Check that.
Who am I kidding? I can always dream about cheeseburgers.
Mmmm cheesburger (Instert best Homer Voice here.)
*snap out of it!*
....Oh yeah, blog post.
The beauty of posting on a Tuesday with Friday's produce is that I can write what I DID rather than what I planned to do. (Along with the confession of the items that ended up sacrificed to the golden dirt aka compost pile. Whoops.)
First, the broccoli; steamed and De-Vour-Erd by my kiddos. I didn't even get to snag a bite. Simon thinks broccoli is dessert. Hey, I'm good with that.
Oh wait, I hope he doesn't think that because it is just an occasional thing.
Anyway, with a piece of pumpkin pie in front of him (BJs, Wellesley Farms, 4.99 with a 1.00 coupon off this week. Just sayin'.) Simon asked if he could have his pie. Yes, he finished his chicken and broccoli. He can have pie. And just as he said "Ok" he reaches for another spoonful of broccoli from the serving bowl. Alrighty then.
Next. Da' leeks. And potatoes. You guessed it....totally made yummy potato leek soup. Enough to puree some and leave some chunky like.
Tas-ty.
The other leek made the most amazing chicken broth with the leftover roasted chicken for some home made soup.
Chard - So I tried the chard with lentils; real lentils this time. I usually use red aka Masoor Dal. Man-o-shevitz did that smell just awful! Ick. I left it simmering on the stove and headed upstairs. I had to interrupt bed time with the kids to go down and check to make sure the kitchen wasn't burning down it stank so bad. I don't know if it was from the lentils (the noob didn't wash 'em; could that be it?) or something else in the pot, but...blech. (Guess you won't want this recipe from me.)
Nas-ty.
Of course I a too much of a cheapass to waste it, so I containerized and had it for lunch today. It was eh. I guess. Definitely going back to my red lentils for this soup.
I am in a total soup making mode.
I haven't made up the butternut squash, but that is next tonight. I need to wipe out the stench from the lentil debacle.
Oh yeah. I forgot the confession. Heh.
Sooo, I had the brilliant idea of plunking the chard, kale and arugula in a little container of water to keep it fresh a bit longer. I wasn't in much of a cooking mood this weekend.
The chard was awesome. Totally worked. Leafy, fresh, not wilted at all.
The kale. Not so much.
Yesterday, it was almost completely yellow. Same with the arugula. Ugh-rugla more like. Sigh.
Ideas on keeping kale fresh longer? Or motivation tips for cooking when I don't wanna? Or what might have happened to my lentils - Do they stink when the cook? Or saving/freezing kale? Arugula? Post 'em if you got 'em.
4 comments:
Christy, I have pretty good luck just keeping kale in a bag in the fridge. About once a week a turn the bag inside out so the kale isn't sitting in too much dampness. It lasts about 3 weeks this way. I keep arugula the same way, but it lasts for a little over a week. You can burn through a lot of arugula by just rough chopping it and adding it to hot pasta with some olive oil, parm cheese and s&p. A coworker made pesto with aru. recently - toasted walnuts, parm and arugula. Maybe that's the freeze option.
As for kale, kale chips have been our go to use for large doses of kale. Cut the leafy part away from the rib, cut the leaves into apx 2x2" pieces, toss the pieces in a bowl with small amount of olive oil and salt, spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 for about 20 minutes until it's dry and whisper-brittle. You can top with grated parm for the last minute or so for added decadence. Simon is to broccoli and Finn is to kale chips.
Wow Sarah! 3 weeks! This one lasted 3 days. 'Doh. I wish I thought of the kale chips! I've done chard chips, but I think Kale would be better.
I am guessing we'll be getting some more this week.
That is a good call on the arugula too. I can only eat so much of it in a salad...a little too bitter for me. I do like it with sweet potatoes and some dressing with a kick. That pasta idea sounds grand!
You can blanch all greens and then freeze them. Be sure to remove the stalk first and chop it into pieces. Then, boiling water for a couple of minutes. Dunk them into cold water to stop the cooking process, shake off all the exccess water, put into containers and freeze. Lasts much longer that way.
If the kale arrives with dirt on it (usually after rain), I have found you need to wash it. Dirt seems to hasten decay. Then I wrap kale (or any greens) in a dish towel (or even a rag), put them into a plastic bag, and refrigerate. But kale does seem to go bad faster than chard.
So, has Carolyn given you the raw kale salad recipe? http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/massaged-kale-salad-recipe/index.html
It really works and is so tasty, easy to vary. Instead of mango and pepitas, I use raisins and tahini almonds. A friend uses orange sections, red onion, and red bell peppers. Works best with dino (Lacinato) kale.
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