Sautéed Chard Stalks With Sweet Peppers And Yacón

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Ever heard of Yacón? Neither had I until a few weeks ago. Farmers market supplier, Jacques Neukom had a display of what looked like potatoes, or maybe a new strain of Jerusalem artichoke, it was hard to tell. As it turns out, they were tubers that grow high in the Andes Mountains of Peru and are distantly related to sunflowers.

Botanically named Smallanthus sonchifolius, Yacón has a taste that's a bit like a crunchy sunchoke or a water chestnut, with a wonderfully juicy sweetness. It can be eaten raw, sautéed in stir fries, or roasted with other root vegetables. Because this Yacón is grown organically and locally, we're going to use it as a substitute for water chestnuts in this year's Thanksgiving stuffing. A colorful dish like the one offered here wouldn't be a bad idea either.

The sugars in Yacón seem to have a low impact on diabetics and studies are currently underway to determine just what the long term health benefits may be and how the food industry might capitalize on these low glycemic sugars.

For now, I'm happy to put them into stir fries, such as this offering of rainbow chard stalks, a mix of homegrown peppers, farmers market onion and garlic. A little kosher salt, a small amount of freshly ground black pepper, and a sprinkle or two of golden balsamic vinegar finishes this dish. No further embellishments needed.

Remember when I admonished you to not toss out your chard stalks? With good reason. First, what a great waste! Second, chard is listed as one of the world's healthiest foods and its stalks are very, very good for you as well, and they are in season right now. So, c'mon, put a little green, yellow, pink, red and orange in your life and on your plate.

Christine's Stir Fried Chard Stalks with Peppers and Yacón
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
22 rainbow chard stalks, ends trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
4-5 garden peppers of any sweet kind, chopped (You can throw in a jalapeno if that suits you)
2 medium Yacón tubers, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, medium dice
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Olive oil for the pan
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium high. Add the minced garlic and onions and saute until softened.

Add the peppers and chard stalks and saute for about 3 minutes more.

Add the Yacón, stirring it into the rest of the vegetables, reduce the heat to medium low and allow to cook until everything is nicely tender, about 10 minutes more.

Don't overcook or you will loose the beautiful colors.

Season to taste with kosher salt and a few grindings of black pepper and serve.

Fast, simple, local, organic, healthy. What more could you ask for?

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Sautéed Kale With Garlic And Grilled Sweet Onions

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Is your garden overflowing with kale like mine is? Although it was quite some time ago that the tiny kale starts were planted, and it seemed like forever would happen before we could start harvesting,

if it weren't for the Cabbage and Sulphur butterfly worms taking their share I wouldn't be able to keep up, it's growing so fast.

I know it's hard to tell, but this is a very, very large bowl of two kinds of kale: green curly , very simply named, and a beautiful dark green, upright variety that has far too many names, among them lacinato, dinosaur, Tuscan, Italian Black Kale and cavolo nero. Kale is easy to grow in both cool and hot climates. Here on the north coast of California it will grow year-round, loving a kiss of frost in the winter. In hotter climes it's better as a fall through spring crop.

So far as I know, kale's only predators are the said beasties shown above. A sprinkling of diatomaceaous earth on the leaves will keep them at bay, at least long enough for you to get your share. Or, you can just plant enough kale so everyone's happy.

Kale is a member of the brassica family which includes cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli and more and is a highly nutritious vegetable. Grow it in your garden or buy it at your farmers market or organic produce store. As shown in the recipe below - a little garlic, some grilled sweet onions, a sprinking of balsamic vinegar, a poached egg and voilà. . . a light and lovely summer meal.

So let's start with the onions. To get caramelized sweetness out of a Walla Walla onion, grill it.

Here's a fun way: Cut off the stem and peel back the soft outer layer of the bulb. Cut the onion in half through the root end, leaving roots on each half to hold themselves together. Using a sharp knife, cut the onion halves into wedges, not cutting through the root end.

Rub each onion half with olive oil and grill both sides on medium heat until golden brown, slightly charred at some of the ends, and very soft - looking quite like something other than an onion: A peony, a mop head, a sea anemone, an extra-terrestrial, a muppet, are a few we came up with. Use tongs at the root end to move the onions around the grill. When you're ready to use the onions, simply snip out the root end using kitchen shears. The wedges will plop gently to your cutting board, ready to be cut and warmed in the pan.

Christine's Garden Fresh Sautéed Kale with Garlic and Sweet Onions
Ingredients:
Several large bunches of kale, curly and "lacinato"
4 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon good olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
grilled Walla Walla or other sweet onion prepared as above

Preparation:

Wash the kale in cold water. Tear the leaves into pieces, discarding the larger, tougher stalks at the bottom of each leaf. You can cut these into small pieces and saute them with the garlic and onions if you wish, but I didn't.

Put one half of the olive oil into a large pot and heat it over medium high until it shimmers. Toss in the kale (it will spatter a bit because of the water on the leaves) and sauté, sprinkling with a pinch of two of kosher salt, turning with tongs, until wilted and tender but still bright green.

Meanwhile, using the rest of the olive oil in a skillet, sauté the grilled onion pieces and garlic until the garlic is golden brown and tender.

When the kale is ready, sprinkle with the balsamic vinegar and toss with the onion garlic mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For a bit of protein, poach or gently fry an egg to put on top. Let the runny yolk dribble down over the kale. Eat it up while it's hot.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Delicata Squash With Sautéed Greens, Pancetta And Honey Tangerine

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When you've been driving all day, some of it under rather harrowing conditions, this is the perfect quick-to-fix meal to warm you up and calm you down when you arrive home. A glass of red wine helps. Of course I'm talking about me...

The first part of my 6-hour journey home yesterday was easy - a little rain, a little wind - then it began to snow. Big fat fluffy flakes falling slowly at first, just enough to marvel at, then falling faster and faster until before I knew it I was queued up behind a number of cars being led through the snowy whiteness by a highway patrol car, the road becoming too trecherous to allow for the errant fast driver yet not icy enough to require chains. All of this occurred on the 101 within 50 miles of my home - a very rare occurrence for my neck of the woods as I live on the northern California coast in a maritime temperate climate zone. Not used to driving through snow, especially without chains, you can imagine my relief at arriving home safe and sound, if a bit hungry.

Honey tangerines (also called Murcott oranges) are in markets right now and their sunny goodness is a welcome ingredient to the winter palate. Wonderful in vinaigrettes and simple sautés, honey tangerine juice will also brighten roasted meats and bring elegance to winter desserts. Last night it rounded out all the ingredients of this sauté and made them shine.


Delicata squash with Sautéed Greens, Pancetta and Honey Tangerine
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
1 medium delicata squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups mixture of winter greens, torn (see Cook's Notes)
1 and 1/2 ounces pancetta, cut into small squares
3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup honey tangerine juice, squeezed and strained from 1 tangerine
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
olive oil spray for the pan

Preparation:
Spray a heavy skillet with olive oil spray and set over medium high heat.
Add the pancetta to the hot pan and cook, stirring to break up the pieces, until crisp and browned. Remove to a plate.
Spray the same pan again and lower the heat to medium.
Add the cubes of squash and sauté until it softens and begins to brown.
Add the minced garlic and stir until the garlic has become softened and aromatic.
Toss in the torn greens. This is usually a mixture of winter greens: Chard in its many colors plus several kinds of kale, mustard greens and beet tops.
Stir everything together gently and allow the greens to wilt. A bit of additional olive oil may be needed to keep the squash from sticking to the pan.
Pour the honey tangerine juice over everything and stir well to combine.
When the greens are cooked to your liking, season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
Serve on warmed plates and sprinkle with the crispy pancetta.

Cook's Notes:
For this dish I tore the greens into smaller pieces so as not to overpower the small cubes of squash nor lose the pieces of pancetta among them.


Plus A Small Rant:
(Not too long ago, last week I believe, I came across a complaint on the Internet about long, descriptive recipe titles on food blog posts. I don't take this personally as I'm sure the person who wrote it doesn't know my blog exists, but it still prompts me share this small rant. I'm only sorry that I didn't bookmark where I read the complaint as I would have loved to share it with you.)
I know that I'm given to long recipe titles and obviously am among quite a group of others who do the same. And I guess that this drives at least one food blogger critic a bit nuts. Personally, besides liking to be more descriptive than less, I also like it that people searching the Web for recipes are more apt to land on one of my recipes if I use said descriptive titles. And, duh, that's what we want, isn't it? So get over yourself. These are blogs for crying out loud.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Radish Walnut Salad With Golden Balsamic Vinaigrette

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I've had the best intentions of posting some back-logged recipes, but sadly have found myself so otherwise occupied that I'm barely keeping up with a photo a day on my garden blog.

Mr CC has been grilling veggies and I've been making salads and that's what's been on the table for dinner lately. Good, healthy food but not particularly blogworthy. Until last night's salad.

You might think those are apples in the photo, but you'd be wrong. No, the secret ingredient here is radishes; recently re-discovered (by me), sweet, crunchy, crisp radishes. I've been born again.

I'd not been a radish fan since, as an unknowing child, I bit into one that not only burned my mouth, but burned a memory forever in my brain - EAT RADISHES, SUFFER PAIN!

Then I discovered the round, red, sweetly delicious Red Globe Radishes and suddenly I can't get enough of them. All these years. Who knew?

This simple salad is superb with a vinaigrette made with a combination of walnut and olive oils.

Radish Walnut Salad with a Golden Balsamic Vinaigrette
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
Organic spring mix of salad greens
4-6 sweet red globe radishes
1/2 cup walnut pieces
2 ounces golden balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon good dijon mustard
2 ounces roasted walnut oil
2 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
pinch sea salt
several grinds good black peppercorns

Preparation:

Wash and trim the radishes and cut into quarters.

Assemble the salad by putting the greens in a large bowl followed by the radishes and walnut pieces.

For the dressing, whisk the vinegars, mustard, salt and pepper in a glass cup until blended.

Briskly whisk in the walnut oil then the olive oil until the mixture is emulsified (thickened and combined).

Pour some of the dressing over the salad, toss and serve.

This salad goes nicely with grilled zucchini and portobello mushrooms. If you'd like a bit more protein, add a filet of pan-seared tilapia.

As for my new love affair with radishes, French Breakfast is next on my list. Where will it end?

Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Farmers Market Fresh Herbs And Lettuce

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Baby lettuces, chard, green onions, bronze fennel fronds, stems of rosemary, sage and lavender, all tucked into a basket. Who could resist such sweetness and light?

This was part of our bounty from the Arcata Farmers Market yesterday and is my offering to Weekend Herb Blogging, being hosted this week by the fabulous Sher of What Did You Eat? who happens to live in my home town. Besides loving all the wonderful recipes that come from Sher's kitchen, I get vicarious thrills from reading about her gardening experiences - experiences that I miss so much living here in the foggy dampness of the north coast. Though I must admit to a twinge of jealousy when she writes about the tomatoes that she picks from her veggies boxes.

Organic food lovers know the healthy and aesthetic advantages of eating produce that comes directly from an organic farm to a farmers market and then into your basket to take home for dinner. Apart from growing your own (a popular phrase here in Humboldt County), there's nothing fresher or better for you.

This beautiful basket of greens and herbs will turn into tonight's salad and adorn the leg of lamb that's about to go on the rotisserie. I'll show you the finished product in another post. For now, enjoy this image of the incredible offering of earth's bounty on this Earth Day. And be sure to pop on over to Sher's kitchen to see this week's round-up!

Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Feta Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

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Well, this worked out nicely. Yesterday I made a dressing/marinade/sauce
that I brushed on some boneless chicken breasts that had been stuffed with feta cheese. Now I'm going to tell you what really happened.

The chicken breasts were originally stuffed with Cypress Grove chevre , one of my all time favorite goat cheeses which has the added distinction of being made here in Humboldt county, and which had been mixed with finely chopped cinnamon basil and equally finely chopped leaves from my curry plant. My nose led me to believe that these ingredients would all blend very well with one another, thus making a delicious cheese stuffing for the breasts.

That was before I tasted a bit of the leftover chevre/herb mixture and after I had already stuffed and rolled the chicken breasts. Something wasn't quite right.

I kept on tidying up the kitchen anyway, glancing at the rolled breasts now and then. Was I hoping they would speak to me? Evidently they did, because on tasting the chevre mixture again, there it was: a rather astringent, metallic flavor that was decidedly off-putting. Tasting one more time did the trick. I unrolled the breasts, extracted the chevre filling and, with reverent apologies to Cypress Grove, dumped the mixture into the compost. A search through the fridge found some crumbled feta cheese. Stuffing as much feta into each breast as I could, I re-rolled and secured them with toothpicks. Whew! Dinner saved.

Feta Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Preparation:
Pound 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts to a uniform 1/4-inch thickness. At the rounded end, place a log-shaped mound of crumbled feta cheese across the breast, leaving 1/2 inch on either side. Roll the chicken breast up, tucking in the sides so the cheese cannot escape. Secure each roll with one or two toothpicks.

Brush each rolled chicken breast with this Spicy Asian Sauce, rolling them to coat completely. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 to 2 hours.
Place a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, adding 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter. When the pan is hot, add the chicken rolls and sear on all sides until golden brown. Remove from heat and place in a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Plate on a bed of braised garden greens and drizzle a bit more sauce over each breast.

To prepare the greens, first heat 3 tablespoons good olive oil in a small sauce pan and add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves. When the garlic is just golden, add 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, remove from heat and set aside.

Wash thoroughly a rather large amount (2 arms full?) of greens such as kale, chard, beet greens, etc. and place in a large pot over medium heat, leaving some water on the leaves to aid in the cooking process. When the greens are just wilted, add the garlic-red pepper oil and toss thoroughly. Season with coarse kosher salt to taste.

Cook's Notes:
The rolled chicken breasts needed no dipping in egg or breading or flour, making this a great dish for low-carbers. The sauce gives a tasty caramelized coating to the meat and the feta cheese becomes meltingly smooth without running all over the place. Nice.