Greens Gratin

Ah Greens......they are just magical. Well at least they were before our farm share started. I'm a sucker for them; kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, taro leaves(ok so those ones you only get in Hawai'i). The farm share has even taught me to love collards.

Here's the kick though, the greens keep coming and coming and coming. What went from being an exciting cooking companion has gone to create a certain degree of stress. I have cooked greens more in the past six or seven weeks then we usually eat in all of the fall and winter months. Needless to say I have gotten creative with them...

Check out this recipe for a greens gratin I made with swiss chard and beet greens.

2 bunches of your favorite greens
2 cups of any soft cheese you can find. I used Asiago and Gouda
1 cup of low fat milk
1 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
olive oil
sage or basil
four cloves of garlic minced.
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup chicken broth

1. Cook the greens and garlic in the chicken broth until they are wilted and soft.

2. Heat the milk in a pot and add the flour. Stir until it thickens. Add the cheese, salt & pepper and basil or sage. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

3. Place the greens in the cheese mixture and mix together. Place in a baking pan and top with breadcrumbs.

4. Cook at 425 for about a half hour.

"Mommy, what's that"

"That's a dirt road."

OK, so the picture is not a dirt road at all. But those carrots reminded me of an adventure Tiana and I had a few weeks ago. It was the second week into our CSA and we got to pick our own quart of strawberries at Dumblin Farms in Lincoln, MA. We went on our way and walked down 1/2 mile down a dirt road to our strawberry field destination to find that we were a few hours to late and the field had been picked dry. See my reaction below.....





Well, we made the best of the day anyway. On our walk back up to the parking lot we past several families. Kids and their parents appreciating a day in the fields. As two adults into sustainability and local farming we were thrilled with this farm. We loved having a chance to see where the food from our CSA was being grown (well part of it). Everyone around us seemed to not be our people, there were a bit too suburban for our taste and it appeared that this was a cheap way to spend a Saturday as oppose to an amazing teachable moment for their children. This was abundantly clear when a small boy about three or four asked, "Mommy, what's that?" her response," that's a dirt road."

Yes not only are we that far removed from where our food grows, we are that far removed from the simple life. Me, I would love to live on a dirt road one day. And I hope that my children are in the garden and kitchen with me to learn were our food comes from. I can't wait for the times that the kids and I go picking fruit in our backyard.

Ahhhhh, the simple life, are you here yet?

Lop Chong in a garlic sauce

It was Feburary 2009 when I had an eye opening expereince with a magical hunk of meat, LOP CHONG, or more commonly know as Chinese Sausage. I remember the day I had just had my first 21 hour flight to Hawai'i and was tired and famished. My first experience with food not common to me, but every common to Hawai'i was a big old rice cooker filled with rice and this tiny bright red sausage in it. Now I can say this and many more trips that have followed have also made me adore rice in a way I never knew was possible. Ok so back to the sausage and garlic sauce dish......

RECIPE
4-6 links of lop chong
1 package of Pho noodles( you can really use any type of asian noodles, pho noodles cook in three minutes though.
2 bunches of greens ( I used collards and beet tops)
1 yellow onion
a bunch of garlic or garlic scapes
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of rice vinagar
1/2 cup of chicken broth
a splash of peanut oil or seasame oil
cornstarch

1. cook lop chong with a splash of whatever oil you use and come chopped garlic. After five minutes add you greens with the chicken broth and cook until the greens cook down.

2. While your greens are cooking down place your garlic, soy sauce, and rice vinagar in the blender and blend until mixed.
3. Boil a pot of water and once it boils place the pho noodles in and cook for three minutes.
4. After everything is cooked mix it all together in a wok. If the dish is runny this is where you can add the cornstarch to thicken it up.