Stir-fried Cauliflower with Curry

1 head cauliflower, 3 lbs., about 4 cups of florets

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon peanut oil

2 cloves garlic, minced or presed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

1/4 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 teaspoon)

6 ounces snow peas, strings removed (about 2 cups)

2 tablespoons fresh basil, leaves only minced

sauce:

2 teaspoons red curry paste

1 cup coconut milk

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon lime zest, from 1 lime

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

For the sauce, place the red curry in a pan. Begin to heat until it smells fragrant. Add the thick part of the coconut milk, the creamy part. Bring to bubbling. Add the rest of the coconut milk. When combined, add fish sauce, lime zest and juice, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Set aside on low or take off heat.


In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook, stirring every 10 to 15 seconds, until just barely tender, about 3 minutes. Push cauliflower to sides of skillet, clearing center of pan.


Add the remaining teaspoon oil, garlic, and ginger to center of pan and mash with back of spoon; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then stir mixture into cauliflower. Reduce heat to medium-high; stir in sauce mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender, about 2 minutes; add snow peas and continue to simmer until cauliflower is fully tender, about 3 minutes longer.

Sprinkle with basil; serve immediately.

Notes:


I would double the cauliflower because there was a lot of sauce, unless I was going to eat it over rice and then I would leave it alone. If it was just a veggie dish I would cut the sauce in half.


You could also leave out the peas, I think I would prefer just the cauliflower

Grilled Asparagus with Sesame

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Recipe By: bridgette server
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:
Wooden toothpicks or bamboo skewers
1 lb. asparagus
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Salt and black pepper

Directions:

In a shallow pan, soak skewers in cold water for 1 hour, then drain
and set aside.

Preheat grill to high. Snap off the woody bases of the asparagus and
discard. Skewer 4 or 5 asparagus spears together, using the toothpicks
or 2 bamboo skewers, forming a raft shape.

In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic and
stir with a fork to mix. Brush this mixture on the asparagus rafts on
both sides. Season the asparagus with a little salt and lots of pepper.

When ready to cook, place the asparagus rafts on the hot grate and
grill until nicely browned on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle
with the sesame seeds as they grill. You can serve the asparagus as
rafts or unskewered.

Grilled Asparagus Spears

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Recipe By: bridgette server
Serving Size: 20

Ingredients:
5 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and peeled, see Cook's Note
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons kosher salt
24 match light coals
aluminum foil

Directions:

Preheat a grill.

Place asparagus on a plate. Drizzle oil over the asparagus and turn
spears until they are coated. Sprinkle with salt and turn again.

Grill asparagus for 5 minutes over a hot grill. Each minute or so,
roll each spear 1/4 turn. Asparagus should begin to brown in spots
(indicating that the natural sugars are caramelizing) but should it
not be allowed to char. Dripping oil may cause flare-ups. Keep a
glass, or spray bottle of water handy to spritz on coals, if necessary.

Remove from grill and serve immediately (eating spears with your
fingers enhances the experience).

Cook's Note: Look for firm asparagus stalks with firm deep green or
purplish tips. Also check the bottom of the spears. If they are dried
up, chances are they have been sitting around for too long. Trim off
the tough bottom of the spear by grasping each end and bending it
gently until it snaps at its natural point of tenderness, usually 2/3
of the way down the spear. If the spear is less than 6 inches long,
chances are it has already been trimmed for you. Then take a vegetable
peeler and peel off the outer skin of the lower half of the remaining
stalk.

Grilled Artichoke with Garlic Aioli & Tomato Relish

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Recipe By: bridgette server
Serving Size: 2

1 large artichoke
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 head garlic, 3 tablespoons of the roasted puree
2 tablespoon olive oil, depending on your thickness
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
kosher salt

Tomato Relish
1 medium tomato, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon onion, minced
2 leaves fresh basil, minced
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Roast the head of garlic by preheating your oven to 325 degrees.
Cut the top off of a head of garlic and cut the bottom (the root end)
so that the garlic will sit flat. Remove most of the papery skin from
the garlic, but leave just enough to hold the garlic together. Drizzle
1 tablespoon of olive oil over the garlic, then place it in a small
oven-safe casserole dish. Cover it with a lid or aluminum foil and
bake for 1 hour or until the garlic begins to brown.

2. While the garlic is roasting prepare the tomato relish by combining
all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well, then cover and
refrigerate until needed.

3. Prepare the artichoke by cutting about an inch off the top with a
sharp knife. Use scissors to clip the thorny tips off of all the outer
leaves so no one gets poked. Cut the artichoke in half down through
the middle, then bring some water to a boil in a large saucepan to
steam the artichokes. The water should be a couple inches deep in the
pan, but not so much as to cover the artichokes. If you have a
steamer, that will work as well. When the water is simmering, add the
artichokes, cover, and steam for 40 to 45 minutes or until the
artichoke is tender. Preheat your barbecue grill to high heat.

4. Squeeze about 3 tablespoon of roasted garlic from the head and
combine it with the mayo, lemon juice and salt. Stir well.

5. When the steamed artichokes are cool enough to handle, use a spoon
to scrape out the fuzzy choke inside each half. Brush melted butter
over the entire surface of each steamed artichoke half and place each
half, flat side-down on the preheated grill. Grill for 4 to 6 minutes
or until dark charring marks appear on the face of each half. Serve
grilled-side-up with tomato relish, straining the liquid from the
relish before serving, and roasted garlic mayonnaise on the side.