Cabbage Pie

This comes from the Johnson's Backyard Garden blog (an Austin, TX CSA). The person who posted the recipe recommends using escarole, but indicated that it is good with other greens, so I used our napa cabbage and 3 or 4 chard leaves. The original posted indicated that the recipe came from Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook.

1/4 cup olive oil 
6 large cloves of garlic, chopped 
1/4 cup black olives, chopped 
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed 
2 heads of escarole, chopped 
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
1 teaspoon fennel seeds 
pastry for a 9 inch, 2-crust pie 
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (I usually use shredded) 

Preheat oven to 375. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, olives, capers. Cook for 5 minutes stirring often. Add the escarole, red pepper flakes and fennel seeds. Cover, reduce heat to low and allow to steam 30 minutes, stirring frequently until the escarole is tender. If it begins to stick, lower the heat. Stir to mix well. Taste for seasoning. Drain in a colander.  

Sprinkle half the mozzarella over the bottom of the pie crust. Put the escarole mixture in the crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top. Cover with the top pie crust, sealing the edges with the tines of a fork. Cut 3 slits in the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges. 

**I used napa cabbage and some chard for the escarole. I also used the ready made spelt pie crusts. And finally, I used a good squirt of the Thai hot sauce instead of the crushed red pepper flakes. The flavors of this dish just didn't do it for me- the saltiness of the capers against the sharpness of the fennel seeds. I won't make this recipe again.

(I have also substituted other greens in it as well though the escarole is my favorite.)

From Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook:

1/4 cup olive oil

6 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup black olives, chopped

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

2 heads of escarole, chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

pastry for a 9 inch, 2-crust pie

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (I usually use shredded)

Preheat oven to 375. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, olives, capers. Cook for 5 minutes stirring often. Add the escarole, red pepper flakes and fennel seeds. Cover, reduce heat to low and allow to steam 30 minutes, stirring frequently until the escarole is tender. If it begins to stick, lower the heat. Stir to mix well. Taste for seasoning. Drain in a colander. 

Sprinkle half the mozzarella over the bottom of the pie crust. Put the escarole mixture in the crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top. Cover with the top pie crust, sealing the edges with the tines of a fork. Cut 3 slits in the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Spicy Stir Fried Chicken and Greens with Peanuts

Saw this on Epicurious. Looked like a nice fresh way to use our LPO cooking greens.

2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons dry Sherry, divided
3 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, divided
2 teaspoons golden brown sugar, divided
1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide strips
3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
4 green onions, white parts and green parts chopped separately
2 teaspoons chopped seeded serrano chiles
1 large bunch greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, or broccoli rabe; about 1 pound), thick stems removed, spinach left whole, other greens cut into 1-inch strips (about 10 cups packed)
1/4 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts

Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Sherry, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sugar in medium bowl. Add chicken; marinade 20 to 30 minutes.
Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Sherry, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sugar in small bowl and reserve.
Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add white parts of onions and chiles; stir 30 seconds. Add chicken; stir-fry just until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken mixture to bowl. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to same skillet; heat over high heat. Add greens by large handfuls; stir just until beginning to wilt before adding more. Sauté just until tender, 1 to 6 minutes, depending on type of greens. Return chicken to skillet. Add reserved soy sauce mixture; stir until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl; sprinkle with green parts of onions and peanuts.

 **I got 3 1/2 C of greens from LPO and added another 1 1/2 C of curly leaf kale from my garden. That is about 1/2 of what was called for in the recipe. I think the dish could have used some more. I used less chicken (1 lb vs 1 1/2 lbs), and I used thighs instead of breast meat. I used 2 green chilis instead of serranos. I thought it was a delicious dish- very easy to make. Another great way to use greens.

Gluten Free Vegetarian Lasagna

I found this recipe online many years ago. I haven't tried it...this is my continuing quest to find a great vegetarian lasagna. The portions mentioned in the recipe were off, in my opinion. So I have amended them here.

6 carrots, sliced and steamed
Large bundle of mixed greens, dry sauteed (using the water from the leaves only)
8 mushrooms, sliced and sauteed with 3 cloves of chopped garlic
2 1/2 C milk
2 T butter
6 T corn starch
salt and pepper
Cheese
GF lasagna noodles

Keep the vegies in separate groups. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Take off the heat and stir in the cornstarch. Put back on the heat and slowly add the milk, stirring constantly (medium-high heat) until mixture is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350. Put lasagna noodles in the bottom of your baking dish. Put 1/3 of the white sauce on the noodles. Layer with 1/2 each of the three different vegies. Add another layer of noodles, 1/3 of the sauce, and last half of the vegies. Finish with a noodle layer, the last of the white sauce, and then cheese to suit your taste.

Bake for 40 minutes.

**I used 2% milk. This was an easy recipe but wasn't outstanding.

Greens and Sausage Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings

Another greens and sausage soup to try! This one is from Bon Appetit. It calls for a mixture of greens, but I'll use collards. I will also use turkey keilbasa and one chipotle pork sausage.

Serves 6

DUMPLINGS

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

SOUP

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, pressed
• 4 Turkish bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 pound andouille sausages, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 6 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 12-ounce bag mixed turnip, mustard, and collard greens, any thick stems cut away (about 12 cups packed)

PREPARATION

DUMPLINGS

• Line rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in milk and butter, then green onions. Let stand at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Using wet hands, shape mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, into 18 dumplings, arranging on sheet. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

SOUP

• Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Sauté until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add sausage; sauté until fat renders, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with juice, hot sauce, and allspice; bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Return to simmer before continuing.
• Add greens to simmering soup. Cook greens uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drop in dumplings. Cover; reduce heat to low. Simmer until dumplings are tender and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle soup and dumplings into bowls.
  

  

  **Nice soup. It was thickened by the cornmeal dumplings. I only used a big bundle of collard greens- next time I will chop them up into smaller bits (smaller than 2" squares). I used turkey kielbasa and one chipotle pork sausage instead of the andouille I didn't have fresh thyme. I didn't cook the greens for a full 10 minutes before I started adding the dumplings- probably 3. You will need to use a very big pot for this, or your dumplings will get all stuck together on the top. I ended up separating them and flipping them over in the simmering stew so they would cook on the top.  Very filling.
  
  

Sauteed Collard Greens

I have another recipe for collards that I cook in the pressure cooker. However, it is more southern and uses pork. Here is my favorite recipe for collards. You won't believe they are collard greens- my family thought it was swiss chard. It is from Epicurious. It appears to have been published in Gourmet in December 1998. I read the reviews before I cooked it and I have changed the cooking time from 15 minutes to 6 minutes. Delicious!

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Some people favor collard greens boiled until they are meltingly tender, while others prefer them to retain some bite. This recipe satisfies the taste of the latter group.
 

Yield: Serves 4

2 1/2 pounds collard greens
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Remove and discard stems and center ribs of collard greens. Cut leaves into 1-inch pieces. In a kettle of boiling water cook collards 6 minutes and drain in a colander, pressing out excess liquid with back of a wooden spoon.
Mince garlic. In a 12-inch heavy skillet heat butter and oil over moderately high heat until foam subsides and stir in garlic, collards, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté collard mixture, stirring, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Drizzle collards with lemon juice and toss well.

**Picture is on the polenta recipe. Delicious as always. We ended up with 10 oz of collards, but I still used 2 garlic cloves and halved the butter and olive oil. I forgot to add the lemon juice.