glacier grist
Issue #76 • Tuesday, August 17, 2010
recipes
for glacier grist Issue #76
cucumber salad with peanut-jalepeno dressing
(contributed by Alison)
This salad is loosely based on one in Deborah Madison’s Local Flavors, but I use peanut butter instead of her roasted peanut oil for a creamier dressing. Although this salad has slightly Asian flavors, it tastes great as a side or first course to most things.
1 or 2 large English cucumbers
1 bunch scallions
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded with a spoon, and finely diced
grated zest and juice of 2 limes
1-2 tablespoons light soy sauce (I like Nama Shoyu—you can get it at Natural Pantry)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup natural peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
10 or so mint leaves, chopped finely (optional, but very tasty if you have it)
¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped (optional, especially if you used crunchy peanut butter)
1. Halve the cucumbers lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and cut into long strips, or remove long thin strips of cucumber with a vegetable peeler. Thinly slice the scallions on the diagonal, making them long and thin.
2. Combine the cucumbers and scallions in a bowl.
3. Combine the jalapeno chiles, lime zest, juice, soy sauce, sugar, and peanut butter in another bowl, whisking to make it smooth. You may want to microwave the peanut butter in a separate dish for a minute to make it easier to stir.
4. Toss the vegetables with the dressing, then top with optional mint and peanuts. Serve immediately.
chard sautéed with its stems
(contributed by Alison)
This recipe is really easy—very basic, but yummy!
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1-2 bunches chard
sea salt or kosher salt
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1. Wash the chard and cut the stems off each leaf. Holding the stems in a bundle, cut them into ½-inch slices. Slice the leaves into 1-inch wide ribbons, Drain the leaves, but don’t dry them.
2. Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Add onion and ½ teaspoon of salt, sauté for a minute or two until starting to soften, then add the chard stems. Cook until stems are tender and onion is cooked. How long this takes will depend on the age of the chard. If the pan is drying out before the stems are tender, just add a bit of water to steam them and finish cooking them.
3. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic, and when garlic is fragrant (after a minute or two), add the wet greens and stir well. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until greens completely wilt, but are still bright green, about 5 minutes. Uncover and season to taste with salt. Cook over high heat until some of the liquid evaporates, and greens are completely tender.
colorful cabbage & carrot salad with creamy peanut & lime dressing
(contributed by Alison)
I invented this recipe while on vacation, to use the cabbage & carrots that are as ubiquitous in Costa Rica as they are here in Alaska! (They are definitely not as sweet as Alaskan ones, though!)
1 small head cabbage (or a combination of red and green cabbage, or just green cabbage) quartered, cored, and shredded finely; about 6 cups
3 large carrots, peeled if the skins are tough, and grated
1 red pepper, diced finely (optional)
3-6 scallions, finely sliced, or ½ small onion, minced (optional)
dressing
¾ cup natural peanut butter
1 bunch cilantro, chopped (you can include some of the stems if you chop them very well) (optional—don’t go out of your way to buy the cilantro, but if you have it, great)
3-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or lemon juice, in a pinch)
2 small cloves garlic, minced
2 jalepeno peppers, halved, seeds removed with a spoon, then minced
¼ to 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt (you’ll have to adjust the salt, depending on whether your peanut butter is salted or not)
freshly ground black pepper
optional garnish
toasted, salted peanuts, chopped coarsely
1. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, red pepper and scallions.
2. In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and stir to combine. Add warm water as needed and whisk to make a smooth, pourable consistency. Toss some of the dressing with the salad until everything is nicely coated. You probably won’t need all the dressing. Eat right away, or let stand for 15 minutes, or up to a couple of hours before serving.
3. Taste for salt and lime juice before serving. Top with chopped nuts just before serving, if you like an additional crunch.
4. This salad will keep pretty well until the next day—but I try only to mix up enough to eat the same day. Then I mix up more the next day.
roasted fennel with parmesan
contributed by Nancy
When I first watched Ina Garten, also known as The Barefoot Contessa, make this recipe I was so excited. Not only did I have everything in my refrigerator, but it was easy. Everyone I have served loves it.
1 fennel bulb
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt (or less)
freshly ground black pepper
parmesan cheese shavings
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Remove the stems of the fennel and slice the bulb in half lengthwise. With the cut side down, slice the bulb vertically into ½ inch thick slices, cutting right through the core. Spread the fennel slices on a baking sheet, coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss with your hands.
3. Roast the fennel slices for about 45 minutes, turning them once after 20 minutes, until the edges are crisp and brown. Remove from the oven and cover with Parmesan shavings. Taste for salt and pepper and serve.
Cook’s notes: Don’t use too much olive oil. You just want enough to coat the pieces-not so much the pieces are swimming in olive oil. If you use parmesan cheese that’s fairly salty, ease up on the salt used in the recipe. I just use my vegetable peeler to shave the parmesan cheese.
parmesan crusted zucchini
(contributed by Alison)
This delicious recipe comes from the Farmers Market Recipes Handout given out during one of the cooking demos sponsored by Northrim Bank.
1 large zucchini or yellow neck squash, sliced in ¼” (for crispy) to ½” (for soft crispy outsides) slices
½ cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup panko breadcrumbs (or any other breadcrumbs, but beware of the partially hydrogenated fat typically found in bread crumbs)
½ cup shredded parmesan
Dip: Regular or light mayonnaise mixed with equal part Dijon mustard
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Put flour on a shallow plate and eggs in a shallow bowl.
3. Mix breadcrumbs and parmesan and chop by hand or in food processor to make uniform crumbs. Put crumb mixture on a shallow plate.
4. Dip each zucchini slice in flour on both sides, coat with egg on both sides, then dip in crumbs on both sides (pat extra crumbs on if they don’t stick across the whole zucchini slice).
5. Put slices, 1/2” apart, on parchment paper on a baking sheet (you will be much happier if you invest in parchment paper; otherwise your breading will stick to the pan) and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Serve with dipping sauce.
Mango/Kale salad is delicious. And I love it amazingly. We all friends eat in the summer hot weather. It’s really really tasty. Yummy! 
