Spring Root Vegetables with Fresh Herbs

I recently relocated back to Montana, where spring is just beginning and the temperatures are still cool.  The local farmer’s market is in full swing but fresh vegetables are just starting to arrive.  Among them are radishes and Japanese or baby turnips, some of the most delicious brassicas due to their spicy yet tender nature.  Turnips are so often overlooked or overcooked and radishes are rare, generally relegated to salads and garnish, I wanted to offer a spring side dish featuring both roots in all their flavorful glory.  Though both brassicas can easily be eaten raw, steaming them mellows their flavor and softens their crunch.  I have a variety of fresh herbs growing on my back porch and I simply pruned a few, chopped them and added them to the marinade, which leads me to believe most combinations would be excellent.  These spring root vegetables would go well with a leek galette and roasted green beans.

I used a combination of savory, basil, parsley and sage in the marinade, but any fresh herbs will work.

1 bunch or 8-10 radishes, trimmed and halved if large

1 bunch or 8-10 Japanese or baby turnips, trimmed and halved if large

1 tbsp red onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh herbs, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Combine herbs, olive oil and red onion in a small bowl and set aside.  Meanwhile, steam the turnips and radishes until barely tender.  Once the vegetables are tender, remove from heat, place in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. After the vegetables have cooled slightly, pour the marinade over the vegetables and gently fold to thoroughly combine.  Marinate for at least one hour before serving.  

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.  

Serves 3-4

Cucumber Watermelon Slaw

Traditionally slaws are associated with cabbage marinated in dressing, as in coleslaw, but the slaw (from the Dutch word for salad) on its own can be used to describe any salad of marinated fresh vegetables and fruits. Because summer is just around the corner, fresh cucumber and watermelon slaw seems to be a great dish to jump start fresh fruit and vegetables dishes, which are so satisfying to eat in hot weather. Watermelon, likely originating in Southern Africa because there watermelon grows wild and reaches great diversity, is a truly beautiful fruit, which has been cultivated by humans around the world for thousands of years. Watermelon rinds, commonly eaten in Asia and some parts of Europe, have a mind watermelon flavor with a crunchy texture and are a great addition to their sweet flesh. Watermelon and cucumber slaw is a great accompaniment to spring rolls or white wine sangria for those warm summer nights.

Regular basil may be used instead of Thai basil, just as regular cucumbers may be used instead of English cucumbers. Any variety of watermelon will work.

1 ½ c English cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds

1 ½ c watermelon, thinly sliced into wedges

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped

1 tbsp fresh Thai basil, whole (small leaves) or roughly chopped (larger leaves)

¼ tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine vinegar, sugar, mint, basil and salt in a small mixing bowl. Set dressing aside until sugar and salt have dissolved in vinegar, 5-10 minutes.

2. Place sliced cucumber and watermelon in a medium-mixing bowl. Add dressing and gently toss to combine. Season to taste with fresh pepper. Set slaw aside to marinate at least 1 hour before serving.

3. Serve cucumber watermelon slaw room temperature or chilled.

Serves 3-4

Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

Asparagus is a beautiful spring vegetable, a wonderful ingredient for late May. Native to the old world, asparagus has been cultivated with the young shoot being consumed by humans for thousands of years appearing in the likes of Roman cookbooks and Egyptian friezes. Because of its wide appeal, asparagus lends itself well to any number of dishes and cooking techniques, but tends to shine with minor cooking. Balsamic vinegar, fresh herbs, garlic and honey provide and deliciously neutral flavor palate for roasted vegetables, so that they may be paired with many different entrées or eaten on their own as an appetizer, salad or snack. Balsamic roasted vegetables could easily be paired with an stuffed peppers, homemade pizza or a chicken tagine.

This recipe also works well on the grill. Different combination of vegetables and herbs may be used depending upon availability.

½ lb asparagus, trimmed

2 medium summer squash, trimmed and sliced lengthwise and ¼" thick

1 medium red bell pepper, trimmed and sliced lengthwise into 1" segments

1 medium red onion, trimmed and sliced lengthwise and ½" thick

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 medium clove garlic, smashed

2 tsp honey

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground pepper

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

1. Arrange vegetables evenly in a large glass-baking dish. Combine vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl. Pour over vegetables and gently toss to evenly coat. Cover vegetables, place in refrigerator and marinate overnight, gently tossing occasionally.

2. In a single layer, arrange marinated squash, asparagus and bell pepper on a large baking sheet with edges. Spread onions and garlic on top of vegetables.

3. Preheat broiler. Broil vegetables for 5-7 minutes, until asparagus and onions are done. Remove asparagus, onions and garlic, flip squash and bell pepper, return to broiler for 2-3 minutes, until done. Once done, remove vegetables from heat and set aside

4. Meanwhile, place marinade in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring marinade to a simmer and continue simmering until marinade has been reduced and thickened, about half as thick. Remove reduction from heat, cool slightly and add freshly chopped herbs.

5. Spoon reduction over vegetables before serving. Serve vegetables warm, room temperature or chilled.

Serves 3-4

Beets and Tangerines with Honey Mint Dressing

Beets and citrus compliment each other and make a delicious and beautiful combination for salads. I was inspired by Moroccan beet salads, commonly served on a salad plate at the beginning of a meal, which I was served while traveling through southern France. I decided to use tangerine, a variety of the Mandarin orange, as often they seem to have a stronger flavor than orange, which lends itself nicely to the sweet earthy flavor of the beet. I like this salad with roasted bell peppers or chicken and vegetable tagine.

Oranges may be used instead of tangerines. Larger beets may be used, in lesser quantities.

4 small beets, trimmed

2 tangerines

½ lemon, juiced

1 tsp honey

1 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped

1 ½ tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Steam beets until tender, 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and peel under cold running water. Thinly slice beets into rounds and set aside in a medium metal bowl.

2. To segment tangerines: using a serrated knife, slice the two ends off of the tangerine. Placing the tangerine on one end, carefully remove the peel working from end to end and rotating tangerine. After peel is removed, segment the tangerine by cutting along the edge of each dividing skin. Roughly chop the segments and add them to the beets.

3. Thoroughly combine honey, lemon juice, mint and olive oil in a small bowl. Pour dressing over beets and tangerines, gently tossing to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Marinate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve room temperature or chilled over greens.

Serves 3-4

Brassicas Marinated with Fresh Herbs

Blanched brassicas may be my favorite way to eat them because they become milder, tender and brilliantly colored. Because they are members of the mustard family, brassica flavors tend to be similar and so compliment each other well. Brassicas are also known as crucifers or cross bearing due to their four-petaled flowers reminiscent of crosses. I first made this salad for a friend's birthday, to compliment an Italian inspired meal. Marinated brassicas can be served with any number of other side dishes including creamy polenta and mashed carrots.

Other combinations of herbs will work as well. I used baby spinach but arugula or mixed greens would be good too. More garlic may be used depending upon preference.

1 small bunch of broccoli, stemmed and cut into florets

1 medium head of cauliflower, stemmed and cut into florets

1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned

1 c radishes, sliced lengthwise into thin rounds

1 small red pepper, trimmed and diced

1 onion, trimmed and finely diced

1 clove of garlic, pressed or chopped

¼ c basil, finely chopped

¼ c parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 c baby greens

salt and pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Working in individual batches, blanch cauliflower (1-2 minutes), broccoli (1-2 minutes), radishes (1-2 minutes) and carrots (2-3 minutes) until brightly colored and slightly tender. Once cooked, place each vegetable under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Gently towel dry and add to large mixing bowl. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the red pepper and continue sautéing until soft. Turn heat off, add garlic and herbs, stir to combine and allow to cook off heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Add sautéed vegetables to the blanched brassicas and gently combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to marinate for a few hours at room temperature. Serve over baby greens.

Serves 3-4

Garlic and Herb Marinated Green Beans

One of my favorite foods, green beans are wonderful to cook with for both their appearance and taste. One of the few beans eaten fresh, green beans are picked immature, while their inner beans are newly formed. Most of the beans commonly eaten fresh were first cultivated in South America thousands of years ago. Green beans are a great choice for many dishes as they have a delicate flavor yet can hold up well to different preparations. Green beans are excellent with celeriac purée and feta roasted potatoes.

Most fresh herbs may be used as a substitute for parsley and oregano. More garlic may be used depending on personal preference and/or size of cloves.

1 lb green beans, trimmed

1 red pepper, trimmed and julienned into 1-2 inch strips

1 medium carrot, trimmed and julienned into 1-2 inch strips

¼ c parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or pressed

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, which will remain boiling and be used to blanch all the vegetables. Working in batches, blanch each vegetable until tender (2-3 minutes for green beans, 2-3 minutes for carrots, 1-2 minutes for red pepper). Remove each vegetable from the boiling water and place under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Gently dry the vegetables using a clean towel, place them all in a large mixing bowl and set them aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Once heated, remove the oil from heat, add garlic and herbs, stir to combine and allow to cook away from heat for 1 minute.

3. Combine herbs and garlic with vegetables in large mixing bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently toss, cover and marinate for at least two hours. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled depending on preference.

Serves 3-4