Austrian Kale and Potatoes

Okay, so this is not a great photo, even for me, of what was really a wonderful dish. So my apologies for not having the patience to set up my traveling photo studio (two lamps and a popup white tent contraption which live in the basement) and snap a fab photo. But do try this awesome vegetarian stew if you would like a new way to cook up kale, which is so packed with nutrients and available pretty cheap this time of year.  

I dove into my shoebox recipe card file and retrieved this recipe, provenance unknown, for Austrian Kale, and it was a great blend of tender, frilled bits of kale in a potato and celery base. You can thicken up the stew with a bit of grated cheese, but I liked it on its own, with its delicate flavors.  It was even better the next day heated up for lunch.

Austrian Kale and Potatoes

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. oil

2 cups vegetable stock
4 potatoes (not russets), peeled and cut into chunks
2 stalks celery, chopped

2 bunches kale, chopped into 1 inch ribbons

Heat oil in large frying pan. Add onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until lightly browned. Add vegetable stock, potatoes and celery and bring to a boil.

Lower heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add kale and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and then add to the potatoes and simmer 10 minutes longer.

Season with salt and pepper.

This was a hearty vegetarian main dish supper for 4 with a couple of lunchtime leftover servings.

I'm sending a bowl of this great dish over to Real Sustenance for her weekly Seasonal Sundays roundup of delectable dishes using foods in season.

Potato & Rosemary Pizza

I had a few queries about the Potato Pizza I described in my last Crispy Cook post, so I will share the kitchen wisdom of my pizza maestro, husband Dan, in that regard. After all the many steps in making the perfect thin and CRISPY gluten-free crust, the topping for a Potato & Rosemary Pizza is ridiculously easy. Here's what Dan does:

Potato & Rosemary Pizza

1 prepared pizza crust (see this post)
1 lb. Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin
1 Tbsp. fresh or 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Dan slices the potatoes thinly using the slot on the side of our box grater. You want the potato slices to be about 1/4 inch thick. A mandoline makes them too paper thin, but the box grater works just great. Dan then soaks the potato slices in cold water, both to keep them from oxidizing brown and to wash off some of the starch. Then he drains and pats the potato slices dry when the other ingredients are chopped, and the pizza crust has gone through the first baking stage and is ready to receive its bountiful toppings.

Arrange potato slices on pizza crust so that they are slightly overlapping at the edges. Sprinkle with chopped garlic, season with salt and pepper and brush on a little olive oil over all. Sprinkle with a final coating of Parmesan and then bake your pizza in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes.

We saw a potato pizza being made on one of Martha Stewart's shows last year and experimented with the basic idea a few times before coming up with this version. You'd think having two starches in one recipe would be too heavy, but it's actually a nice combination and not too rich.

Mangia!

Leftover Mashed Potatoes Go Gourmet

My sinister plan to cook all day Tuesday and Wednesday for our family Thanksgiving feast and a weekend's worth of subsequent meals has so far worked out great. Noone's complaining about a lack of food in the fridge and I've been free to slave away at other projects. This morning, though, I was doing leftover inventory control and noticed that my big bowl of mashed potatoes had not been dented.

Hmmmm. I didn't feel like doing my usual potato cake strategy, as they always fall apart in the flipping stage anyway. Hmmmmm again. Some perusal of my cookbook collection inspired me to do a sort of mashed potato kugel recipe in my trusty clay pot and so in less than an hour we had a Sunday breakfast of colorful, reinvigorated potato leftovers that turned out rather successfully. There were no leftovers this time around.

Roasted Mashed Potato Remix

4 cups mashed potatoes (Yukon Gold potatoes looked beautiful in this dish)
2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely grated on a box grater
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/2 bunch parsley, minced (comes to 3 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak clay pot in cold water for 10 minutes.

Melt butter in frying pan. Add onions and garlic and saute over medium heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add carrots and saute another 5 minutes. Add parsley and fennel seeds and saute 2 minutes longer.

Turn out sauteed mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add mashed potatoes and mix with your hands to blend ingredients well. If too dry, add olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain clay pot and add potato mixture. Cover and place in cold oven. Turn oven heat to 450 degrees F and bake 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are brown and CRISPY at the edges.

Serves 4-6.

I wanted to use my clay pot roaster for this recipe because I wanted a nice brown crust on my potato casserole and so it is necessary to soak the clay pot right before cooking so it can steam the food inside while it's baking at that high heat. If you wanted to make this Potato Remix in a regular baking dish I would try baking it at 350 degrees F, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes.

I am submitting this recipe to the indefatigable Joelen at Joelen's Culinary Adventures for her monthly Tasty Tools event which is now featuring recipes made in roasting pans. Well, I made my Roasted Remix in a clay roasting pot, which I think is covered under this category. This clay pot works great in roasting foods so that they both steam in their own juices and seasonings and get CRISPY and brown at the edges.

Thankful for Mom's Tasty Cooking

With the American Thanksgiving holiday arriving next Thursday, it is time to reflect on the many things that we can give thanks for in our lives. Ivy of Kopiaste...To Greek Hospitality is currently hosting a blog event, Time to be Thankful, which celebrates this theme and is a continuation of the focus on hunger awareness showcased last month on World Food Day (October 16).

As a food blogger, I am certainly thankful that I and my family and friends are not hungry and that we have such a bounty of food from our markets and gardens. Ivy's event gave me the extra impetus to make a donation at the Hannaford Supermarket when I was waiting in line yesterday. Hannaford has $10 boxes which contain non-perishable items that represent a meal for a family of four that are donated to area food banks. You receive a $50 coupon book when you check out as an added bonus, so if you live in the Capital District you may want to look into this easy way to help out our local community at a time when many folks are financially hurting.

I am also thankful for my Mom, Carol, who has always supported me throughout my life and given advice, comfort, and wisdom whenever I have needed it. Mom's the reason why I love to putter around in the garden and has passed on her love of nature, art, books and animals on to me. She is always eager to try out some new gluten-free recipes since my husband entered Planet Celiac and has to avoid wheat, barley and other forms of gluten for his health. I am submitting Mom's refreshing potato salad recipe for A Time to be Thankful as one way of saying thank you to my cool Mom.



Mom's Red Potato Salad

2 lbs. red potatoes, eyes cut out, but skins left on, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 eggs

2 Tbsp. minced sweet onion
3 Tbsp. pickle relish or minced pickles (I used my bounty of garlicky refrigerator pickles that are starting to go soft)
3-4 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. parsley, minced

1 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sugar
Paprika

Boil up your potatoes and eggs until done (about 15 minutes). Let cool, then chop up in medium size bowl.

Add onion, celery, pickle relish,and parsley and blend well. Season with lemon, salt, pepper and sugar. Add mayonnaise and blend well.

Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving. Sprinkle on paprika on top. Enjoy!

(Thanks mom!)

Ivy's Time to Be Thankful event ends today and she will be posting a roundup in the next day or so, so be sure to go to her blog and see all the deliciousness.

Go Ahead Honey, Those Taters are Gluten-Free

Naomi over at Straight into Bed Cakefree and Dried is hosting this month's "Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten-Free" cooking challenge. The May theme is breakfast and we certainly love to have our breakfasts in our house; sometimes a second breakfast too, if we're feeling hobbity. Come to think of it, breakfast for dinner is a good idea also.

The naturally gluten-free potato is often featured on our breakfast table and the recipe below is a versatile favorite. We have two well-loved cast-iron frying pans which we wipe out carefully after use to preserve the layers of seasoning that keep foods from sticking. If you don't have this kitchen staple on hand, another kind of frying pan will do, but you may have trouble getting the spuds crusty enough.


Breakfast Fried Potatoes

5 potatoes, peeled (Save the peels for tomorrow's secret recipe!)
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced (other color peppers are lovely too)
Canola oil for frying
3 Tbsp. seasonings of your choice. We like sage, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and chili powder, but adjust to your mood)

Cut potatoes in half and then cut into medium dice. Place potatoes in salted water in a medium pot and bring to boil. Lower heat and cook until softened, about 15 minutes.

Drain and reserve.

Get your frying pan heated up and then add 2-3 Tbsp. canola oil. Let the oil warm up and then toss in onions. Cook until soft (5 minutes), then add peppers and seasonings. Cook until peppers are softened (another 3-4 minutes), then add potatoes. Keep an eye on the stove and stir up potatoes every couple of minutes, so that a nice crust forms on the bottom of the pan that can be scraped up and mixed in with the rest of the vegetables. When this fry-up is at its crustiest peak (5 more minutes) adjust seasonings and serve.

Makes 4 hearty breakfast servings.


The Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free Challenge will continue through tomorrow, so there's still time to get cracking (those eggs) and join the fun. Check out Naomi's great gluten-free blog for more information http://milkforthemorningcake.blogspot.com/2008/04/go-ahead-honey-its-gluten-free-may.html.

Tulips and Leeks

Alas, I cannot grow leeks in my home garden as last year the fiendish resident moles found my tender leeklings and chew their hearts out. I should have anticipated this, as I had the same situation happen with tulip bulbs some years ago and both plants are members of the Liliaceae (Lily) Family. I had planted many dollars worth of classy Spring bulbs in pleasing oval pattern in our front lawn, which I had forgotten was rather boggy in the Spring.

The result was a bunch of waterlogged bulbs that rotted in the ground, except for an especially hardy cluster of snowdrops which arrive each April in the center of our lawn and cluster of tulips which I unearthed and relocated to a higher, drier patch of flower bed. The next year the tulips rose up out of the ground and had just started to open up their brilliant red petals when they mysteriously shrunk downward about four inches. I inspected this anti-gravity growing and was dismayed to find that the tulip bulbs were entirely munched away, leaving only green shafts in their wake.

In a spate of horticultural amnesia I snapped up some wispy leek seedlings last year to plant in a deep, heavily composted trench that I had carefully prepared. The young leeks prospered but did not live long in this bed, as the moles sniffed them out and rampaged about a month before harvest time.

Since our family still has lots of leek love, I am forced to buy them from others and recently we dined on a delicious and gluten-free Leek and Potato Gratin. I am also working on a recipe for mole en casserole.

LEEK AND POTATO GRATIN

(This recipe is adapted from several leek and potato gratin recipes from my cookbook collection, minus the cream sauces)

3 large leeks, white and tender green parts sliced
Olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
6 potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary
1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs (homemade is preferable, but I used Organ brand crumbs, which resemble Panko-style crumbs)
1 cup gluten-free vegetable stock (again, homemade is preferable, but if you use a store brand, do inspect the label carefully as many brands stick in wheat flour or wheat-based flavorings)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Carefully wash leeks, as they grow in hilled, sandy soil (in mole-free zones) and there is usually lots of grit stuck between the leaves.

Steam leeks in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, until soft. Toss with salt and pepper to taste and dress with 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil.

Toss sliced potatoes in another bowl with salt and pepper to taste, rosemary, thyme, garlic and another couple of Tbsp. of olive oil.

Mix bread crumbs and grated cheese in a third small bowl.

Butter or lightly oil a 2-quart baking dish. Layer in half of potato mixture, then add your leeks, then top with remaining potato mixture. Pour vegetable stock over all and then crown with cheese-crumb mixture.

Cover with foil and bake 1 hour. Uncover and bake 1/2 more to brown the crumbs.

Serves 6.


If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where another Tulip and Leek Cousin grows, the Wild Ramp, do gather some up and report back to me on their lusciousness. I am quite smitten already with the reportage over at Ontario's Edible Tulip Blog on rummaging for ramps.

Palmer House Potatoes

21 years ago I was a waitress and kitchen helper for the inaugural summer at the Palmer House Cafe in Rensselaer-ville, New York, a beautiful Albany County hamlet surrounded by rolling hills, waterfalls and historic houses. It is a summer residence for many artists and writers (Isaac Asimov and Andy Rooney were the celebs during my tenure), and I was fortunate to help out my friends Mike, Marie, Bill and Susan in their new restaurant venture. They taught me many wonderful kitchen tricks and recipes in the hours leading up to the dinner service, but the best recipe of all remains their delicious garlic roasted potatoes. I am proud to share it with you all.

Palmer House Potatoes

10-12 potatoes, peeled and sliced thickly

1 head garlic, peeled and chopped

kosher salt and pepper

Olive oil

Toss potatoes and garlic with enough olive oil to coat. I like to use my hands in a big soup pot to accomplish this. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread out onto two cookie sheets so that each potato has its own space to roast without being covered up by other potatoes. You want these nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Scrape and turn over once or twice during the cooking time to brown evenly. You might also want to rotate cookie sheets at least once to brown evenly. The potatoes on the top rack always brown more in my oven.

Sprinkle with dried parsley, basil, or rosemary and a dash more kosher salt and serve hot.

Serves 6.