Ginger Braised Radish & Turnip Greens

Tender-crisp spicy greens offer a refreshing counterpoint to any main course.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  5-6 Minutes
Serves:  4 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS
3 TB Olive oil
5 garlic scapes, diced, or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 TB fresh ginger, minced
1 bunch salad turnip greens, well washed and chopped
1 bunch radish leaves, well washed and chopped
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic and ginger for 3-4 minutes, stirring, or until garlic is tan and beginning to crisp.  Add the turnip greens and the radish greens, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until greens wilt.  Remove the lid, sprinkle with the sugar, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.  Distribute to serving plates and top with Parmesan.

Photo & Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Braised Kale with Garlic Scapes & Onion

This gentle treatment yields sweet, tender kale.

Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  15-20 minutes
Serves:  4, depending on your passion for delicious kale

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic scapes (or 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed)
1 small onion
1 bunch kale, stems minced and separated from the leaves, leaves coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
Shredded Parmesan
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat, and saute the garlic, onion and minced kale stems for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add chopped kale leaves and stock, stir, and reduce heat to medium low.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until greens and stems are tender.

Distribute to serving plates, seasoning to taste with salt, and sprinkling with shredded Parmesan.


Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Scrambled Egg & Braised Kale Sliders

Cook's Law #1:  Always make a little extra (such as braised kale)
Cook's Law #2:  Use those leftovers to enable magic the next day.

Prep time (not counting Kale prep):  5 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Serves:  4+

INGREDIENTS
5-6 eggs
1/2 cup milk or water
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup braised kale, drained
Slider rolls (I use Trader Joe's 100% whole wheat dinner rolls, sliced)
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the milk and the cheese.  Drop the slider rolls in the toaster.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and heat the kale, stirring, for 2 minutes to heat it.  Turn heat to medium low and pour the egg mixture over the hot kale.  Cook, stirring slowly and constantly, for 2-4 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to the consistency you like.  Turn off heat.

Distribute slider rolls to plates,  carefully load with egg/kale mixture, and serve, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.


Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Herb-Infused Olive Oil

The flavors found in herbs and garlic are soluble in oil.  Heat speeds up the process, although this can also be done cold.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  5 minutes
Yield:  2 cups infused oil








INGREDIENTS
2 cups olive oil
1 bunch fresh thyme, washed and dried
5-8 leaves fresh sage, washed and dried
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, washed and dried
3 garlic scapes, chopped (or 2 cloves garlic, chopped)
1 teaspoon peppercorns

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until a pinch of the herbs gently bubble when added.  Add te thyme, sage, rosemary, garlic, and peppercorns and simmer gently for 4-5 minutes or until a taste with a spoon (blow on it to cool it!) achieves the flavor intensity you like.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Pour oil into a jar with a lid.  Infused olive oil will keep on your counter for a week or more, longer in the fridge although you'll need to warm it up to pour properly.

Use infused oil for dressing pasta and pizza, and for dipping bread.

Variations:  Try a wide range of your favorite herbs.  Other mild cooking oils can also be used, such as canola or safflower.  Strongly flavored oils (peanut, sesame) present more of a challenge:  your herb flavors might get lost, or conflict with the herbs.

Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Penne with Tomatoes, Arugula, & Sour Cream

Another entry in the "Mac and Cheese for Adults" category.  Fast, indulgent, and tasty.  

Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes
Serves: 4-6, depending on how ravenous your guests are

INGREDIENTS
1 pound whole wheat penne
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic scapes, minced, or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup sliced grape tomatoes
2 cups fresh arugula, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon capers
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cook your pasta per package directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly tanned.  Remove from heat.

Slice the tomatoes, and rinse and dry the arugula.

Drain cooked pasta, return to its cooking pot, and stir in the garlic, tomatoes, arugula, sour cream and black pepper.  Distribute to serving plates, topping with feta cheese and sprinkling with capers and salt.

A dry rosé wine alongside would complete the picture.

Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Alli-Yum Omelet

Creamy eggs, tangy feta, and a frame of assertive allium.  Alli-Yum.

Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  5 minutes
Yield: 1 omelet

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cold water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic scape, finely chopped
2 scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
3 tablespoons minced chives2-3 tablespoons feta cheese
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then whisk in the water.  Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in your omelet pan or skillet over medium low heat and saute the garlic scape for 1 minutes.  Add the scallions and cook for another minute, stirring.  Scrape the mixture into a bowl or plate alongside the omelet pan.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of the olive oil the the pan.  Pour in the egg mixture, and allow to cook for a minute or two, or until the eggs are mostly solid, loosening the eggs around the edges with your spatula. Sprinkle the feta on one side of the omelet, and top the cheese with the scallion mixture, then sprinkle with the chives.  Using a spatula, gently fold the opposing side over this filling.  Slide or lift your omelet onto a serving plate, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Teriyaki Napa Cabbage

Photo:
Tod Dimmick










This quick treatment of Napa cabbage makes good use of the salty sweetness of teriyaki, the bright flavor of garlic scapes, and a hint of richness from the egg.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 3-4 as a side dish

3 TB canola oil
2 garlic scapes, chopped
1 egg, whisked
1/2 head Napa Cabbage, coarsely chopped
3-5 TB Teriyaki sauce (I used Trader Joe's "Soyaki" sauce)

Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat and fry the garlic for a minute, stirring. Add the egg and cook for a minute, stirring, until it solidifies. Add the Napa cabbage and the teriyaki and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the cabbage is tender-crisp.

Salt may not be necessary.

Served up by Tod Dimmick,
AKA "The Foodie" at 1000radishes

Kale and Olives

Photo:
Tod Dimmick










My barber calls this kind of dish "peasant food". Be sure to give the stems a bit longer in the saute pan.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

3 TB olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed, or a couple of chopped garlic scapes
1 bunch fresh kale, rinsed and coarsely chopped, stems separated from leaves
1 3.8 oz can (about 1/2 cup) sliced black olives
Shredded Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat and saute the garlic and kale stems, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until the garlic begins to turn light brown. Add the kale leaves, turn heat to medium low, cover and cook, stirring, for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the leaves and stems are tender. The leaves will release water that will help cook the kale, but if necessary add a little more water to prevent leaves from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Distribute to serving plates, top with olives and parmesan cheese, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Served up by Tod Dimmick,
AKA "The Foodie" at 1000radishes

Garlic Scapes

Photo:
Tod Dimmick










Throw a garlic scape or two in olive oil as the starting point for almost any sauteed vegetable dish. Toss those scapes with pasta, or pasta and shrimp, and get ready for the flavor blast.

Served up by Tod Dimmick,
AKA "The Foodie" at 1000radishes

Broccoli & Garlic Scape Slaw

Photo:
Tod Dimmick















Throw out tender broccoli stems? Nonsense! Quick work with a food processor yields a tasty slaw that can be used a number of ways.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS
3-4 broccoli stems*, bottom inch of the stem removed, scrubbed, and sliced into pieces narrow enough to fit in a food processor feed tube
4 garlic scapes (or a couple of crushed garlic cloves)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken stock (or 1 cup water and 1 bouillon cube)
Salt to taste (if using chicken stock - bouillon has lots of salt)
1 can (15 ounces) Cannellini beans (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Run the broccoli stems and the garlic scapes through a food processor equipped with the coarse shredding blade. Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat and cook the shredded broccoli, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and salt (or the bouillon), cover and cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tender. Add the Cannellini beans if using, heat for another minute, and serve.

*Test the tenderness of your broccoli stems by taking a small bite - if they are crunchy, they are good to use.  Tough and woody, not so much.  Use those for compost.

Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes are the undeveloped flower bud and stalk of the garlic plant. Each spring, we must snap off this lovely, slightly coiled flower-to-be, in order to help the plant send its growing energy into the garlic bulb underground and not towards making flowers and seeds. This task produces garlic scapes, a tasty spring treat. You can use the entire garlic scape any way that you would use garlic - saute it in oil or butter, add it to omelets, pasta dishes, pesto, anything! Store garlic scapes in the fridge. When ready to use, just give a quick rinse and chop them up.

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes)
1/3 cup nuts (you can use walnuts, pine nuts, etc)
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Blend in a food processor and store in an airtight jar in the fridge.

Garlic Scape White Bean Dip

4 Garlic Scapes chopped
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Can Cannellini beans- rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper

In a food processor combine the garlic scapes and lemon juice. Process until the scapes are finely chopped. Add the beans, salt & pepper and process until a coarse puree is formed. With the machine running slowly add the olive oil. Add more lemon juice, salt or pepper to taste. Serve with fresh cut up veggies from the farm or pita chips.