Sautéed Greens with Corn, Bacon & Scallions

I have a couple dishes to share that are absolutely loaded with greens. This colorful dish could be served as a main but we ate it as a hearty side with grilled mustard chicken thighs and roasted potatoes. I drizzled the potatoes with residual bacon fat (from this dish) prior to roasting- great.

This recipe was adapted from The Mom 100 Cookbook by Katie Workman, via The New York Times, contributed by Julia Moskin. I modified the method and incorporated my CSA beet greens, kale, and collard greens. The original recipe notes that carrots or summer squash can be substituted for the peppers and corn. Easy and delicious.

Yield: Serves 6 as a side

• 4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 shallot or small onion, minced
• 3 cups corn kernels, from about 4 ears corn (or a combination of corn and diced summer squash)(thawed frozen corn okay)
• 1/2 cup chopped red or orange bell pepper (or carrot)
•  pinch red pepper flakes
•  coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
• 6 to 8 cups de-stemmed greens, like chard or kale, cut into 1/4-inch ribbons (or whole baby spinach, or another tender green)(I used a combination of beet greens, kale, & collard greens)

1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. (I used a large enameled cast iron Dutch oven.) Transfer to paper towels to drain; pour off all but a teaspoon of fat from the skillet. (Reserve the bacon fat for another use- such as roasting potatoes!)
2. Add butter and melt.
3. Add shallot (and carrot, if using) and adjust heat; vegetables should sizzle, but not scorch. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
4. Add greens and cook for about 4 minutes, until beginning to wilt.
5. Add corn (and/or squash), peppers, and pepper flakes and let sizzle, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Crumble bacon and add to skillet with scallions. Cook together 1 minute and serve hot.

Spinach Lasagna

• 16 dried (no-boil) or fresh lasagna noodles
• 3 to 4 cups good tomato sauce (I used 28 oz jar Rao’s marinara)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds spinach, steamed, squeezed dry and chopped (about 3 cups cooked)
• 12 oz (1 1/2 cups) whole-milk ricotta
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 large garlic cloves, pushed through a garlic press
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella
• 2 cups finely grated Parmesan (I used 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and 1 cup Pecorino-Romano)
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. If you’re using fresh pasta sheets, cut them into long wide noodles approximately 3 inches by 13 inches, or a size that will fit into your lasagna dish. (I used 16 dried no-boil lasagna noodles from Trader Joe’s)
2. Steam the spinach until wilted, and drain. (I steamed it in a large pasta pot for 3-4 minutes.) In batches, use a potato ricer to remove excess liquid. Coarsely chop.
3. Combine the ricotta, egg, nutmeg, and garlic in a bowl.
4. Heat the oven to 400 degrees, preferably on convection.
5. Grease a rectangular baking dish with the olive oil, add a large dollop of tomato sauce and spread it around.
6. Put a layer of noodles (use four per layer) in the dish; top with a layer of tomato sauce, one-third of the spinach, and one-fourth of the ricotta mixture (in dollops), the mozzarella, and the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
7. Repeat the layers twice.
8. Top with the remaining noodles, tomato sauce, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan; the top should be covered with cheese; add more ricotta and Parmesan as needed. (The lasagna may be made ahead to this point, wrapped tightly and refrigerated for up to a day or frozen. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
9. Cover with parchment paper topped with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes.
10. Uncover, and continue to bake until the lasagna is bubbling and the cheese is melted and lightly browned on top, about 15 minutes more.
11. Remove from the oven and let rest a few minutes before serving.

Update: This lasagna was also successful made with 1 1/2 pounds of mixed greens. I used beet greens, turnip greens, red kale, spinach, and chicory. Great.

Chicken Baked on a Bed of Bread & Greens

This healthy one-pot dish is for fans of greens. 🙂 I thought that it could even work as a dish to serve for a small-scale Thanksgiving feast because it incorporates bread (stuffing), greens (vegetables), and chicken (poultry). It would just need potatoes on the side- which is actually how my husband ate the leftovers. 😉 It was a pre-Thanksgiving meal for us because my crowd prefers a more indulgent feast on the big day. We did end the meal with apple pie bars.

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Melissa Perello. It was inspired by chef Judy Rodgers’ famous wood-fired roasted chicken at Zuni Café in San Francisco. I kept waiting for chard to appear in my CSA box so that I could make it. This dish gobbled up all of the chard, kale, and beet greens from my share! The capers and golden raisins made the base of the dish extra delicious.

Yield: Serves 4 to 8

• 8 to 10 oz (about 1/2 loaf) day-old peasant bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used a pain au levain boule)
• 4 to 6 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 T salted capers, rinsed well
• 4 T golden raisins
• 1 1/2 pounds tender fresh greens such as Swiss chard, kale, spinach, or beet greens (the original recipe uses Swiss chard)
• 3 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 skinless bone-in chicken thighs or one 3 1/2 pound chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces
• fresh thyme and parsley, for garnish, optional

1. Prepare the Greens: If using Swiss Chard: Remove the stems and finely slice or chop; slice leaves in half through the ribs and cut into 2-inch ribbons. If using Kale: Remove ribs and discard; tear leaves in half and slice into 1/2-inch ribbons. If using Spinach or Beet greens: Remove stems and slice leaves into 2-inch ribbons. Wash and spin dry.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°, preferably on convection.
3. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, capers, raisins, prepared greens, shallots, and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper.
4. Spread the bread-greens mixture in a large enameled cast-iron casserole. (My pan was almost overflowing!)
5. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and arrange them over the bread. Sprinkle with dried thyme.
6. Cover the chicken with a piece of parchment paper and close the casserole with a heavy lid. Bake the chicken for 35 minutes.
7. Remove the lid and parchment paper and increase the oven temperature to 400°.
8. Bake the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until golden on top and cooked through.
9. Remove the casserole from the oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the chicken with the bread and greens, garnished with fresh herbs.

Prosciutto Carbonara with Spinach

Another weeknight pasta dish- another rigatoni dish! 🙂 Adding greens to this classic dish is a healthy upgrade.

This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart Living. I used a combination of beet greens and spinach and kept the crispy prosciutto pieces intact instead of crumbling them. Nice.

Yield: Serves 4

• 1 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 oz prosciutto, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch wide strips (I used 7-8 slices)
• 2 large eggs, plus 2 yolks
• 1 oz Pecorino Romano, grated (about 1/4 cup), plus more for serving
• 12 oz rigatoni
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 oz baby spinach or other tender greens (I incorporated sliced beet greens)

1. In a large skillet, heat oil and half of prosciutto over medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until prosciutto is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
2. In a bowl or (2-cup) glass measuring cup, whisk together whole eggs, yolks, and grated cheese.
3. Cook pasta in a pot of salted boiling water 1 minute less than package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
4. Slowly whisk 1/4 cup pasta water into egg mixture.
5. Add pasta and spinach to skillet, then slowly add egg mixture to pasta.
6. Stir constantly over low heat until sauce thickens and clings evenly to pasta and greens wilts slightly, 3 to 5 minutes; add more pasta water as needed to create a silky sauce.
7. Stir in all prosciutto. Serve with more cheese and pepper, as desired.

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage & Greens

I actually have a third tasty soup to share. This one is reminiscent of one of our family favorites, Lentil-Kielbasa Soup. Don’t worry- it’s not so similar that it will prevent me from making my tried and true lentil-sausage soup as well this season. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Sarah Digregorio. I used French green lentils instead of black lentils, modified the proportions and incorporated a mixture of CSA greens including beet greens, broccoli greens and escarole. I also garnished the soup with my CSA parsley instead of basil.

This soup could easily be made on the stove top instead of in a slow cooker. I loved that it gobbled up my CSA greens too.

Yield: 6 servings

• 1 pound hot or sweet Italian pork sausage, loose or removed from its casing
• olive oil, if necessary
• 1 large red or yellow onion, chopped
• Kosher salt
• 10 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 2 oregano sprigs, leaves only, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• generous pinch of red-pepper flakes
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups dried lentils, preferably black beluga (I used French green lentils)
• 1 (14-ounce) can whole or chopped tomatoes
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 5 ounces greens, such as baby spinach or kale, or 1 medium bunch greens, such as chard or kale, stemmed and chopped (I used a mixture of beet & broccoli greens with escarole)
• 1 T red-wine vinegar
• chopped fresh parsley or basil, for garnish
• grated Parmigiano Reggiano, for garnish

1.  In a large, dry skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spatula, until it is in small, coarse pieces, and starts to brown and sizzle in its own fat, about 8 minutes.
2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sausage to a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. There should be a thin layer of fat covering the bottom of the skillet. If there is much more than that, pour a bit of the fat off. If there is not enough fat to cover the bottom of the pan, add a drizzle of olive oil.
3. Add the onion to the skillet, season generously with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, add garlic and cook until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the onion and garlic powders, the herbs, red pepper flakes and several generous grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine.
6. Increase heat to medium-high, pour in the wine and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot. Let the wine bubble until the pan is almost dry, about 3 minutes.
7. Scrape the skillet mixture into the slow cooker with the sausage.
8. Add the bay leaf and the lentils.
9. Add the tomatoes with their juice. If using whole, crush the tomatoes into pieces using your hands as you add them with their juice.
10. Pour in the chicken stock.
11. Season generously with pepper and add 1/2 teaspoon salt if you are using low-sodium stock or 1 teaspoon salt if using homemade unsalted stock. Do not add salt now if you are using fully salted stock.
12. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low until the lentils are tender, about 6 to 8 hours. (Taste the lentils to make sure they are firm but creamy on the inside; black lentils can vary in their cooking time depending on their age and the heat of your slow cooker.) The soup holds well on warm for 2 additional hours.
13. Switch the heat to high. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Stir in the greens and cook until wilted and tender, about 2 minutes for baby spinach, 10 minutes for kale.
14. Stir in the vinegar.
15. Serve in bowls, topped with chopped parsley and/or basil and grated Parmesan.

Tomato-Braised Gigante Bean Gratin (Pizza Beans)

This dish could or should be a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen called the dish “pizza beans” to make it more appealing to her kids- so I did the same. 😉 She also had the genius suggestion of serving it with garlic bread, giving it even more appeal. Perelman described it as “a mash-up of a giant-beans-in-tomato-sauce dish from Greece and American-style baked ziti, with beans instead of noodles.” Heaven!

My husband and I enjoyed this dish very much. We are already big fans of Greek Gigante beans, by the way. 🙂 With the name “pizza beans,” my kids were expecting pizza, but the flavors in the dish were more like minestrone soup. It may have been more well-received if I had simply called it by the original title, Tomato & Gigante Bean Bake. 😉

This dish would also be wonderful as a cold-weather comfort food casserole. The recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant & Unfussy New Favorites by Deb Perelman, via smitten kitchen.com. I used a pressure cooker to cook the dried beans, incorporated the pressure cooker bean liquid as well as beet greens, and increased the amount of garlic. I plan to make it again in the winter and give it a different title. I’m sure it will be more well-received. It will be served with garlic bread, of course.

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 large or 2 regular carrots, diced
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white or red wine, optional
• 4 ounces (115 grams) curly kale leaves, beet greens, and/or mixed baby greens, coarsely chopped
• 2 1/4 cups (550 grams) crushed tomatoes (28-ounce or 800-gram can minus 1 cup; reserve the rest for another use)
• 1 pound (455 grams) giant white beans such as Italian fagioli corona, Greek gigante/gigandes, Royal Corona, or large lima beans
• 3/4 cup (175 ml) vegetable broth or pressure cooker bean liquid, as needed
• 1/2 pound (225 grams) mozzarella, coarsely grated
• 1/3 cup (35 grams) grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons (5 grams) roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish, optional
• garlic bread, for serving, optional

1. To use a Pressure Cooker to “Soak” the Beans: Place 12 cups of water, 3 tsp of coarse salt and the dried beans in a pressure cooker. Raise to high pressure (2nd ring) for 2 minutes. Release pressure using the natural (water) method. Drain the beans.
2. Cook the Beans in a Pressure Cooker: Place the drained beans with 9 cups of fresh water in the pressure cooker. Drizzle with vegetable oil. Cook on low (1st ring) for 3 minutes. Release pressure using the natural (water) method. Drain the beans reserving the bean liquid.
3. Heat the oven to 475 degrees, preferably on convection.
4. In a 2 1/2-to-3-quart (ideally oven-safe) deep sauté pan, braiser, or shallow Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Season well with salt and black or red pepper. Cook, sautéing, until the vegetables brown lightly, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute more.
6. Add the wine, if using, to scrape up any stuck bits, then simmer until it disappears, 1 to 2 minutes.
7. Add the kale/greens, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until collapsed, then add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
8. Add the beans, and, if the mixture looks too dry or thick (canned tomatoes range quite a bit in juiciness), add up to 3/4 cup broth/bean liquid, 1/4 cup at a time.
9. Simmer the mixture together over medium for about 10 minutes, adjusting the seasonings as needed.
10. If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer the mixture to a 3-quart baking dish.
11. Sprinkle the beans first with the mozzarella, then the Parmesan, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on top. If you’re impatient and want a deeper color, you can run it under the broiler.
12. Finish with parsley, if desired. Serve with garlic bread.

Greens & Cheese Quesadillas

I have received an exorbitant amount of Swiss chard in my CSA box so far this season. It’s a good thing that I absolutely love it! and… Who doesn’t love chard when it’s combined with fabulous cheese?!?!

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit, contributed by Gabriela Camara. I have made these quesadillas a couple of times with my CSA greens, using both raw milk extra (extra) sharp yellow cheddar (from Trader Joe’s) as well as Cabot extra sharp 3-year aged white cheddar. I have also used combination of greens including Swiss chard, turnip greens, beet greens, as well as baby bok choy.

I adapted the recipe by increasing the garlic as well as using a red onion, whole wheat flour tortillas, and chipotle salsa, avocados, fresh lime, and sour cream, for serving. I also microwaved the assembled quesadillas for a quick dinner! We ate them with refried beans on the side. Delicious.

Yield: Serves 4 for dinner or up to 8 as an appetizer

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola
• ½ medium white or red onion, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 10 ounces Swiss chard, ribs and stems removed, or a combination of greens including beet, turnip, or bok choy, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• coarse salt
• 6 ounces Toma cheese or sharp cheddar, grated (about 2 cups)
• 8 whole wheat flour tortillas
• Salsa Roja, Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa Verde, or Trader Joe’s Chipotle Salsa, for serving
• avocado slices and lime wedges, for serving, optional
• sour cream, for serving, optional

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 6–8 minutes.
2. Add greens a handful at a time, letting wilt slightly before adding more. Pour in ½ cup water and cook, tossing occasionally, until greens are tender, 6–8 minutes.
3. Add lime juice; season with salt. Transfer to a plate; let cool.
4. Assemble the quesadillas: Place on tortilla on a large plate. Mound grated cheddar on top and spread evenly. Top with sautéed greens and another tortilla.
5. Microwave for 1 minute, 35 seconds on high.
6. Remove and slice into pieces. Repeat until all filling is used.
7. Serve immediately with sliced avocado, prepared salsa, and sour cream, as desired.

One Year Ago:

• Red Pepper-Saffron Risotto

Two Years Ago:

• Salted Dulce de Leche Shortbread (Alfajores) Bars

Three Years Ago:

• Roasted Cauliflower & White Bean Dip
• Baba Ganouj