puntarelle alla romana

February 5, 2019
Serves 4

when we were in italy, someone brought home a head of puntarelle from the market and asked me to fix it with dinner. i had no idea what it was and just cut it up and braised it as a cooked green with garlic. well, when i served it, people looked at me quizzically and said, “you cooked it”?! little did i know, it makes a fabulous salad!
the key is slicing it up into very thin strips and soaking them in ice water until they curl up and create myriad surfaces for soaking up a garlicky, anchovy vinaigrette.
(for a vegetarian version, use mustard in place of the anchovies.)

(to view the recipe, click on the title above)

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kale chips

April 13, 2015
Course
Equipment
Oven
Prep time
15m
Cook Time
15m

This is one of my favorite ways to eat kale! If you’ve never had kale, this is the place to start. Kale chips are absolutely delicious and super nutritious.

(to view the recipe, click on the title above)

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cardoons au gratin

April 13, 2015
Cuisine
Course
Serves 2 servings for a main dish, 4 for a side dish

Growing and Cooking Cardoons

Plant cardoons in a well-drained, fertile, sunny spot. They will need about a 3 x 3 foot area. They grow into a lovely silvery-leaved bush about 4’ tall. Beautiful as a striking ornamental, the best part is that you get to eat them too! About 3-4 weeks before you harvest, tie up the leaves so the stems blanch. You can even cover the whole plant with a burlap bag. To harvest, cut off the stalks way down at the base. You only need to cut a few stalks at a time, so one plant will give you several meals over several weeks. To prepare them, wash well and be sure to remove all the leafy parts and stringy fibers. Cardoons lie somewhere in between celery and artichokes with a texture like that of celery and flavor like artichokes, without all the fuss. In Italy they are eaten as a crudite with bagna cauda (a rich, warm anchovy and garlic sauce) or in soups and stews. The following is my adaptation of a Spanish recipe from “the food of spain & portugal” by elisabeth luard, 2004.

(to view the recipe, click on the title above)

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beans and greens

April 13, 2015
Serves 4 people

Growing Greens for Tuscan Greens and Beans:  Pan di Zucchero Chicory

Plant in rich soil with ample water…easy-to-grow ( just like lettuce). Spaced about 10-12 inches apart, this beautiful non-bitter chicory (“sugar loaf” in Italian) produces a light green, 1’ tall head similar to a romaine lettuce. Harvest the whole head, or if you can’t wait, use the leaves anytime before it heads and more leaves will grow back.

Use leaves fresh in salads or try it cooked…..

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