Game 4 Too Close To Call

It's not ballpark but sometimes a man wants spaghetti. I started a skillet with plenty of olive oil, chopped garlic, chili peppers and 2 anchovy filets. While the pasta boiled I cooked that down to a smooth sauce. two minutes before I was ready to drain the spaghetti I added in a big bunch of chopped collards (and kind of hearty green would be good here -- kale, mustard greens, chard) from our garden. I added the drained pasta with the collards to the skillet along with 3/4 cup of pasta cooking liquid and a handful of shredded parmesan. After a few quick turns with my tongs dinner, and a tied game, was served.

Apples Keep Pork Chops Company

We have a lot of apples. We share them with the deer and the neighboring cattle but we still have more than enough to eat out of hand. They start to show up in the darnedest places. Tonight I used up a bit of our apple bounty in this quick one skillet dish of pork chops with apples and onions, adapted from a Lucinda Scala Quinn recipe. I started by searing the seasoned chops on both sides in a hot skillet glistening with olive oil. I set the chops aside and added 1 sliced onion and 3 cored and sliced apples along with 2 TB of butter to the skillet and let the mixture soften (and just start to caramelize) for about 10 minutes. Next I poured in 1 cup of red wine and placed the chops in the skillet surrounded by the liquid which I let simmer for about another 10 minute, turning the chops halfway through. I plated the chops and boiled the skillet just a few minutes longer to reduce the sauce.
Next to James' chops I laid down a field of fresh picked, quickly sautéed collard greens favored with garlic and chili peppers.
We have a full garden. We have a lot of collards.

Greens And Beans

Collard greens, spicy sausage and beans. A Southern classic cooked together based on a  recipe from the New York Times. It's perfect dish to store away in the freezer for James to heat up while I'm gone.

I started with smoked andouille sausage (3 links), 2 cloves of garlic, and a bit of onion in a hot pan with oil. When the sausage had a bit of color I added in about a pound and a half of soaked white beans and 1 quart of chicken stock and let the beans simmer for 1 hour, covered. When the beans were still crisp tender I added in the cut up collards and let the entire mixture (seasoned with salt, pepper, and chili peppers) simmer for another 1/2 hour until we had a thick strew ready to serve -- with a splash of hot sauce -- over fluffy steamed rice.

A New Kind Of Risotto

Though I didn't quite make it her way, dinner tonight was another idea from Martha. The Living version folded sautéed Swiss chard and cooked lentils into a risotto topped with fresh radicchio.. I had just harvested winter's last collard greens from our garden so I substituted that more bitter green and used a convenient package of Trader Joe's precooked black lentils I happened to have in the fridge. Pretty much following Martha's lead I sautéed the greens in olive oil for about 4 minutes and set them aside. In a separate pan I heated more olive oil and added in two halved and thinly sliced leeks, 1 large chopped shallot, and 3 minced cloves of garlic. After about 3 minutes, in went 1 1/4 cup arborio rice and 6 sprigs of fresh thyme. I sautéed the rice until it was a bit translucent and had picked up the oil from the pan and added in about 1/2 cup of white wine. When the wine had cooked off I seasoned the rice and started to add chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring and letting the rice soften as the liquid cooked away. When the rice was nearly cooked through I added in the green and the lentils and the last of the chicken broth (I used about 5 cups total). Just before serving I mixed in -- departing from martha's more streamlined version -- some soft, tangy delicious Delice de Bourgogne washed-rind cheese for a creamy texture and plated James' risotto topped with a shower of fresh radicchio, a drizzle of olive oil, and a dusting of parmesan cheese.

Sweet and Sour Ribs

I'm not sure what could be easier than this recipe. Equal parts ketchup, cider vinegar and brown sugar mixed together with dry mustard (1 TB for a 1/2 cup ketchup), a pinch of cayenne (or to taste) and S&P. Mix the sauce together in the crock pot layer the ribs, meat side down, in the sauce and cook on low for 10 hours until the meat is moist, tender, and falling of the bones.

If I'd had country style ribs (as the Everyday Food recipe suggested) I think they'd have been even better, but in any case this is one of "Martha's" and the slow cooker's better recipes. Leftovers will make nice BBQ sandwiches one day down the road.

Pressed for time I "baked" a few sweet potatoes in the microwave (yes, I admit it -- I have one) and did a quick sauté of collard greens -- Brazilian style -- with chopped onions, and garlic in a bit of olive oil cooked over high heat until just tinged with a bit of brown.

A little sweet a little bitter, A Southern style dinner prepared in minutes.

Collard Green Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuit Top

By now it's old news that the big man loves bitter greens, what probably isn't as obvious is the effort I make to find new and interesting ways to cook them. While cruising along the internet "tubes" I happened upon a recipe for collard green cobbler -- there's something I hadn't considered.

Of course, there's always room for improvement.

The recipe just didn't seem to do justice to the cornmeal biscuits. So I started out on my own. First I stewed the collards the way I usually do, fatback bacon (in this case the rind from Jamon Serrano at last year's Christmas party, chicken broth, dried red peppers, and sliced onion all stewed together until the collards are tender.

I can't exactly say I was down home on the biscuit topping. I just don't like to cut in butter -- a couple years ago His Highness bought me a beautiful Cusinart as a gift and it has freed me from the kitchen tyranny of pastry blenders and double knives. Now I just toss the flour, salt and baking powder (1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1 TB baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt) into the food processor and pulse to mix. In goes 4 TB of butter and I pulse machine again until the butter is cut into coarse grains. Next comes 1/2 cup of milk and I mix until just blended. Lay the dough out on a cutting board, knead few times, pat out to about 1 1/2 inches thick and cut out 3 inch rounds. I like to let the biscuits rest in the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking (that's the great make ahead part -- wrapped up you could probably even do them the night before).

When James was ready for dinner I placed the biscuits on top of the collards in the pot and popped the dish (uncovered) into the oven at 450º for about 20 minutes until the biscuits are brown and the collards are bubbling.

Next time I think I'll brush those biscuits with a little melted butter. They might even find a way -- without the collards -- to our Thanksgiving table.