A Bite To Eat

Yummy Comfort

i'm not sure why i was afraid of kale for so long. Maybe (but i'm not sure) when i first tried it, i made the mistake of cooking ornamental kale--those gorgeous heads that Bowlspringgreenappear every autumn. Those leaves are pretty to look at, but are so tough that they never become anything tasty. If you've made that same mistake, then you are in for a real treat.

When an assortment of kales have turned up at our local farmers markets i decided it was time to confront my negative history and try a recipe that has been going around the 'net. While they may not be as pretty as their ornamental cousins, or rainbow chard edible kales are comfortably tender and delicious. And, here is the best part: they are very, very good for us. Kale is part of the cabbage family--and packed with health-promoting compounds. It has the greatest antioxidant capacity of all fruits and vegetables. (sorry, Popeye) It’s an excellent source of vitamins K, A and C, as well as manganese, and a very good source of dietary fiber, calcium, iron and potassium.

Armed with this info, i brought some home and tried a recipe that has gotten a lot of attention since it comes from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rogers. This version comes from Molly Wizenberg, whose writing inspired me to give kale another chance.

Try it...especially on some chilly evening. You'll like it. And make sure you consume all of the lovely "pot liquor"...because that's where the vitamins go when we boil kale.

Kale with Egg & Toast

About 8 ounces kale
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
A pinch of dried red pepper flakes
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 to 4 cups mild chicken stock, or water, or a combination of the two

To serve:
Thick slices of country bread
Eggs
Olive oil
Bacon, torn into bite-sized bits (optional)
Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano

First, prepare the kale: trim away any discolored spots, and then remove and discard any thick and woody ribs and stems. Stack a few leaves at a time; then slice them into ¼-inch-thick ribbons. Dump the sliced kale into a salad spinner, and add plenty of cold water. Swish the kale around to free any trapped dirt. Let stand for a minute or two – this lets the dirt fall to the bottom – and then lift the basket from the spinner. Pour out the dirty water. Replace the basket, add fresh water, and repeat. Spin dry. If you don't have a salad spinner see below for an easy alternative*

In a large (4-quart) saucepan, warm the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent but still firm. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic and the kale, and stir until the kale is fully wilted. Add stock to cover by about ½ inch. Bring to a simmer. Cover, and continue to simmer until the kale is tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Taste, and salt as needed. This dish needs quite a bit of salt, so don’t be shy.

To serve, toast one slice of bread per person. While still hot, lightly rub both sides of the toast with raw garlic. Place the toast in the bottom of a wide soup bowl. Now, fry some eggs – one per person, probably – in olive oil. Pile some kale onto the toast in each bowl, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and top with a fried egg. Strew with bacon, if you want. Grate some cheese over the whole thing, and serve.

*Don't own a salad spinner? Me neither. It's really important to remove excess water from the leaves. Here's how to do it the "low-tech" way: Wrap the leaves loosely in a lint-free towel, lengthwise. Gather both ends of the towel in one hand. Go outside. While gripping tightly, spin the towel in a large circle (by your side or above your head)--like a cowboy does a lasso. You will see and feel the water droplets flying away.

Corn On and Off the Cob

If forced to
i could give up my microwave oven without too much of a fight
except in late July and August
in other words
when the worst heat and humidity envelope us
and fresh corn appears at every farm stand and farmer's market.
i believe everyone must know by now
that the absolute best way to cook corn on the cob
is in the microwave
1-2 minutes and you're eating perfectly cooked corn
without filling the house with clouds of steam from
a pot full of boiling water.

Sweet corn is
in my opinion
one of Mother Nature's most appreciated apologies
for all of the storms, floods, droughts and other
lousy weather heaped upon us thru the year.

But i enjoy corn off the cob almost as much
particularly when it is fried up in delectable little fritters for breakfast.

This recipe (adapted just slightly from one found in Martha Stewart Living Magazine)
is super simple and quick. Make it a couple of times
and you'll know it by heart
and will be eating it nearly every Sunday morning through corn season.

The only slightly “tricky” part is removing the corn kernels from the cob.
My preferred method for doing this:
spread a clean tea towel on the counter
hold a shucked ear of corn upright with the large end of the corn cob
resting on the towel while i slice off the kernels with a strong, sharp knife.
The towel keeps the cob from slipping dangerously
and keeps most of the kernels from bouncing all over the kitchen.
No, i've never tried any special tools invented for this purpose
(my kitchen drawers are plenty full already, thank you very much)
Yes, i've tried cutting the ears inside a large bowl (as Martha suggested)
but find it next to impossible to use a good sized knife
inside even my largest mixing bowl.

Corn Fritters
This recipe makes twelve to fourteen 2-inch fritters. A perfect breakfast for 2 adults.

Kernels from 3 ears of corn
2 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar (i omit this)
Corn oil for cooking

Place the corn kernels in a mixing bowl. Add one egg yolk (reserve one yolk for another use—such as scrambled eggs or an omelet for supper or tomorrow's breakfast...no, i'm not afraid of fat) flour, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

In a clean, medium-size mixing bowl, whisk both egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into the corn mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large frying pan.

Drop spoonfuls of batter—about 2 inches in diameter—into the oil, spaced a few inches apart. Cook until golden, 1-2 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until golden. Remove and drain on a paper towel--or a clean, old flour sack towel or cheese cloth. (i haven't yet figured out which is more environmentally sound: using fewer paper towels for draining cooked foods, or laundering fewer kitchen towels...what do you think?)

Serve immediately. i like these with several large slices of tomato on the side.

Possibly the best thing about Summer...

...in my opinion
has to be the fresh berries we get to eat.

The the local farm stands have been featuring local strawberries for a couple of weeks now...and Lucy's post has my mouth watering with her scrumptious photographs and words.

This little fruit pictured here is a so-called Alpine strawberry from my garden a couple of seasons ago. They were tiny but so intensely flavored i planted dozens of plants in order to harvest a bowl full every few days. When i suggested them to a friend for his kitchen garden, he scoffed at the fruits...and i'm afraid he was right. Though they were labeled with the moniker Alpine strawberry and the fruits looked like they were the same, they have never lived up to the flavor of the fruits my plants produced. And sadly...most of my plants succumbed to some sort of fungus...which everyone claims these little wildlings are not supposed to do.

'tis a puzzlement.

Since a strawberry farm is just down the road from me, and since they grow fabulous varieties and i can go pick my own or just stop by to buy a quart they have picked for us, i no longer bother growing enough strawberries to fill my need. i simply wait for the right hour (at least 36 hours after the last significant rain storm...strawberries, being made mostly of water, will be "watered down" in flavor right after a good rain) and show up first thing in the morning before the heat of the sun brings out the bugs who like to dine on me.

the fabulous thing about picking your own is that you are expected to eat your fill as you go. The bad thing is the bugs.

Second to out-of-hand, my favorite way to eat strawberries is my version of strawberry shortcake. When the berries are the ultimate of perfection, i mash several into a juicy paste in a bowl. i do not add any sugar unless the berris are less than perfectly sweet.

For the shortcake, i prefer a freshly homemade, baking powder biscuit to poundcake or sponge. For my Australian and UK friends: you would probably call these biscuits a plain, not-very-sweet version of your scones (your biscuits are what we call cookies).

My standard recipe for the last decade + came from the Silver Palate girl's The New Basics Cookbook (see below). i cut the biscuit in half, top with the mashed berry juice then a large mound of whole or sliced berries. i then do what my dear friend Bruno used to do; i pour in a bit of milk in the bottom of the bowl to soak into the biscuit. Then, of course, i top it all of with whipped cream.

New Basic Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder (important note: Store bought baking powder can lend an unpleasant metallic taste to biscuits and other breads. i learned several years ago, from a radio cooking show, to make my own baking powder using 1 part soda to 2 parts cream of tartar...i've never had the metallic taste since making my own fresh baking powder...click here to read my answer to Juls about storing it, etc)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
3/4 cup half and half (i use milk)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces, and cut it into the flour using two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the half and half, and stir gently until the mixture forms a mass. Gather it into a ball.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead it for about 30 seconds, and then pat it out to form a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Using a 2-3/4 inch cookie cutter, cut out 8 circles; use up all the dough. (i will often simply cut the dough into equal squares...though i do enjoy eating the baked to a crisp remnants that result from cutting rounds)

Arrange the biscuits about 1-inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake until puffed and golden, 14 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack and allow them to cool.

Cinnamon Toast (posted originally in The Garden)

This appeared originally over in The Garden:

regarding the Bread & Milk posting:
Jon, as always, i love your story and i laughed and laughed!
(though i'm sorry to say
that i may be provoking another gag response today!)
Laura, Terri and Peruby Thank You for your comments
which bring to mind another meal i'd almost forgotten:
Milk Toast!

---Jon,quick! go to the Steelers web site before
you ralph!!  :^)

in our home it was cinnamon toast
placed in a wide bowl
with hot milk poured over it.
ooohh, i hope i remember this when the
weather turns chilly!