Slovenian Recipes

The heat wave finally broke in Cleveland; it is a beautiful, sunny day with cool temperatures in the high 60s. I had an hour between picking up and dropping of my kids at their various activities, and since it was so gorgeous outside, I decided to go to one of my favorite places:  The Westside Market. I didn't have anything specific in mind to buy but knew that it would be well worth my time. The beauty of going to the market is that the vegetables look so fresh and vibrant, and you can rely on them tasting just as good as they look. This trip to the Market did not disappoint. My first pick of the day was a huge organic sweet onion bulb . It caught my eye as soon as I walked up to my favorite stand. I knew immediately that dinner would consist of veggies grilled in my grill basket and topped with one of CW2C's vinaigrettes.  I love this time of summer when it is so easy to find such wonderful produce. Grilling the veggies so they get that chargrilled flavor with a ni...

Swiss chard is one of the most popular vegetables along the Mediterranean, and one of the most nutritious vegetables, ranking second only to spinach. Its green ribbed leaves are attached to wide crunchy stalks, sometimes popping with beautiful colors of pink, orange, yellow, and bright red. This gorgeous vegetable, loaded with vitamins A and C, is also an excellent source of calcium and vitamin K. Because this powerhouse vegetable is readily available all year, especially June through August locally, and because of its beauty and absolute deliciousness To begin, sauté 1 medium shallot in olive oil . Add a big pinch of kosher salt . Chop the stems of 2 bunches of cleaned, destemmed  Swiss chard i nto tiny pieces. When the shallot is soft, add the chopped stems. Cook for only a couple of minutes so they still still have a crunch. Remove from pan and set aside. Chop the leaves of the Swiss chard and add to the same pan along with another big swirl...

This week we craved a Spring soup, hearty without being heavy. The soup we made had bright, herby flavors with a kick of lemon. Pictured below are some of our favorite spring vegetables and herbs that made this soup to-die-for. Below we outline how we made this Spring Soup. As with so many of our "recipes" this is just a template that can be customized. Cut cauliflower and asparagus into smallish pieces. Roast with a few swirls of olive oil , a pinch of kosher salt and pepper in an oven heated to 425 degrees. Put the cauliflower in first and roast for about 35 minutes. Once it's beginning to brown, add the asparagus and roast for about 15 minutes more. While the vegetables are roasting, clean and chop 2 small onions . We found beautiful Spring knob onions, but any type of onion will work. Peel and smash 4 or 5 garlic cloves. Put chopped onions in a heated soup pot with a swirl...