Compile the ingredients (ignore the pattypan; the dish doesn't need it)

This dish features a great base for many dishes.  It’s a caramelized mix of hot pepper, onion, garlic, and ginger.  This rich and flavorful combo can be used for anything.  I use stock, either homemade anything or chicken from the store, but it is absolutely key.  Without a good stock it will be missing an important dimension.  By far my preference is homemade,  but “Kitchen Basics” is the one to use if you’re buying; it’s the one in the yellow box.  I have been delighting in coating meats with a combination of turmeric, 5 spice, paprika, and salt and pepper lately.  Not only is the flavor great, but it forms a beautiful crust that stays with the meat through even a wet cooking process and is really beautiful to behold.

One more thing: I used “Sun Luck” brand 5 spice, which I purchased hastily without checking the ingredients.  The cinnamon in 5 spice can be overpowering if not mixed in the right proportion.  In this it is the first ingredient.  So, try to buy a 5 spice blend with cinnamon down on the list of ingredients, or if like me you have a cinnamony version, use sparingly.  Even better: make your own exactly how you like it.

Recipe (serves 2)

1 lean pork chop (about 6 oz) cut into 8 cubes and patted dry with a paper towel

2 ears of corn, the kernels cut off

1/2 bunch kale, chopped

8 baby carrots

1 t turmeric

1 t 5 spice

1 t paprika

1-2 cups good quality stock

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 T ginger, minced

1 small hot pepper, seeded or not depending on spiciness and preference, minced

1 t honey

1 bay leaf

1 – 2 T soy sauce

Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, and cooking oil (of course)

Start by heating a heavy pan coated with oil over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle the pork with the turmeric, paprika, and 5 spice as well as salt and pepper.  Use your fingers toss to coat.  Once the oil is hot add the pork to the pan.  You want to brown it on some sides.

Brown the pork...

Many recipes will say all, but browning on all 6 sides rarely happens for me, so do the best you can.  The key here is that the pan is hot enough for the meat can brown quickly.  Remove pork, and reduce heat to medium-low.  Stir in the ginger, garlic, onion and pepper, being careful not to let the garlic burn.  Continue to stir until the pan has cooled down a bit and everything is turning glassy.  Add in a cup of stock, the honey and your bay leaf.

Caramelizing...

If you like your carrots more done add them as well, or if you prefer them crisp hold off.  Adjust the heat so that it can simmer gently until the stock has reduced by half.  If you find the pan drying out at anytime add more stock.  Remove the bay leaf and discard.  Now add in your carrots (if you haven’t yet) and the pork and a bit of soy sauce.

Adding the pork and carrots

Cook for about 2 minutes until the carrots have just lost their raw texture, and add in the kale.  Stir to combine and continue to cook until kale has softened.  Add in the corn, toss to combine, cover, and turn off heat.  Allow to sit for about 3 minutes.  Taste for salt, and if needed add more soy sauce,  Plate, and eat.

Five Spice Pork with Baby Carrots, Corn, and Kale

No, not truffles, some small red potatoes. I used the smallest of the batch for this dish.

To make this dish I used farm stand teeny tiny potatoes, carrots, parsley, and fennel.  Frankly, it was probably not wise to serve a roasted dish like this on such a hot day.  It took an hour to cook, ugg!  That being said, it was delicious.  Maybe wait for winter for this one or speed up the cooking process by parboiling your potatoes and starting with unfrozen fish.  I like this dish, because you can throw in fish right out of the freezer, and everything cooks together beautifully.  It’s also fun to cook in layers.  I like the Italian flavor coming from all the herbs and tomatoes and the sweetness of the carrots, which I don’t usually love with tomato sauce.  Now, I don’t usually cook with white potatoes as I am on a low carb diet, and the carbs I do eat I want to be super nutritious.  But these were just irresistibly gorgeous, and I really don’t use much.  Don’t want potatoes?  Just double the carrots, and you’ll be golden.

Recipe (Serves 2)

1 cup super small potatoes, or cut a little potato in half, scrubbed but not pealed

1 cup carrots, cut to match the size of the potato, scrubbed but not pealed

3 small frozen Tilapia fillets, or 8-10 oz total 2 cups tomato sauce, store bought is ok

4 cloves of garlic, minced (cut back a little if its date night)

1/2 cup flat parsley, coarsely chopped

3 bay leaves

Pinch of crushed red pepper

1 heaping t spice blend, see “a note” below

1/2 cup white wine

Kosher salt, freshly cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

We are going to layer everything in a casserole dish with a lid.  Start by placing potatoes and carrots in.  On top lay the Tilapia.  Salt and pepper the fish and then cover with Parsley, bay leaves, spice blend, garlic, and crushed red pepper.  Cover everything with tomato sauce; you may not need it all depending on you casserole dish.  Pour the wine over, season again, but skip the salt if your tomato sauce is store-bought.  Cover and set in oven for about an hour.  It’s done when the potatoes are fully cooked.

Layering the ingredients...

A note: We all have different spice blends around.  I used a blend called “Bouquet Garni” but if you don’t have that, mix some rosemary into an “Italian Seasoning” blend.  You could also use “Herbes de Provence” but only if it does not contain lavender.  Don’t have any of these?  Try fennel seed, rosemary, and thyme in equal amounts.  BUT, do not use any of the above unless they are of good quality and fresh.  The dish will still be good without it.  Even better, use a couple fresh herbs like savory, marjoram, thyme, or sage.

Chickpeas with Pizazz

This tasty chickpea-based creation uses a colorful array of vegetables and turmeric to really shine.  It’s easy on the eyes, and with chickpeas as the only protein is also easy on the waistline.  There is also increasing evidence that turmeric is one of nature’s miracle cures; it is thought to help with a variety of ailments from obesity and depression to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Give it a try…

Recipe (serves 2-4)

1 can chickpeas, rinsed

1 red pepper, sliced or chopped coarsely

1 small zucchini sliced or chopped coarsely

1 small sweet potato, cubed

1 cup cubed pineapple

1 onion, chopped

2 cups rapini, chopped (or sub any green, leafy vegetable like spinach, kale, beet greens, chard, etc.)

1 large jalapeno, seeded and rinsed, and then minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 t turmeric

1/2 t cinnamon

1 t cumin

1 cup chicken stock

Freshly ground pepper, sea salt, and vegetable oil

This dish is basically a stir fry, so you want to get all the vegetable chopped and ready to go before you begin.  From there they all need to be added according to their cooking times.  We want the sweet potato tender and everything else crisp and bright.  Start by heating some oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and sweet potato and start stirring.  Add about half of the chicken stock and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Cook until the sweet potato is fork tender (about 10 minutes) adding more stock if the pan starts to dry out.  Uncover the pan, and turn the heat back up. Now add the garlic and jalapeno as well as some s + p, stirring to combine.  After about 2 minutes add the pineapple, zucchini, red pepper, chickpeas, and spices.  Continue to heat and stir for about 2 more minutes until the zucchini and red pepper have softened a bit but are still crisp.  Add your rapini; stir to combine; cover, and turn off the heat. Leave for about 2 minutes, and then add s + p to taste, and serve

Chopped veggies...

Recipe (big batch)

2 small turnips, chopped coarsely

2 small carrots, chopped coarsely

2 stalks of celery, chopped coarsely

1 potato, peeled and chopped coarsely

1 onion, chopped coarsely

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T ginger, chopped

1 small green cabbage, stem removed, quartered and sliced

1 t cumin

1 t crushed red pepper

1 t dried mint leaves

salt

fresh ground pepper

2-3 quarts of good stock

1 T bacon fat

Start with a big pot over medium heat.  Warm the bacon fat, and then add the first 7 ingredients, all the veggies but the cabbage.  Toss around for a couple minutes, letting everything sweat but taking care not to let the ginger or garlic burn.  Deglaze the pan with a splash of chicken stock, and scrape up any bits from the bottom. Add the cabbage and the spices.  If your stock is unsalted add a good amount of salt here, about 2 t. You may add more later to taste. If you’re using a salted version, hold off until the end.  Season with some pepper, as well.  Add in the stock.  The stock should cover everything, depending on the size of your pot and veggies the amount will vary.  It’s ok to save some for later to ensure you’ve got your desired liquid to solid ratio.  Cover, turn up the heat to get the pot boiling, reduce to a simmer, and leave pot covered only partially.  Continue to simmer for 45 minutes.  The veggies should all be cooked and the flavors merged.  Add additional salt and pepper if needed.  Serve topped with extra dried mint and crushed red pepper and a fresh loaf of bread if you are so lucky.

Humble Stew a la Charlie Bucket

Ready for the oven...

Recipe (serves 1-10)

1 bunch curly kale

2 T olive oil

2 Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce

3 cloves garlic

Kosher salt

Preheat an over to 475 degrees.

Wash the Kale well, and dry well in a spinner.  Tear it up into large, bite-size pieces, and remove the tough vein down the center.

Mash your garlic together with the peppers.  To do this, chop them well, and then add a bit of kosher salt.  Using the back of your knife on a cutting board or, even better, a mortar and pestal, grind this mix together until you’ve got a sort of paste.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  In a large bowl, combine kale, garlic mixture and about half of the olive oil.  You want to go as easy as possible on the oil, but using too little will ruin the dish.  Toss everything together with your hands, making sure none of the garlic mixture clumps to the side; get it all mixed evenly.  The kale should feel a little greasy.  If it does not, add the rest of the oil.

Flatten the kale pieces on a sheet pan, trying not to overlap.  Place in oven.  It will take about 5 minutes to cook, and in this time you should flip the leaves at least once.  You must be diligent!  Expect it to get a little brown in some places, but to stay pretty green.  Black is bitter.  Remove from oven and brush onto a large plate.  Toss with salt.  Be careful not to overdo it, but you’ll want a pretty good amount.  If you have managed to complete this batch without burning, continue to do the same until all the kale is cooked.  If you fear it’s burnt, give it a taste before discarding; it is sometimes pretty good even with a bit more color.  Serve in a bowl, and crunch away.