Greens, Peas, Beans, and New Year's notes

We've received so many fabulous greens in our farm box, that I've been looking for ways to do them justice. I found this recipe for Sauteed Greens with Cannellini Beans and Garlic a Bon Appétit recipe on epicurious.com. It's quickly become my favorite way to enjoy greens. In the picture above, I've used kale and canned white beans, although I've also made it without any beans.

Here in the South, New Year's Day is traditionally celebrated with a meal of (collard) greens and (black eyed) peas. Of course black eyed peas are really a dried bean, so I figured this recipe was a perfect vehicle for luck in the New Year. On January 1, I made it with kale and some field peas that I'd cooked with lardons in the summer and frozen.

cook's notes:

- Kale is my favorite green for this recipe.

- I use half the amount of broth that the recipe specifies.

- I've made this recipe with and without the white beans, and it's good both ways.

the verdict:

We love this method of eating greens! The greens are just tender and the sherry vinegar adds a little bite to the garlicky oil that lightly coats the greens.

I think the dried beans are fantastic combined with the greens, but my husband prefers his greens in their unadorned glory. Actually, he probably prefers them boiled up and doused with Bruce's hot sauce, the way he ate them growing up!

2009:

In my forays in the foodie-net I've read lots of bloggy posts that celebrate the start of the new year. There are round-ups of the past year, resolutions for the new year, and cooking goals.

While I'm not organized enough to post a round-up, nor disciplined enough to make a list of resolutions, I do have a few cooking aspirations for 2009. The first is to take on yeast cookery. I'd also like to make some fresh pasta. My weekly cooking will probably included more lentils and dried beans. And I will continue to balance expanding my baking repertory without expanding my waistline!