Monday, April 29, 2013

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

We say Potatoe

Potatoes are growing in many place in the garden.  Here are two.
 
 


Sunday, April 21, 2013

What to do with too much chard


For Chard, Mustard, Kale, etc…

·         Sautee in olive oil and/ or ghee (available at  http://www.littleindiaaz.com/)

Any combination: onions, chives, shallots, garlic, etc… (Allium family).

Optional:

Fry bacon or pancetta along with these at this time if you eat pork;

Otherwise, add slivers of sundried tomatoes canned in olive oil. Set aside.

·         Microwave 1-2 buttered yams until just cooked, almost soft, let cool and set aside.

·         While sauté is in process, wash and stack bitter leafy greens, rolling into “cigar shape” from leaf tip to stem ends.

·         Julienne crosswise greens after making 1-2 longitudinal cuts down length of “cigar”.  Set aside.

·         Flavor oil in sauté with spices of choice; e.g., turmeric, curry powder,  popped  cumin or mustard seeds- to release essential oils. (Available at http://www.littleindiaaz.com/). Spanish smoked paprika (available at Whole Foods or online), cayenne, black pepper, etc…can be added now. Do not salt yet.

·         Braise / wilt down the julienned greens in the flavored oil.

·         Add water, low sodium free range chicken broth, or other broth to taste to aid braising. Cover and simmer.

·         Cube cooled yam into ½” dice. I use peel, you may choose to discard. Rinse and drain one can of white beans.

·         When greens cooked to desired level, adjust salt and pepper to taste. ( I prefer black salt from India, available at http://www.littleindiaaz.com/, which adds a slight sulphur taste, this is an acquired but  amazing exotic layer of flavor)

·         Gently add cubed yams and drained beans to braised greens.  Replace pan lid just to heat these additions. Do not over-stir and damage shape of beans and yams dice.

·        Garnish with toasted chopped cashews and serve with Modena balsamic vinegar and Arbequina olive oil.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Hail, Kale

Like broccoli, cauliflower, and collards, kale is a descendant of the wild cabbage, a plant thought to have originated in Asia Minor and to have been brought to Europe around 600 B.C. by groups of Celtic wanderers. Curly kale played an important role in early European food ways, having been a significant crop during ancient Roman times and a popular vegetable eaten by peasants in the Middle Ages. English settlers brought kale to the United States in the 17th century.



For more information about kale and it's nutritional value, go here.
Oh, hail you kale.