Recipes 9/2
Italian Braised Greens & Potatoes
6 ounces red onion, chopped
3 tbls extra virgin olive oil
large cloves garlic, minced
1 lb braising greens (like Swiss chard, kale), washed, trimmed of tough stems
1/2 C vegetable or chicken stock or broth
1/2 lb small new potatoes, scrubbed & boiled
3 hard-cooked eggs
2 tbls red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Saute onion in one tablespoon of hot oil over medium heat until onion begins to brown. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
Combine greens and stock in a heavy-bottomed pot; cook slowly over medium-low heat until greens soften. Stir into the onion mixture.
Cut potatoes and eggs into quarters and stir into greens mixture. Stir in remaining oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
(From The New York Times)
Tomatoes Provencal
6 tomatoes, very ripe, about 2 1/2 pounds
1 C lightly packed parsley leaves
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4 tbls olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Remove and discard stems from the tomatoes and cut in half crosswise (parallel to stem end). Chop the parsley and garlic together to make persillade. There should be 1/2 cup.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In each of two heavy skillets heat about 1 tablespoon of the oil until very hot. Put the tomatoes cut side down in the skillets and cook over high heat about 2 minutes, covered, until the tomatoes soften slightly. Arrange the tomatoes cut side up in a gratin dish suitable for serving. Sprinkle with the pepper and salt.
To the drippings in the pan add the remainder of the oil and the persillade. Mix 10 to 15 seconds to cook slightly; divide equally and spread on top of the tomatoes. Put the tomatoes in the warm oven for a few minutes before serving. If the tomatoes must wait 30 minutes or more before being served, saute as directed and keep warm in a 180-degree oven, but don’t add the persillade until serving time.
(From: The New York Times: Jacques Pepin)
White Bean & Roasted Eggplant Hummus
1 (1 1/2-pound) eggplant, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
Olive oil, for drizzling, plus 1/3 C
Kosher salt, for seasoning, plus 1/2 tsp
Freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning, plus 1/4 tsp
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 C loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tbls fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1 clove garlic
1 cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place an oven rack in the middle.
Place the eggplant on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cooled eggplant, beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add 1/3 cup of olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Place the hummus in a dipping bowl and serve with the cucumber slices. Alternatively, spoon the hummus over the cucumber slices and arrange on a serving platter.
(From The Food Network: Giada deLaurentis)
Grilled Stuffed Jalapeño Chilies w/ Grilled Red Pepper Tomato Sauce
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
4 oz soft goat cheese
4 oz shredded aged white Cheddar cheese
2 ears corn, grilled in husk and kernels removed
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 jalapeño chiles, halved, stemmed and seeded
1 heaping tbls ancho chili powder
Grilled Red Pepper-Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
Heat grill to medium. Whisk together the cream cheese and goat cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Fold in the Cheddar, corn and green onions and season with salt and pepper. Fill each jalapeño half with about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and sprinkle the top with some of the ancho powder.
Place on the grill, filling-side up and cook until slightly charred and tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. Spoon the red pepper sauce onto a platter and top with the jalapeños.
Grilled Red Pepper-Tomato Sauce:
2 red peppers, grilled, peeled and chopped
2 plum tomatoes, grilled until charred on all sides, and coarsely chopped
2 tbls red wine vinegar
1 tbls honey
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 C olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine the pepper, tomatoes, vinegar, honey and cilantro in a food processor and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add oil and season with salt and pepper.
(From the Food Network: Bobby Flay)
Cannellini Bean Soup w/ Kale & Garlic-Olive Oil Crostini
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bruschetta
6 to 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, plus 1 or 2 more whole cloves
2 tsp dried oregano
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
2 tbls red wine vinegar
2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 qts chicken stock, water, or a combination
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch kale, large ribs removed, chopped
1 baguette
Heat oil in a large pot. Add garlic and oregano and cook no more than a minute. Add tomato paste and vinegar, and cook another minute. Add beans and stock and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add kale and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour. Season, to taste, again with salt and pepper before serving.
Slice baguette on a heavy angle to create long slices. Toast in a toaster or in the conventional oven. Rub once or twice with half a garlic clove. Season a shallow plate of extra-virgin olive oil with salt and dip each side of bread into the oil. Serve as accompaniment to the soup.
(From The Food Network: Dave Lieberman)