Baked Kale and What To Do With It 10/19/2013

I went through this period as I was transitioning to a more local/seasonal diet where I had one of those home delivery services. And to really force myself, I let them decide what to deliver to me as long as it was local (within 100 miles) and seasonal. Then we would force ourselves to figure out what to make with it. It was a great experiment!

I don’t do the delivery anymore because I love my Co-Op and don’t need home delivery when the Co-Op is all local/seasonal anyway. But the process really was a forcing function to get me to explore different things.

And one of those was Kale. Yes, I know. Kale is all the new trend and whatnot. And why not? It grows like a weed (I’ve been growing it myself starting this past summer) and is all super-foody good-for-you. Sometimes trends are good!

But to make it into a salad I like requires a heavier dressing than I normally like. And to make it all Southern greens style sort of takes away from the super-foody aspect (though you should taste what Reijo can do with Collard Greens! Recipe to come).

So I did some Googling and found baked Kale chips. Which were awesome!

• Tear the kale into chip-sized pieces
• Put in a zip-lock bag with a drizzle of olive or grape seed oil and two shakes (no more!) of seasoning salt (I like Colonel Lee’s)
• Lay out on a baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
• Eat as chips (my 9-year old god-daughter ate an entire tray!) or …
• Put back in a zip-lock bag and crush it to use later in potatoes, eggs, casseroles, etc. (you’ll  get the hang of it).

In the bag, it lasts for months and is a great way to incorporate seasoning salt and kale in certain dishes. Even if you don’t like kale, I promise.

Zucchini Tian 07/31/2012

© 2010, Martha Rose Schulman.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Total time: 60 minutes

Yield: Serves 6

From the July 31, 2010 Splendid Table).

This is a classic Provençal gratin, one of my favorite dishes from the region. It’s bound with rice and egg, it’s great cold or hot, and if you have more summer squash than you know what to do with, look no further.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 to 3 large garlic cloves, to taste, minced

2 pounds zucchini or other summer squash, cut in 1/4- to 1/2-inch dice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon crumbled dried thyme

1/2 cup Arborio rice, cooked

2 eggs

3 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (3/4 cup)

1/4 cup breadcrumbs (fresh or dry)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Oil a 2-quart gratin dish.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, until it begins to smell fragrant, and stir in the squash. Cook, stirring often, until the squash is translucent but not mushy, 5 to 10 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the thyme and rice, and remove from the heat.

3. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cheese. Stir in the zucchini mixture and combine well. Scrape into the gratin dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top. Drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is browned and the gratin is sizzling. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Asian Slaw with Ponzu Dressing 08/05/2011

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

If you are not serving immediately, combine the dressing, but do not add the dressing until just before serving.

Ingredients:

1/2 head cabbage, shredded

1 cup snow peas, cut on the diagonal into matchsticks

1 cup daikon radish, coarse chopped

2 cups fennel bulb, coarse chopped

1 cup celery, cut lengthwise, and then finely sliced

1 cup slivered almonds

optional: 1 granny smith apple or two bartlett pears, seeded and coarse chopped

SAUCE

1 cup ponzu sauce

3 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon dark or toasted sesame oil

To make the dressing, in a bowl, whisk together the ponzu and toasted sesame oil.

In a large bowl, combine the vegetables/fruit and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Add half of the dressing, toss to combine and taste. Keep adding additional dressing until you get the desired flavor.

Based on a recipe from:

Source: http://steamykitchen.com/16578-asian-slaw-ponzu-dressing.html via Potomac Vegetable Farm C.S.A. newsletter

Lemony Swiss Chard with Fried Capers and Garlic 07/31/2010

From the author of the recipe: “This has got to be my new favorite swiss chard recipe. I belong to a farm CSA and have been having a lot of fun working with whatever shows up. I’ve been getting a lot of greens lately, and needed to develop some variety in my recipes. I love the flavors of fried capers and garlic and started from there when developing this very easy recipe. I think I’ve had it now 4 nights in a row!”

Serves 2-4 (depending on how much you want)

• 2 bunches of green swiss chard
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 3 tablespoons Italian parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Tear the swiss chard into large pieces, separating the central stalk from the leaves. Cut the stalks into 2″ long pieces. Put the chard stalks into the boiling water first and cook for 10 minutes. Add the leaves and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the leaves and stalks are tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat up 2 tablespoons of the olive oli in a saute pan that is large enough to accomodate the swiss chard. When the oil is hot, add the capers and cook for about 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the parsley and cook another 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the swiss chard and toss to cover the chard with the caper garlic mixture. Add the last tablespoon of olive oil and the butter. Add the lemon juice and thoroughly toss to mix in. Sprinkle with the crushed red pepper flakes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Serve as a side dish or do as I did last night and lay a piece of fish on top and enjoy!

http://www.food52.com/recipes/3100_lemony_swiss_chard_with_fried_capers_and_garlic#ixzz0vGG2RvDp

Sautéed Fennel with Lemon

Ingredients

• One fennel bulb
• 2 T. olive oil or butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest, grated finely

Preparation

Trim and save the fennel leaves. Quarter the bulb lengthwise, cut each quarter crosswise in very thin slivers. Mince 1 tablespoon of the fine leaves.

Heat oil in heavy skillet, toss fennel slices to coat. Add salt. Continue tossing frequently over moderate heat until tender, about ten minutes.

Toss with lemon zest and pepper. Sprinkle with minced tops.

http://www.potomacvegetablefarms.com/recipes/16

Super Fast Pizza 07/29/2010

Dough Recipe:
1 pk Fast-rising dry yeast
3 c All-purpose white flour
1 c Hot water (120F-to-130F)
1/2 ts Salt

Toppings:
1/2 c Mozzarella – thinly sliced – or cut into 1-inch cubes
1 c Tomato sauce
1 1/2 lb -Fresh tomatoes – seeded, drained – and roughly chopped
2 Garlic cloves – peeled and minced
1/2 ts Dried oregano
6 -Fresh basil leaves, shredded
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tb Olive oil

PREHEAT OVEN TO 500F.

(MIXING AND KNEADING: 1 1/2 MINUTES.) Place the yeast
and 1 cup of the flour in the bowl of a food processor and pulse once using the metal knife or the plastic dough blade. With the machine running, pour in the hot water (make certain it’s hot when you use it). As soon as it’s in, turn the machine off; add the salt and remaining 2 cups of flour. Next, pulse until the dough
begins to hold together; then let the machine run continously until a ball of dough forms.

(ASSEMBLY: 5 MINUTES.) Lightly oil the pan with vegetable oil and dust with coarsely ground yellow cornmeal. Press the dough out into an 8-inch circle with your fingertips and then roll or stretch it out into a 15-or-18-inch pizza shell. Fit the shell onto prepared pan. Sprinkle desired toppings over dough, and finish with a drizzling of olive oil. Bake 15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the topping is bubbly. For a well-done crust bake 5 minutes
longer.

http://www.pizza-recipes.net/recipes/fast.html