Cooking
Bags of organic arugula at the store always tempt me. "Buy me!" they say, "Eat salad for a week, it'll be great!" Of course after three or four days the bag is half full and the contents start to look rather wilted and sad. Then comes regret. Why did I buy that bag in the first place? Recently I found the solution to the problem of wilting greens, a problem that I'm guessing may also be yours.
It turns out arugula is quite wonderful when lightly sauteed in olive oil. It's somewhat bitter and earthy but in a good way. It's even better if you mix it with some other greens. I use a bit of frozen spinach which is mild but silky and some fresh escarole which has a lovely spring flavor and juiciness when it's cooked. The mixture of flavors and textures creates a compelling dish that isn't just a terrific side dish, but begs to be layered in a grilled cheese sandwich. With or without ham or bacon, this is good stuff!
I buy arugula a lot. But you could just as easily use fresh but beginning-to-wilt spinach, swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, turnip tops or beet greens. Experiment! The amounts of greens are up to you and what you have on hand. I almost always have some individually quick frozen (IQF) spinach in the freezer but don't use it if you don't have it, this is all about cooking economically and making do with what you have. No garlic on hand? No problem! Want to use red chile flakes in addition to onion and garlic? Go for it! You have nothing to lose but some greens that are probably not ready for a starring role in a salad, Mr. De Mille. The basic technique is just to place the ingredients in the pan in order from most sturdy to most fragile. The sturdy stuff will take a little longer to cook than the fragile stuff, but we're talking only a few minutes.
Sautéed Mixed GreensServes about 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup frozen spinach
8-10 leaves of escarole
1/2 bag of arugula, about 4 handfuls
Instructions
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and when hot, add the onion. Cook for three minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, add the garlic and cook for just 30 seconds then add the spinach and the escarole. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Let it cook for a minute or two, just until the spinach barely defrosts. Remove the lid and stir, then add the arugula and stir. The arugula will wilt very quickly, in just a couple of minutes. Season with salt and you're done!
Enjoy!
- Radish Penne: Recipe
I'm not a Winter person. I love the Summer. But when Winter comes around I look forward to coaxing root vegetables into something special. Like radishes. Radishes may be available all year round, but their cool, spicy, crunchiness makes them seem...
- Tablespoon: Restaurant Review Closed
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Actually getting some use of the latest issue of Gourmet... A light & cool salad of cucumbers, mixed Italian (go figure) greens, cherry tomatoes, feta, chickpeas, and black olives, light dressing, on hummus-smeared grilled pocketless pita. So easy to...
- Miniature Lemon Meringue Tartlets
This tiny dessert ended one of the meals I prepared for Grammy during her stay at Chez Stephanie. Along with a Paper Wrapped Salmon (from Donna Hay), a salad of mixed greens, and wild rice, there were individual lemon tarts. Prepared pie crust, cut...
- Dine About Town 2004
Melissa's mom (mother-in-law is still odd to type) reminds me that Dine About Town is once again here. Bay Areans make sure to check out the site and take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy some of San Francisco's finest restaurants at discounted...
Cooking
Sautéed Mixed Greens Recipe
Bags of organic arugula at the store always tempt me. "Buy me!" they say, "Eat salad for a week, it'll be great!" Of course after three or four days the bag is half full and the contents start to look rather wilted and sad. Then comes regret. Why did I buy that bag in the first place? Recently I found the solution to the problem of wilting greens, a problem that I'm guessing may also be yours.
It turns out arugula is quite wonderful when lightly sauteed in olive oil. It's somewhat bitter and earthy but in a good way. It's even better if you mix it with some other greens. I use a bit of frozen spinach which is mild but silky and some fresh escarole which has a lovely spring flavor and juiciness when it's cooked. The mixture of flavors and textures creates a compelling dish that isn't just a terrific side dish, but begs to be layered in a grilled cheese sandwich. With or without ham or bacon, this is good stuff!
I buy arugula a lot. But you could just as easily use fresh but beginning-to-wilt spinach, swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, turnip tops or beet greens. Experiment! The amounts of greens are up to you and what you have on hand. I almost always have some individually quick frozen (IQF) spinach in the freezer but don't use it if you don't have it, this is all about cooking economically and making do with what you have. No garlic on hand? No problem! Want to use red chile flakes in addition to onion and garlic? Go for it! You have nothing to lose but some greens that are probably not ready for a starring role in a salad, Mr. De Mille. The basic technique is just to place the ingredients in the pan in order from most sturdy to most fragile. The sturdy stuff will take a little longer to cook than the fragile stuff, but we're talking only a few minutes.
Sautéed Mixed GreensServes about 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup frozen spinach
8-10 leaves of escarole
1/2 bag of arugula, about 4 handfuls
Instructions
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and when hot, add the onion. Cook for three minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, add the garlic and cook for just 30 seconds then add the spinach and the escarole. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Let it cook for a minute or two, just until the spinach barely defrosts. Remove the lid and stir, then add the arugula and stir. The arugula will wilt very quickly, in just a couple of minutes. Season with salt and you're done!
Enjoy!
- Radish Penne: Recipe
I'm not a Winter person. I love the Summer. But when Winter comes around I look forward to coaxing root vegetables into something special. Like radishes. Radishes may be available all year round, but their cool, spicy, crunchiness makes them seem...
- Tablespoon: Restaurant Review Closed
Normally I only try to point my readers in the direction of worthwhile restaurants. But since I mentioned my desire to try Tablespoon as part of Dine About Town I thought I would share my experience. First off, service was professional, attentive and...
- Greek Salad On Grilled Pita
Actually getting some use of the latest issue of Gourmet... A light & cool salad of cucumbers, mixed Italian (go figure) greens, cherry tomatoes, feta, chickpeas, and black olives, light dressing, on hummus-smeared grilled pocketless pita. So easy to...
- Miniature Lemon Meringue Tartlets
This tiny dessert ended one of the meals I prepared for Grammy during her stay at Chez Stephanie. Along with a Paper Wrapped Salmon (from Donna Hay), a salad of mixed greens, and wild rice, there were individual lemon tarts. Prepared pie crust, cut...
- Dine About Town 2004
Melissa's mom (mother-in-law is still odd to type) reminds me that Dine About Town is once again here. Bay Areans make sure to check out the site and take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy some of San Francisco's finest restaurants at discounted...