Monday, June 29, 2009

slightly southern swiss chard


i originally crafted this recipe for the mustard greens that came in my last csa pickup.  from growing up in the rural south, i was familiar with cooked greens (collards, mustard and turnip greens), but i hadn't cooked with them before.  as a dutiful cook, i began with the basics.  about these greens, mark bittman, merely said that they were a green of the South that are "traditionally boiled to death with smoked meat."    i turned to one of my southern culinary gurus, mama dip.  

this recipe is a compromise between my southern tastebuds and my desire to keep the nutrients and integrity of the fresh greens.

i found my adaptation worked very well with rainbow swiss chard (i didn't even have to blanche it first).

1/4 yellow onion - finely chopped
3 slices bacon - diced while raw
1 bunch swiss chard (or other green - the heartier the green, the longer the cooking time)
1/8 chicken stock (water will do)
dash red pepper flakes (to taste)
salt and pepper

in large saucepan saute onions, add salt and pepper, add chopped bacon and cook over medium high heat until bacon is crispy.  add swiss chard, stock, and red pepper.  cook uncovered over medium heat until chard is wilted and stock evaporates (5-7 minutes).  serve over polenta (see below).  note: in the photo, i have more liquid than i would have liked, thus i reduced the amount to add for the recipe.  however, the rainbow chard is just so pretty, i couldn't resist showing it cooking.

2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup tomatoes - diced
3/4 to 1 cup quick-cooking polenta (more or less depending on how thick you like your polenta)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (or whichever you like, a white cheddar also works nicely)
salt and pepper

add stock, butter and tomatoes to a large sauce pan.  bring to simmer.  slowly stir in polenta.  turn heat off, add cheese and stir until blended.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

cooking away my csa

i've joined cooking away my csa, a group of food bloggers who will be sharing their csa-product recipes at least once a week on their blogs.  thanks to flour girl for creating this group - its a great way to make sure that we all get the most out of our csas.

eating well magazine will be posting some of the recipes as well.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

bok choi & pork stir fry

springtime csa produce is primarily greenery - which means a.lot.of.salads.  i was pleased, however, to get bok choi this week and last night i made a tasty stir fry.  its budget friendly and good for you!

1 lb pork - cut all fat away, cut into 1/2 inch cubes  (marinate pork in 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon olive oil and cracked pepper for approx 1 hour)
1 teaspoon peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)
1 small onion 
1/2 cup carrots - sliced thinly
1 garlic scape - diced (or 1 clove garlic)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger - diced
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (aka rooster sauce!)
1 head bok choi - sliced in 1 inch sections
1 teaspoon lemon juice

in large skillet (or wok, if you're lucky), saute onions in peanut oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.  add pork and marinade, cook for 5-7 minutes or until pork is brown on all sides, add ginger, carrots, garlic scape, and chili garlic sauce, toss over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, add bok choi and lemon juice and toss until the bok choi is slightly wilted.  

serve over rice.  enjoy!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

bounty from the farm

today marks the second week of gathering fresh veggies from my csa.  last week's bounty included red leaf lettuce, mizuna, arugula, and a small bunch of radishes.  i dragged all of this from new york to ocracoke island, and used the radishes to make a delicious simple relish for some freshly caught fish that we grilled (recipe below).

this week (seen at right) the farm delivered bok choi, buttercrunch lettuce, mustard greens, and garlic scapes.  

its looking like a great summer already.

simple radish relish
1 bunch radish - diced (approx 1/4 cup)
1/2 large cucumber - peeled and diced (approx 1/4 cup)
1/2 small red onion - diced (approx 1/8 cup)
1/2 lime - juiced
1 teaspoon vinegar (i used apple cider because that was the only one available)
1 teaspoon olive oil
dash sugar
salt & pepper

mix all ingredients and marinate for at least 4 hours.  overnight is best.