This is just the kind of stew for when skies turn gray and snowflakes begin to float by. It is also just right when the space between one big holiday meal and the next is filled with endless visions of sugar and butter. A healthy dish with loads of zing and the comfort inducing combination of warm tomatoes and filling chickpeas. (more…)
If you say the word “escarole” Mr. B’s face lights up like a kid running loose in the cereal aisle. His love for this uncommon leafy green harkens back to his days living alone as a bachelor in downtown Chicago. Winters in the Windy City were frequently long, cold, and dark. Lacking a wonderful wife to cook him braised short-ribs, minestrone, or a roasted lemon chicken, he ordered up his comfort in the form of a white bean and escarole soup from Salerno’s. They even delivered.
Years later, when we were dating, it began to look as if he might be eating dinner with me for the rest of his life. Mr. B decided “we” should learn how to make a white bean and escarole soup. At the time I was delighted that he wanted to tackle another project in the kitchen and curious to try a new vegetable. Now, wiser to his ways, I realize he wanted to ensure he could still get his favorite soup whenever the weather called for comfort. Luckily I fell in love with both Mr. B and his white bean and escarole soup.
Escarole and White Bean Soup (Printable Recipe)
Serves 4 as a Main Course
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Lemon, juiced
1 California Bay leaf
1 sprig fresh Rosemary, stem removed and leaves roughly chopped
1 Parmesan rind
10 cups Chicken broth
1 large bunch of Escarole, washed and cut into big strips
4 cups cooked White beans (I used Mayacobas)
Salt
Pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan
Directions:
In a large stockpot over medium heat, add oil, onion, and garlic. Saute the vegetables until they are tender, about five minutes. Add lemon juice, bay leaf, rosemary, Parmesan rind, and chicken broth to the pot. Bring liquid to a gentle simmer, cover pot with a lid, and cook for 25 minutes. Next, use a fork to pull any softened cheese off the Parmesan rind into the soup. Discard the remaining rind and the bay leaf. Add the beans and escarole to the pot, cover, and continue to simmer the soup for 10 minutes until the escarole is wilted and tender. Turn off the heat, and taste the soup adding salt and pepper as necessary. Serve the soup with lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Then one day I decided to grow swiss chard. It was an impulse really. Who could resist a flat of rainbow stemmed seedlings with deep green leaves? To say that the chard was happy in our little garden is an understatement. It multiplied like overeager rabbits and we had arm loads of the stuff. Now what does this have to do with braised kale? Well, chard became my gateway green. In my desperate attempts to work through the abundance of chard I recalled something about Southerners braising greens and decided to give it a try. The chard proved to be too delicate for braising (it got mushy fast) yet once I tasted the creamy tang of the braising liquid I was hooked. I found myself searching for kale, collard greens, and turnip greens at the grocery store and eagerly bringing them home.
Braised Kale with White Beans and Turnips (Printable Recipe)
Inspired by Elise’s Beet Greens Recipe
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons of Grapeseed Oil (or olive oil)
4 strips Bacon, cut into 1″ pieces
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs Turnips (preferably small white Tokyo Turnips), ends and tops trimmed off
3 cups Chicken broth
1/8 – 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar (adjust to taste)
2 cups cooked White Beans (I used Mayacoba beans)
2 large bundles of Kale, washed, stems discarded, and leaves roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Place a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the bacon strips to the pot and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is lightly browned. Add the onion, garlic, and turnips to the pot. Stir and cook until the vegetables are softened and beginning to turn brown on the edges. Pour the chicken broth and apple cider vinegar into the pot, and stir while scraping the bottom to deglaze and browned bits stuck to the pot. Next add the beans and kale (pressing down on the kale if it threatens to overflow the pot). Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Braise the kale for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are tender and wilted and the turnips are cooked through.
Once the kale is tender, remove the lid and add in the sugar, hot sauce, and lemon juice. Stir and taste the liquid. Add salt, pepper, and apple cider vinegar, until the flavors are to your liking. Turn off the heat and serve the braised kale with slices of thick crusty bread to sop up the liquid.
Almost four years ago, I said “I do” and married my favorite person- Mr. B. At the time I anticipated a lifetime of shared experiences and mutual affection. Yet years later what has surprised me about marriage, what I didn’t know to expect, is that when two people go through life as a team it is a beautiful thing. If you approach the world with a united front, encouraging and challenging each other to reach shared goals, suddenly it seems as if anything is possible. No matter what successes or failures appear on the horizon, together you can make it through to the other side.
Our partnership also carries through to the kitchen. Together we have fought battles with pasta, celebrated with cheesecake, and nearly fainted from happiness over a slow cooked BBQ pork shoulder. We have found a rhthym in our cooking that keeps both of us engaged and happy to cook another meal. Usually I do the shopping, chopping, and cooking while Mr. B tackles the beverage pairing, taste testing, and dishes. He likes to call himself the “Consulting Chef” (which makes me giggle since don’t chef’s usually know how to cook?) and takes an active role in helping me set the menu each week. Often this means a general discussion of what dish strikes our fancy, what produce is in season, or what item is sitting in the fridge threatening to spoil. After our discussions I’ll get rolling and then ask him to taste and offer tweaks along the way.
When I asked Mr. B for his thoughts about endives this week, I was quite surprised to get a very specific answer. He replied, “We should brush them with olive oil, grill them, then add sun dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and chevre cheese.” Startled I looked at him, wondering how the heck a specific recipe had sprung forth so quickly. He looked over at my raised eyebrows and simply said, “I like endives.” Still quite surprised I decided to not mess with creative genius and made the salad as directed. And what do you know? It was absolutely delicious. Warm endives caused the chevre to melt slightly while pine nuts gave it a contrasting crunch. Sun dried tomatoes provided deep little bursts of flavor to round out the salad perfectly. I’m beginning to think there might be something behind this “Consulting Chef” title after all…
Ingredients:
4 Belgian Endives, split in half lengthwise
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Scant 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Scant 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 oz Chevre cheese, cut into small pieces
Avocado oil
White balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
Lemon juice
Directions:
Pre-heat a grill to 400 degrees.
Rub endive halves with the olive oil until all sides are lightly coated. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the cut side of the endives. Place endives on the grill, and cook for about five minutes on each side, or until the endives are tender (but not limp).
Transfer endives to a platter (or individual plates), trim the tough end off of each endive, and distribute the pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, and chevre cheese evenly across the endives. Next lightly drizzle avocado oil and white balsamic vinegar across the endives. Finally finish the salad with a squeeze of lemon juice and serve.
Making Bread Crumbs
Making the Gratin
The gratin came together easily- a savory combination of fresh swiss chard, sautéed fennel, and spring onions. Wrapped together in a warm cream sauce, and topped with freshly toasted bread crumbs along with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese this gratin was better than any creamed spinach that has crossed my lips. As we were clearing the table after dinner, I spied my father-in-law eating the remaining gratin straight out of the dish with the serving spoon. I felt a brief twinge of jealousy until I remembered the rows of chard still standing in the garden. While we don’t eat many things repeatedly at our house, this is one recipe that I will be making again and again!
Swiss Chard and Fennel Gratin (Printable Recipe)
Adapted from Alice Waters and The Wednesday Chef
Serves 4 (Next time I’m going to double this!)
Ingredients:
2 bunches of chard (18 ounces)
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
4 teaspoons melted butter
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced onion (spring onions are wonderful)
1 fennel bulb, diced (fronds removed)
Salt
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup whole milk
A few strokes of freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle.
Rinse the chard well, and remove stems. Set aside half of the stems and place the rest in a freezer bag for use in another recipe. Slice the stems into small thin pieces. Place a large pot filled with salted water over high heat and bring it to a boil. Add the sliced stems and cook them for 2 minutes. Next add the chard leaves and boil until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the leaves and stems and allow them to cool.
While chard is cooling, spread out the breadcrumbs on a foil-lined baking sheet. Pour 4 teaspoons of melted butter on top of the bread crumbs, and toss until they are well coated. Place baking sheet in the oven and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the bread crumbs are lightly toasted. Remove sheet from oven, and leave the oven turned on.
Once the chard is cool, gently squeeze out any excess water from the leaves. Transfer leaves to a cutting board and coarsely chop.
Place a large saucepan over medium heat, and melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in the pan. Add diced onion and fennel to the pan. Cook stirring frequently until onion and fennel become translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir the chard into the pan along with salt to taste. Cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top of the mixture, and stir well to prevent lumps. Add cream, milk, and nutmeg to the pan and continue to cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. You want to have a small amount of liquid on the bottom of the pan, not enough to coat the whole bottom, but enough to keep the chard from lumping together in a thick mass. If necessary add more milk. Taste the mixture and add more salt if desired.
Butter a 9×9 baking dish. Transfer chard mixture into the dish and spread it out evenly. Cut remaining butter into bits and spread it across the top of the chard. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano evenly on top of the chard. Place dish in the oven and bake until the gratin appears golden and bubbly, about 20-30 minutes.
