Thursday, October 8, 2020

RECIPE: Jule's Sauteed Greens

This is a no-recipe recipe given to me by one of our apprentices, Jule Jacobs!  Use whatever quantities you need to serve your family's tastes: If you can tolerate heat, use more pepper flakes; if you can't, leave them out.  If you love spinach but aren't sure about kale or pac choi, use more spinach.  If you love them all, use equal amounts. 

 

Jule's Sauteed Greens

  • ghee, butter, or EVOO
  • garlic
  • onions, chopped
  • pepper flakes
  • whatever herbs you have available (there is dill, cilantro and parsley in the farm today)
  • coconut aminos
  • spinach, washed and sliced into 1/2" ribbons
  • kale, washed and sliced into 1/2" ribbons
  • pac choi or bok choy, washed and leaves sliced into1/2" thick ribbons


Add the fat, pepper flakes and garlic to a cold saute pan and slowly bring the heat to medium.  When the fat is hot, add the onions and saute until soft.

Add greens, herbs, and coconut aminos.  Cover the pan, leaving the lid a little ajar, and saute until the greens are bright green.  If you're using kale, you'll need to cook it for an additional 2-3 minutes until soft but not soggy.  If you cook longer than 7 minutes, they'll turn brown so don't overdo it!

Season with salt and serve!

Monday, October 5, 2020

RECIPE: Creamed Spinach

There is spinach in the farm store! 

I have been making this recipe - the original one WITH the bacon - for years!  I've adapted it to avoid unhealthy ingredients (like granulated chicken base, which is full of MSG!).

Original Recipe: Berghoff's Creamed Spinach

GF Creamed Spinach


serves 6

  • 4 tablespoons bacon fat (from 6 slices bacon - reserve cooked bacon for another use)
  • 2 large leeks, white and light green parts, minced
  • 3 T. flour (I use sweet rice flour)
  • 2 c. whole milk, warmed*
  • 2 T. veal demiglace (or, 1 cup chicken broth reduced to 2 T.)
  • 1.5 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
  • 10 ounces chopped cooked spinach (fresh or frozen) squeezed of as much liquid as possible (measure after squeez1ng out the liquid)

Warm the milk.  *I used 2 cups in the photo above.  If you use less, like 1 cup, you'll have a much denser and greener dish.  I made with only 1 cup for our apprentices and I think it tasted better with less sauce.  

Melt the bacon fat over medium heat and saute the leek until tender, 5 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the milk all at once, then whisk vigorously to prevent lumps.  If you get lumps, you'll need to use an immersion blender to smooth out the sauce.  Doing this will also puree the onions, but that's better than having lumps in your sauce!

Return the pan to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.  If it doesn't thicken, raise the heat slightly.

Add the demiglace, salt and nutmeg.

Add the spinach and cook until it absorbs some of the sauce, about 5 minutes.  Don't cook it too long or it will lose its bright green color!  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve immediately.

In the photo above I served it with spicy chicken tenders.  For our apprentices, I served it with Cajun Meatloaf.