One head of napa cabbage, sliced
Canola oil
White wine vinegar
3 green onions, chopped
Sea salt & Pepper to taste
Napa cabbage is great in a salad, but I was in the mood for comfort food this evening so I tried it warm. It was surprisingly delicious, and the first thing the kids ate. So I thought I would share. Just heat a little oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat, then add the cabbage. Stir a few minutes until the cabbage is wilted and soft. Remove from the heat and stir in a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar, the green onions, and salt & pepper. That's it...simple and easy.
**May 30: I tried this on a burrito with Auntie's Guacamole, black beans & Quinoa. It was really tasty! I bet it would be a good substitute for sour kraut on a Reuben sandwich too!
Roasted Kohlrabi, Beets and Fennel
The presentation of this dish is half of what makes it so good. But she's not just a pretty face. Roasting brassicas and root vegetables intensifies the flavors, caramelizes the natural sugars, and creates a perfect foundation for the rich, lemony sauce. Any color beets will work, but the red ones give the best color contrast for presentation. If you don't have fennel, you can substitute shallots or red onion, but the fennel really makes this dish special.
Ingredients: 1 large fennel bulb 2 beets 2 kohlrabi bulbs Canola oil Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 recipe for Lemon Tarragon Sauce (click link or see March 21, 2012)
Method: Wash and trim vegetables. Peeling is optional. Slice vegetables thinly with a mandolin slicer or a very sharp chef's knife (about 1/8 in thick). Brush or rub canola oil in the bottom of a glass or ceramic baking dish. Layer the vegetables in a fan-like pattern, alternating as you go. You can use a spiral pattern in a round dish, starting on the outside edge of the pan. Drizzle a little canola oil over the top of the vegetables and salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the edges brown. Remove from oven and serve with Lemon Tarragon Sauce.
Easy Greens
This recipe is great for using the tops of your beets, kohlrabi, or any other flat-leafed greens like kale, collards, and chard. We finish with a simple balsamic vinegar, but you can use any acidic flavor that you prefer and season to taste. The most important part is slicing the leaves thinly, making a really enjoyable texture.
Method: Remove greens from the beets and kohlrabi. (Use any other greens available if you want to make a large batch for more than 2 people.) Wash the greens in a sink full of cold water. Cut the leaves away from the hard rib in the center of the leaf (or leave in if you like the extra crunch). Stack and fold (or roll) the leaves lengthwise and cut across the short side with a large, sharp knife. Make sure to slice as thinly as possible for the best texture.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of canola oil in a large skillet and add the greens. Saute until tender on medium-high heat, moving the greens around often so that they cook more evenly. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, sea salt and some toasted garlic drizzling oil. Cook a minute or two longer to allow the acid of the vinegar to mellow. These can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
From Cabo to Mt. Shasta: Auntie's Guacamole
I can't wait for the beginning of the CSA season. I'm trying to be patient...(toe tapping, fingers drumming on the table...) Ok, maybe I'm not so patient. But can you blame me? Veggies are growing and the first harvest is just around the corner. I am thinking about early season produce like radishes, kale and spring onions...oooh, fresh spring onions. Of course they are easy to incorporate into recipes, and my favorite is guacamole. Many people know it as a dip, but it is also great on sandwiches, as a creamy filler, or garnish on so many things. There are endless interpretations of this dish that began centuries ago as a simple Mayan sauce of mashed avocado and sea salt. This particular recipe, however, comes from my northern Californian aunt who likes to spend her winters at the southern tip of Baja. The flavors are fresh and clean, and despite my previous claims of versatility, this guacamole goes best with a Pacifico, fish taco, and a sunset. Buen provecho!
Auntie's Guacamole:
2 just-ripe Hass avocados 3 green spring onions, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed 1 small bunch of cilantro, stems and leaves chopped 1 large lime, juiced Jalapeno pepper, diced (optional) Sea salt to taste Cut avocados into four pieces lengthwise. Remove seed and peel the skin away from the fruit. Place the avocado in a bowl with the other ingredients and mash with a fork or use a molcajete for authentic texture.