Category Archives: Recipes

Smoky Mustard Greens Soup

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  • ½ lb. sweet Italian sausage
  • ¼ lb. smoky Canadian bacon, diced
  • 2 cups diced onions (or leeks)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups thick tomato puree
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 8 cups finely chopped mustard greens
  • salt and pepper

Remove the casings and brown the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon.  Remove the sausage from the pan and drain off all but 1 Tbs. of fat (if using chicken sausage, you may need to add some olive oil).  Sauté the bacon, onions, and garlic in the fat until the onions are limp, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomato puree, chicken broth, and sausage.  Simmer the soup for 10 minutes.  Add the chopped mustard greens and simmer the soup long enough to wilt the greens; they should be bright green and tender in about 3-5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve hot.

Serves 6.

From Joy of Gardening Cookbook by Janet Ballantyne.

Smoky Greens Sauté

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  • 1 ¾ lb. greens
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ cup drained canned diced tomatoes
  • ½ tsp. smoked Spanish paprika (Pimenton de la Vera)
  • Pinch of fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp. white wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper

Chop greens, dicing stems and chopping leaves coarsely.  In a large, deep skillet, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Add leaves and stems of greens an cook over high heat until just tender, about 8 minutes.  Drain in a colander, pressing to extract extra liquid.  Wipe out skillet.  Add the olive oil and heat until shimmering.  Add the garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until just beginning to color.  Add the tomatoes and paprika and cook until slightly thickened, a few minutes.  Add cooked greens, fennel seeds and a couple of tablespoons of water, if needed.  Cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.  Stir in white wine vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately. From Food and Wine February 2005.   NOTE:  I didn’t have smoked paprika, so I started the sauté by cooking ¼ lb. of bacon, cut into small pieces.  I added the garlic after that and continued with the recipe, using regular paprika in place of smoked.

Slow Cooked Pork Loin with Tomatillos

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  • 3 to 4 pound boneless loin of pork,cut in 2″ cubes
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 3 jalapeno chile peppers seeded
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 6 outside leaves Romaine lettuce
  • 3 tomatillos, fresh or canned
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 cup water

Put pork loin in pan with water to cover. Simmer 1 1/2 hours; drain and transfer to slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Season pork loin with salt and pepper to taste then pour blended mixture over. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.

Serves 6 to 8.

Sesame Ginger Stir-Fry Sauce

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  • 4 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 Tbs lemon juice
  • 1 Tbs grated ginger
  • 4 Tbs soy sauce
  • 3 Tbs rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup veg. or sesame oil
  • hot pepper oil (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Whisk together oil, lemon juice, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, sesame seeds, and hot pepper to taste.  Pour over stir-fry when all ingredients are cooked and mix well.

Scallops with Raab

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For the lentils

  • 4 tbsp lentils
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tsp chopped sage

For the cima di rapa

  • 1.5 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 dried chilli
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 400g cima di rapa, leaves removed from stalks, thick parts of the stalks sliced at the bottom

For the scallops

  • 12-16 scallops, in their shells (or buy the scallops out of their shells and ask your fishmonger for 4 cleaned shells)
  • olive oil

To garnish

  • 2 tsp chopped parsley
  • 2 tsp capers, drained

For the lentils: place the lentils, chopped garlic and sage in a small saucepan with enough water to cover them to twice their depth. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes or until tender. Drain if necessary and set aside.   Crush the fennel and chilli together in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in a large heavy-based frying pan and lightly fry the fennel seeds, chilli and garlic for 1-2 minutes.  Meanwhile, blanch the cima di rapa stalks in a pan of boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then add the leaves and cook for a futher 2 minutes. Once the cima di rapa is cooked, drain and add to the frying pan with the fennel seeds, chilli and garlic. Lightly fry for a few more minutes.  Remove the cima di rapa mixture from the pan and chop finely. Put it back in the pan along with the lentils and heat through with a splash of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the scallops: if using scallops in their shells, remove from the shells, trim the scallops and reserve 4 cleaned shells for serving. Rub the scallops with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan and fry the scallops for 1-2 minutes on each side until slightly caramelised and just cooked. To serve, pile the cima di rapa into the cleaned scallop shells, spoon over a few lentils and top with the scallops. Garnish with the parsley and capers.

Savoy Cabbage Slaw with Applesauce Vinaigrette and Mustard Seeds

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For the vinaigrette:

  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 c olive oil

For the salad:

  • 4 c savoy cabbage, sliced as thinly as possible
  • 1 large bunch red radishes
  • 3 or 4 Granny Smith apples
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 c walnuts, toasted and chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Make vinaigrette:  In a bowl, mix together mustard, salt, vinegar and applesauce. Slowly whisk in olive oil a little at a time until the dressing emulsifies. Set aside.
  2. Make salad:  Put shredded cabbage in a large bowl. Shred radishes until you have 1 cup. Add to bowl.
  3. Core apples and shred to make 2 cups. Put shredded apples in a bowl filled with lemon juice and 2 cups water, to prevent apple from browning.
  4. When ready to serve, gently squeeze water from apple, add to cabbage and toss slaw with vinaigrette. Add mustard seeds and toss again. Sprinkle walnuts on top of slaw. Season with salt and pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

Savoy Cabbage and Cheese Loaf

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  • 1 Savoy cabbage
  • 3 Tbs. butter
  • 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup diced onion
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup whipping cream
  • 1 cup grated cheddar
  • ¾ cups bread crumbs (divided)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a standard loaf pan.  Wash, dry and quarter the cabbage then slice into ¼ inch strips.  In a large sauté pan, heat oil and butter.  Add the onion and sauté until translucent.  Add cabbage and stir well to coat.  Cover and simmer until cabbage releases its liquid.  Remove the cover and cook until the moisture evaporates.  Season with salt and pepper.  In a medium mixing bowl, beat together eggs and cream.  Add cheese and ¼ cup bread crumbs.  Mix gently with the cabbage and pour into the oaf pan.  Press remaining bread crumbs on top.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes until firm and golden brown.  Let rest 20 minutes before slicing.

From Foodday.

Savory Bread Pudding

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  • 4 large egg whites
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 2 Tbs. Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
  • 4 cups whole grain bread cut into 1” cubes
  • 5 cups chopped greens, wilted
  • 1 cup diced ham
  • ¾ cup shredded Gruyere

To wilt the greens rinse thoroughly in cold water.  Transfer into a large microwaveable bowl with a cover.  Microwave on high 2-3 minutes until greens are wilted.  Squeeze out any excess moisture before using greens in recipe.

Preheat oven to 375°.  Grease an 11 x 8 inch baking dish or 2 qt. casserole.  Whisk together egg whites, eggs and milk in a medium bowl.  Add mustard, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss bread cubes, ham and wilted greens together in a large bowl, add egg mixture and stir well to coat the bread.  Transfer to baking dish and push down to compact.  Cover with foil.  Bake until custard has set; 40-45 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with Gruyere and continue baking until the pudding is puffed and golden on top; 15-20 minutes.

Adapted from Eating Well April/May 2006.

Sauteed Daikon Radish on a Bed of Wilted Greens

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  • 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. garlic, peeled & finely minced (about 3 large garlic cloves)
  • 1 Tbsp. shallot, peeled & finely minced (about 1 large shallot)
  • 1 c. daikon radish, peeled & sliced crosswise into paper-thin rounds (about 1 large radish)
  • 2 c. daikon greens, finely chopped crosswise into narrow strips
  • 1/4 c. fresh sorrel, finely minced
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped crosswise into narrow strips
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme (about 10 sprigs)
  • 1 c. water
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. low-fat sour cream
  • Parmesan cheese, grated (for garnish)

Saute garlic & shallot in olive oil on low heat, & cook until tender (about 30 seconds). Add all other ingredients, except the sour cream & Parmesan cheese, and cook until liquid has almost completely evaporated. Be sure to cook the ingredients on low-heat, as you want to blanch the greens, so that they retain their bright green color. Taste-test a radish (allow it to cool first so you don’t burn your mouth!); it should be pliable but still retain a bit of its crunch. When ready, remove from heat. Allow to cool a bit, mix in sour cream, stir thoroughly, garnish with Parmesan cheese, & serve. From Cookingwithcorey.info

Sautéed Chinese Cabbage with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Apples

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  • 4 cups thinly sliced Chinese cabbage
  • 1 med. onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tart green apple
  • 8 oz. ripe blue cheese
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 Tbs.  walnut or olive oil.
  • Salt

If you choose to use walnut oil, be aware that it will scorch more readily than other oils. In a large skillet sauté the onion in the oil until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add the chopped Chinese cabbage and salt.  Sauté  4-5 minutes or until the cabbage wilts.  Add the walnuts, cook 1-2 minutes more.  Remove to serving dish, top with chopped apple and crumbled blue cheese and serve warm.