Winter's vegetables make cookery delightful

While we wait for the fresh local spring crop of veggies — spinach, asparagus, peas, baby turnips, and such — the produce counters at the market beckon with cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and “stored” items like potatoes, onions and carrots.

Though the first three named are admittedly shipped in, they are what we think of as cold-weather vegetables, available pretty much through the winter. I buy these frequently (making sure they are from a consumer-friendly area) and enjoy their heartiness.

Cauliflower is a favorite and, incidentally, I never boil it (or broccoli; instead, I steam cauliflower over boiling water for non-soggy tenderness, and what a difference it makes. 

Here’s a recipe from and tested by the people at the Shepherd’s Garden Seeds trial gardens (Shepherd’s has since merged with White Flower Farm) that will delight cauliflower lovers and converts out of its haters.

Wyn’s Broiled Cauliflower

Break a head of cauliflower into florets and steam briefly until just tender. Preheat the broiler while you arrange the florets on a broiler pan. Brush them generously with melted butter or top them with a thick layer of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Dust generously with paprika and broil until butter or cheese bubbles and begins to brown. Serve immediately on a large platter or in a big shallow bowl.

Carrots with Apricots

1 pound carrots, shredded

6 dried apricots, sliced into strips

2 T butter

2 T water

1T sugar

1 T rice wine vinegar (or other good wine vinegar)

Heat butter and water in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and apricots. Saute for about 3 minutes, sprinkle sugar over the top, add vinegar, stir and cook rapidly for another minute or two until nicely glazed. Serve immediately.

If the kids won’t eat carrots, bake them into a pie — the carrots, not the kids

Carrot Pie

1 unbaked, 9-inch pie shell

2 pounds carrots, thinly sliced (about 7 cups)

2 T butter

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tsp grated orange rind

1 T flour

½ tsp each cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg

Pinch of salt,

2 large eggs

1 cup evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Steam carrots until very tender. Mash well or puree in a food processor, then add butter, brown sugar, and orange rind. Add flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Blend well. When the mixture has cooled, beat in eggs, evaporated milk, and vanilla, mixing just until combined. Pour into the pie shell.

Bake in lower third of the oven for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 45 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the edge comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Broccoli shines in cheesy, warming winter dishes as well as standing on its own in simple sautes in late summer. For now, we’ll stay with the cheesy version.

Baked Broccoli

2 medium heads of broccoli, cut into medium florets (keep 1-inch stems)

1 tsp grated lemon rind

2 T lemon juice

2 T dried crumbled lemon thyme OR tarragon OR rosemary

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup tomato sauce (canned or your own)

1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

Steam broccoli over boiling water until nearly done, but still somewhat crisp. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and retain the lovely green color. Drain well.

Put broccoli into a well-buttered casserole dish and sprinkle with lemon rind, juice, parsley and herb of choice. Add pepper to taste. 

Spread tomato sauce over the top and cover with the cheese.  

Bake at 350 degrees F until hot and bubbly, about 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately.

I’ll never forget the time many years ago when Ginger (Reid) Curtis invited me to dinner for her cabbage rolls. My Lord, they were good. I ate like it was going out of style while she and her husband each took two or three. Finally, Bill looked at me and said, “No offense, Valle — and you’re welcome to all you can eat, of course — but where do you put it all?!” Ginger and I still laugh to this day over it — and I have no doubt I could do it again. This isn’t her recipe, but it’s still good.

Cabbage Rolls

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup cooked rice

1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1 egg

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/2  tsp savory

8 nice outside cabbage leaves, steamed

1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

1 1/4 cup water

1 small onion, chopped

1 tsp brown sugar

Combine beef, rice, breadcrumbs, egg, celery salt, and savory. Spoon equal portions onto cabbage leaves and roll them up, fastening them with toothpicks if necessary. Set aside.

In a large cooking pot or chicken fryer skillet, combine tomato sauce, water, onion and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then arrange cabbage rolls atop, seam side down. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, basting occasionally with the sauce. Serve topped with sauce.

Baked Cabbage Casserole Dinner

2 T butter or cooking oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

12 oz. mild Italian link or ring sausage

3 large tart apples, cored, thinly sliced

3 T flour

1 small cabbage (1 1/2 pounds), coarsely shredded

Salt

Pepper, freshly ground

1/2 tsp nutmeg, divided

1/2 cup water

2 tsp lemon juice

Topping:

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated

1 T parsley, minced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Melt butter and saute onions until soft. Remove onions from pan and set aside. Remove casing from sausage and saute in pan until cooked through, breaking and crumbling the meat. Remove meat and reserve. Put water and lemon juice into pan, heat and stir to get all crumbs; turn off the heat.

Toss apples with flour, set aside. Lightly grease a deep 2 1/2-quart casserole dish; cover bottom with half of the cabbage, followed by a layer of the apples, half of the sausage and half the onions. Sprinkle with a little salt, pepper to taste and half the nutmeg. Repeat with identical layers. Pour the water-lemon juice mixture over the top, cover tightly with lid or aluminum foil and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden and crunchy. Serve hot. Scrumptious.

Potatoes are a staple to all Idahoans, and this next recipe showcases their versatility.

Chive-Roasted Potatoes

6 large baking potatoes

Cold water

1/2 stick butter, melted and in a shallow bowl

1/2 tsp salt

4 T freshly chopped chives (or for now, green onions minced with the tops)

1/2 cup favorite cheese, shredded (sharp cheddar is excellent; nutty Swiss is also good)

3 T bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel potatoes and place in a bowl of cold water until about 1 1/2 hours before serving time. At that time, dry thoroughly and cut a thin slice off the long side of each potato (if necessary) so it can lie flat.

With the potato laying flat (lengthwise), with a sharp knife, cut vertical slits from the top nearly to the bottom of each potato, being careful not to cut through. Dip the cut potatoes in melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Place on a foil-covered baking sheet, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, basting well into the open slices with the remaining butter.

The potatoes will turn a crisp, golden brown and the slits will open in accordion fashion as they bake. In the last 15 minutes, combine the chives, cheese and bread crumbs and spoon them into the slits in the potatoes to form a delicious topping. Serve immediately after removing from the oven.

Onions lend themselves well to truly elegant dishes. One such is this casserole that’s a perfect accompaniment to pork chops or prime rib.

Onions Charlotte

4 large onions, peeled and sliced thick

1 cup plus 1 T  milk

4 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon EACH grated nutmeg and cinnamon, crumbled dried sage

4-5 slices stale white bread, crusts removed, buttered on both sides

Olive or canola oil

1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place onions in a large saucepan with water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook for about 3 minutes. Drain off the water and return the onions to the pan. Add 1 cup milk and the 4 tablespoons water, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until onions are tender.

Mix the remaining milk with flour and stir until it becomes a smooth paste. Add to the onions and stir. Bring to a boil, add 2 tablespoons butter, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. 

Pour a tablespoon of oil into a small skillet and fry the bread until brown on both sides. Arrange in the bottom and around the sides of a greased 2-quart baking dish. Pour in the onion mixture. Mix cheese and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl, then sprinkle over the top of the onion mixture. Melt remaining butter and drizzle over top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is crusty and brown.

Finally, don't forget that you can stuff onions just as you would bell peppers. Peel the onions, cut the tops and bottoms flat, and with a sharp paring knife, make an X in the center of the onion to within a half-inch of the outer shell.

Carefully cut out the "core" leaving a good half-inch at the bottom of the onion as well. Chop the removed onion finely and mix with whatever you're using for stuffing — rice, hamburger, bread stuffing, etc. Fill onion shells, dot with butter and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. You may sprinkle with grated Parmesan or Cheddar 15 minutes before removing from the oven if you wish.

Alternatively, simply roast the onions. Slice off and discard the top half-inch of each onion and peel off the outer skin. Rub the cut surface with butter and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage, etc. Place each onion on a square of foil large enough to completely enclose it, wrap tightly and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about an hour.

    Valle Novak