Showing posts with label Radically Simple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Radically Simple. Show all posts

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Recipe Recruits: Ginger Dinner

"Edamame! Come on guys, Edamame!" is what I heard Delaney (3 1/2) yell from the other room after I placed the first dish on the table. My kids don't love "green" foods but they love edamame so we have it quite often. Tonight I topped it with a little gray salt thanks to Costco, whose spice aisle has decided to make it accessible and affordable to the masses.


We ate our edamame with a couple more recipes I tested out from Radically Simple. I made Ginger Bouillon with Enoki Mushrooms. I couldn't find Enoki mushrooms so I substituted Shiitake instead. I wanted more ginger flavor in it but liked the inclusion of crystalized ginger and will work on this one a bit to make it more to my liking. But it was a good excuse to use my pretty spoons that I got at Pearl Market in NYC a few trips ago. And the kids were so excited that I let them use these spoons that they ate the soup too.


The other recipe I made was Spring Mix with Carrot-Ginger Dressing and Proscuitto. First off, I am used to eating my Proscuitto on melon and have actually never cooked it to crispy before. Now I am hooked and will use it on many more dishes instead of bacon. The ginger dressing was great and I am glad I made extra for saving in the fridge for later. I added some mushrooms to the salad since I had some leftover from the soup. I will be making this salad often!


The only thing this dinner left me thinking is that I really should have made my favorite ginger cocktail from Bistro VG in Roswell to go with it, thus completing the Ginger Dinner Trifecta. Next time I will remember. If you want to try it, here is the recipe:

Mix equal parts Domaine De Canton Ginger Liquor with Champagne. Add a squeeze of lemon and serve over ice. I would be remiss if I didn't warn you that it is a bit strong so you do not want to make this on a night when your to do list is really long.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Recipe Recruits: Brussel Sprouts with Dates

One of my favorite gifts I received this Christmas (thanks Melissa!) was a cookbook: Radically Simple by Rozanne Gold. Every single recipe makes my mouth water. The combinations are unusual and yet very easy. Tonight I made my first of many things from this book. I cooked Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Dates.

I have always made my brussel sprouts a similar way. I think they are the best when roasted like this. But Gold's addition of chopped dates and parmigiano-reggiano was so good. I think this would win over anyone that claims a dislike of brussel sprouts. And if this recipe is any indication of the goodness of things to come, I highly recommend this cookbook!


We enjoyed our sprouts with a pizza inspired by a recipe I saw a while ago that included ham and ricotta and figs. Since I had dates on hand and no figs in sight, I did a little reinventing and ended up with something I loved.

Here is my recipe:

Thin Crust Pillsbury Pizza Dough (baked off for 6 minutes at 400 degrees)
2 Tablespoons Butter
Thyme
1 large chopped onion
10 pitted dates roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped ham
1 1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Saute onions and thyme in the butter over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Set aside and let cool. Top baked crust with Ricotta and spread onion mixture over the top. Scatter with chopped ham and dates and top with Parmigiano and more thyme. Cook for another 8 minutes and serve.