Sensational Sides

Not everything we eat in the eat quaff laugh household is super fancy. Sometimes we like to keep it simple and just have steak, chicken or pork with salad or vegies. For me, what really makes a meal is the quality of the meat, but also the side dish that you serve with it. It doesn't necessarily need to be anything complicated. Sometimes the best dishes are those that use fresh produce straight out of the garden or from the market, prepared simply. You want the hero of the dish to be the beautiful vegetables.

Here are a few of my favourite side dishes to go with a variety of meals. I guarantee they will zhush up your dinner time!

Asparagus 

 

Now that Australian asparagus is back in season, we've been eating it at least once or twice a week. It would have to be one of my favourite vegetables and is best served simply. I love to just blanch the asparagus spears, so that they retain a bit of crunch and then drizzle with a lemon infused olive oil, a grinding of salt and pepper and some finely grated lemon rind. Delish!

Alternatively, find a good quality aioli from the supermarket or deli and drizzle over the blanched spears. If you have the time and energy, make your own Hollandaise. I recently discovered an amazing fresh parsley and cracked black pepper aioli from Fifya. It was delicious slightly warmed and spooned over the hot spears. A perfect match with any sort of meat.

To blanch the asparagus, simply snap off the woody ends, place in a heatproof dish and pour over boiling water from the kettle. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes. If the spears are really thick, you might need to do this twice. You can also cook them in the microwave by putting the spears in a container with a lid and covering with a small amount of water. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes, then drain.

Broccolini

Broccolini is another green veg which is available most of the year round and is a great side vegetable. It is so underrated! Broccolini is also best served simply, and similar to asparagus, doesn't need much done to it.

If you don't like broccoli, then give it's more tender cousin a go. You can eat the whole thing, including the stalks. I think they're the best bit! 

Simply trim the ends and blanch the broccolini in the same way as asparagus. You can either pour boiling water over the stalks and let it sit for 5 minutes, or microwave with a light covering of water for 2-3 minutes. The thicker the stalks, the longer it will take to cook. You want it to be just tender, not soft and soggy!

I like to toss the cooked broccolini with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, finely grated lemon rind and some toasted pine nuts. The nuttiness of the pine nuts really goes well with the flavour of the greens.

Roasted Capsicum and Chargrilled Zucchini with Persian Fetta

This is one of my all time favourite summer salads. Roasted red capsicum is so easy to make and tastes much better than the stuff from the supermarket. There are so many uses for the capsicum, but this salad is easy and super tasty.

1 red capsicum
1 zucchini
A handful of mint or basil leaves
Persian fetta or soft goats curd

All you need to do is cut a red capsicum in half, remove the stalk, seeds and membranes and place cut side down on a piece of foil under the grill. Grill on high until the skin in blistered and blackened. The blacker the better! Wrap the foil around the capsicum like a little parcel and leave for about 10 minutes, until it is cool enough to handle. The skin should then easily peel away from the flesh, leaving you with sweet, beautiful roasted capsicum and some amazing juice.

For the zucchini, slice lengthways into 1/2cm thick slices, spray lightly with oil spray and season with salt and pepper. Heat a chargrill pan on high and grill the slices on each side until the zucchini softens and you can see grill marks on the cut sides. Set aside to cool.

To assemble the salad, alternately layer zucchini, capsicum, torn fresh mint or basil and feta. You might get two or three layers, depending on how big the capsicum and zucchini are. Season with freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and any of the juices that came out of the capsicum when it was resting.

This is best served at room temperature to really appreciate the flavour.

Mushrooms

 

I love mushrooms of all shapes and sizes and would eat them every day if I could.  They are great as a vegetarian meal, stuffed with all sorts of goodness, or used as a side dish. Again, I love to keep it simple. 

Thickly slice whatever type of mushroom you prefer and fry up in a pan with a knob of butter and a drizzle of olive oil. You want to cook them until they start to release their own juices and become soft and soak up the butter and oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, throw in a handful of chopped thyme leaves and a clove of crushed garlic and continue to cook until fragrant.

Mushies cooked this way are great served over a piece of steak as a simple mushroom sauce. You could also toast thick slices of ciabatta or sourdough and pile up with the mushroom mix, bruschetta style. Add a few slices of bocconcini or shavings of parmesan, if you like. What could be more tasty for a quick lunch or light dinner?