going green

I did my first full-on cooking demo at Whole Foods, and I will blog about what I cooked in a post this week, but a conversation with a customer during that demo gave me an idea for a cooking class I hope to give at the store.  The produce department is simply awash with different varities of greens, and many are unfamiliar to the average cook.  They can be a bit intimidating.

So I am going to experiment with ways to cook greens that are simple, delicious, and go beyond the Southern tradition of throwing them in a pot of water with some fat back and cooking the snot out of them.

We were having lamb tonight, so I went with a Middle Eastern take on greens, built on lacinato kale, which is a very dark green kale with pebbly-textured leaves. 

mise en place for a Middle Eastern flavored kale

The dish is simple.  Kale, with the center rib removed is torn into smaller pieces, and sauteed with grated ginger, minced serrano peppers, garlic, sweet red pepper, shallots, and a little salt.  The shallots and red peppers are sliced, the garlic and chile minced, and the ginger grated.  Ginger and lemon grass both freeze very well, and can easily be run over a microplane grater, fully frozen, to create a sort of fine snow.   

I started by sauteeing the sliced shallots and red pepper in a little neutral oil.  Once the vegetables had started to caramelize, I added in the garlic, hot peppers, and ginger.

the mixture is wonderfully fragrant

the kale goes in the pot, along with any water

clinging to the leaves

Once the kale was fully wilted, but still a nice deep green, I tasted, and added a bit of kosher salt to bring out all of the intense flavors.

a flavorful, healthy, and pretty side dish 

Served with lamb chops coated in a bit of curry powder, and some steamed rice, these greens are a delicious centerpiece of vegetables loaded with nutrients and antioxidants.