Changing Seasons: Rainbow Chard and Bacon Risotto

There is a chill in the air as we move towards autumn.  Even though I will quickly remind you that summer is not yet over, I will also admit that the time is coming for cooler weather foods.  I'm still getting plenty of greens at the farmers' market and they lend themselves nicely to in-between weather comfort dishes.  

I also, as you may have noticed, have been spending some time hanging around the Amish farm stand at our greenmarket.  There are plenty of local dairy options at the bigger farmers' markets in the city (and of course Ronnybrook is readily available from Fresh Direct or Brooklyn Fare or any number of other conscientious markets), but, of course, my approach is that the local-est is best and I'm happy to support a community who brings us single ingredient items.  You want butter? It's made with cream.  Period.  Yum.  

Over time, we've expanded our take from the Amish stand to include eggs, a variety of cheeses and now, bacon.  And really, isn't that all we need in life? I recently bought a pound of sliced bacon and began dreaming up ways change our world.  Mix in those late summer greens and I had a plan.  My first adventure with this bacon was to make my collard greens, which, in retrospect, was a very good plan.  

By making something I could make in my sleep, I became quickly familiar with how the Amish bacon was different from others that I've used before.  Amish bacon (at least from this particular stand) was subtler, less salty and almost lighter, if bacon can be such a thing.  For collard greens, it was almost too subtle.  And so, rainbow chard and bacon risotto was born.  

To bring out the bacon's strengths, I crisped the bacon and rendered the fat in the pot I'd use for the rice.  Then, I cooked garlic and onions in the bacon fat and added the arborio rice to get it saturated in the bacon fat and other flavors.  The bacon was still subtle, but it was able to come through in a creamy, simple rice dish.  The rainbow chard added earthiness which complemented the bacon without overwhelming it.  Finally, against my husband's protests, I used a simple red wine to bring it all home.  

Now that I've learned about my product, I'm looking forward to new ways to make it work for us.  And, when I need that stronger bacon-y element, there's always Niman Ranch. 

Rainbow Chard and Bacon Risotto

• 5 cups organic chicken broth
• 4 slices bacon (nice and streaky, local if you can find it), cut into about 1 inch pieces 
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (LINK)
• 4 cups rainbow chard, trimmed and chopped (about 1 bunch)
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• freshly grated Pecorino Romano

1. Heat chicken broth in a pot over medium heat.  Lower if it starts to boil. 
2. In a separate pot, cook bacon pieces until fat is rendered and bacon reaches desired crispness.  (I like it nice and crispy to add texture later.)
3. Add onions and garlic to bacon fat and cook until translucent. Add rice and chard.  Cook about 3 minutes until rice is well coated and greens have wilted. 
4. Add wine to rice mixture, stirring constantly, and cook until dry. Add broth in 1/2 cup intervals, cooking until dry. 
5. Mix in grated cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add bacon and give it one last stir to combine.  Enjoy! 

Rainbow Chard with Anchovies, Pine Nuts and Cranberries on Polenta

On a cool rainy morning, it is hard to believe it is summer.  I'm sure many of you out there are grumbling and a bit blue, but, aside from the fact that I generally love cool rainy mornings most of all, I'm particularly satisfied because I'm stuck at home for a little while and I don't feel like I'm missing out on quite so much outdoor fun when it's gloomy. 

The other upside is that I have a chance to explore some summer comfort food.  Even on cool days like this, summer comfort food can't be too heavy or thick.  I crave warmth and a smooth texture, but still some lightness.  What could satisfy that call better than polenta? 

I used to buy the pre-prepared tube of polenta from Trader Joe's to keep on hand for these sorts of meals.  After buying a box of polenta, I realized how silly I was.  The biggest pain is that you have to keep stirring the polenta to discourage clumps, but otherwise there is no finesse and hardly any time involved in making a nice base for all manner of soothing meals. 

For this one, I took advantage of the beautiful rainbow swiss chard that we picked up from Phillips Farms at the farmers' market and turned to my friend Mark Bittman for inspiration.  I'd like to say that I tinkered and played with his recipe and improved on his perfection.  It's generally not possible since Bittman has a nice healthy simple (Minimalist, if you will) approach and his recipes generally do not go wrong.  I did use anchovy paste instead of anchovy fillets, cranberries instead of raisins and the polenta was all me.  His recipe was also for greens generally and I, of course, used the chard.  

I was drawn to this recipe because of the anchovies.  As gross as I always believed them to be, I can no longer deny that they are good for you.  Even my husband asked me to somehow slip more of them into our food after reading Real Food by Nina Planck (I haven't even read it yet and I'm eternally grateful for its effect on my household).  I use the anchovy paste to sneak some into pasta dishes and have come to like it.  This recipe was my attempt to go more full throttle into the world of anchovies.  Expect more to come.  

The most exciting addition was 1/2 of a Hot Portugal chili pepper straight from our garden.  I only used half because I had never worked with a Hot Portugal before, but they are on the light side, so I would use at least a whole one in the future.  If you don't have fresh chilis on hand, you can substitute about 1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes or as much or as little as you prefer. 

Rainbow Chard with Anchovies, Pine Nuts and Cranberries on Polenta (adapted from Mark Bittman's The Minimalist Cooks Dinner)

• At least 2 servings prepared polenta (find your favorite slow version, it's worth it)
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp anchovy paste or up to 8 anchovy fillets to taste (or more if you're really a fan)
• 1/2 fresh small red chili pepper, sliced (optional)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 4 cups trimmed rainbow swiss chard or other greens, washed, dried and chopped
• sea salt
• freshly cracked black pepper

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic, chili slices and anchovies.  When garlic is pungent and anchovies dissolve into oil, turn heat to low. 
2. Stir in cranberries and pine nuts.  Cook for one minute. 
3. Add greens and 1/2 cup water.  Cover and cook until chard is tender (about 10-12 minutes). 
4. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. 
5. Serve greens over polenta in a bowl with greater proportion of greens than in the picture above.  Pour broth generously over each bowl. Enjoy!

Easy Braised Collard Greens and Chili-Roasted Carrots

Don't let "easy" make you think "quick". I had a couple of false-starts after finding this recipe on The Kitchen because I failed to notice the amount of chopping and the decent amount of braising time. I will say this, however: MAKE THIS.

My husband developed a taste for collard greens in Pensacola last summer and hasn't looked back. We've tried collards at every imaginable opportunity since then. This recipe has gotten the official stamp of approval. Even after Blue Smoke in Manhattan (I know. Why would there be good collard greens in Manhattan, but it's Blue Smoke!), if I may say so myself, we liked this recipe better.

I give partial credit to the recipe I started with (10 cloves garlic, wine, good broth and chili flakes? Yes, please.) and the rest to the Niman Ranch bacon I used the first time. Subsequently, I also tried this recipe with medium-slice deli ham and was very pleased with the results. (Trust me, though - try it first with the bacon.)

After classifying this dish as a Southern-style stir fry, I was also able to serve it as a main dish with a generous bowl of rice. In order to round out the meal, I improvised some Chili-Roasted Carrots with a sad little bag of baby carrots left in the crisper. They had a smoky sweetness that complemented the collards well and so, my friends, today you get two recipes for the price of one.

Braised Collard Greens (adapted from The Kitchen)

• 1 bunch collard greens (usually 1 1/2 - 2 pounds)
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1/4 pound bacon, ham or other smoked pork (try smoked turkey even if you don't eat pork...)
• 1/2 cup wine (any wine is fine - I always used some sort of leftover white wine)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cut and trim the tough stems away from the collard leaves. Stack the leaves, roll tightly and slice into ribbons. Wash the ribbons thoroughly and set aside to drain.
2. Cut the bacon (or other smoked meat) into 1-inch pieces.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large high-walled skillet or extremely wide pan over medium heat,  add red pepper flakes and bacon. Cook until bacon is getting crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet with bacon grease and turn the heat to low. Cook them slowly, stirring frequently, until soft and golden (about 10 minutes). Don't let them get too dark, althoug a nice caramelization is nice. 
5. Add greens and bacon to the skillet, stirring until wilted. Add wine and chicken broth and season with a little salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes over low. (This keeps the collards a bit al dente, if you will, so cook longer if you like them with a softer texture)
6. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with broth over rice. 

Chili-Roasted Carrots

• 1 bag baby carrots
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven (try the toaster oven - less energy use, cooler kitchen) to 450F.
2. Combine all ingredients in baking pan covered in foil (the foil will save you a huge headache later). Toss well to make sure carrots are completely coated.
3. Roast for 20-25 minutes.  Enjoy!

Apple and Carrot Nut Bread

I rarely plan my baking ahead of time.  I do work muffins or bread or some treat into my weekly meal plans from time to time, but more often than not, things come up and big planned baking projects go by the wayside.  I do manage, however, to find quick and easy recipes that use exactly what I have in my pantry right about when I am getting the urge to bake.  These recipes, as you might imagine, are far more likely to make it into my day.

One such recipe, Apple-n-Carrot Nut Bread, popped up on fellow Brooklynite blog 30 Bucks a Week not too long ago.  Like the original, I happened to have an apple and some carrots in the crisper, begging for some noble use.  I did not have juice on hand, as the recipe requires, but I did have some vanilla soy milk.  I added about 2 tbsp maple syrup as well since I had the last of the bottle to use up and thought it could never hurt.

The modification I made which I might not recommend is using whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour.  My bread was very tasty and made for a week of hearty breakfasts, but it was definitely on the heavier, healthier tasting side.  Since I ate mine warmed up with a good dose of honey, it didn't really affect me much, but it's just something to consider. 

I also used 1 cup almond slivers and crushed walnuts because I had those around and I didn't have any dried fruit to throw in there.  This worked out well in my household, but feel free to play around with the nut/fruit add-ins for these.  The recipe is extremely flexible.

Apple and Carrot Nut Bread (adapted from 30 Bucks a Week)

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose is fine; regular whole wheat is okay, but heavy)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• sea salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup juice (apple or orange), milk or soy milk
• 1 grated apple
• 1 grated carrots (or about 6 baby carrots)
• 1/2 cup dried fruit, optional
• 1/2 cup nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl.
3. Whisk egg, oil and juice together in seperate bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.
5. Fold in grated apple, carrots, nuts and dried fruit.
6. Grease a loaf pan and coat lightly with flour.  Shake out excess.  (I used a silicone loaf pan and didn't need this step)
7. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until toothpick in center comes out clean.

Meatless Monday Mezze Edition: Falafel and Cucumber-Yogurt Salad

Along with the fabulous pita breads (if I do say so myself) for last month's Daring Cooks Challenge, I served falafel and a couple of salads.  I have often thought about making falafel from scratch, but usually reverted to the mix in a box which really isn't bad and is certainly quick and easy.  The optional challenge recipes included one for falafel which used actual chick peas and all purpose flour instead of chick pea flour which can be harder for me to find.  So I figured I would go with it!

This recipe is nothing if not simple.  The very accessible list of ingredients goes into the food processor and then waits patiently in the refrigerator until you are ready to form it into balls or patties and fry or bake them.  I went the baking route, forming falafel balls slightly bigger than the suggested walnuts.  I baked them at 375F for 25 minutes, as suggested, in a convection oven which tends to cook things faster than your conventional oven. 

I will say that this turned out a soft-in-the-middle chick pea doughnut rather than the crispy bread-like falafel ball that I am generally accustomed to from a restaurant kitchen.  Next time I will flatten the balls a bit, or make them smaller, and perhaps cook for longer.  The result was tasty, but when I'd gotten so excited for a familiar taste, it was just different enough to make me re-think the process.

As for the Cucumber-Yogurt Salad (or Tzatziki), I again used From Tapas to Meze as my source.  In recipes that call for straining yogurt, I take a shortcut and use Greek yogurt.  They did the straining for you and the taste is fabulous.  (European-style yogurt at Trader Joe's is not Greek-style.  Be forewarned!) This was, perhaps, the biggest hit of our Mezze party.  This could be used for all manner of meals.

Falafel (Adapted from Joan Nathan and Epicurious.com)
Prep Time: 1 hour

• 1 cup drained and rinsed chickpeas
• 1/2 large onion (roughly chopped, about 1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped OR use a couple pinches of dried parsley (.2 ounces/5 grams)
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped OR use a couple pinches of dried cilantro (.2 ounces/5 grams)
• 1 teaspoon table salt (.1 ounce/5 grams)
• 1 teaspoon dried hot red peppers (cayenne) (.1 ounce/2 grams)
• 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoon cumin (.1 ounce/2 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (.13 ounces/4 grams)
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (1 ounce/24 grams) (you may need a bit extra)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed. If you don’t have a food processor, then feel free to mash this up as smooth as possible by hand.
3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough bulgur or flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, until ready to bake, at least 1 hour.
4. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.
5. Bake until golden and firm, about 20 minutes. 

 Tzatziki or Cucumber-Yogurt Salad (adapted from From Tapas to Meze)

• 2 cups Greek yogurt, full or low fat (although 0% might be fine)
• Sea salt
• 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (or mashed in mortar in pestle if you have the patience)
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh mint, chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Grate the cucumber with a coarse grater to make about 1 cup.  Place over cheesecloth in strainer (or paper towel/tea towel).  Sprinkle lightly with salt and let drain 30 minutes.
2. Combine yogurt, cucumber, garlic, herbs and olive oil.  Mix well.  Add lemon juice and salt to taste.  Let sit 1 hour before using.
3. Serve with pita bread, vegetable crudite, gyros, souvlaki, all manner of chicken dishes or eat with a spoon!

*Optional Recipe: Falafels - Recipe from Joan Nathan and Epicurious.com
Prep Time: Overnight for dry beans and 1 hour to make Falafels

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight OR use well canned drained chickpeas (7 ounces/100 grams)
1/2 large onion (roughly chopped, about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped OR use a couple pinches of dried parsley (.2 ounces/5 grams)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped OR use a couple pinches of dried cilantro (.2 ounces/5 grams)
1 teaspoon table salt (.1 ounce/5 grams)
1 teaspoon dried hot red peppers (cayenne) (.1 ounce/2 grams)
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon cumin (.1 ounce/2 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder (.13 ounces/4 grams)
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (1 ounce/24 grams) (you may need a bit extra)
tasteless oil for frying (vegetable, canola, peanut, soybean, etc.), you will need enough so that the oil is three inches deep in whatever pan you are using for frying

Directions:
1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, and then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.
2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed. If you don’t have a food processor, then feel free to mash this up as smooth as possible by hand.
3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough bulgur or flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.
4. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.
5. Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees (190C) in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
6. Drain on paper towels.

Note: I sometimes prefer to bake these so I can avoid the deep frying. I bake them on a nonstick pad (silpat or the like) at 325F (160C), just until they’re firm, about 20 minutes.