(Excuse the mess in the background, as I had to assemble and run and then clean up after I returned home. I also didn't cover all skewers with the green onions as I should have and therefore 'painted' them green with my photo editor this time.)(Note: Breadsticks had not yet been inserted.)
This is a smash hit every time I've made one, which has only been twice because it is time consuming and a little challenging when trying to assemble and care for small children at the same time, but it can be done! (Maybe you can, like me, elicit the help of your spouse by putting him in charge of using some wire cutters to snip down the skewers to varying lengths!)
What you will need:
* Basket/container (at least 2" deep)
* Bamboo skewers
* 1 head of cabbage
* 1 bunch of radishes
* 1 yellow bell pepper
* 1 orange bell pepper
* 5 medium carrots
* 3 bunches of green onions
* 2 cups broccoli florets
* 2 cups cauliflower florets
* 1 cucumber, sliced into rounds AFTER you have run fork tines lengthwise to break the skin.
* 1 pint cherry tomatoes
* 1 bunch asparagus spears, blanched, thick enough to withstand insertion of skewers
* 1 box think Italian breadsticks
Optional Extras: 5 stalks celery with tops, 1 small head endive, and 1 bunch chicory.
ADVANCED PREPARATION THAT CAN BE DONE THE NIGHT PRIOR:
Leaf-shaped bell peppers: Core the peppers and cut them into vertical leaf-shaped slices, triangular shapes work well. Again place in a bowl of water overnight in the fridge.
Broccoli and cauliflower preparation: Prep the broccoli and cauliflower into floret-sized pieces about an inch in diameter, but varying sizes make for a nicer look. Again, place in a bowl of ice water overnight.
FINAL PREPARATION:
* Prepare the cherry tomatoes by washing prior.
* Prepare the asparagus by cutting off the unusable ends. Place them into a pan of boiling water for approximately 7-10 minutes until a cooked yet still-crisp texture is achieved. Immediately place into ice water (really, water with ice cubes this time).
ASSEMBLY:
Cut your head of cabbage in half. Place into the bottom of your chosen container with the flat side facing upward to accommodate the skewers. Strategically cut the other half into shapes to fill in any voids in the basket.
You can trim the skewers using wire cutters in advance or as needed to achieve a pleasing arrangement. Shorter on the outside edges and longer in the middle.
Arrange your bouquet balancing colors and shapes as necessary. You can serve only veggies in the arrangement or also place extra servings on a serving tray/platter around your basket.
What a great Idea!! I love the final result!! Thanks again for sharing this!!
ReplyDeleteThe hollow green onion stalks will be used to cover skewers during assembly, so you will need to place one slit in the center of single end of this green potion and also place into ice water overnight.....Not sure what you mean by "place a slit in the center of single end of this green portion"...could you explain it in dummy form possibly...maybe I am just crazy...sorry! Thanks K.
ReplyDeleteThe green portion of the green onions are hollow (or they are once you cut the white end off appropriately). Take one end of that green onion and cut a slit in the center straight through to the cutting board about 1-inch from the end and pull knife down all the way to the end. When you place this slit green onion into some ice water, it will curl up. You then place a skewer through the hollow, and now curly green onion, with the curly end up toward your veggie flower. It adds some foliage, camouflage for the skewer. (Was that better?)I think you can see the slit green onion in one of the pics....be right back.
ReplyDeleteOkay, you do it like I am cutting the other end of the green onion in the 4th picture (just not as many slits unless you want to try that). You can see how the green onion cups the radish and flares out in picture #7, the last picture.
ReplyDelete