Sicilian-style pasta with anchovies, capers, and roasted cauliflower and cremini mushrooms

First, preheat the oven to 425. Wash ½ head cauliflower (about 2 cups) and cut into medium-size florets (about 2"x1"), pat until bone-dry, and toss in 1 Tbsp olive oil and black pepper. Wash 8 oz (½ lb) cremini mushrooms, pat bone-dry, and cut into large bite-sized pieces (1" thick). Toss with 1 Tbsp olive… Continue reading Sicilian-style pasta with anchovies, capers, and roasted cauliflower and cremini mushrooms

Oven-roasted cauliflower drizzled with thyme and toasted sesame oil

During the pandemic, we have tried creative combinations. We made a Hokkien (Chinese) main course, so we tried to add an Asian note (sesame oil) to the side dish. Here, we preheated the oven to 425. We oven-roasted cauliflower florets (tossed in olive oil and a little black pepper) for about 20 mins, turning over… Continue reading Oven-roasted cauliflower drizzled with thyme and toasted sesame oil

Rutabaga oven-roasted fries

This is a variation on an old recipe: https://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/151265142061/slow-roasted-fall-vegetables-we-followed-this Preheat oven to 425. Trim, peel, and cut two medium rutabaga into fries (½" thick), dry off with paper towels (to encourage crisping and avoid steaming), then lightly toss with 1-2 tsp olive oil). Divide evenly among two rimmed baking sheets (each lightly sprayed with oil),… Continue reading Rutabaga oven-roasted fries

Cabbage, leek, and potato soup

We tried this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12371-cabbage-potato-and-leek-soup?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Our modifications: first, instead of trying to caramelize the cabbage in the pot, we followed a tip from a commenter and oven-roasted it. After preheating the oven to 425, we quartered, cored, and julienned the cabbage, then tossed in a little olive oil, with some salt and black pepper.… Continue reading Cabbage, leek, and potato soup

Roasted sweet potatoes with smoked paprika

We were looking for a way to use up our leftovers - two raw sweet potatoes already peeled and cut into large, uneven chunks. We cut the potato chunks to make as uniform cubes as possible, and then we tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018993-roasted-sweet-potatoes-with-smoked-paprika?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share The recipe called for 4 sweet potatoes, so we halved the ingredient… Continue reading Roasted sweet potatoes with smoked paprika

Brisket in sweet and sour sauce

We tried this recipe for Rosh Hashanah: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016867-brisket-in-sweet-and-sour-sauce Our modifications: we used a heavy large roasting pan (as to a smaller pan in which our 5 lb brisket would be snug), tightly wrapped in foil. After roasting at 325 for 3 hours (fat side down in the marinade), we flipped to the lean side and… Continue reading Brisket in sweet and sour sauce

Balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon

We tried this Ina Garten recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/balsamic-roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe-1996813 Our modifications: first, we used 2 slices precooked bacon instead of pancetta. Second, we washed, trimmed, and halved the Brussels sprouts. We carefully dried the brussel sprout halves with paper towels (to maximize browning and minimize steaming) before tossing the bacon and sprout halves with ¼ cup olive… Continue reading Balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon