K has been for Kale since late August or early September, when the first bunches of Kale hit the farmer's market for autumn with all their leafy green goodness.
Kale is one of those mysterious greens that you see down at the end of your grocer's produce case. Usually it's piled up next to the Swiss Chard and Collard Greens. You can tell which one is Kale easiest by its leaves – they're the crinkly ones that look like a fringed green. The stalks are medium in length, very round, and tough. By contrast, Collards have broad, flat leaves, usually with longer stalks. Swiss Chard looks a bit like rhubarb, with somewhat flat leaves, and coloured stalks (usually red, but sometimes yellow). Of the three, Kale is my favourite. Collards take longer to cook, and Chard is just bitter bitter bitter. But Kale, well, it's the versatile, friendly green.
Whether you buy the green or red-tinged version of Kale, this is one nutrient-packed green, friends. And it's quick and easy to prepare, not to mention flexible in terms of what it can be paired up with. Try the below recipe as a base for some ravioli, a side for grilled steak and some potatoes, or even the base for a big pile of risotto. You name it, kale is friendly to it.
No matter how you prepare your kale, be sure to slice off as much of the stalks as you can. They're tough and stringy and unfriendly to the palate. As with most greens, it's wise to double rinse the kale before you cut it up, to get any last bits of dirt and sand out. Nobody likes gritty greens.
If the recipe below isn't right for you, you can always just chop some kale into small pieces and add it to soup, spaghetti sauces, and stews, allowing it to cook in the sauce. Like spinach, it's high in nutrients and neutral in flavour – and it reduces down from a huge pile uncooked to a tiny pile once cooked. So go on, use the whole bunch.
VERSATILE KALE with ONION & GARLIC
1 bunch of kale (green or red)
1 large or 2 small shallots (or 1/3 white onion)
2 cloves garlic (adjust to taste)
Sea salt & black pepper
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Olive oil
Clean your kale under cold water, and shake gently. Place on a clean towel. Working with one stem at a time, remove the thickest part of the stem from the leaves – ie at least halfway up each leaf. Discard stems.
Stack similarly sized leaves together and slice crossways into ribbons about 1/4 inch wide. Set aside for the moment.
Peel and mince the garlic and the onion or shallot.
In a very large sauté pan or wok, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the red pepper flakes if using (a generous pinch) and grind in some black pepper. They'll open up in the oil as it heats.
When the oil is hot but not smoking, turn the heat down to medium low, add the onion and garlic, and quickly toss or stir to coat. Add the kale, a generous sprinkle of salt, stir, and cover. After 2 minutes, stir again, cover, and allow to cook for another 2 minutes or so. That's it, it's ready to serve.
For extra flavour, if you have some white wine around, you can always add a splash of it (ie 2 tablespoons) around the time that you do the first uncover & stir. This gives the dish a bit of a tangy zing.
Makes enough for 3-4 people.
11 December 2011
03 May 2011
Op ALPHABET SOUP: J is for Joy!
Alright, alright. Bad blogger, yeah yeah.
Now that we're through that, let's hit the next letter in our wander through the alphabet as it relates to the kitchen and delectable cuisine. J could be for a lot of things: jalapeños, juice, jasmine...or in this case, more simply, joy.
Yes, joy. As in The Joy of Cooking, the quintissential cookbook. It's a large tome, one that has guided countless budding and experienced chefs through classic dishes, culinary techniques, and ingredients galore.
Do not mock me! This is the cookbook. I'm the kind of guy who uses his cookbooks for inspiration more than the recipes. I seem to be fairly incapable of reading a recipe and following it to the word. But when I need a reference tool, or something to show me a long-neglected or never-learned technique (and my chefspiration, Uncle Thom, isn't around to show me in person), it's to The Joy of Cooking that I go.
In short, if you were stranded on a desert island with a pantry full of ingredients and a gas range, you'd want this to be the cookbook you took with you on that ill-fated cruise. It's comprehensive, it's complete – and best of all, since it gets updated on a regular basis, it's current. The original authors are still at it – and in fact, it's a family affair brough to us not just by Irma Rombauer, but Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker. Presumably writing about food through the decades hasn't caused the family strife seen in the world of music or acting.
There are plenty of websites devoted to this book – the best of which has to be The Joy Kitchen, which not only features recipes from the book, but a virtual carbon-dating tool that tells you which edition of the cook book you own.
So what are you waiting for, exactly? Get thee to the bookstore nearest you, and pick one up. You know you need it.
Now that we're through that, let's hit the next letter in our wander through the alphabet as it relates to the kitchen and delectable cuisine. J could be for a lot of things: jalapeños, juice, jasmine...or in this case, more simply, joy.
Yes, joy. As in The Joy of Cooking, the quintissential cookbook. It's a large tome, one that has guided countless budding and experienced chefs through classic dishes, culinary techniques, and ingredients galore.
Do not mock me! This is the cookbook. I'm the kind of guy who uses his cookbooks for inspiration more than the recipes. I seem to be fairly incapable of reading a recipe and following it to the word. But when I need a reference tool, or something to show me a long-neglected or never-learned technique (and my chefspiration, Uncle Thom, isn't around to show me in person), it's to The Joy of Cooking that I go.
In short, if you were stranded on a desert island with a pantry full of ingredients and a gas range, you'd want this to be the cookbook you took with you on that ill-fated cruise. It's comprehensive, it's complete – and best of all, since it gets updated on a regular basis, it's current. The original authors are still at it – and in fact, it's a family affair brough to us not just by Irma Rombauer, but Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker. Presumably writing about food through the decades hasn't caused the family strife seen in the world of music or acting.
There are plenty of websites devoted to this book – the best of which has to be The Joy Kitchen, which not only features recipes from the book, but a virtual carbon-dating tool that tells you which edition of the cook book you own.
So what are you waiting for, exactly? Get thee to the bookstore nearest you, and pick one up. You know you need it.
19 December 2010
Op ALPHABET SOUP: I is for Innovation!
The company where I work – monstrous behemoth that it is – has a comprehensive dictionary of "competencies" for its employees and managers. The idea, of course, is that as you create positions or perform evaluations of existing employees, you can refer to the set list of competencies as a sort of standard. It's a bit unwieldy, but I quite like the standardization aspect of it. Besides, it's full of nifty terms like "resiliency" and "relationship building".
But my very favourite has to be "innovation". At a company that moves as quickly as ours, innovation is more than a desirable trait – it's a requirement.
In the kitchen, innovation applies in a couple of ways. It could be trying new ways to accomplish a task – out of necessity (as in no rolling pin or no food processor?) or just for kicks. Or it could be in adapting recipes, or coming up with entirely new ones. Hardcore chefs innovate with both the how and the what, coming up with foams, emulsions, or other innovative dishes that push the boundaries of what's usually done.
Either way, I fully believe that innovation or inventiveness in the kitchen is something to embrace. While there are some occasions where the tried and true is more than good enough, there are so many times when pushing boundaries and being creative is just the right thing.
In that spirit, two innovative recipes that take the standard and turn it into a creative new twist. One is a great party dish or weekend entree, and the other, well, it's good for any time at all.
BISON MEATBALLS with BLUEBERRY SAUCE
Take your standard meatball and barbecue or sweet & sour sauce and blow it out of the water. You can use any large game for this – venison, elk, or bison will work just fine. Resist the temptation to use lean beef in your mixture, as the game is extremely lean, and you'll just end up with dry meatballs. You can also swap in pork or veal for the beef, as they give a completely different texture and flavour. The key is to let the game be the star of the show. As for the sauce you could easily make a cranberry alternative if blueberries aren't your thing (just make sure to add a bit of sugar to the sauce or your guests will be puckered up for hours!).
For the meatballs:
1/2 pound (250g) ground bison or venison
1/2 pound (250g) medium ground beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs (or 1/4 cup dry quick oats)
1 egg
1 shallot or 1/4 medium white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and Pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mince the onion and garlic. Add to a bowl with all other ingredients and add generous amounts of salt and pepper. Using your hands (latex gloves are a great option here!), form into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely if freezing, then put into a freezer bag or airtight container. If using immediately, allow to cool slightly before placing in a serving dish or crockpot.
For the sauce:
2 shallots or 1/2 white onion
1 clove garlic
4 cups blueberry juice (or blueberry/cranberry juice)
4 cups beef stock
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH ORANGE & TOFFEE
Using yogurt in the batter gives these more body, and a tiny bit of a tang. Adding a bit of orange and toffee to the mix makes a tastier cupcake. So tasty, in fact, that you'll have trouble keeping them on a plate.
5 Tbsp butter, softened but not melted
3/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
1 3/4 cups cake & pastry flour (or all-purpose)
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cream of tartar (if you have it)
2 tsp grated orange rind
1/3 cup Skor toffee bits
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy (about 2 minutes). Add the sugar in two batches and beat about 4 minutes, until light.
Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla, as well as the orange rind. Set aside for a moment.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Toss in the Skor bits and stir.
Add the flour mixture to the sugar and butter mixture by halves, alternating with the yogurt. Confused? Just add about half the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mix it in, then add about 1/2 the yogurt. Repeat. Mix until it's smooth.
Wash your beaters and dry them. In a medium bowl, put the egg whites together with the cream of tartar. If you don't have cream of tartar, don't sweat it – you'll just have to beat the whites a little longer. Beat until they're stiff (when you stop the beaters, the whites hold a peak). Don't overdo it.
Fold 1/2 of the whites into the batter with a good spatula. Then fold in the remaining half.
Scoop batter into the cupcake tins you prepared ahead of time. Fill to about 3/4 full.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden and firm when pressed in centre. If adding more time, check again every 2 minutes to be sure they aren't burning around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on racks before removing from pan.
When completely cool, ice with vanilla or chocolate icing. After icing, sprinkle over with a few toffee bits.
If you'd like to freeze the cupcakes, do so before icing them, and put them into an airtight container separated with a bit of waxed paper. You can then ice them as they thaw, before serving.
But my very favourite has to be "innovation". At a company that moves as quickly as ours, innovation is more than a desirable trait – it's a requirement.
In the kitchen, innovation applies in a couple of ways. It could be trying new ways to accomplish a task – out of necessity (as in no rolling pin or no food processor?) or just for kicks. Or it could be in adapting recipes, or coming up with entirely new ones. Hardcore chefs innovate with both the how and the what, coming up with foams, emulsions, or other innovative dishes that push the boundaries of what's usually done.
Either way, I fully believe that innovation or inventiveness in the kitchen is something to embrace. While there are some occasions where the tried and true is more than good enough, there are so many times when pushing boundaries and being creative is just the right thing.
In that spirit, two innovative recipes that take the standard and turn it into a creative new twist. One is a great party dish or weekend entree, and the other, well, it's good for any time at all.
BISON MEATBALLS with BLUEBERRY SAUCE
Take your standard meatball and barbecue or sweet & sour sauce and blow it out of the water. You can use any large game for this – venison, elk, or bison will work just fine. Resist the temptation to use lean beef in your mixture, as the game is extremely lean, and you'll just end up with dry meatballs. You can also swap in pork or veal for the beef, as they give a completely different texture and flavour. The key is to let the game be the star of the show. As for the sauce you could easily make a cranberry alternative if blueberries aren't your thing (just make sure to add a bit of sugar to the sauce or your guests will be puckered up for hours!).
For the meatballs:
1/2 pound (250g) ground bison or venison
1/2 pound (250g) medium ground beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs (or 1/4 cup dry quick oats)
1 egg
1 shallot or 1/4 medium white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and Pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mince the onion and garlic. Add to a bowl with all other ingredients and add generous amounts of salt and pepper. Using your hands (latex gloves are a great option here!), form into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely if freezing, then put into a freezer bag or airtight container. If using immediately, allow to cool slightly before placing in a serving dish or crockpot.
For the sauce:
2 shallots or 1/2 white onion
1 clove garlic
4 cups blueberry juice (or blueberry/cranberry juice)
4 cups beef stock
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
Black pepper
1 tsp dried marjoram or oregano
1 tsp dried marjoram or oregano
3 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary, gathered in a bunch with string
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup cold water
Olive Oil
Mince the shallot and garlic.
In a heavy saucepan, over medium heat, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil (enough to generously cover the bottom of the pan). Put in the onion and garlic and give a couple of stirs before adding the dried herbs, beef stock, fruit juice and 3/4 cup of the blueberries. Add pepper and whole sprigs of herbs.
Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the sprigs of herbs. Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce in the pan until smooth (if you don't have an immersion blender, you can either do this in small batches in your regular blender, or skip this step altogether).
Add the remaining blueberries to the sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you see fit.
Add the remaining blueberries to the sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you see fit.
In a small dish, mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water, and whisk with a fork until smooth. Add to the sauce, stirring over medium heat to thicken. As the sauce reaches a boil it should thicken up. If it's really thin, repeat this step once.
To serve, put your cooked or cooked-then-frozen meatballs in a casserole dish (or crockpot, if serving over a period of time at a party) and cover with the sauce. Heat through slowly, either on low in the crockpot, or in an oven set at 250 degrees, fully covered. The ideal is to have them warming for about three or four hours in the sauce, so they get nice and flavourful.
Serve from the crockpot/casserole dish with a slotted spoon, or skewer meatballs onto toothpicks and serve from a platter.
Serve from the crockpot/casserole dish with a slotted spoon, or skewer meatballs onto toothpicks and serve from a platter.
VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH ORANGE & TOFFEE
Using yogurt in the batter gives these more body, and a tiny bit of a tang. Adding a bit of orange and toffee to the mix makes a tastier cupcake. So tasty, in fact, that you'll have trouble keeping them on a plate.
5 Tbsp butter, softened but not melted
3/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
1 3/4 cups cake & pastry flour (or all-purpose)
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cream of tartar (if you have it)
2 tsp grated orange rind
1/3 cup Skor toffee bits
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy (about 2 minutes). Add the sugar in two batches and beat about 4 minutes, until light.
Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla, as well as the orange rind. Set aside for a moment.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Toss in the Skor bits and stir.
Add the flour mixture to the sugar and butter mixture by halves, alternating with the yogurt. Confused? Just add about half the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mix it in, then add about 1/2 the yogurt. Repeat. Mix until it's smooth.
Wash your beaters and dry them. In a medium bowl, put the egg whites together with the cream of tartar. If you don't have cream of tartar, don't sweat it – you'll just have to beat the whites a little longer. Beat until they're stiff (when you stop the beaters, the whites hold a peak). Don't overdo it.
Fold 1/2 of the whites into the batter with a good spatula. Then fold in the remaining half.
Scoop batter into the cupcake tins you prepared ahead of time. Fill to about 3/4 full.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden and firm when pressed in centre. If adding more time, check again every 2 minutes to be sure they aren't burning around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on racks before removing from pan.
When completely cool, ice with vanilla or chocolate icing. After icing, sprinkle over with a few toffee bits.
If you'd like to freeze the cupcakes, do so before icing them, and put them into an airtight container separated with a bit of waxed paper. You can then ice them as they thaw, before serving.
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