Red Russian Kale Caesar Salad

Raw kale salads are surprisingly/incredibly yummy.  Good and good for you!

-In a jar with a tightly fitting lid, combine a generous ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil with 4 cloves of garlic put through a garlic press.

-Take 2 large slices of bread (any kind works). Chop into ½ inch cubes and place in a bowl.

-Sprinkle the bread with 1-2 TBS of the olive oil/garlic mixture and a pinch of sea salt and toss.

-Toast in the oven or on the stove top for a few minutes until brown and crisp, being careful not to burn them.  Set aside.

-Wash 1 bunch Red Russian kale.

-Take the stems out of the kale by holding the stem, then tearing away the leaf part.  Discard the stems.

-Chop the kale leaves into small pieces, spin or pat dry and place into a salad bowl.

-To the remaining olive oil/garlic mixture add the following:

  A big pinch of sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

The juice of 1 fresh lemon

-Shake well and then pour over the kale.

-Using your hands, massage the dressing onto the leaves to wilt the salad.  

-Sprinkle with ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, toss again and top with the croutons.

Rainbow Chard with Crisped Bread Crumbs

-Sauté ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs in some butter in a small frying pan until crisp and golden.

-Chop 1 bunch of Swiss chard, stems and all and put it in a covered pan with just the water clinging to its leaves to moisten it.

-Check often to see that it has enough water and cook until wilted, about 5-7 minutes.

-Add a TBS of butter and toss to coat the chard.

-Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

-Top with the breadcrumbs and serve.

Rainbow Chard with Chickpeas and Tahini

From Morro East by Sam & Sam Clark.

-Boil a large saucepan full of salted water.

-Cut the stems off of 1 bunch of rainbow chard.

-Wash the stems, then cut them into ½ inch pieces.

-Wash the leaves but keep them whole.

-Put the leaves in the boiling water and blanch for 1-2 minutes until tender.

-Fish the leaves out and then and then refresh under cold water. Drain.

-Then blanch the stems for 2-3 minutes. Drain and refresh.

-Squeeze the excess water out of the chard.

-When you are ready to serve, dress the chard with the following…

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

A squeeze of lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

-Lay the chard out on a serving platter.

-Drain a can of chickpeas (use the best quality ones you can find).

-Put the chickpeas in a saucepan with the following:

4 TBS water

2 TBS olive oil

A squeeze of lemon

-Stir the tahini sauce  (see recipe below) into the chickpeas and pour them over the chard.

-If you have a mortar and pestle (or you can use a blender)…

-Chop up 1-2 jalapenos and mash them with the following:

2 cloves or garlic

A little cilantro

Lemon juice

Some sea salt and pepper

-Top the chickpeas with the jalapenos.

Tahini:

-Mash 2 cloves of garlic using a mortar and pestle or a garlic press.

-In a small bowl combine the garlic with the following ingredients…

-2½ tsp tahini.

-1 TBS extra virgin olive oil.

-1 TBS fresh lemon juice.

-6 TBS water.

-Stir well, then season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Rainbow Chard Salad with Maple Walnuts and Dried Cranberries

Good, good looking and good for you!

-Finely chop 1 bunch of raw rainbow chard, stems and all.

-Put the chard in a large salad bowl.

-Then put ½ cup walnut halves to a heavy frying pan, add a splash of maple syrup (or a pinch of sugar) and a TBS of butter.

-Cook stirring often until just golden brown. Add to the chard mixture.

-Then add the following:

¼ cup dried cranberries or dried currents

A splash of olive oil

The juice and zest of 1 lime (or lemon)

1 finely chopped clove of garlic

A splash of maple syrup 

A pinch of salt.

-Mix together well.

-Top the salad with ½ cup of crumbled feta cheese and serve.

Rainbow Chard and Fennel Pizza with Prosciutto and Pine Nuts

-Buy or make the dough for 1 large pizza. Roll it out so it fits a 9-inch pizza pan.

-Cut 1 fennel bulb in half the long way and then cut into strips and finely dice.

-Then take the stems off of 1 bunch of rainbow chard and finely chop them.

-Roll up the leaves and then chop into thin ribbons.

-Heat 3 TBS olive oil over medium heat.

-Add the fennel and cook stirring until fennel is lightly browned, about 6-7 minutes.

-Add the chopped chard and cook until chard is just wilted, about 4 minutes.

-Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

-Wipe out the skillet and add 2-3 TBS pine nuts and heat until golden, about 4 minutes.

-Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

-Brush the pizza dough with some oil.

-Spread the fennel/chard mixture out on the dough and bake for 10 min.

-Then sprinkle with the following:

1 cup grated smoked mozzarella

2-4 ounces sliced prosciutto

The toasted pine nuts

-Bake for another 5 minutes.

-Garnish with some 8-10 chopped Kalamata olives and some freshly grated Parmesan.

Rainbow Chard and Cheddar Frittata

-Preheat your oven to 350.

-Remove the stems from 1 bunch of Swiss chard and chop into small pieces.

-Stack the chard leaves and roll them up lengthwise and slice crosswise into strips. Set aside.

-Melt 1 TBS butter over medium heat in a skillet or sauté pan with a lid.

-Add 2-3 cloves of chopped fresh garlic and the chard stems and cook for 5 minutes until soft.

-Add the chopped leaves, stir well and cover. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes until chard is wilted.

-In a large bowl beat 7 eggs until frothy.

-Add some salt and pepper and then stir in the cook chard.

-Cut about 6 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese into small cubes.

-Rinse out the pan you cooked the chard in, then put it back on the heat and melt another TBS of butter in the pan.

-When hot add the egg mixture, then the cheese cubes.

-Cover the pan and pop in into the oven to bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the eggs are just set.

Radish Top Pesto

In the sprit of DIY, why let anything go to waste?

-Wash and spin-dry the tops from 1 bunch of radishes.

-Put ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in a small heat proof bowl and then add boiling water to cover. Let stand for 5 minutes to rehydrate.

-Add the radish tops to the bowl of a food processor and process for a few seconds until finely chopped.

Then add the following to the food processor:

1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds.

1/3 cup freshly-grated Parmigiano Regianno cheese.

2 cloves of fresh garlic.

1 TBS or 2 of extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper to taste

the drained sun-dried tomatoes

-Process for a few seconds until everything is well-combined.

-Serve as an appetizer with sliced bread or with pasta.

Radicchio Salad with Feta and Dates

Soaking the radicchio in ice water is the key to this salad, it removes all trace of bitterness from the radicchio.

-Break 1 head of radicchio into 1.5 inch pieces and soak in water with 5-6 ice cubes for 2 hours.

-Whisk together the following:

The zest from ½ a lemon

2 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

-Set aside.

-Halve ½ cup pitted dates lengthwise and then thinly slice crosswise.

-Put the radicchio in a large bowl, add the dates and ½ cup crumbled feta.

-Toss with enough dressing to coat and taste for salt.

Quick Refrigerator Pickles

-Combine the following in a small saucepan.

½ cup white vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar or honey

1 tsp mustard seed

1 clove cracked garlic

1 tsp sea salt

-Heat pan over medium high heat until it begins to simmer and sugar dissolves.

-Cut 1 pound of pickling cucumbers into ½ inch thick slices.

-Toss the following together in a heatproof bowl:

1 tsp dried dill or 2 TBS fresh dill leaves

1 bay leaf

The sliced cucumbers

-Pour the simmering liquid over the cucumbers and stir to evenly coat.

-Allow to cool to room temperature or chill before serving.

Quick Moussaka

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

-Cut 1 large or 2 medium eggplants into 1 inch chunks and put in a large bowl.

-Cover with ice water and soak for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel.

-On a baking sheet, toss eggplant with 6 TBS extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.

-Spread in a single layer and roast in the oven until soft and golden, 20 to 30 minutes.

-Butter a 4-quart ovenproof dish.

-Transfer eggplant to buttered dish, spreading in an even layer.

-Cut a large X on the bottom of 4 slicing tomatoes and place in a medium sized heat-proof bowl.

-Boil enough water to cover the tomatoes by 1-inch.

-Let stand for 5 minutes, then pour off the water and peel (when cool enough to handle).

-In a large saucepan, warm another 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.

-Add the following:

1 diced onion

2 cloves of garlic (put through a press)

1 pound ground lamb or beef

-Cook, stirring to prevent sticking, until meat is browned about 5 to 7 minutes.

-Stir in the following:

2 tsp tomato paste

The leaves from ½ bunch parsley or a large handful of basil

2 tsps oregano

1 tsp cinnamon

The peeled tomatoes

¼ tsp sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

-Simmer, crushing tomatoes with the edge of a spoon, 15 minutes.

-Spread the mixture evenly over the eggplant.

-Heat broiler to high.

-In a small bowl, mix together the following:

1 cup ricotta cheese (at room temperature)

4 ounces feta cheese (at room temperature)

1 egg (at room temperature)

1/8 tsp black pepper

A pinch of sea salt

-Pour mixture over the casserole and spread evenly to the edges.

-Broil until topping is browned in spots, 5 to 10 minutes.

-Serve hot.

Puy Lentils with Oven-Dried Sungold Tomatoes and Gorgonzola

From Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. Serve these lentils at room temperature over a bed of arugula.

-Preheat your oven to 130 degrees.

-Cut 1 basket of Sungold cherry tomatoes in half or you can use 5-6 slicing tomatoes cut into 4ths the long way. (A mixture of both?)

-Place skin-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

-Drizzle with 1 TBS olive oil and 2 TBS balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with sea salt.

-Roast for 1½ hours until semi-dried. Let cool.

 -Very thinly slice 1 red onion and put it in a medium sized bowl.

-Pour over 1 TBS red wine vinegar and sprinkle with 1 tsp Maldon sea salt and let sit for a few minutes until the onion softens.

-Boil 2½ cups of water, then add 1½ cups of Puy lentils, the water should come about ½ inch above the lentils.

-Cook the lentils for 20-30 minutes until tender.

-Drain well, then while still warm, add to the sliced onion.

-Then add 3 TBS olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic put through a press and some freshly ground black pepper.

-Stir to mix and leave aside to cool down.

-Once cool add ½ bunch chopped cilantro, flat leaf Italian parsley and/or basil.

-Taste for salt and pepper.

-Crumble up 1/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese.

-To serve, pile up the lentils on a large plate, integrating the Gorgonzola and the oven-dried tomatoes as you build up the pile.

-Drizzle the tomato cooking juices on top and serve.

Purslane Pesto

Use on toasted bread, pizza or with pasta.

-Break 1 bunch of purslane into small florets, you can use the stems.

-Put ½ cup walnuts and ¼ cup pumpkin seeds in a cast iron pan.

-Roast over medium heat stirring often until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

-When brown, add the walnuts/pumpkin seeds to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade.

-Then add the following:

The juice from half a lemon

¼ cup olive oil

2 tsp. honey

A big pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper

-Pulse until you can't see any whole leaves.

Puree of Carrots with Crème Fraiche and Honey

-Bring a medium size pot of salted water to boil.

-Trim, peel and thinly slice 1.5 pounds of carrots.

-Add the carrots to boiling water and cook until extremely tender-about 10 minutes.

-Drain well and transfer to a food processor with the following:

2 TBS clover honey

1/4 cup crème fraiche

2 TBS unsalted butter

-Puree until smooth.

-Season withsea salt and freshly ground black pepper, serve warm.

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

-Cut 1 pie pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds.

-Roast at 350 face down in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes until very tender.

-Scoop out flesh and then stir well to blend.

-Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

-Butter or oil muffin pan if not nonstick.

-Meanwhile, whisk together the following in a large bowl:

1¼ cup whole wheat flour

1 cup oats

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1 heaping tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp salt

-In a separate bowl, whisk together the following:

1 stick melted butter

¾ brown sugar

2 cups pumpkin puree

¼ cup Greek yogurt

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

-Add to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

-Stir in ½ cup cranberries and 1/4 cup TBS pumpkin seeds or walnuts.

-Divide batter among muffin cups.

-Bake until a wooden pick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

-Cool slightly on a rack.

Pumpkin Butter

-Peel, seed and dice 1 pie pumpkin.

-In a stainless steel pot, combine pumpkin witn the following:

¼ cup turbinado sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

A pinch of sea salt

-Bring to a low boil and then simmer over low heat until pumpkin is tender, about 20-30 minutes.

-Remove from heat and transfer to a blender; blend until smooth.

-Return mixture to pot and heat for 10 minutes on low until it reaches desired thickness.

-Remove, cool, and serve.

-This will keep for several weeks in the fridge.

Potatoes with Fennel, Artichokes and Fontina Cheese

-Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

-Slice 2 pounds of potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices.

-Slice up 1 bulb of fennel into half moon shaped pieces.

-Melt 2 TBS butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

-Add the fennel and potatoes along with the following:

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp dried rosmary

-Cook 4 minutes.

-Then add the following:

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

One 4 ounce jar drained artichoke hearts

3 cloves of garlic, put through a garlic press

2 bay leaves

- Cover, bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes.

-Discard the bay leaves.

-Transfer the potatoes to a greased 8 x 8 baking dish, and sprinkle with the following:

2 TBS finely chopped parsley

1 cup grated Fontina cheese

-Bake until top is golden, about 20-25 minutes.

-Let potatoes cool 10 minutes before serving.

Potato, Celery Root and Leek Soup

-Cut 2 leeks into half the long way and then wash carefully between the layers. Slice into thin strips.

-Heat 2 TBS butter in a large pot, add the leeks and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.

-Add the following:

2 pounds potatoes diced into ½ chunks

1 celery root cut into ½ chunks

4 cups stock and/or some white wine

1 bay leaf

-Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes and celery root are tender, about 25 minutes.

-Use the back of a wooden spoon to crush some of the potatoes against the side of the pot, leaving some intact.

-Remove the bay leaf and stir in the following:

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese

3 TBS chopped parsley

1 TBS chopped fresh sage

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

-Serve piping hot with a good crusty loaf of bread and butter.

Potato Shallot Gratin

From Fine Cooking’s Dinner with Friends

For the sauce:

-In a small saucepan combine the following:

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1 clove chopped garlic

1 bay leaf

-Bring to a boil and then remove from heat and set aside to infuse.

-Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

-Slice 2# pounds of potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices.

-Cut 2 shallots or 1 onion into thin strips.

-Then chop about 6 ounces thinly sliced ham (optional).

To assemble:

-In a large 2-qt. gratin dish or heavy baking dish spread about 1/3 of the potato slices.

-Season each layer with the following:

Sea salt

Pepper

A sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg

-Then overtop of the potatoes, layer half of the shallots/onions and half of the ham.

-Top with another 1/3 of the potatoes and some more salt, pepper and nutmeg.

-Then spread the other half of the shallots/onions and the other half of the ham.

-Top with the remaining potatoes and more salt, pepper and nutmeg.

-Put the gratin on a baking sheet to catch drips and pour the cream mixture over top, discarding the bay leaf.

-Sprinkle the gratin with 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese, cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

-Remove the foil and bake until the potatoes are very tender and the top is brown, another 30-45 minutes.

-Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs

-Cover 2# of whole potatoes with water by 1 inch in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, then bring to a boil with 1 tsp sea salt.

-Simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, then drain.

-In a large bowl whisk together the following:

1/2 TBS Dijon mustard

1 TBS whole-grain mustard

2 TBS white-wine vinegar

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

-Then add 3 TBS olive oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.

-When potatoes are just cool enough to handle, halve them, then add to vinaigrette.

-Stir in 2 TBS chopped basil and 1 TBS finely chopped rosemary.

-Serve warm or at room temperature.

Potato Leek Soup

-Cut 2-3 leeks into half the long way and then wash carefully between the layers. Slice into thin strips.

-Heat 2 TBS butter in a large pot, add the leeks and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.

-Add the following:

2 pounds potatoes diced into ½ chunks

4 cups stock and/or some white wine

1 bay leaf

-Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.

-Use the back of a wooden spoon to crush some of the potatoes against the side of the pot, leaving some intact.

-Remove the bay leaf and stir in the following:

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese

3 TBS chopped parsley

1 TBS chopped fresh sage

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

-Serve piping hot with a good crusty loaf of bread and butter.