variation on a theme

We have collard greens in the garden.  Oh, my, but do we have collard greens.  Jim is dousing everything in the garden (and all the flowers) with Miracle Grow, and everything is responding with out-size growth.  So, last night, I decided to do a spaetzle and mushroom dish we love, but this time with the addition of collards.

we grilled a bone-in pork roast on the rotisserie

The nice thing about combining pasta (or its cousin, spaetzle) with veggies is that you cook a bit of starch and a variety of veggies all in the same pan.  Speaking of pans, I am every day more in love with my new French iron pans.  They really are super non-stick, gorgeous to look at and easy to clean.  Now, I promise to stop mentioning them. 

I started with a simple saute of sliced mushrooms and shallots in a bit of butter

After the shallots and mushrooms had wilted and begun to color, I added a bit of concentrated veal stock, which I find to be richer, and actually more convenient, than beef broth, along with a couple of cups of the water and the dried spaetzle.  I use dried spaetzle in this case because of the way it soaks up the flavors of the sauce.  Fresh spaetzle could not take on so much flavor because the dough would become too soft in the rich broth.  Once the spaetzle had nearly cooked through (just taste it, it takes about 15 minutes) I began adding in the collards, along with a bit of grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper.  Nutmeg is a natural partner with greens.  Its warm flavor plays off nicely against the bitterness in the greens.

the collards need to cook only until they are tender

The dish was a happy marriage with the grilled pork, easy to prepare in one pan, and interesting to eat -- warm, slightly bitter, and rich with contrasting vegetal flavors.