Side Dishes – The New Vintage Kitchen

Brown Rice Risotto with Peas and Potatoes

A celebration of the beautiful spring pea, with a healthful twist on my regular recipe, and full of flavor! When the peas start coming fast and furious, we’re all happy. Few vegetables are more perfect and versatile as the pea, and none more fleeting in its season, all the more reason to cherish. The sugar…

Light and Lively Grilled Oysters

Once you get them shucked, this is as simple as it gets, and memorable for any gathering! May is the month of my mother’s birth, her death, Mother’s Day, and, of course, here we are in the middle of Memorial Day Weekend, my thoughts turning to all of those who are no longer here: my…

Cookbook Confidential: “Oh She Glows for Dinner”

My friend Bernadette from New Classic Recipe (https://newclassicrecipe.com) came up with the wonderful idea to have an on-line cookbook club with some of her blog buddies. What a fun, and great way to choose a recipe or two from the books, cook them, and review them. Then, you decide if the book is worth you…

Finally, we have asparagus! Now, let’s make some mayonnaise.

They’re here, and what a glorious season it is in the north! That first bite of fresh local asparagus is like a gift from the heavens. There are certain vegetables I only eat when they are in season. I’ve learned disappointment is likely to follow if I’m tempted to buy corn on the cob or…

Meyer Lemon and Herb Hummus with Confit Garlic

So many possibilities! What do you like? Anyone who has been to my kitchen knows there is always a bowl of hummus in my refrigerator. It is often lunch, a snack, sometimes even breakfast or supper. We have it on a salad, offered up with cucumbers or endive leaves, smeared on rye crackers, or dressed…

Coaxing Spring one Root at a Time

Spring turnips and radishes are the flavors of right now. It has been chilly this week, but we’ve had some breaks of sunshine in the spring rains. These blessed showers brought the green grass, and the trees are starting to leaf out as well. Perfect weather for the daffodils and tulips. It does the heart…

When Life Hands You Dandelions, Make a Salad, but Let the Experts Make the Wine

Pest or gift, they live in our memories in so many ways! Long before the peas grow and blossom and fruit, when tomato plants are just inches high, and well before even the radishes are ready to slice, the weeds begin to grow in the garden and lawn. If the weeds happen to be dandelions,…

Spring-Dug Parsnip Purée with Seared Sea Scallops

Right after maple syrup, the second New England crop of the year is spring-dug parsnips, and now’s the time to find them. Parsnips are a bit finicky to germinate and grow, but they are well-worth the effort because they keep well in the north for use all winter. Many farmers “store” a certain portion of…

The Potato Pages: How do I love Thee? Can’t possibly count the ways!

Pan Roasted Baby Potatoes with White Wine and Herbs, that’s one! How many ways can one make potatoes? I think probably countless ways, and there seems to always be something new or different to add to this simple staple. I’m always ready for one more. Anyone who knows me, knows that potatoes are in the…

A Spring Salad of Three Peas and Some Pods

Peas are the star of this delightful spring salad, but the Meyer Lemon and Ginger Vinaigrette is one you’ll surely use again! A large salad can really set the tone for a holiday meal, especially if it is one that is a little different and makes its own statement of the season. Spring salads can…

New England Stewed Yellow-Eyed Beans with Greens

This New England classic tastes like no other bean, and can be slow cooked all day on the stove, in the oven, or in a slow cooker. However, you can make them in a fraction of the time in a pressure cooker, or multi-cookers. My mother was known for her baked beans, a long-baked…

Traditional Boston Baked Beans? May I introduce you to their great-granddaughter?

A New England favorite with lots of twists! In years past, every New England cook had their own recipe for Boston Baked Beans. Inexpensive, filling, and nutritious, peasant food at its best. Baked beans were a Saturday night staple dating back to Colonial times when cooking on the Sabbath was forbidden and the beans could…

Let’s Play! Steamed Mussels with Leeks and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

There’s probably a hundred ways to make mussels in white wine, so why not 101 and use some sun-dried tomatoes! Mussels are pretty popular in my house. Whether serving as a starter, a component on a buffet, or a quick and humble main dish for supper, these lovely little bivalves are always welcome, and always…

Radish & Sesame Winter Salad

There’s sesame in three ways in this lovely salad! After the holidays are over, all I want to eat is salads and light meals. My body has long since told me to behave, and I certainly listen as I turn the page on the calendar. While we try to keep things fairly healthy even during…

Cranberry Sauce with Pearl Onions and Ginger

Homemade cranberry sauce is like a sparkling jewel on the table. This jewel also packs flavor and a bit of warmth. I had some cranberries left over from Thanksgiving and a package of frozen pearl onions. They asked to be put together. If you are looking for a really quick side dish to make for…

Sherried Mushrooms on Sourdough Toasts

A simple recipe that is perfect for a snowy day! Growing up in rural New England, I was fortunate to be surrounded by forests. I was also lucky to have an uncle who was an avid forager for all things wild and wonderful in our woods. Fresh food and antique glass He lived just up…

Tangy Endive Salad that can take a year to make, or just a few minutes…

A light and refreshing side to those hearty cold weather meals. At this time of year, daylight is precious, the weather chills and we tend toward heartier suppers. Soups, stews, casseroles, all help to warm the body here in the north country. A welcome addition to any winter supper is a side salad that refreshes…

Sweet & Sour Autumn Slaw

Who doesn’t love a nice crunchy slaw? This one is packed with flavor that only gets better with time. Sometimes I find the weirdest things at the farmers market. This week, my eyes spied a cone-shaped cabbage. Yes. Connie Conehead would have snapped it up in a minute. I already had a head of radicchio…

Swiss Chard with Black Beans and Local Corn

Greens and beans and lots of local corn to keep it interesting! Summer is definitely winding down! I spotted some pumpkins and fall radishes at the farm stand today, and even though it was a humid 84 degrees, those signs reminded me that the change of season is on its way. After the heat and…

One last zucchini recipe for the season, no apologies…

We’ve enjoyed them every which way we can, and still they grow with glee. This recipe is just for fun. Ever since my own children were little, we made zucchini boats at this time of year. They enjoyed making them as much as eating them, and we’d stuff all kinds of extras in the little…

Orzo and Radicchio Salad Cups with Honey Lime Dressing

Summertime, and the living is easy, at least a little longer. We love a chilled salad, something packed with flavor that we can enjoy over a few meals without any additional cooking. Pasta salads are always at the top of the list, whether a humble macaroni salad, or colorful pasta primavera. They feed a lot,…

A little fire, a little smoke, and a few pretty vegetables

Campfire Chioggia Beets with Summer Vegetables, Garlic, and Lemon features a classic technique with a little lively added! Our camping trips with my parents always centered on playing in the water and enjoying the food. When we weren’t boating or eating, it seems like we were talking about what we were going to eat next….

How to stuff a sweet Italian

The sweet Italian frying peppers have hit the farm stands and they beg to be used in many different ways. I’m stuffing mine with smoked trout and chèvre for a delightful treat. A recipe often begins life with a flavor combination found in something totally different. I found the most beautiful sweet Italian frying peppers…

Scallion and Patty Pancakes

Right about now, you’ve probably got a lot of summer squash to use! Did you plant too many summer squash? Did your neighbor? At this time of year, summer squashes are bountiful so we’re digging out our recipes for ratatouille, roasted vegetables, zucchini bread and cakes, and any number of other dishes to use up…

Grilled Napa Cabbage with Spicy Avocado Dill Dressing

A simple salad with the delightful high summer flavors of dill and smoke! When I was growing up, my Aunt Jeanette had a marvelous stand of self-sown dill plants by the edge of her garden. Her dill was happily shared with those in the family making pickles or dilly beans this time of year. I…