Winter Greens — Recipes
I just love winter greens. Especially when combined with cornbread and local ground sausage. Here are a couple of favorite recipes from A Larrapin Garden…
Read MoreFlashback Post: Winter Kale & White Bean Soup Recipe
The weather may have been colder back in January 2009 when I first posted this, but this soup recipe is good anytime! Hope you enjoy. —Leigh
Read MoreRecipe: Fresh Heirloom Tomatoes with Basil, Capers and Olives, Larrapin Style
Turns out that extended heat and drought will put me into a kind of hibernation as certainly as a rainy winter. Luckily this cool week of stunningly beautiful weather and even a couple of small rains has me coming back to my senses, puttering out in the garden and speaking in full sentences again! How better to celebrate the senses than a recipe that really shows off the fresh flavors of your heirloom tomatoes? I love that the tomatoes are uncooked in this, so it showcases the taste of summer sunshine in the tomatoes.
I took a recipe found in the most excellent cookbook Mediterranean Harvest: Vegetarian Recipes from the World’s Healthiest Cuisine by Martha Rose Shulman and adapted it a bit…by adding some of sliced grilled sausage and putting it all over gluten-free pasta. I didn’t have any parsley, thanks to ravenous grasshopper plague…but it was yummy without it. Also, since I used sausage, I skipped the feta and just sprinkled parmesean slivers over the top. This is an easy to adapt recipe perfect for summer garden bounty….but be sure you have capers on hand!! I knew I’d entered a new phase in cooking life when capers moved over to the “kitchen staples” list…haha.
P.S. If you don’t have your own tomatoes growing, or a supply of delicious and humanely-raised beef or pork sausages, or you need some fresh basil or amazing kalamata olives, you’ll find plenty for pre-order down at the Green Fork Farmers Market on Wednesdays 4-7 in the breezeway of Nightbird Books on Dickson Street in Fayetteville….WHICH is where I happened also to buy this cookbook! <end of shameless plug for my favorite farmers & bookstores> 🙂
Fresh Heirloom Tomatoes with Basil, Capers and Olives, Larrapin Style
2 Tbsp Olive Oil 3 cups chopped heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes cut into bite sized pieces or with cherry tomatoes, halved. See tomato note below. 2 Tbsp capers, drained 2/3 cup halved or chopped black or kalamata olives 1/2 cup slivered fresh basil Salt and pepper to taste Pasta of your choice (I used gluten free noodles) Grated fresh parmesean slivers (or feta, per the original recipe) Optional: 3 TBSP minced fresh flat-leaved parsley Grilled or browned mild sausage or brautwurst links, cut into bite-sided coins Directions: Combine olive oil, chopped tomatoes*, capers, olives, basil, parsley if are using, salt/pepper in a large bowl and let sit 30 minutes or longer.*Note: my large tomatoes were pretty juicy, so I sliced them in half—where their ‘equator’ would be—and gave each a good squeeze over the sink before chopping into bite-sized pieces. This will remove quite a bit of juice and this turned out to be a great idea. Cherry tomatoes work great unsqueezed!) Grill sausage if you are using (or brown in a skillet). Prepare your pasta al dente, drain. You have two options from here: Top the pasta on each plate with the beautiful sauce. Top with parmesean (or feta) to taste. Serve hot or room temp. Or, per the original recipe, you toss it all at once as soon as you drain the pasta, and then serve hot or at room temp. Either way you do it, the room temp version is delicious and refreshing on a hot afternoon. The next day, the leftovers were quite yummy after microwaving, so there you go!
Mendy gave this recipe the official “keeper” stamp of approval, meaning it goes in my keeper-list of experimental recipes. That means it’s real good…which means it’s Larrapin!! But you already knew that if you are reading this blog. Have a wonderful week (but keep praying for rain too). Thanks for stopping by.
—A Larrapin Garden. Please subscribe to get blog posts by email (once a week, max). You can also get bonus links, giveaways and recipes by “liking” the Facebook page or following on Twitter. And if you are in the Fayetteville, Arkansas area, you can share the garden’s bounty via Green Fork Farmers Market—an online & drop-by market on Wednesdays featuring all naturally-grown products.
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Larrapin’s Sausage, Collards & Cornbread Casserole
Collards are such lovely greens and so under-appreciated, even in the South. That’s probably because we just think of them cooked traditionally: for a long time, served juicy with some vinegar sauce and a big hunk of cornbread and call it a good day. But they deserve more!
I’m in love with a variety of collards from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, called “Green Glaze” that are a gorgeous color with a shiny leaf that deters caterpillars a bit better than usual.
I’ve done collard quiche, collard soups and they are wonderful. Now, this traditional pairing with cornbread—but cooked lightly so they are green and flavorful alongside delicious pork sausage from Summer Kitchen Farm…this dish is my new favorite.
Now and then I stumble on a really good recipe. And then sometimes I add a few tweaks of my own and sometimes it’s a winner. This one is a “winner” in our house….barely had time to snap the picture above before it was gone!
Larrapin Sausage, Collards & Cornbread Casserole
Sausage & Collard Filling: 1Tbsp Olive Oil 1lb local sausage (ground or cut-up links) 2 med onions, chopped 1 cup bell peppers (red is prettier) de-seeded and diced 1 cup chopped celery (optional) 4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped finely 2 large bunches of collards, washed, large stems removed, chiffonade cut. 1-2 cups cups chicken stock salt & pepper 1Tbsp cider vinegar Filling Directions: In a large, heavy bottomed pot heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage and heat till browned. While browing sausage, chiffonade collards. (To chiffonade: stack several washed collard leaves at a time — with large stems removed — on each other, roll up, and slice on the diagonal into thin streamers.) Remove sausage to drain, leave remaining oil in pot. Put onions, peppers, celery into pot over med heat till softened. Add garlic and cook 1-2 more minutes. Add collards as they will fit in the pot and stir to wilt. Add more till all are in. Add 1 cup chicken stock to pot to simmer. Keep turning collards in stock till tender (around 5 minutes). Add more stock if needed to moisten. Add sausage back to pot and add cider vinegar. Stir together and add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a sprayed 9 x 12ish casserole pan in a layer 1-2 inches thick (depending on how many collards you had and the size of casserole pan you have.) Make cornbread topping batter below.Cornbread Topping (Madelyn’s Cornbread recipe) 1 1/2 cup cornmeal (organic) 6 Tbsp flour 5 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp sugar 2 Tbsp oil (canola, vegetable) 2 eggs, beaten 2 cups buttermilk (or plain kefir) Topping Directions: Sift together dry ingredients. Add liquid ingredients and stir till just mixed. Pour/smooth cornbread batter thinly to cover filling in casserole dish. (It’s ok if some shows through.)
Bake casserole 30 min at 350 or until cornbread is golden brown on top. Get a nice big helping that a farm hand would love. Good with a simple garden salad on the side. Yum. ( Adapted from a recipe by Ben Barker at vegetablegardener.com )
—A Larrapin Garden. Please subscribe to get the posts in one email on Wednesdays. You can also get bonus links, giveaways and recipes by “liking” the Facebook page or following on Twitter. And if you are in the Fayetteville, Arkansas area, you can share the garden’s bounty via Green Fork Farmers Market—an online & drop-by market on Wednesdays featuring all naturally-grown products.
Read MoreRecipe: Romaine & Feta Salad with Spicy Glazed Walnuts (or Pecans)
INGREDIENTS
• SPICY GLAZED WALNUTS/PECANS
2 tsp. butter
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. water
2/3 c. pecans or walnuts
Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the sugar, black pepper, & water. Cook until the mixture is bubbling. Add the nuts and stir constantly until they are well coated and the sugar has begun to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet to cool completely.
• VINAIGRETTE & SALAD:
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 c. light olive oil
2 heads Romaine lettuce
6 oz. Feta or Gorgonzola cheese
Spicy glazed nuts (above)
1. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil and whisk until blended.
2. Wash and dry the Romaine leaves and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Tear into bite sized pieces Crumble the Gorgonzola or Feta into small pieces.
3. You can top the salad with the dressing, cheese & spiced nuts or toss and serve, as you prefer. Yum!
Recipe also posted at Green Fork Farmers Market, Fayetteville. Originally Mendy’s mother made this salad for us. This rendition adapted from several recipes much like this one at cooks.com.
Other good salad recipes online I like:
Romaine, Apple, and Gorgonzola Salad
Apple-Feta Tossed Salad
English Salad
I’d love to hear some of your favorite salad recipes—please share on the the Facebook page! Have a great week. Leigh
—A Larrapin Garden. Please subscribe to get the posts in one email on Wednesdays. You can also get bonus links, giveaways and recipes by “liking” the Facebook page or following on Twitter. And if you are in the Fayetteville, Arkansas area, you can share the garden’s bounty via Green Fork Farmers Market—an online & drop-by market on Wednesdays featuring all naturally-grown products.
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