More Eatin' O'the Green

A few more worldly ways to go green here at the Ides of March and start to rev up a system made sluggish by winter. Easy to find green veggies in glamorous form: green beans, spinach, kale, chard and collards.

Persian Green Bean Fritatta

Once you've chopped up the green beans, this is ridiculously simple to prepare. It's also delightfully delicious (long yea saffron! and hello tarragon) and perfect for kids. Unlike Italian frittatas and Spanish tortillas, this Persian version wants just enough egg to hold the green beans and onions together.  Unlike the frittata and tortilla, it looks great baked in a square pan and cut into squares instead of wedges. And if all this isn't enough to encourage you to try it, you can eat it hot, room temp or cold-- the next day as well. Perfect picnic and lunchbox fare. Good for brunch buffet, light lunch or dinner appetizer.

I got 9 squares out of this, cutting three lines both ways. The hungry could easily eat two squares.

1 lb green beans, cleaned and cut into 1/4" pieces
1 lg onion, diced
3 tbsp unsalted butter
pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp hot water
6 extra large eggs
2 tbsp milk or water
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1/4-1/2 tsp Aleppo chili pepper (depending on if you want to taste it)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
3 tbsp breadcrumbs or fine corn meal
1/4 tsp paprika

 Preheat oven to 350º. Grease an 8" square baking pan with 1 tbsp butter. Sprinkle 1 tbsp breadcrumbs across the bottom.
Cook the cut beans in boiling salted water until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain carefully.
Melt 2 tbsp butter in a frying pan or skillet and over med/low heat, sauté the onions until they are soft and translucent. Don't burn.

In a medium bowl--if it has a pour spout so much the better, beat the eggs with 2 tbsp milk. Whisk in the saffron with its water, nutmeg, tarragon, salt and pepper to your taste. Stir in the green beans and onions and thoroughly blend.  Pour everything into the buttered square pan and level the top. Sprinkle around 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs and the paprika.
   Bake at 350º 25 minutes or until the eggs are firm.  Cool at least 5 minutes before cutting.

Georgian Spinach "Pate"

How many this vegan splendor serves depends on how you serve it but it's hard to cut back the quantities. Also, WARNING: contains nuts.
Georgian here means from the Caucuses, not the South. Homecooks in that land on the Black Sea turn many vegetables into "paté" and offer several at once with flatbread as part of a mezze/tapas spread to start a meal. Since homecooks might not have access to a lot of molds, they usually form their paté in available bowls, so I did too and got this green dome. You can use a small loaf pan if you prefer. I topped it with a candied walnut to indicate it contained nuts. That's vital because to nuts can be lethal to those with allergies.

1 lb baby spinach leaves

1 lg garlic clove
1/2 c walnut pieces or halves
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp ground chili (Aleppo works great)
1/2 tsp coriander seeds or 1 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 c chopped cilantro leaves
1 tsp cider vinegar
Black pepper to your taste
to garnish: walnut halves and/or pomegranate seeds or finely crumbled feta.

Blanch or steam the spinach until it wilts. Drain reserving 2-3 tbsp of the water and squeeze it as dry as possible. Chop it finely.
Put the walnuts, sea salt and garlic in a food chopper or processor and grind to an oil paste. This means grinding until the nuts release their oil. If it seems too thick add 2 tbsp spinach water to get it to the consistency of thick hummus. Grind in the chili, coriander, parsley and cilantro. Add the vinegar and push in the chopped spinach. Before you grind season with freshly ground black pepper. Grind everything into a smooth paté. (Note: this is my adaption using modern equipment. In Georgia cooks do a lot of pounding and pestling.)
Oil a small bowl and pack in the paté, pushing down and leveling the top. Put a pot lid or something

heavy the fits and put a weight on that. Wrap everything in a plastic bag to seal it, put it in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours. Using a small spatula to loosen the edges, unmold the paté onto a round plate. Garnish with walnuts and whatever else. Surround with bread and a knife for spreading.
This can also be a pitta sandwich filling which you can embellish as you wish with sour cream or cheese or chopped red onion and cucumber.

Polenta Kale Layer Cake

One of my mid winter madness creations a few years back. This photo shows the kale and sweet potatoes in one filling between two layers of polenta instead of the three layer cake below. Your choice!

Serves 6

2/3 cup polenta

3 cups water

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp minced roasted poblano pepper

Pinch of red pepper flakes

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup shredded or grated mozzarella cheese

for the kale filling

2 bunches kale

1 med white onion, diced

5 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp pine nuts

¼ tsp salt

½ cup ricotta cheese (fat free is fine)

2 lg sweet potatoes

¼ tsp salt

2 cardamom pods, cracked or ¼ ground cardamom.

2 tbsp mascarpone

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

pinch of nutmeg

1 tbsp olive oil for the pan

Grease an 8 or 9” springform pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375º.

Peel and coarsely chop the sweet potatoes. Put in a pot and cover with water. Add salt and cardamom pods. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook until potatoes are soft, 12-15 minutes. Remove cardamom pods. Using a slotted spoon or spatula to drain them, put the sweet potatoes in a food processor. Add 1 tbsp of the cooking water and hold the rest. Add the mascarpone. Quickly puree.  Set aside.

Remove kale leaves from their thick stems. Wash and drain carefully. Combine kale, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor. Using the pulse button, chop the kale into small pieces as though making pesto.

In a small skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium/low heat. Add onions and black pepper. Sauté 5 minutes until onions are soft. 

Stir in the chopped kale mix. Sauté 3-5 minutes until kale is soft but still bright green. Remove from heat. Add salt and ricotta and blend well. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sweet potato water with 2 cups water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and continue whisking until it is absorbed and the mixture starts to thicken, 5 minutes.

Add oregano, pepper flakes and minced poblano pepper. Continue cooking over low heat 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add mozzarella cheese, stirring as you go and continue cooking 3 more minutes so all cheese is melted.  Polenta should be thick and creamy now.

Cover the bottom of the oiled springform pan with an even layer of 1/3 the polenta.

Cover the polenta layer with an even layer of the kale mixture. Top with another layer of 1/3 of the polenta.

Top with an even layer of the sweet potatoes and a final layer of polenta.

Top with the grated parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake at 375º for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking 15-20 minutes until top is lightly brown. Remove from heat. Cool in the pan 10-15 minutes. Remove sides of the pan.

Serve cut in wedges like a cake.

  

*Carnivores can add ½ cup chopped chorizo or pepperoni to the polenta or ½ cup chopped garlic sausage to the kale.

Gratin of Hearty Winter Greens
serves 6-8 and freezes well

Enough extra-virgin olive or butter to generously cover the bottom of a large pan
3 medium onions, halved and sliced thin

1 bunch of kale

1 bunch of chard

1 bunch of collards*

4 cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced

pinch red chili pepper flakes
Sea salt
1 pint heavy cream
4 ounces grated cheese, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Gruyère
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

*if you can’t find collards use two bunches of kale or different chards

Place a large heavy-bottom pot over low-medium heat, add the onions, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they are very soft, 5-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, prep the greens. Remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in one left hand and slicing down each side of the stem with a knife. By the time you're done, you'll have two piles: one of stems and one of leaves. Bunch the stems in a pile and slice them finely, crosswise. Set aside. Chop the greens and set them aside.
Preheat the oven to 350º.
Add the chopped garlic to the softened onions in the pot and stir for a minute or so, until the garlic has released its fragrance. Add the chopped stems, chili pepper flakes and a pinch of salt, stir to mix them with the onions and garlic, and cover the pot. Let them cook about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add the greens and another pinch of salt, using tongs to carefully mix in with the sautéed veggies in the pan. Add ½ c water (or stock) to the pan, and turn heat to high until the water begins to boil. When it does, turn heat down to low, and let the greens simmer, covered, stirring occasionally until they're nearly tender but still a little al dente. Uncover the pot cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated.
Turn off the heat, taste, and add a little salt if necessary. Arrange the cooked greens in a casserole dish large enough to comfortably fit them all. Pour the cream over. Sprinkle the cheese all over the top. Season heavily with black pepper. Bake until the top is browned (30-45 minutes). Serve hot.

This dish can be made a day or two in advance and reheated in a 350º just before serving. Vegan variation: Replace the cream with coconut milk and replace the cheese with bread crumbs (or slivered almonds) .