Tag Archives: cilantro

Delicata Squash with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette

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Must tell you about a simple and sumptuous recipe I tried on Monday night. I wanted to try a new preparation for my 2 small Delicata squash that I picked up on Saturday. I liked the late fall pasta recipe I made a few weeks ago, but wanted to prepare the Delicata as a side dish.  After some research, I picked this recipe from Smitten Kitchen that was originally made for acorn squash. It was delicious, and so easy because you don’t even need to peel Delicata. The Chile-lime vinaigrette was tasty enough to eat on its own. I wound up using the vinaigrette as a dipping sauce and would recommend it as delicious dipping sauce for any roasted vegetables, fish, bread, use your imagination.

Roasted Delicata Squash from Summer Tomato

Roasted Delicata Squash with Chile-Lime Vinaigrette
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Gourmet, October 2006

Ingredients:

2 small delicata squash, or 1 large
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends (no need to peel). Scoop out seeds and cut squash  into half moons 1/2-inch-wide slices. Toss squash with black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil on a baking sheet, then arrange in 1 layer. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 20- 25 minutes.

While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, jalapeno pepper (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette, or use as dipping sauce.

Yield: 2-4 servings as a side dish

Tomatillo Madness

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So what happened to the tomatillos? As many folks suggested, I prepared salsa verde, and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was and downright tasty. No fear factor anymore, my little green friends. The technique I had seen down in Mexico was more complex, using a comal, and probably more authentic, too, but the end result of this recipe was delicious. I boiled the whole tomatillos, then used the hand blender to blend them with white onion, cilantro and jalapeno. No need to marginalize this because of its simplicity – it definitely worked.

Looking to get a head start on things, I made the salsa verde Monday night in prep for Wednesday’s night menu inspired by Novagirl’s comment on shrimp tacos. Sad to say, the salsa verde has virtually disappeared by Wednesday afternoon. Uh-oh. I foolishly gave away 1/2 the batch thinking that it would never be consumed, but underestimated the addictive nature of salsa verde and tortilla chips.

Looking deeply in a glass jar: Salsa Verde (practically) all gone

I am such a fan of salsa verde now that I would even outright purchase tomatillos to make it again. Yum. So, I also prepared Pico de Gallo to make up for the salsa verde shortage.  I chopped and seeded 2 small tomatoes, chopped 1/4 of a medium-sized white onion, 1/2 jalapeno pepper and a few sprigs of cilantro. Mixed them altogether and listo, fresh Pico de Gallo. Since I had done such an expert job of seeding the tomatoes, the salsa turned out a little dry, so I added a handful of chopped cherry tomatoes that I had on hand from my CSA pick-up. They worked like a charm and added some interesting, if nontraditional, color.

Pico de Gallo with heirloom tomatoes and yellow cherry tomatoes

What to drink tonight? Beer would be an obvious choice, but I was thinking of a glass of wine. This dish is a tough one because it has a lot going on, particularly the heat from the jalapenos in both salsas. I thought about the bottle of J Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Gris that I had chilled in the fridge. I decided to do some research before risking it and opening this bottle I’ve been saving for a year. I was thrilled to find a reco from Snooth.com for Oregon Pinot Gris (close enough!), suggesting medium-bodied, fruity whites. A rose’ would work, too, or Torrontes from Argentina. I like Snooth’s tag line: Drink Better Wines.

Looking forward to tasting: J Vineyards 2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Gris

I stumbled upon a similar taco recipe from Food & Wine for Shrimp tacos with Pickled Red Onion Salad  in a post on Blog Your Own Wine.  I’ll have to try that at some point, too.

In the meantime, off to pull all this together into dinner. Stay tuned,  Novagirl!

Inspiration from India by way of Texas and NJ

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Tonight’s dinner was inspired by a generous gift from a colleague of my husband’s. Mangoes. A delicacy in India, grown in Texas, purchased in New Jersey and kindly shared with us in New York. Super fresh and ripe, succulent and juicy, but not local. Uh-oh.

I wanted to use the mangoes in a recipe and landed on a trusted favorite. Grilled swordfish and Mango Relish. The mango relish is a simple recipe from Mark Bittman (one of my Food Idols – see post from 6/27/12). The swordfish can be subsisted with other fish steaks, or grilled chicken.Here’s the recipe for the mango relish/salsa.Mango Relish 
– 1 ripe mango cubed into 1/2″ cubes
– 1/4 cup chopped red onion
– juice from 1 lime
– 1 dried hot pepper or Cheyenne pepper powder
– 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
– kosher salt
– ground black pepper

For the swordfish:
-2 swordfish steaks or fillets, 6-8 ounces each
– 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions for the Mango Relish: mix all relish ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl, careful not to mush mango too much. Relish should be chunky. Can be prepared in advance and chilled.

For swordfish: Heat grill or grill pan. Rub olive oil on swordfish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on hot grill about 3 min on each side. Serve with relish on the side and slice of lime. Can use grill pan on stove top instead of grill.