff the rice and serve by itself as a side dish or under stir-fried vegetables.