Dishes that if you were to mention them to the average person, the average person would not know what the dish is. So not something like potato salad that is actually pretty common.
Be sure to pull off the outer leaves first and only shred the hearts. Then take the outer leaves, toss them in a little oil and seasoning, and air fry until crispy.
I recommend fondant daikon instead. It is much healthier, more unusual, and a melt-in-your-mouth type of dish. Braised in butter and dashi (or even beef stock), and super nice also with a bit of miso added.
I'll add creamed peas and onions to the list. It's a very old fashioned dish that's gone missing in cookbooks but is so so very good.
It's just pearl onions, boiled and then a beschamel using the onion stock and stirring in the onions. Pour that over petite peas and bake for 25 minutes in a hot oven. My family demands it every single year for the holidays.
So true, my dad had been making creamed onions as his “speciality” at thanksgiving for years and it’s the side that goes the quickest, the béchamel with some really dark turkey gravy is just unmatched
Bechamel and gravy is the best thing to drown any yorkshire pudding in - a mix of good dark gravy and the cheese sauce from cauliflower cheese soaks into the base of the yorkshires if you save them for last, then you get a crunchy top and the most amazing base. Unbelievably good.
corn pudding. My grandma was from east Pa. they used dried corn but I can rarely find that out west. Any corn will do. Basically corn, eggs, milk, sugar ,salt, pinch cinnamon..get creative, but thats the base..slow bake..goes great with ham, turkey, etc..there's tons of recipes out there..easy to make ahead as well.
Wow, I’ve remembered fondly the corn pudding my gran made but had totally forgotten about the dried corn! I can see and taste it again suddenly in my memory. Also from PA.
Steamed white potatoes tossed with olive oil, butter, white wine vinegar and a ton of fresh tarragon. Finish with plenty of salt and a grated garlic clove.
Caramelized cabbage
Grated zucchini cooked down with garlic, chili flakes, heavy cream and all the parm
My father is from Austria. His recipe has no caraway, and uses apple cider vinegar instead of white & tomato paste instead of peeled tomatoes. Sugar might clump when it goes into the oil, just be patient and it'll melt into a liquid caramel. Granted his recipe starts with combining the sugar & oil before adding the onions, and I will definitely be trying the method above because it sounds like less of a pain in the butt.
I feel like most people in the US sleep on steamed/boiled and salted edamame, maybe because it's not really something you can find in the supermarket? Very basic but goes with everything, and healthy to boot.
Really? I feel like that's one of the most popular appetizers at every sushi restaurant I've ever been to even in non-major cities. Even Birdseye makes a microwaveable steam bag of the frozen full pods for an easy snack or side. And there was awhile about 15 years ago where edamame was the cult popular ingredient that was everywhere in the US before it was usurped by quinoa. I still see it used in a lot of health conscious recipes. I'm not saying that it's not a great dish, I just wouldn't say it's slept on.
I see them at the supermarket all the time--fresh or frozen. But I think most people do not think you can eat the pod. I did not buy them for years for that reason.
It's really not ideal to eat the pod. It's basically roughage - tough to digest with not much nutrient value. If you don't already have a high fiber diet, you're likely to get stomach upset from them. You can season the pod and get some of that flavor when sucking out the soybeans.
My supervisor grows edamame and she finally convinced me to grow them this year but they are not the easiest thing to grow so I didn’t get many this year but I’m excited to try again next year- they are delicious steamed.
Butter braised cabbage. Maybe others are different, but I only knew of cabbage around St. Patrick's Day growing up. Discovered cooking cabbage in butter a few years ago and it is one of the simplest and tastiest side dishes I have ever had (just butter, cabbage, salt and pepper). It's kind of like caramelizing onions in that it takes longer than you think, and it isn't the prettiest, but it tastes way more luxurious than anyone thinks.
Stir-fried dried anchovies. It's one of the quintessential banchan of Korea, but it's practically unknown elsewhere.
You just get a pack of tiny dried anchovies and stir-fry it in some oil (plus a bit of sesame oil), rice syrup/maltose, and either soy sauce or gochujang depending on whether you want it mild or spicy.
can you elaborate please ! my cardoons have gotten really big each summer + love using the leaves in big bouquets but would love to cook with them next summer too ! thanks in advance 🙏🏼
Braised Fennel. It's basically just fennel bulbs, sliced, cooked in heavy cream and Parmesan, cooked hard in shallowish dish in a broiler. The place I worked that had it use specifically Grana Padano Parmesan, which I think had an impact. It should come out to a rich, creamy sauce and the fennel should be soft, slightly charred and a touch sweet.
A slight variation - replace the pecans with chopped macadamia nuts, replace everything else with some butter and coconut cream and sweetened condensed milk.
Wild rice. Not the uncle Ben’s that has 3 pieces in it, but actual wild rice. So many variations you can make with it. My personal favorite is with mushrooms, chicken stock, onion, garlic, a little heavy cream and Parmesan.
Leeks gratin. Sautée rounds of leeks and plenty of minced garlic, salt and pepper in a pan of cream until they soften, lay them in a flat layer in a baking dish and top with lots of grated pecorino and bake until the cheese melts and is golden. It’s really easy and was the favorite at multiple Thanksgiving dinners this year
Mango Slaw - quick, easy and a great side with anything that is spicy. I do -
Juice of two limes whisked with two tablespoons of honey, 1/2 teaspoon of celery salt and some pepper. Toss it with a 16 ounce bag of coleslaw mix and two mangos skinned and chopped. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour.
I make something similar with shredded cabbage, thinly sliced red onion, minced cayenne or other hot pepper, chopped cilantro, chopped mango, fresh lime zest and juice, and salt and pepper. I don’t even measure anything; it’s so easy and tasty.
This is the best way to make so many vegetables and it's super easy and hands-off. Sadly my wife doesn't like roasted vegetables so we don't have them often. Broccolini especially is fantastic like this.
Succotash. My family made this instead of green bean casserole at thanksgiving.
Cut a pound of bacon into little pieces and fry up in a soup pot. Add chopped onion when bacon gets soft. When onion is soft, add a bag of frozen Lima beans. Then add a bag of frozen corn. Cover with water by an inch and put on back burner for the day. Stir regularly.
It needs to cook for a while for the beans to start leaking their starch. Add salt and pepper to your hearts content. Sometimes I add some butter at the end to smooth it.
Then try to get people to try it before they know it’s Lima beans!
Boiled potatoes, cool and peel. Dice, add grated onion, olive oil, red vinegar, salt pepper, smashed garlic and oregano. I call it Greek Potato Salad. Better for summer than the ones with mayo and you can omit the onions if you don’t like them.
Braised Belgian endive. Bit of butter/olive oil to start and slightly brown the endive, then chicken stock by the ladleful- let it cook down, then repeat - until the endive are tender. So good!
Super easy. My mom used to boil carrots (she used to slice them into one inch chunks and then baby carrots were a thing), drain them, turn them with a can of cream of mushroom soup and a splash of milk (maybe 2-4 tablespoons), and then add a jar of drained cocktail onions. 80s chic. 😂
Napa cabbage, shredded. Mr noodles, dry and crushed. Slivered almonds fried in butter. With a homemade dressing that consists of vinegar, oil, sugar and soya sauce
Salt Potatoes or Syracuse Potatoes. Small, whole potatoes cooked in highly salted water (sea salt or kosher salt, not iodized). Do not peel the potatoes, and only poke ONE as your testing potato, when checking for done-ness.
The high salt content (and minerals contained) make the interior of the potato creamy and beautifully flavored! As you drain the potatoes, the outside of the skin develops a salty crust, but the interior of the potato absorbs very little of the salt, because the skin is intact. It’s chemistry and food= flavor and fabulous texture. And all it requires is: potatoes, sea/kosher salt, water and a large pot! You can melt butter for serving, but we love them plain!
Hey dont knock it until you have tried it. In the south, we don't waste anything. My all-time favorite is smoked hock and blackeye peas. This time of year, that smoky creamy dish with some corn bread is a meal unto itself.
Give me my blackeye peas and cornbread or give me death! Seriously though, I like to make a stock with that smoke ham hock and then use it for the peas along with hock meat. Come and get it yall!
Kilt lettuce! Crispy fried bacon, shredded lettuce, and sometimes thinly sliced white onion that you top with a hot bacon fat, vinegar, and sugar dressing.
I love this cured broccoli dish, one of my favorites and you make it ahead. Broccoli doesn’t get soft and the flavor is amazing. You can eat the leftovers too.
Spiced red cabbage.there are plenty of recipes but the jest is you melt butter in the largest lib pan you have, add a bit of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise, then add in sliced red cabbage, just fill it up, then a half cup or so of apple juice or water and a splash of vinegar either red wine or apple cider. Cover and cook for about 10. Mix it up.
You can also add shredded apple and/or onion to the cabbage. Really simple, really easy, very tasty, and quite pretty.
I have no idea how widely available they are, but sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes?) are so delicious. Like an artichoke and a potato had a nutty baby.
Caramelized fish sauce veggies. It's a 1:1:1 ratio of brown sugar and water and fish sauce. Make an almost burnt caramel, throw in some fish sauce to break it up and finish some veggies (green beans of brussels are my favorite). Soooo good
Idk which type of side dishes youre talking about but korean side dishes are a gem. Really easy to make and really good to pair with almost everything.
I like to put the sliced potatoes on their edges in the baking dish (as opposed to layered horizontally in the dish) so that the slices are creamy from the sauce on the bottom but browned and crispy on top. Kind of a combo of dauphinoise/hasselback. If anyone knows the actual name for this variation, I’d appreciate it
A small glass of vodka and some finely chopped raw shallots to go with fish and seafood. The slight sweetness and chemical burn of both alcohol and onions goes extremely well with pickled, cured or raw fish.
I really like blackened green beans. Gotta be skinny green beans (french style, or similar, just not fat/starchy/stringy ones). Use leftover steamed or boiled beans, or frozen ones.
Sautee on high heat without stirring till you get enough browned/blackened bits, then stir them up & add seasoning during the last few minutes of cooking:
To accompany Euro type dishes, add minced garlic or garlic powder, & chopped parsley.
To accompany Asian dishes, garlic can also be used; add a splash of soy or fish sauce, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and/or a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Some Chinese black bean paste probably wouldn't hurt if you want an extra umami punch.
Sautéed spinach- takes two minutes, one pan, and is healthy and delicious. A little olive oil in the pan, thrown in many handfuls of spinach (it will shrink) and some minced garlic. Salt and pepper. Cook it for a few seconds, then drizzle in a tablespoon of water and start folding the spinach over- it’ll wilt nicely and very quickly. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve. Done.
We like to make something we call “ranch broccoli” and I literally just toss broccoli florets in olive oil and then ranch powder seasoning mix and roast at 425F for 20 minutes.
There are a couple Korean banchan I love and are super simple to make: the spinach banchan which is just blanching spinach, cold shock and squeeze it out, then toss with sesame oil, minced garlic, soy sauce. And the sprout banchan which, if you're feeling lazy, can be with exactly the same ingredients as the spinach one above (but typically also has sesame seeds, sliced scallions, and sometimes gochugaru).
Bringing the pot of water up to boil for the blanching is the longest part of either of these and they are usually eaten cold so you can make a big batch and chuck it in the fridge in Tupperware and eat it for days.
I make a variation of funges, it's a medieval dish.
Sautee sliced leek and mushrooms in butter, then cook low and slow for a little while, you don't want them to burn, add a little poudre fort, some salt, and a dash of stock.
I also like to fry chickpeas with garlic (also inspired by a medieval dish).
Roughly chop several cloves of garlic and fry in oil, add a drained and rinsed can of chickpeas, toss them in the oil for a while. Add a table spoon of pine nuts, when they take on a hint of colour, add some cumin and salt.
Armoured turnips. That is a medieval dish. Plenty of recipes for it online. It's good.
Shredded cabbage dressed with blood orange olive oil and blood orange white balsamic vinegar. Any other orange oil and balsamic work too.
Curried potato salad. Cubes of cooked potato dressed with a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise with salt, pepper, curry powder and a bit of sugar.
Indonesian egg recipes like Pindang Telur or Sambal Goreng Telur.
I don’t know why more people aren’t shredding Brussel sprouts and sautéing them with bacon and garlic.
This is a common Christmas side dish in the U.K.. We also add some chopped chestnuts, and possibly use pancetta instead of bacon.
I hate brussel sprouts but this actually sounds good and might just change my opinion. Thanks for the idea!
Sautéing them in a little fat or oil really changes them. Like, they aren’t stinky.
modern sprouts (last 10 years) have been grown with much less bitterness than what they used to have
Is THIS why I finally like them!!! Thank you!!!
thank the farmers!
No, thank the Dutch Plant Breeders! https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/10/30/773457637/from-culinary-dud-to-stud-how-dutch-plant-breeders-built-our-brussels-sprouts-bo
There are only two things I can't stand in this world: people who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch
Take it up a notch and use crispy prosciutto, toasted pine nuts and balsamic glaze.
Roast them first it’s less time and is so good
Shredding? Please elaborate. Like on a cheese grater or just finely sliced?
I recently discovered them but have only oven roasted. Would love to do more.
Like with a mandolin!
Yes. Or a few pulses in the food processor. My fingertips are scared of the mandolin.
Every time I use the mandolin one of our guests enjoys a little part of me.
Oh my god, I laughed at this. I have a mandolin sitting in my shopping cart, I'm suddenly feeling a strong urge to share myself too.
Get an oyster shucking glove to go with it
I read this and just kept scrolling… then realized what I just read! 💀😆
Cut resistant gloves are your friend.
Not like on a cheese grater. More like make 4-5 slices in 1 Brussel sprout. Like shredding cabbage for Cole slaw, but on a smaller scale.
Thank you for this! I'm excited to try this out!
I think you can buy them shredded.
We shred them with a grater and toss them with a Caesar dressing for a salad
i cook them halved with the same (and butter ofc) , winner
shredding? interesting. i usually halve them and sauté with bacon and garlic. i'll need to try out the shredded version.
Because they are cutting them in half, oiling them, then roasting them dark and delicious.
Be sure to pull off the outer leaves first and only shred the hearts. Then take the outer leaves, toss them in a little oil and seasoning, and air fry until crispy.
Finishing them with some acid like champagne vinegar or a squeeze of lemon really brightens them up.
I do this but add roughly chopped hazelnuts and freshly grated nutmeg as well.
Why not just cabbage?
The ratio of crispy edge to cruciferous middle is much higher with the sprouts.
I’m not sure why, but “cruciferous middle” will be the name of my next band/cat/car/child
And cream … nutmeg makes it pop
I wanted to do bacon and Brussels sprout gratin on Thanksgiving and ended up doing shaved sprouts and shallots with a bechamel and tomme cheese.
Air fry brussel sprouts cut in half with oil & seasoning. Top with a drizzle of garlic aioli. They get crispy and are sooo good!!
We do this without shredding.
I go for quartered and roasted with some balsamic, bacon lardons and chestnuts.
Why would someone do that in a world with cabbage (whole or bagged)?
Cheaper and easier to shred.
Fondant potatoes
They look really fancy and people are either intimidated by them or have never heard of them. They are actually extremely simple and super delicious.
My favorite thing about them is how they stay warm for a long time when served because all the heat is trapped in the bulk of the potato chunk.
I recommend fondant daikon instead. It is much healthier, more unusual, and a melt-in-your-mouth type of dish. Braised in butter and dashi (or even beef stock), and super nice also with a bit of miso added.
In fairness, I come from a family that always deep fries potatoes, so fondant style is already healthier!
Seriously though the fondant daikon sounds awesome and I will have to give that a try. Thanks!
Potatoes are an epically healthy vegetable but I do love daikon thoroughly cooked in dashi.
Holy shit i have a massive daikon in my fridge rn.
Oh! Intriguing …
in my experience: creamed leeks
Oh yes, this! So delicious!
I'll add creamed peas and onions to the list. It's a very old fashioned dish that's gone missing in cookbooks but is so so very good.
It's just pearl onions, boiled and then a beschamel using the onion stock and stirring in the onions. Pour that over petite peas and bake for 25 minutes in a hot oven. My family demands it every single year for the holidays.
So true, my dad had been making creamed onions as his “speciality” at thanksgiving for years and it’s the side that goes the quickest, the béchamel with some really dark turkey gravy is just unmatched
Bechamel and gravy is the best thing to drown any yorkshire pudding in - a mix of good dark gravy and the cheese sauce from cauliflower cheese soaks into the base of the yorkshires if you save them for last, then you get a crunchy top and the most amazing base. Unbelievably good.
Oh don't do this to me! We polished off ALL the creamed onions with ALL the turkey gravy 2 weeks ago and now I want more!! I demand more!
lol, me too, I got to dinner late so my portion was woefully small, so I totally feel for you!
Awww, I'm so sorry for you! I managed two helpings before they were gone.
I wish I could find pearl onions in Australia. Never seen them here and I miss eating them :(
Any seasoning? How hot is the oven?
Thank you! I’m going to try this.
corn pudding. My grandma was from east Pa. they used dried corn but I can rarely find that out west. Any corn will do. Basically corn, eggs, milk, sugar ,salt, pinch cinnamon..get creative, but thats the base..slow bake..goes great with ham, turkey, etc..there's tons of recipes out there..easy to make ahead as well.
Wow, I’ve remembered fondly the corn pudding my gran made but had totally forgotten about the dried corn! I can see and taste it again suddenly in my memory. Also from PA.
i can still taste it too!! the PA Dutch folks sure could do comfort food. Shoo fly pie? Apie cake? Lebanon Bologna?
Thanks for the memories! I used to include hominy with the corn. So great on a cold day.
We add maple syrup, it's the best
This is always on my Christmas menu. So comforting.
Steamed white potatoes tossed with olive oil, butter, white wine vinegar and a ton of fresh tarragon. Finish with plenty of salt and a grated garlic clove.
Caramelized cabbage
Grated zucchini cooked down with garlic, chili flakes, heavy cream and all the parm
Please tell me more about caramelized cabbage
You could try Austrian paradeiskraut https://diaryofamadhausfrau.com/2018/07/paradise-kraut.html
My father is from Austria. His recipe has no caraway, and uses apple cider vinegar instead of white & tomato paste instead of peeled tomatoes. Sugar might clump when it goes into the oil, just be patient and it'll melt into a liquid caramel. Granted his recipe starts with combining the sugar & oil before adding the onions, and I will definitely be trying the method above because it sounds like less of a pain in the butt.
Has always been a favorite of mine.
Sautéed barley and mushroom
Barely in general, frankly.
Frankly? I barely know her!
Buckwheat groats are nice too.
Yes! buckwheat as a breakfast grain like oatmeal? So delicious with some maple syrup
Skordalia ! Pronounced skor-die-ya, it's a Greek dish of mashed potatoes, but served cold and VERY garliky!
I feel like most people in the US sleep on steamed/boiled and salted edamame, maybe because it's not really something you can find in the supermarket? Very basic but goes with everything, and healthy to boot.
Really? I feel like that's one of the most popular appetizers at every sushi restaurant I've ever been to even in non-major cities. Even Birdseye makes a microwaveable steam bag of the frozen full pods for an easy snack or side. And there was awhile about 15 years ago where edamame was the cult popular ingredient that was everywhere in the US before it was usurped by quinoa. I still see it used in a lot of health conscious recipes. I'm not saying that it's not a great dish, I just wouldn't say it's slept on.
I see them at the supermarket all the time--fresh or frozen. But I think most people do not think you can eat the pod. I did not buy them for years for that reason.
It's really not ideal to eat the pod. It's basically roughage - tough to digest with not much nutrient value. If you don't already have a high fiber diet, you're likely to get stomach upset from them. You can season the pod and get some of that flavor when sucking out the soybeans.
My friend eats them all the time. I had some at her place and bought some for the first time.
I did not like it much, but I thought I had screwed up her cooking instructions.
My son eats watermelon rinds, but that doesn’t mean everyone should.
My brother eats chicken bones
There's really no good way to cook them. They will always be very chewy because they're mostly indigestible fiber.
My supervisor grows edamame and she finally convinced me to grow them this year but they are not the easiest thing to grow so I didn’t get many this year but I’m excited to try again next year- they are delicious steamed.
I buy them at any major supermarket
Always have a bag in my freezer. I steam for about 6 mins then hit with some course salt.
We eat this almost weekly- and easily find it in our local grocery stores.
I agree people dont eat it enough, but it's in the supermarkets up here (western CT), frozen food section, in pods, microwave and salt em.
Butter braised cabbage. Maybe others are different, but I only knew of cabbage around St. Patrick's Day growing up. Discovered cooking cabbage in butter a few years ago and it is one of the simplest and tastiest side dishes I have ever had (just butter, cabbage, salt and pepper). It's kind of like caramelizing onions in that it takes longer than you think, and it isn't the prettiest, but it tastes way more luxurious than anyone thinks.
Try adding carraway.
Stir-fried dried anchovies. It's one of the quintessential banchan of Korea, but it's practically unknown elsewhere.
You just get a pack of tiny dried anchovies and stir-fry it in some oil (plus a bit of sesame oil), rice syrup/maltose, and either soy sauce or gochujang depending on whether you want it mild or spicy.
I’m partial to the dried squid myself.
Those squid are SO good
Indonesian ikan terri is just the fried dried fish with a bit of salt. Used as a garnish on rice and curries.
I love the banchan one with anchovies and black beans.
Bitter greens like dandelions, boiled, sautéed with garlic and hot pepper flakes and topped with Italian tuna in oil.
Creamed spinach, it’s so delicious!
I love all the classic steakhouse sides, creamed spinach most of all!
My cheat is to make Alfredo and wilt the spinach into it. Barely makes it from the pan to the table.
Sichuan shredded potatoes
I. Do. Not. Understand why several versions of this aren’t in every fusion or trendy restaurant in the U.S.
The one that’s like a tower of fried potato sticks, dusted in “cayenne” pepper —- that’d be a quick, easy, and inexpensive bar snack right there.
I haven't had it fried but that would not be a difficult thing for US audience to get behind!
Can you explain more? How is this made?
Some serve it hot stir fry like this but I first had it served cold like a salad. In fact, it was just called "potato salad".
Cardoon gratin
Cardoons are so hard to come by where I live.
can you elaborate please ! my cardoons have gotten really big each summer + love using the leaves in big bouquets but would love to cook with them next summer too ! thanks in advance 🙏🏼
TIL what a cardoon is - a relative of artichokes and you eat the stems instead of the flower head.
I just had dauphinoise potatoes and they were pretty good! Pretty easy to make if you have a mandoline.
Braised Fennel. It's basically just fennel bulbs, sliced, cooked in heavy cream and Parmesan, cooked hard in shallowish dish in a broiler. The place I worked that had it use specifically Grana Padano Parmesan, which I think had an impact. It should come out to a rich, creamy sauce and the fennel should be soft, slightly charred and a touch sweet.
Glaze walnuts in maple syrup. After they cool, chop them, add them to roasted butternut squash, splash on some maple syrup and toss. Easy peasy.
A slight variation - replace walnuts with peacans
A slight variation - replace the pecans with chopped macadamia nuts, replace everything else with some butter and coconut cream and sweetened condensed milk.
Sautee lightly, add sweetened shredded coconut.
Brush onto my mouth.
Creamed cabbage. This recipe is delicious. The perfect side dish for that Easter ham that no one can nail. The lemon zest is a chef's kiss. https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/creamed-green-cabbage
Wild rice. Not the uncle Ben’s that has 3 pieces in it, but actual wild rice. So many variations you can make with it. My personal favorite is with mushrooms, chicken stock, onion, garlic, a little heavy cream and Parmesan.
Leeks gratin. Sautée rounds of leeks and plenty of minced garlic, salt and pepper in a pan of cream until they soften, lay them in a flat layer in a baking dish and top with lots of grated pecorino and bake until the cheese melts and is golden. It’s really easy and was the favorite at multiple Thanksgiving dinners this year
Melting potatoes
I did melting sweet potatoes for thanksgiving this year and they were a huge hit! Will make again
Mini meatballs in teriyaki sauce.
Takes me back to the 70’s.
Mango Slaw - quick, easy and a great side with anything that is spicy. I do -
Juice of two limes whisked with two tablespoons of honey, 1/2 teaspoon of celery salt and some pepper. Toss it with a 16 ounce bag of coleslaw mix and two mangos skinned and chopped. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour.
I make something similar with shredded cabbage, thinly sliced red onion, minced cayenne or other hot pepper, chopped cilantro, chopped mango, fresh lime zest and juice, and salt and pepper. I don’t even measure anything; it’s so easy and tasty.
Yamitsuki cabbage:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/yamitsuki-cabbage/#h-how-to-make-yamitsuki-cabbage
If you’ve been to Japanese izakaya you know what’s up. It’s super easy and simple to make but is so refreshing and tasty. Healthy too.
The west is still sleeping on kimchi for sure.
Grilled broccoli, broccolini, cauliflower, carrots. Green beans. Grilled vegetables in general but especially those.
This is the best way to make so many vegetables and it's super easy and hands-off. Sadly my wife doesn't like roasted vegetables so we don't have them often. Broccolini especially is fantastic like this.
It’s also so easy. I’ve hosted dinners where I fired up the grill just to do a platter of vegetables.
Zucchini cakes - think potato pancakes but lower in carbs. Very tasty, too.
Creamed pearl onions.
Caraway butter noodles
My mother used to make creamed pearl onions when we were growing up. I’ve not had them since 😕
Steamed Swiss chard with butter, s&p and white vinegar
Braised celery! Celery stalks, chicken broth, poultry seasoning.
Cucumber salads, theres one to match damn near every world cuisine, super quick and easy to make.
Creamed spinich, theres an Indian version thats stellar.
Grilling sides: stuffed mushrooms, quartered cabbage, pepper poppers and Naan or Flatbread pizza.
Palak paneer?!
Couscous. Cooks just like pasta and can be prepared a multitude of ways.
Make sure it’s Pearl couscous
Zucchini pie. So good savory wonderful
Roasted or sautéed celeriac (celery root) It's a under appreciated root vegetable. You can even serve it mashed, like potatoes
I was noticing that all the old time menus posted on here have buttered onions listed as a side so I decided to try them. Totally recommend.
Succotash. My family made this instead of green bean casserole at thanksgiving.
Cut a pound of bacon into little pieces and fry up in a soup pot. Add chopped onion when bacon gets soft. When onion is soft, add a bag of frozen Lima beans. Then add a bag of frozen corn. Cover with water by an inch and put on back burner for the day. Stir regularly.
It needs to cook for a while for the beans to start leaking their starch. Add salt and pepper to your hearts content. Sometimes I add some butter at the end to smooth it.
Then try to get people to try it before they know it’s Lima beans!
Green bean casserole with the can of soup and the fancy schmancy onion thingies.
Not unknown, obviously, but I love sleeping on macaroni and cheese. But any "mushy" food can be put atop, or used as a bed.
If you let the pudding develop a skin… it’s almost like a waterbed…
Yorkshire pudding, fried okra, grilled lettuce
Roasted cabbage and leeks or onions
Lawry’s spinach
Corn pudding.
Roasted sweet potato slices.
Boiled potatoes, cool and peel. Dice, add grated onion, olive oil, red vinegar, salt pepper, smashed garlic and oregano. I call it Greek Potato Salad. Better for summer than the ones with mayo and you can omit the onions if you don’t like them.
Minted Peas
Braised Belgian endive. Bit of butter/olive oil to start and slightly brown the endive, then chicken stock by the ladleful- let it cook down, then repeat - until the endive are tender. So good!
Super easy. My mom used to boil carrots (she used to slice them into one inch chunks and then baby carrots were a thing), drain them, turn them with a can of cream of mushroom soup and a splash of milk (maybe 2-4 tablespoons), and then add a jar of drained cocktail onions. 80s chic. 😂
Our family does a Napa salad that is to die for
Napa cabbage, shredded. Mr noodles, dry and crushed. Slivered almonds fried in butter. With a homemade dressing that consists of vinegar, oil, sugar and soya sauce
super simple but I love carrot & swede mash. keep it chunky with lots of butter and its perfect with any roast meat especially beef.
Creamy Onion and Swiss Cheese Casserole was a standard at Thanksgiving in my house for years. I initially found it in an issue of Martha Stewart's Food magazine in the early '00s. Here's a link to what appears to be the same recipe: https://homepressurecooking.com/recipe/onion-and-swiss-cheese-casserole-recipe/
Salt Potatoes or Syracuse Potatoes. Small, whole potatoes cooked in highly salted water (sea salt or kosher salt, not iodized). Do not peel the potatoes, and only poke ONE as your testing potato, when checking for done-ness.
The high salt content (and minerals contained) make the interior of the potato creamy and beautifully flavored! As you drain the potatoes, the outside of the skin develops a salty crust, but the interior of the potato absorbs very little of the salt, because the skin is intact. It’s chemistry and food= flavor and fabulous texture. And all it requires is: potatoes, sea/kosher salt, water and a large pot! You can melt butter for serving, but we love them plain!
Goatcheese stuffed dates.
crash hot potatoes for sure
sesame garlic broccoli great to prep ahead too
Fried frog legs or squirrel soup
People hate that you're giving an honest answer. 😛
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/157849/slow-cooker-squirrel-and-veggies/
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/159339/fried-frogs-legs/
Hey dont knock it until you have tried it. In the south, we don't waste anything. My all-time favorite is smoked hock and blackeye peas. This time of year, that smoky creamy dish with some corn bread is a meal unto itself.
Some yankee downvoted ya, but I fixed that right away.
Crazy, it's ok to label a man by politics and come out swinging, but labeling someone based on a regional divide and you're some loon, apparently.
Give me my blackeye peas and cornbread or give me death! Seriously though, I like to make a stock with that smoke ham hock and then use it for the peas along with hock meat. Come and get it yall!
Carrot/bean/etc fritters with leftover veggies.
Kilt lettuce! Crispy fried bacon, shredded lettuce, and sometimes thinly sliced white onion that you top with a hot bacon fat, vinegar, and sugar dressing.
I dunno, not really a side but have you ever warmed green olives and then finished them with orange zest and tarragon?
Butternut squash baked with brown sugar and butter and cumin!! Mashed
I love this cured broccoli dish, one of my favorites and you make it ahead. Broccoli doesn’t get soft and the flavor is amazing. You can eat the leftovers too.
NYTimes broccoli salad
Doesn’t get much simpler than sautéed spinach which if you put a ton of garlic is as good as any vegetable dish there is in my opinion.
Spiced red cabbage.there are plenty of recipes but the jest is you melt butter in the largest lib pan you have, add a bit of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise, then add in sliced red cabbage, just fill it up, then a half cup or so of apple juice or water and a splash of vinegar either red wine or apple cider. Cover and cook for about 10. Mix it up.
You can also add shredded apple and/or onion to the cabbage. Really simple, really easy, very tasty, and quite pretty.
My family really likes the small Bok Choy as a side. It’s pretty versatile in terms of working with a variety of main courses.
I only just recently heard about "church lady rice". I'm an atheist fwiw. It calls for an entire stick of butter.
More of an appetizer, but this was my favorite food as a kid, but my mom would only make it for potlucks and holidays! Artichoke nibbles.
https://www.sunset.com/recipe/artichoke-nibbles
I have no idea how widely available they are, but sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes?) are so delicious. Like an artichoke and a potato had a nutty baby.
Caramelized fish sauce veggies. It's a 1:1:1 ratio of brown sugar and water and fish sauce. Make an almost burnt caramel, throw in some fish sauce to break it up and finish some veggies (green beans of brussels are my favorite). Soooo good
Idk which type of side dishes youre talking about but korean side dishes are a gem. Really easy to make and really good to pair with almost everything.
Sauteed radishes are a revelation.
Pommes Dauphinoise
I like to put the sliced potatoes on their edges in the baking dish (as opposed to layered horizontally in the dish) so that the slices are creamy from the sauce on the bottom but browned and crispy on top. Kind of a combo of dauphinoise/hasselback. If anyone knows the actual name for this variation, I’d appreciate it
jalapeno creamed corn.
Butter steamed carrots with thyme - I never have leftoverd.
Baked cabbage Oven Roasted Garlic
Peel some sweet potatoes. Boil 'em. Mash them. Toss in butter, salt, and regular yellow curry. Everyones gonna love your curried sweet potatoes.
Sauteed zucchini and onions with some salted butter. Simple, delicious, can do it in the microwave.
A small glass of vodka and some finely chopped raw shallots to go with fish and seafood. The slight sweetness and chemical burn of both alcohol and onions goes extremely well with pickled, cured or raw fish.
Spoonbread. It’s cornmeal, eggs, milk, salt and pepper, baked. Serve with lots of butter.
I really like blackened green beans. Gotta be skinny green beans (french style, or similar, just not fat/starchy/stringy ones). Use leftover steamed or boiled beans, or frozen ones.
Sautee on high heat without stirring till you get enough browned/blackened bits, then stir them up & add seasoning during the last few minutes of cooking:
To accompany Euro type dishes, add minced garlic or garlic powder, & chopped parsley.
To accompany Asian dishes, garlic can also be used; add a splash of soy or fish sauce, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and/or a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Some Chinese black bean paste probably wouldn't hurt if you want an extra umami punch.
Sautéed spinach- takes two minutes, one pan, and is healthy and delicious. A little olive oil in the pan, thrown in many handfuls of spinach (it will shrink) and some minced garlic. Salt and pepper. Cook it for a few seconds, then drizzle in a tablespoon of water and start folding the spinach over- it’ll wilt nicely and very quickly. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve. Done.
Ratatouille is delicious, and if you have a mandolin it’s easy and fast to make.
We like to make something we call “ranch broccoli” and I literally just toss broccoli florets in olive oil and then ranch powder seasoning mix and roast at 425F for 20 minutes.
It’s delicious and dead simple.
There are a couple Korean banchan I love and are super simple to make: the spinach banchan which is just blanching spinach, cold shock and squeeze it out, then toss with sesame oil, minced garlic, soy sauce. And the sprout banchan which, if you're feeling lazy, can be with exactly the same ingredients as the spinach one above (but typically also has sesame seeds, sliced scallions, and sometimes gochugaru).
Bringing the pot of water up to boil for the blanching is the longest part of either of these and they are usually eaten cold so you can make a big batch and chuck it in the fridge in Tupperware and eat it for days.
I make a variation of funges, it's a medieval dish.
Sautee sliced leek and mushrooms in butter, then cook low and slow for a little while, you don't want them to burn, add a little poudre fort, some salt, and a dash of stock.
I also like to fry chickpeas with garlic (also inspired by a medieval dish).
Roughly chop several cloves of garlic and fry in oil, add a drained and rinsed can of chickpeas, toss them in the oil for a while. Add a table spoon of pine nuts, when they take on a hint of colour, add some cumin and salt.
Armoured turnips. That is a medieval dish. Plenty of recipes for it online. It's good.
Shaved brussels sprout salad
Christmas Slaw
Shredded cabbage dressed with blood orange olive oil and blood orange white balsamic vinegar. Any other orange oil and balsamic work too. Curried potato salad. Cubes of cooked potato dressed with a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise with salt, pepper, curry powder and a bit of sugar.
Indonesian egg recipes like Pindang Telur or Sambal Goreng Telur.
Sambharo. Spiced carrots and cabbage. Delicious.
Pickle rolls, or as some call them frog eyes. I prefer frog eyes as it freaks people out haha.
Gamja jorim. It’s just diced potatoes braised in teriyaki. I like to chill it after making and serve it cold as I would a potato salad.
Prosciutto wrapped asparagus
Garlic green beans. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/230103/buttery-garlic-green-beans/
Loaded cauliflower.
Korean Japchae is a sweet, salty noodle dish with sautéed veggies and thinly sliced steak. Absolutely a favorite of anyone who’s tried it.
Caramelized shallots
Jiffy corn casserole