Green. Fresh. Delicate. Easy. A perfect side dish for any meal.
Our New Year’s Eve tradition is to spend a nice quiet evening at home with a big plate of Osso Buco and its friends. Usually a seafood appetizer, a nice salad with homemade blue cheese dressing, a baked potato with plenty of butter and sour cream and in most years, this Green Vegetable Medley.
All you need for this spectacular array of green is some olive oil, a leek, asparagus, a handful of fresh spinach and some frozen peas. Some salt and pepper and you’ve got elegance that took all of fifteen minutes to make. A perfect accompaniment for a steak, any form of chicken breast, fish … it’s fresh and fab.
Before we get to this green recipe, let’s talk red. I’ve joined in Dogwood Photography 52 Week Photography Challenge. The first week was to take a selfie, week 2, a landscape and week 3 “red”. Our instructions: “Shoot whatever inspires you. Red should be the focus of the image. Don’t be afraid to be creative.“
I focused on things around our house. My first idea was my little sock monkey that sits on our landing. I don’t mind this one at all…bless his little blank stare heart.
Red fringe from our chenille throw on our grey couch. It has potential as an idea.
And then there was this cockamamie idea. Red silicone brush with catsup. It tells a story. And the story is “where’s the French fry?”
Bob noticed my red wool jacket in my closet buried between grey textures. I felt it was the most interesting and showed an artistic eye, so I submitted this one.
Which one is your favorite? Next week our assignment is a black and white landscape.
A simple, fresh and healthy green vegetable side dish.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bunch thin asparagus ends trimmed if tough
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small leek dark-green leaves trimmed, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (about 1 cup)
- 1 bunch spinach stems trimmed
- 4 ounces sweet baby peas
- Pinch freshly ground pepper
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Heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium high heat until oil is hot. Add asparagus and salt and saute turning frequently until just getting tender, about 5 minutes. Remove asparagus to a plate.
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Return skillet to heat, and melt butter. Add leek, and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Add spinach and peas, season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper; cover, and cook until spinach is wilted and peas are tender, about 3 minutes. Turn the vegetables out of the skillet over asparagus, and serve immediately.
Green Vegetable Medley…It’s what’s for a Side Dish.
