The Veggie Spiral Slicer Cookbook (10 page)

NOTE:
It’s very important not to crowd your baking sheet. The fries won’t crisp up properly if you do. Either use a second tray or work in batches.

1.
   
Preheat the oven to 400°F and position your baking racks as close to the middle as possible.

2.
   
In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the spiralized fries and olive oil until all the vegetables are well coated.

3.
   
Spread the fries out evenly on parchment paper–coated baking trays. (Parchment works much better than tin foil and is not going to tear when you stir the fries mid-cooking.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4.
   
Bake on the middle oven rack for approximately 30 minutes for shoestring fries and 40 to 45 minutes for curly fries. Every 15 minutes or so, check and stir your fries to prevent sticking and burning.

Variations:
Feel free to add some seasonings. I enjoy steak seasonings on my potato fries and a mixture of 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper on my sweet potatoes. To add these seasonings evenly, I gently massage them into the fries during the oiling process.

Spring Rolls

Spring rolls were one of the first applications I thought of when I was introduced to the spiral slicer. The light and fresh rice wrappers are a wonderful vehicle for all kinds of fruits and veggies, and the slicer does a great job of quickly chopping up fillings. Feel free to branch off of the traditional styles and stuff yours with cooked sweet potato noodles and peppers or whatever you prefer! Just make sure not to overstuff the fragile wrappers.

MAKES 8

      
8 large (8-1/2-inch diameter) rice wrappers

      
1 zucchini, spiralized on blade 3

      
1 carrot, spiralized on blade 3

      
2 cups jicama, spiralized on blade 3

      
1 mango, peeled and cut into long strips

      
8 large precooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half

      
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

      
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

      
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

      
3 green onions, sliced thin

      
hoisin sauce, to serve

1.
   
Set up your rolling station with a clean kitchen towel, a plate, and a bowl full of warm water laid out. Lay out your wrappers, spiralized vegetables, mango, and shrimp.

2.
   
In a small bowl, mix the fresh herbs and green onions. Place with the remaining ingredients.

3.
   
Quickly dunk one of the rice wrappers in the warm water to soften it. Lay it flat on the kitchen towel. Place a split shrimp in the middle of the wrapper and top with the spiralized veggies, allowing for 2 inches of free space on each of the four sides of the vegetable fillings. Sprinkle on some of the fresh herb mix.

4.
   
To roll, fold in the top 2-inch flap and then the bottom 2 inches of wrapper. Fold over the right side of the open flap. Starting from the left tightly roll closed the last uncovered side.

5.
   
Repeat with the remaining wrappers and ingredients.

6.
   
Serve with hoisin sauce, chilled or at room temperature.

Tzatziki

There’s a lot of talk among food professionals about what their death row last meal would be. While this sounds morbid, it’s more of a positive discussion, as any who have been privy to one of these exchanges could easily witness. Eyes glaze over in rapt recollection of mom’s potato gratin, perfectly seared fillets, and even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Without hesitation, my death row meal would be a bowl of tzatziki sauce big enough to dive into, served with a mountain of lightly toasted pita bread drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with minuscule boulders of crunchy sea salt.

Tzatziki is one of the simplest recipes to make, but nothing makes it taste better than letting it age in the fridge for an evening. If you skip the resting stage it will still be delicious, but resting spells the difference between a really good dish and a really great one.

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 2-1/2 CUPS

      
1 large seedless cucumber, spiralized on blade 2

      
4 teaspoons kosher or sea salt, divided

      
2 cups Greek yogurt

      
4 cloves garlic, minced

      
1-1/2 tablespoons white vinegar

1.
   
Lay 2 paper towels over a pasta strainer in the sink. Add the cucumber noodles and sprinkle with 2 of the teaspoons of salt. Allow the cucumbers to sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until they release most of their water. This step is crucial or you will end up with something closer to soup than sauce.

2.
   
While you wait, mix the Greek yogurt, garlic, remaining salt, and vinegar in a medium bowl.

3.
   
Squeeze out the cucumber noodles, getting as much liquid out of them as possible without breaking them. Add them to the yogurt mixture and fold with a spatula to combine everything.

4.
   
Allow to rest in the refrigerator for one evening. Serve on top of burgers, with pita bread, on salads, basically anywhere. This stuff if pretty darn magical.

Thai Sweet-Pickled Cucumber Salad

Despite the name containing the word “salad,” this dish is considered more of a slaw or side and is basically a riff on that small dish of quick-pickled cucumbers that one receives alongside their chicken satay in most Thai restaurants. It’s a nice, unexpectedly and distinctly Thai recipe to have on hand, and the cucumbers can last nearly a week in the fridge. The unexpected brightness of the vinegar and sweetness of the sugar make this a light and pleasant topping for chicken sandwiches or cutlets (even without the traditional peanut sauce).

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

      
1/2 cup sugar

      
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

      
1 teaspoon kosher salt

      
1 cucumber, English is best, spiralized on blade 3

      
1 small shallot, sliced thinly

      
1 small Thai chile, seeded and stemmed

NOTE:
These should be made at least 4 hours in advance.

1.
   
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, and salt on medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is warm but not hot, turn off the heat. Place the mixture in the fridge, uncovered, and allow to cool.

2.
   
While the mixture is cooling, mix the cucumber noodles, shallot, and chile in a small nonreactive glass or plastic container with a lid.

3.
   
Once the liquid is cooled, pour the sweetened vinegar over the noodles. Cover, shake to combine well, and allow to rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours before serving.

Cheesy Spaghetti Fritters

These are an indulgent treat that work great as a party snack, even if only to prevent you from eating the entire batch yourself! Smoky, salty, creamy, and crunchy, these will satisfy nearly every craving imaginable.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

      
4 ounces bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

      
1 large white potato, spiralized on blade 3

      
8 tablespoons unsalted butter

      
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided

      
4 cups heavy cream

      
8 ounces smoked mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

      
salt and pepper, to taste

      
2 cups panko breadcrumbs

      
1 teaspoon ground cumin

      
canola oil, for frying

1.
   
In a large skillet on medium heat, cook the bacon pieces until they are crisp. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

2.
   
While the bacon is cooking, slice the potato lengthwise halfway to the center, taking care not to cut all the way through. Slice the potato on blade 3 of the spiral slicer.

3.
   
Heat the leftover bacon drippings on medium heat and add the potato noodles. Cook until crisped, about 5 to 7 minutes. Set them aside to cool.

4.
   
In a medium pot, melt the butter on medium heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour and continue to stir nonstop for about 2 minutes. The mixture should start to thicken. Pour in the cream, allow this mixture to come to a boil, and lower the heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cream reduces some and the liquid thickens, about 5 minutes. Set this aside.

5.
   
In a large bowl, mix the bacon, potato noodles, cream sauce, mozzarella, salt, and pepper. Allow to chill for 2 hours.

6.
   
In a small bowl, mix the panko breadcrumbs, cumin, and remaining flour.

7.
   
In a large, high-walled skillet or a wide-bottomed pot, heat 2 inches of oil to 325°F.

8.
   
Using a spoon, scoop out 1-inch balls of the chilled potato and cheese mix. Coat these in the panko and flour mix. Carefully drop these breaded balls into the hot oil and fry until the coating is a deep golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Roasted Spiral Slicer “Leavings”

Leftovers can be great, but that’s usually when you’re talking about soup, pizza, or other take-out foods. What do you do with all those leftover spiralizer “mushroom” pieces? You know, the long center and cap piece that is left behind? Well, this recipe is meant for those pieces. I hate to throw anything away. In fact, whenever we get a big head of broccoli or cauliflower, I will carefully cut the florets off, leaving a nice big stem that I can spiralize. They don’t produce many noodles, but if you stockpile them and your spiralizer “leavings” throughout the week, you’ll have the perfect collection of leftover veggies to roast up. For the pieces left behind when spiralizing I cut the top off of the stem piece and chop the top while cutting the stem in half.