{Recipe Redux} Broccoli Stalk Salsa Verde

For the past few weeks, I’ve been working on a presentation that I’m giving at a conference next month.  The topic is how to make local foods affordable—cooking on a very limited budget.  As I stewed over ideas and started testing recipes and calculating costs, I had some ‘ah ha’ moments.

Part of saving money on our food budget is about not wasting food.  Every time we pitch uneaten food into the trash, we’re throwing money away.  The average American family throws out $1,600 worth of food a year!    

I started realizing the ways in which I’m guilty of that practice—not drinking all of the milk before it spoils, having a loaf of bread go stale, letting vegetables wilt in the crisper before I get to cook or eat them.  It adds up! 

So when I saw The Recipe Redux theme this month—spring cleaning, or using up all the ingredients that seem to hang around for awhile—it really hit home.  I’ve vowed to be more inventive in my cooking and put all those bits and pieces to good use—and nourishment! 

I have lots of ideas I've developed over the last month, and I'll be sharing those over the next few weeks.  But, I'm starting with broccoli stalks, which don’t get a lot of love.  Sometimes I roast them with the broccoli florets.  Sometimes I shred them in salads.  But I played with some recipes and found they are absolutely delicious when turned into a salsa verde, which is basically just a fancy name for a green sauce. 

I pureed the broccoli stalks (I didn’t even peel them) with cilantro, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, sea salt and red pepper flakes.  Use it the same way you would pesto or chimichurri.  I put it on top of a potato hash, mashed it with avocado for a zesty avocado toast, and just ate it out of the bowl with a spoon.

What are your best waste-saving tips? We’d love to hear!

Broccoli Stalk Salsa Verde

Makes about 2 cups

Stalks from a large bunch of broccoli

½ of a bunch of cilantro, stems and leaves (about 1 cup)

Zest and juice of one lemon

½ teaspoon sea salt

Large pinch of red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and process together until smooth.  Use as a dip, topping for toast, or sauce for eggs.  Or, use your imagination!

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{Recipe Redux} Roasted Carrot Harissa Spread

I have been known, on occasion, to eat salsa straight from the jar with a spoon.  Hot sauce on eggs? Yes!  Spicy zhug on falafel? Of course.  Pasta Arrabiata? The spicier, the better.

So when I saw this month’s Recipe Redux challenge—spicy, smoky foods—I was happy.  Spicy may be on-trend in food this year, but it’s always been a winner in my kitchen.  Red chile flakes make an appearance in almost every recipe.  I like their subtle heat better than the sometimes harsh bite of black pepper.

I made this Roasted Carrot Harissa Spread for a party and served it as part of a crostini bar with several other dips and homemade ricotta.  It’s sweet and slightly smoky from the deeply roasted carrots, spicy from the dried chilies, and rich and creamy simply from a little olive oil and a good blender.  It will keep in the refrigerator for several days—if you can prevent yourself from eating it with a spoon.

If you've never heard of harissa, it is a spicy Middle Eastern and North African condiment made from blending chile peppers with toasted spices and olive oil, and I use it often in cooking.  It is sometimes blended with tomatoes to make a sauce, but I blended it with roasted carrots to make a thick and creamy dip or spread.  It's so delicious, you'd never guess it's a healthy and fiber-filled source of beta carotene! 

While I originally made the harissa as a dip, since then I’ve eaten it for breakfast lunch and dinner.  Here are a few ideas:

I eat an open-faced egg sandwich for breakfast almost every morning.  Spread the carrot harissa on toast and top with a fried egg.  You did it—vegetables for breakfast! And you didn’t even notice. 

You know how much we love avocado toast!  For lunch, spice up your avocado toast by spreading the harissa on toast and topping with slices of avocado and a dollop of ricotta cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

For dinner, stir the harissa into hot whole wheat pasta with some fresh arugula and top with fresh goat cheese.

If you make the harissa, we’d love to hear from you! What’s your favorite way to use it?

Roasted Carrot Harissa Spread

This recipe was adapted from this one from Food52.

3 dried ancho chile peppers

1 dried ancho chile pepper

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

¼ teaspoon black caraway seeds

6 large carrots

Sea salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling

Zest of one lemon

Juice of half a lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the chilies in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them stand for 30 minutes, until softened.

Place the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black caraway seeds in a small pan.  Heat the pan over medium heat and toast the spices for a few minutes, until you can smell them roasting.  Take them off the heat and let them cool.  Grind them in a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle. 

Place the carrots on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with sea salt and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over carrots. Toss to coat evenly.  Roast the carrots for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the carrots are browned and very tender.

Drain the water from chilies, reserving water.  Remove the stem from the chilies and then place the chilies in the bowl of a food processor (if you don’t want the harissa as spicy, remove some of the seeds).

Add the carrots to the food processor, along with the toasted spices, another tablespoon olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Process the mixture until it is very smooth, using a little of the chile water to loosen the paste, if necessary.  It should have a very thick consistency.

Taste and adjust salt, lemon and olive oil, as needed.  Transfer harissa to a container with an airtight lid, cover top surface with a drizzle of olive oil and let mixture sit at least one hour and up to 24 (in refrigerator) before using.  The harissa will keep for 3 – 4 days, covered, in the refrigerator.

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