eggs eudora

i'm gearing up for the start of my second season of community supported agriculture (csa) with stoneledge farm. my first pick up is in a week and i can't wait to see what goodies i'll be getting.

to prepare for the new season, i've been cleaning out my freezer. all that remains of last year's bounty is a small bag of frozen and sliced jalapenos and a pack of blanched and frozen greens. the greens sauteed up nicely with bacon and i served them over biscuits with a fried egg. since this is a decidedly southern twist on eggs benedict, i decided to name the dish after one of my favorite southern authors.

this recipe serves four.

1/2 portion of biscuits - baked and sliced in half (yields 4 biscuits)

2 slices bacon - cut into chunks

2-3 large handfuls of greens (any hearty type: collards, swiss chard, etc.) - washed, chopped and blanched (i used pre-blanched, frozen greens)

1 medium onion - sliced and carmelized

4 eggs - fried, sunny side up

cheese sauce (see below)

i generally make the cheese sauce, biscuits and onions before starting the greens and eggs.

heat up a medium-large skillet over medium high heat and add bacon chunks. cook for 4-6 mintues or until bacon begins to crisp. add greens to bacon and toss well. cook another 5-7 minutes over medium high heat until greens and bacon are cooked through. set greens aside, fry eggs (for 4 eggs, i would fry in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter).

for plating: place biscuit, cut in half open on plate (as you would an english muffin), place greens and bacon mixture on top of biscuit, layer carmelized onions on top of the greens, then place one fried egg on top of the onions, and top with cheese sauce.

cheese sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

3/4 cup whole milk

3/4 cup white cheddar

dash grated nutmeg

melt butter over medium heat in skillet. once butter is melted, slowly add flour, stirring as you add. once flour is fully incorporated into the butter, add salt and pepper and stir for another minute. add milk and stir well and cook for 2 minutes or until milk has mixed well with the flour mixture. slowly add cheese, stirring constantly. add nutmeg and cook until cheese has melted and mixture is smooth.

potato, leek and sorrel soup

in an effort to use all of the veggies from my csa, i made a soup tonight that contains 4 different items from this week's haul.  its turned out quite nicely, and i'm going to freeze most of it (sans dairy).  the soup was complemented nicely with a hearty rye bread.

1 tablespoon butter

2 slices bacon - chopped

1 medium onion - diced

1/2 cup carrots - diced

1 leek - sliced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon flour

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup water

1 lb potatoes - diced in 1 inch cubes

1 bunch red sorrel (seen at right) - cut off stems and slice thinly

2-3 sprigs summer savory

cream (approx 1 tablespoon to 1 cup soup)

parmesan - grated to top soup

melt butter in large pot, add bacon, onions, carrots and cumin.  saute over medium-high heat until onions are translucent.  add leeks and saute until leeks are soft.  salt and pepper to taste.  add flour, stirring constantly until flour dissipates into the mixture.

add chicken stock, water, potatoes and summer savory.  cook over medium heat until potatoes are cooked approx halfway through.  at this point, add the sorrel, salt and pepper to taste, and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are soft.  

let soup cool and puree the mixture.  prepare soup to order:  cook over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon cream per 1 cup soup (or more if desired).  top with grated parmesan.  enjoy!

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.