Collard Greens with Chinese Bacon

Collard greens, like kale, needs a little extra TLC. The raw leaves are tough and the stalks are even tougher. However, it's not unlike other forms of greens that require you to cook it so before it becomes edible. The key ingredient in this recipe is the Chinese bacon.

Seves 2

Ingredients

4 cups of collard greens

1/2 a small white onion (about 1/2 cup) diced

2 clove garlic 

1/4 cup diced or thinly sliced Chinese bacon (about a 5 or 6 inch portion)

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp olive oil

3- 4 oz of water

Directions

1. Wash and dry the greens thoroughly. 
2. Remove the tough stalk and "spine" from the leaves, then cut the leaves into 1 - 2 inch pieces. 
3. Heat the oil in a large pan, add garlic. 
4. Once garlic is starting to turn a light golden color, add onions. Move the contents of the pan around to keep pieces from burning. 
5. Once onions are starting to caramelize (about 5 - 7 mins), add the Chinese bacon to the pan and about 2 oz of water. The bacon with soften and render while the onions continue to caramelize. Move contents around every couple of minutes for about 5 min. 
6. Add the greens to the pan and another 1- 2 oz of water. Stir contents then cover for about 5 min. The greens will wilt down. 
7. Remove lid and toss contents around the pan. Let the liquid cook down. The greens should be a dark, vibrant green. 
8. Transfer to plates and serve. 

This was delicious with some Ginger Scallion Rockfish and rice. 

Ratatouille

Ratatouille with Chicken and brussels sprouts

I was never really a fan of eggplant when I was a kid. The way my mom prepared it (in a very
traditional chinese way, stuffing it with a fish paste - the fish equivalent of ground meat - and then pan frying it) just didn't do it for me. It was oily and slimy and just ew.

But then, I learned that eggplant is not just eggplant. It's really how you cook it and what you cook it with. It really does take on the flavors of what you cook it with. Which is probably why I like the eggplant heavy ratatouille. It absorbs the flavors of the aromatics and with the other ingredients, has a great texture. The zucchini, squash, and mushrooms (if using a meatier variety one like shitake or portabello) gives it a really nice texture - a chewiness that's not gummy.

The only issue I have with this recipe is that there's no real way to make just a little bit.... and I'm the only one in my household that likes the primary ingredients in it.

Ingredients: 

• 1 medium to large eggplant (peeled, sliced the firm narrower neck part and cut into 1/2 inch cubes the bulging bulb part). 
• 5 medium tomatoes (4 sliced, 1 diced)
• 4 zucchini (3 sliced on a diagonal, 1 diced)
• 1 medium yellow squash (sliced on a diagonal)
• 2 cups of mushrooms, roughly cut (I use shitake or portabello)
• 1 bunch fresh basil, cut into thin strips
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced. 
• 1 small onion, diced
• Olive oil
• salt (kosher preferred) and pepper

Optional: If you're not concerned with it looking pretty, just cut everything into chunks (dice).  This is the more authentic "rustic" version of the dish.  Also, you can vary the herbs used. This dish traditionally uses herbs de provence. Also, it some recipes call for tomato sauce at the base of the dish, but I wanted something that was a little more delicate. 

Instructions: 

Toss 2/3 of the basil, the minced garlic, and 3/4 of the onion with the other diced ingredients in a bowl with about 1 tbsp of olive oil and a liberal amount of salt. Spread it into the bottom of the pan. 

Layer the sliced zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant on top, occasionally tucking the remaining basil between the layering pieces. This will pretty much fill the pan up to the brim... if not a little over. Don't worry about over-filling the pan, the ingredients will actually cook down in the oven. 

Drizzle some olive oil on top and a generous sprinkling of salt and crushed black pepper. 

Bake in a 350° oven for 35 - 45 min. Contents will be hot and bubbly, but the top should be on the drier side. Optional: Sprinkle on some grated parmesan cheese when serving. 

Note: the eggplant and tomatoes will cook down and release a lot of moisture. DO NOT add any liquid to this dish if you want it to have that nice thick stew consistency. The only exception would be to add a thin layer of tomato sauce between the diced veggies and the layer of sliced ones. 

Got leftovers? Not a problem! This dish actually tastes better after the individual flavors get a chance to mingle with each other. :) 

Serves: 12
Cal per Serving: 75

Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2 lb chuck roast
2 cups diced celery (pea sized chunks)
2 cups diced carrot (pea sized chunks)
6 cups beef broth (or water + bouillon)
1 medium to large onion, diced
1 - 2 potatoes cut into 1" cubes
1 package frozen peas
1 package white mushrooms, diced
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic (or generous sprinkling of garlic powder)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp of tomato paste
Salt and Pepper
Rosemary, basil and other herbs to taste (if you don't want to have specks of herbs floating in the stew, you can put the herbs in a large ball-type tea strainer so you can pull it out after cooking)
about 2 tbsp of oil

Directions:

1. Trim excess fat off the meat. Cut into 1" cubes. Blot on paper towels to dry
2. Toss with toss with about 2 tbsp of kosher salt and 1 tbsp of black pepper
3. In a well oiled (or PAMed) skillet, brown the meat in batches, transferring the browned meat into a 6 qt pot. 
4. Add a little more oil (if necessary) to the skillet, the caramelize the onions. The moisture from the cooking onions should help deglaze the pan of the bits from browning of the meat. Once the onions are golden and translucent, add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. If you need to, add a 1 -2 tsp of water or broth the loosen the paste and help further deglaze the pan. Transfer into your pot. 
5. Saute your celery until it turns a bright green, then transfer to the pot.
6. Brown your mushrooms with a pinch of salt. transfer to the pot
7. Add the canned tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, beef broth, your optional spices and a generous dash of salt to the pot, gently stirring the ingredients together. 
8. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes. 
9. Add your potatoes and carrots, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Test the potatoes for doneness. They should be fork tender or a little firm. 
10. Reduce to a simmer (or transfer to crock-pot set to low) for 2 hours. (OK to simmer for longer. Just watch it so there is enough liquid in the pot to keep it cooking and not burning). 
11. Add the frozen peas and let simmer for another 10 - 15 minutes. (The low cooking time for the peas keep them a bright, vibrant green. It's totally OK to put them in before the 2-hr simmer time.)
12. If you'd transferred the stew to a Crock-pot, reduce the heat setting to warm. 

To thicken the stew: 

Option 1: Coat the meat in flour before browning.  Add 1 tbsp of flour and tbsp of oil to the caramelizing onions to create a roux. 

Option 2: Make a slurry with 1/4 c corn or potato starch and 1/4 c water. Add the slurry to the stew between steps 9 and 10.

Crockpot only version: 

Reduce cooking liquid by 50%
layer ingredients w/ root veggies on the bottom. 

Increase cooking time to 6 hr on high, 12 hr on low. 

Tip: Beef broth vs Beef bouillon - the bouillon has a lot of salt in it, so adjust the amount of salt in the rest of the recipe to taste. 

Garlic Sesame Brussels Sprouts

I love brussels sprouts. My first introduction to them was at a potluck where they were simply roasted and served with a balsamic drizzle. Since then, I've roasted the sprouts every chance I get... usually in the early spring when it's not too hot. I even found that one of the restaurants I frequent with Craig has a sprouts and kale salad that is super yum. However, the sprouts in the salad was roasted and chilled.

With summer rolling around, and 90°+ weather, it's hard for me to bring myself to fire up the oven to cook the delish green buds. In a small apartment, that stove/oven does so much to heat up the place that I avoid doing anything oven-related. So I decided to do something different with the sprouts - stir fry.

Garlic and Sesame Brussels Sprouts 

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 lbs brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed and halved or quartered
• 2 tbsp ev olive oil or canola oil 
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 - 1 tsp sesame oil (really, a drizzle)
• 1 tsp of soy sauce
• 1 to 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp of oyster sauce (mushroom sauce of you want to go vegetarian). 

Directions

1. In a pan, heat up oil to just the smoke point. 
2. Add minced garlic and stir. When the garlic starts turning golden, add the sprouts. 
3. Stir fry to coat the sprouts evenly with the oil. 
4. Add water, soy and oyster sauce while stirring. Continue to stir the sprouts in the pan for about 45 seconds to a minute (the sprouts should be liberally coated with the oil and seasoning sauces and they should begin to take on a brightness in color). 
5. Lower to medium heat and leave covered for 3 - 5 minutes until sprouts get tender. Most of the water should be steamed out by now. 
6. Remove from heat, finish with the sesame oil, and serve. 

Tips: 

• Top with a dash of toasted sesame seeds to add a bit of nuttiness. Use more or less soy sauce and oyster sauce to suite your tastes. 
• The cook times listed here has the sprouts al dente. I like my veggies with a bit of a crunch. If you like softer sprouts, add more water and let it steam on the medium heat a little longer, stirring to keep the sprouts from burning. 
• If you use a non-stick pan, and watching your oil intake, a liberal spray of PAM would suffice.