Tag Archives: onions

Harissa Stewed Chickpeas with Roasted Potatoes, Kale, and Garlic Yogurt

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Flavorful, saucy chickpeas, greens for a little bitter bite, crispy potatoes, garlicky yogurt, and a finish of herbs and spices make these bowls a dream. Vegetarian, warming, full of flavor, but not heavy. If you want to make them vegan you can follow the inspiration recipe from The First Mess more closely as Laura tops them with a lemon tahini sauce instead of yogurt.

My last Potter Hill CSA of the season included tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green tomatoes, leeks, shishitos, potatoes bok choi, kale, mustard greens, perpetual spinach, and radishes. Radish greens went alongside frizzled chickpeas. Sauteed bok choi and perpetual spinach, and raw, chopped radishes went into tofu bowls with citrus tahini sauce. I’m planning to use some greens and carrots from a past week in bibimbap. For breakfast this weekend I’m thinking about a winter version of this potato, tomato, and leek frittata with shishitos sauteed alongside the leeks and the tomato omitted (I find tomatoes at this point in the season are better if cooked more, but I might finish with some cheddar cheese on top).

If you’re feeling like soup, this is my favorite recipe for leek and potato. Curry butternut squash soup with coconut milk is really the only squash soup I make (and I love it so). Please forgive the terrible photo, but this chipotle black bean soup is another winner.

Harissa Stewed Chickpeas with Roasted Potatoes, Kale, and Garlic Yogurt

Serves 6. Adapted from The First Mess.

  • 2 lbs new potatoes
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 5 garlic cloves, 3 minced and the other 2 grated (kept separate)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon harissa
  • 3 large tomatoes, chopped (about 1.5 lbs total)
  • 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 bunch kale, chopped
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
  • Aleppo pepper for serving

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut potatoes into 1/2″ thick wedges and toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread between two baking sheets and roast for 35 minutes, stopping at 20 minutes to slip the potatoes, and switch the pans. The potatoes should be thoroughly crisp with the centers cooked through.

While the potatoes are roasting heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and when it shimmers add in the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until they are translucent and starting to brown at the edges. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and harissa. Cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring to coat the onions and garlic. Add in the chopped tomatoes, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, then bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down. Add in the chickpeas, return to a simmer, and cover. Let simmer on medium-low heat until the potatoes are done. Taste and season again if needed.

Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and when it shimmers add in the kale. Cook for 2-3 minutes, tossing so that the kale wilts completely. When it is just cooked, remove from the heat and squeeze the lemon half over.

Stir the grated garlic into the yogurt.

Build the bowls with the chickpea stew on the bottom, followed by greens, potatoes, yogurt sauce, parsley, and aleppo pepper. Dig in!

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Grilled Zucchini Bowls with Chickpeas and Pesto

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Now is not the time for turning on the oven or storage vegetables, but I was craving my winter root veg bowls so an update to the cooking method and vegetables was in order. I love this concept though – a ton of vegetables, chickpeas for heft and texture, plus a vibrant green sauce to tie everything together. This version has the “it” vegetable of July, summer squash, and any variety works – zucchini, yellow summer squash, pattypan squash. Grilling summer squash is my favorite summer preparation, but you can pan fry or roast.

This meal is easily scale-able – in my house one can of chickpeas is two servings, so you can easily halve or up it. The pesto should make enough for 6+ servings, and you can serve it on toast with eggs, over tomatoes and burrata, or on pizza.

My full share this week was two heads of lettuce, summer squash, rainbow carrots, fresh onions, cabbage, young leeks, kale, broccoli leaves, and purple basil. I used rainbow carrots, some of the cabbage, and the purple basil in a slaw I served atop rice noodles and some grilled BBQ tofu for a summer cold noodle situation. I used grilled extra squash while I was making these bowls to use in my favorite enchiladas (forgive the low-light photo – they are great!!) that I also stuck some chopped kale and onion tops into. Salad options for alllll that lettuce include: BBQ chicken peach, tzatziki with marinated lentils, chipotle ranch. I’m thinking about cooking the broccoli leaves and tougher, outer cabbage leaves a la collards for this dish, or in collards with peanut butter (don’t knock it til you try it). Hot, humid days call for cool beverages like these herbal citrus refreshers.

Grilled Zucchini Bowls with Chickpeas and Pesto

Serves 4

  • 2 large summer squash (mine were 40 oz total)
  • 2 cups packed soft herbs, such as basil, parsley, cilantro, dill and scallions (I used 1/4 cup of each of the above except basil)
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more if needed
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas
  • 3 fresh onions (or 1 large onion), thinly sliced

Heat up a grill on high. Thickly slice the summer squashes, and coat with olive oil (3-4 tablespoons), salt, and pepper. Grill for 10-15 minutes, until they are thoroughly charred an soft all the way through (the flesh turns from an opaque white to more translucent). Let the squash cool, and then chop into 1/2″ pieces.

Thinly slice the onions. Heat up a large, deep skillet on medium high and pour in 1/2 cup olive oil. Add in the onions, and cook for 7-10 minutes, until they start to brown at the edges. While the onions are cooking, drain and rinse the chickpeas. After the onions are browned add the chickpeas, plus a few pinches of salt and grinds of pepper. Cook 10-15 minutes, until the chickpeas are visibly darkened and have a nice, crispy outside.

Turn on a food processor with the S blade in and drop the garlic cloves through the opening at the top. When the garlic cloves stop bouncing around they are fully minced. Turn the food processor off and scrape down the sides with a spatula. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper, herbs, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Turn the food processor on to puree everything, then drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil so a smooth sauce forms (more if needed). Alternatively, very finely mince the garlic, herbs, and pine nuts (or mash in a mortal and pestle), then stir in the salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Build the bowls by dividing up the summer squash and chickpeas into 4 bowls then topping with a big spoonful of pesto. Serve with more pesto and olive oil for drizzling.

(Crumbled feta like I use in the winter version of this dish would be delicious on top.)

Charred Onion Dip

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IMG_6957 (4)Discovering that onion dip is something you can easily make yourself is life changing. Alton Brown was the first to show me this possibility, and while his recipe is good, it is not fast. When my mom discovered this recipe in Bon Appetit, everything changed. We started requesting it at every family dinner, and she even made enough for 85 people to serve at our wedding. It has all the creamy richness you want to slather on a chip, but tastes fresher than your usual onion dip because the onions are cooked hot and fast instead of low and slow, so they retain some of their bite. I would tell you to double this recipe, but know that people will eat as much of this dip as you put in front of them.

My share this week was leeks, cauliflower, lettuce, basil, cilantro, fresh onions, zucchini, and eggplant. The lettuce went into a giant salad I served with these buffalo veggie burgers and bleu cheese dressing. Eggplant and leftover bok choy from last week went into noodles with sesame sauce and chili oil. If you have any cucumbers, this smashed cucumber salad is both fun to make and delicious. The basil and zucchini went into this easy pesto bean dish.

Charred Onion Dip

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 4-6

I adapted this recipe to take advantage of the fresh onions with their greens attached in my CSA share. If you don’t have fresh onions, you could use a shallot and scallions as the original recipe calls for. I don’t have a grill so I haven’t tried this yet, but I imagine you could halve the leek and onion bulb, and grill them along with the onions greens, then slice everything, instead of the slice first then broil method outlined below.

  • 1 fresh bulb onion, quartered and thinly sliced (3 ounces/¾ cup)
  • 1 ounce (1 cup) thinly sliced fresh onions greens (reserve a few for garnish)
  • 2 small leeks, dark greens removed, halved and thinly sliced (2.5 ounces/1 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • ½ cup full-fat mayonnaise
  • ½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice (this was ½ a small lemon for me)
  • 2 tablespoons buttermilk
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • Potato chips for serving

Heat your broiler to high. On a baking sheet toss the onion, onion greens, and leeks with the olive oil and season with a hefty pinch of salt. Broil for 5-10 minutes total, checking after 5 minutes and monitoring closely. You want significant char on the onions, but not to turn the whole pan completely black. When the onions are done, remove from the oven and let cool.

While the onions are charring combine the garlic, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, buttermilk, and pepper in a bowl. Add the cooled onions and stir to combine. Garnish with the reserved onion greens and serve with potato chips (Cape Cod Kettle Chips are my favorite).

 

Three Quick Pickles (Jalapeño, Carrot, Onion)

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IMG_6452For this week’s Potter Hill CSA recipe I’m focusing on one of my favorite ways to brighten up a dish: pickles. I’ve never met a pickle I don’t like. While I am perfectly happy to eat them straight out of a jar, their tang, spice, and crunch can so often turn a bland dish into something exceptional. This is also a ridiculously easy way to use a vegetable you may not have an immediate plan for.

Anything can be pickled, so there is no need to limit yourself to just cukes. Pickling also doesn’t have to be an elaborate process with numerous jars and hot water baths. It can be as simple as chopping up a little extra veg while you’re making dinner, filling a single jar, and topping it with a quick brine of vinegar and salt. Thinly sliced pickles will take on the flavor of the brine in as little time as half an hour, and the flavor will continue to intensify with time.

I made my pickles with jalapeños, carrots, and onions. While I stuck to a single vegetable for each pickle, you could certainly mix and match (just cut them into uniform sizes/shapes). Feel free to sub different vinegars and/or spices, or add a touch of sweetness. I specify kosher salt in all the recipes. If you’re using table salt, I would cut the amount in half and then add more to taste.

The uses for these are endless. They can top tacos and burrito bowls, add crunch to sandwiches (breakfast or otherwise), elevate a cheese plate or grilled cheese, or provide contrast in a salad (green, potato, egg, tuna, or whatever). The fun doesn’t end with the pickles though! The brine is also a great ingredient for salad dressings and sauces (like the green sauce in the burrito bowls linked above).

My entire CSA share this week was purple potatoes, onions, rainbow carrots, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, thyme, eggplant, celeriac, chard, spicy lettuce mix, jalapeños, and a leek. I used onions, carrots, potatoes, and chard in lentil rice bowls with muhamarra from Bowl + Spoon. Potatoes, tomatoes, and more onions went into a lackluster gratin paired with a spicy salad (the fault of the recipe not the vegetables – I should have just made this again). Eggplant topped my favorite pizza (crispy capers! garlic oil!!). I paired my pickles with these super flavorful Vietnamese-style chicken meatballs, which I’ve made before and according to my husband are “dope” (I concur).

Quick Pickled Jalapeños

Makes 1 1/2-pint

  • 1 cup thinly sliced jalapeños (I used 4)
  • 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Combine vinegar and salt and stir to combine. Let sit until the salt dissolves, or heat gently on the stove top or in 30 seconds bursts in the microwave. Add jalapeños to the jar, and pour brine over. Pickled jalapeños will last for a couple months in the fridge, but will soften over time.

Quick Pickled Carrots

Makes 1 pint

You may notice in the photo I used pickling spice, but I only call for mustard seeds below. I love the flavor of pickling spice, but I learned with such a small pickle it is annoying to have to fish out the cloves and allspice berries.  You could use a different spice in mustard seed’s place such as coriander or celery seed. I used a mandoline to julienne my carrots, but you could slice them into coins instead (there will just be less surface area to be pickled).

  • 2 cups julienned carrots (I used 5 smaller carrots, about 3/4 lb)
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, or add more!)

Combine vinegar, salt, mustard seeds, and red pepper flakes (if using) in a small pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then pour over carrots in their jar. Let cool, and then refrigerate until ready to use.

Quick Pickled Onions

Makes 1 pint

A few years ago I got a book from the library on Mexican food that included this genius recipe for pickling onions with just citrus juice. I, of course, did not write down the book title, but this recipe will stick with me forever. I wrote out specific quantities here, but usually I just chop up the onion and squeeze enough citrus juice to submerge it entirely. Will once suggested we use the leftover pickling liquid for a cocktail, which we haven’t done yet…but we will.

  • 2 cups thinly sliced red onion (from 1 onion, about 1/2 lb)
  • 1 cup of freshly squeezed citrus juice (I used 1 orange and 6 limes)

Pour citrus juice over onions. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.