Osaka Mustard Greens With Sweet Sesame Dressing

Mustard greens have a soft texture that is suitable for a wilted or fresh salad. The flavor is strong with a spicy hint of horseradish, so they pair well with beef or fish, add zing as a stuffing for sushi, complement a rice bowl, or taste delicious on their own.

Ingredients:

1-3 bunches of Osaka Purple Mustard Greens

1 tbs Toasted Sesame Oil

1 tbs Olive or Canola Oil

1 tbs Rice Vinegar

2 - 3 tsp Mirin Sweetened Sake

2 Tbs Sesame Seeds, white or black

Kosher Salt, to taste

Method:

Wash greens and dry with a salad spinner or absorbent towel. If desired, remove leaves from stems, discard stems and chop the leaves. If you like the added texture, keep the stems intact and chop all together.  For a milder flavor, place the greens in a large mixing bowl. Add the sesame and olive oils and a pinch of kosher salt. Rub the oils into the leaves until they soften and turn dark green.  Then add the vinegar and mirin and toss until evenly coated. For a crunchier salad with a bolder flavor, do not massage the leaves with oil; add the oils, vinegar and mirin at the same time, then stir until coated.

Place the sesame seeds in a dry skillet and warm over medium heat, keeping them in motion so they do not burn. Remove from heat when the sesame aroma blooms (about 2 minutes or so). Add the toasted seeds to the salad and toss.  Season with Kosher salt to taste.

Broccoli Rabe & Roasted Radish Salad

Ingredients:

1 bunch broccoli rabe

1 bunch Easter egg radishes, sliced into wedges

1/2 head red leaf lettuce, leaves torn

3-5 spring onions, chopped

1/2 lime

Olive oil

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Toasted Garlic Drizzling Oil

Vinaigrette

 

Method:

Remove leaves from the broccoli rabe, then wash and spin them dry in a salad spinner. Place in a large bowl and set aside. Snip the tender flowering tops along with a couple of inches of tender stem from the stalks. Rinse and pat dry.  The stems and stalks of the broccoli rabe plant are also edible, but sometimes somewhat woody and fibrous.  If so, use in stock or chop and add to soups.

Place the rabe tops and chopped radishes on a baking sheet and toss with a little olive oil. Season with kosher salt, black pepper, and a drizzle of freshly squeezed lime juice.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to brown.  Check halfway through and remove the broccoli rabe tops first if they cook more quickly. When the vegetables are cooked, remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

While the radishes and rabe flowers are cooking, pour a little Toasted Garlic Drizzling Oil on the rabe leaves and massage or rub the oil vigorously into the leaves until they soften and turn dark green. Season with a little kosher salt. Toss with red leaf lettuce, chopped spring onions, and the cooled roasted radishes. Serve with your favorite vinaigrette and garnish with roasted broccoli rabe flowers.

Potato and Roasted Chicken Chowder

The quality of your cooked chicken, as well as the stock or broth, can make all of the difference to the flavor of this soup. Starting with a good quality bird (like Hoe Hop Valley Farm's fresh whole hens) will produce the best flavorful meat, and the best tasting stock. You can substitute store bought broth and cooked boneless portions if you are short on time, but taking the time to make your own stock will produce the richest flavors. Also, most chowders and potato soups are prepared with cream and cheese. In this version, the good quality chicken stock and assorted vegetables create a chowder that is rich and flavorful enough to go without the extra fat and calories in the cream and cheese. However, if desired, a little garnish at the end is decadently rich, but not overpowering.

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs of cooked Chicken, leftover from a whole roasted hen if possible

2-4 quarts of good Chicken Stock

2-3 lbs of Potatoes (russet, red, etc.)

1 lb Carrots, chopped

1 bulb of Fennel, diced

4 stalks of Celery, chopped

3 Purple Sweet Peppers, diced

2 medium Yellow Onions, diced

1 Tbs Herbs de Provence

Olive or Canola Oil

8 cloves of Garlic, minced

Kosher Salt

freshly ground Black Pepper

1 cup White Wine

Garnish:

Sauteed Kale, (prepared with oil, white balsamic vinegar, and salt)

Heavy Cream (optional)

Shredded White Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Method:

Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. If they release a lot of starch when chopped, rinse under cold water before using in the soup.

In a large stock pot, saute carrots, onions, fennel, peppers and celery with a little oil. When the vegetables begin to sweat, add a teaspoon or so of kosher salt, herbs de Provence, potatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until the potatoes and vegetables are soft.

Remove the soup from the heat and puree (not until completely smooth) with an immersion blender until the soup has thickened a little, but still has some texture and chunks of vegetables.

Return the soup to the heat and warm on low. Add the wine, garlic and chicken. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, then simmer for 15 minutes or so.

To serve, stir a small amount of cream and cheese into each portion (if desired), then top with the sauteed kale.

Raw Kale Salad with Spicy Apple Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Curly Kale

Olive Oil

Juice from 1/2 Lemon

Kosher Salt

1 bulb of Fennel, shaved or sliced thinly

2 Purple Sweet Peppers, sliced

1/2 Apple, shaved or sliced thinly

toasted Walnuts

Apple Vinaigrette:

1/2 Apple, core removed

1 clove of Garlic

1/2 fresh Yellow Cayenne Chili Pepper, seeds and stem removed (use whole if you like a lot of heat)

1/4 cup Canola Oil

2 Tbs natural Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tsp of juice from a fresh Lemon

1-2 tsp local Honey

pinch of kosher Salt

dash of Cinnamon (optional)

Method:

Wash kale and remove stems and ribs.  Tear the leaves into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the lemon juice, a couple of pinches of salt, and a few tablespoons of olive oil onto the kale.  Massage the kale until the leaves turn bright green and wilt to your desired tenderness.  The longer you massage, the softer it will become.

For the vinaigrette: Put all vinaigrette ingredients in a high-power blender and puree until smooth.  For lower-power blenders you may need to chop the apple, garlic and chili pepper before blending.

Combine the salad ingredients and toss with salad dressing. Alternately, arrange ingredients on individual plates and drizzle dressing over the top.

Eggplant Lasagna

This is an exceptionally versatile dish, which can be made many ways to suit your taste or dietary needs. Essentially: Eggplant and spaghetti sauce go really well together. Traditional lasagna is a delicious comfort food, but often comes with a lot of fat, carbohydrates, and not enough protein or fiber to offer balanced nutrition. The version in the photograph has thin strips of eggplant instead of traditional lasagna noodles.  It also has no cheese, but is topped with a scrumptious mixture of grated squash, panko breadcrumbs, olive oil and herbs.  The result is a really delicious high-protein, high-fiber, lower-fat version of lasagna with a flavorful, crispy topping.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

If you have a lot of fresh tomatoes, or tomatoes canned from earlier in the year and want to use them, try this recipe for Fresh Tomato Marinara.  However, if you are using store-bought cans of tomatoes, this is a delicious, authentic Italian tomato sauce recipe:

28 oz can of good quality Crushed Tomatoes

6 oz can of good quality Tomato Paste

1 medium Yellow Onion, diced

6 cloves of Garlic, minced

3 Bay Leaves

1 cup Dry Red Wine

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground Black Pepper

1 Tbs Herbs De Provence or Kitchen Karma Mediterranean herb blend

1 lb grass-fed Ground Beef (optional)

Layers:

1 1/2 -2 lbs Eggplant, sliced into 1/8 th inch slices, lengthwise

Olive oil

Herbs De Provence or Kitchen Karma Mediterranean herb blend

Kosher Salt

1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs

1 medium zephyr squash or zucchini, grated or julienned (optional)

Method:

If using ground beef, place in a medium stock pot and break into small bits with a spatula or cooking spoon.  Season well with kosher salt, black pepper and herb blend.  Cook on medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned.

Add diced onion and minced garlic and cook one minute more. (If preparing a meatless recipe, saute onion and garlic with a little olive oil on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes.  Stir often and do not let the garlic scorch.)

Add the red wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and bay leaves.  Stir until combined, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for at least one hour, but longer if you have time.  Stir occasionally.  The longer the sauce cooks, the more complex the flavors will be.  Natural sugars in the wine, tomatoes and onions will sweeten the sauce with longer cooking times.  Shorter cooking time will produce a tangier sauce.

Tips:

After cooking the sauce, remove from heat and let rest for one hour before assembling the lasagna. Letting the sauce rest will improve the flavors.  Cooking one day ahead, refrigerating the sauce, then layering the lasagna on the second day will also produce a very flavorful sauce.

Layering:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place slices of eggplant on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with a little oil on both sides.  Season with a little kosher salt.

Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the slices have dehydrated a little and begin to brown.  remove from the oven and let cool.

In a high-sided baking dish, put a layer of meat sauce or marinara in the bottom of the dish.  Top with a layer of eggplant, then meat, etc.  When you run out of eggplant, cover with a layer of sauce.

Mix together the grated squash, breadcrumbs, a little olive oil, and seasonings.  Spread the mixture on the top of the lasagna.  Bake in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes before serving.