Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

November 19, 2013 by 11 Comments

This recipe for Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts is a but the pear portion ahead of time (the pears will brown so can’t be done in advance). I have been specifically avoiding vegetarian side dishes that bury the vegetable side in cream and cheese- I think I already used my Thanksgiving side allotment of that all on the Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce recipe I covered previously.

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

So gratins and casseroles were out. I love roasting cauliflower (well, really roasting any vegetable), and I’ve also made cauliflower into a mash – you can make faux mashed potatoes that way. But I was still looking for something different… and then I found this. This recipe is another preparation of cauliflower which is done on the stovetop  in just 10-15 minutes, and really seems to embody autumn! Bosc pears work well, but you could really use any pear you’d like.

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

The original Fine Cooking recipe calls for 8 fresh sage leaves, but since I already used sage in the  Butternut Squash Lasagna and in the Harvest Quinoa with Apples and Walnuts recipe, I decided to season this with  a different herb and used a mix of rosemary and tarragon. Rather than parsley, I had these spicy radish sprouts from Nightlight Farm instead, which I like better than parsley. Yum, microgreens beats parsley any day.

This dish serves 8-10 as a side along with your main protein- be it turkey or whatever you are having for dinner!

Ingredients:
Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets about 3/4 inch wide – about 4 cups worth of florets
  • 1/2 cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts – you can use other nuts also, such as almonds or walnuts
  • 8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced crosswise, or I used about 4 springs of tarragon and a teaspoon of rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon salt + to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + to taste
  • 2 large ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced (I know I show 3 pears- but I only used 2, the third was for a few slices for garnish)
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or I used about a cup of spicy radish sprouts

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

Directions:

    1. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter until light brown and bubbly. Add the cauliflower, hazelnuts, and sage. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with 1 teaspoon each of the salt and freshly ground pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is browned and crisp-tender, 6 to 7 minutes more.
      Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts
    2. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pear slices and parsley. Gently toss to combine and warm the pears. Season to taste with more salt. Serve hot or at room temperature.
      Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts
This is the fourth of a series of posts of recipes covering dishes to consider for Thanksgiving. All the recipes in this series will be vegetarian, so you might consider it for a side dish or if you have a vegetarian at your table like I do, be a way to provide something more hearty than the usual sides of rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Check out my Recipes Index page for other dishes that I have covered in the past.

Summary of the Vegetarian Thanksgiving Sides Series 2013:

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

As a side note check out that star plate that I first bought after college,  mostly because it was on sale and seemed pretty fancy. It also is not dishwasher safe but it would still be several years before I rented my first apartment with a dishwasher. Also not microwave safe but since everything I nuked came in a package from the freezer or in a restaurant leftovers container that wasn’t an issue.  Amazingly I still have the whole set including teacups and saucers,  which is more than I can say about my everyday dining set of stoneware that actually came from Facebook.  When we got married we looked at half a dozen places but could not agree on china so we continue to use a mish mash of dishware.

Do you have fine china or a full set of dishes or are you eclectic like me?

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Gouda Mac and Cheese with Peas and Microgreens

March 25, 2013 by 2 Comments

Thanks to a mention by Spicy Bee while she visited Besaws, my memories have been jogged about the existence of meatloaf, and how I haven’t had it for a very long time. I’ve been craving it for a few weeks.

When friends came over to marathon Game of Thrones before the season 3 premiere next Sunday, I asked her to bring meatloaf, and I would make a side. I was torn between making green beans with potatoes versus mac and cheese, but when the cold wind was blowing on Saturday at the Portland Farmers Market and I saw these microgreens from Nightlight Farms that I wrote about a couple days ago, I thought they would be great as a topping, the choice was made. I admit that maybe halfway through the plate of cheeseburger meatloaf and this cheesy but crunchy gouda mac n cheese with peas and microgreens topping that I felt a need to switch out my jeans for soft stretchy yoga pants.

Ingredients (serves 8):

  • 1 box (1 pound) of farfalle (or whatever shape) pasta you would like
  • Salt (to taste)
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 12 ounce bag of frozen sweet peas
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons of flour
  • 2 cups of milk, or you can use 1 1/2 cups and 1/2 cup cream, or all cream. You pick the richness level.
  • 1/2 tablespoon of ground nutmeg (this is my take because I like nutmeg, and I did not freshly ground it so used more. The actual recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon worth)
  • 3/4 pound of shredded smoked gouda cheese. For best results, shred the cheese the day of, and don’t use the pre-shredded that will have cornstarch and not taste as fresh. The key to kicking mac and cheese is to use good cheese you shred yourself
  • 3 tablespoons seasoned panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup of microgreens: I used a bit of pea sprouts and broccoli sprouts

Directions:

  1. Boil a pot of salted water and cook the pasta. You can set it aside in the casserole dish you are going to use with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil so the pasta do not stick to each other in clumps.
  2. Meanwhile, defrost the sweet peas and add with the hot pasta. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  3. Now, for the classic mother sauce, the béchamel sauce. This is a classic French white sauce made by stirring dairy into a mixture of equal parts flour and butter, and then adding the smoked cheese makes it thick and creamy cheesy goodness! In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter, and then slowly whisk in the flour, keep whisking to make it smooth for a few minutes until it thickens and browns slightly. Now, add the milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
  4. Lower the heat and add the cream (if using), most of the smoked Gouda (reserve a handful or two to sprinkle as part of the topping), paprika and nutmeg and whisk just until the cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper, and then pour this sauce into the casserole dish with the pasta and peas. Mix it all together.
  5. Top with the handful of shredded cheese you reserved, and then seasoned panko breadcrumbs
  6. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for 15 – 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
  7. Finally, top the mac and cheese with the microgreens of pea shoots and broccoli shoots from Nightlight Farms.

Mac and cheese is so easy to sneak in vegetables, and I liked how the broccoli shoots added additional texture and crunch above and beyond the panko topping.

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New Portland Farmers Market Vendor Saturday: Nightlight Farms

March 24, 2013 by 1 Comment

New vendor at the PSU Portland Farmers Market for 2013: Nightlight Farms, an urban microgreens farm at 39th and E. Burnside in Portland. By the time I got there around 11 or so, he was already out of little baggies of the pea shoots so he cut them fresh for me! I also got a bag of the spicy sprouts… really they were all good. I could snack these just out of the bag.

I used those microgreens to make me feel a little bit healthier about the Chicken Liver Bourbon Mousse (with chicken liver, bacon, apples, mushroom, garlic, onion, butter, mascarpone, spices and salt) from Chop (also from the same visit to opening day of the Portland Farmers Market at PSU) that I was eating generously smeared on a sliced baguette… Yeah, healthy because I was also eating greens as I ate that whole mousse by myself over a couple days.

I also used their microgreens- pea shoots and broccoli sprouts- to top a gouda mac and cheese… coming in a future post!

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