Autumn Supper

I planned supper in my head on the way home the other night: cooked white beans in the fridge, a small butternut squash in the cupboard, and a bunch of tiny turnips - greens detached but in a bag with them - in the fridge. That sounded like the makings of a good autumn supper.

I went outside to pick some thyme and rosemary, then started dinner.

I gently warmed some garlic in a covered skillet with butter while I peeled and diced the tiny squash. I added the squash to the pan with a splash of white wine, covered and let it braise until tender, about 20 minutes. I stirred it occasionally to make sure the squash wasn't sticking.

I put the beans in a covered pot with a little water over low heat. While they warmed, I puréed about 2 tbsp of rosemary, 1 tbsp of thyme, a small clove of garlic and a good glug of olive oil in the blender. I added a little water to thin the sauce, then poured it in with the beans. The piny aromas stimulated our appetites.

I turned to the turnips, which turned out to be watermelon radishes. You can see how I cooked them here.

It was a lovely dinner - a contrast of flavors and colors: orange, buttery squash; sharply aromatic beans; and peppery green and red radishes.

Cooking Radishes

Sautéed Radishes

I love getting to the Hollywood Farmers Market early - before it opens at 8 a.m. - and getting all my shopping done before the crowds show up.

A downside is that the farmers haven't completely finished setting up, and their nifty signs aren't always in place next to their vegetables.

Last week I bought a beautiful bunch of tiny turnips. When it came time to cook them, however, I realized they were watermelon radishes.

Have you tried one of these? They're white on the outside, then have a ring of pale green and then are pink on the inside. They really do look like small watermelons.

I decided to cook them the way I had intended to cook the turnips. After all, I was cooking dinner and needed a side dish.

I warmed a little butter in a small skillet, then tossed in the quartered radishes. I added a splash of water and a little salt, covered the skillet, and let the radishes cook until they were almost tender, about 5 minutes. I checked occasionally to make sure they weren't browning too much, adding a spoonful of water as needed.

While they cooked I washed and coarsely chopped the radish greens.

I removed the roots from the pan, added the greens with the water that was clinging to them, and sprinkled on a little salt and pepper. I covered the pan and let them cook over medium-low heat until they were tender. I added the radishes back in to let it all warm through, and served it.

With turnips I usually add garlic to the butter, but the radishes were great with just a little salt and pepper.

Potato Salad with Pickles

Usually when we barbecue I make my standard potato salad — cooked potatoes with a buttermilk dressing and a roasted poblano for zing.

But this Fourth of July, I tried something a little different. I found a jar of bread and butter pickles in our fridge and decided to add them to the potato salad. These weren't just any old pickles — I made them last year when our zucchinis were out of control.

I had planted seeds of an heirloom zucchini called Trombetta di Albenga from Renee's Garden Seeds. It's a vining zucchini plant that likes to grow up into trees. The zucchini then grow stealthily down among the branches. Fortunately, they are still tender even when they're three feet long.

Needless to say, I gave away a lot of zucchini. People still talk about the zucchini I gifted. And yet, we still had way more than two people can eat. I diced, blanched and froze. And then I made bread and butter pickles.

I am once again growing Trombetta di Albenga. (Really, they are the most entertaining vegetable plants I have ever grown.) They are not flowering yet, but I know what is coming. Emptying a jar of pickles into the potato salad seemed like a prudent move.

And I have to say that the potato salad tasted really good. It was slightly grey from the pickle juice I added to the dressing, but it was yummy. (I would have added a lot of colorful parsley if the birds hadn't eaten it all.) The potatoes were German butterballs from Flora Bella — the first time I've used them in potato salad and they tasted nicely creamy and held their shape well.

It's a good thing I'm growing more zucchini so we'll be able to replenish our pickle supply. This potato salad is one we'll want to make again.

Potato Salad with Pickles

1 1/2 lbs German butterball potatoes (or other waxy potatoes)

2 eggs

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp juice from the pickle jar

2 tsp dijon

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup kefir or buttermilk or yogurt

6-8 radishes, diced

1/2 cup chopped bread and butter pickles

Peel the potatoes and cut in quarters (about 1 inch pieces). Put in a pot, cover with cold water and a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Bring a small pan of salted water to the boil. Pierce a small hole in each egg with a safety pin. Lower into the boiling water, stirring so the eggs rotate a few times after entry. Cover and let simmer 10 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water. When cool, peel the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Chop the whites and add them to the bowl with the potatoes.

Put the cooked egg yolks in a blender with the vinegar, pickle juice and dijon. Whir together. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the oil, then the kefir. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour most of the dressing over the potatoes and egg whites. Toss to combine. Add the radishes and pickles. Toss again and season to taste.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Serves 4-6

Trombetta zucchini.

Balsamic Bean Stew

Starting with plain old dried beans, an enormous variety of dishes can be created. Adding tomatoes or herbs, puréeing the beans, serving them hot or cold. It is impossible to get bored with beans.

Last night, I used balsamic vinegar as the sauce for some large white beans. While it's not the most attractive dish to photograph (a sprinkle of parsley would have helped), it was wonderfully zesty. Roasted red pepper added sweetness and radishes gave a nice crunch. It was a tasty meal along with Oat Groats with Mint and Lemon and steamed broccoli.

(The balsamic makes these very tangy. Make sure to serve over a grain to soften the intensity.)

Balsamic Bean Stew
2 cups large white dried beans (like limas or gigantes)
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp celery salt
1 roasted red pepper, peeled and diced
8 small radishes, topped and tailed, and sliced in thirds

Pick over the white beans and discard any debris. Rinse them, then put in a large pot with water to cover by at least 2 inches. Add the diced onion. Cover, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat so the beans simmer gently until they are tender, about 2 hours. Drain the beans and stir in the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, some salt and pepper, and celery salt to taste. Add the red pepper and radishes.

Serve warm.

Serves 6

Greens and Rice

There is nothing better than looking in the fridge and seeing a container of cooked brown rice. Stirred up with some greens, it makes an easy dish for dinner.

The other day I cooked up a bunch of purple mustard greens along with the greens from a bunch of red radishes, then stirred in some cooked brown rice to dampen the heat a little.

It's a simple technique that can work for any cooked grain and any greens you have in your fridge.

Greens and Rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 bunch purple mustard greens
greens from 1 bunch red radishes
2 cups cooked brown rice

Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until tender, about 3 minutes.

Wash the greens and cut into one-inch strips. Add to the pan, sprinkle on some salt, stir well and cover the pan. Let cook 5-10 minutes until the greens are soft and tender. (The time will depend on the type of green you are using.) Stir in the brown rice, cover and cook until the rice is hot and the flavors are blended.

Season with salt and pepper, lemon juice or hot sauce to taste.

Serves 2-3

Simple Salad

We have some blue cheese crumbles in the fridge (from Organic Valley) so I've been sprinkling them on our dinner salads. The muskiness of the blue cheese complements the crunch of the vegetables and the sweet tanginess of the dressing.

Here's a salad I made the other night. It added a nice crunch to a meal of spicy rice casserole.

Simple Salad
1 shallot minced (about 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dijon
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp honey
juice of 1/2 lemon
6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
3/4 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
3/4 cup red pepper, sliced
3/4 cup radishes, halved and sliced
1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

Whisk together shallot, vinegar, oil, mustard, chives, honey and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss lettuce with a little dressing. Put on a plate. Layer cucumber, red pepper and radishes on top. Pour a little dressing over all. Sprinkle crumbles on top.

Serve with remaining dressing on the side.

Serves 2-3

Spinach Salad

I was reminiscing yesterday about a salad I ate in Paris. It was a selection of crisp lettuces with hard-boiled eggs, cheese and a mustard vinaigrette. I requested it without the ham, so the waiter brought it with chicken instead. He was quite sad that I asked him to remove the chicken too. He thought a salad with no meat was not a meal.

Those memories made me hungry for a good salad with walnut dressing. So I made one for lunch.

I started by putting an egg on to cook. I put it in cold salted water, brought it to a boil, turned off the heat and let it sit about 8 minutes until I was ready for it.

I used Malabar spinach from Finley Farms as the base. Cherry tomatoes added sweet juiciness. Walnuts and radishes added crunch.

I made a simple dressing of one spoon of dijon mustard, 2 spoons of red wine vinegar, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and olive oil to make it delicious (probably 3-4 spoonfuls, but I didn't measure).

I shelled the egg and tore it Jamie Oliver-style over the greens, then poured the vinaigrette over top and tossed it all together.

It was a very full and delicious meal. Pretty healthy too.

Green Soup

I dug through my fridge yesterday and found radish greens and rutabaga greens. I combined them in this delicious green soup that was healthy and pretty to look at.

It's an easy recipe that can be made with whatever greens you have on hand: spinach, chard, rutabaga, turnip, dandelion, mustard. I like it with spicy radish greens from the large red and black radishes. I added the cabbage-y rutabaga greens because I had them - they added a nice base note.

We ate bowls of this soup for Sunday lunch - it was warm on the sunny patio, and the soup went well with crackers and cheese.

Here's how I made it:

Green Soup

3 lbs radish and rutabaga greens

2 small bulbs fennel

1/2 large onion (about 3/4 cup)

1 clove garlic

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp butter

2 cups vegetable stock

The weight of the greens is approximate. After weighing them, I cut off the thickest stems and discarded yellowed leaves. (I don't feel bad about this because they go in the compost.) Then I washed them well, chopped them coarsely, and set them aside.

I diced the fennel bulbs. Usually I cut out the tough core, but since this soup is puréed, I didn't bother.

I sautéed the fennel, onion and garlic in the olive oil and butter until the onion was tender. I added the greens and the stock, stirred well, covered the pot, and let it cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

I took it off the heat and let it cool a little. I puréed half at a time in the blender, then reheated in a clean pot.

Great nutrition and comfort food in one.

(You can omit the butter and just use olive oil if you want a vegan soup.)

Roasted Root Vegetables

We had some totally cute root vegetables in the fridge this week: baby rutabagas, tiny turnips - I decided to roast them for dinner last night.

Usually I roast vegetables by tossing them in olive oil and salt and pepper and then cooking them in a covered casserole for 40 minutes or so until they're tender.

But last night I decided to roast them on a cookie sheet. This way they would get a little more browned in places, adding more texture.

And I think it was a success, even though I forgot to add the sprigs of fresh rosemary from the garden.

Here's what I did.

Roasted Root Vegetables
1 bunch baby rutabagas
1 bunch small turnips
1/2 a small butternut squash
4 shallots
4 medium red potatoes
2 large radishes
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 sprigs rosemary (optional)

Remove any greens and save them for another use.

Peel the rutabagas if they're hairy. Peel and chop the larger turnips, but leave the small (1 1/2 inch) ones whole. Peel and dice the butternut squash. Peel the shallots. Scrub and dice the potatoes. Peel the radishes if the skin is thick, and dice the flesh.

Toss all the roots in a bowl with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Spread on a cookie sheet, add the rosemary if using, and cook at 450°F 35-40 minutes until the vegetables are tender when poked with a small knife. (The time will depend on the size and age of your roots.)

Serves 3-4

Chickpea Salad with Soft-Boiled Eggs

When the weather is hot, it helps to have a zesty meal to tickle the tastebuds and spark the appetite.

The other night I made this simple chickpea, olive and radish salad and put an egg on top of each serving. The olives and radishes perked up the chickpeas, and the warm runny egg yolk turned it into comfort food.

It was a simple yet nourishing meal of protein, carbs and vegetables. Easy to digest, fun to eat -- it was a great summer dinner.

(I soaked the chickpeas in a large container of water in the fridge all day the day before, and then cooked them that evening. I drained them and stored them in the fridge overnight so they were ready when I needed them.)

Chickpea Salad with Soft-Boiled Eggs
1/3 cup dry chickpeas, cooked (or 1 14-oz can, drained)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup green olives, pitted and wedged
2 scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
2 eggs at room temperature

Put the cooked chickpeas in a bowl and lightly crush half of them with a potato masher. Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil and pour it on the chickpeas. Add in the olives, radishes and scallions. Spoon half on each plate.

Add the eggs to a saucepan of boiling water, cover and boil over moderately high heat for 4 minutes. Drain and put in an ice water bath for 1 minute. Crack the shells, peel the eggs, and put one on each plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve.

Serves 2

Healthy Potato Salad

Potato salads don't have to have mayonnaise.

In fact, the Italian and French way of tossing the warm potatoes in a vinaigrette makes a very flavorful salad. And it's healthy too.

I combined the potatoes with green pepper, broccoli and onion to make a colorful salad that hit the spot on a hot day.

Healthy Potato Salad
2-3 potatoes, cubed (enough to make 2 cups)
1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped radishes
2 tbsp diced green pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill (optional)

Peel and cube the potatoes. Put them in cold salted water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 10 minute depending on the size of the pieces. Drain and toss with the salad dressing. Let it marinate in the fridge a couple of hours. (This is not essential, but it intensifies the flavor.)

Cut the broccoli in bite-sized pieces, and steam until tender. Add to the potatoes along with the remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste, and a little more salad dressing if necessary.

Serves 4-5