Tag Archives: onion

Apple, Onion and Potato Tart

Posted on by
Reply

This tart riffs on the popular dessert we make constantly at our house during apple season. Instead of the usual sweet version, this savory tart joins apples with onions and potatoes (in French called pommes de terre – literally apples of the earth). You could add or substitute peeled, sliced celery root, parsnips or carrots if you like.

Ingredients:

  • One medium apple
  • 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes
  • 1 medium onion
  • Olive oil
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • One sheet frozen puff pastry
  • Goat cheese, optional

Method:

  1. Defrost pastry in the fridge overnight. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Thinly slice apple, potatoes and onion. Heat some oil in a sauté pan, then add onion and cook until just starting to brown. Add potatoes, thyme sprigs and a bit of salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes until onion is soft and potatoes are almost cooked. Add apples and cook for a couple more minutes. Stir gently so slices remain intact. Remove from heat. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as necessary.
  3. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Lay out pastry on top of paper. Cut pastry sheet into 2 strips about 4-5 inches wide. Separate from one another by at least an inch.
  4. Lay potato-apple mixture on top of pastry in a thin layer. Leave at least ½ inch border of pastry uncovered around the perimeter of each rectangle (this allows the pastry to puff up). Crumble a bit of goat cheese over the top, if desired. Place into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
  5. Remove from oven, cool slightly, cut into slices.

Dandelion, Potato and Onion Tart

Posted on by
Reply

Dandelion, Potato and Onion Tart

Elegant enough to serve at a party, yet simple enough to throw together for a quick evening meal or impromptu happy hour snack, this tart combines mellow potatoes with assertive (and uber healthy) dandelion greens.  The unassuming potato is the perfect foil for bitter green leaves—tempering the bite, while taking full advantage of the pizzazz the leaves offer a sometimes ho-hum winter root. The topping for this tart is equally tasty as a side on its own, when there’s no time to thaw a package of pastry.

Continue reading →

Chinese Style Stir-fried Vegetables

Posted on by
Reply

(Serves 4-6)

This dish is my version of vegetable stir-fry and doesn’t really come close to the delicious dish pictured above, served up in the authentic way by my friend, Ewen – but it’ll do nicely for a start.

My  melange allows wide latitude for substitution – feel free to use vegetables you have on hand, such as bell pepper, summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas of all kinds, cabbage, bok choy and other greens.  Be sure to stir-fry each type of veggie separately – as they cook at different rates.

Ingredients:

  • 2 or more Tbsp peanut or canola oil
  • ½ package firm tofu, drained and cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 cups thinly sliced carrots
  • 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup broccoli stems and floret pieces
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 6 scallions or green onion, cut into 1 inch slices
  • 1 large handful spinach, rinsed and stemmed
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ to 1 Tbsp minced ginger root (to taste)
  • 2 cups warm vegetable stock
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp dry Chinese wine or dry sherry
  • 1 tsp sugar or agave nectar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Method:

  1. Mix last 5 ingredients together (stock-sesame oil).  Set aside – keeping slightly warm.
  2. If desired, pan-fry the tofu cubes very gently in a bit of oil in a hot wok.  Turn to fry on all sides until golden.  Remove from wok and drain on paper towel.  Set aside.
  3. Reheat wok and add a bit of oil.  Stir-fry carrots, mushrooms and broccoli, separately, one type of vegetable at a time (to ensure even cooking).  Remove from pan, set aside in a large bowl, then cook the next.
  4. Add more oil to the wok, then quickly stir-fry green onions, garlic and ginger root together.  Quickly add the reserved cooked vegetables, bean sprouts, tofu (pan-fried or un-cooked) and spinach.  Stir-fry until spinach is just wilted.
  5. Pour the reserved liquid over the vegetables and toss lightly.  Serve over pan-fried noodles.

 

Root Vegetable Tarts

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve always liked working with frozen puff pastry, but this winter, I’ve gone a little crazy. There’s just so much you can do with the product. Concocting sweet or savory tarts, turnovers, appetizer bites, even pizzas, with such elegance, no one will believe you slapped it all together in less than an hour. The key for spontaneity, is to make sure you have some defrosted pastry waiting in the fridge – it will keep this way for a week, possibly more. You can also defrost the product on the kitchen counter fairly quickly, less than an hour depending on the brand – the Trader Joe’s version is ready in 20 minutes.

Continue reading →

Roasted Fennel with Cherry Tomatoes and Olives

Posted on by
Reply

Adapted from Jamie Oliver who knows how useful a glug (his word) or two of wine is to a roasting pan.  You won’t believe the flavors—deep and intense, yet mellow.  The aroma is enough to drive the household mad.  This is the ticket for anyone who shies away from the strong licorice scent of raw fennel.  You won’t detect a trace here.

Continue reading →