sicilian collard greens

I love leafy greens. I actually get a little sad at the thought of winter turning into spring. While I welcome the warmer weather, it means the end of local collards, chard, and kale which prefer colder environments. But this means there is at least one silver lining of the colder than normal spring that has been happening along the west coast this year: I can still get beautiful leafy greens in June.

My mom doesn't think she's ever had collard greens before. Sounded like a challenge to me. A recipe in The Kind Diet caught my eye; it's similar to my garlicky kale, but the sweet and nutty twists of raisins and pine nuts. The result? Collard greens that even my mother will eat. 

Sicilian Collard Greens

From The Kind Diet

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch collards, well washed, center stem removed, and roughly chopped

3 Tbsp. raisins (I used golden)

2 Tbsp. pine nuts

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Toast pine nuts over medium heat in a dry skillet until golden, about 5 minutes (shake pan to prevent nuts from burning). Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add collard greens. Stir. Cover and cook 2 minutes.

Add raisins and pine nuts. Stir. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Stir in balsamic. Cover and cook 2 minutes longer.

momofuku collards with baked tofu on rice

I've read the Momofuku ramen recipe at least 3 times since I've had the book. It's a serious recipe that involves things I've never made before, like soft poached eggs and pork shoulder.

I am going to make it.

But not today.

Rather, I'm going to ease into cooking Momofuku slowly. I consider this to be like wading in the shallow end of the pool as you get ready to swim laps (maybe JR's triathlon training talk is rubbing off on me?). What I'm making today isn't even a full on recipe from the cookbook; rather, it's in the notes about the seasonal vegetable toppings that are often added to Momofuku ramen.

Just reading about this topping makes my mouth water.

I'm sorry if you are a vegetarian are reading this. But I have to say it. Cooking the collard greens with bacon made them almost unspeakably delicious. You end up with bacon-infused greens with just a hint of salt and sweet.

Here's how I turned this would-be ramen topping into the centerpiece of our meal:

Momofuku Collards with Baked Tofu on Rice

Serves 2

3/4 c. brown rice

1 1/2 c. water

Momofuku collard greens

baked tofu

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Combine rice and water in a small pot with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil. Stir. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 50 minutes. While rice is cooking, make collard greens and baked tofu (recipes below).

To serve, put rice and collard greens into individual bowls; top with baked tofu and green onions.

Momofuku Collard Greens

1 piece bacon

1 bunch collar greens, destemmed and coarsely chopped

1 large pinch kosher salt

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 c. water

Put a piece of bacon in a wide skillet (that can later be covered). Cook on medium-high heat. Once it's begun to render some fat, add collard leaves. Toss well to coat in fat. Add salt. Cook, stirring a few minutes, until collards start to give up their liquid and shrink a little.

Add soy sauce, sherry vinegar, brown sugar, and water. Put lid on pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally until tender, about 40 minutes. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.

Baked Tofu

6 oz. tofu, cut into 4 rectangles

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

Drain tofu on paper towels. Mix soy sauce and maple syrup. Allow tofu slices to marinate in soy sauce mix for 10 minutes, flipping once. Transfer tofu to oiled baking dish, reserving marinade. Bake tofu in a 350 degree oven until tender, 30-40 minutes. Brush with marinade occasionally as tofu bakes.

ricotta, greens, & caramelized onion pasta

One day last week, I was flipping through one of my favorite cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant's Simple Suppers, hoping for inspiration. Two pasta dishes sounded good and I couldn't decide which to make, so I took bits and pieces from each recipe to come up with this concoction:

Ricotta, Greens, & Caramelized Onion Pasta

Serves 2

olive oil

1 bunch greens (collard, chard, or kale - I used yellow chard)

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz. pasta (I used fusili)

8 oz. ricotta

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Begin to heat pasta water in a large pot. In a separate large pan, heat about 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-low heat. Once hot, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized (about 10 minutes). Turn the heat to low if they begin to brown too quickly. Add an additional Tbsp. of olive oil and red pepper flakes.

Once the water is hot, cook pasta according to directions. Add the greens to the onion mixture; stir and cook until the greens are bright green and just starting to wilt.

When pasta is done, drain and return to pot. Add 1/4 cup water, ricotta, and greens mixture. Mix well. Serve topped with grated parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

The combo of onions, greens, and ricotta was perfect. Yum!

mexican dinner frittata

This week's CSA box might be my favorite combination of things so far: green cabbage, collard greens, kiwi, clementines, dino kale, yukon potatoes, garlic, and onions. This produce all has a lot of potential. So much so, that I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to make (or eat) most...

...so I let a beauty contest determine with what we'd feed our hunger this evening! Though the skinny dino kale might have beat the collard greens in a swimsuit competition, the collard greens won me over with their bright green stalks (and obvious sunny personality). I decided they'd take home the crown tonight. Runners up onion and clementines will get to join in on the fun. Hopefully the rest of the veggies won't be too jealous.

I've actually been thinking about this dish for a couple of days. One of my early blogs was on my love of leafy greens-egg-cheese combos. Tonight's version will be a south-of-the-border twist. It goes like this:

Mexican Dinner Frittata

Serves 4 (or 2 with leftovers)

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 bunch collard greens, stems removed and chopped

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

6 eggs

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)

1 cup corn chips, crushed

1/2 c. salsa

1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pan. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown. Add collard greens and cook, continuing to stir occasionally, until bright green. Meanwhile, whisk 6 eggs in a large bowl. Add black beans, cumin, and cilantro. Once the greens are done cooking, add them to the egg mixture and stir well (the eggs may start to cook from the heat of the greens - that's ok).

Turn on the broiler to high. On the stovetop, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over med-high heat in an 8-inch skillet. Once the oil is hot, add crushed chips, evenly coating the bottom of the skillet. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and reduce the heat to med-low. After about 2 minutes, go around the edge of the skillet with a spatula, slicing the egg mixture away from the pan (so that the finished product isn't cemented to the pan).

Cook for about 5 minutes longer, until the eggs look mostly set (and no longer runny on top). Spoon salsa and then sprinkle cheese over the top of the eggs. Transfer to the oven to finish cooking under the broiler about 5 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown.

Remove from oven. Let sit for 5 minutes. Cut and serve topped with sour cream and sliced avocado.

  

We had ours this evening with a side of clementine oranges. And we'll have some tasty leftovers for breakfast! Correction: I will have some tasty leftovers tomorrow. JR liked it so much that he already ate two servings!

3pm saturday frittata

It's a drizzly grey Saturday. Mine got off to a nice lazy start... I slept in, went for a walk, and didn't really think about food until the afternoon. Can a meal after noon still be called brunch? I guess I'll call it my 3pm Saturday frittata. Greens? Check (golden chard from the CSA box). Cheese? Check. Eggs? Hm. Only 3. But JR is willing to make a quick run to the store for more. Check!

One of the things I love about the basic greens/cheese/eggs combo is that it can be changed up in a number of ways. What I throw in tends to be driven by what I have on hand. Today, I'm going with a Greek flair with red onions, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. You could exchange those for yellow onion, black beans, and salsa, go more traditional with mushrooms and potatoes, or throw in other veggies like red peppers or broccoli florets - the possibilities are endless. Here's the recipe for today's version:

Greek & Greens Frittata

Serves 4 (or 2 with leftovers)

1 small red onion, chopped

1 bunch kale, chard, or collards, center stems removed and chopped

6 eggs, whisked

1/4 c. feta cheese, crumbled

6-10 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Cook the chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat. Add the greens and cook, stirring occasionally until they are dark green. Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Add the onion and greens combo, half of the feta, the olives, and a few fresh grinds of black pepper. Stir, allowing the heat from the greens to start to cook the eggs.

Turn on the broiler so it can heat up. On the stovetop, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the egg mixture. Allow to cook for about a minute, then begin working your way in a circle around the skillet, lifting up the eggs from the outside with a spatula and allowing uncooked egg to run in (tilting the pan helps with this). Continue cooking in this manner until the top no longer looks runny. Sprinkle with remaining feta and cheddar cheese.

Move the skillet to the oven (broiler should be hot by now). Allow it to remain there for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown. Remove from oven. Let sit for 5 minutes, then slice and serve. 

For brunch, I usually serve with a side of fruit. This is also makes a great dinner meal if you add a salad. The leftovers are yummy warmed up in the oven the next day. Which means my 3pm Saturday frittata will carry us through the weekend for a Sunday brunch as well!