Kale, Smoked Gouda and Pecan Gratin

As I mentioned on Friday, it's easy to overlook vegetable sides when putting together a Thanksgiving meal that already consists of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce. But they are a welcome complement to those protein- and carb-rich dishes. That's not to suggest that every vegetable side has to be virtuously "healthy." Enter the gratin: a hot, bubbly, creamy irresistibly cheesy vegetable side. Gratins are easy and popular. They are often topped with cheese or bread crumbs, although for this one, I used a topping of finely chopped pecans, which go nicely with the smoky gouda cheese melted into the sauce.

Kale, Smoked Gouda and Pecan Gratin

12 oz. lacinato kale
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Dash of ground nutmeg
3/4 cup shredded smoked gouda cheese
3/4 cup pecan halves

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Cut the stems from the kale leaves. Chop the leaves into 2-inch wide pieces. Dice the stems.

3. Bring a large saucepan with two quarts of salted water to boil. Cook the kale leaves in the boiling water until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from water and set aside to cool. Squeeze leaves to remove excess moisture and set aside in a large bowl.

4. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the diced kale stems, onion, and garlic, season with salt and pepper and sauté until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to the bowl with the kale leaves.

5. Return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add 1 tbsp. butter and, when melted, add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking constantly, until lightly browned, about a minute or two. Add the milk, mustard and nutmeg, whisk to combine and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the shredded cheese. Whisk until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.

6. Pour cheese sauce over cooked vegetables in the large bowl and stir to combine. Transfer to a buttered 9 x 9 baking dish.

7. Pulse pecans in a food processor until ground into crumbs. Spread in an even layer on top of the kale mixture. Cut the remaining tbsp. of butter into small cubes and scatter across the top of the pecan topping.

8. Bake the gratin until the mixture bubbles, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit before serving warm.

Related

8-2-Eat: Thanksgiving Vegetable Sides

Thanksgiving Central

Broiled Arctic Char with Smoky Collard Greens

Washington Post Food columnist Ellie Krieger wrote recently about "spring swaps," substituting different ingredients for things you may be over-using in the kitchen.

Salmon certainly gets a lot of use in our home. We have it almost every Monday way as an easy way to start the week with something healthy. But yes, we do suffer "salmon fatigue" from time-to-time, so I welcomed Krieger's suggestion to change-up our salmon night by instead using Arctic char. The fish is similar to salmon in many respects with a similar but milder flavor.

I broiled the Arctic char in a similar fashion to how I cook our salmon but with slightly less time, since the fillet was thinner than I usually get for salmon. I served the fish with collard greens and bacon, a wonderfully smoky accompaniment.

Broiled Arctic Char with Smoky Collard Greens

4oz. thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips

4 garlic cloves, minced (divided)

1 bunch of collard greens, stems removed and discarded, leaves cut into 1-inch strips

1/4 cup water

1-2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Generous pinch of aleppo pepper

Olive oil spray

3/4 lb. arctic char fillet

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Generous pinch of hickory-smoked sea salt (may substitute seasoned salt or regular salt)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook and lightly browned and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove grease from the pan in excess of about 2 tbsp.

2. Add 2 tsp. minced garlic to skillet and stir until fragrant, then add the greens and stir to combine with the garlic and gat. Cook about 5 minutes until the greens have wilted. Add 1/4 cup water and cover pan with lid. Decrease heat to medium-low and simmer until the greens are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and allow any excess moisture to evaporate. Stir in the cooked bacon, vinegar and aleppo pepper.

3. Preheat oven broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with olive oil spray. Place the fish with the skin-side down on the baking sheet. Combine remaining 2 tsp. minced garlic with rosemary, smoked sea salt, pepper and olive oil and spread on top of the fish. Broil about 4 minutes, then the turn the fish over and broil another 4 minutes. Remove and discard the skin. Check for doneness (broil another minute if not cooked through to desired doneness). Serve over collard greens with a squeeze of lemon.

Basic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

The salad dressings posted earlier this week are all great, but this is the one you really want to master. There are few salads that need more than a basic vinaigrette: a simple emulsion of oil and vinegar with seasonings. More than any other dressing, this is what I turn to for our salads on a weekly basis. It's simple, versatile, inexpensive and delicious. Let's take a closer look.

I said that vinaigrette as an "emulsion," a mixture of two liquids that don't easily blend. In fact, even after mixed, the two ingredients will not be fully integrated in the way that liquid ingredients mix together in cocktails. Rather, the whipping motion causes the droplets of the two liquids to be held in suspension. The drops are so small, that they appear to be mixed together. It's not a permanent state though. Especially with simple vinaigrettes, you'll see the ingredients separate out fairly quickly, which is why it's important to dress the salad immediately after mixing up the vinaigrette. The presence of other ingredients helps hold the mixture longer--mustard, for example, or if you want to get tricky a small pinch of soy lecithin could be used.

Here are the basic steps:

1) Combine the seasonings in mixing bowl (I use a 1- or 2-cup Pyrex glass measuring cup, which makes the dressing easy to pour when you're done). Here, I'm just using salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

2) Add vinegar and any other ingredients except for the oil and combine with a fork. Because the non-oil ingredients will mix together well, it's a good idea to mix them first. Salt, for example, will dissolve in vinegar, but it won't dissolve in oil. Almost any type of flavored vinegar will work well, especially red or white wine vinegar, regular or white balsamic vinegar and apple cider vinegar. Alternatively, you can also use citrus juices, especially lemon or lime, or a mixture of vinegar and citrus. Here, I'm only using red wine vinegar. Other common ingredients that could go in at this step include Dijon or other types of mustard, finely minced garlic or shallots, fresh or dried herbs and sweeteners like honey, maple syrup or a pinch of sugar.

3) Add the oil. You'll see that it sits on top of the other ingredients rather than immediately mixing into them like other liquids. I almost always use extra-virgin olive oil in vinaigrettes.

4) Vigorously whisk the ingredients together until they form an emulsion. This is the most important step and it's pretty cool when it's done right. As you whisk, the ingredients will mix together, but at the moment they form the emulsion, the change in the mixture is obvious. It's becomes cloudy and thicker. It's even a different color. Red wine vinaigrette, which before looked dark red, suddenly becomes a dark golden color. Be sure to whisk until you reach this point. I generally find that 70 beatings with a fork is a good point to aim for.

And you're done. The Pizza Salad recipe below uses the basic red wine vinaigrette made above. The Chicken and Roasted Asparagus Salad's dressing is identical except that I used white balsamic vinegar.  At the bottom, there are link to other salads that use a basic vinaigrette.

Basic vinaigrette made with white balsamic vinegar

Basic Vinaigrette

1 tbsp. flavored vinegar, such as red wine, white wine, balsamic, apple cider, etc.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Combine vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add olive oil and whisk briskly until emulsified. Serve immediately with salad.

Pizza Salad

Pizza Salad

3 cups baby spinach leaves
1 oz. sliced pepperoni, cut in half
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
2 tbsp. diced sundried tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
4 cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
2 tbsp. grated parmigiano-reggiano
Pinch of red chili pepper flakes
3 tbsp. basic vinaigrette with red wine vinegar (see recipe above)

Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Pour vinaigrette over ingredients and toss to coat.

Chicken and Roasted Asparagus Salad

Chicken and Roasted Asparagus Salad

1 lb. asparagus, woody ends broken off
Extra-virgin olive oil spray
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. chicken breast cutlets
3 cups salad leaves (I used an arugula blend with radicchio)
1/4 cup white cheddar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
3 tbsp. basic vinaigrette with white balsamic vinegar (see recipe above)

1. Preheat oven broiler. Line asparagus up in an even layer on a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil until lightly browned, about 7 to 8 minutes, turning over at the halfway point. Remove from oven, cool, and cut into 1-inch pieces.

2. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a medium frying pan. Pat chicken cutlets dry and add to hot oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until lightly browned, turn and cook another 5 minutes until lightly browned on the other side and cooked through. Allow to cool then chop into 1-inch pieces.

3. Combine salad leaves, cheese, walnuts, asparagus and chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

Other Salad Recipes with Basic Vinaigrette
There are a lot of salad recipes on my site dressed in this manner. Here are a few highlights that illustrate the versatility of vinaigrette dressing:

Cobb Salad with red wine vinegar (i.e. the basic dressing above).
Reconstructed Hummus Salad with lemon juice and garlic.
Crispy Kale and Roasted Chickpea Salad with apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and honey.
Smoky Waldorf Salad with apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, walnut oil and smoked olive oil.
Wilted Spinach and Bacon Salad with red wine vinegar, lemon juice and Dijon mustard.
Broiled Peach Salad with Watercress, Sugar Snap Peas and Toasted Hazelnuts with white wine vinegar and honey.
Roasted Beet and Cottage Cheese Salad with white wine vinegar, lemon juice and honey.
Agave-Mezcal Chicken and Curry Roasted Cauliflower Salad with lemon juice and fresh basil.
Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad with balsamic vinegar and honey.
Smoky Winter Salad with white balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and smoked paprika.

Spelt Soup with Escarole and White Beans

For my In / Out list back in January, I declared heirloom grains "in." I don't think I was wrong. I'm seeing lots of recipes for grains other than your typical rices and wheat varieties.

This soup appeared in the January issue of Bon Appétit as part of their "new healthy" theme. Spelt is an ancient variety of wheat native to Southern Europe where it's long been a staple. According to The New Food Lover's Companion it has a slightly higher protein content than typical wheat.

I loved the grain's chewy texture in this soup, which also features escarole, another under-appreciated ingredient, plus cannellini beans. I think you could easily make this vegetarian by omitting the pancetta and using vegetable broth. We ate this during last week's snowstorm, and it hit the spot.

Spelt Soup with Escarole and White Beans
Adapted from a recipe by Bon Appétit

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 sweet or yellow onion, finely diced
1 small fennel bulb, cored and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 large (or 2 small) celery stalk, finely chopped
4 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup spelt
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. tomato paste
3/4 tsp. red chili pepper flakes
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 head escarole, cored and leaves torn into bite-size pieces
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Shaved parmigiano-reggiano cheese (shaved with a vegetable peeler)

1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring often until golden-brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add spelt and cook, stirring frequently, until grains have toasted a bit, about 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Add onion, fennel, carrot, celery and garlic to pot and season with salt and pepper. Sauté vegetables until softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomato paste, and red chili pepper flakes and cook another minute.

3. Add broth to the pot and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the spelt is tender, about an hour. Stir in the escarole and beans and cook until the escarole is wilted, about 5 minutes. Serve soup in bowls topped with a few fresh shavings of parmesan cheese.

Pistachio-Mustard Salmon with Wine-Braised Mustard Greens

Happy New Year! Time to set aside all those holiday treats and get back into the healthy eating (kudos to you, if your waistline didn't expand a bit during the season of indulgence). A good place to start: fish and greens.

I really liked combination of mustard and salmon in the Mustard-Broiled Salmon with Miso and Honey Braised Greens. I thought I'd try taking the mustard a step further by pairing the fish with mustard greens.

I found this recipe for Pistachio-Mustard Salmon, which I thought would be just the thing to pair with mustard greens. This dish is very flavorful, but not spicy.

If you can only find salted pistachios, consider reducing the salt mixed in with the nut coating.

Pistachio-Mustard Salmon
Adapted from Pistachio-Crusted Honey Mustard Salmon, The Shrinking Chef

3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3/4 lb. salmon fillet, skin removed, cut into two pieces
1/2 cup roasted, shelled pistachios (preferably unsalted)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. In a shallow bowl, combine the honey, mustard and lemon juice. Add the salmon fillets and turn to coat.

3. Chop the pistachios to a coarse crumb. Combine with the oregano, salt and pepper and transfer to a plate. Dip each honey-mustard pieces of salmon in the pistachios, pressing down gently to coat, and transfer the salmon piece to a baking dish. Spoon any remaining pistachios over the fillets.

4. Bake salmon until fish flakes with a fork and is the desired doneness, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Wine-Braised Mustard Greens

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 bunch mustard greens, stems removed and greens cut into 2-inch wide pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
Seasoned salt, to taste
1/3 cup dry white wine (such as sauvignon blanc)
1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar

1. Heat olive in a steep-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add greens and garlic and sauté until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, stir to combine, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer greens until tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Remove lid and continue to cook if there is excess moisture in the pan (greens shouldn't be completely dry, but you don't want them swimming either). Turn off the heat, add the white balsamic vinegar and stir to combine.