cooking ala mel

Raw Tuscan Kale Salad with Parmesan

April 3, 2011

There’s been such a huge kale craze going around the food blogs recently, and I’ve been wanting to try so many different recipes, but every time I finally decide I’m going to, I can’t find any kale at the store! When we went to Wegman’s on Friday afternoon, I finally spotted a huge bag of pre-chopped, pre-washed kale, and I seized the opportunity to try some of these recipes I’ve been eying up for so long! Because today’s a study day, and I really don’t want to be in the kitchen any longer than necessary (and we’ve really eaten way too much food this weekend), I decided to start off with a kale salad.

I think I’m addicted. I understand the obsession with kale, now! This salad is so flavorful with the garlic and parmesan, and the extra kick from the chili pepper flakes is phenomenal. I just had a small bowl to test it out, but I think I might end up finishing this batch tonight..it’s that good.

I had a lone piece of Arnold’s High Fiber bread left over, so I toasted it in our new toaster (woo!) and just ripped it up into pieces, rather than process it like the recipe suggested. I liked it with the bigger pieces to make it feel a bit heartier!

Raw Tuscan Kale Salad with Parmesan

from In the Kitchen With a Good Appetite

serves 2-4

1 bunch kale (about 4-5 cups)

1 thin slice country bread or 1/4 cup coarse bread crumbs

1/2 garlic clove (I used a full clove..it’s definitely garlicky, so stick to the half if you aren’t a fan of too much garlic!)

1/4 t salt, plus a pinch

1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus additional (the recipe originally called for pecorino)

3 T extra-virgin olive oil

freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

1/8 t chili pepper flakes (or red pepper flakes)

black pepper, to taste

Trim the bottom two inches off the kale stems and discard. Slice the kale into 3/4-inch ribbons. You should have 4-5 cups. Place the kale in a large bowl.

Toast the bread until golden on both sides. Tear it into small pieces and grind in a food processor until it forms coarse crumbs (or just use the torn pieces).
Using a mortar and pestle (or knife), pound the garlic and 1/4 t salt into a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add in the cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, pepper flakes, a pinch of salt and black pepper. Whisk to combine (it will be pretty thick).
Pour over the kale and toss to combine thoroughly. Make sure you do this well enough to coat all of the leaves; it’ll take some time since the dressing is thick. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes to an hour (the flavors develop more as it sits). Serve topped with the bread crumbs, extra cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Potato and Apple Latkes

April 2, 2011

Alex has been wanting me to make latkes (or potato pancakes) for a very long time. I told him over and over again that I couldn’t do it until we got a cheesecloth, since you really need to drain the potatoes well to get a good crisp to the latkes. We finally got one about two weeks ago, and I still didn’t make him any; he wasn’t very happy. He had a physics test this morning, so I promised him latkes upon his return. I followed the recipe from smitten kitchen for these latkes (which I’ve adapted slightly below). I’ve been ogling her recipe for apple latkes for a while, so I decided to make half a batch of those for myself to try.

We’ve been sort of kicked out of the kitchen for actually eating the past few days; two girls have been camping out with their computers and books (don’t ask me why…), so it’s been a little more stressful to move our things back to the room to eat. I haven’t been bothering to take really great pictures. Alex’s mom stopped by to take Alex to the bank, and she tested out the apple latkes with me; they were delicious! I really love the flavor of these. They don’t need much extra by way of flavoring, but I’m sure the potato latkes would be great with sour cream, and the apple latkes would be great with some caramel or yogurt!

Potato Latkes
yields a dozen small latkes

1 large potato (1 pound)
1/2 cup onion (4 oz.)

¼ cup flour

1 egg, beaten

1 t salt

¼ t pepper

olive oil

Shred potato and onion with food processor or grater. With cheesecloth (or colander), squeeze out excess liquid. Allow to sit for two minutes and then squeeze again.

Mix together the flour, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the potato mixture until evenly coated.

In large skillet, heat two tablespoons oil on medium. Drop the potato mixture by the tablespoon onto the skillet and flatten. Heat for about 1 and ½ minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain them on paper towels. Keep heated in the oven at 200ºF while you’re making the rest!

Apple Latkes

yields a dozen small latkes

2 large Granny Smith apples (1 pound)

1 T lemon juice

1 T brown sugar

1/4 t cinnamon

6 T flour

1 t baking powder

2 eggs

butter (or oil)

Core the apple; shred with food processor or grater. Using a cheesecloth or colander, squeeze out the excess liquid. Place apple shreds in a medium bowl and add lemon juice. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until lightly beaten, and then stir the mixture into the apples.

Heat a large skillet on medium with about 1 T butter (or oil). Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto the skillet and flatten them. Fry for 3-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Drain lightly on paper towels. Put them in a 200ºF oven while you’re making the rest!

Pasta Sauce with Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Sausages, Spinach and Onion

March 30, 2011

When we went home for spring break, we stocked up on chicken sausages from Sam’s Club. We decided to get a few more flavors than usual; we normally only get the chicken & apple sausages, as you can see all over this blog. We also got three cheese and sun-dried tomato & provolone. We got to try the three cheese at my house in a pasta dish that my dad made; he sautéed up some sweet peppers and onion with the sausages and then mixed then up in a tomato sauce for over the pasta. I thought it was absolutely delicious, so I couldn’t wait to try something like it once we got back to school.

I didn’t have any peppers, and I was really in the mood for pasta, so I made it with spinach and onion. If you have peppers, throw that in too – they are SO delicious in this dish! I used the sun-dried tomato and provolone sausages for this instead of the three cheese; I loved the subtle flavors they added. Alex isn’t really a fan of them, so I think I’ll have to stick with the three cheese next time..sigh.

This is such a perfect way to spice up your normal pasta and sauce kind of dinner!

Pasta Sauce with Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Sausages, Spinach and Onion

serves 3

15 oz. tomato sauce

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen spinach (fresh is fine, too)

1/2 cup onion, sliced fine

2 sun-dried tomato chicken sausages, sliced

salt, pepper, basil, parsley, to taste

Place the sliced chicken sausages in a large skillet with a thin layer of water and cook on high heat, until all of the water is evaporated and the sausages are lightly browned on each side. Add in the frozen spinach, garlic and onion; lower the heat to medium high and cook until the spinach is wilted and the onion is translucent. Add in the sauce and seasonings, and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, until flavors combine and the sauce is heated through. Serve over top whole wheat pasta (or regular) with some parmesan.