Collard Green and Pecan Pesto

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Pesto needs no introduction. I bet almost everyone reading this has made one type or another. There are so many variations, based on anything from herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley, sage), greens (kale, arugula), mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, and roasted red peppers. This is my Southern take on the classic by using collard greens and pecans.

There are a couple tips for making a great pesto: first, roast the nuts and second, toast most of the garlic. Roasting the nuts brings out the flavor while toasting the garlic mellows the flavor so it doesn’t take over the dish (I do add a little raw garlic at the end, however).

Enjoy!

Collard Greens & Pecan Pesto
makes enough for 1 pound pasta

Recipe note: 1) you can use the traditional Parmesan here but I liked mixing it up a bit by using cheddar; 2) use a traditional skillet (cast iron or aluminum) as opposed to a non-stick skillet to toast garlic as non-stick skillets can release harmful chemicals when heated without fat in the pan; 3) reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water to thin out the pesto if you plan on tossing it with pasta.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (just under 4 ounces) pecan pieces
  • 5 large garlic cloves, unpeeled plus 1 small clove, minced
  • 4-1/2 ounces collard greens, stemmed and roughly chopped (about 2-1/2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2-1/2 ounces extra aged cheddar, shredded on large holes of box grater (about 3/4 cup) (see recipe note)
  • Salt to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste (I used 5 to 10 grinds)
  • Apple cider vinegar to taste (I used 1-1/2 teaspoons)
  • 1 pound dry pasta of choice (fusilli, bowtie, shells)

Directions:

  • Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Place nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 5-8 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
  • Heat unpeeled garlic cloves in a small skillet (see recipe note) over medium heat, turning every few minutes, until soft and skin is starting to darken and pull away. Set aside. Once cool enough to handle, remove skins and mince.
  • Add nuts, garlic, greens and oil to a large food processor and pulse until nuts and greens are broken down but still have a little texture. Transfer to a bowl and mix in cheese and raw garlic. Taste and add salt, pepper and vinegar as needed. Toss with pasta of choice and reserved cooking water (see recipe note), adding a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Egg Drop Soup (Alice O’Dea Article)

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Hello! Here is the latest article from our very own (CSA member, that is) Alice O’Dea. This week she discusses egg drop soup and I cannot wait to try it for myself! I have pasted the text of the article below for your reference but click on the link and check out the pretty picture of the soup. Enjoy!

I was reading about spring soups this week, and when I saw an image of this egg drop soup with ginger, chiles and spring peas, I thought it looked pretty awesome. But I didn’t have any ginger, chiles or spring peas, nor did I have the chicken broth and radishes that are also included in the recipe. No matter—those were just minor details. I was suddenly in the mood for egg drop soup, so I made some with what I had on hand.

This is a great dish that can be made on a moment’s notice in a matter of minutes. It is a substantial and comforting soup that provides protein without a lot of fat, and it is fun to cook—pouring the beaten eggs into the swirling broth makes such pretty patterns in the pot! It also doesn’t require a recipe, as you can make just one serving or much more, using some basic proportions and your own embellishments.

Variations on egg drop soup go by many names, depending on where you are in the world. It is known as egg flower soup in China, stracciatella in Italy,le tourin in France and avgolemono in Greece. A version in Austria (eierflockensuppe) is made by mixing the egg with flour so that it forms little dumplings when poured into the broth.

There are really only two requirements for egg drop soup: a flavorful liquid and an egg. The liquid is usually chicken broth or stock, but you can also try beef or vegetable stock (if you make some from scraps, you’re essentially conjuring this soup from little more than an egg and water!). Figure on somewhere around a cup or two of stock and one egg per serving of soup. The rest you can just fill in using whatever you can dig out of your refrigerator, find in the pantry or have growing out in the yard.

Of course, the better your ingredients, the more satisfying your results will be. Use the best stock and eggs you can find. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Some other flavors and textures you might want to add at this point are soy sauce, ginger, fish sauce, garlic, sliced chilies, grated cheese, bread crumbs, farina, asparagus, snow peas, snap peas, greens, bean sprouts, frozen peas or corn, mushrooms, meat, tofu, miso, lemongrass, shredded carrots or spices (such as nutmeg, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cumin and bay leaf).

If you want pasta or rice in your soup and it needs time to simmer, add it at this point so that it can cook to the proper texture. You want the eggs to be one of the last ingredients you add to the soup, but you might want to hold off adding anything to the pot that is very tender (like fresh spinach or chives) until the broth is fully heated and the starches properly softened.

Some recipes call for a bit of cornstarch (up to a tablespoon per quart of liquid) to firm up the broth, but they also warn not to add it too soon or it won’t hold its thickness. Regardless, if you use it, combine the cornstarch with an equal amount of broth or water before adding it to the pot so that it doesn’t get lumpy.

While the broth mixture is heating up, beat one egg for each serving. Some recipes out there call for whole eggs, and others don’t use all the yolks. That’s entirely up to your tastes and nutritional needs. I tend to make small batches of this soup, as it’s best when fresh, so I usually use just an egg or two anyway.

Turn the heat under the pot to low, mix the broth lightly, and slowly pour the beaten eggs into the soup while still stirring. Keep swirling until the egg tendrils set into curds, about two or three minutes. While the soup finishes cooking, you can taste and add last-minute flavors such as salt, sesame oil, vinegar or a splash of lemon juice.

Once it’s all set, scoop the soup into bowls and garnish with some scallions, cilantro, fresh chives, thinly sliced radishes, a splash of hot sauce and/or Parmesan cheese. Season with freshly ground pepper and serve. Also, check your time, since it’s likely that you went from start to soup in as little as 15 minutes. Now that’s fast food!

Collard Green Falafel

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I absolutely love falafel. I could eat it every day and be a very happy person. Especially when there’s hummus, pita and olives served along side. But to make authentic falafel, one needs to start with dried chickpeas (something I don’t always have on hand) and remember to soak them overnight (which I rarely remember to do). You don’t actually cook the beans when falafel are made this way which ensures a nice dense texture. While the recipe below yields falafel that are a little softer than the traditional version, they are a great, quick alternative.

The recipe below was adapted from The Minimalist Baker. They are all about simple recipes that can be made with 10 ingredients or less. Check out their blog if that type of cooking is up your alley!

Collard Green Falafel
makes about 25 1.5″ patties

Recipe note: I made a batch of these with almost twice the amount of collards (7.5 ounces/4 cups). I had to add more flour to keep them together and then cook them longer, but if you want to pack in more greens, it’s an option!

  • 4 ounces collard greens, stemmed and roughly chopped into 2″ pieces (about 2.5 cups) (see recipe note)
  • 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about a teaspoon), or more if desired
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 5 grinds fresh black pepper
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil

Directions:

  • Add all ingredients except the flour and oil to a large food processor and pulse to combine. I like to keep just a little texture in the beans if possible and not completely puree everything, so just keep pulsing, stopping to scrape down the bowl when needed, until you get the right consistency. Taste and add more seasoning (salt, cumin, garlic) if desired.
  • Transfer mixture to a medium mixing bowl and add 3 tablespoons of flour to start. Mix to combine and add the extra tablespoon of flour if the mixture doesn’t stay together when you clump a little up in your hand.
  • Portion out 1 heaping tablespoon of the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Form into a 1-1/2″ wide by 1/2″ tall disk. Continue until you have used up the remaining mixture. Set aside.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12″ skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Transfer roughly 12 disks to the oil, making sure not to crowd the pan. Cook until brown and crisp on the first side, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes on the second side. You may need to add just a little more oil to the pan after flipping in order to get the second side crisp. Once cooked, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining oil and mixture. The falafel will firm up a bit when allowed to cool. Serve and enjoy.

Recipes From Around the Web :: Greens Edition

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Hi everyone!

We are knee deep in delicious greens so thought I would share some tasty recipes that are on my “must-try” list. The greens in most of these recipes are interchangeable with each other so feel free to experiment. We would love to hear how you use them!

Greens of All Kinds!

First up: you will come to realize that I rely on Cook’s Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen for the basis of a ton of recipes (not to mention their equipment reviews and taste tests). It just so happens they are coming out with a cookbook titled The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook and have asked numerous food bloggers to test and post recipes from the book. Below are two that use greens and look amazing!

There are a lot of things I wish I thought of first – one of them being collard green wraps! Seriously, they don’t take much time and you can stuff them with just about anything. They are a great gluten-free option, too.

I think this next recipe would be great with the tender collards we are getting right now. Add in other colorful veggies from the market, plus this tahini based dressing, and you can’t go wrong!

Sometimes, you don’t need much to put together a healthful and satisfying meal. It’s just pasta, greens and cheese but it’s sure to satisfy.

Until next time, enjoy your greens!

Millet & Quinoa Patties with Curried Swiss Chard

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I grew up with finches (the small gray birds with orange cheeks) and thought millet was just birdseed. I had no idea people all around the world ate it until just a few years ago! Millet has been cultivated in Eastern Asia for 10,000 and it is staple crop in parts of India and Africa. After reading about the numerous health benefits, not to mention the fact that it is gluten-free, I think it’s about time it became a part of our everyday diet.

This recipe was inspired by Hillary’s Eat Well veggie burgers which I found in the freezer section at Whole Foods. While I love their version, I thought I could come up with my own that wouldn’t take much time and allow me to add the ingredients and flavors I like. I started with this recipe but then made some changes based on a couple of trials. Add your own twists with different greens and spices. We hope you enjoy!

Millet & Quinoa Patties with Curried Swiss Chard
makes 10 patties

Recipe notes:  1) I stopped short of calling these “burgers” because I don’t think they are sturdy enough but I do think they would be good in a wrap with greens and a simple sauce; 2) I used Tant Hill’s rainbow Swiss chard but feel free to use most any green you have available; 3) psyllium husk is used a lot in gluten-free baking as it is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs water and becomes sticky, thus holding the patties together. It can be online or in well stocked grocery stores (I found it at Whole Foods).

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) raw millet, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) raw quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 5 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed, leaves finely chopped (3 cups) and stems minced (see recipe note)
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon psyllium husk (see recipe note)
  • 1 tablespoon brown rice flour
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

  • To cook millet: add millet and 1-1/3 cup water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat for 13-18 minutes, or until the grains are tender and all of the water is absorbed. Remove lid and boil off excess water if needed. Turn off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
  • To cook quinoa: add quinoa and 1 cup water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat for 12-15 minutes, or until the grains are tender and the water is absorbed. Remove lid and boil off excess water if needed. Turn off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with millet and set aside.
  • For remaining ingredients: heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and Swiss chard stems and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder and garam masala and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl with the millet and quinoa. Add the psyllium husk, brown rice flour, vinegar and salt to bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and using a biscuit cutter or your hands, form into 3-1/2″ wide by 1/2″ tall patties (about 1/3 cup of the mixture per patty). At this point, I would recommend you place the baking sheet directly into the freezer for a few hours until frozen through and then transfer frozen patties to a ziperlock bag.
  • To cook: heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cook a few patties at a time until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 5 minutes and serve.

Greens & Cheese Frittata Muffins

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This is an example of the type of recipe I love the most: simple, seasonal and with the option to vary ingredients based on what’s available. While I would call this recipe “simple”, I think it is important to understand a little science behind it. Specifically, the science behind how eggs cook and why it is beneficial to add a little (or a lot) of dairy.

First, let’s review how eggs cook. The next few paragraphs are from Cook’s Illustrated, who do a much better job explaining this than I can.

Eggs contain both egg whites and egg yolks. The white contains about 90 percent water and 10 percent protein. The yolk contains about 50 percent water, 20 percent protein, and 30 percent fat. The yolk also contains an emulsifier known as lecithin that keeps the fat suspended in the water. The protein strands in the egg white and yolk are all coiled up like a bowl of cooked spaghetti. For an egg to cook, the proteins need to uncoil. This process begins to happen when we mix the eggs in a bowl. The whipping action starts to uncoil the proteins. 

Once the eggs are heated and we start to cook the eggs, the now uncoiled proteins begin to chemically bond with each other. They form chemical cross-links—like strips of Velcro sticking to each other. This chemical bonding creates a network that traps water inside. This is observed as the coagulation temperature of eggs—the point when they begin to turn solid as they are cooked. As the eggs continue to cook, more bonds are formed until the network of proteins is strong enough to form the solid structure of a fully cooked egg with all the water trapped inside.

However, if you overbeat the eggs, the proteins will uncoil so much that they overreact and form a tough structure. In addition, too much cooking can lead to too much bonding between proteins, producing eggs that are also too tough.

So basically, we want the proteins to bond so the eggs will set up, but not bind so tightly that they become tough. Introducing dairy to the eggs will coat the protein molecules so that they can’t bind with one another as tightly. So it makes sense that so many egg recipes add some dairy to the recipe. The recipe below only adds 4 ounces of dairy to about 18 ounces of egg, whereas a quiche recipe is typically twice the amount of dairy to eggs by weight. So the texture you want in the end will determine how much dairy you will add.

Enough science talk – let’s get to the good stuff!

Greens & Cheese Frittata Muffins
makes 12 muffins

Recipe notes: 1) feel free to swap out the olives for just about anything else – a little bit of ground meat, chopped artichokes or sauteed mushrooms are just a few options; 2) you can use many different types of cheese here but I would avoid really dry, aged cheeses, such as Parmesan or an aged cheddar because they won’t melt very well. I have used both goat cheese and Cumberland from Sequatchie Cove but I think Monterey Jack, Fontina or even bleu cheese would be great.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/3 cup finely diced shallot (from 1 large shallot)
  • 8 ounces of tender greens (kale, tender collards, Swiss chard), stems removed, and finely chopped (about 3 cups)
  • 2/3 cup (3 ounces) pitted olives, roughly chopped (see recipe note)
  • 2 1/2 ounces cheese, shredded (see recipe note)
  • 9 large (18 ounces) eggs 
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) whole milk
  • Salt and pepper

Directions:

  • Adjust oven to middle rack and preheat to 350 degrees.
  • Spray a standard 12 muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add greens and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 3-5 minutes longer. Remove from heat, taste, and season with salt and pepper. Equally divide the shallot/greens mixture between muffin tins (about 1 tablespoon per muffin cup). Equally divide the olives and cheese between each muffin tin.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper together until fully combined. I found it helpful at this point to transfer the egg mixture from a bowl to a 2 cup liquid measuring cup to make it easier to pour into the tins. Fill tins with the egg mixture, leaving at least a 1/4″ space from the top.
  • Transfer to the oven and cook for about 23-26 minutes, checking the tops to make sure they are just set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and serve.