Basic Green Chile Sauce

Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon flour
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 2 cups chopped green chile (roasted, peeled, seeded)
• ½ cup chopped tomato, fresh or canned
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste

Directions

Heat the oil and saute the onion a few minutes, then add the garlic and cook until softened. 
Stir in the flour, cook 2 minutes, then slowly add the stock. Add the chile, tomato and cumin.
Cover and simmer at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add water or stock if sauce gets too thick. Add salt to taste. Makes about 3 cups.

Stuffed Peppers

From Food Network

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 pound breakfast sausage
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/3 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 20 Anaheim or Poblano peppers, cut in 1/2, seeds removed

Directions

In a saute pan over medium-high heat add the oil. Once heated add the celery, bell peppers and onion and saute for about 8 minutes. Add sausage and garlic and brown. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Take off heat and stir in parsley, hot sauce and bread crumbs. Let cool. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Stuff peppers with vegetable and cheese mixture and bake for 15 minutes or grill until char develops. 

Roasted Peppers

Ingredients

Peppers

Directions

Cook them for 4-7 minutes on each side. This can be done on a grill, your oven, or over an open flame. You know they are done when the skins start to blister. Once they are nice and blistered, take them off the grill and let them sit in a bowl that is covered for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, peel off the skin and you have some roasted peppers.

Sasuage and Sweet Pepper Sandwich

From John Mitzewich

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large red bell peppers, seeded, cut into half-inch strips
• 1 large green bell peppers, cut into half-inch strips
• 1 yellow onion, halved, and cut in quarter-inch slices
• 2 cloves finely minced garlic
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• pinch of cayenne
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 4 grilled Italian hot or sweet sausage
• 4 soft rolls, split

Preparation:

Add the olive oil, pepper strips, and onion to a cold, large skillet, and turn on the heat to high. When you can hear the peppers and onions sizzling, reduce the heat to medium, and sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until the peppers and onions become soft and sweet. Add the garlic, and cook for one minute, stirring. Turn off the heat and add the vinegar, cayenne, salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. 

Divide the hot pepper mixture evenly over the four rolls and grilled sausages.

Sugar Snap Pea and Radish Salad

From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 1 pound sugar snap peas, ends trimmed, and halved crosswise if desired
• 4 radishes, sliced paper-thin
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Place sugar snap peas, radishes, lemon zest, lemon juice, and oil in a serving bowl.

2. Toss well. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Beet & Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb. beets, scrubbed or peeled and quartered or sliced (I would grate, Cuisinarts work well if you have one).
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 sm. red onion, halved & thinly sliced
• [grate fennel raw and add if you like flavor]
• 3 Tbs. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. ground coriander, lightly toasted
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 lb. snap peas, trimmed
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions

Soak onion in cold water for 10 min.; drain. Whisk together vinegar, coriander, sugar and salt in a salad bowl, then add oil in slow stream, whisking. Toss onion and beets with dressing.  Steam peas over boiling water, covered, 2 min. then transfer to ice water. Drain well & toss with beet mixture.

Pea and Pea Shoot Risotto

From Katherine Deumling of Cook With What You Have

Risotto may seem like lots of work but if you’re in the kitchen anyway for half an hour before dinner than you might as well stir the rice occasionally. And it’s really pretty forgiving and pea risotto is one of my favorites. Pea shoots are a wonderful addition if you have them. You can also add bacon to this—a wonderful combo. Add two slices, cut into small dice to the onion at the beginning if you wish. If you use the bacon you should omit the lemon juice and zest.

Ingredients

• 2 cups snap and/or snow peas, washed, strings removed and cut into ¾ -inch lengths
• 2 cups pea shoots, washed and roughly chopped (optional)
• 7 cups vegetable or chicken stock or veggie broth
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or other grated, hard cheese)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

Directions

In a saucepan bring a chicken or veggie stock of your choice to a boil and then turn down to barely a simmer. In a large sauté pan cook onion in oil over medium heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in rice, stirring until each grain is coated with oil and cook for 2 minutes. Add wine (if using) and cook, over medium-high heat, stirring, until wine is absorbed. Add about 3/4 cup simmering broth and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth, about 3/4 cup at a time, cooking, stirring and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until about half of broth has been added. Continue adding broth in the same manner until rice is tender and creamy looking but still al dente, about 18 minutes. About five minutes before the rice is tender stir in the peas and pea shoots and a cup of broth. Keep cooking and stirring until both rice and peas are tender. Italians cook peas a bit longer than we might or than you would in the fried rice above. They are better a bit softer in this dish so don’t feel you need to keep them crisp. Salt and pepper to taste. Add butter and parmesan and a little more broth (it should be quite soupy at this stage and much of the liquid will be absorbed as it rests before serving), mix well and remove pan from heat. Let rest for 5-10 minutes, covered, before serving. Serves 6

Fried Rice with Peas

From Katherine Deumling of Cook With What You Have

This is the quintessential quick dinner, utilizing whatever bits and pieces you have on hand. Snap or snow peas, pea shoots, chard stems (if you made the Swiss Chard pancakes below), all work well in this dish. Quantities are all approximations and you can vary them as you like. You just want to be sure you cut the vegetables finely and fairly uniformly and you don’t want to crowd your skillet or wok. To avoid a soggy dish you need to be brave with the heat level and steer away from vegetables that give off a lot of liquid like tomatoes or zucchini, though finely diced zucchini would work well with enough heat, later in the season!

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked, cooled rice (I recommend making short-grain brown rice as described below, if you can)
• 2 tablespoons coconut, sunflower or olive oil
• 1/2 a medium onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic,
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1-2 ounces of bacon, cut into small dice
• 1 1/2 cups of peas snow and/or snap peas, cut into 1/2-1-inch pieces
• 2 cups pea shoots, chopped
• 1 Serrano chili, seeded (if you don’t want it very spicy) and finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2-3 teaspoons Tamari or soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce (or to taste)
• 3 tablespoons roughly chopped basil, mint or cilantro (or a combination)
• Salt

Directions

Heat the oil in a wok or wide skillet over high heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, peas, Serrano chili, and bacon and cook stirring very frequently for about 3 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the rice and pea shoots and mix everything very well. Cook for about three more minutes to heat the rice through and wilt the pea shoots. Then push the contents of the pan to one side and add the eggs to the empty spot and scramble them until almost set. A few stray peas or rice kernels will make their way in which is just fine. You just don’t want to mix the raw egg into the rice right away since you’ll loose track of it as it just coats the kernels instead of scrambling. When the eggs are almost set, mix them gently into the rice, add the soy and fish sauce, stir well and then mix in the herbs. Adjust seasoning–it may need salt or more soy or fish sauce or a squeeze of lime juice–and serve immediately. Serves 4 (more or less)

Hearty Cook-With-What-You-Have Salad with Beans

From Katherine Deumling of Cook With What You Have

I am a bit of a bean evangelist (delicious, inexpensive, shelf stable, etc.) I love adding whatever cooked beans I have in the fridge to salads made of whatever I happened to have around. This is my favorite lunch or quick addition to dinner. This is less of a recipe and more of a general guide for you to use with what you have on hand and your tastes. You can use most any kind of bean and any salad green or tender, raw kale.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked, cooled beans (chickpeas, black beans, pinto or white beans or lentils—see bean cooking instructions below), well-drained
• 4 cups chopped lettuce(you don’t want huge pieces of lettuce so chop it a bit smaller than you might normally and that way the beans and all the other treats in this salad don’t fall to the bottom as readily)
• 2 tablespoons very thinly sliced red onion
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped green garlicor a bit of minced regular, mature garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• About a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar (red wine, champagne and sherry vinegar are my favorites)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1-2 hardboiled eggs, roughly chopped (optional)
• 2-3 tablespoons toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds

Directions

Put beans and lettuce in a large bowl. In a small bowl mix garlic, lemon juice (or vinegar), salt, pepper, honey and olive oil. Toss everything together well. Taste and adjust seasoning and then gently toss in egg and seeds, if using. Serves 2-4 depending on whether it’s a side or main dish and of course how hungry you are. I can easily eat half this salad myself.

Basic Dry Bean Soaking/Cooking Instructions

If you aren’t in the habit of soaking and cooking dry beans here are the basic steps. The flavor of the beans is very good this way and they are much, much cheaper than cans. Once in the habit, it’s not much work at all. And I always soak and cook more than I need for any given recipe and freeze the rest in some of the cooking liquid. I also rarely cook beans for use in the moment. They improve so much if you can let them sit in their cooking liquid for an hour or so, or up to 8 hours. I usually cook them while I’m doing something else in the kitchen and then have them on hand for the next few days and/or freeze them for later use. 

3-4 cups dried beans (garbanzo, white, black, pinto. . . ) Rinse beans if they look dusty and pick out any stones. Usually I don’t find anything like that. Place in a large bowl covered by about 4 inches of cold water. Soak over night or 6-8 hours. Drain and rinse beans.

Place soaked beans in a large pot and cover with cold water by several inches. Add a few whole, peeled garlic cloves, a bay leaf and a big chunk of peeled onion. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and let cook covered until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally (this helps prevent some beans from softening before others.) If your beans are old (hard to tell!) salting them at the beginning can prevent them from cooking properly, so salt mid-way through or at the end. When you do add salt, be generous, as in at least 3 teaspoons kosher salt to start if you’re cooking 4 cups or so of dried beans. They’ll probably need more still. The time it takes for the beans to cook will vary depending on the kind of bean and the freshness of the dried beans. Garbanzos take the longest, usually about 45 minutes.  Black, white and pinto can be done in 20-40 minutes. Let beans cool in their liquid (if you’re not in a rush) and then use, freeze, etc. If you’re freezing some, fill your container with the beans and then ladle in the cooking liquid until the beans are almost covered. Cooked beans also keep in the fridge for 5-6 days and for several months in the freezer.

Spring Greens with Capers, Aioli and Hardboiled Egg

Notes from Katherine Deumling of Cook With What You Have 

Lettuces this time of year are so tender and crisp and perfect. The summer heat hasn’t made them bitter yet and this salad is perfect for them. It includes eggs in two forms (hard-boiled and in the aioli)! And the salad is begging for adaptations. Add some chopped tarragon if you have it or other herbs (mint, parsley, basil, chives). You could add canned tuna for an even heartier version.

Ingredients

•  4-6 cups lettuce, washed and dried well and roughly torn
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
• 2 hardboiled eggs (eggs that have been brought to a boil in a plenty of cold water and then taken off the heat and left to sit for 8 minutes in the hot water and then drained and covered in cold water. The yolks will be set but still a bit creamy.), roughly chopped
• 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
• ¾ cup croutons or roughly torn, toasted, good crusty bread
• 3 tablespoons aioli
• a little lemon juice or red wine or champagne vinegar
• a bit more olive oil or cream or water to thin it down a bit (optional)
• Salt and Pepper

Directions

Put the lettuce, eggs, capers, onion and croutons in a salad bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and then toss well with the lettuce, etc. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

Homemade Aioli

Aioli is basically garlicky mayonnaise. Green garlic lends itself very well to this technique since it’s milder and sweeter than mature garlic. Traditionally it’s made with mature garlic so use whatever you have. Homemade aioli takes about 5 minutes to make and keeps well for a week. I’ve always made it by hand but I know it works really well in the food processor too so by all means use that if you want. It’s so delicious and endlessly useful and adaptable. Potato salad, deviled eggs, egg salad, sandwiches, spread for grilled fish, dressing for anything.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs yolks
• 2-3 stalks green garlic or garlic scapes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
• 3 teaspoon lemon juice or more to taste
• about 1 ½ cups oil. I use a combo of two thirds neutral oil like Sunflower and one third good tasting olive oil. If you use all olive oil it tends to be too bitter and strong.

Directions

Mince 2-3 stalks of green garlic (the tender parts—trim off anything that seems at all fibrous) as finely as you can with a sharp knife for mince in a food processor.

Whisk the garlic into the eggs yolks with the lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper. Then very slowly start adding the oil, almost drip by drip for a bit until you things get nice and emulsified. Then you can start adding the oil in a thin stream, whisking all the while (or do the same in the food processor).

Traditionally aioli is served as a dip with raw and steamed vegetables. This week it could be carrots and turnips and radishes – raw or quickly blanched or steamed. It’s good with chickpeas, potatoes, asparagus, etc. It’s also wonderful with grilled foods, in a sandwich or spooned in soup or pasta or used instead of mayonnaise in deviled eggs.

Ginger Soba Noodles with Mustard Greens

from 101 Cookbooks

Note from MIG: Add mustard greens to this by sautéing (just until wilted) in olive, grapeseed or canola oil and maybe a bit of rice vinegar or any of the following: lime juice, soy sauce (just a bit), more grated ginger

12 oz / 340 g dried soba noodles

Ginger Dressing:

1 tablespoon freshly grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup / 2.5 oz / 70 g chopped white onion
1 teaspoon mirin (optional)
2 teaspoons brown sugar or honey
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 celery stalk, strings removed, then chopped
1/3 cup / 80 sunflower oil or untoasted sesame oil

3 tablespoons of chopped tarragon, plus more to taste

a few big handfuls of cubed tofu, pan-fried or baked until golden

1/3 cup + toasted squash seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, or sesame seeds

Cook the soba noodles in well salted water, drain, rinse under cold water, and shake off as much of the water as possible.

In the meantime, make the dressing by combining the ginger, toasted sesame oil, lemon zest and juice, onion, mirin, sugar, salt, vinegar, celery, and sunflower oil in a food processor. Blend until very smooth, then press aggressively through a strainer. Taste and tweak a bit if needed - the dressing should have a bit of bite, and an edge. It'll hit the pasta and you want it to be able to cut the starchiness. Set the dressing aside.

In a large bowl, toss the soba noodles with most of the tarragon, the tofu, most of the squash seeds/nuts, and about 2/3 of the dressing. Really get in there and toss well. Add more dressing if needed (I use all of it), and season again until the noodles are to your liking. It's nice to serve this with a few wedges of lemon on the side, or a bit of brown rice vinegar. Finish with the remaining tarragon and seeds.

Serves 4 - 6.

Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 20 min

Chicken Fricassee with Carrots, Mustard Greens Avgolemono Sauce

For chicken:

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 7 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 3 1/2-pound chickens, each cut into 8 pieces

• 2 cups chopped peeled carrots
• 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

• 2 bunches mustard greens, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

For Avgolemono Sauce:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 large eggs, separated
• Pinch of salt

Make chicken:
Mix 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons parsley, lemon peel and minced garlic in large glass baking dish. Whisk in 6 tablespoons oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chicken. Turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate chicken overnight, turning once.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove chicken from marinade. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook chicken until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to large bowl.

Add carrots, sliced garlic and oregano to pot. Sauté over medium-high heat until garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add wine and remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock. Return chicken to pot. Place pot in oven. Bake uncovered until chicken is cooked through, turning chicken occasionally, about 35 minutes.

Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken, carrots and sliced garlic to large bowl. Tent with foil to keep warm.

Boil cooking liquid over medium-high heat until reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour 1 cup reduced cooking liquid into small bowl. Set aside.

Return cooking liquid remaining in pot to simmer. Add mustard greens. Cook until greens are tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in green onions, dill, Dijon mustard and remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Cover and keep warm.

Make avgolemono sauce:
Whisk lemon juice and cornstarch in another small bowl to blend. Whisk egg yolks in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and pinch of salt in medium stainless steel bowl until soft peaks form. Fold in egg yolks, then lemon juice mixture. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Gradually add reserved 1 cup cooking liquid, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Add sauce to mustard greens; stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour sauce and mustard greens over chicken and serve.

Chicken with Mustard Greens, Olives and Lemon

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 bone-in, skinless chicken breast halves, halved crosswise
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
• 1 1/2 pounds mustard greens (about 2 bunches), stalks removed, leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus lemon wedges, for serving
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives

Directions

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or large heavy pot, heavt 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Seson chicken with salt and pepper. Add half of chicken to pot and cook until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a place. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken.

Add onion and garlic to pot (reduce heat if browning too quickly) and cook, stirring, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add wine and chicken (along with any accumulated juices) to ot and bring to a boil. Cover pot; reduce heat to medium and cook 5 mintes.  

Place greens on top of chicken; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until chicken is opaque throughout and greens are wilted, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and olives. Serve greens and chicken drizzled with pan juices with lemon wedges on the side.

Mustard Greens, Roasted Squash, and Hazelnut Salad

Ingredients

• 1 medium delicata squash (12-14 ounces), halved, seeded, cut into 3/4" cubes
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup skinned hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup hazelnut oil
• 1/2 cup Sherry vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 6-7-ounce bunch mustard greens, center ribs and stems removed from tough greens, cut into 2" pieces (about 5 cups) 

Directions

Place racks in top and bottom thirds of oven; preheat to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Toss squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread out squash on prepared sheet and roast, turning occasionally, until tender and golden in spots, 18–20 minutes.

Meanwhile, spread out hazelnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven until beginning to turn golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool on sheet.

Chop hazelnuts; place in a small bowl. Whisk in remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, hazelnut oil, vinegar, and sugar. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.

Place roasted squash and mustard greens in a large bowl; toss to combine. Drizzle vinaigrette over and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.

Potato Leek Soup

There are about as many recipes for the classic potato leek soup as there are for Butternut squash soup...here is a very simple version

Ingredients

• white and pale green part of 2 large leeks, split lengthwise, washed well, and chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 pound boiling, potatoes
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions

In a large heavy saucepan cook the leeks in the butter with salt and pepper to taste, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are softened but not browned. Add the water, the broth, and the potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. In a blender purée 1 cup of the soup, stir the puré into the remaining soup with the parsley, and season the soup with salt and pepper.

Leek, Potato and Celeriac Soup

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Butter 
• 4 Leeks; roots & tops removed 
• 3 mediums Potatoes; scrubbed and cut into 1/2" slices 
• 1 Celeriac knob; peeled and cut into 1" chunks 
• 4 cups Chicken or vegetable stock 
• Thyme, basil and/or marjoram (Fresh), to taste

Directions

Melt butter in stockpot. Slice leeks into 1/4-inch slices and add to stockpot. Saute for 5 minutes until golden. Add potatoes and celeriac and saute for 5 minutes. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup stock, cover and continue to cook until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour vegetables and stock into a food processor or blender and puree. Return puree to stockpot and add remaining stock and herbs. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Medley of Greens with Potatoes & Leeks

Ingredients

• 1 bunch chard or kale
• 1 bunch beets, tops only [can omit, or add chard, spinach etc.]
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 large leeks, white and tender green, thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1-1/2  cups chicken or vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper
• 1-1/2  pounds Yellow Finn potatoes or German Butterball potatoes

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add some salt. Cut the chard and beet greens into 1-inch ribbons and wash them thoroughly. Add the greens to the pot and cover. As soon as the water returns to a boil, drain the greens in a colander and pat dry. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the leeks and garlic and cook over moderate heat until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/4-inch thick. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the greens and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish and press the vegetables down firmly. Dot with 2 tablespoons of butter. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for about 15 minutes longer, or until the potatoes are very tender. Serves 6.

Potato, Green Cabbage, and Leek Soup with Lemon Crème Fraîche

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, divided
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 cups diced green cabbage (1/2-inch dice; from about 1/2 medium head)
• 3 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; 3 to 4 large)
• 3 large garlic cloves, pressed
• 3 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 1 2 x 2-inch piece Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
• 1 Turkish bay leaf
• 6 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (for garnish)

Directions

Whisk crème fraîche, lemon juice, and lemon peel in small bowl to blend. Cover and chill.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add cabbage; sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sauté until cabbage is almost tender but not brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer 1 cup cabbage to small bowl and reserve for garnish.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to pot with cabbage; add leeks and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until leeks soften slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in potatoes, Parmesan rind, if desired, and bay leaf. Add 6 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard Parmesan rind, if using, and bay leaf. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return puree to pot. Simmer until heated through, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with some of reserved sautéed cabbage. Drizzle crème fraîche mixture over soup; sprinkle with chives and serve.

Quiche Lorraine

From Smitten Kitchen, Adapted from Le Pain Quotidien

So, curiously enough, one of the few places I could reliably find something I wanted to eat during my 9-plus months of no appetite this year was a chain restaurant(Quelle horreur! Except it is not.), Le Pain Quotidien. I loved their barely sweet granola bars, their hefty miche and countless simple lunches like this. (I believe they had a cookbook at some point, but it is either AWOL or out of print or maybe I’m just making this up?) Nevertheless, I found this recipe online and was chomping at the bit to make it, stat. No seriously, like the minute I got home from the hospital.

What sets this apart from other versions of this quiche is the piles of caramelized leeks and the richer-than-rich sour and heavy cream custard, two things I implore you not to miss out on. I hadn’t made this tart crust before, but was very impressed by how easy it came together and how crisp it remained as a shell without requiring a par-baking. I will definitely use it again.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups diced leeks, white and light green only (from about 2 large leeks, although I think you can get away with one super-big leek)
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil (I needed a tad more)
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• Salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, diced
• 4 eggs, divided
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
• Pinch nutmeg
• Pinch pepper
• 1 1/2 cups diced ham (1/4 -inch dice; I used about 1/2 pound)
• 3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese

Directions

1. Heat a large sauté pan over low heat. Sauté the leeks and onions in the olive oil 30 to 40 minutes until caramelized, occasionally stirring. Remove from heat and cool.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and one-fourth teaspoon salt. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender, fork or two knives until it is in very tiny bits. Add one egg (a fork works great for this) and mix it until a dough forms. (Dough can also be made in a food processor, or in theory, and as the original recipe suggests, in a stand mixer.)

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate (I used an 8-inch deep tart pan, though ended up with extra filling) and press to remove any air bubbles. Crimp the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. While the quiche shell chills, mix the heavy cream and sour cream in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining three eggs. Add a pinch each nutmeg, salt and pepper and combine to form a batter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5. Remove the quiche shell from the refrigerator and spread the leek and onion mixture evenly over the base. Sprinkle the ham and then the cheese over the leeks and onions. Pour in the batter and place the quiche in the oven.

6. Bake until puffed and golden, about 25 to 30 minutes (a deeper pan, such as the one I used, will require extra baking time). Remove from the oven and cool slightly on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ginger Fried Rice

From Smitten Kitchen, A  Mark Bittman adaptation of a Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe, with a bunch of notes added

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• Salt
• 2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried
• 4 cups day-old cooked rice; Vongerichten recommends jasmine (I used brown jasmine) but this is the perfect way to use up any leftover rice you have, especially from Chinese delivery
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil (for some heat but the same awesome flavor, use hot sesame oil)
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce

Directions

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and salt lightly.

[It hadn't been clear to me whether I was supposed to remove the old oil and bits of garlic I didn't get out and wipe out the pan before proceeding. I didn't. Everything worked out fine.] Reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and add 2 tablespoons oil and leeks. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very tender but not browned. Season lightly with salt.

Raise heat to medium and add rice. Cook, stirring well, until heated through. [I cooked this slightly longer because I wanted my rice to pick up a little more color and crunch.] Season to taste with salt.

In a nonstick skillet (it just makes it easier) fry eggs in remaining oil, sunny-side-up, until edges are set but yolk is still runny.

Divide rice among four dishes. Top each with an egg and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Sprinkle crisped garlic and ginger over everything and serve. Serves 4