Have you ever had a lettuce and it was slightly bitter?
It's been "bolting".
No, the CC is not making this term up. It seems to be standard terminology in the horticultural world.
Bolting is the plants' attempt to produce seeds, flower and reproduce.
Once plants have bolted, there's no going back because it's just a fact that they just want to flower and reproduce whereas we want to eat them. They turn bitter because it's a first-line defense against predators including humans who most certainly are exactly that.
There's a general tendency of humans to buy larger produce. More bang for the unit buck and all that but you'd be better served to pick smaller varieties that haven't yet bolted out of town.
Showing posts with label broccoli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label broccoli. Show all posts
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Friday, March 9, 2012
Pasta with Pistachios, Meyer Lemon and Broccoli
Nobody in their right mind would call this an "Italian" recipe.
It has California written all over it in the good sense of the word not the "other" one but the CC is not going to get into that particular Vietnam.
That having being said, it's quite an intriguing flavor combination, and with the right fresh ingredients definitely knocks it out of the park.
This being the season for Meyer lemons, and also the season where brassica fatigue has set in, is probably the right time to make something that will make your tastebuds perk up.
There are some real curveballs here at least if you are used to cooking Italian food. The "pesto" is heated up which sounded really strange but actually is correct once you understand which ingredients are being used.
This is a homage not "authentic" and should be clearly understood as such.
It's also freakin' delicious!
Ingredients
2 cups penne (anything long and tubular)
1 cup pistachios
1 cup parsley
1/2 cup mint
2 cloves garlic
4 dried red chilli peppers
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano
2 Meyer lemons (zested and rest juiced)
1/2 cup olive oil (your finest!)
2 cups broccoli florets
parmigiano reggiano (grated)
black pepper
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Roast the pistachios for about 8 minutes. Let cool.
Grind to a coarse powder in a food processor. Set aside.
Meanwhile, put the lemon zest, parsley, mint, garlic, dried red chilli peppers, olive oil and parmigiano-reggiano in the same food processor, and grind to a loose paste.
There is some parallelism below so read carefully before execution.
For the pasta, heat some water with tons of sea salt. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and let cook for 9 minutes. Add the broccoli and let cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Grab a cup of the boiling pasta water, and add it to the paste above. Add the coarse powdered pistachios and cook in a skillet at medium high heat for about 2 minutes.
Drain the pasta and the broccoli and put in a large bowl.
Add the cooked "pesto" above, and the juice from the lemons.
Toss, and let sit for about 4-5 minutes.
Serve with the parmigiano reggiano on top with additional black pepper.
It has California written all over it in the good sense of the word not the "other" one but the CC is not going to get into that particular Vietnam.
That having being said, it's quite an intriguing flavor combination, and with the right fresh ingredients definitely knocks it out of the park.
This being the season for Meyer lemons, and also the season where brassica fatigue has set in, is probably the right time to make something that will make your tastebuds perk up.
There are some real curveballs here at least if you are used to cooking Italian food. The "pesto" is heated up which sounded really strange but actually is correct once you understand which ingredients are being used.
This is a homage not "authentic" and should be clearly understood as such.
It's also freakin' delicious!
Ingredients
2 cups penne (anything long and tubular)
1 cup pistachios
1 cup parsley
1/2 cup mint
2 cloves garlic
4 dried red chilli peppers
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano
2 Meyer lemons (zested and rest juiced)
1/2 cup olive oil (your finest!)
2 cups broccoli florets
parmigiano reggiano (grated)
black pepper
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Roast the pistachios for about 8 minutes. Let cool.
Grind to a coarse powder in a food processor. Set aside.
Meanwhile, put the lemon zest, parsley, mint, garlic, dried red chilli peppers, olive oil and parmigiano-reggiano in the same food processor, and grind to a loose paste.
There is some parallelism below so read carefully before execution.
For the pasta, heat some water with tons of sea salt. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and let cook for 9 minutes. Add the broccoli and let cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Grab a cup of the boiling pasta water, and add it to the paste above. Add the coarse powdered pistachios and cook in a skillet at medium high heat for about 2 minutes.
Drain the pasta and the broccoli and put in a large bowl.
Add the cooked "pesto" above, and the juice from the lemons.
Toss, and let sit for about 4-5 minutes.
Serve with the parmigiano reggiano on top with additional black pepper.
Monday, May 10, 2010
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Thursday, May 7, 2009
Snakes on a Plate
The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports: Man finds snake head in his broccoli.
The sight of a severed snake's head under his broccoli made Jack Pendleton lose interest in dessert.
Pendleton said he found the head, the size of the end of his thumb, while eating Sunday at the T.G.I. Friday's in Clifton Park.
Pendleton said he ordered vegetables instead of fries with his chicken sandwich. When he started to eat his broccoli, he saw something gray on the plate he at first thought was a mushroom. "I start to turn it over. I see this gray-green patch," he said.
Next he saw a V-shape that turned out to be the mouth of a snake. "I could see these black, rotted eye sockets on the top," he said. The severed head also had bits of tendon and part of the spine attached, he said.
"I stopped eating. I told my girlfriend, 'I think this is a head,'" he said.
Pendleton snapped a photo with his cellphone camera, then summoned the waiter. He covered the dish with his hand and described his find.
"He thought I was joking until I took my hand away," Pendleton said. The waiter grabbed the plate and took it back to the kitchen, the diner said.
He and his girlfriend had planned to attend a carnival after their meals, he said, but as he pulled into the lot he decided he didn't have the stomach to go on the rides.
The sight of a severed snake's head under his broccoli made Jack Pendleton lose interest in dessert.
Pendleton said he found the head, the size of the end of his thumb, while eating Sunday at the T.G.I. Friday's in Clifton Park.
Pendleton said he ordered vegetables instead of fries with his chicken sandwich. When he started to eat his broccoli, he saw something gray on the plate he at first thought was a mushroom. "I start to turn it over. I see this gray-green patch," he said.
Next he saw a V-shape that turned out to be the mouth of a snake. "I could see these black, rotted eye sockets on the top," he said. The severed head also had bits of tendon and part of the spine attached, he said.
"I stopped eating. I told my girlfriend, 'I think this is a head,'" he said.
Pendleton snapped a photo with his cellphone camera, then summoned the waiter. He covered the dish with his hand and described his find.
"He thought I was joking until I took my hand away," Pendleton said. The waiter grabbed the plate and took it back to the kitchen, the diner said.
He and his girlfriend had planned to attend a carnival after their meals, he said, but as he pulled into the lot he decided he didn't have the stomach to go on the rides.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Orecchiete with broccoli, lemon and almonds
Basic. Simple. Delicious.
(The "holy trinity" of cooking.)
Ingredients
orecchiete
1 large broccoli (cut into florets)
1 red onion (thinly sliced into semi-rounds)
2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
6 anchovies
1 lemon (juiced + finely grated rind)
1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
parmigiano-reggiano (grated)
Recipe
Pretty easy. Fry the anchovies followed by the onion, garlic, lemon rind. Add the almonds and fry for a bit. Then the broccoli, salt and pepper. Add a bit of water to cook the broccoli. Add the lemon juice towards the end.
Meanwhile cook the orecchiete until al dente.
Mix and serve with the parm and black pepper to taste.
(The "holy trinity" of cooking.)
Ingredients
orecchiete
1 large broccoli (cut into florets)
1 red onion (thinly sliced into semi-rounds)
2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
6 anchovies
1 lemon (juiced + finely grated rind)
1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
parmigiano-reggiano (grated)
Recipe
Pretty easy. Fry the anchovies followed by the onion, garlic, lemon rind. Add the almonds and fry for a bit. Then the broccoli, salt and pepper. Add a bit of water to cook the broccoli. Add the lemon juice towards the end.
Meanwhile cook the orecchiete until al dente.
Mix and serve with the parm and black pepper to taste.
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