by Sidonie Maroon , The Food Co-op Culinary Educator, abluedotkitchen.com

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This afternoon, I harvested two varieties of kale — Mars Landing, a wonderful bronzy purple with light green undersides and smooth leaves, which I haven’t cooked with yet, and one of my favorites — the Portuguese Tronchuda Beira, which is tender and beloved for its mild flavor.

Looking for salad ideas, I reached on a high shelf to grab The Trellis Cookbook by Marcel Desaulnier—contemporary American cooking in Williamsburg, Virginia, published in 1988 and a signed copy! I have an affinity for cookbooks from the 80s through the early 2000s. The authors shared their stories, wisdom, techniques, and cooking philosophies. They don’t feel the need for color pictures on every page, and still trust you have a culinary imagination. I tire of cooking blog buzz, poorly written recipes, the echo chamber, and endless ads and pop-ups. These cookbooks are old friends and so peaceful.

There was a recipe, near the back, for summer marinated vegetables. Yum, marinating would give me the opportunity to work with my kale duo.

The word marinate alludes to brine, aqua marina — sea water, it was originally used to describe a pickling process. Now, it means to soak foods in a seasoned, often acidic liquid before cooking.

Marinated vegetables cook on the grill or in the oven, both delicious techniques, and the acids in the marinade help ‘cook’ the vegetables through a tenderizing process. This is especially useful for sturdy roots and leaves.

The marinated salads I grew up on were too oily and soggy — while often in modern marinated salads, the marinade coats but never penetrates the denser vegetables.

Two approaches that solve too soggy or hard

The first technique is to blanch the vegetables — I use a large shallow skillet, bring the water to a boil, add salt and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes, depending on the vegetable’s size and shape. A perforated ladle works well to scoop the vegetables out and duck them under cold water. No need to fuss with ice cubes. By taking the time to blanch, it cooks the vegetables to perfection, yet keeps their crunch and soaks up the marinade flavors with less need for oil. Best of all, blanching creates vibrant colors, whereas just marinating dulls them.

Vegetables to Blanch Before Marinating

onions, summer squash, corn, beets, carrots, peppers, parsley (especially stems), kale, green beans, cabbage, chard, garlic…

The second is to grill or roast the vegetables to a tender bite. The marinade coats the vegetables before roasting, and I add more acid before serving. I roast in the oven at 425 F for 25 minutes. The benefit of this technique, besides incredible flavors, is leftovers. Leftover roasted/grilled marinated vegetables make omelets, sandwiches, salads…

For my kale salad, I’ll blanched the kale, onions and garlic for a minute, then rinse them in cold water and pat dry. My marinade will feature lemon, black pepper, rosemary, salt, and olive oil. Tomato, kalamata olives and parmesan cheese will top the salad. Yum, I can’t wait to try it. I’m making roast chicken and potatoes to go with and I’m looking forward to dinner.

Rosemary Lemon Kale and Olive Marinated Salad

Makes four ½ cup servings

Ingredients

Blanch

1 red onion, sliced into bite-sized pieces

4 cups kale, or one bunch, stemmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced

Marinade

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus zest

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon black pepper, ground

½ teaspoon sea salt

Topping

1 diced fresh salad tomato

½ cup kalamata olives, sliced

⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

1. Chop the vegetables ahead.

2. Bring water to a boil in a skillet or pot. Salt (½ teaspoon) the water after it comes to the boil. Add the onions, garlic and kale and bring it back to a high simmer, time one minute, and remove with a perforated ladle. Run all vegetables under cold water and pat dry.

3. Grind the salt, rosemary and pepper together, and in a small food processor or blender, blend with the lemon, zest and oil.

4. Pour the marinade over the veggies, with the cheese and olives, in a large low salad bowl and allow it to marinate for 20 minutes. Top with diced tomato and serve.

Marinated Tofu and Carrot Salad
with Buckwheat and Ginger

Serves 4 as a main dish

Ingredients

To roast

4 medium carrots, cut into thin half sticks

1 package firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

Marinade

¼ cup neutral cooking oil (I used avocado)

2 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

For Buckwheat

2 cups water

2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes

1 cup raw buckwheat groats

½ teaspoon sea salt

To season the buckwheat

¼ cup dry arame seaweed

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon hulled sesame seeds

Directions

1. Make the marinade in a blender, and mix into the carrots and tofu on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Roast at 425 F for 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add the salt, onion flakes and buckwheat. Cover with a lid, and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the buckwheat to rest with the lid on for 20 minutes.

3. In a large low salad bowl, add the buckwheat and season with the seaweed, sesame oil, tamari, and rice vinegar. Mix in the roasted carrots and tofu. Taste and add more rice vinegar if needed. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top and serve.

Basic Vegetable Marinade

Makes 1 cup

Blend until creamy

¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar

¼ cup fresh lemon juice, plus the zest

½ plus 2 tablespoons salad oil (I use avocado)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons maple syrup

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

Herbs For Marinades

Rosemary, thyme, basil, dill, mint, tarragon, parsley, chives

Oils

Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, sesame oil, walnut oil

Acids

Raw apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon, lime