a few yummy (and not stupid) garnishes
crispy chick peas! pickled red onions! za'atar croutons!
IMO, a stupid garnish can break a dish and a good garnish can make a dish.
Garnishes can trigger me. The swirl of stupid sauce on a plate, a spring of curly parsley nestled under my fish, a fruit cut up into an animal on a crudités board — they all make me think of a bad 90s restaurant or a cruise ship. You know what I mean - these are the type of garnishes that are just there for show, but you don’t (or don’t want to) actually eat.
Maybe I should bring this up in therapy, but when I see a stupid garnish that I can’t actually eat - I automatically don’t trust it. What are you trying to cover up? Are you even what you say you are? Are you trying to fill white space on the plate to distract me from how little food there is?
It’s not that I have a problem with garnishes. Sure, they can be pretty - and trust me, I love pretty things! But, I wanna be able to actually eat them too. There’s a balance. Nah’ mean?
I actually love garnishes! IMO, a good garnish will turn a prettyyyyy good dish into a GREAT one. It’s important for a garnish to enhance both the palette and the palate (see what I did there?). Give me those cilantro leaves on my fish taco! Give me that raspberry sauce next to my chocolate cake! Give me that celery stalk in my bloody mary! The bottom line is that the garnish should actually be in line with the flavor of the dish.
One of the biggest milestones I hit in my *cooking journey* was learning how to build flavor. You can follow a recipe perfectly and it tastes….good. But when you can tap into that spidey sense of “ok this is good…but how can I take it to the NEXT FREAKING LEVEL!” That is what’s going to drop jaws at your dinner table. A good garnish can get you there. The special sauce, if you will.
So today I want to show you a few fun garnishes that will surely turn some good dishes into great ones.
Here are the Sobremesa rules to garnishes:
Actually enhance the dish
Are easy and quick to make
Can store for at least a couple days
Have a wide variety of applications
Yummy to snack on their own
Crispy Chick Peas
I recommend topping on salads & soups
Ingredients
1 can of chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper
Let’s do it!
Coat a skillet with oil and turn to medium heat
When the pan is very hot, add the chick peas, turmeric, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper
Cook and stir frequently so that the chick peas fry in the oil.
When they are browned and crispy, take a slotted spoon and place in a paper towel lined bowl.
Store at room temp in a paper towel lined sealed container for up to 3 days.
Pickled Red Onions
I recommend topping on salads, sandwiches, hummus, burgers, and tacos!
Ingredients
1 onion, sliced
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup water
Bring the apple cider vinegar, honey, and water to a simmer on stovetop. Once it starts simmering, it’s finished.
While this comes to simmer, boil some water separately. Place the sliced onion in a strainer and pour the hot water over it in the sink. This will help take some of the bite out.
Put the onions in a mason jar. Cover with the hot vinegar mixture. Cover and shake. Let sit for about an hour until serving.
Store in fridge for up to a week.
Za’atar Sourdough Croutons
I recommend topping on salads and soups!
Ingredients
Sourdough loaf, leftover and stale is even better!
Za’atar
Red pepper flakes (optional if you want spicy!)
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Let’s do it!
Cube the desired amount of bread.
Place in a bowl and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, za’atar, salt, and pepper (and red pepper flakes if you want it spicy!
Pour out the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake at 425F for about 15 mins. They’re finished when they are crispy.
Store in a sealed container at room temp for up to 3 days.
p.s. Did you know - That for each Sobremesa recipe, I make a cooking video?! Follow me on Tiktok + Instagram for these recipes + bonus material!
Happy cooking. Love ya mucho.
xox
Tessa