Curried Lentils and Mustard Greens

I've got it!  What to do with all those mustard greens we got in the CSA late this year.  I'll never wonder again...this is the recipe.

Curried Lentils and Mustard Greens (with optional shrimp and scallops)

Due to Crohn's I've developed a deficiency in B-12 and Vitamin D.  So, I've been researching which foods I can increase in my diet to help with the deficiencies.  B-12 deficiency is unusual, and can be difficult for me to overcome.  Because of Crohn's my body doesn't absorb nutrients like everyone else.  Unfortunately the foods highest in B-12 are those I cannot digest...proteins and meats.  But, they are also found in fish and shellfish, which I can digest (and eggs, which I hate).  So, foraging in my cupboard and refrigerator today I found some lentils and a huge bunch of mustard greens.  I stopped at the co-op and picked up some Laughing  Bird shrimp and bay scallops (1/2 lb of each ).  Here's the recipe I made today, and it was so good we'll make it again soon.

2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 small onions, diced
2 tsp kosher or sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tbsp grated ginger
2 tsp coriander seeds, freshly ground
2 tbsp cumin seeds, freshly ground
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp hot curry powder
2 tsp curry powder
1 cup lentils
3 cups chicken broth, warmed
1 bunch mustard greens, chopped and washed
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 lb Laughing Bird shrimp (or other small peeled, deveined shrimp)

1/2 lb bay scallops

In a large saucepan heat olive oil, then add carrots,celery, onion and salt.  Cook 10-12 minutes over medium heat, or until onions are transluscent.  Add garlic and ginger, pepper flakes, curry powder and coriander and cumin.  Stir well, cook about 2 minutes.  Add lentils and cook another 2 minutes.  Add chicken broth, increase heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add mustard greens, stirring to incorporate, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.  Add butter, sherry and lemon juice, cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.  Add shrimp and scallops and cook just until shrimp is light pink and scallops no longer transluscent.  Add salt and pepper to taste, if required.  We didn't need more.

Serve immediately and turn the pot off so the shellfish doesn't continue to cook. 

Makes about 4 servings, depending on how many helpings you have. 

To serve leftovers, reheat gently so as not to make the shellfish tough.

Great on its own or served with naan or crusty bread.

Greens, Greens, and More Greens!

I'm not sure how this happened, but this week we ended up with an abundance of greens. You would think that odd for this late in the growing season, but some of the greens are quite hardy and thrive in cold weather. There was so much between what I picked up at the Farmer's Market on Wednesday and what we received in the CSA that I knew we couldn't possibly digest that many greens before they wilted. So I went to work blanching for freezing. From what appeared to be a humongous mountain of greens I stored a one gallon bag of mixed blanched greens for use over the winter. Normally I prefer to sauté them and eat them fresh, but I also like having them on hand during the winter for making soups, stews, pasta etc. I freeze some of the darndest things, that you would never think could be frozen. Tomatoes don't even have to be blanched-just wash, dry and freeze on a tray until solid, then pop them in a bag. Parsley, cilantro and basil can be washed, dried and frozen in bags for use over the winter as well. No, they don't taste as good as fresh, but at least they are local and I know where they came from. Too much arugula? Try making pesto with it. Pesto freezes beautifully and is great to have on hand for a quick pasta, pizza, foccacia or crostini. And be creative with your pesto--it doesn't have to be pine nuts--you can use any nuts you have on hand. Just toast them and add them to the mixture. I've used almonds, pecans, walnuts and pistachios in the past. You can also use a variety of different cheeses, or even leave out the cheese until you're ready to use the pesto and mix it in after thawing and just before using. Pesto goes a long way, so I've found it is helpful to freeze it in ice cube trays and then once frozen transfer the cubes into a plastic bag or container. That way you don't have to thaw out a huge container and feel like you need to use it all at once. Half pint dairy containers also work nicely, but often that's too much for just one dish as well. Be sure to have plenty of garlic on hand when making pesto...it's just not the same without all the garlic, and a bit of salt too. Here's my basic recipe:
1 bunch basil washed, dried and leaves removed; 1 head of garlic; a handful of toasted nuts; a couple of pinches of salt; a small mound of grated hard cheese, like parmesan or asiago...the better the quality, the better the pesto; and of course extra virgin olive oil, again, the better the quality, the better the pesto. Throw everything except the oil into the food processor and chop until it's well processed, then gradually add olive oil to taste. YUM!

---still waiting...and Mustard Greens

It might just be the next new moon before the Hookeri flowers. It grows at least an inch a day, so it has to be getting close, but still no flowers. Since we know it blooms at night we even check in the middle of the night so we don't somehow miss the big event!
Mustard Greens: Last week and this week amongst the bounty in our CSA share has been a healthy dose of Mustard Greens. This is another of those things that wasn't on our plates growing up, so I'm learning how to use them in unique and different ways, other than just mixing in with salad. They are actually quite beautiful and would look pretty in a floral arrangement, but I want to eat them, so I won't put them in a vase. In my hunt across the Internet, I came across this recipe for a Tepary Bean and Mustard Green Relish on Gluten A Go Go Blog. I also found this recipe for Red Beet Risotto with Mustard Greens and Goat Cheese on Epicurious.com. Yum! Another idea I had was to do my favorite hot bacon mustard dressing and make a salad using the greens instead of spinach...add some almonds, hard boiled eggs, red onions and homemade croutons and Voila--Dinner!