Collard Greens: Good to the last drop!

I didn't grow up on collard greens.  I'm not sure I had them until after 20.  But I've made up for lost time.  My sister went to a southern college, so she probably first encountered them there, in Virginia.  She would  tell me stories about the cafeteria ladies and their funny accents (probably hypocryitcal coming from a Bostonian).  They'd say, "Want some grits, baby?"  "Any sweet potatoes, honey".  Yes, I'd venture to say that it's a safe bet that she had her first collard greens there.

It was a northerner named John who introduced me to collard greens.  A sweet young man from Philadelphia.  He taught me how to blend the greens to add texture.  How to cook them slow to extract all the flavor.  How to manage the "pot liquor" (the greens juice) so it turns out rich and flavorful!!!!  Cooking collard greens is not about a recipe, it's a process.  And make sure you have plenty of time!!!! 

Ingredients:

8 bunches fresh collard greens, washed thoroughly, stems and leaf's spine removed
2 bunches fresh kale washed thoroughly, stems and leaf's spine removed
1 bunch mustard or turnip greens, washed thoroughly, stems removed
2 yellow onions, slivered
2 smoked turkey leg or wing (usually there are 2 to a package)
1/2 jar Vlasic mild pepper rings, drained
Water to reach 1/3 of the pot
Salt and Pepper (not too much until you can  really taste the product)
1 Tbs. Minced Garlic
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Get a large stock pot, put the water, the onions the garlic and the turkey in the water, then pile the greens on top.  Add the pepper rings.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Feel free to cook them overnight on a really low stovetop setting.  Cook until the collard greens and kale are tender, meat falls off the turkey bone and the pot liquor turns a brownish-green.  Salt and pepper to taste.  And don't be embarrassed when you pick up the bowl and drink the liquor.  This liquor is actually good for you!  That's where all the nutrients went!

Guiltlessly Perfect Summer Pasta

A friend of mine was coming over around dinner time and I remembered that she was a vegetarian.  I looked in my pantry and in my freezer to figure out something that both she and I (your resident carnivore) would enjoy.  I happen to love peas.  Not the shriveled, canned variety that tastes closer to Elmer's glue, the petite fresh or frozen kind.  Truth be told, growing up, my sister and I used to fight over peas because I tended to eat them as snacks after school and before dinner, leaving nothing for her. 

This is a wonderfully simple recipe that is as good in the summer as it is in the winter.  It calls for basil.  Did you know you can take your summer basil harvest and freeze it for gloomier days in the fall and winter?  Just stick your basil surplus in a freezer bag, eliminate all the air and put it in the freezer.  Take out what you need, chop it up and put the rest back in the freezer.

I also suggest low carb pasta, such as Dreamfield's.  It takes all the guilt out of this tasty meal. 

Ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs minced garlic
4 Tbs chopped fresh or frozen basil
The juice from a half of a fresh lemon
1 lb. petite peas (I like C&W or Bird's Eye frozen)
Salt and pepper to taste
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1/2 lb. spaghetti
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1 cup shaved parmesan cheese

Boil the water for the pasta and add salt so the water tastes like the ocean.  Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box, al dente.  In a separate pan, saute garlic in the butter and olive oil for a few minutes without color. Turn heat to medium. Add chopped fresh basil. Add warm petite peas, add 1/2 lb of cooked pasta. Add the juice of a half a lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine it all and serve with fresh grated Parmesan to taste.

Summer Shrimp with White Wine, Lime and Jalapeno

It's hard to beat shrimp in the summer.  I don't know what it is.  Somehow, shrimp just begs to be consumed outside, on the porch, with friends and a light breeze!  Although this is a very light recipe, it has that "stick to your ribs" factor that won't leave you hungry two hours later.  Also, a few points of edification...those numbers in the shrimp department (16/20, 21/25) refer to the average number of shrimp per pound.  The lower the number, the larger the shrimp.  Also, this recipe calls for fresh lime juice.  To get the most from your limes, select limes that have a smooth, shiny skin.  Roll the limes on the counter to tear down the fibers.  Micorwave the limes for 30 seconds.  Careful, the lime juice may be hot when it first comes out of the mirowave.  

Ingredients:

1 lb. Jumbo Shrimp (21/25 or 16/20 ct), peeled and de-veined

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Marinade:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

The juice of one fresh lime (see above for maximum juice)

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1/4 cup white wine

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

3 Tbs. cilantro, chopped

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1/2 cup shaved parmesan  (more if you are a cheese-head!!!)

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1 lb. low carb linguini, like Dreamfields.

Marinate shrimp in marinade for 1-2 hours.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Put shrimp in glass dish with marinade and cook for 7-10 minutes (depending on your oven and the size of the shrimp), until JUST pink throughout, turning shrimp after 5 minutes.  Serve over linguini and top with shaved parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.  You can also serve this in tortillas with pico de gallo and cotija cheese.

Save the carbs for dessert!

Ok, ok, I admit it! I did try the Atkins diet at one point. As a bacon lover, I thought....what could be bad about this?!?!?!....all the bacon and cheese you can stand. That lasts for all of about 3 days. Then you stare at a cup of rice as if it were a juicy steak. The Atkins diet did, however, teach me about carbs and the glycemic index. One of the products that I discovered while watching my carbs is Dreamfields pasta. It boasts 65% lower glycemic index than regular pasta and is an excellent source of fiber (20% of the RDA, to be exact). Seriously, you, your guests, even your children will probably not notice the difference (especially if your pasta sauce is as good as mine!!!!). It's also a great idea for the diabetic in your life. It comes in spaghetti, penne and other pasta shapes and sizes. To get more information, check out the link.

http://www.dreamfieldsfoods.com/

Give me your tired, your dry, your old......

We all know that sometimes pound cake doesn't turn out as we'd like. In fact, I have been in search of the perfect pound cake for quite some time, and, I'll be honest...I haven't found it.

Believe it or not, you know who also hasn't found it? Le Cordon Bleu. As some of you know, I graduated from Le Cordon Bleu's program in Baking and Patisserie, and I just knew that I would come out of there with an amazing pound cake recipe....Nope. I just wanted to let the record show that I am still looking. Please, if you have found it, please (did I say that twice) let me know!!!!

In the meatime, our less-than-perfect pound cakes fail in many ways. They are dry, they are heavy, they aren't as flavorful as we'd like. Well here's a fix that's sure to be a hit at the breakfast table (yep, the breakfast table).

Pound Cake fixes:

Grilled Pound Cake

Heat griddle or saute pan on medium high heat. A drop of water should do the jig when you sprinkle it onto the pan.

Slather both sides of the pound cake with butter. Cook until browned on each side. Serve alone or with some of your favorite breakfast items.

Pound Cake French Toast

Heat griddle or saute pan on medium high sheat. Beat together two eggs and 2 Tbs milk. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Put in a shallow bowl, a Pyrex dish or a deep plate. Slice pound cake 3/4 of an inch thick. Soach each side of the pound cake briefly in the egg mixture.

Add to the pan and cook until brown on both sides. Serve with your favorite syrup and warm butter. Oh, and bacon, of course!

Open face, insert smile...

Spring is my favorite season. I think it has to do with growing up in New England and seeing the earth give back what it took in the fall and winter....the grass, the trees, the flowers. The awakening is truly astounding.

That being said, my favorite FOOD season is summer. I anxiously await its arrival every year. Fresh fruit in the summer is beyond compare. When you eat it, it's like a celebration in your mouth.

My ultimate summer fruit is peaches. Raw, cooked, broiled, cobblered, you name it...I'm game. That's why I was so excited when I discovered the galette. The galette is an open-faced pie that is fresh fruit's delicious companion. It turns summer fruit into an easy, quick and delicious dessert for company, or for the family.

Feel freee to come up with your own combination of fruits. I like this one because blueberries and peaches are such a power couple...tart marries with sublimely sweet. The blackberries add another dimension of texture and tartness that is unrivaled. Frozen (IQF) fruits are an option in the winter.


Ingredients:

1 cup fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups fresh ripe peaches, sliced in thin segments with the skin on
1/2 cup fresh blackberries
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Dash nutmeg
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 (9 inch) refrigerated pie dough
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Instructions:

With oven rack in medium position, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray (ideally, if you have two pans that are the same size, double the pan to protect the bottom of the galette from over cooking).

Stir together fruit, conrstarch, zest, juice, spices and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until combined.

Unwrap pie dough and roll onto baking sheet. Spoon on fruit into the center, leaving about an inch and a half fruitless border around the edge.

Fold edges of dough over the blueberry mixture, pleating dough. Dot fruit with butter. Lighly brush dough with egg and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.

Bake until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown, approximately 25 - 30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve with a pie server. Spoon vanilla ice cream on top and indulge!!!

Remove the guess-work

Rare, Medium or Well Done. I'm a medium rare gal. Can't stand overcooked meat. Cooking chicken used to scare me. (Did I cook it long enough to kill all that nasty Salmonella?) How do you know when it's done? Bread? It smells done, looks done...but is it? Internal temperatures were soooo tedious.

Then I met the OXO Thermometer. I was actually fortunate enough to find it on sale after Christmas when folks were done testing turkeys. There are options for all kinds of "meat"....turkey, chicken, lamb, veal, fish....and there is also a manual setting for things like bread. Or if you just want to be a renegade and take the chicken out of the oven before it's fully cooked. Let's say, for example, the recipe says "when the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees, baste it a final time and then put it back in the oven"....BINGO. This is the tool. It even gives you an alarm when it is 10 degrees away from the desired temperature.

You put the probe in the meat and the display sits on the counter or somewhere next to your stove and quietly does its monitoring while you busy yourself with other things. It's pretty easy to use, compact and versatile.

I've included a link so you can check it out. Let me know what you think!!!

http://www.oxo.com/OA_HTML/xxoxo_ibeCCtpOXOPrdDtl.jsp?a=b&item=79452