Double Apple Bundt Cake

This cake is made with both applesauce and diced Granny Smith apples.  We used a chunky applesauce, but feel free to experiment with your favorite style.  The cake is wonderfully moist and aromatic, and makes a nice afternoon snack with a cup of creamed tea, or a tasty evening dessert.

Double Apple Bundt Cake

Ingredients

1          cup            butter, room temp

2          cups           sugar

5                           eggs

1 1/2     tsp            vanilla

2           tsp            lemon zest

3           cups          unbleached A.P. flour

1 1/2     tsp            baking soda

1/2        tsp            baking powder

1 1/2     tsp            cinnamon

1/4        tsp            salt

1/4        tsp            nutmeg

1/4        tsp            allspice

1/4        tsp            ginger

1 1/2     cup            homestyle applesauce with cinnamon and brown sugar

2                            granny smith apples, peeled and diced

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 300° convection (350° conventional), place shelf in middle of oven.
2. Butter and flour bundt pan.
3. Combine dry and set aside.
4. Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping bowl each time.
5. Add lemon zest and vanilla and combine well.
6. Alternate between adding dry and apple sauce, starting and finishing with dry.
7. Fold in diced apples, then fill bundt pan.
8. Bake until done through to center and cake is golden brown, 80 minutes in our oven.
9. Cool on rack completely, then remove from pan.  Serve at room temperature.

Tofu with Swiss Chard, Kale and Yogurt Sauce

Summer is in full swing here in Texas.  Afternoon temperatures reach 100° every day, and we've had an unusally dry month.   The eggplants and basil are thriving, which is to be expected, but so are vegetables we left for dead several months ago.  This includes escarole, wild chicory, Tuscan kale and Swiss chard plants.    The kale and chard plants are actually quite full and beautiful right now even though they shouldn't be given our hot, dry weather.

We prepared a combination of kale and chard for a lovely side dish topped with a thick yogurt sauce.  We loved the cooked greens so much, the next night we decided to harvest more kale and chard, and then add tofu and rice to convert this side dish into a meal.    It was quite a surprise to be enjoying homegrown kale and chard twice in June, but we found the combination of the cooked greens, tofu, rice and yogurt to be a perfect summer dinner.   We highly recommend either version the next time you are lucky enough to find Swiss chard and lacinato kale.

Tofu with Swiss Chard, Kale and Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

3/4          lb            extra-firm tofu
                              peanut oil
2             cups         jasmine rice
1                            red pepper
1              lb            Swiss chard, stems removed and choped
1              lb            Lacinato kale, stems removed and chopped
2              Tbs         olive oil
2              cloves     garlic, minced
1              cup         Greek-style non-fat or low-fat yogurt
1/4           cup         tahini
3              Tbs         fresh lemon juice
3              cloves      garlic, minced
1              Tbs          olive oil
1/4           tsp          crushed red pepper
1               Tbs         flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Procedure

1. Cook rice.
2. Place tofu between several sheets of paper towel, then place a plate on top, and weigh the place down with something heavy.  Leave for about 15 minutes for water to drain out, then remove paper towels and cut tofu into 1" cubes.
3. Heat peanut oil over medium high heat, then fry tofu until golden brown.  Flip and repeat.  When cooked, remove from pan and set aside.
4. Roast the red pepper over a gas flame or in the oven under the broiler until it is charred all over.  Place in a bowl and cover for 10 minutes.  Remove as much skin as possible, seed, then cut into small pieces.
5. Heat 2 Tbs olive oil over moderate heat, then add two of the minced garlic cloves.  Cook about 1 minute, then add chard and kale and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.  Add red pepper and cook another minute or two.  Remove from heat and let cool.
6. In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt, tahini, lemon juice and 3 minced garlic cloves.  Season with sea salt, then set aside.
7. Heat 1 Tbs olive oil over medium heat, then add crushed red pepper and cook until it begins to sizzle, about 10 seconds.  Remove immediately from heat and, when cool, combine with yogurt sauce.
8. Toss cooked greens with tofu, then serve on a bed of rice.  Add dollup of yogurt sauce on top, and serve with more on the side.

Printable Recipe

Cherry Tomato and Aged Gouda Quesadilla

Cherry tomatoes get no respect.  They're a throw-away item on every salad bar, and are often ignored at the grocery in favor of bigger varieties.  It doesn't help that store-bought cherry tomatoes are usually utterly lacking in flavor.  They are also admittedly difficult to work with for some recipes calling for slices of tomatoes or cooking tomatoes.

But for the gardener, cherry tomatoes are hard to beat.  The plants are highly productive even in our hottest weather when full-sized tomatoes are impossible to grow.  Cherry tomatoes are available in many varieties that resist both disease and insect attacks, and they ripen to perfection on the vine without splitting, rotting or dropping.   Available in several sizes and colors, some of our favorite varieties are "Matt's Wild Cherry" (the tiniest and sweetest cherry tomato we've grown), "Yellow Pear" (which produces a ridiculous number of beautiful yellow tear-drop shaped tomatoes) and "Sugary" (which is an unusual oblong shape and pretty pink color).

The key with cherry tomatoes is to take advantage of their strengths.  Don't try making a tomato sauce or ketchup.  Instead, include these little tomatoes in pastas, salads, or even sandwiches.  These tomatoes are naturally sweet and juicy, and require only minimal, if any, cooking.

Here, we include these little tomatoes in another of our garden quesadilla recipes.*  Toss with basil, cilantro and chives to make a quick filling.  Add an aged gouda that has lots of flavor, and these quesadillas come together in just a few minutes.   The results are delicious, especially with cherry tomatoes freshly picked from the garden.

Cherry Tomato and Gouda Quesadilla


Ingredients

2         cups           cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2      cup             aged gouda cheese, diced
1/4      cup             cilantro, chopped
2         Tbs             basil, chopped
2         Tbs             chives, chopped
                            sea salt and black pepper
4                           corn tortillas

Procedure

1. Combine tomatoes, cheese, cilantro, basil and chives.  Season with salt and pepper.
2. Sandwich half of the mixture in between 2 tortillas.  Repeat with remaining filling.
3. Heat vegetable oil in saute pan over medium and heat quesadilla until tortilla is golden brown.  Flip and repeat.  Remove from heat and cook second quesadilla.  Serve immediately.
   

Printable Recipe

*Other Quesadilla recipes from Vegetable Matter:
Chinese Kale Quesadilla
Butternut Squash, Jalapeno and Feta Quesadilla
Swiss Chard and Queso Fresco Quesadilla

Honeyed Snap Beans with Roasted Corn and Radish

Teamwork is essential when two or more people collaborate on a meal, but sometimes conflict is equally important. Last night's dinner is a case in point. When I ("I" being me, David, the heretofore silent, Teller-like member of our blogging duo) suggested a raw corn and radish salad, vegetarian Robin looked repulsed, reacting as if I had suggested a viscera and bone marrow stew. 

I mounted my defense.  "Corn and radishes seem very summery to me," I said.  Robin parried with a series of dismissive queries. "Raw corn?"  "Raw corn?"  "Why would I want to eat raw corn?"  Now, there were two ways I could have reacted to Robin's blunt criticism (Robin tends to be blunt with everyone, so I try -- usually without success -- not to take it personally). I could have stubbornly proceeded as planned  -- and slept in the guest room.  Or I could take her criticism as a challenge and create a better meal.  Not liking the guest room much (it aggravates my allergies), I chose the latter option.

I decided to collaborate with Robin on a new version of the corn and radish dish. I said I could roast the corn and radishes rather than serve them raw.  That idea got a thumbs up.  She suggested we add the green beans from the garden for added color and texture. I said that sounded great (I really don't like the guest room).  To stay with our cooked, not raw theme,  I proposed blanching and then sauteing the green beans, and adding caramelized onions.  Robin liked that idea, and the dish was now set. 

After tasting the final product, I reluctantly had to admit that Robin had been right to reject my initial concept (I'm not sure I actually vocalized my admission loud enough for Robin to hear it).  The resulting dish had a more complex blend of tastes and textures, and was more colorful, than my original recipe. Thanks to our conflict, we ate -- and I slept -- better that night.  

Honeyed Snap Beans with Roasted Corn and Radish

Ingredients

Dressing

2          Tbs           fresh lime juice
1                          jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 1/2     tsp           honey
1/4        tsp           cumin
1/4        cup          vegetable oil
                            kosher salt and black pepper

Roasted Corn and Radish

4           cups         fresh corn kernels
2                          medium radishes, sliced into thin rounds
1 1/2     Tbs          olive oil
1/2        tsp           sea salt
1/4        tsp           black pepper

Green Beans

1           lb           green beans, stems removed
1           Tbs         olive oil
1           tsp          butter
1/8        cup         parsley, coarsely chopped
1/4                      small red onion, thinly sliced

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Dressing:  Combine lime juice, jalapeno, honey and cumin in blender.  With motor running, slowly add vegetable oil.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Roasted Corn and Radish:  Combine corn, radish rounds, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast mixture for 10-12 minutes until done.
4. Green Beans:  While corn is roasting, bring 4 quarts salted water to a boil.  Add beans and boil until just tender.  Drain and set aside.
5. Heat oil and butter over medium in a saute pan.  Saute beans until starting to brown.  Remove from pan and add to corn mixture.  Add parsley.
6. In same pan, caramelize onions over medium.  Add to corn and beans, then toss with the dressing.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Printable Recipe

Texas Peach Cobbler

Peach season in Texas is not to be missed.  Roadside stands lining the back roads feature a ridiculous assortment of freshly-picked peaches as well as peach ice cream, peach pastries, peach pie, peach butter and peach preserves.   We have been planning our annual pilgrimage to Hill Country to gorge on these delights, but work and family obligations keep delaying our trip.  Luckily, this year the peaches came to us by way of our dear family friend Kenny.

Kenny gave us a big bag of peaches from Rhew Orchards in Floresville, a town southeast of San Antonio.  By the time they got to us, the peaches were perfectly ripe and so juicy that the bottom of the bag was leaking.  The fruit definitely had to be used right away, so we pulled out our favorite cobbler recipe.  This recipe works with almost any fruit, and is perfect in a pinch because it comes together so quickly.  We've used this recipe to make strawberry cobbler, blackberry cobbler, and rhubarb-strawberry cobbler.  The buttery biscuit topping can't be beat.  It complements the fresh peaches perfectly here, although frozen peaches would work well too if you aren't lucky enough to be in Texas during peach season.

Texas Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

Filling

6            cups        peaches, sliced
3            Tbs          unbleached A.P. flour
1/3         cup          sugar
1/8         tsp           cinnamon
                             pinch of salt

Topping

1 1/2            cup        unbleached A.P. flour
1/4               tsp         salt
1                  Tbs        baking powder
2                  Tbs        sugar (plus more to sprinkle on top)
4                  Tbs        unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold
1                  cup        heavy cream
                                 sugar for sprinkling                        


Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 for convection oven, or 375 for regular oven.  
2. Combine all the filling ingredients, mix well, and put into 8" pyrex baking dish.  Or, use individual ramekins to make individual cobblers (these are perfect for dinner parties if you're so inclined).
3. Make topping.  First, combine all dry ingredients.  Then cut in the butter to resemble coarse meal using your fingers or a fork.
4. Add cream and mix until uniformly moist.  Spoon out on top of filling.  It should be plopped on in clumps.  You don't want a perfectly smooth topping.  Sprinkle the biscuit generously with granulated sugar.
5. Bake in oven until top is golden brown, about 40 minutes.  If you used a glass pyrex, you will also see the fruit bubbling.  
6. Serve warm topped with clotted cream, whipped cream or ice cream.
7. Leftovers refrigerate and re-heat well.

 Printable Recipe

Merveille de Piemonte Beans with Sesame Dressing

Merveille de Piemonte beans are so beautiful it seems wrong to cook them.  Sadly, no matter what we've tried, they quickly loose their gorgeous purple speckles.  Blanching, sauteing, every approach leads to the same monochrome beans within seconds.  What survives, though, is the beautiful buttery yellow color that is hidden from view by those purple splotches.  So while the cooked beans are not quite as striking, they still look fantastic on a plate.  And, best of all, the taste is exceptional.

Snap beans are an excellent source of vitamins C, K and A as well as manganese, potassium and iron.  They also contain riboflavin, calcium, phosphorus, omega-3 fatty acids and niacin.  Snap beans are reputed to be good for colon health because of the beta-carotene and vitamin C they contain.

Merveille de Piemonte beans have a flat, bumpy shape like a Romano bean, with a dense, firm texture.  Fresh-picked from the garden, these beans have a rich, hearty flavor that should not be masked by strong spices or elaborate recipes.  Instead, a simple sesame dressing is ideal for these (now yellow) beans.

Snap Beans with Sesame Dressing

Ingredients

1         lb           snap beans, washed and trimmed

2        Tbs          olive oil

1        tsp           toasted sesame oil

1        Tbs          rice wine vinegar

1        tsp           Dijon mustard

1/2     tsp           sea salt

1/4     tsp           black pepper

2        Tbs          sesame seeds, toasted

                        chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish

Procedure

1. Bring a big pot of water to a boil, add generous amount of salt, then add beans.  Cook until just tender, about 5 minutes, then drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. Combine remaining ingredients (except sesame seeds), then toss with the beans.  Sprinkle seeds on top.

Curried Green Beans and Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

One of the heirloom beans we are growing for the first time is Anellino di Trento.  We were initially drawn to the unusual crescent shape and speckled colors of this bush bean.  Sometimes known as Anellino Marmorizzato, this heirloom variety from Northern Italy is "marmorizzato" (marbled) in shades of green, purple and lavender, with a dense, firm texture and unusual, rich flavor.  The taste actually resembles that of a yardlong bean.  A pole version of Annellino, Stortino di Trento ("Curved from Trent"), is also available, but we have been quite pleased with both the productivity and taste of our bush beans.    Stortino di Trento, Anellino di Trento, and another heirloom bean, Sultan's Golden Crescent, are all beans referred to as "shrimp" beans because of their curved shape.

Anellino di Trento beans, with their unusually solid texture and distinct flavor, combine perfectly with roasted cauliflower to create an extremely hearty dish.   The vegetables are filling (and vegan) even without the yogurt sauce, but the sauce adds a nice zing thanks to fresh cilantro and spicy garlic.   These flavors play off the toasted Madras curry which seasons the vegetables to perfection.   If you are not growing Anellino di Trento beans, any green beans or even yardlong beans will work well in this recipe.   Be sure to select beans that are firm, not wrinkled or starting to dry out, with a bright color that indicates they are still fresh and full of flavor. 

Curried Green Beans and Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
serves 2-4

Ingredients

Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

1            cup                non-fat Greek-style plain yogurt such as Fage
1            Tbs                fresh lemon juice
1/2          cup               cilantro, choped
1                                 garlic clove, minced

Curried Green Beans and Roasted Cauliflower

1             large             cauliflower head, cut into 1" florets
1                                 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4          cup               olive oil
1/2          lb                  green beans, cut into 2" pieces
1            Tbs                vegetable oil
2            slices             white sandwich bread, cubed
1            tsp                 Madras curry powder
                                   sea salt and black pepper

Procedure
 

Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
   

Curried Green Beans and Roasted Cauliflower

1. Heat oven to 425°.  Combine cauliflower and onion with 3 Tbs olive oil.  Season with sea salt and black pepper, then spread in a single layer on a sheet pan.
2. In same bowl, toss the beans with 1 Tbs olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread beans on another sheet pan.
3. Place both sheet pans in oven and roast until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  The beans will cook faster, about 14 minutes, than the cauliflower, about 18 minutes.  Remove from oven and combine.
4. While vegetables are in the oven, heat 1 Tbs vegetable oil over low heat and saute bread cubes until golden and crispy, about 4 minutes.  Remove from pan to cool.
5. In the same pan, toast the curry power over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Scrape out of the pan and toss with the cooked vegetables until well coated.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
6. Serve vegetables while still warm, topped with the bread cubes and yogurt cilantro sauce on the side.

Printable Recipe 

Pasta with Italian Dandelion Green Pesto, Roma Green Beans and Potatoes

2009 in our garden was the year of the eggplant.  We grew a dozen varieties, and always had several pounds of eggplant on hand from June until mid-November when a hard frost killed the plants.   Six months later, we are still recovering from eggplant overload, and have dramatically reduced our collection of eggplants in the garden.  Instead, we have become obsessed with snap beans.

While eggplant provides several nutrients, most significantly important antioxidants, beans are even more impressive.  Green beans are an excellent source of dietary fiber, protein, and beta-carotene.  They also provide folate, omega-3 fatty acids, and niacin.  Just one cup of beans includes 25% of the vitamin K needed per day, an important vitamin for maintaining strong bones.  And beans contain beneficial amounts of vitamins A and C.    This is not to knock eggplants, which are both beautiful and delicious, but beans are hard to beat from a nutritional standpoint.

Like eggplants, beans are a beautiful vegetable to include in the garden.  They come in an amazing array of colors including green, purple, yellow and speckled.  They are also as easy to grow as eggplants in our hot, humid climate.  We are currently growing ten different types of snap beans including three of our favorites, Royal Burgundy, Burpee's Stringless, and Cosse Violette.  We are also trying several beautiful heirloom varieties for the first time:  Rattlesnake, Anellino di Trento, Rocquencourt and Merveille de Piemonte.   Another bean new for us is Gina, an heirloom Italian flat-podded bean.  

As the name suggests, this type of bean, also referred to as a Roma or Romano bean, has a wide, flat shape.  Gina in particular is a vigorous producer of delicious, crisp beans that have a distinctly "beany" flavor and dense texture.  Each bean matures at five to six inches long, making for a significant harvest weighing in at several pounds per week.   The beans should be picked while they are still fairly smooth, firm and a dark green color.  Waiting too long allows the seeds to develop, making for a bumpy-looking pale bean that is tough with a less appealing flavor.

 

The shape and taste of flat-podded beans combine extremely well with pasta, especially a flat noodle like the fettucine we use here. The beans are cooked with the pasta and potatoes.  Somewhat miraculously, all three are done at the same time.  Afterwards, everything is tossed in a pesto made with Italian dandelion greens from the garden.   The resulting dish is deliciously rich, extremely hearty, and plates beautifully.  Do try to find flat-podded beans for this recipe, but if they are unavailable, any green beans will work as long as they're fresh and firm.

Pasta with Italian Dandelion Green Pesto, Roma Green Beans and Potatoes
serves 2-4

Ingredients

Italian Dandelion Green Pesto

2            cups          tightly packed, washed dandelion green leaves

12                           large basil leaves

2                             garlic cloves

1            cup            toasted pine nuts

1/2         cup            olive oil

1/3         cup            parmesan, grated

1            Tbs           creme fraiche

                              sea salt and black pepper

Pasta

1/2         lb              Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, quartered and cut into 1/2" slices

1/2         lb              green beans, preferably flat-pod, cut into 1" pieces

1            lb              dry ribbon pasta such as fettucine

Procedure

Pesto

1. Combine greens, basil, garlic and pine nuts in food processor.  Slowly stream in olive oil while motor is running until well combined and smooth.  Add cheese and creme fraiche.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pasta

1. Boil large pot of water and add 5 or so tsp sea salt.  Add potato slices and return to a boil.  
2. As soon as water is boiling again, add pasta and beans and cook until pasta is done. 
   
3. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid and set aside.
4. Combine the pesto with 2 Tbs cooking liquid and heat over medium low in a large saute pan.  Add pasta mixture and toss until evenly coated.  Add more cooking liquid as needed so pesto won't coat too thickly, and continue to toss until well-combined.
5. Serve with more grated parmesan on top.

Printable Recipe 

Swiss Chard Quesadilla with Queso Fresco and Green Onions

We keep reading about the gourmet taco trucks popping up in L.A., New York and Austin.  While it's impossible to drive more than a few blocks here in Houston without passing a taco vendor, they all serve the same standard fare aimed at an audience craving familiar, affordable meals on the go.  There is rarely anything vegetarian on the menu other than a cheese quesadilla, and few if any fresh vegetables.

To fill the void, we introduced a small taco and quesadilla menu at Be-Wiched a few months ago.  While they're not exactly the paninis we usually serve, we figure these are really just sandwiches served on corn tortillas instead of ciabatta.   These new items have become wildly popular, especially the vegetarian tacos and quesadillas, probably because they are so unique for Houston.

At home, we've been experimenting with creating quesadillas from the garden.  We've made a quesadilla with Chinese kale, and another with butternut squash, feta and jalapeno.
Our most recent creation features home-grown Swiss chard and green onions combined with a classic Mexican cheese, queso fresco.  The filling has beautiful layers of red, green and white (just coincidentally the colors of the Mexican flag).  It is also wonderfully creamy and gooey thanks to the melted cheese.  The Swiss chard ribs and leaves, cooked in vegetable stock for added flavor, are ready in just a few minutes.  After that, just assemble the quesadillas, heat, and eat.

Swiss Chard Quesadilla with Queso Fresco and Green Onions

Ingredients

1            lb        Swiss chard
1 1/2     Tbs       green onion, chopped 
1                      garlic clove, minced
2           Tbs      olive oil
1/2        tsp      sea salt
1/4        tsp      black pepper
1/3        cup     vegetable stock
1/2         cup    queso fresco, diced
4                     corn tortillas
                       olive oil for frying tortillas

Procedure

1. Cut the ribs and stems from the chard, and slice into thin slices.  Chop the leaves.
2. Heat the olive oil over low heat, then add onions and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes.
3. Add sliced chard stems, salt, and pepper and cook around four minutes. 
4. Add chard leaves and stock, increase heat to medium, and cover.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until leaves are tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Layer half the cheese and chard filling on a tortilla.  Place another on top.  Repeat for second quesadilla.
7. Heat a small amount of oil in a saute pan.  Heat one quesadilla at a time.  When one side is golden, flip and repeat.  Remove from heat and repeat with second quesadilla.  Serve immediately.

Printable Recipe

Other Swiss Chard recipes from Vegetable Matter:
Flatbread with Swiss Chard Puree, Tomme de Savoie and Fake Bacon
Swiss Chard Rib Gratin with Pine Nuts and Parmesan
Flatbread with Swiss Chard, Kale, Brown Butter and Ricotta Salata

Flatbread with Sauteed Apples, Fennel, Radicchio, Escarole and Stilton

This flatbread, with its pungent leafy greens, tart apples and strong blue cheese, practically screams autumn.  But here In Houston, our growing seasons are a bit upside down.  We grow fall vegetables such as leafy greens, lettuce and brassicas during the winter for a spring harvest in order to avoid the impossibly hot summer temperatures that start as early as April.  This means we are eating vegetables like collards, fava beans, chickpeas, and escarole in the spring instead of the fall.   While we're enjoying the last of these wonderful vegetables, our snap beans, tomatoes, and other summer vegetables are also maturing, a clear sign it's the end of our spring vegetable season.

This flatbread includes both radicchio and escarole from the garden, two of our favorite chicories.  These plants, started last October, have far exceeded expectations by producing massive, thick heads of leafy greens.   We also use a fennel bulb from the garden.  All these plants are suffering badly due to our high temperatures.  We're hoping the fennel will last a few more weeks still, but the chicories are about done for the season.  To enjoy this flatbread despite the heat, we just turned up the air conditioning and let the flavors serve as a reminder that cooler weather, at least here in Houston, is only about five months away.

Flatbread with Sauteed Apples, Fennel, Radicchio, Escarole and Stilton

Ingredients

2           cup             escarole leaves, washed, stems removed and 
                               coarsely chopped
2           cup             radicchio leaves, washed, stems removed and 
                               coarsely chopped
1           cup             apple juice
1                             small fennel bulb, thinly sliced, about 1 1/4 cups
1                             Granny Smith apple, very thinly sliced
                               sea salt and black pepper
1           Tbs             olive oil, plus more for flatbread
1           Tbs             butter
3           oz               Stilton or other strong blue cheese, crumbled
                               (we used Neal's Yard Colston Basset Stilton)                   
1                             ball flatbread dough, at room temp for 5 minutes before rolling out
                               flour for rolling out dough and cornmeal for peel
Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 450° and place rack in top third of oven.  Place pizza stone on rack and heat, ideally for one hour, before baking flatbread.
2. Heat apple juice over medium high until it is reduced in volume to 1/3 cup.
3. Heat olive oil, fennel, 1/4 tsp salt and a few pinches of pepper over medium.  Saute about 2 minutes, then add greens and another 1/4 tsp salt and another pinch of pepper.  Cook until greens are wilted, about 2 minutes.
4. Add apples and apple juice and continue to cook until greens are very soft.
5. Remove from heat and leave in the pan to cool.  Add the butter and toss together.
6. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface.  Cover very lightly with olive oil.
7. Spread half the cheese over the dough, then add greens and apples.  Top with remaining cheese, and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
8. Bake until bread is crispy and golden brown and cheese is well melted.  Serve immediately.

Printable Recipe

Other Escarole recipes from Vegetable Matter:
Escarole Soup with Arborio Rice and Escarole Blue Cheese Crostini

Taleggio Melt with Escarole and Fig Jam

Salad of Bitter Italian Greens, Strawberries and Parmesan

Panini with Braised Escarole, Apples and Walnuts

Chinese Kale Quesadilla

Chinese Kale, also called Gai Lan or Chinese Broccoli, forms open heads of thick, blue-green leaves.  These plants are brassicas in the mustard family, but the taste is closer to broccoli than the typical bitter mustard green.  The stems, leaves and flowers are all edible, providing significant amounts of calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C.  Chinese Kale also contains vitamin E, folate, calcium, and fiber.  These are cool-weather greens; warm spring temperatures have caused the plants to send up huge flower spikes with seed pods forming dramatic horizontal and L-shaped spikes up the stem despite the seed package's claim that this vegetable can be grown "year-round".

Here we enjoy a quesadilla with our Chinese Kale harvest.  We make a quick sauteed kale using traditional Asian ingredients such as sesame oil and soy sauce, then sandwich it between toasty tortillas.  We have converted the same dish into a meal by adding slices of sauteed tofu and shiitake mushrooms.  For some heat, add a small diced jalapeno pepper before cooking the Chinese Kale.  Not your typical quesadilla ingredients, but wonderful nevertheless.

Chinese Kale Quesadilla

Ingredients
2                        garlic cloves, minced
1         lb            Chinese kale, washed drained, thick stems removed,
                         leaves torn into small pieces
2         tsp          dark sesame oil
2         Tbs         vegetable stock or water
1         tsp          soy sauce
2         tsp          toasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
                         sea salt and black pepper
4                       corn tortillas
                         oil for pan

Procedure

1. Heat sesame oil over moderate heat, and saute garlic briefly.  If using chile, cook it with the garlic.  Add kale and water or stock, then cover.
2. Cook until kale wilts, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.  Add soy sauce and sesame seeds.  Season with salt and pepper and remove from pan.
3. Create two quesadillas with cooked kale as the filling.  Add sauteed tofu, mushrooms, or other items here if desired.  One at a time, heat in a lightly oiled pan until bottom tortilla is golden.  Flip and repeat.  Serve immediately.
   

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Crispy Kale and Tofu with Brown Rice and Coconut

Lacinato kale goes by many names, including Cavolo Nero, dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale and black kale.   It is a beautiful leafy green to include in the garden thanks to its striking texture and unusual blue color.   It is a fairly versatile vegetable as well, working in any number of soups, stir fries, pastas and flatbreads.  People are so passionate about kale that there are several websites devoted solely to this leafy green.*

Kale is featured in many types of ethnic cooking including Italian, West African, Portuguese and Spanish.  Here, we use kale in an amazing dish created by Heidi Swanson that is influenced by Asian flavors.  The recipe features crispy kale on a bed of brown rice and tofu.  No one will miss eating meat when this amazing vegan dish is served.

Crispy Lacinato Kale and Tofu with Brown Rice and Coconut

Ingredients

1            cup           short-grain brown rice
1/3         cup           olive oil
1            tsp            toasted sesame oil
2            Tbs           soy sauce
1            lbs            lacinato kale, washed, stems and 
                             thick ribs removed, leaves chopped
1/2         cup          unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2         lb             extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/4" cubes
                             sea salt

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350° and place shelves in upper and lower thirds of oven.
2. Combine rice with 2 cups water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer for 35 minutes, or until rice is tender.
3. Whisk together olive oil, sesame oil and soy sauce.  Reserve 1/3 of the dressing, then combine remaining with kale, coconut and tofu.  Toss well, then spread in a single layer on 2 sheet pans.
4. Bake until crispy, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook evenly on all sides.
5. Remove from oven and toss mixture with remaining dressing and the cooked rice.  Season with salt and serve warm.

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Other kale recipes from Vegetable Matter:
Flatbread with Kale, Swiss Chard, Collards, Pine Nuts and Brown Butter
Flatbread with Crispy Lacinato Kale and Tarentaise Cheese

*A few sites devoted to kale:
I Heart Kale
365 Days of Kale 
Red Russian Kale

Escarole Soup with Arborio Rice and Escarole Blue Cheese Crostini

Escarole, like all the chicories, is a bitter leafy green.  We admit that a bitter soup doesn't sound too appetizing, but we decided to give this Mark Bittman recipe a try with our huge escarole harvest.  These plants have become wonderfully full and large in our garden, but now that our "spring" temperatures are flirting with 100° every day, we are cooking as much escarole as possible before the heat wipes them out.  This soup does in fact have some bitter notes, but they are quite subtle.  In fact, the escarole becomes surprisingly mild in this soup, which allows many complex flavors to shine.

To accompany the soup, prepare some crostinis topped with some of the cooked greens from the soup.  With the addition of a strong blue cheese (we use local cheesemaker Pola's fabulous, creamy blue), these little toasts becomes the perfect accompaniment.  The soup, which includes both parmesan and arborio rice, is quite hearty -- almost a liquidy risotto.  With the little crostinis served alongside, this is a delicious and filling meal.

Escarole Soup with Rice and Escarole Blue Cheese Crostini 
soup recipe by Mark Bittman, NY Times; Vegetable Matter crostini recipe
serves 2-4

Ingredients

4             Tbs           olive oil
4                             garlic cloves, minced
5                             garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2          cup           onion, chopped
4             cups          escarole, washed and chopped
6            cups           vegetable stock
1/4          cup           arborio rice, or other short-grain rice
                               sea salt and black pepper
                               parmesan cheese
2-4                           slices sourdough or similar bread
                               strong, creamy blue cheese, crumbled

Procedure

1. Put 2 tablespoons oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onions and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 more minutes. Add escarole and cook, tossing gently, until it begins to wilt, about another 3 minutes.
2. Add stock and rice to the pan, bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and cook about 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
3. Meanwhile, put remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet. When oil is hot, add sliced garlic and cook over medium-low heat until it turns golden brown and begins to crisp. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. When rice is cooked through, season soup with salt and pepper, top with a grating of Parmesan and garnish with garlic slivers.
5. For crostini, drain about 1/4 cup of the escarole leaves from the soup.  They don't need to be totally dry.  Heat some olive oil in a pan, then add bread slices.  When browned, flip over and top already-grilled side with crumbled blue cheese and escarole leaves.  Drizzle a tiny bit of soup on top for added flavor.  Remove from pan when cheese is gooey and second side of bread is golden brown.   Serve on the side with the soup.

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Other Escarole Recipes from Vegetable Matter:

Taleggio Melt with Escarole and Fig Jam

Panini with Braised Escarole, Apples and Walnuts

Salad of Bitter Italian Greens, Strawberries and Parmesan