Kale with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Trying to eat vegetables that are local and seasonal can force you into uncharted territory. Growing up I wasn't aware that kale was good for anything other than as a garnish. When I was pregnant with Aitan I met Christina at M Cafe de Chaya for lunch one day. It was on this day that kale entered my life as a food to be eaten and craved. So, I was thinking about it and wondered if someone had tried to knock off the recipe for the Kale in Spicy Peanut Sauce so I did a little search online. Even better, someone had attended a cooking class at M Cafe and posted the recipe on their blog. Score. I hope you like it as much as I do.




Kale with Spicy Peanut Dressing
• 1 large bunch kale
• ¼ cup peanuts, chopped for garnish
• ¼ red onion, halved and sliced for garnish

Spicy Peanut Dressing
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 ½ T just like honey (I'm not vegan so I just used honey)
• 2 T low sodium soy sauce
• 2 T brown rice vinegar (already had regular rice vinegar so I used that instead)
• ½ tsp. garlic, minced
• ½ tsp. ginger, minced
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 ½ oz hot water

Directions:
Remove the kale from the stems.

Add a pinch of Salt to a pot of boiling water, then blanch the Kale for 3 min. Remove the Kale from the boiling water and shock it in a container of ice water. Finally, squeeze the excess water out of the cooled Kale.
To make Spicy Peanut Dressing: Place all dressing ingredients into a blender. Blend until mixture turns into a smooth consistency.

Drizzle the dressing on top of the Kale and mix the kale and dressing together until kale is evenly coated. Garnish with sliced red onions and chopped peanuts. (As you can see I tossed in the onions and peanuts. One bunch of kale, although it was good size, seems a little too small as there was an excess of dressing. Next time I will do 1.5-2 bunches.)

Leek Bread Pudding

So, I posted on facebook early this week that Scott is officially smitten with Smitten Kitchen and this recipe (the original recipe plus lovely pictures) is just one of the many reasons. Scott loves onions and anything oniony, so when I saw this recipe with leeks I thought it would be worth a try. They didn't have brioche at Trader Joe's, so I used Challah, with the crust on (minimalist that I am), and I used approximate measurements. Mine didn't turn out as firm as hers, but regardless, I really liked the crispy outer bits, so I think I would prefer to do this is a shallow square baking dish so that there is more surface area to crisp up (I am one of those who likes the brownie edges, lasagna corners, and the crispy topping of casseroles). Below is the recipe with my edits and many less pictures. I'm finding that it is a challenge enough to get the goodies on the table without stopping for pictures, if you know what I mean. We used it as a vegetarian main dish with a nice salad.
Serves 6 as a side dish

3 leeks cut in 1/2-inch thick slices, white and light green parts only, cleaned and rinsed
Kosher or coarse salt
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
8 cups 1-inch-cubed challah
2 teaspoons finely chopped chives (I forgot to buy these; it made me sad)
1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 large eggs
3 cups whole milk, heavy cream or half-and-half or a combination thereof
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss

Place a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, drain excess water from leeks, and add to pan. Season with salt, and sauté until leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in butter. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft, about 20 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While leeks are cooking, spread bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until dry and pale gold, about 15 to 20 minutes (my already-stale brioche took less time to brown), turning pan about halfway through. Transfer to a large bowl, leaving the oven on.

Add leeks, chives, thyme, and cheese to the bowl of bread; toss well. In another large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then whisk in milk or cream, a generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste and a pinch of nutmeg.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons shredded cheese in bottom of a buttered square baking dish and pour in bread mixture. Pour in enough milk mixture to cover bread, and gently press on bread so milk soaks in. Let rest 15 minutes.Add remaining milk mixture, letting some bread cubes protrude. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until pudding is set and top is brown and bubbling, check at 30 minutes (I haven't tried it this way, but with a larger surface area you will need less cooking time. The original suggests 55-60 minutes.).

Carduni

Had Thanksgiving with my side of the family for the first time in ages (excluding 2007 when Ilan and I stayed longer and Scott went back to Dallas). Love cooking with my family. I think just about everything we made was tweaked or created in collaboration, except the Turkey. I made the spice rubbed roast turkey from Cooks Illustrated along with their Turkey Gravy, which I divided and added some dark chocolate to one part to make a savory chocolate gravy. (Those who have seen Chocolat know my inspiration and have probably read about my quest to make the perfect chocolate gravy. It was pretty good, but not perfect.)

Other items on the menu included my mom's sherry glazed yams, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole from scratch, corn bread stuffing with pecans, dried apricots, and sage, stuffed artichokes, lovely salad with persimmons and goat cheese, carduni, home made cranberry sauce and persimmon chutney. We had a lot of food!

My mom taught my sister and I how to make Carduni this year. As with most ethnic foods, they were developed out of poverty and invention. A Cardoon is part of the artichoke plant. It looks like really tough celery and is a little bigger. Noni used to make it every holiday and since he is passed my mom makes it each holiday. Surprisingly the boys ate it up! Here's the recipe:

2-3 Stalks of Cardoons, depending on size and how much you have to discard (available, but not always in stock at whole foods and ethnic markets. You may have to call around and hunt)
Eggs
Milk
Italian Breadcrumbs (Progresso)
Grated Parmesan or Parmesan and Romano Blend
Olive oil

Trim the Carduni:
Cut ends off carduni stalks and trim points off the sides. Run a knife down the back of the carduni to remove the ribs. Cut into 4-5 inch pieces.

Cook the Carduni:
Place carduni in a pressure cooker or pot of boiling water. If using a pressure cooker, seal and bring up to boiling then turn off and allow the pot to cool (touchable) before removing the lid. If using a regular pot boil for an hour or so until cardoons are tender. Cool completely (or overnight)
Bread the Carduni:Beat eggs and a little milk in a bowl or pie plate. In a separate bowl combing 3 parts breadcrumbs to 1 part cheese. Pick up a cardoon and flatten it a little (breaking it's back). Dip it in the egg mixture then coat in bread crumbs. (Tip: use two different utensils - one for the egg mixture and one for the breadcrumbs) Place the breaded carduni in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Cover layer with wax paper and press down to press in the breadcrumbs. Repeat layers until you are finished and refrigerate.

Frying the Carduni:
Heat Olive oil in a large pan. Fry carduni on both sides until browned and coating is crispy. Serve hot.