Sides | Simple By Cindy

Spinach Gratin

Dec. 13
2018

It’s important to do something you enjoy every day. For some of you, it might be meditating, yoga, knitting or sitting down with a good book. All of us need to learn how to indulge in more “me” time. Allowing ourselves to have self-care routines is so important for our health and happiness! I would like to share with you why I get so much joy out of cooking. It gives me the chance to be creative and have some “me time”. Chopping, stirring, mixing, and tasting are pretty much my therapy. It relaxes me and helps me unwind. All of the little steps are like meditation for me and clear my mind quickly.

Cooking is fun to do together as well. Preparing meals with my sister-in-law, my nieces, nephews, and cousins have become both mine and their favorite way of spending time together. We share some of our best memories and laughs during holiday cooking.

Dinner time at my house was always sacred. Everyone knew they had to be present. Even my husband, who has a demanding schedule would make sure he was home for dinner every night. When he knew he would be late, we waited for him. Why? Eating brings people together. It focuses on being with the people you love, and in the company of food, what can be more important than that?!

I am pretty sure this recipe is a no-stressor for the holidays. It is a “short-on-time” or “make-ahead” that will please anyone who is at your table. The cream and milk provide that cozy comfort food feeling. The cheeses add a scrumptious gooey goodness and the nutmeg gives it a wonderful savory flavor. This going to make your holiday meal truly special.

This recipe is another great one courtesy of Ina Garten, and will feed 8 people who will never want to leave the table.

Ingredients for Spinach Gratin:

4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 (10-ounce) packages)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat.

Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 15 minutes.

Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.

Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened.

Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce.

Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well.

Season to taste, with salt and pepper.

Transfer the spinach to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top.

Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Serve hot.

It’s that simple!

Mazel

Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash

Dec. 10
2018

I have a love-hate relationship with snow. I love it when it is falling and the trees and ground are magically dusted white. I love the stillness and the quiet of falling snow. The snow causes stillness in us as well, so many of us are working or running around every day, and the snow gives us an excuse to pause. I often keep a brisket or some other comfort food in the freezer so I can take it out the night before a snowy day and cook a hearty meal for my family. I enjoy having to spend the entire day at home because I do not get many of them.

Then there is the other side to snow. The cleanup. The shoveling. The hazardous driving. The ugly dirty snow on the side of the streets. The cold wetness. We had a very treacherous snow day on the east coast this year right before Thanksgiving. Not one weatherman called it right. They told us it would be only about 3 inches. I happened to be out that day.

As I left to go home, I noticed the street I usually take home was at a standstill. I thought maybe there was an accident, so I patiently waited.. and waited. 2 1/2 hours later we began to move, slowly. Cars couldn’t get up even the smallest of hills. I prayed that would not happen to me. There were an unfathomable amount of jams in both directions because of people trying to go around the stuck cars. I tried to avoid the traffic, often ending up in even worse traffic. That evening a 10-minute ride home from the grocery store took me 3 1/2 hours. Everyone was blindsided by this storm and everyone driving was frustrated and scared.

If I hear snow in the forecast, I will be staying home.

That said, here is a recipe that you can make quickly on a snow day and have the rest of the day all to yourself. This butternut squash dish has all the right ingredients for an aromatic comfort food. The cumin and coriander add a savory deliciousness. The cayenne pepper packs in just the right amount of heat. This is a dish that is so easy to make and so yummy to eat.

This recipe is courtesy of Food and Wine and will serve 6 people who will want to be snowed in with you during every storm!

Ingredients for Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash

One (3-pound) butternut squash peeled seeded and diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, toss the squash with the olive oil, cumin, coriander and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the squash on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, until tender and slightly browned, tossing once halfway through.

Transfer to a bowl and serve.

It’s that simple!

Beautifully carved watermelon at our hotel in Barbados!

Shredded Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

Nov. 26
2018

It is a good thing I have good friends and family who live close to me. I am usually preparing posts for my blog right before dinner. Unfortunately, my family doesn’t always like the food I prepare for my blog, so I also make something I know they will enjoy. For example, I am the only person in my family that likes Brussels sprouts, so I made them some baked potatoes.

When this is the case, I get the chance to give these experimental dishes to friends and extended family. For this reason, I am very well-liked around here, especially by my friends who work full time. One less thing for them to do!

As for as my immediate family, they are missing out on so many great meals. But they are proud of my website, so they don’t mind waiting the extra minute or two if I have to take pictures. By now, they are used to it, and often help me with suggestions on what to place in the photo. If it is a dessert, they will make me a cup of coffee for me to place in the picture. And I enjoy giving away some of my meals. I get feedback on them and I do enjoy knowing that the people who eat it love what I make.

This recipe is so simple and easy to get to the table fast. The Brussels sprouts are perfectly cooked and caramelized. The lemon juice and zest add a tarty zing to it. The Parmesan cheese tops it off with cheesy deliciousness. When you find yourself short on time, this is the ideal recipe for you.

This recipe will serve 4-6 people who will fight for the last savory bite!

Ingredients for Shredded Parmesan Brussels Sprouts:

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a food processor fitted with the slicing blade, pulse the Brussels sprouts until coarsely chopped.

Place them in a medium sized bowl and toss with olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper.

Transfer to a baking pan, and spread them out evenly.

Roast in oven for 30 minutes, until the Brussels sprouts are tender and slightly browned.

Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, bake for another minute.

Transfer to a bowl and serve them hot.

It’s that simple!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Nov. 19
2018

I have many sweet potato recipes on my blog. The reason being that every year for Thanksgiving, I make Shelley’s sweet potato pie, and so should you! I was worried that the pie would be unappealing to adults because it is topped with marshmallows. I think the adults like a more sophisticated recipe. Switching the menu every year leaves me desperate to find something new. I think they are going to love this version of sweet potato casserole.

When I make these pies, I put less sugar and cream in them and more sweet potato. They are so wonderfully sweet, you don’t really have to add much to them. Keep it light and their flavor can stand up for itself.

All of that being said, I think this recipe is perfect. Make double the amount of topping, because you are going to want to get it in every nook and cranny. It is light and fluffy with the perfect amount of sweet and savory to it. The flour, mixed with the sugar and pecans topped it off with the perfect crust.

I will not be posting on Thanksgiving, as I will be busy feeding my usual gang of 50! As I do every year, I will share my day with you soon after.

This recipe is courtesy of Allrecipes and will serve 8 people who will be licking their spoons for this one!

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Casserole:

4 cups sweet potato, cubed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover.

Cook over medium high heat until cooked tender; drain and mash.

In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, 4 tablespoons butter, milk and vanilla extract.

Mix until smooth.

Transfer to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, and flour.

Cut in butter until the mixture is coarse.

Stir in the pecans.

Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.

It’s that simple!

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!

The Best Crispy Potatoes Ever

Nov. 8
2018

Whenever my husband and I visit our favorite restaurant, he always tells me how much he loves their roasted potatoes. Even though I make roasted potatoes all the time, I wasn’t insulted. After all, I am just a cook, and surely the chef knows many secrets I do not. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what made them so much better. Just like that, I was on a mission to make better roasted potatoes.

When I prepare potatoes, I mix them with olive oil, salt and pepper and place them on a baking sheet flesh side up to roast at a high heat in the oven. They usually take about 30 to 40 minutes to become crispy and brown.

I did my homework well, because I discovered a method of cooking them that made them perfect. My husband loves the potatoes prepared this way and so do I. Now I get to share it with you.

The secret to perfectly roasted potatoes is to boil them first in water and baking soda. The author of this recipe explains, “the alkaline water breaks down the surface of the potato, creating tons of starchy slurry for added surface area and crunch”. While they are boiling, you infuse the oil (or fat) with garlic and herbs which give the potato crust extra flavor. You then place them in an oven set at a high heat to finish them off.

This method works beautifully! The potatoes emerge from the oven wonderfully caramelized on the outside, and delicately fluffy and creamy on the inside. The garlic and herb infused oil packs them with incredible flavor. The author is right, these are the best crispy potatoes recipe ever.

Just for you to know, I did not peel the potatoes. I despise peeling potatoes. I used baby red potatoes cut in half. I also used chicken fat, although it wasn’t a choice in their instructions, and it worked just as well. Don’t be afraid to vigorously shake the pan while you are preparing them, you will see the potato-like paste build up. It is definitely worth the extra few steps, I promise you.

This recipe is loosely adapted from Serious Eats and will serve 6-8 people who will have to force themselves to stop eating them.

Ingredients for Crispy Potatoes:

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 pounds red baby potatoes, cut in half
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or duck, chicken or beef fat)
5 sprigs fresh oregano, peeled and chopped or 2 teaspoons dried
3 garlic cloves, chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Small handful parsley leaves, chopped

Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 450°F.

Heat 2 quarts of water in a large pot over high heat until boiling.

Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt, baking soda, and potatoes and stir.

Return to boil reduce to a simmer, and cook until a knife meets little resistance when inserted into a potato chunk, about 10 minutes after returning to a boil.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, and chicken fat with oregano, garlic, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat.

Cook, stirring and shaking pan constantly, until garlic just begins to turn golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Immediately strain oil through a fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl.

Set garlic/oregano mixture aside and reserve separately.

When potatoes are cooked, drain carefully and let them rest in the pot for about 30 seconds to allow excess moisture to evaporate.

Transfer to bowl with infused oil, season to taste with a little more salt and pepper, toss to coat, shaking bowl roughly, until a thick layer of mashed potato-like paste has built up on the potato chunks.

Transfer potatoes to a large rimmed baking sheet and separate them, spreading them out evenly.

Transfer to oven and roast, without moving for 20 minutes.

Using a thin, flexible metal spatula to release any stuck potatoes, shake pan and turn potatoes.

Continue roasting until potatoes are deep brown and crisp all over, turning and shaking them a few times during cooking, 30 to 40 minutes longer.

Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and add garlic/oregano mixture and parsley.

Toss to coat and season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

It’s that simple!