Seared Salmon with Spinach and Creamy Roasted Peppers

Although spinach is in the local grocery store on a year-round basis, when I think of Spring, I have images of baby spinach leaves. Now that Spring weather has finally arrived around here (it came for a few days last week before Summer's heat rudely pushed it out of the way) it's a perfect time for a lovely supper of Seared Salmon with Spinach and Creamy Roasted Peppers.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I found this Rick Bayless recipe in his cookbook Mexican Everyday, which I bought at his restaurant Topolobampo when we visited Chicago a few months ago (The meal at Topolo was one of the best I've ever eaten). I've included the recipe at the end of this post, below.

- Bayless' directions are clear and precise, and his recipes' times and temperatures are always spot-on.

- I used a bit less spinach and it was fine.

- I happened to have 3 poblano peppers, so I roasted all of them. My sauce didn't seem very green with two peppers, so I threw in the third one. I think my peppers must have been on the smallish side.

the verdict:

This was a subtle and delicious way to eat salmon. The recipe is easy enough for a weekday (when we enjoyed it) and special enough for company.


the recipe:


Salmon con Espinacas en Crema Verde
serves 4

Ingredients

2 fresh poblano chiles
10 ounces cleaned spinach (about 10 cups) [I used a 6 ounce bag, steamed in microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds on high]
3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 to 2 tablespoons masa harina (Mexican corn "flour" for making tortillas--look for it in well-stocked groceries)[I keep this flour on hand for making tamales]
1 1/2 cups milk, plus a little more if needed
4 4- to 5-ounce (1 to 1G pounds total) skinless salmon fillets (snapper, halibut, and catfish are also good)
Salt and ground black pepper

Directions

1. Roast the poblanos over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, 10 minutes for the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let cool until handleable.

2. Place the spinach in a microwaveable bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, poke a few holes in the top and microwave on high (100%) until completely wilted, usually about 2 minutes. (If your spinach comes in a microwaveable bag, simply microwave it in the bag.) Uncover (or open the bag) and set aside.

3. Turn the oven on to its lowest setting. Heat the oil in a very large (12-inch) skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium. Add the garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the garlic into a blender. Set the skillet aside.

4. Rub the blackened skin off the chiles and pull out the stems and seed pods. Rinse the chiles to remove bits of skin and seeds. Roughly chop and add to the blender, along with the masa harina and milk. Blend until smooth.

5. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the fish liberally with salt and pepper. Lay the fillets in the hot oil and cook until richly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the fillets, and cook until the fish barely flakes when pressed firmly with a finger or the back of a spoon (you want it slightly underdone), usually a couple of minutes longer for fish that's about 1 inch thick. Using the spatula, transfer the fish to an ovenproof plate and set in the oven.

6. With the skillet still over medium-high, pour in the poblano mixture and whisk until it comes to a boil and thickens, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. If the sauce has thickened past the consistency of a cream soup, whisk in a little more milk. Taste and season with salt, usually a generous H teaspoon. Add the spinach to the sauce and stir until it is warm and well coated with sauce.

7. Divide the creamy spinach among four plates. Top each portion with a piece of seared fish. (Or, if it appeals to you more, spoon the sauce over the fillets.) Serve without delay.

Kale and Collards Miniera

I found this recipe for greens in my big yellow Gourmet Cookbook. It is a Brazilian recipe, and is simple as can be (3 ingredients, including salt!) Gourmet says "this is a great way to work collards and other hearty greens into your weeknight culinary repertoire" and I agree!

Although the recipe's title is for collards, the intro says that in Brazil (where the recipe originated) it is used for kale. I had both kinds of greens in my fridge from a recent farm box order, so I used a mixture of kale and collards.

For this recipe, the greens are cut into very thin ribbons (Gourmet helpfully informs us that, "an old folktale says a woman isn't ready for marriage until she knows how to shred the greens just right.")

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I've found the easiest (and really fun) way to remove the center ribs from large leafy greens is to hold each leaf by the stem vertically in the air with one hand, and slice along each side of the stem with sweeping downward slashes of the knife.

- To get ribbons, the leaves are supposed to be rolled like a cigar and then sliced thinly crosswise. I've never actually rolled a cigar, so I just rolled as neatly as I could. The ribbons weren't that difficult to slice. But then again, I'm not trying to qualify as a Brazilian bride.

- I used a combination of Niman's Ranch bacon and Broadbent black pepper crusted bacon. These bacons are not as strong and smoky as Benton bacon, and I had them in the freezer.

the verdict:

This is a great easy recipe for greens. We really loved these, and as long as you don't mind a little bacon, this is a superb side dish. It's suited to the last minute (and doesn't take much more than that) but you could make it a bit earlier and let it rest in the pan, reheating it at serving time.

If you read all the comments about this recipe on Epicurious, you can see all kinds of things that people have added. I prepared this just as written in the cookbook (didn't even read the online version until I looked for the link for this post). I thought about adding garlic or red pepper flakes, but wanted to experience it just as it was. And it is an amazing recipe with just 3 ingredients: greens, bacon and salt!

Tyler's Slow Cooked Collard Greens

I've got a confession to make: I was an extremely picky eater as a child. On many evenings you could find me sitting at the dinner table long after everyone else had left, staring at a plate. A few cold, forlorn vegetables looked right back up at me. Eventually I'd choke down a couple of bites and be excused. Mostly this drama played out with green beans, but spinach also took its turn on the dinner plate. Luckily my mother never served brussels sprouts, or I might still be sitting there!

Well, children are resilient, thank goodness, and I've grown up to be an average eater. And my erstwhile arch-nemesis, green beans, are now among my favorite vegetables. I grew to like spinach in salads, then quiches and more. But I've been content to let the wider waters of "greens" remain pretty much unexplored, with only a little toe dip now and then.

On a trip to London in 2006 I discovered how much I (and apparently most of Great Britain's restaurants) love arugula ("rocket" over there). I had it in salads and on pasta and couldn't get enough of its peppery bite. It's become my favorite salad green. As far as cooked greens, I made a tasty crock pot chard lasagna last winter that I found delicious.

However, when it came to that most Southern of leafy greens, collards, this picky-eater Northerner remained totally unswayed. I could never bring myself to even try those olive green, slimy (looking) limp leaves that inevitably were seen in a cafeteria line, or at a meat+3 restaurant, swimming in a pool of 'pot likker.' So when my Southern-born husband wanted a taste of collards he has had to order them at a restaurant or heat up a can.

But I must say that food blogging has really opened me up to experimenting with tastes and new recipe sources. As I began to get more serious about cooking this past year, I signed up for a membership in Moore's Farm, which grows and/or sources regional produce, takes orders, and delivers the food to several locations in the Atlanta area, including a church in my neighborhood.

I ordered and prepared komatsuna, mustardy salad greens, and kale. And loved them. And my resistance weakened. I decided to order collards and cook them for my husband. Which brings me - finally - to the subject of this post!

The fresh collards on one of their three soaks in the sink

When the vegetable order came in I wondered if Tyler Florence had a good recipe for collards, because if he did I might, just might, even taste some. Sure enough, a quick search brought up Tyler's Slow Cooked Collard Greens, complete with nearly unanimous favorable reviews. Done!

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I made half a recipe, using 1 lb collards, 1 quart chicken stock, etc.

- Instead of a ham hock I used 1 1/2 slices of Benton bacon (cut into lardons, of course!). The first thing I did was to cook up the lardons. Then I added the onion and bay leaf to the bacon and continued to cook per the recipe instructions (I did not add any olive oil).

the verdict:

These were the first collard greens I've ever brought myself to taste, and they were quite tasty. And they were not slimy at all! They were tender but still a little crunchy. And the hint of smoky bacon - yum.

My husband was in heaven - he loved the greens. For his first serving, he ate them with only salt and pepper for additional seasoning. On the second plateful, he broke out the hot pepper sauce. For some reason, we haven't been able to find Bruce's at the grocery stores, so he made do with Texas Pete's (which comes from, guess where? Winston-Salem, North Carolina!) He actually preferred the greens without the pepper sauce, which has to be an all time first!

In honor of the occasion, my husband requested to post the following guest verdict:

Reflections upon first taste of Tyler Florence “Slow Cooked Collard Greens” - by Jim E.

"I am transfixed into thankfulness; Deepest appreciation to the following:
-Ben Franklin for electricity
-Robert Noyce for the microprocessor
-Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs for the Mac
-Vint Cerf for internet protocol
-Sir Tim Berners-Lee, CERN, Al Gore for the WWW
-Marc Andreesen for the browser
-J.D.E. for food blog awareness / enlightenment
-Tyler Florence for his genius
-Bentons for their Lardons
-Nancy for her culinary talent – anybody from the North who can do collards like these is truly omnipotent (but we knew that already)."

I'm submitting this to Tyler Florence Fridays. If you haven't checked out all the good food that the TFF bloggers cook up from Tyler's recipes, hop on over to the roundup each Friday and see!

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!

Cod with Soba Noodles and Spicy Tomato Sauce

I was paging through the December issue of Martha Stewart Living. and a picture of some fish in a Hunt's tomato advertisement just imbedded itself in my imagination and would not leave.  So when I found myself with some cod last week I thought I'd give the recipe a try.  I didn't have all of the required ingredients and I was far too lazy to go to the store, so I improvised.  (I couldn't find the recipe on the Hunt's site, so you won't be able to see the mezmerizing photo, but I've included the recipe at the end of this post.)

cook's notes:

- I didn't have any fresh cilantro, so I just left it out. It was just as well, because my husband and daughter both think cilantro tastes like soap.

- I also left out the toasted sesame oil, which is one oil I don't own.

- We really don't like sugar added to our savory food, so I didn't put it in. It may add some amazing flavor note, but I'll never know.

- I used kale instead of napa cabbage.

- During the browning phase my fish didn't really turn golden, but it did manage to cook almost all the way through. I didn't need to simmer it for more than a few minutes to finish the cooking - nowhere near the 20 minutes the recipe specifies. In fact, the fish was so flaky that it pretty much fell apart in the process of cooking and serving the dish. I found it tricky to have two things in the same pan - the fish and the kale - that needed to be cooked at the same time to particular optimal levels of doneness.

- I doubled the red pepper flakes because we love spicy food.

- My dish looked nothing like the picture in the magazine. Nothing.

the verdict:

This dish has a definite Asian accent, which I found surprising - but not unpleasant - in a tomato-based dish. We all liked it; my husband and daughter were even bigger fans than I was.

A.L.E.'s comment: "This is the stuff."

The soba noodles had a great texture and the kale was in that perfect state just between crunchy and tender. The red pepper added a kick without dominating the dish. I do think I would have liked the cilantro in it.

I will keep this in the rotation, especially when my daughters are visiting, since they love Asian and fish dishes.

the recipe:

Cod with Soba Noodles in Tomato Broth (Hunt's)

4 ounces soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles), uncooked
2 tablespoons Pure Wesson Vegetable Oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 small cod fillets, patted dry
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) Hunt's Petite Diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions
1. Cook soba noodles according to package directions; cool; set aside.

2. Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute ginger and garlic about 30 seconds or until fragrant.

3. Season cod with salt/ pepper. Add cod to skillet and cook 2 minutes per side or until lightly browned.

4. Stir in undrained tomatoes, broth, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, simmer 20 minutes. Remove cod from skillet; set aside.

5. Add lime juice, basil, cilantro, sugar and sesame oil to skillet; combine. Add cabbage and soba noodles. Simmer, uncovered, 1 - 2 minutes until cabbage is tender.

6. Divide noodle mixture among 6 bowls; top each with cod. Ladle additional broth over cod and noodles. Garnish with green onions. Serve immediately.

Komatsuna Greens and Heirloom Tomatoes

Our farm box folks have been offering a great selection of greens. I ordered 2 bunches of a green I've never heard of: komatsuna, or "Japanese spinach." There aren't a whole lot of recipes out there specifically for komatsuna, so I started with a regular salad.


I had a bunch of assorted heirloom tomatoes on the counter, so I whipped up the simple Mixed Tomato Salad found in Everyday Food's Great Food Fast cookbook:

2 pounds mixed tomatoes, such as red or yellow beefsteak, cherry, grape, and pear - I used 1 pound
3 T. red-wine vinegar
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
1 bunch arugula (6 - 8 oz) washed well and dried - I used 8+ oz of mixed arugula and komatsuna

1. Core the beefsteak tomatoes; cut each into 8 wedges. Halve the grape and cherry tomatoes; leave the pear tomatoes whole.

2. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together

verdict

This salad was close to perfect. With just a 1:1 ratio of vinegar:oil, and some good red wine vinegar, the bright dressing highlighted but did not overwhelm the fantastic freshness of the varied tomato flavors. The komatsuna had a very mild, clean taste - I will order this green again, and make this salad again. Honestly, it doesn't get any easier - or tastier - than this. [edit: I've made this salad as written, with just arugula, and it's really great. I've also used this dressing with other salads, and enjoyed it. This time I just threw the komatsuna in there because I had it!]

The next day I sauteed some komatsuna leaves in olive oil with sliced garlic and pine nuts, stirred in a bit of leftover tomato sauce and spooned it all over pasta. It was delicious.


{Note: I'm celebrating my first 100 blog posts with a cookbook giveaway - to enter, go here and leave a comment before December 3}

Delicate Vinaigrette Tames Wild Greens

I forgot to mention earlier that I see that the dogs have been taking care of my blog in my absence. Hmm, that might merit an extra treat or two! I'll just take a quick minute to briefly share this delightful salad recipe:


Lately the salad mix in my box of veggies has been a combination of several marvelous mustardy greens. They taste good mixed with milder greens in a tossed salad, but I wanted to highlight their particular character, so I tried this recipe (Gourmet, found on Epicurious) for Farmer's Market Salad made with "strongly flavored wild greens."

cook's notes

- I didn't have champagne vinegar (although I thought I did) so I used white wine vinegar.

- Each time I've made this I've (unintentionally) neglected to follow the specific directions for combining the ingredients. I just put it all in the bowl and whisked. It came together well enough, I think.

the verdict

I've been enjoying strong greens in my salads for awhile now and don't usually give them much special treatment - except when I make an Italian type arugula salad. In fact, I often skip the dressing entirely. Well, not anymore! This is a fantastic, deceptively simple dressing. It has a 2:1 oil:vinegar ratio, and not much else, but it is beautifully balanced and complements the strong flavor of the wild greens perfectly. I'm keeping a jar of this dressing in the fridge; with a quick shake and we have a wonderful salad!