Dateline: February 23, 2021 Vegetarian Couscous Redux

I had been jonesing for that couscous dish again.  I had in mind some tweaks, and so, I did it.  The original recipe is a Melissa Clark Creamy chickpeas and pearl couscous .  This version used collards, tuscan kale, chickpeas, cannelloni beans, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, plum tomatoes, canned tomatoes, preserved lemon, garlic, shallot, red wine, balsamic vinegar, chicken stock, and of course, pearl couscous.

I started as Ms. Clark suggests, pre-roasting the tomatoes, shallots, wine, vinegar in a 450° F oven.  While that was going on, I chopped the collards and kale, preserved lemon, roasted peppers, sun dried tomatoes, and heated the stock.  I then added in the couscous, greens, beans, lemon, peppers and tomatoes and the boiling stock.  Mixed well, covered with foil and back into the oven it went for about 20 minutes.

The feta got drained and chopped in the meantime and after the 20 or so minutes, it got added into the casserole and mixed in.  Foil was removed and it was back into the oven for a final cook.  I went a few minutes longer than suggested because there was a bit more soupiness as I didn't drain canned tomatoes and used more couscous than called for.  Final dusting of cilantro and dinner was done.  This was still delicious.

Dateline: December 17, 2020 Greens and Beans

I had a fridge full of greens, collards, tuscan kale, and chard.  So I created a quick dish using the instant pot.

Ingredients

Collards

Tuscan kale

Swiss chard

Or any other leafy greens you have or like so that you have approximately 2.5 - 3 lbs all together

3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

1 onion, cut in half thru the root end and then sliced into half moons

1 leek, cleaned and sliced

1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, diced 

1 c white wine or stock of your choice

2 cans beans of your choice, drained and rinsed, (I used pinto beans)

2 oz salt pork or bacon

1 preserved lemon

black pepper to taste

Method

1.  Dice up the salt pork or bacon and add to the heated instant pot on saute low temp.  Render as much fat as you can or want.

2.  After fat has rendered, add onions, leeks, and jalapeno to the instant pot.  Saute until softened, add the smashed and chopped garlic.  Be sure to get up any of the brown bits on the bottom of the pot.  Add the wine or stock to help in this endeavor.

3.  Chop up the preserved lemon and add to the pot.  Stir and add greens.  This amount of greens will fill a 6 qt pot.  Have no fear, stir it around as best you can, lid the pot and hit cancel.  Now choose pressure cook for 5 minutes.  Close the top.  When finished, quick release the pressure.  Hit cancel.

4.  Add the beans and stir to combine.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add black pepper if jalapeno is not that hot.  If more liquid is needed, add another glug of wine or stock.  Put pot on warm setting until you are ready for dinner.

As Bill and I were sitting down to eat, I noticed that he wasn't too thrilled, he said that given all the green, he was not sure he would be happy.  Turns out, he did like it.  Would have preferred some animal died, but he ate 2 bowls worth!

It occurred to me that beans, greens, and garlic are part of my top five things that I love.   Once again, I am sure that in a previous life I was Tuscan!

The preserved lemon added so much to the dish.  A brightness, and depth of flavor that if it were not included, the dish would be sorely lacking in flavor.  I did not add any salt as the lemon and salt pork provided all that was necessary.

This could certainly be made on the stove top, but the timing would be different, the greens would never cook in 5 minutes, more like 15-20, depending on how you like your greens!

Dateline: December 7, 2020 Beans, Greens, and Other Things

I was really jonesing for some beans.  I know, that is a very weird thing to be longing for, but I can't help it.  I think I was Tuscan in a former life.  

I had a left over rotisserie chicken, but didn't want to deprive Bill of his brekkies.  So I went sort of vegetarian.  I did use some of the brodo that I made over the weekend.

I chopped up a leek, the half of onion from the other night, a handful of collard leaves, a couple of bok choy, garlic, and 2 cans of cannellini beans.  I separated the leaves from the stems with the collards, and sliced into ribbons and halved those along the rib line, then I also separated the leaves from the stems of the bok choy, and sliced the leaves in ribbons and chunked up the stems for crunch in the "stew".  I chopped 3 cloves of garlic roughly.

Into a large shallow lidded casserole I sauted the leeks and onions until softened, added the garlic and salt and pepper.  After a few more minutes, I threw in the stems and more salt and pepper along with some herbes de Provence.  Here is where the stupid thing happened, I know you were waiting for this!  I grabbed a bottle of open wine from the counter, never looking, assuming it was the open white... but no, it was the open red.  Glug glug glug into the casserole, no going back now!  I got the brodo out of the fridge and added 3 cups.  Lidded the pan, and let it go for a bit.  I dumped the greens and the 2 cans of drained and rinsed beans in, mixed it all up and tasted for seasoning.  All was good.  I let it go until the collards turned dark green and that was dinner.

The look of disappointment on Bill's face, was, well, priceless.  He would eat it, but stated, "I want animals to die for my plate."  Turns out, the concoction was quite good.  We each were going back to the dish for more.

Above are the leeks and onions softening and at right, is the bok choy stems prior to the red wine mishap.

Here are the chopped bok choy stems waiting to go into the "pool"

 Likewise, to the right are the chopped leaves of the collards and bok choy cut into ribbons

Below, the finished product with the red wine disaster!  Oh, I had a few veggies left over from the rotisserie chicken and threw those in as well.

Dateline: December 4, 2020 Chili Verde with Pork over Rice

I had a big chunk of pork shoulder that I had cut into 1/3 - 2/3 pieces, I used the 1/3 piece in an instant pot recipe on Tuesday.

Today, we are having Chili Verde.  I love Chili Verde.  The silkiness of the pork, the lusciousness of the sauce, wonderful.

Chili Verde with Pork

3 lbs pork shoulder, cut into chunks and trimmed of most of the fat

2 ancho chilis, seeded, stemmed, and split

1 dried jalapeno, seeded, stemmed, and split

1 lb tomatillos, peeled and cut through the equator

1 large onion, cut in half through the root end

4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled

2 serrano chili peppers

1 lb tuscan kale, stripped and chopped into manageable pieces

1 qt good stock

salt and pepper to taste

1 T mexican oregano

1 T ground cumin

1 t ground coriander

1 t dried granulated shallot

1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped with accompanying sauce

Method

1.   Heat a cast iron comal or skillet, place anchos, jalapeno, and serranos on the comal.  Add the tomatillos cut side down, onion cut side down, and garlic cloves.  When peppers have become pliable and their color changes slightly, remove to a hot water soaking bath.  Use a cup or plate to totally submerge the toasted dried peppers.

2.  When the remaining vegetables have gotten some char, remove to the body of a blender and add soaked peppers, not soaking liquid.  Add 1 pint of broth and blitz until smooth; blender will break down garlic skins.  You may need to scrape down sides of blender and/or adjust the blades if things get hung up.  Pour contents of blender into a pan large enough to hold all the chunked up meat.  Add the kale, meat chunks, spices, chipotle pepper in adobo, salt and pepper.  I used an instant pot, you can do this in an instant pot, or in a dutch oven.

3.  Mix well and set instant pot to pressure cook, low pressure for 20 minutes.  After twenty minutes, use natural release and mix well.  Hit cancel.  

4.  Set instant pot to slow cook, 3.5 hours, low temp.  Leave lid of instant pot ajar to facilitate evaporation.

5.  Taste, adjust seasonings and reduce further if wanted using the saute function..

Dateline: November 14, 2020 Steamed Fish and Greens

I had some tilapia that I wanted to make something asian-y.  Was leaning toward chinese, but had a zoom with some friends and they got my mind heading toward thai.

I have some Indonesian Shrimp Paste.  It is stinky and salty.  It adds just the right amount of both of those umami ingredients to delight the tongue.

I started with the aromatics: shrimp paste, onion, garlic, ginger, onions, celery, and added in some thai chilis.  I stripped the collards and chopped it into bite size pieces along with tuscan kale.  The bell peppers and bok choy were cut into manageable pieces and stir fried after the aromatics.  This was topped by the shredded greens and a little bit of water.  On top of the greens I placed a steamer tray.  Then the fish, that I divided into 2 fillet halves, cutting down the center line, was added on top.  I covered the wok and let the steaming veggies cook the fish.  

When the fish was opaque, I removed the steaming tray, and tested the greens.  I added some fish sauce to round out the flavors and served.

I think that I overcooked the fish, because it was a bit mushy. Next time, I may pan fry the fish to maintain its integrity.

Bill really liked it.

The photo above is the aromatics and the bok choy.

Here is the steamer tray.  Note the jerry-rigged handle.  A bolt with 2 lock nuts.

Finished plate full.  There was enough heat in the greens to allow the fish to be the blander foil.  The greens themselves were terrific.

Dateline: November 13, 2020 Chickpea Stew

It is clean out the fridge night.  I found a great inspirational recipe on NYT Cooking by Melissa Clark,
Moroccan Chickpeas with Chard .  Of course, I made a few changes.  Why?  Because I didn't have a turnip, but I did have a kabocha squash.  I didn't have chard, but I had kale and a quarter head of cabbage.  I had chicken stock that I made and chickpeas and all of the spices necessary.  Oh, another trade out, I didn't have 2 T of tomato paste, so I used all I had and augmented with harissa.  I also didn't have 2 hours, so into the instant pot things went and we will see how it comes out.

This stew was excellent.  The flavor was fantastic.  It will be in the rotation!  I have been eating it once a day for several days now.  Still in love with it.  

I forgot to put in the preserved lemon and apricots...happens when you drink before eating anything.  So, I added some lemon juice.  It really made a difference.  That extra acid was perfect.  Didn't miss the apricots.