Braised Kale and Broccoli with Chorizo

Every now and then, people express surprise that I eat meat.

Like this: "You ate a STEAK? That's not plants."
Or: "Bacon?? So much for mostly plants, huh?"

To which I say, emphatically: Mostly plants. And when possible, mostly pork-flavored plants. For example, here is a dish that is mostly plants, in terms of content, and yet mostly chorizo in terms of flavor. What's not to love?

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 fresh pork chorizo sausage
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bunch dino kale, cut crosswise into thick ribbons, rinsed well, and dried
1 lb or so of broccoli, cut into bite-size florets, tender part of stems sliced
Sweet paprika (not smoked)
Aleppo pepper (or sub a little cayenne)
Kosher salt


Heat a wide, nonstick saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil. Slice the sausage from its casing and add to the pan, breaking apart into pieces with the spatula. Allow to brown on one side, then stir. Add the garlic, stir again, then add the kale and broccoli and toss to combine. Sprinkle with salt.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, then cover the pan and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until browned here and there and the broccoli is tender. If it's browning too quickly, turn the heat down a bit and add a small splash of water before covering again; if it's not browning, turn the heat up a bit and wait longer between stirs. (Excess liquid? Leave the lid off for a few minutes.)

Serve hot, sprinkled with a little salt over the top.

Serves 2.

Roasted Broccoli with Gruyere

You know that song, about Romeo and Juliet and broccoli and Gruyère?

You know the one: "Never know how much I love you, never know how much I care, when you put your arms around me, you're like the broccoli to my Gruyère." At least, I'm pretty sure that's how it goes.

Clearly, some pairings are just meant to be. (Don't question it. Just eat.)

Ingredients

2 heads broccoli, tops divided into florets, tender part of stem sliced

1/2 head cauliflower, divided into florets

1 medium red onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

Olive oil

3 oz Gruyère, grated

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.

Toss broccoli, cauliflower, and onion with olive oil in a roasting pan (the veggies should be a couple layers deep). Roast for 40 minutes, turning every 15 or so, until tender. Top with Gruyère, then broil 3-4 minutes.

Sprinkle with salt and white pepper, and serve hot.

Serves 2-4. Best the first day, rather than reheated, so why save any for tomorrow?

Sauteed Green Beans with Balsamic Reduction

I may have cast some texture-related aspersions in the general direction of green beans awhile back, and feel compelled to clarify.

Ahem.


I have always loved green beans (since at least three or four days ago). Their texture is not squeaky (when made as follows) and they are completely addictive (when tossed with a balsamic reduction) and I love them (when they are not squeaky and when they are tossed with a balsamic reduction).

There. Now I can heap a good six servings of these on my plate without feeling quite so hypocritical.

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, slivered
2 big handfuls green beans*
Salt
Chicken broth
Balsamic vinegar
8-10 basil leaves, chiffonade
Freshly ground black pepper

 

Heat a glug of olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for a minute or so until it softens a bit, then add the green beans and a pinch of salt and toss to combine. Let the beans sit in the pan for a minute or two, then toss and let them sit again until they start to brown a little on at least one side.

Add a slosh of broth (start with a couple tablespoons or so -- just enough to create some steam) and cover the pan immediately. Let the beans steam for a couple of minute, then check them for tenderness and repeat if necessary.

When the beans are al dente, uncover the pan and boil off any remaining broth. Add about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to the side of the pan and allow it to simmer for a few seconds until it starts to thicken, then turn off the heat and toss the beans to coat. About half the volume of the vinegar will steam off, leaving just the sweet reduction.

Add the basil and a little black pepper, toss to coat evenly, and serve.

Serves 2 as an easy side dish, and works well for broccoli, too (with or without the basil). You can also substitute white wine for the broth, which will give the dish just a hint of tartness instead of being sweet.

*Unless your hands are unreasonably large, in which case you should ask someone with reasonably-sized hands to measure for you. This is primarily directed at a certain oversized husband who tends to unintentionally double all my hand-based measurement approximations when left to his own devices.

Orzo with Chickpeas and Broccoli

This recipe involves...are you sitting down? It involves white, processed, supermarket variety pasta. You can go ahead and kick me out of the whole food club now.

The thing is, we have these small, random pockets of processed in our cupboards still, from before our kitchen's whole food makeover. And sometimes, when you're teaching two two-hour lectures back to back and wading through hours upon hours of meetings, you just want something easy to make for dinner. Besides, there are chickpeas in this. And green stuff. So it's really quite decent, in the grand scheme of things, and totally delicious.

You could make this with whole wheat orzo, and adjust the liquid and cooking times accordingly, and feel up to 11% less skeptical about the foodiness of its contents.

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 medium to large shallot, quartered lengthwise and sliced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 scant cup orzo pasta
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 bunch broccolini or broccoli, sliced at an angle
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
Liberal sprinkling of Parmesan cheese
Lemon wedges (optional)

Heat a glug of olive oil in a pot over medium heat. When hot, add the shallot and one of the garlic cloves, and saute for a few minutes until the shallot is soft and the garlic is lightly browned. Add the orzo and stir to coat evenly. After about a minute, add the broth, cover, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and cook 9-10 minutes, or according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat a wide saute pan over medium heat. Add a generous glug of olive oil and the other clove of garlic, and simmer in the oil until both sides are golden. Add the broccoli and saute, stirring, for a couple of minutes, then add the chickpeas and saute for a moment more. Add the salt and pepper, and cover the pan, turning the heat down slightly. Steam for a couple minutes until the broccoli is just tender, then add the parsley.

When the orzo is al dente, add the broccoli mixture. Stir, add a splash more broth if needed, and cook for a minute more. Turn off the heat, stir in the cheese, and serve hot, garnished with a lemon wedge if desired.

Serves 2.

Arugula Rapini with Garlic and Mustard Seeds

I suspect this would work with any green mystery vegetable. Certainly broccolini would go well (but note that it will probably take a few more minutes to cook until tender).

If you do find yourself with a bunch of arugula rapini, do this with it. Because it is somehow kind of like french fries, only better.

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 large clove garlic, smashed
Yellow mustard seeds
1 bunch arugula rapini
1/4 cup chicken broth (or sub vegetable broth)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and let simmer in the olive oil for a minute or two, then add a scattering of mustard seeds (a couple four-fingered pinches should do it). Continue cooking for another couple of minutes, turning the garlic when it starts to brown lightly on one side.

Add the rapini to the pan. Using tongs, toss with the olive oil and mustard seeds to coat evenly. Cover the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the chicken broth and salt, cover again, and let simmer 2-4 minutes until tender.

Uncover, let any excess liquid simmer off, and sprinkle liberally with pepper before serving.

Broccoli with Garlic and Meyer Lemon

I always forget about broccoli. We make it, and I marvel at it, and then I go back to thinking of it as a bland side dish that tends to range from overcooked and mushy to generic and flavorless. Which it often is, if you boil or steam it, or get it out of the frozen food section. But fresh di Cicio broccoli from our produce box, sauteed in olive oil and then barely steamed for a few minutes until just tender? Not the same vegetable at all.


Ingredients
Olive oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 clove garlic, smashed
Broccolini or broccoli for two, sliced lengthwise into equal-width pieces
Salt
Splash or two veggie broth or water
Meyer lemon (pinch zest plus a little juice)


Heat a little olive oil in a pot over medium heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds and garlic. Stir, toasting, until garlic begins to lightly brown, turning down the heat a little if the seeds start to pop.

Add the broccoli and salt and stir to coat with the mustard seeds. Saute for a minute or two, then add a splash of broth and cover the pot. Steam for 1-2 minutes until the liquid evaporates, then add a splash more liquid, stir, and cover again. Steam another couple of minutes or until just tender (you want there to be just enough liquid to create a little steam, but not so much that the broccoli is sitting in liquid -- the idea is to get the bottom of the vegetable lightly caramelized as it sits against the hot pan, while steaming the rest of it).

Turn off the heat, add a pinch of lemon zest and a squeeze of juice, and serve hot.

Serves 2 (and goes particularly well with these).