Savory Three Cheeses Flan with Homecured Applewood Smoked Diced Bacon and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette on a Bed of Baby Arugula

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To be quite honest, I had a hard time deciding which photo to lead with here.

I've got three things going on, not the least of which is homecured, applewood smoked bacon made by son Josh in his Sacramento backyard.

I think that's worthy of a post all its own and I've been bugging him to be a guest blogger.

Anyone want to chime in and nudge him a bit?

I mean, the guy goes out and bags an elk, a deer, a couple of pigs, some ducks, a few geese, brings them home and makes his own steaks, roasts, sausage, bacon, confit . . .

Josh's home cured bacon is a beautiful thing

He asked me a while back if I knew a good book on curing meats. Charcuterie was the first one that came to mind so he went out and bought a copy and now there's no stopping the man.

Not that I'm complaining; I've got his pork bacon and duck breasts in my freezer. You will hear no complaining from this mom.

Then there's the flan.

Oh my. Can I toot my own horn?

Ricotta, chevre, and parmigiano reggiano cheeses bound together with a few of my hens' eggs and some lightly sautéed leeks, sitting on a bed of baby arugula, drizzled with - number three! - a warm bacon vinaigrette, then topped with bits of Josh's homecured bacon.

Heaven on a plate.

You see my dilemma. I couldn't divide them up into their separate recipes. Hence the long title.

Make this for dinner some night. It takes very little time to prepare (except for the bacon curing part) and it's elegant as all get out.

And if you're not as lucky as I am to have a meat curing son, a good bacon such as Niman Ranch will do as a substitute. (But really, it won't be the same.)

Savory Three Cheeses Flan with Homecured Applewood Smoked Diced Bacon and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette on a Bed of Baby Arugula
Christine's original recipe with gratitude to her son Josh and his charcuterie skills
(print recipe)
Ingredients:
1 15-ounce tub fresh organic ricotta cheese
4-ounces fresh chevre (goat cheese)
2/3 cup parmigiano reggiano, finely grated
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
generous grinds of black peppercorns
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 fat leek, white and light green part only, about 6-inches long, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons dry white wine
Olive oil and unsalted butter for the pan
6 pieces thick bacon (homecured is best), 2-inches in length
1 teaspoon (heaping) good Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon golden balsamic vinegar
2 cups baby arugula, washed and spun dry

Preparation: (See Cook's Notes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack positioned in the center of the oven.

Spray the insides of 6 4-ounce custard cups with a thin film of non-stick spray then wipe with a paper towel. Set in a large roasting pan.

Heat about a teaspoon each olive oil and unsalted butter in a skillet over medium-low flame.

Add the sliced leeks and sauté gently until they are softened. Adjust the heat so they don't burn.

Allow the leeks to cook until they are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the white wine to the skillet, stir and sauté until the pan is just dry. Remove from the heat and toss with a pinch or two of kosher salt.

Remove the cooked leeks to a plate to cool a bit.

Meanwhile, combine the three cheeses, pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt by hand in a medium bowl until blended.

Add the beaten eggs and stir until they are fully incorporated.

When the leeks aren't screaming hot, add them to the cheese mixture and stir well.

Divide the mixture evenly between the 6 cups.

Place the cups in a large roasting pan and pour hot water into the pan so that it comes to about halfway up the sides of the custard cups.

Bake in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a flan comes out clean and the top is lightly golden brown.

Remove the flans from the water bath and allow to cool on a wire rack until they can be handled easily.

While the flans are enjoying their hot tub, heat a skillet (cast iron can't be beat for this) on medium high then add the pieces of bacon and let them sizzle until they are cooked through and a beautiful mahogany brown on both sides.

Remove the pan from the heat and use tongs to remove the bacon to paper towels to drain. (Reserve the bacon fat in the skillet, off heat.)

Stack the bacon pieces on top of each other and cut into 1/2-inch dice (see photos above). Set aside.

Whisk the mustard into the bacon fat in the skillet then whisk in the vinegar until the mixture is smooth and thickened.

To assemble:

Divide the arugula between 6 plates.

Run a knife around the edge of a flan then place a spatula over the flan while tipping the cup over the center of the arugula. Give the custard cup a shake, allowing the flan to drop onto the spatula. Gently position the flan on the arugula. Repeat with the rest of the flans on their individual plates.

Drizzle the vinaigrette here and there on the arugula and over the top of the flan then garnish with the bits of bacon.

What a way to have your bacon and eggs.

Cook's Notes:

Aside from the oven baking time, none of the tasks above takes much time to prepare. Keeping the individual parts warm before assembly is key to the success of the dish so work as quickly as you can when the flans come out of the oven.

Enjoy!

Copyright © 2005-2009, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Asparagus, Chard and Bacon Quiche With A Barley-Chevre "Crust"

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Inspiration for this crustless quiche came from two places: Several weeks ago I prepared a vegan rice dish that my son Jeff gave me and a few nights later I put the leftovers in a pie plate, piled roasted winter squash over it, heated it in the oven and took it to Simona's for dinner (that recipe will appear on this blog soon, I hope); today yesterday my friend Leslie was coming came over for a late lunch. I wanted to make a quiche using our backyard chicken eggs but didn't want to make a crust. Cooked barley from the previous day was tossed with some local herbed chevre and made a grain crust that, along with the layers of crispy bacon, vegetables and cheese, created a dish that was exactly what I was trying to achieve. The egg custard finds its way to the bottom of the plate enclosing the barley in its eggy creaminess, and makes a most delightful platter for the quiche.

Making the layers

Ready for the oven

Asparagus, Chard & Bacon Quiche with Barley-Chevre Crust

Christine's Original Recipe

Serves 8-10 as a brunch course

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked barley, cool
4-ounces plain or herbed chevre, crumbled
pinch kosher salt
oil for the pie plate
1 bunch organic asparagus, rinsed, tough ends snapped off
4 strips Niman Ranch Uncured Bacon
6-8 small chard leaves, multi-colored is good
1 cup Lamb Chopper Sheep's Milk Cheese, grated
1 cup good Gruyère cheese (if you can't find Lamb Chopper, substitute another cup of Gruyère), grated
6 eggs (large)
2 cups half n half
1/2 teaspoon jarred mustard like Grey Poupon
a few pinches of kosher salt
Preparation:

Lightly oil the bottom and sides of a 12-inch glass pie plate. Wipe with a paper towel.

Toss the barley and crumbled chevre together and place evenly on the bottom of the pie plate, gently pushing it up the sides.

Bake in a 250-degree oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese melts somewhat. Remove from the oven, set the oven temp to 500-degrees.

With a large spoon, push some of the barley mixture up the sides of the pie plate and tamp it down a bit all over the bottom to make a crust. Set aside to cool.

Cut about 3-inches from the tips of each asparagus spear and reserve. Cut the remaining asparagus stems into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces.

Place asparagus on a very lightly oiled baking sheet and roast in the 500-degree oven for 10 minutes, shaking the pan as needed. Remove from the oven, turn the temperature down to 350-degrees, and allow the asparagus to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon strips in a heavy skillet on medium-high until crisp. Remove to a paper towel to drain and then tear or cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Lay the chard leaves atop each other then roll up length-wise like a cigar. Cut off the stem ends cross-wise and save for another dish. Thinly slice the remaining chard roll cross-wise into very thin strips. Set aside.

Combine the eggs, half 'n half, mustard and salt in a large bowl and whisk until thoroughly blended.

Assembly:

Put the bacon pieces over the barley crust followed by the cut asparagus stems (reserve the tips for the top of the pie).

Sprinkle the cheese over and then spread the chard chiffonade over the cheese.

Pour the egg custard slowly over and around everything, allowing it to settle.

Place the asparagus spears in a pattern of your choosing and it's ready for the oven.

Bake at 350-degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and barely jiggles in the center.

Remove from the oven and cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

Cook's Notes:

I served a very nice, very affordable white wine from La Vieille Ferme that complemented the quiche to perfection. It's a bargain at $7 a bottle and also went well with the pear avocado salad that accompanied the quiche.

I realize that I used 3 different kinds of cheeses in this dish and I promise that they are very complimentary to each other.

Aside from putting the bacon on top of the barley, the rest of the ingredients can layer whichever way you want. Just be sure to put the asparagus on top after pouring in the custard.

Copyright © 2005-2009, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Spicy Chickpea Stew With Eggplant, Carrots and Quince

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It's not often that I use a recipe from a magazine. I used to, certainly, it's how I learned to cook, but that was a long time ago. I much prefer the creativity of making up my own.

Recently however, as I was waiting in line at the checkout, the photo on the cover of the October issue of Vegetarian Times caught my eye - a tempting baked pumpkin holding a medley of stewed vegetables. Leafing through the magazine, I saw a recipe for chickpea tagine with cinnamon, cumin and carrots. I simply couldn't resist so here you have it: my version, of course, in which I added eggplant, substituted cilantro for the parsley, heaped on more honey, and used a quince. Mostly because I didn't have the currents called for, but also because I knew quince would compliment the rest of the ingredients. I love it when I'm right. The quinces below are this year's harvest from my fickle quince bush. Some years I get a lot, other years I get nothing. This is a good year.

The chickpea stew comes together very quickly. You can have it on the table in less than one hour from start to plating. The combination of spices sing North Africa and you can control the heat by using more or less cayenne pepper. I highly recommend putting a dollop of yogurt on each serving and that you ferret out the last of the summer's cilantro as a finishing touch. Make the dish vegan by using a dairy-free soy yogurt.

Spicy Chickpea Stew with Eggplant, Carrots and Quince

Adapted from the October '08 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine
Ingredients:
3 medium eggplants, cubed
3 large carrots, sliced
1 ripe quince (the size of a medium apple), peeled, cored, chopped, yielding 1/2 cup
1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped medium
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups water
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon each ground turmeric, cinnamon, cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon honey, heaping
kosher salt to taste
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Non-fat Greek-style yogurt
olive oil for the pan

Preparation:

Drizzle large cast iron pan or large pot with about 2 teaspoons olive oil and heat over medium-high.

Saute the onions and carrots until softened, add the garlic and quince and saute until golden.

Add the eggplant, spices, honey, chickpeas and water. Stir, cover and simmer until the vegetables are cooked through but still hold their shape.

Season to taste with kosher salt if needed. Serve hot with a dollop of yogurt, sprinkled with the chopped cilantro.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Sautéed Kale With Garlic And Grilled Sweet Onions

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Is your garden overflowing with kale like mine is? Although it was quite some time ago that the tiny kale starts were planted, and it seemed like forever would happen before we could start harvesting,

if it weren't for the Cabbage and Sulphur butterfly worms taking their share I wouldn't be able to keep up, it's growing so fast.

I know it's hard to tell, but this is a very, very large bowl of two kinds of kale: green curly , very simply named, and a beautiful dark green, upright variety that has far too many names, among them lacinato, dinosaur, Tuscan, Italian Black Kale and cavolo nero. Kale is easy to grow in both cool and hot climates. Here on the north coast of California it will grow year-round, loving a kiss of frost in the winter. In hotter climes it's better as a fall through spring crop.

So far as I know, kale's only predators are the said beasties shown above. A sprinkling of diatomaceaous earth on the leaves will keep them at bay, at least long enough for you to get your share. Or, you can just plant enough kale so everyone's happy.

Kale is a member of the brassica family which includes cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli and more and is a highly nutritious vegetable. Grow it in your garden or buy it at your farmers market or organic produce store. As shown in the recipe below - a little garlic, some grilled sweet onions, a sprinking of balsamic vinegar, a poached egg and voilà. . . a light and lovely summer meal.

So let's start with the onions. To get caramelized sweetness out of a Walla Walla onion, grill it.

Here's a fun way: Cut off the stem and peel back the soft outer layer of the bulb. Cut the onion in half through the root end, leaving roots on each half to hold themselves together. Using a sharp knife, cut the onion halves into wedges, not cutting through the root end.

Rub each onion half with olive oil and grill both sides on medium heat until golden brown, slightly charred at some of the ends, and very soft - looking quite like something other than an onion: A peony, a mop head, a sea anemone, an extra-terrestrial, a muppet, are a few we came up with. Use tongs at the root end to move the onions around the grill. When you're ready to use the onions, simply snip out the root end using kitchen shears. The wedges will plop gently to your cutting board, ready to be cut and warmed in the pan.

Christine's Garden Fresh Sautéed Kale with Garlic and Sweet Onions
Ingredients:
Several large bunches of kale, curly and "lacinato"
4 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon good olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
grilled Walla Walla or other sweet onion prepared as above

Preparation:

Wash the kale in cold water. Tear the leaves into pieces, discarding the larger, tougher stalks at the bottom of each leaf. You can cut these into small pieces and saute them with the garlic and onions if you wish, but I didn't.

Put one half of the olive oil into a large pot and heat it over medium high until it shimmers. Toss in the kale (it will spatter a bit because of the water on the leaves) and sauté, sprinkling with a pinch of two of kosher salt, turning with tongs, until wilted and tender but still bright green.

Meanwhile, using the rest of the olive oil in a skillet, sauté the grilled onion pieces and garlic until the garlic is golden brown and tender.

When the kale is ready, sprinkle with the balsamic vinegar and toss with the onion garlic mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For a bit of protein, poach or gently fry an egg to put on top. Let the runny yolk dribble down over the kale. Eat it up while it's hot.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Butternut Squash Ravioli With Ricotta Sherry Sauce

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Here's another simple-but-elegant entrée that can be on your dinner table within 1/2 hour. Pick up these fresh butternut squash ravioli from your local gourmet foods store

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Ricotta Sherry Sauce
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
2 packages store bought butternut squash-stuffed, confetti ravioli
1 teaspoon Earth Balance, or butter
2/3 to 3/4 cup vegetable broth (depending on the thickness of your ricotta cheese)
1 cup ricotta cheese, low fat is fine
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon Sherry
1/2 teaspoon fine kosher salt
several grinds of good black peppercorns

Preparation:
Gently cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just done.
Remove from the water with a skimmer, drain the water, and put the ravioli back in the pot on the same burner, now turned off, so they can dry a bit.

Meantime, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute the garlic slices in the EB or butter until softened.

Add the ricotta cheese and the vegetable broth, whisking until smooth, until the sauce is the consistency you desire.

Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well, tasting and adjusting to your liking.

Place a few of the ravioli on a warmed plate, drizzle with the sauce and a few sprinkles of the fresh herbs and serve immediately. A salad of crisp greens, citrus, roasted walnuts and goat cheese goes well with this.

Cook's Notes:
A good toasted walnut oil would compliment this dish. I would drizzle it over the top, sparingly, just before serving.

For the past two weeks I've been trying to get this recipe posted. But I've been down with the flu and no amount of wishing and hoping that I could blog has seemed to have mattered. This is one nasty flu bug that renders all the senses senseless - at least in my experience. Mr CC got it too and pretty much feels the same way I do, so at least I know it's not hypochondria. There are several other recipes waiting in the wings that I hope to share with you soon. But for right now, I'd like to finish just this one. The sauce is worth it.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Lamb And Rice Leftovers Fritatta

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Remember this lamb? Having saved some in the freezer for winter cooking, we roasted a small piece of this several nights ago (which was as succulent as the kabobs were last summer) - remember last summer? - sigh, then, when later in the week we were faced with one of those nights where making a full-on dinner just didn't fit in with life, the leftover lamb got cubed up and tossed in a skillet with some leftover rice and turned into a fritatta frittata.

I love to make fritattas frittata. Better known in our house as Cassidy Lane Pizza, a name adopted from those made by my dear friend Erika who taught me how to do it, they are a quick and easy way to use up leftovers. As long as you have some great eggs, a bit of (optional) cheese if you wish, you're good to go.

Lamb and Rice Leftovers Fritatta Frittata
Christine's original recipe with inspiration from Erika, always
Ingredients:
8 large organic eggs
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup low-fat milk
olive oil spray for the pan
2/3 cup cooked rice (see Cook's Notes)
1 cup (or more) leftover roasted lamb, cut into cubes about 3/4-inch square, or smaller if you desire
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
paprika de la vera (Spanish smoked paprika)

Preparation:

Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the stock and milk and whisk well.

Spray a heavy skillet with olive oil spray and heat on medium-high.

Add the lamb and the rice and stir until hot.

Turn the heat down to medium, pour in the egg mixture and allow to cook 2-3 minutes.

Using a spatula, lift a portion of cooked eggs at the edge of the skillet and tilt the pan slightly to allow the runny uncooked egg mixture to flow into the space you created.

Continue around the pan, lifting, tiling, cooking, lifting, tilting and cooking until there is no more runny egg mixture except in the very middle of the skillet. Be sure to do this gently - adjusting the heat lower if necessary.

Sprinkle the smoked paprika over the top of your fritatta frittata and place in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes or until the middle is just set.

Remove the skillet from the oven and allow it to cool for just a few minutes to make cutting it easier.

Cut a slice and serve it with a green salad for dinner. Cut a slice the next morning and eat it out of hand as you dash off to work.

Cook's Notes:

Our eggs come from "down the road" (about 15 miles) courtesy of Tule Fog Farm. The home of pasture ranged, hormone and anti-biotic free, very happy chicks.

I love the brown rice medley from both Indian Harvest and Trader Joe's and use it almost exclusively.

2-17-08: During my downtime this past week (damn nasty flu!), it was gently and lovingly pointed out to me by my friend Simona that I had spelled frittata incorrectly - first you have 2 t's then 1 t, not the other way around. :)

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Delicata Squash With Sautéed Greens, Pancetta And Honey Tangerine

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When you've been driving all day, some of it under rather harrowing conditions, this is the perfect quick-to-fix meal to warm you up and calm you down when you arrive home. A glass of red wine helps. Of course I'm talking about me...

The first part of my 6-hour journey home yesterday was easy - a little rain, a little wind - then it began to snow. Big fat fluffy flakes falling slowly at first, just enough to marvel at, then falling faster and faster until before I knew it I was queued up behind a number of cars being led through the snowy whiteness by a highway patrol car, the road becoming too trecherous to allow for the errant fast driver yet not icy enough to require chains. All of this occurred on the 101 within 50 miles of my home - a very rare occurrence for my neck of the woods as I live on the northern California coast in a maritime temperate climate zone. Not used to driving through snow, especially without chains, you can imagine my relief at arriving home safe and sound, if a bit hungry.

Honey tangerines (also called Murcott oranges) are in markets right now and their sunny goodness is a welcome ingredient to the winter palate. Wonderful in vinaigrettes and simple sautés, honey tangerine juice will also brighten roasted meats and bring elegance to winter desserts. Last night it rounded out all the ingredients of this sauté and made them shine.


Delicata squash with Sautéed Greens, Pancetta and Honey Tangerine
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
1 medium delicata squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups mixture of winter greens, torn (see Cook's Notes)
1 and 1/2 ounces pancetta, cut into small squares
3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup honey tangerine juice, squeezed and strained from 1 tangerine
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
olive oil spray for the pan

Preparation:
Spray a heavy skillet with olive oil spray and set over medium high heat.
Add the pancetta to the hot pan and cook, stirring to break up the pieces, until crisp and browned. Remove to a plate.
Spray the same pan again and lower the heat to medium.
Add the cubes of squash and sauté until it softens and begins to brown.
Add the minced garlic and stir until the garlic has become softened and aromatic.
Toss in the torn greens. This is usually a mixture of winter greens: Chard in its many colors plus several kinds of kale, mustard greens and beet tops.
Stir everything together gently and allow the greens to wilt. A bit of additional olive oil may be needed to keep the squash from sticking to the pan.
Pour the honey tangerine juice over everything and stir well to combine.
When the greens are cooked to your liking, season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
Serve on warmed plates and sprinkle with the crispy pancetta.

Cook's Notes:
For this dish I tore the greens into smaller pieces so as not to overpower the small cubes of squash nor lose the pieces of pancetta among them.


Plus A Small Rant:
(Not too long ago, last week I believe, I came across a complaint on the Internet about long, descriptive recipe titles on food blog posts. I don't take this personally as I'm sure the person who wrote it doesn't know my blog exists, but it still prompts me share this small rant. I'm only sorry that I didn't bookmark where I read the complaint as I would have loved to share it with you.)
I know that I'm given to long recipe titles and obviously am among quite a group of others who do the same. And I guess that this drives at least one food blogger critic a bit nuts. Personally, besides liking to be more descriptive than less, I also like it that people searching the Web for recipes are more apt to land on one of my recipes if I use said descriptive titles. And, duh, that's what we want, isn't it? So get over yourself. These are blogs for crying out loud.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Cocoa Spice Encrusted Seared Wahoo

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The very same wonderful neighbors who grow our lamb every year and often bring us fresh-caught crab are also known to go on a fishing trip or two after which they share the bounty of their catch with us. Yes I do know how lucky we are.

Last summer neighbor Chris went on such a trip to Baja and brought back a number of different kinds of tuna. In the bunch that he shared with us was this loin of Wahoo, a relative of the King Mackerel. While this fish is not in the tuna family, you could've fooled me: It looked like a tuna, seared like a tuna and tasted delicously like a tuna only really, really juicy. All the fish caught on Chris' trip were loined and flash-frozen on-site making this the freshest thawed fish I've ever tasted.

Michael Chiarello's NapaStyle Cocoa Spice Rub was the perfect base for the thick coating on the loin. The spice rub has cardamom in it so I embellished it with more cardamom and extra salt to bring out the flavors. You don't have to try to find a loin of Wahoo to make this dish; albacore or yellow-fin tuna would work just fine.

Seared Wahoo with Cocoa Spice Rub
Christine's original recipe
(print recipe)
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons NapaStyle Cocoa Spice Rub
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon fine Kosher salt
1 loin of Wahoo or tuna
2 teaspoons olive oil for the pan
1 teaspoon butter for the pan
Preparation:

Grind the spice rub, cardamom and salt in a mortar and pestle until it becomes a very fine powder.

Pat the loin dry with paper towels and then roll in the spice mixture, coating the fish entirely. Use up all the spice powder by patting it on with your fingers to make a thick coating.

Place the oil and butter in a heavy skillet over high heat.

When the butter has melted, add the coated loin and sear quickly, turning the loin with tongs until all the loin is seared and browned.

You can serve the loin at this point if you like your fish very rare. Otherwise, place the pan in a hot (400 degree) oven for 2 more minutes to cook the fish a little longer. The center will still be rare.

Remove the loin to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 2-3 minutes then slice it into rounds with a very sharp knife.

Serve with steamed green beans tossed with a small amount of butter and a sprinkling of toasted chopped pecans.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Sautéed Kale With Pancetta And Shiitake Mushrooms

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In keeping with my less-is-more baby-step resolution number two, here is a light yet filling plate of healthy greens and fiber-filled lentils. The kale is sautéed until the stalks are just tender, leaving the leafy part with a bit of substance. The crisp pancetta and the softly sautéed shiitakes give interesting texture. I usually cook my own lentils but these organic, ready-cooked babies from Trader Joe's make putting dinner on the table a snap. Just heat them and serve. Perfect after a day at work.

Sautéed Kale with Pancetta and Shiitake Mushrooms
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
1 large bunch kale lacinato, washed (see Cook's Notes)
4 ounces pancetta, diced
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup vegetable broth
juice from 1/2 of a Meyer lemon
small amount of olive oil for the pan, if needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Brown the pancetta in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Remove to paper towels to drain and set aside.

Saute the mushrooms in the pancetta drippings in the same skillet until softened. Add the garlic and saute until the aroma comes up and the garlic is softened.

Tear or cut the kale into medium-sized pieces and throw into the skillet with the mushrooms and garlic. Stir to coat with the oil.

Add the vegetable broth and simmer until the kale has softened but still holds its shape and all the liquid has evaporated from the skillet.

Remove the skillet from the heat and squeeze the lemon juice over the kale. Toss lightly and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired.

Sprinkle the kale with the crispy pancetta and serve.

Cook's Notes:
Kale is one of the world's healthiest foods with some studies claiming strong anti-cancer properties.

Kale is growing in my winter garden right now and will be ready to cut as the days get longer, hopefully by March.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved