Fennel and Potato Hash

Serves 2-4

2 small fennel bulbs with fronds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes, patted dry
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley

H
Cut fennel into 1/2-inch cubes (there should be about 4 scant cups). Finely chop enough fennel fronds to measure 1/4 cup. Cook fennel in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 minutes. Drain; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes. Cook until golden and crisp, turning often, 20 to 25 minutes. Using potato masher, crush potatoes in skillet. Add fennel, salt, and pepper. Cook until fennel is golden, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Stir in parsley. Serve hot.

Source

Roasted Parsnips with Parsley

Serves 4

2 pounds medium parsnips, peeled, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss first 3 ingredients in bowl. Spread parsnips in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Dot with butter.
Roast parsnips 20 minutes. Using tongs, turn parsnips; roast until browned and soft, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer parsnips to plate and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.

Source

Collards with Dill and Parsley

4 servings
1 bunch collard greens
1 cup fresh chopped dill
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of sea salt
Wash collards, cut stems off, chop into small pieces and put aside. Stack leaves and roll them up, as you would a sushi roll, then slice from the end to create long strips.  Warm oil in a pan with black pepper, add stems, and sauté for a few minutes. Add collard greens and sea salt, then sauté for about 3 minutes. Add water, cover and allow to steam for about 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat. Add chopped dill and parsley, toss well and allow to sit uncovered for a few minutes, then serve.
Variations:
Mix the juice of a lime and a dash of cayenne. Toss with the greens for a little extra kick!
Source

Tomato and Watermelon Salad

4 servings

2 1/2 cups seedless watermelon, in 1-inch cubes or balls (cut over a bowl to catch the juice and reserve it)

1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup finely diced or crumbled Stilton, Gorgonzola, Roquefort or Maytag blue cheese
1/2 cup minced scallions
Salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Pinch cayenne
1/2 cup cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped.

1. Combine the watermelon, tomatoes, cheese, scallions and salt in a bowl.
2. Whisk or blend together about 2 tablespoons of the watermelon juice, oil, vinegar and cayenne. To serve, dress the salad with this mixture, and garnish with cilantro. Do not refrigerate, and serve within 30 minutes.

Source

Homemade Butter with Green Garlic

Two stalks green garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1 pint heavy cream

Wash and trim the ends off the green garlic stalks. You want to use as much of it as possible, including the green stem, but you'll have to take at least one layer off the outside to get it clean. Cut into 2-inch lengths and place in the bowl of a food processor with the parsley. Process until finely minced. Add the salt and the cream to the food processor and turn it on. Let the mixture whirl about 5 minutes, until you see the curds and whey separate. The curds are the butter; the whey you want to drain off and use in another recipe. Scoop the curds lightly into a sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter. Let drain at least two hours, or even overnight. You may have to press the curds and knead them to get out the excess liquid. You'll be left with a soft, smooth butter. Spread liberally on good bread, or use it to top grilled steak.   
                          
Source

Polenta Pizzas with Kale, Chard, and Parsley Pesto

For the polenta pizza crust:
3 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cups polenta
For the kale and maitake mushroom topping:
1 large leek, sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons mirin
2 maitake mushrooms
1 bunch kale, finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
1/4 cup pasta sauce
For the chard and parsley pesto topping:
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
1/4 cup Parsley Walnut Pesto (recipe follows)
For the parsley walnut pesto:
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup toasted walnuts
11/2 cups packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Sea salt
 
For the crust, over high heat, bring stock to boil. Reduce heat to medium and add salt, basil, oregano, parsley, pepper and olive oil. Whisking continuously, pour in polenta and continue whisking for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and thick. Pour into two 11-inch tart pans and spread evenly over bottom of each pan. Cool slightly and then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Preheat oven to 350°F and place pizza stone or baking sheet on middle rack. Remove polenta from refrigerator, sprinkle pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal, transfer polenta to stone or baking sheet and bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. For kale pizza, place large skillet over medium heat and sauté leek in 11/2 tablespoons olive oil for 3 minutes. Add mirin and sauté 2 minutes longer. Crumble maitake mushrooms, add to pan and sauté 5 minutes or until soft. Fold in kale and sauté 3 minutes longer. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, season to taste with salt and black pepper and remove from heat. For chard pizza, sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft, following the directions for the kale topping. Add chard, sauté 1 minute, remove from heat, and season to taste with salt and pepper. For the parsley walnut pesto, with food processor running, drop in garlic and process until minced. Turn off processor, scrape down sides and add walnuts, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Process to mince all ingredients and combine. Season to taste with salt and thin with extra olive oil to achieve desired consistency. Refrigerate or freeze in airtight container until ready to use. Spread pasta sauce or parsley pesto evenly over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch edge. Top with kale or chard mixture and return to oven to bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cut with pizza wheel and serve.
Source

Sautéed Carrots

from Barefoot Contessa: Family Style by Ina Garten, p 122
Serves 6

2 lbs carrots
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1.5 tbsp chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley

Peel the carrots and cut them diagonally in 1/4 inch slices (I didn’t bother to peel). You should have about 6 cups in total. Place the carrots, 1/3 cup water, the salt, and pepper in a large 10-12 inch sauté pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and cook over medium low heat for 7-8 minutes, until the carrots are just cooked through. Add the butter and sauté for another minute until the water evaporates and the carrots are coated with butter. Off the heat, toss with the dill/parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.
 
A note on the cookbook:
I love this cookbook. Family Style is great because it has a whole section on veggies that make them all so good! When I was a kid, my mom (over) steamed everything and I hated eating things like asparagus and cooked carrots because they were limp and slimy and all the flavor had been cooked out of them. These recipes make veggies feel like a treat :) Most of her recipes are also available at the Food Network website, so you probably don’t need to buy the book.

~ Posted for Betsy Buford.