This is the time of year when holiday traditions seem to envelop all aspects of our lives, from work and school activities to family obligations and décor. For some, the pressure—or pleasure, as it were—is in the kitchen and on the table during the special occasions when family and friends sit down for fun-filled feasts.
Many have their menus set. Often hosts and hostesses, and even their guests, know well in advance what time-tested dishes will greet them at holiday gatherings. However, some holiday hosts like to mix it up a bit—perhaps with a new preparation of a beloved side dish or the introduction of new offerings. , which might one day become regular additions to holiday spreads. Towards that end, we consulted with a few of New Orleans’ finest chefs. Among the myriad possibilities, we chose to focus on vegetable side dishes. Sure, everyone enjoys spinach Madeleine, stuffed mirlitons, green bean casserole, and maque choux; but perhaps one of the following dishes might inspire and appeal as well.
Note: We received so many wonderful recipes—more than we could fit in print! Find recipe recommendations that didn't appear in the December issue below, including Galatoire's Chef Michael Sichel's "Spinach Rockefeller."
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Whole Roasted Head of Cauliflower
From Chef Alon Shaya of Domenica
Domenica Executive Chef Alon Shaya’s preparation of whole roasted cauliflower is accompanied by a whipped goat-feta mixture for dunking or spreading on the crusty, flavored florets.
A James Beard Foundation finalist for Best Chef–South for the past three years, Shaya is a partner with John Besh in their premier Italian eatery located in New Orleans’ Roosevelt Hotel.
A year or so after opening Domenica in 2009, Shaya visited Israel and was delighted at the restaurants serving whole vegetables like roasted turnips. Intrigued, when he returned to New Orleans he began playing around with cauliflower recipes, utilizing the kitchen’s huge oven. “I put the dish on the menu, initially, just for the winter season, but was overwhelmed with the response,” he said. “This is a great dish to share, and one of our most requested.”
Shaya’s numerous honors and recognitions over the past five years since Domenica opened have also included selection as the creator of one of Food & Wine’s Top Kale Dishes in the U.S. Find his recipe for Crispy Tuscan Kale here.
Yield: 2–3 appetizer servings
Ingredients:
For poaching the cauliflower:
1 whole large head cauliflower, green leaves on bottom trimmed off
6+1/2 cups cold water
2+1/3 cups white wine
4 tbsp. kosher salt
1 whole bay leaf
juice of 1 lemon
4 tsp. crushed red chili flakes
2+1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. butter, unsalted
6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Method:
- Pre-heat an oven to 550° F or its highest setting. In a 4-quart saucepan, combine all nine ingredients along with the head of cauliflower. You may need to use a larger pot depending on the size of the cauliflower head.
- Place on medium heat and bring to simmer. Let cook for approximately 15 minutes or until you can easily insert a knife through the center. You want to be careful not to overcook it, or it will fall apart when you try and remove it from the pan.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the cauliflower from the poaching liquid and place onto a baking sheet. Place into the oven and cook until cauliflower is golden all over the top. Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little coarse sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. Serve with Whipped Goat Feta Cheese (recipe follows).
Whipped goat feta cheese
Yield: 4 cups (more than you will need for 3 servings, but it won’t go to waste!)
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1+1/2 cups goat feta, (a good Bulgarian feta would be a fine substitute)
1 cup goat cheese
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup cream cheese
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Method: Combine all ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth. It helps to place the cream in the blender first so that all the ingredients incorporate evenly. Remove from the blender and chill well.
Roasted Eggplant
w/ tomato-&-goat cheese topping
From Chef Susan Spicer of Bayona
Susan Spicer, chef and co-owner at the French Quarter’s acclaimed Bayona, is an eggplant fanatic: “… I can eat it any way, any time. I have yet to find an eggplant dish I didn’t like … Eggplant is a great flavor carrier that stands up well to other ingredients.”
One of Food and Wine’s “10 Best New Chefs” and recipient of the James Beard Best Chef Award Southeast, among her many honors, Spicer chose to share a dish encompassing small, seasonal eggplants such as Fairytale and Dancer with a tomato-goat cheese topping.
A wonderful and versatile preparation that complements a variety of main dishes, Spicer noted, “It’s flavorful but not too rich, and elegant without being too fussy or complicated.”
Tylertown, Mississippi’s, Ryal’s Rocking R Dairy makes a splendid goat cheese, which Spicer uses in the dish and is available at St. James Cheese Company in New Orleans and the Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
4 small to medium local eggplants, such as Dancer, Fairytale, Nubia, or Clara
8 tbsp. olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt
6 plump, ripe roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced (or more if you like)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, regular or Italian style
2–3 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
4–6 oz. fresh goat cheese (or grated Parmesan cheese, if you prefer)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and place cut side up, on a baking sheet (leave skin on). Score a couple of “X”es in the flesh, not too deep.
- Mix half the olive oil (4 tbsp.) with the lemon juice and brush the surface of each eggplant with the mixture. Sprinkle with salt and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until flesh is tender and surface is golden brown.
- If you have oil/lemon juice left over, baste about halfway through, using all the mix. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Mix tomatoes, garlic, breadcrumbs, and remaining olive oil in a small bowl. Add the basil and parsley. Then crumble in the goat cheese (or Parmesan) and mix gently. (You don’t want the goat cheese to get too mushy.)
- Divide cheese mixture evenly between eggplant halves, spooning the mixture on top. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to serve. (This can be done several hours ahead of time.)
- When ready to serve, place baking sheet in the oven (set again at 375° F) and reheat for about ten minutes, until eggplants are warmed through and topping is golden and bubbly.
Ratatouille
From Chef Laurent Rochereux of Café Degas
At Café Degas, Chef Laurent Rochereux, a native of Chablis, France, produces one of the season’s most exciting dishes, a classic version of ratatouille. Often paired with the bistro’s rack of lamb, the dish is also offered à la carte, according to co-owner Jacques Soulas, who grew up just outside of Paris.
Sous Chef Joe Turley, a Cordon Bleu graduate, presented another dish as lagniappe: eggplant Napoleon made with many of the same ingredients; find it here.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 bell peppers—red, green &
yellow, diced
1/4 cup garlic, sliced
1 tomato, diced
2 yellow squash, diced
2 zucchinis, diced
1 eggplant, diced
2 sprigs of fresh basil, pick off leaves
& mince; you can discard stems
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- In a large pot on medium-high heat, sauté onions and peppers until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add sliced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes. Season with salt only and stir.
- Add squash and zucchini. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to low to braise slowly. Cook for 10 minutes, or until squash has softened, stirring occasionally.
- Add eggplant and stir, cooking until eggplant is soft. Turn off heat. Add minced basil and stir. Check seasoning and re-season if needed.
Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Bacon
From Chef Chris Lusk of R’evolution
This side dish is from Restaurant R’evolution’s Chef de Cuisine Chris Lusk. The groundbreaking restaurant and its menu—reflecting the varied culinary cultures of south Louisiana settlers—was designed and is operated by two of the greats in the gourmet world, Chef John Folse and Chef Rick Tramonto. Brussels sprouts are in season, so there’s plenty of this fresh vegetable at grocers and farmers markets.
Yield: 2, 6 oz. servings
Ingredients:
1 lb. Brussels sprouts
1 cup onion, julienned (then sweated
in olive oil)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups bacon lardons
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Method:
- Cut and clean Brussels sprouts appropriately, removing the outer leaves and making sure all are similar in size. Place in bowl with onions, garlic, and bacon. Season with salt and pepper, then toss with extra virgin olive oil until evenly coated.
- Pour into a ceramic or glass baking dish—something that can withstand high heat—and then place in pre-heated 500° F oven. Roast Brussels sprouts for 10–15 minutes until outer leaves begin to brown. Toss occasionally for even coloring. Taste for seasoning.
Spinach Rockefeller
From Chef Michael Sichel of Galatoire’s
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
3/4 cup fennel (bulb only), chopped
1/4 cup leeks (green and white parts), chopped
1/4 cup curly parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup scallions (green and white parts), finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
2+1/4 cup cooked and drained frozen spinach, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tsp. ground anise
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Herbsaint liqueur
1 cup (2 sticks) melted, salted butter
1/2 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a food processor combine the fennel, leeks, parsley, scallions, celery, ketchup, spinach, salt, cayenne, white pepper, thyme, anise, Worcestershire, and Herbsaint. Purée the mixture thoroughly. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the contents of the food processor into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and the breadcrumbs and stir in the cream. Ensure that the mixture is well blended.
- Transfer the mixture to a 13 X 9 X 2-inch baking dish. Smooth the top so that it is an even layer. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until heated through. Once the spinach is heated through, increase the oven temperature to broil. Place the dish under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes until the top is bubbling and has formed a crust. Serve immediately.
Crispy Tuscan Kale
From Chef Alon Shaya of Domenica
Yield: 4 side servings
Ingredients:
1 bunch Tuscan kale
1/4 cup heirloom tomatoes, diced very small (any vine ripe tomato can substitute)
2 tbsp. green onions, sliced
1 tbsp. red onion, minced
2 tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
1+1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1+1/2 tsp. date vinegar
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
For batter:
1 cup chickpea flour
3/4 cup cold water
Method:
- Preheat a deep fryer or a 1 gallon capacity sauce pot with vegetable oil to 350° F. If you’re using a sauce pot on the stove, make sure it’s double the size for the amount of oil you have in it. Use a candy or oil thermometer to monitor the temperature.
- Lightly batter your kale in the chickpea flour batter and place in the hot oil. Be careful because the oil will splatter a little. Once the kale stops bubbling in the oil, remove from the oil and season with salt.
- In a large bowl, toss the seasoned crispy kale with the diced tomatoes, green onions, pine nuts, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar. Place in a serving dish and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve immediately and eat while still hot.
Eggplant Napoleon
From Chef Laurent Rochereux of Café Degas
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients:
1 eggplant, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
18–24 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1, 3–6 oz. pkg. fresh basil, leaves separated and stems discarded
1, 3–4 oz. pkg. fresh thyme, leaves separated and stems discarded
4–6 oz. gruyère cheese, finely shredded (Swiss cheese may be used as well)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Starting with the eggplant, line bottom of buttered 9x9 cake pan and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Add a layer of zucchini and then a layer of tomatoes, seasoning each lightly with salt and pepper.
- Add a layer of basil leaves, laying the leaves flat to cover as much area as possible. Then add a layer of sliced fresh mozzarella followed by a layer of thyme leaves.
- Add another layer of tomatoes and another layer of zucchini, each seasoned lightly with salt and pepper.
- Add a layer of eggplant and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add finely shredded gruyère on top in an even layer.
- Bake the Napoleon for 35 minutes or until vegetables are cooked all the way through.
