Swing Eats

Turnips.  The enigmatic root vegetable.  Deceivingly peppery with a pretty fuchsia exterior and a perfectly white interior.  Typically for root vegetables, I either roast them or mash them.  Look at this picture, root vegetables appear imperfectly beautiful.  I thought celery root would make for a good flavor pairing with the turnips, given its intense celeriac character.  Keeping it simple with rustic, with a dash of nutmeg, garlic, and white pepper for a hint of fall.  Here's the final product which I find rustic and comforting. Mashed Turnips with Celery Root Ingredients: turnips: 2, peeled and cut into uniform medium cubes celery root: 1, peeled and cut into uniform small cubes butter: 4 tablespoons salt, white pepper, nutmeg, granulated garlic to taste milk or half and half: about 1/2 cup Directions: In a large pan, bring salted water to a boil.  Add in the celery root first (takes longer to cook, and that's why we want to cut ...

One of the wonderful little antipasto inventions is the frico from the northeastern region of Italy known as Friuli-Venezia Giulia. A frico is nothing more than a crisp-fried cheese wafer made with grated cheese. Even though it is simple, it can be bit tricky to make. Once you have made one successfully, it does seem so easy. Traditionally, the cheese used for making it is a three-month-old Montasio, a cow’s milk cheese with a buttery, creamy taste that melts very well. Traditionally, frico is cooked in a skillet. The difficult part of making a crisp frico, what is called locally frico croccante, is knowing when to remove the wafer from the pan. If it cooks too long and becomes too golden brown, it will become bitter. Therefore, a more fail-safe way to cook it is in the oven on parchment or a silicone baking sheet. Montasio cheese can be found in cheese stores and gourmet markets. If you cannot find it, you can try using freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grating from...

Only in the past couple of years have I discovered how awesome kale is. When talking about dark leafy greens, the nutritional powerhouse that is kale resides on top. My favorite way to prepare kale had been making chips out of them. The standard procedure consisted of lightly coating the whole kale leaves, stalk removed, season, and bake in oven at low temperature until crisp. Delicious, but too oily for me to call healthy. Then I kept hearing more about kale salad, where the kale is broken down by acid and then dressed. Hm. I usually steer clear of putting any acid into any green vegetables, knowing that breaks down chlorophyll, along with the nutritional content and flavor, as well as transforming it into a drab olive green. Somehow kale salad works on a few different levels. First off, it is delicious. The preparation proves to be super easy without having to cook anything, with the exception of maybe toasting some nuts. This salad gets better upon refrigeration, whereas traditi...

To be honest, I never heard of quinoa (pronounced: keen-wah) before my Celiac diagnosis. After my initial consultation with a dietitian, 12 years ago, I discovered a whole new world of grains that are gluten-free: quinoa, millet, buckwheat, teff, and so many others. They all have unique texture and taste as well as power-packed with nutrients. Quinoa has become one of my standbys. Quino a is an ancient, super-food from South America. It contains about 14% protein and all of the essential amino acids your body needs, i.e, it is a complete protein. Important tip with quinoa: it must be RINSED well with water (using a fine mesh sieve/strainer) before cooking it. There's this weird smelling enzyme that coats it and can be strong and wreck your senses. It is so worth the effort. I make quinoa up as pilafs, tabbouleh, steamed. This time, I let my fridge dictate what method to use for my quinoa love. I saw small bok choy, giant shiitake mushrooms, and green onions. I worked at a Chines...

The flavor imparted to asparagus by roasting is usually overlooked. Roasted potatoes with rosemary remains a standard in my culinary repertoire for many years.  Why not combine the two in one winning side dish? As an Angeleno, I love to go to at least one farmer's market a week. The produce in Southern California blows my mind. This week I picked up a tiny bag of fingerling potatoes and a beautiful bunch of asparagus from the same vendor. Asparagus can hold their own against roasting and rosemary, just not the same time in the oven as potatoes. And the rosemary I was able to source from my yard. Really, it's impossible to over roast the potatoes. I love them on the crispy side. Only about five minutes is needed to roast the asparagus. Note on the potatoes: don't be tempted to use the red-skinned ones, they have too much sugar - will not cook up right in the oven and will burn. Ingredients: 1 pound fingerling potatoes 1 bunch asparagus, fibrous ends removed 2 tablespoo...