Kale Shittake Pasta

I had some leftover cooked pasta, but not quite enough for a meal, so I sauteed an onion, some chopped garlic, sliced shittake mushrooms and some chopped kale. I added the pasta til it warmed up and topped the whole thing with some good olive oil and freshly grated parmesan

Fresh Beans and Kale

If you see fresh shelling beans at the market, buy them. If you've never had them-- even if you don't like "normal" (dry) beans-- buy them anyway. I'm not really a bean fan, but these are fantastic. Their flavor is bright and they're creamy inside. They're good hot or cold. And you can have a shelling party with your friends to make the busy work go faster.

You'll need (I really didn't measure here, sorry):

beans (I used cannellini)

1 onion

4 anchovies (omit for vegetarian version)

1t tomato paste

chicken or veggie broth

1/2 bunch of kale

good olive oil

First, shell the beans...

Then chop your onion and saute it in a large heavy pan with the anchovies and tomato paste for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Add the beans and broth; they should be well submerged. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover. Mine had to cook for about an hour, at which point the liquid had conveniently been absorbed and the beans were still slightly firm but creamy inside. At this point, chop the kale roughly and add it to the pan. Let cook until kale wilts, about 2 minutes, uncovered. Remove from heat and drizzle with some fantastic olive oil. Serve!

Pork Medallions with Bulgur Pilaf

The nice thing about this dish is that it takes only minutes to make. The bad thing is that you have to eat it right away, as in before-you-can-take-a-picture right away. But it's tasty, quick and easy, so I made it again for lunch a few days later-- for blogging purposes only, of course. Now you have lots of pictures to enjoy.

For the pilaf, saute 1/2 onion, chopped, and 1c chopped mushrooms until onions are golden and mushrooms soft. Add 1c bulgur; saute 2 minutes. Add 2c chicken broth; bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, about 20 minutes. Add 1/2 bunch kale, chopped, and stir well to combine. Cook until kale turns bright green (about a minute) and serve.

For the pork, slice a pork tenderloin into 1 inch chunks. Pound lightly to even out. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. 

Brown in hot oil in a non-non-stick skillet about 1 minute/side. Set aside. Deglaze skillet with Marsala wine. Let boil slightly to reduce; stir in 1T butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over medallions. Serve!

Ginger Miso Salmon with Roasted Kale and Mushrooms

This is a light, delicious meal that uses only one baking dish and is ready in about 15 minutes. You can skip the cilantro mint topping and drizzle soy sauce instead, but I like the freshness of the herbs and the heat of the chilies.

You'll need (serves 1):

1 filet salmon, pinbones removed with tweezer
1T white miso paste
4 leaves kale, stems removed
a handful of shiitake mushrooms
1 inch ginger, chopped
2T chopped mint
2T chopped cilantro
1 thai chili, minced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces and place in baking dish. Top with mushrooms, quartered if large. Drizzle with some chicken stock or water and a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.


Roast about 5 minutes, until kale is crispy on top and mushrooms are soft.

In the meantime, combine cilantro, mint, and chili and set aside.

Stir ginger into kale and make a well in the middle; place salmon, skin side down, into well. Turn oven down to 275 degrees and return dish to oven. Cook until salmon is opaque on the outside, about 7 minutes.

Serve topped with herb-chili mixture.

Dressing Up Pasta Leftovers

One easy, quick way to make last night's pasta a little more interesting is to add a poached egg. When you break the yolk, it oozes deliciousness and coats the pasta. This works well for a pasta that doesn't have much sauce (tomato or cream) to begin with.

Another nice pasta trick that works well with a cut like spaghetti is to make a pasta frittata: just mix in a few eggs and bake until set, then cut into wedges. This makes a good lunch (served with a salad) or first course (served alone).

Springtime Pasta

This is a springier version of the classic (or not-so-classic) orecchiette with sausage & broccoli rabe. Here we used a mix of cooking greens, goat cheese, and walnuts to brighten up the dish.

You'll need:
4 large handfuls cooking greens, cleaned & trimmed (kale, chard, collard, mustard, etc)
1 lb spicy Italian bulk sausage
1 shallots, sliced
2-3 spring garlic, sliced
1/2c dry red wine
1T red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 lemon
1/2c walnuts, toasted
1 box campanelle pasta (my new favorite!)

Boil water for pasta.

Heat olive oil. Saute shallots and garlic, stirring to make sure they don't burn, for about 4 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and saute 2 minutes.

Put pasta on to cook.

Add sausage, breaking it up into very tiny pieces with a wooden spatula. Let a lot of the fat burn off and the sausage brown slightly. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.

Deglaze with red wine; cook until wine is absorbed.

Add greens, tearing them into small pieces as you add them. Cook until wilted.

Add just-undercooked pasta with some of its cooking water (about 1/2c) to the sausage & greens. Stir to combine.

Zest lemon onto pasta; stir. The water should be cooked away; taste and add more water if too dry.

Add goat cheese; mix (or serve dotted with goat cheese). Top with crumbled walnuts to serve.

Spicy Beer and Kale Stew

Like a Belgian (actually, Flemish) Carbonnade, this stew uses dark ale (Newcastle Brown); the similarity ends there. It also has leeks, hot chili peppers, and kale, which make for a complex and tasty combination. You can make the sauce thicker, but I wanted a soupier, classic stew-like texture. I've given instructions for both ways below.


You'll need:

3.5 lbs beef chuck, trimmed & cut into 1" chunks
1 onion, sliced
1 large leek, quartered lengthwise & cut into 1/2" pieces
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 large rib celery, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced
1T tomato paste
about 4 dried chili peppers (I used 2 chipotle, 2 other)
1 12oz bottle Newcastle, or other dark ale or stout
4c broth (I used the tongue broth I froze when I made the offal dinner)
3T flour
1 bunch kale, leaves removed and stems discarded
chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Pass chilies over gas flame until slightly blackened. Submerge in boiling water; cover.

Salt and pepper beef chunks and brown well in hot grapeseed oil, in batches. Set aside browned meat.

Lower heat. Add onion, leek, carrot, celery, garlic, tomato paste, salt & pepper. Stir, scraping brown bits at bottom of pot. Cook about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, remove chilies from water. Slice open to remove seeds. Chop roughly and add to cooking veggies.

Add flour to veggies and stir well, 2 minutes. Add beer. Scrape to remove flour stuck to bottom of pan. Scrape and stir until the pan is clean.

Add broth and bring to a boil. Add meat and accumulated juices. Cover and place in oven. Cook until meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

At this point, it's best to let the stew sit overnight for the flavors to develop, but you don't have to. If you do, reheat it in a 300 degree oven about 30 minutes before serving.

For a thicker stew, remove the meat and puree the liquid and veggies with an immersion blender. You can then reduce the pureed liquid to achieve your desired consistency. I normally do this, but for this stew, I wanted a more classic, brothy feel.

About 10 minutes before serving, add kale and stir to combine. Cook until kale is tender. Taste and adjust seasonings (salt & pepper). Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with spicy cornbread, brown rice, or egg noodles.

Spicy Cornbread

We used Bob's Red Mill Cornbread mix
and added 1 chopped habanero & 2 chopped jalapeños to the batter.

2005 La Cabotte Cotes du Rhone

Lamb and Kale Quesadilla

Ok, I know it sounds weird, but believe me, this was really tasty, and sooo easy. I had some frozen ground lamb in the freezer and didn't even wait for it to defrost; it just thawed as it cooked in the pan.

You'll need:

2 tortillas
1/4 lb ground lamb
1/4 bunch kale (I used about 7 leafy stems)
2 shallots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1t cumin
1/2t cayenne
grated cheese (I used firecracker cheddar on one side, sharp cheddar on the other)
a little chopped red onion for garnish
a small handful of parsley, chopped

Saute shallots in a little oil; when the shallots turn translucent, add lamb, salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne. When lamb browns, add garlic, kale, and a little liquid-- wine, broth, water, whatever you have. Cover and cook until kale wilts. Stir in chopped parsley

Pass tortillas over gas flame to brown (or stick them in a hot oven). Cover with grated cheese and place, cheese side up, under the broiler for 30 seconds to melt cheese.

Spread lamb on one tortilla; sprinkle with red onion; place other tortilla on top, cheese side down. Serve with salsa or even a yogurt sauce.

Phyllo, Meat, and Veggie Pie

This is a larger, more communal (and non-kosher) version of my grandmother's borekas. It's very easy to make and you can throw in whatever veggies you have lying around.

You'll need (3-4 servings):

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch swiss chard, kale, spinach or other cooking green (stems removed, cut into large pieces)
1/2c walnuts
1 bunch carrots, washed & sliced into 1/4" slices
1c grated strong cheese (we used goats' milk cheddar)
1T olive oil
salt, pepper
1T cayenne pepper
1 1/2 T cumin powder
1/4 c minced parsley

8 sheets phyllo dough (1/2 package)
1/2 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat oil in heavy skillet. Saute onions, about 15 minutes, over medium heat until golden brown. Add walnuts, saute 5 minutes. Add meat, cumin, cayenne, salt & pepper and saute to brown. Add chard, cook 3 minutes to wilt. Add carrots, cook 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in parsley.

Working quickly, butter a baking (gratin) dish and lay down 1 sheet phyllo dough. Brush with butter; place another sheet; continue, alternating butter & phyllo, for 3-4 sheets. Then pour in meat mixture, and top with grated cheese. Layer phyllo and butter again to top; fold over edges when done, brushing edges with extra butter. Cut into pieces (this is very important to do before cooking!), sprinkle with parmesan, and bake about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with a nice green salad.

Spicy Breaded Chicken with Kale and Mushroom Ragout

This is tasty and (as an added bonus) almost painfully healthy-- omit the goat cheese from the ragout and there's really no fat at all. It's also easy and can be ready in less than an hour.

Spicy Breaded Chicken

You'll need:
chicken thighs
panko or bread crumbs
fresh thyme
optional marinade ingredients (see below)

Marinate: You don't have to do this, but I think if you can marinate chicken, you (generally) should. I used a simple yogurt marinade: nonfat yogurt, salt, pepper, and chili powder (I'm out of cayenne! but that would work too). I only marinated for a few hours; you can do overnight, but the flavor of this dish should really lie in the breading.

Make it: Pat the chicken dry. Dip in: flour (light coating); beaten egg (let drip); panko mixed with chopped thyme. Place chicken on lightly oiled baked sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with lemon wedges. In the meantime, make the veggie ragout.

Kale and Mushroom Ragout

You'll need:
1 bunch kale, stemmed and torn into pieces
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thickly (or any mushrooms, really. I think shiitakes have the most flavor for something like this)
2 large shallots, sliced
red pepper flakes
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4c dry madiera wine or vermouth
zest from 1 lemon
goat cheese-- I used Bucheron, an aged goat cheese (optional)

Saute the shallots, mushrooms, salt & red pepper flakes in 1T olive oil. When the mushrooms start to brown, add kale and garlic. Stir to combine; cook until kale wilts, then add wine. When wine evaporates, add grated zest of 1 lemon. Serve as a bed for the chicken, or dot with goat cheese and serve on the side with bulgar pilaf or another grain.

Pork Hominy Stew

1-2lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-1.5" cubes. Coat with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and chili powder. Let marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 3-4 days.


One day before serving, remove from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Brown cubes on all sides in hot grapeseed oil. If necessary, brown in batches; do not crowd pan. Remove pork and place in bowl.

Add oil if necessary to pan; saute 2 large onions, chopped. Scrape up brown bits as onions release liquid. When onions are translucent, add salt, pepper, 1T chili powder and 2T dried coriander. Stir to combine. Add 5 cloves sliced garlic, 2 peeled, cored, and sliced apples, and 2 large sweet peppers, diced. Saute, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add pork and any accumulated juices and about 1lb early girl tomatoes, halved. Stir to combine. Add about 1c chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 1/2 hour.

Add 1 can drained and rinsed hominy. Cover and simmer until pork is tender, about 1 more hour. If you like your stew soupy, it's ready; otherwise, remove the meat and boil to reduce, or thicken with 1t cornstarch dissolved in water.


Eat the next day so the flavors have time to develop. For added deliciousness, reheat with some cooking greens (kale, collard greens, etc)-- I used mustard greens, which have a sharpness that goes well with the flavors in this dish. Cook, stirring, until greens wilt. Garnish with cilantro.

Farmer's Market Pasta

It was beautiful-- again, I didn't have my camera on me.

Roast a variety of heirloom tomatoes, tossed with salt, pepper, and dried thyme, in a 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. They should begin to break down but maintain their shape.

Saute an onion and spicy bulk sausage (~1lb) until brown. Add 1/2 can tomato paste, stir to combine; add 1c dry red wine, stir, and reduce until alcohol evaporates. Add roasted tomatoes and stir. Add shredded kale or other cooking greens (about 1 bunch) and cook until kale just wilts. Toss with fresh garlic-parsley pappardelle (Pheonix Pastificio) and serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Summer Feast

We began at the Downtown Berkeley Saturday Farmers' Market, where we bought what looked good. Then we hit up the Cheeseboard, Andronico's, and Vintage Berkeley, an excellent wine store on Vine where they helped us make wine pairings with our menu. A full day of cooking later, this was our meal:

First Course

Heirloom tomato salad caprese with Basil and fresh Burrata (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrata)

Second Course

Fatted Calf Rabbit Rillettes with Toasts and Daikon Radish Sprout salad, served with Dijon and Stoneground mustards

Baby Yukon Gold potatoes sauteed in rabbit fat, fresh thyme and rosemary, and roasted, served with garlic aioli

Third Course

Grilled pizzetta with eggplant caviar pissalidiere, served with sweet red peppers


Slow cooked okra in Heirloom tomato garlic reduction

Fourth Course

Thai-style grilled white prawns on kale, avocado, and mango salad

Fifth Course

Prosciutto-wrapped Black Mission figs stuffed with Manviso drizzled with Tan Oak honey

Wine

We drank an Uvaggio Vermentino 2006 from Lodi, CA with the first two courses, and a Gargola Tempranillo Blend 2003 from Merida, Spain with the rest of the meal.

Spicy Salmon Cakes with Kale and Couscous

Use 1 large or 2 small cans of salmon (about 15 oz). Drain well and remove bones and skin. Flake and mix with 1/4 c corn, 3 chopped green onions, 1 diced serrano chile, juice of 1 lemon, 2 minced cloves of garlic, hot sauce to taste, a dash of Worcestershire, dried mint and dried tarragon, cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. Gently stir in 1/2 c panko and 1 beaten egg. Form 6 flat patties; squeeze gently and roll in panko. Pan fry in olive oil until golden brown and crusty.

Transfer cooked cakes to plate. Wipe pan and add olive oil, roughly chopped kale, and salt. Saute 3-5 min until tender.

Serve a mound of couscous topped with kale and two or three patties per person.

Quick Summer Dinner

Barbecue sausages (we got fresh pork-and-beef sausages from the farmer's market) and serve with bulgar pilaf-- saute onions, salt, and dried herbs in butter; when onions are translucent, add bulgar and saute; add chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover to cook.

Kale salad with Oro Blanco grapefruit (remove all skin and membrane) and avocado-- let grapefruit juice lightly dress kale, add white wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Quinoa Risotto with leftover chicken

(Quinoa is kosher for passover-- it's a grass, not a grain!)

Heat olive oil and saute 1 small diced onion. When onion is translucent, add 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 cup quinoa. Saute, adding more olive oil if necessary, 3 minutes. Deglaze with 1/2 cup white wine. When wine is almost absorbed, slowly add 2 cups beef broth, stirring constantly, for about 20 minutes. When quinoa is cooked (should look sprouted) but still saucy, add 1 grated carrot and lots of thinly sliced shittake mushrooms; stir and cook until mushrooms are done. Add leftover chicken (I used chicken in tarragon cream sauce, recipe by Jacques Pepin), and stir until heated. Turn off heat. Add 3 cups kale, torn into small pieces (I used two different kinds-- any green would work). Add zest and juice from 1 meyer lemon, chopped fresh tarragon, and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese.

pork tenderloin cutlets with tarragon sauce and kale mashed potatoes

clean tenderloin and slice diagonally into 1-inch pieces. pound pieces between plastic wrap until uniformly thin (about 1/4 inch). dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. saute until golden, about 4 minutes on the first side and 2 on the second, in olive oil. remove and keep warm. add shallots to pan; add butter if necessary. when shallots are cooked, deglaze pan with vermouth and add chopped tarragon and dijon mustard. reduce. pour over pork and serve with kale mashed potatoes: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001566.html (i followed the recipe almost exactly but whipped the potatoes with butter and cream before adding the kale; i also kept the potato skins on)