Side Dish Recipes | DanaSlatkin.com

Miso-Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts

01/20/2012 By dana Leave a Comment

One of the perks of writing a food blog is the culinary journey I get to take each week. Just in the past few days, I’ve traipsed from France to Turkey to Greece and Japan, crossing over borders without leaving the dinner table. I even get to drag my family along for the ride. Last night’s dinner combined a trip to Paris (cheese fondue) with a stopover in Kyoto for these sweet and salty glazed Brussels sprouts. Once the baguette and roasted potatoes were gone, the kids and husband had no choice but to venture their skewers to the bowl of little green-brown orbs, dunking them into the rich, ever-so-funky fondue. Much to my surprise, the sprouts disappeared in minutes. Try them over brown rice or quinoa, as a side dish for … [Read more...]

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Sesame Soy Roasted Cauliflower

12/03/2011 By dana Leave a Comment

What is the statute of limitations on post-holiday conversation? A week later, I’m still hearing about rhapsodic Thanksgiving feasts. Every day, friends tell me of their turkey triumphs, hits and misses, and harrowing kitchen adventures. I savor every story, because they recapture those precious and fleeting holiday moments, when the world seems to pause and all is good…at least around the table. But in my house, it’s back to the weekly grind. Which means drive-by marketing, quick dinners, and hasty catch-ups with family until the holidays arrive. When I aborted a dish from my Thanksgiving menu and ended up with a surplus of multi-hued cauliflower from the farmers market, this dish was born. You’ll need only … [Read more...]

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Whole-Grain Fried Tomatoes with Buttermilk Basil Caper Dressing

08/04/2011 By dana Leave a Comment

Sleep late on a weekend morning? Not me. I would rather grab my cloth totes and head to the farmers market. Here in Aspen, it’s the place to be on Saturday mornings. Sprawled out over five city blocks, the market bustles with a friendly, homespun vibe. Farmers, artisans, locals and tourists mingle cheerfully, trading glorious summer fruits and vegetables, cheeses, chutneys, crafts, and everything in between. Last weekend, I brought along my friend Lisa Petrillo, an entertainment reporter for CBS in Miami. We perused the stalls together, chatted up the vendors, bought raw goat milk brie and kettle popcorn. But Lisa had more than a shopping trip in mind. She was cooking up a story about something bigger, about a national phenomenon that … [Read more...]

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Baked Potatoes Stuffed with Ratatouille and Mozzarella

03/10/2011 By dana Leave a Comment

When I was working at Michel Guerard’s restaurant in France, there was one expression that was music to my ears. Every day at about 5 pm, one of the cooks would yell, “Bouffe!” to announce the staff “nosh.” We would all gather at a long farm table — cooks, dishwashers, servers and sommeliers — to enjoy a hearty meal before facing the orchestrated chaos of the dinner service. This dish was one of my favorites, because it got me through the evening while leaving me feeling light in my clogs. It was usually accompanied by a large platter of braised meat or a whole roasted fish. But to me, a giant roasted spud overflowing with stewed vegetables and bubbling cheese is completely satisfying on its … [Read more...]

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M Cafe’s Scarlet Quinoa Salad

10/28/2010 By dana Leave a Comment

If you are looking for a way to get delicious quinoa into your brood’s diet, this is probably not that recipe. Yes, this jewel-toned dish couldn’t be lovelier — crunchy, subtly sweet and salty, it is mysteriously addictive. My girlfriends and I gobble it up. But it is not what I would call kid-friendly. Some recipes are better left for the grown-ups. This sophisticated salad is all about the beets and the ume, or Japanese sour plum. Its intriguing flavor is hard to beat, so I encourage you to seek out the Ume Vinegar called for in this recipe. Don’t worry, the bottle won’t go to waste…you will end up reaching for it next time you make a vinaigrette or chutney, to jazz up cole slaw, or to brighten … [Read more...]

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Sauteed Spinach with Porcini-Truffle Powder

10/18/2010 By dana Leave a Comment

I am not one to use gadgets in the kitchen. In fact, my friends are baffled that I do not even own a standing mixer. But to me, the math is simple: If [storage space] + [time required to assemble, clean and disassemble] the thing equals or exceeds [time spent accomplishing same task with own two hands], then said gadget is not worth the investment. There are two exceptions. One is my beloved KitchenAid food Processor, signed by Jacques Pepin and his daughter Claudette at a charity auction, which can elegantly grate through 10 potatoes in less than a minute. Even yours truly, the empress of Potato Latkes can’t touch that. The other is my spice grinder, which can turn dried porcini mushrooms into a flavor-charged powder … [Read more...]

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Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

02/08/2010 By dana Leave a Comment

My children love macaroni and cheese, but they will only eat the kind that comes from a box. It has always been a source of contention between us, because I don’t do anything from a box unless I am incapacitated. So mac ’n cheese was something the kids would enjoy at their friends’ homes, like bacon and sugary cereals. But as you know by now, I love a challenge. The other night, I attempted to cook the classic comfort food from scratch, using spelt pasta and real cheese. How did it go over? Let’s just say, I wouldn’t be gleefully sharing the recipe if the dish hadn’t been licked clean. It was creamy and cheesy, with just the right amount of sauce (my kids even admitted the packaged kind never came with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Side Dish Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

Brussels Sprouts Two Ways: Chips and Roasted with Anchovies and Dates

11/23/2009 By dana Leave a Comment

Brussels Sprout ChipsAre you a lover or hater? The mere mention of brussels sprouts seems to always elicit either a fervent grimace or rapturous smile. In my family, I was outnumbered four to one. In fact, for years, I never bothered to buy brussels sprouts because I knew no one could stand the cabbage-y smell, much less the taste. But you know me well enough by now to sense another imminent cooking challenge. Could I get my husband to embrace the little green buds after a lifetime of rejecting them? Would my children, 3-year-old included, ever learn to appreciate brussels sprouts and even gobble them up enthusiastically? My only shot at success was to find a way to make them irresistibly salty and crunchy, like chips. With my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Side Dish Recipes, Snack Recipes