Tag Archives: vegetable illustration

Hazelnut Baked Cauliflower


This summer, when I’ve had the house full of guests, I’ve been in need of simple things that can be done quickly and feed several people. One of our favorites has been this Hazelnut Baked Cauliflower that we’ve served together with different kinds of salads or BBQ (works both with vegetables and meat).

one head of cauliflower
olive oil
fresh basil and oregano
garlic
handful of hazelnuts
salt and pepper
juice from ½ lemon

grated parmesan

Rinse the cauliflower and break up the florets into smaller pieces. Place them steams down in one layer on an oven dish. Chop basil and oregano finely and mix with olive oil, minced garlic and chopped hazelnut. Season with salt, pepper and some lemon juice. Pour mixture over the cauliflower and blend together. Let soak for 15 minutes. Bake in the oven at 400°F (just over 200°C) until al dente. Sprinkle a rich amount of grated parmesan on top. Serve immediately.

Steamed Artichokes

atrichokes

There are two machines in the kitchen that I never use, the espresso machine and the pressure cooker. I guess I am just too lazy to learn how to use them and so M makes me coffee every morning.

The pressure cooker isn’t really a machine but it’s noisy and I find it a little bit scary. M uses the cooker for rice and artichokes. When M makes rice he use brown basmati rice mixed with wild black rice. He cooks the rice together with salt, bay leaves and garlic. The cooker really keeps the flavor of the rice.

for two artichokes you need

one lime
one clove of garlic
3 bay leaves

Wash the artichokes and pull of the bottom brownest leaves. With a very sharp knife cut the tip off the artichokes (about 1/2 “) and trim the stem. Squeeze limejuice over the top of the artichokes. Fill the pressure cooker with a little water in which you put mashed garlic, bay leaves and the rest of the limejuice. Insert a steaming tray above the water and put the artichokes on the tray. Close the cooker and heat it up on medium high until the steamer begins to steam. Lower the heat and continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the artichokes. Turn off heat and remove cooker from the heat. Serve the artichokes at room temperature with the vinaigrette on the side to dip the artichoke “leaves” in.

vinaigrette

3-4 parts olive oil
1 part apple cider vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
1-2 gloves of garlic
fresh oregano or thyme
1-2 mustard
just a drop of honey
salt and pepper

Mix the oil and the vinegar with some mustard, garlic and a drop of honey. Lastly add the spices to your own taste.

Now off to Madrid for some days of great culture, wines and food.