This past year, I came up with a new recipe for mashed potatoes, and I’ll do it this way forever now. I cooked the potatoes whole, adding a few inches of boiling water to the pot, essentially steaming them. They take longer to cook than peeled, cubed potatoes, but oh. My. They were so good!
I wanted a dip that was actually healthy, so I used extra virgin olive oil in the homemade mayonnaise I put in this. The family loved it–even the grandkids! So I guess it didn’t taste too healthy. But the blend of herbs with anchovy and homemade mayo is a treat. It might not taste as mainstream as the Green Goddess I used to refill as a busgirl in the seventies. But I think I like it better!
I took a picture showing all the possibilities for risotto–a perfect vehicle for mushrooms, peas, garlic, herbs, etc. After I took the picture, I made husband Tom and I a batch, adding all the pictured ingredients. He asked the question you want to hear: “What makes this so creamy?” (Since he knew it was “just rice”…) I could tell him about how it’s the special way you cook this special rice. So good!
I always figured potato salad wasn’t exactly healthy. But what if it WAS? Turns out, cold potato starch (along with other “resistant starches”) can improve gut health, which can help with obesity, inflammation, mood (etc., etc.). Wow–sign me up, right?! Not only is potato salad a great comfort food and party food, to get scientific, cold potato starch contains certain “prebiotics”, which are highly beneficial. Hooray- a superfood for the digestive system, that tastes awesome!
Fermented, preserved veggies can give a more boring dish a savory, salty, tangy kick. Sauerkraut or kimchi can serve as a garnish, or a last-minute addition to stir-fries or soups. And, of course the probiotics in the fermented veggies are so good for the gut. Easy too! Just set the mix of cabbage & salt (+ spices or whatever) out on the counter for a few days. The salted cabbage makes its own juices (keep it submerged in that liquid). Yumm!
Maybe salting the garlic first is why everyone loves The New Deli’s Italian dressing so much. We mix the fresh garlic, herbs, and salt together first, letting the steep awhile. A similar method works well to create this yummy sauce, that’s good on so many things. (Even just to dip bread in, add to some Bruschetta for party food, etc. etc.)
In the old days (yes, I’ve been cooking a long time), we had to get raw hazelnuts in bulk, with the skins on. That meant roasting them and then rolling them in a towel to get the bitter skins off. A tedious job. Or, my mom had another method, adding baking soda to some boiling water and soaking them in that. How much easier now, that I can just pick some up, already toasted and ready to use, at Trader Joe’s!
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is on our naughty list. At The New Deli, we started making this version of BBQ sauce, made with tomato paste. Ketchup can be a handy base, but it also contains HFCS. We love this recipe! Makes 2 quarts. INGREDIENTS 1/2 c. olive oil 2 c. chopped onion 3 cloves chopped…
An easy way to make flavorful “preserved Meyer lemons”, only easy-style! I just pureed the lemon peel in my Vitamix with some salt, added extra virgin olive oil. Delicious, on so many things!
I’d take this over cous-cous any day–it IS a whole food, not just a refined-flour-pasta shaped like grain! Soak Bulgar wheat, add spearmint, parsley, lemon, cucumber, tomato. Light & fresh.
