Tag Archives | onion

Braised Greens and Radishes

By Amee Meghani on May 20, 2013 in DFW Local Box, Recipes, Side Dishes, Spring, Vegan

I’m no biology expert or anything, but I hear they don’t all make it to the egg.

Local Box Radishes!

Radishes are unruly little creatures! Maybe they they could use a little grooming assistance with a flat iron and some frizz-ease, but that’s no reason to turn down a radish. Radishes have always been the bench warmers of the root vegetable team, but now it’s time to play them. No better court than a skillet full of mustard or collard greens.

Braising is a fancy technical term which infers both Sauteeing and Steaming. So basically you brown something at a very high heat and then you add liquid and cover and allow the resulting steam to further cook. So I guess it’s like laying out in the sun with tanning oil, and then going into a sauna. :)

How to remove tough stems from Collard or Mustard Greens (or any greens!)

Stems removed

Nice Stems

Stir Quickly to Coat all of the greens in olive oil and then Cover immediately

Braised Collard Greens with Radishes

Put some lemon or orange zest on it!

Braised Greens with Radishes

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 small sweet onion, sliced in rings

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 bunch collard greens or mustard greens

1 cup coarsely chopped cabbage (loosely packed) (optional)

1 scant cup radishes

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Trim the tough stems from the collard greens by folding each leaf lengthwise and then removing the stem in one simple angled cut. Stack all of the cut leaves together and cut into approximately one inch squares.

2. Remove the tops and the tails from the radishes.

3. Heat olive oil in a deep and wide skillet or saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic slices and cook for 3 minutes. Stir frequently to keep them from burning. Add radishes and cook for 3 more minutes. Then add chopped greens, chopped cabbage, sherry, and 1/4 cup water. Stir quickly until greens are coated well and then cover immediately.

4. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until greens are wilted and very dark, stirring once or twice if needed. Uncover and season with salt, pepper, and lemon zest.

*Alternate option: You can serve a poached egg on top of the braised greens which make a nice presentation…

(Maybe the radishes make it to the egg after all!)

Comments { 0 }

Amee’s Broccoli Cheddar Beer Soup

By Amee Meghani on April 20, 2013 in Greenling DFW, Recipes, Soups, Spring

You weren’t going to throw these away, were you?

Grated Broccoli stalks are great for soup OR an Asian slaw salad

“Whatcha gonna do with all those stalks, all those stalks inside that box?”

You’re lucky you can’t hear me sing Black Eyed Peas. You’re welcome. Hi, I’m Amee (of rabbit food rocks), and I’m a new Greenling blogger! I’ll be helping you find ways to make delicious vegetarian dishes with all that Local Box fruit and veg.

So if you don’t know what to do with these lovely lady…stumps, I’ve got you covered with two beautiful words: beer and cheese.

You have to be in the right mood for any kind of broccoli-cheese soup, but what I don’t like is when I order a cup of soup and they bring me what resembles queso. Here’s a recipe for a lighter version, but you’ll see that I open the door to be indulgent too. Enjoy!

This is the only way to sneak beer into work.

Broccoli, Cheddar, and Beer Soup

Ingredients:

1-1/2 Tablespoons oil (canola)

1/2 an onion, diced

1-1/2 cups finely chopped broccoli stalks* (this is a rough estimate – do not go OCD on me)

3/4 cup beer, preferable a pale ale (I used a black lager, but follow Simon Says, ok?)

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons butter (insert mmm here)

1-1/2 cups lowfat milk (1% or 2%)

1/2 cups whole milk (whole milk would be good; half-n-half would be cray cray.)

1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese, packed (I used rich and creamy local cheddar from Veldhuizen that I added to my Greenling order this week)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onions and chopped broccoli stalks and saute until onions appear translucent. Add beer and allow it to cook down for about 5 minutes or until there is minimal liquid. It should look swampy, not soupy. Cook the beer WAY down, where you shouldn’t have much liquid, but it shouldn’t be dry either. Then empty contents into a small bowl.

2. Melt butter in the same pot and then whisk in flour until it looks homogeneous (yeah – big word for me too).

3. Lower heat to medium. Whisk in 1/2 cup whole milk plus 1 cup only of the lowfat milk. Cook for 5 minutes, until it has thickened into a sauce. It should remind you of a very naughty Alfredo sauce almost. Lower heat to low and whisk in grated cheese. Now it should look queso-y.

4. Allow cheese to melt completely, add broccoli-onion mixture, and season with ~ 1 teaspoon salt and some ground pepper.

5. Remove from heat. Cool slightly, and then using a blender or immersion blender, blend. Add the remaining 1/2 cup milk. Blend. Return mixture to pot. Heat on medium-low and add pepper. Taste. Spike it with a tiny dash of a peppery tabasco maybe?

6. Serve** or pack for lunch. Make obnoxious mmmm sounds in your cubicle.

*Don’t even think about taking 3 minutes out of your day to peel the outer layer of the broccoli stalks. It’s all going to be cooked and blended into a soup. You’ll live. Use that time for something more valuable – like updating your Facebook profile picture.

**When you are done, you won’t see nomadic bits of broccoli florets in your bowl because we only used stalks, but if that bothers you either (a) add the florets in step 1 or (b) close your eyes.

Comments { 1 }

Save Green- Make Your Own Stock!

By Margo on April 5, 2013 in Greenling DFW, Soups, Staff Picks

stock

Here at Greenling, we’re constantly on a mission to use as much of the vegetable as possible. Beet greens? Sauteed and delicious! Skins? We eat ‘em on almost everything! But sometimes there are parts of the vegetable you just don’t want to eat (the bottoms of onions, tough ends of celery), or maybe you simply have too much to use before the vegetable goes bad. Don’t worry, there’s a tasty solution for that- homemade chicken or vegetable stock! Homemade stock is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to add flavor and depth to your meals all while reducing kitchen waste.

Preparation
You probably won’t have to buy veggies to make your stock- simply scraps alone will suffice! A good plan of action is to simply keep an airtight container or gallon ziplock bag in your freezer that you can toss scraps/unused veggies in as you cook. You can do the same thing with herbs- if you’re not going to use them before they go bad, add them to the bag. It is important to make sure you scrub and wash your vegetables! Use common sense- cut and discard moldy or slimy parts. You’ll want to use each stock bag within a few weeks.

Similarly, if you’d like to make chicken (or beef) stock, buy a whole chicken and keep the neck, back, and wings, and any bones. Store in a separate bag or container in your freezer.

What to use
Onions, green onions, leeks, shallots (skins, peels, cores, trimmings)
carrots (vegetable and green)
celery (stalk and leaves)
mushrooms (and stems)
potatoes
squash
root veggies (and their leaves)
peppers
peas
corn (and cobs)
spinach, kale
apples
pears
herbs
(note: Brussels sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, fennel, and cabbage impart strong flavors, and beet skins have a tendency to make broth bitter. Avoid these, or add towards the end of cooking time.)

Cooking
The key to a great tasting stock is to cook slowly, and use a variety of vegetables, herbs, and spices. Balance the strong (onions, celery) with the sweet (carrots, sweet potatoes.) Deb (from Smitten Kitchen, recipe below) simmers her stock uncovered for 3 hours. Similarly, a crockpot is a great solution for strong, delicious stock. You could set your crockpot on the lowest setting before you go to sleep and leave it for 10 hours or more. Taste as you go, the flavor will develop over time. After your stock is finished, you’ll want to strain it through a sieve or fine strainer. Discard or compost the solids. Store stock in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or frozen (in jars or ice cube trays!) for a few months.

Chicken Stock Recipe
Recipe and photo (above) from SmittenKitchen.com

Makes approximately 3.5 quarts

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds chicken necks, backs and wings (omit if making vegetable stock)
Contents of your stock bag, cut into chunks (classic combination: onions, celery, turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes)
1 head garlic, cut horizontally in half
1-2 California bay leaf
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon Kosher salt (optional)
a few bunches of herbs, like parsley or thyme (whatever is in your stock bag)
4 quarts cold water

Bring all ingredients to a boil in an 8- to 10-quart heavy pot. Skim froth. Reduce heat and gently simmer, uncovered for 3 hours. (Or use crock pot method described above.) Pour stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl and discard solids. If using stock right away, skim off and discard any fat. If not, cool stock completely, uncovered, before skimming fat, then chill, covered.

Comments { 0 }

Crock Pot Roast

By Christy on August 19, 2012 in Gluten-free, Main Dishes, Recipes

It is still too hot to have the oven on for hours at a time. So when I got my beautiful roast from Bastrop Cattle Company in my Greenling basket, I got out the crock pot and dug out some root veggies for a down home Sunday dinner. The secret to any great roast is the browning of the meat and veg prior to roasting. You aren’t looking to cook them through but the brown bits equal flavor.

3-4 Pound Chuck Roast

10-12 Baby Carrots

4-5 Potatoes, cut in 2 inch pieces

1-2 Onions, peeled and cut in 8 pieces

1-2 Leeks, sliced and soaked to clean, then cut in 2 inch pieces

1-2 Tablespoons oil

1 Can Beef Broth

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Thoroughly dry roast and then season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside while you prep vegetables. Add potatoes to crock pot. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium high heat in large saute pan. Brown the onions and leeks then add to crock pot. Brown carrots then add to crock pot. Add more oil to saute pan if needed and brown roast thoroughly on all sides. Position roast on top of vegetables in crock pot. Pour a couple of Tablespoons of beef broth in saute pan to deglaze, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour over roast with remaining beef broth. Add water if necessary for liquid to come halfway up roast. Cook covered on high for 4-5 hours or low for 5-6 hours.

Comments { 0 }

Creamy Mushroom Sauce

By Christy on April 15, 2012 in Main Dishes, Recipes

This sauce is yummy on steak, chicken, or in the case of the picture, pork. I recommend dredging chicken or pork in seasoned flour and browning first. Set protein aside to make sauce then finish cooking in the sauce for smothered pork chops or chicken.

8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1/2 small onion, cut into thin slices

1 bay leaf

1 sprig thyme

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

Use the pan you browned the meat in for maximum flavor. You need about a tablespoon of oil in the brown to soften the vegetables. Add the onions to the pan over medium heat. Stir until translucent. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan. Add bay leaf and thyme. The mushrooms will give off water as they cook. Continue stirring over medium heat until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown. Deglaze pan with wine and reduce by half. Add milk. If you are making smothered pork chops or chicken, add them back to the sauce at this point. Simmer about 8 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf and thyme stem before serving.