Onion Lover’s Dip

On September 8, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, dry stored1 Comment

I’m not sure there’s a vegetable that changes as much in texture and flavor when you apply heat as an onion. Caramelized onions taste completely different from raw ones, whether you cook them low and slow on the stovetop or let them pick up char and a slightly smoky flavor on the grill.

As with the three forms of ginger I use in Triple Gingersnaps, combining caramelized onions with other fresh and cooked alliums builds layers of flavor. I share one of my favorite combinations—grilled onions and garlic with fresh onion greens, whether the tops of bulb onions, chives, scallions, or walking onions—this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. While you can oven-roast or sauté the onions and garlic for a similar effect, I fire up the grill while it’s still so hot into the evening. The recipe in my column outlines my grilling process, making this dip a great primer for grilling vegetables.
Learn to grill onions and make Onion Lover’s Dip

Tomato-Cucumber Salad with Asian-Inspired Dressing

On September 1, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, saladsLeave a comment

Tomato season is on. I harvested 45 pounds of heirloom paste and slicing tomatoes in one go earlier this week, and these larger tomatoes already need to be picked again. The cherry tomatoes have been prolific too; bowls of them are currently scattered around my house, waiting to be eaten, frozen, or canned.

As I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, fresh cherry tomatoes and small cucumbers make a delicious salad. Nothing beats the taste of homegrown ones, of course, but local farmers can do the work for you and even a larger tomato and cucumber can be sliced up for a similarly quick, bright dish when they’re in season. Although most people think of a balsamic-based vinaigrette for tomatoes, I love to flavor this pairing with an Asian-inspired dressing—especially if I’m eating it with the recipe I shared in last week’s Flathead Beacon column: Zucchini-Basil Pancakes, one of my favorite was to use zucchini.
Learn to make Tomato-Cucumber Salad with Asian-Inspired Dressing

Zucchini–Basil Pancakes

On August 25, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grains3 Comments

Zucchini. If you grow it, you likely have more of it than you know what to do with. Even if you don’t grow your own, store-bought zukes tend to be large enough it’s easy to buy more than you need. Fortunately, zucchini and other summer squash are delicious in many dishes, whether obvious or disguised by other, more flavorful ingredients.

I share one of my favorite recipes showcasing zucchini this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon: Zucchini-Basil Pancakes. They use two prolific producers from the garden and are tasty on their own or as the base for other flavors, like Grilled Tomatillo Salsa, Spiked Guacamole, and Chipotle-Marinated Grilled Shrimp with Garlic Scape Aioli.
Learn to make Zucchini–Basil Pancakes

Cucumber-Dill Refrigerator Pickles

On August 19, 2022November 19, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, pickles1 Comment

If there was any doubt that I love pickles, it was dispelled when my first cookbook focused entirely on pickling. Even I explored some new-to-me flavors and foods for that book, some of which has since become personal favorites: Lime-Pickled Onions, Cultured Curtido (Cabbage Slaw), Zucchini Escabeche (Grilled and Pickled Zucchini), Fresh Pears with Lemon, Tepache (Fermented Pineapple Beverage), Sweet Vinegar-Pickled Eggs, Scratch-Made Sriracha, and more. But I always leave space in the fridge for simple, classic, cucumber-and-dill pickles.

In my Twice as Tasty column this week for the Flathead Beacon, I share one of my simplest and most straightforward pickling cucumber recipes that can be eaten in about a day (if you just can’t wait) but will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. It’s a great way to use less than a pound of pickling cucumbers, whose importance I also explain in the column, or make a couple of jars with a larger crop but without the hassle of canning.
Learn to make Cucumber-Dill Refrigerator Pickles

Huckleberry and Cheese Crepes

On August 11, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grains2 Comments

My social media feeds are increasingly featuring photos of huckleberry harvests and the creations made from them. The season is on. As I note this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, huckleberry season is short but sweet, so I always enjoy some now but save a few for the freezer. I tend to savor mine at breakfast—although I do go big when I pile any fruit on one bowl of homemade granola and fresh yogurt. I’ve taken sourdough starter into the backcountry so that I can dot pancakes with berries harvested at the campsite. Wild berries like huckleberries and blackberries are also delicious paired with homemade cheese and rolled into crepes.
Learn to make Huckleberry and Cheese Crepes

Veggie Shish Kebabs with Garlicy Marinade

On August 4, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grilledLeave a comment

We give the grill a workout every summer, often with small items that want to fall through the grate no matter how carefully they’re arranged on the open surface. I have two grill trays that work well when smoking cherries or cheese or charring large batches of thin asparagus spears. I also have a pair of copper grill mats ideal for sourdough pizza and other soft ingredients—we even grilled scrambled eggs and potatoes on one when I forgot to put a skillet on the sailboat. But for grilled meals with more emphasis on variety than quantity, I reach for skewers.

As I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, you can spear so many foods on a stick and cook them over an open flame. A simple marinade can tie the ingredients together, playing well with flavors that range from sweet tomatillos, to mild potatoes, to spicy peppers. Skewers are also ideal for grilling shrimp, scallops, meaty fish, and cubed meats.
Learn to make Veggie Shish Kebabs with Garlicy Marinade

Sour Cream and Cherry Scones

On July 28, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, quick breads2 Comments

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’re well aware of my love to tart fruits, including cherries. I share some of my childhood cherry memories this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon—and more importantly, an easy scone recipe that combines the tang of sour cream and sour cherries. If you prefer sweeter cherry varieties, they work well in the scones, and you can use the same recipe but swap in fruits ranging from apricots to huckleberries to peaches in keeping with the summer harvest cycle.

The sour cream doesn’t just add flavor: it keeps the scones moist, in the same way it does for Savory Herb and Sour Cream Scones and Sour Cream–Applesauce Coffee Cake or Muffins. For the ultimate Twice as Tasty flavor, you can make the sour cream from scratch.
Learn to make Sour Cream and Cherry Scones

Rhubarb–Rosemary Sorbet

On July 21, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, frozen2 Comments

For my money, the best way to beat the heat is sorbet. And I do mean money: homemade sorbet can be made with affordable ingredients like in-season fruit, herbs, honey or sugar, and water. You can also make it with tools you likely already have in your kitchen, as I explain this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon.

A few tricks help you smooth out sorbet and counteract the ice crystals that can form so quickly when you try to make frozen, nondairy desserts. Ice cream makers and gelato machines may speed up the process, so you can use one if you already own one, but there’s no need to buy a new appliance if you want to enjoy dairy-free sorbets.
Learn to make Rhubarb–Rosemary Sorbet and other flavors

Garlic Scape Aioli

On July 14, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, sauces1 Comment

Homemade mayonnaise—and my preferred version, garlicy aioli—is a different critter from Miracle Whip. It’s simply an emulsified sauce, combining egg and oil into a smooth, stable blend. Once you master the technique, seemingly complex, challenging sauces like hollandaise and beurre blanc become easy to whip up.

At its most basic, aioli pairs the rich flavor of olive oil and eggs and the pucker of minced garlic and lemon juice. Leave out the garlic and lemon, and you have a subtle yet creamy homemade mayonnaise. Herbs and other aromatics bump the blend in an even more flavorful direction.

In my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, I share one of my favorite summertime aioli blends, with garlic scapes and lemon. An easy spin on that taste is to grill the lemon first, as I do alongside Grilled Asparagus, or roast or grill whole garlic cloves. Mince in a tablespoon of fresh dill, and you get one of my preferred garnishes for sushi. Homemade mustard or spice blends quickly change the profile. You can even use the aioli as the base for a scratch-made ranch dressing.
Learn to make Garlic Scape Aioli

Orange-Kissed Grilled Broccoli

On June 30, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grilled2 Comments

Since I live in the woods under shade-throwing conifers, surrounded by dense clay soil and frequently visited by deer and other grazing wildlife, I grow most of my vegetables on a friend’s sunny property. When one of us has a favorite crop, we can risk growing a little extra, knowing that if we’re overly zealous and successful the bounty will be divided between two kitchens. This year, broccoli is on the favorite-crop list, so in May we planted 18 starts, and we’re already harvesting our first heads.

As I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, the first stalks were sweet and tender, so I simply sliced them into a salad. But I’m now laying them on the grill alongside asparagus and other vegetables. Slicing broccoli down its length, from crown to stalk, creates pieces less likely to fall through the grill. When cooked over an open flame, the pieces stay crisp and crunchy inside while roasting to perfection on the exterior.
Learn to make Orange-Kissed Grilled Broccoli