Posts Tagged ‘Greenling’

The End of Cabbage, At least for now

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

Coleslaw doesn’t happen in my house very often, because oddly enough, everyone I cook for outside of my immediate family has a ridiculous aversion to cabbage—especially it its raw state. This is why New Years Day is one of my favorite meals of the year. As a good-standing citizen of the American south, I can make the people I love eat the vegetables they hate under the threat of suffering a whole year of poverty and misfortune.

On the rare occasions that coleslaw does make it onto the dinner table, it is usually alongside fish tacos or pulled-pork sandwiches. Because I had so much cabbage to use up, we had it with both. If you’ve been doing the math (and I truly hope you have better things to do than keep track of how much cabbage I have), I had one head of cabbage left from Greenling. So I made two separate batches of coleslaw.

The first batch was served on top of some delicious pan fried grouper inside warm El Milagro corn tortillas. The second batch gave a little crunch to our New Years Day feast of pulled pork that Shawn smoked for eleven and a half hours. And to satisfy me, everyone ate at least one bite of their coleslaw, collard greens and black-eyed peas. Someone did try to ruin my fun by telling my friend Ryan, who is by far the biggest baby of all when it comes to eating cabbage, that he could secure his financial future with collard greens alone. Not on my watch. Tisk, tisk.

Jalapeno Coleslaw

½ head of cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, grated

4 radishes, grated

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 jalapenos, minced

½ bunch cilantro, chopped

Dressing

⅓ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 3

key limes or one regular)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon cumin

dash of hot sauce

1. In a large bowl, combine the dressing ingredients.

2. Add the coleslaw ingredients to the dressing and toss.

3. Refrigerate one hour to blend the flavors. Taste before serving and adjust seasonings. Serve as a barbecue side dish, on a pulled pork sandwich, or in a fish taco.

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Posted in seafood, vegetables | 1 Comment »

When Life Throws You a Whole Crap Load of Lemons, Make Lemon Bars.

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

Okay so “life” hasn’t necessarily been throwing lemons, but Greenling sure has been handing out a lot of them. I’ve been accumulating lemons every week now for about a month. As it turns out, I don’t use them nearly as fast as they come. And these aren’t just any lemons, they’re meyer lemons. Ever since they were little buds on the lemon tree they knew they would become something more than just lemonade.

I made lemon bars once, about four years ago. When they came out of the oven, much to my dismay, they had more or less become “one with the pan.” I couldn’t get them out. After about a half hour spent scraping and prying with every utensil imaginable (including some that are not normally found in a kitchen), I finally managed to extract a few for a taste test. What I then experienced was most unpleasant. The caustic, biting flavor of too much sour lemon was accompanied by a dose of saccharine sweetness I had not experienced since my days of hiding in the pantry munching on sugar cubes. These were not, in my opinion, the way a lemon bar should taste.

I was willing this year, at my mom’s request, to try again. And this is where Meyer lemons come in. Substituting them for the original in a lemon bar recipe results in a much more pleasing balance between sweet and sour. Try it. I think you’ll like it.

Meyer Lemon Bars

Even though this particular recipe (adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Ina Garten) calls for a whole cup of lemon juice, with the use of meyer lemons, the sour flavor is not overpowering. The shortbread layer also has less sugar, which puts the focus exactly where it should be—on the lemon curd. Also note that you can save yourself a lot of frustration by lining your baking dish with a sheet of parchment paper. If you don’t have any parchment paper, I hope you have a chisel instead.

Crust

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)

1 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

1 cup flour

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet or casserole dish. Line with parchment paper.

2. For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into the greased baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill (Note: I skipped this step with no ill effects).

2. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

3. For the lemon layer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or about five minutes beyond the point where the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

4. Cut into small squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar, just before serving.

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Posted in desserts, fruit | 1 Comment »

Christmas Eve Ceviche for Everyone

Thursday, December 25th, 2008

My family has had a Christmas Eve party every year of my life for as long as I can remember. It’s become such an important part of our holiday tradition that I don’t think it would feel like Christmas without it. I remember as a kid, when the party came around, I could count on two things: getting to open one present early and eating some really good food. As a very mature adult, I have more patience and will power. I have to wait to open presents, and that’s okay. I also realize that most of all, the party is a chance to catch up with the friends and family that we don’t see enough the rest of the year—and it’s those people that really make it special. They are the party. They are Christmas. But do you want to know a secret? I still get excited about the food.

This year was Mexican. My dad was making Soup Nazi Mexican Chicken Chili. No soup for you! And this year was the first year that I was asked to bring something. I decided on ceviche right away. But then as my supply of Meyer lemons began to expand to levels of grotesque proportions, lemon bars started to sound like a really good idea. For several days, I went back and forth between ceviche and meyer lemon bars. My mom loves lemon bars, but would we really need more sweets? The definitive answer was yes. So I did what any reasonable person would do. I made both. And those people I was talking about? You know, the special ones? They wolfed down the ceviche before my dad got to try it, so guess what we’ll be having for New Years? (If you can’t guess, see answer below):

Looks good doesn’t it? Well, you’ll have to make your own because we’re fresh out. Let me know when you’re done and you can have some lemon bars for dessert.

Mock Ceviche

Ceviche is sort of a Latin American fish cocktail. It can be made with shellfish, squid or almost any firm white-fleshed fish. Traditionally, ceviche is not cooked with heat. Instead it’s marinated in citrus juices, which chemically “cook” the fish. And contrary to popular belief, chemically cooked fish is not as safe as fish cooked with heat. You should always treat any fish used for ceviche as though you were going to eat it raw. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to take on that burden of responsibility. So I use this trick suggested by Mark Bittman: Cook the damn fish. Nobody will know the difference. I love ceviche, but I don’t love the idea of giving anyone a tapeworm for Christmas. Ho ho ho!

Ceviche

1 1/2 lbs bay scallops (the small ones), rinsed 

1 cup diced tomatoes, seeded 

2 medium avocados, 1/4 inch dice 

1/4 cup onion, minced 

2 jalapeños, seeded and minced 

1 clove garlic, minced 

1/2 small bunch cilantro, chopped 

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

Thick corn chips for serving

Dressing

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 lemon, juice and zest (I used a meyer lemon) (about 2 tablespoons)

4 key limes, juice (about 2 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the scallops, turn the water off and put a lid on it. Allow the scallops to sit for two minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Cut each scallop in half and set aside.

2. In a bowl large enough to accommodate the finished dish, combine the dressing ingredients. Add the scallops, tomato, onion, jalapeno, garlic and herbs. If there’s time, allow the ceviche to marinate in the refrigerator for several hours to blend the flavors. 

3. Add the avocados and toss gently just before serving. Serve immediately with a side of corn chips.

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Lots and Lots of Cabbage

Monday, December 22nd, 2008

That’s actually a gross exaggeration. Two heads of cabbage in most households does not qualify as “lots and lots of cabbage,” but when you’re the only person that likes cabbage in a household, two heads of cabbage can seem a little overwhelming. When I got the first head of cabbage in my Greenling box, I thought it was the prettiest head of cabbage I had ever seen. I immediately started thinking up ways to cook it. A week went by without any decision being made and then another head of cabbage arrived. I decided it was time to get cracking. My plan was to find a way to cook the cabbage so that Shawn would eat it and possibly like it a little. The only way I have seen him enjoy cabbage in the past is when it is stewed with ground beef and onions and then stuffed into little white dough balls. The balls are then baked to form a meat and cabbage pocket that is then to be dipped in ketchup and mustard and eaten. These strange objects are called “bierocks”.

That’s all fine and dandy if you are, like Shawn, a bottomless pit that can eat an entire loaf of white bread in one sitting. If you’re like me, all that bread gets pretty filling and is pretty heavy in the stomach. So bierocks were out, and I was not ready to re-live my recent experience with cabbage rolls (don’t ask). So here is what I came up with. A dish of cabbage and potatoes, sauteed with a little bacon and baked with a touch of cream and an herb cheese topping. It was quick, satisfying and didn’t make the house smell like boiled cabbage, which was a key factor in convincing the boy to eat most of it.

So, that’s 1/2 a head of cabbage down. Only one and a half heads to go. Next on the cabbage list is baked crispy spring rolls (egg rolls). Stay tuned folks.

 

Cabbage Potato Gratin with Herb Cheese

The method of sautéing the cabbage quickly gives it a sweet flavor. The cheese topping is of course optional, but it never hurts. I suspect that some gruyere would work well here too.

Makes 4-6 side dish servings.

2 strips of bacon, 1/2 inch dice 

2 cups yukon gold potatoes, 1/2 inch dice 

2 cloves of garlic, minced 

1/2 of a medium head of cabbage, 1/2 inch dice 

salt and pepper 

1/3 cup half and half 

2 oz boursin garlic herb cheese or goat cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 425. Render the bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Add the potatoes and garlic and cook until lightly browned. Then add ¼ cup of water and cover. Cook until the potatoes are tender and then remove the lid and allow any remaining liquid to evaporate. Season with salt and pepper. 

2. Add the cabbage and saute until it wilts slightly. Season with salt and pepper. 

3. Add the half and half and cook for a minute or two to reduce the cream. Place the mixture in a square 8 inch casserole dish. Distribute the crumbled cheese evenly over the top and bake 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

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Kale Chips

Saturday, December 20th, 2008

Sounds a little strange, I know. But as I looked in my refrigerator and saw the massive pile of greens building up right before my very eyes, I knew something had to be done. The kale would have to be sacrificed as soon as possible. I had been thinking about trying this for a long time, but I thought I would save it for a time when I needed to eat some greens up pretty fast. After being sick for three days and not cooking anything, I thought now was as good a time as any since: A. My green vegetable quota had seriously suffered this week thanks to a diet of all things white and bland; and B. My Greenling delivery will be showing up on Monday instead of Tuesday because of the holidays, which means more food will be here before I know it. And I must say, if you ever have an urge to eat an entire head of kale in one sitting, this is a really good way to do it. You won’t even flinch, I promise

So this, my friends, is some sort of curly purplish kale. It’s exact scientific name seems to have slipped my memory. If it looks vaguely familiar to you, you’ve probably seen it before. It was probably a garnish on a catered tray of food and it probably got thrown away. Believe it or not though, you can eat this stuff and it’s actually pretty good.

So here is what you do. There are lots of recipes floating around for “kale chips” and the general idea is you put a light coating of oil on it. Then maybe you add a sprinkling of apple cider vinegar or soy sauce for flavor and a small pinch of salt (use less salt than you think, and you can probably omit the salt if you use soy sauce). Toss it all together and then lay it out on a single layer on a baking sheet (I had to do this in two batches). Bake it at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, flipping it over halfway through. The key is to dry it out as much as possible without letting it turn too brown (it becomes bitter). It will become crispy and crumbly and highly addictive and you might eat all of it before anyone even knows what you’ve done.

These actually reminded me of another highly addictive snack: toasted and salted sheets of nori. I went the apple cider vinegar route when I made these, but I think next time I will use soy sauce and a little bit of sesame oil so that they will taste more like toasted nori.

Now if I could just figure out what to do with all those lemons.

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Posted in appetizers, budget recipes, vegetables, vegetarian | No Comments »

Greenling Box — 12.02.2008

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

Here is my delivery for this week. I think it’s even better than last weeks. We got: avocados, mushrooms, red potatoes, meyer lemons, oranges, cilantro, apples, radishes, arugula, beets, bok choy and salad bowl lettuce.

I was really excited to see collard greens in the box. I really enjoyed the ones in the last box, and when Greenlings Mason Arnold and Devon Haire came to talk about the service at my office this week, they brought a sample box and let everyone take something home. I, being the greedy little produce hoarder that I am, grabbed the collard greens, two meyer lemons, two onions and a bunch of fresh thyme.

I cooked the collard greens up that night with a slice of bacon cut up really small and some garlic. We ate them all. I suppose olive oil and garlic would be almost as good. Or maybe olive oil, garlic and mushrooms. Mason says the key is not to cook them too much and apparently he’s right.

Another happy discovery was beets. I have been eating tons of beets lately. My co-workers expect me to turn purple any day now. A lot of people don’t know that the best way to cook beets is to peel them, cut them up, toss them with salt and olive oil and roast them in the oven without foil. They get so sweet they’re almost like candy. If you wrap them in foil, they’re still good, but you’re essentially steaming them. When you leave the foil off, the flavor of the beets gets more concentrated and they taste so much better.

Here are my beets all cut up and waiting to go in the oven. Once they are roasted I like to eat them immediately, right off the pan put them in a green salad with this vinaigrette:

Favorite Vinaigrette

You can use almost any vinegar in this recipe. My mom always says that the key to a good salad dressing is to use a few types of vinegar. I like to use a tablespoon of white or red wine vinegar and a tablespoon of rice vinegar. Use what you have or what you like.

Makes about 3/4 of a cup of dressing.

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons vinegar (1 tablespoon each of two types)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons dijon or grainy mustard

1 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

1. Measure the olive oil into a 2 cup (or larger) measuring cup. Add the remaining ingredients to the cup and whisk everything together. Allow it to sit for several minutes.

2. Whisk again. Taste with a leaf of lettuce dipped into the dressing. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

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Posted in fruit, vegetables | 2 Comments »

Guinness Beef Stew

Sunday, November 30th, 2008

I don’t make beef stew more than about once a year. It’s one of those things that I just don’t really get excited about. Don’t get me wrong, I like beef stew, but there are beefy things I like better, like delicious, melt-in-your-mouth braised short ribs or oxtails. It just seems like with most beef stews, the initial browning of the meat is very exciting, but then in goes the liquid and the vegetables which eventually turn to mush and, well, it’s all downhill from there.

Despite my feelings about beef stew, I bought beef chuck on sale so when the cold weather came and the baby carrots arrived in my Greenling box I knew I had to make it. Most beef stews (the french ones anyway.. i.e. beef bourguignon) are flavored with red wine and I actually have a recipe that uses an entire bottle of red wine. I refuse to pour an entire bottle of perfectly good wine into a pot of meat. I like the flavor of red wine and beef, but I tend to prefer the flavor of Guinness and beef—more hearty, less sweet and less acidic (and also less expensive). So I used a cup of red wine and a bottle of Guinness Stout. And as far as beef stews go, this one came out pretty darn good. I might even make it again before this time next year.

Guinness Beef Stew

3 lbs beef chuck, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons of flour

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup red wine that you would drink

1 bottle Guinness Stout

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, or 4 whole cloves

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 lemon, juice and zest

3 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

10 ounces crimini mushrooms, cut in quarters

1 bunch baby carrots

1/2 cup green peas

parsley, chopped

1. Salt and pepper the meat and dust with flour. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven until it shimmers. Brown the meat in batches until sufficiently caramelized and then add water to cover scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the bits of browned meat and flour.

2. Add the onion, sliced carrots, garlic, lemon juice and zest and seasonings, red wine and beer and bring to a simmer. Cook slowly over low heat for about two hours or until the meat can be easily shredded with a fork.

3. Add the turnips and mushrooms and cook for another half hour adding the baby carrots and peas in the last 15 minutes of cooking. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve with a side of garlic mashed potatoes.

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Posted in beef dishes, vegetables | No Comments »