Let’s say you’ve been asked to plan menus for a month for some group or another, and they want to have a different appetizer, main dish, etc., every day of the month, but for some strange reason they want to have the SAME side dish for each meal. Maybe it’s part of some weird reality TV competition challenge or something. The “why” doesn’t matter. What do you go with that will pair at least reasonably well with fish, pork, beef, chicken, vegetarian dishes, and whatever else you might cook up? You’re asked to prepare the side dish the same way each time, so no picking “potato” and then doing everything from french fries to mashed potatoes to au grautin or whatever.
My first thought was to go with some variation of rice, probably steamed. But that sounds boring. What do you all think?
I like a very tasty rice pilaf as an all-purpose side dish. It packs well, freezes well, and goes with most everything.
If you really work at it, it won’t be boring. I use extra-strong chicken broth, lots of butter, a bay leaf, and often add finely diced vegies, such as mushrooms.
You can vary it by using beef broth or seafood broth, as dictated by the rest of the menu. Basmati rice makes it extra nom.
I would pick fresh sliced tomatoes. Diners could eat them plain, with a little salt or with their favorite salad dressing. They’re healthy, colorful and go with everything.
Rice isn’t necessarily boring, especially if it’s a fragrant (like Basmati) rice cooked just right…can’t go wrong and millions of people across many cuisines eat rice as a daily staple.
Scalloped potatoes would be another extremely versatile and delicious choice.
Or a green salad with a nice vinaigrette. Can’t go wrong with that one either.
Edamame is a staple, especially with finger foods like hamburgers and hot sandwiches. Rice (Basmati) is a routine, tossed with a little butter if there’s no “gravy” or sauce with the entree.
For me, grilled veggies. A like a mix of peppers, onion, garlic, asparagus, and mushrooms, or even Brussels sprouts. Or some kind of squash. Or eggplant. Whatever–it’s flexible. I’m not a huge fan of basmati, but I do like jasmine rice. And just plain white rice with some Goya sazón also works for me. But grilled veggies are number one.
If it’s summer, a potato salad. The sort I learned from my mom. Fingerling potatoes or Yukon Gold, sweet onion (rinsed once with cold water after chopping), chopped garlic dill pickle, extra dill. Sauce with a mix of mayo, mustard, the potatoes that felt overcooked, salt, pepper, and vinegar blended to creamy richness.
If winter, a mix of roasted sweet potato (the bright orange kind), potato (red or gold- I guess purple would work, but not Russett), red bell pepper, red onion, and whole garlic cloves, roasted at high heat with lots of black pepper, and then tossed with feta crumbles. (Adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Double Potato and Halloumi Bake.)
Wouldn’t say no to the plate of tomato slices, though!
Salt potatoes. Small potatoes packaged here, with a big bag of salt (though I usually just add a tablespoon to the water, not the whole bag. We eat enough salt as it is.) The smaller, the better, served unpeeled and whole. I bought some at the market today the size of large marbles! They should disappear fast.
Green Beans. Incredibly versatile with all types of protein, and can be prepared in a variety of ways - sauteed, grilled, boiled, roasted. I just put them on my shopping list 30 minutes ago!
Fresh green beans may very well be the vegetable with the greatest disparity in taste and quality from fresh to canned. Canned green beans are salty slugs that turn to mush in your mouth, fresh ones are crispy, delightful, and full of flavor.
May be an idea for a new thread. Start one if you feel like it, I’m out the door.
And for you culinary pedants, Haricot Vert. There, I said it.
