mustard greens caesar with shrimp and anchovy croutons

some dinners take tons of recipe searching,

lots of cookbook reading,

and hours of thinking

just to get the food on the table.

and others?

so easy.

that's how it went

when i saw melissa clark's recipe

for raw mustard greens salad

with gruyere and anchovy croutons.

larry loves mustard greens,

(i'm a fan, too).

i love anything made with anchovy

(he handles them ok).

and, we both love gruyere and garlic.

i almost prepared

the salad as is,

but, last minute

made the decision

to add shrimp for a complete meal.

at home, i broke out a tube

of anchovy paste. you see,

i love anchovies

and i love the flavor

of the fillets, but i have

never been able to get past

the thin-as-can-be bones

that never quite melt with the

rest of the fish.

so, not always,

but often, i use anchovy paste, instead.

i usually use 1 teaspoon in

place of each fillet. this time i added

a bit more to really give this already

assertive salad some extra oomph.

i chopped garlic,

added it to the anchovy paste

and whisked in some olive oil,

which i'll admit i eyeballed.

(it was late.)

to make up for the olive oil

measuring laziness, i took the time

to remove the crusts from a lovely

loaf of bread before cutting into cubes.

(normally, i would convince myself

that the crusts wouldn't make a

difference. but, i guess i was not in

the mood for self-denial.)

i tossed the soon-to-be-croutons

with some of the garlicky anchovy-laced oil,

and half the gruyere that larry had grated while

i cubed the bread,

added a little salt and pepper and tossed

them onto a baking sheet. as they crisped,

i squeezed lemon juice and a little bit

more anchovy into the olive oil mixture,

then whisked in the rest of the gruyere.

i stemmed and tore up

8 cups of mustard greens.

and before we knew it,

the croutons were done,

the shrimp, tossed with the

faintest amount of olive oil,

salt and pepper, had been broiled

and i was mixing everything together

in a bowl.

we ate the first few bites silently,

pretty sure the dish would be

a hit, both quickly falling in love

with the not shy flavors.

and the next night,

even though i don't have

the tiniest clue what we ate for

dinner, i remember that i was

resentful that it wasn't this salad.

mustard greens caesar with shrimp and anchovy croutons

adapted from bon appetit

i think it's fair to say that there are a lot of ingredients that you have to really like to enjoy this salad: sharp and peppery mustard greens, in-your-face garlic, umami-rich anchovy and for our version, nutty aged gruyere. but, if you're not turned off yet, i think you'll love every bite. i will caution you that i used three large garlic cloves and next time, i will probably seek out more normal sized pieces.

2 tablespoons anchovy paste

3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press or finely chopped

approximately 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1-2 teaspoons olive oil for shrimp, divided

1/2 loaf country bread, crusts removed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (3 cups)

4 ounces aged gruyere, grated (1 cup, packed)

1 pound large (20-25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 bunch (about 12 ounces) mustard greens, center ribs removed and torn into bite-size pieces (8 cups)

1 large juicy lemon, juiced

heat oven to 375˚f. in small bowl, whisk together anchovy paste and garlic; gradually whisk in olive oil. in medium bowl, combine bread cubes, about 2 tablespoons anchovy-garlic oil mixture, 1/2 cup grated gruyere, salt and pepper; toss to coat.

place cubes in single layer on an aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray. bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp, stirring occasionally. set aside.

change oven to broil.

in bowl, combine shrimp, remaining olive oil and salt and pepper. place on aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray. broil 2 minutes; flip and cook 1 minute more, or until firm and just opaque.

meanwhile, in large bowl, combine mustard greens, croutons and remaining cheese. whisk 5 tablespoons lemon juice into anchovy-garlic mixture; season with salt, pepper, more lemon juice and more anchovy paste, if desired.

when shrimp are ready, combine greens, shrimp and dressing mixture; tossing to coat. divide among plates.

two ways with mustard greens and goat cheese

my first run-in with mustard greens

was about three years ago.

i had been holding onto a recipe that called

for them, but until that point,

the greens had eluded me.

i was at a store, near my mom's -

over an hour away - and i quickly

picked up a bunch, then protected

them for the ride home and the

24 hours until i was ready to

use them. they were $2.49 for

a large group of leaves and i treated them

like they were laced with gold.

the next night,

as i was prepping, i tasted a leaf

and fell in love. they went far

and i used them that week for

everything from risotto,

to the quesadilla i am going to

tell you about today. i found

a new favorite.

(now, here's the point that i

must stop and warn you

if you've never tasted these

greens for yourself.

with one bite, i loved the

mellow crispness of the leaves,

the sharp mustardy bite

and how even when cooked,

they still retained their spicy

edge. so i shared the wealth,

telling my mom how wonderful,

how versatile mustard greens are.

she believed me, she bought them

and she was not a fan. at all.

i needed to be fair and tell you that,

i think.)

my favorite application of the mustard

greens that week, was absolutely the

quesadillas.

fresh greens,

tender potatoes,

salsa verde, plus pepper jack for heat,

and creamy goat cheese

all come together for a dinner

that is definitely made for grown-ups.

the original recipe calls for potatoes

that are cubed and steamed, but

i just did not see that going well for me.

the first time, i made this, i used

beautiful purple peruvian potatoes

that looked gorgeous protruding out

of the golden tortillas. this time,

they were nowhere to be found. instead,

i bought two that were medium-sized

and yellow fleshed, thinly sliced them

and roasted each piece until it was

silky in the center and golden on

the outside.

while they were in the oven,

i chopped up mustard greens,

whirled some of them in the mini

food processor with salsa verde

and grated the pepper jack.

and this is a good time to tell

you two more things that you

may want to know if you decide

to serve these for dinner:

1) at this point, i've used the recipe

for very well-followed ingredient inspiration.

but, instead of waiting 15 minutes

for this to cool, and tossing this with that

and sprinkling with this,

i now just layer everything

on and i'm very happy

with the finished product.

2) i think quesadillas are thought of

as fast food. and while these are not going

to lock you up for hours in the kitchen,

there is obviously some prep involved and

it is not a 10-minute project. while making

them, i was on the phone with my sister.

in the time that it took me to

roast the potatoes and

blend the salsa verde,

she decided to make a quesadilla,

filled a tortilla with cheese and leftover turkey meatballs,

cooked it and ate it.

neither of these things bother me,

but again, i just thought you'd want to know.

instead, i prep each element,

then assemble it piece by piece,

carefully laying each

mustard green leaf,

potato slice,

goat cheese crumble,

pepper jack shred

and

salsa verde drizzle,

as if i imagine someone prying

off the top tortilla from the finished

product and examining it for accuracy.

because, yes, we were hungry at this point,

and yes, it will never be perfect,

but i can still appreciate this:

the beauty of each bite bursting with flavor.

and after they're baked - because yes,

i almost always bake my quesadillas instead

of pan-frying them - and we have our

first tastes, i am so glad for a rare attempt

at precision. they are everything that went

into them:

spicy,

cheesy,

creamy

and fresh.

this is one of those dinners that we were very,

very sad about when it was over.

so sad, that later in the week

i thought about recreating

the quesadillas with all the leftovers

we had in the fridge, but instead, i made a

very unseasonal pesto. i had picked up

a wedge of snow white goat gouda

the day before - without purpose, if i'm

being honest - and quickly got to work

grating it. i tossed the chopped greens

in the food processor with garlic,

toasted walnuts and the cheese,

before whirling, tasting and deciding

the mixture was a bit flat. one tablespoon

of white balsamic gave the pesto a little

more life, and then i drizzled in olive

oil, drop by drop.

then, even though 15 minutes earlier

i had jumped from the couch on an

out of nowhere pesto-making expedition,

i did what any rational person would do -

i transferred the pesto to a bowl,

covered the surface tightly with plastic wrap

and stuck it in the fridge.

we already had dinner planned for that night.

the next evening, i was tired and very glad

to have the dinner-inspiring pesto.

i tossed the mixture with

whole wheat pasta,

some of its cooking water,

creamy soft goat cheese,

roasted mushrooms,

more toasted walnuts,

thinly sliced lemon peel

and a big squeeze of lemon juice.

it was good - hearty and satisfying

after a busy cold day outside,

but i think it's fair to say this dish,

flavor-wise, is still a work in progress.

not a problem - i'll just have to buy

more mustard greens.

potato, goat cheese and mustard green quesadillas

adapted from the bon appetit test kitchen

as i've said, i used the framework of this recipe to create a somewhat simpler, but still delicious, quesadilla. baking quesadillas doesn't make them quite as crispy, but i think it's what's inside them that matters, so it always works out. also, have you ever tried to flip a quesadilla in a skillet? that's another reason why i prefer the oven.

2 medium yellow-fleshed potatoes, thinly sliced

olive oil or cooking spray

2 2/3 cups stemmed and chopped mustard greens, divided

1 cup prepared salsa verde (tomatillo salsa)

4 (8-inch) flour tortillas

5-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)

2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

heat oven to 400˚f. place potatoes in single layer on greased foil-lined baking sheet. coat with oil or cooking spray. season with salt and pepper. bake 10 minutes. flip potatoes, coat again with oil or cooking spray, season with salt and bake 5-10 minutes more, or until just golden brown. remove from oven and set aside. reduce oven temperature to 350˚f.

meanwhile, in mini food processor, combine salsa verde and 2/3 cup mustard greens until smooth.

on foil-lined baking sheet, place two tortillas. divide remaining 2 cups chopped mustard greens amongst tortillas. top with potatoes and pepper jack cheese. drizzle each with 2 tablespoons salsa verde mixture. top with crumbled goat cheese. top with remaining tortillas. coat tops of tortillas lightly with oil or cooking spray.

bake 15 minutes, or until golden and crisp. using pizza wheel, cut quesadillas into wedges. serve with remaining salsa verde mixture.

mustard green pesto

once you have the greens, garlic, nuts and cheese chopped together, taste it and adjust. the next time i make this, i may use lemon juice for acid instead of the balsamic vinegar.

4 cups chopped mustard greens

2 large cloves garlic, trimmed and halved

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1/2 cup grated goat gouda, parm or romano

1-2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice)

5-6 tablespoons olive oil

in food processor, combine greens, garlic, walnuts and grated gouda. pulse just until finely chopped; taste and adjust, adding more garlic, cheese or walnuts, if desired. add balsamic vinegar; pulse twice. with motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil, just until the texture of the greens change to a puree and the mixture turns bright green. season with salt and pepper.

transfer mixture to a bowl; cover with plastic wrap, placing it directly on the surface of the pesto. chill until ready to use.

business trip breakdown

the night before

i "suggest" that he just

skip the trip.

they'll understand, i say.

he suggests back, that he 

can, but probably,

as a result,

could lose his job.

he gives me the option.

i say he should go.

day 1

he leaves at four in the 

morning. 

after work that night,

i go out to dinner

with friends,

at sushi lounge in hoboken.

i get my favorite spicy scallop roll.

at home, i watch 13 going on 30,

fall asleep with the tv

on and honestly, rather enjoy the day.

day 2

i have a hard day at work. 

i planned to cook for jenn, but

cannot get myself near the kitchen.

we go out for dinner and laugh

the whole time. somehow, 

it took us hours to eat what

it took others an hour to enjoy.

the lights turn off while we're still

cooking our noodles.

i realize, at the end of the meal

that i never opened the diet coke

i had asked for,

and to my surprise,

came in a can. 

i toss it in my pocketbook.

day 3

i wake up determined to cook

jenn breakfast. i peruse all

my cookbooks, checking

off each item that i didn't have:

spinach,

ricotta,

berries,

cheddar,

tomatoes.

sadly, the list goes on.

i leave jenn with a plateful

of concord and muscat grapes

and decide to make goat cheese

frittatas. they are a disaster.

my new mini pans smell like they're

burning. the eggs, are, in fact,

burning. i dump them in the

garbage and feel inadequate.

later, that night,

i wait with my father for 

my sister and her boyfriend

to return from cancun.

we get a text that says,

how's asia star for dinner? 

totally craving sushi.

so we go.

here, i have my other favorite roll:

snow white, which is white tuna over spicy yellow tail.

i don't speak to larry until after nine.

it's been hours since i've

started worrying that something

unspeakable has happened.

he's fine. just working.

day 4

i wake up and i have no 

idea where i am.

i realize that i'm in my 

sister's bed and have actually

slept until after 10, shocking

on many levels.

my sister and father and

i visit what about a bagel?

and i have delicious

whitefish salad on a flagel.

i remember how much i 

like whitefish salad.

later, my mom and i discuss

salts, and the merits

of different kinds,

for at least 10 minutes.

my sister looks...bored.

when larry calls after 5,

i'm grumpy for no reason 

and am not up for

talking. when he calls

back at 7:30, before going

to dinner, i feel guilty

and try to be a better

conversationalist.

i think about watching

the amazing race,

but it doesn't seem right

without him.

that night i cannot sleep.

day 5

i have a normal day at

work. when i drive

home,

it's pouring. 

i drive carefully,

and make the 

decision to just sort of

sit and not do anything.

it's hard.

i'm bored.

i'm tired of his

business trip.

day 6

i have a very weird

day at work, accompanied

by an odd schedule.

i find myself without

anything to do from 12:30-4.

i run errands and then realize

there is not enough time

to go home before

i have to go back to work.

i buy magazines and head

to mitsuwa, excitedly.

i order, what is deemed,

a side dish of 

rice,

crab flakes

and 

ikura

for lunch.

it is $2.95.

i'm in heaven.

then i realize i didn't 

get a drink.

in a rare moment of clarity,

i reach into my bag,

and pull out the 

can of diet coke from friday night.

i read food and wine and

stop for an extra second

at the sweet potato and andouille pie,

wondering why some recipes

just immediately suck me in and

others take a long time

to seem like a good idea.

at 11:15 that evening, i'm driving home from

work. it's raining again.

i'm very tired.

and i realize, i miss larry a lot.

i'm ready for him to come

home, for us to hang out

and for this going away

business to be done,

at least until june,

when he's headed for berlin.

once home, i cannot sleep.

i watch all of american

idol and housewives of new york

city. i hate kelly. i realize

that i really want to make larry something

to welcome him home, something

that i would never normally make,

something that is very obviously,

just for him.

i remember the extravagant savory

sweet potato pie and know that it

will be his welcome home meal. 

i have a plan. i can sleep.

day 7

i drive home from work in the rain.

once i get there, i learn that i didn't 

actually have cornmeal for the crust

like i thought i did. 

it's pouring now.

i decide that this pie will 

have to be made in my standard pie shell.

but i'm bummed.

i roast the sweet potato. 

the recipe had called

for several small, 

but i, 

not paying attention,

had bought one 1-pounder. 

after 45 minutes,

it's still hard as a rock. 

i up the temp to 400˚f

and cook the sucker for 30 minutes more.

then, i have to wait a long time for 

it to cool.

in the meantime,

i mix together the crust, chill it, roll it out

and realize that it is so hot in the kitchen,

there is no way for the finished

product to be tender and flaky.

i chill the dough, in the pie plate

for 30 minutes,

before filling with dried beans 

and baking.

i remove the plate from the oven

to cool and

a little piece breaks off (not ideal).

i taste it and am glad for the extra

chilling. the texture is perfect.

somehow, it is now late. 

i'm sleepy.

i debate stopping at this point

and preparing the filling

the next night, but i realize

how much i would regret it 

in the morning. 

i make the mixture, which

is ridiculously easy (and to me,

ridiculously indulgent)

and at 10:34,

place the pie in the oven.

as i'm putting it on the rack,

i think, this looks like 

melted velveeta cheese.

when it comes out of the oven,

4o minutes later,

i think, this looks like

cooked velveeta cheese.

i leave it out to cool.

3 in the morning, i am woken up

from the couch by larry,

home almost 7 days to the hour

after he left.

i stumble to wrap the pie

and

put it in 

the fridge.

the next day

i am disappointed to realize

the store doesn't have mustard

greens that i wanted to make the 

accompianing salad.

i buy kale instead.

i get home and the house smells

delicious, like a spicy

simmering marinara sauce.

did you cook, i ask?

yes!

we argue for a few minutes

over whose meal we will eat,

both of us advocating for the 

others person's dish.

we decide on his because he 

added shrimp to his sauce.

a minute later, we learn

that not only did we both make

dinner, we also both

ran the dishwasher that morning.

the next next day

i go to a different store

that has mustard greens.

i'm excited.

we heat up the pie

and i toss together a very

easy simple salad

of mustard greens, apple

and toasted pecans in a 

homemade buttermilk dressing.

the pie, thank goodness,

does not taste anything like

velveeta.

the crust is incredibly flaky,

the filling so smooth

and creamy and the dots

of andouille, spicy,

but not overwhelming.

the soft supper is perfectly

balanced by the crisp cool

salad.

we eat dinner in our pajamas,

sharing a bottle of beer

and

watch the yankee game.

sweet potato and andouille pie

adapted from food and wine magazine

the original piecrust called for cornmeal, which i think would have been delicious. i used my traditional crust, which i've provided the recipe for here. if you're one of those freaky people (like me) who tastes the raw dough, don't be alarmed if the crust tastes overly salty, it will even out by the time it's baked. also, i used turkey and chicken andouille instead of the traditional pork. i think it worked out well. other than that, i obeyed the recipe pretty well. i very, very much wanted to reduce the cream to whole milk, or at least half and half, but i was very worried that it would break in the oven.

1 pound sweet potatoes, scrubbed and pierced with a fork

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chopped and chilled until ready to use

2-3 tablespoons ice cold water

3 links chicken-turkey andouille sausage (about 9 ounces), chopped

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground sage

1 cup heavy cream

fresh ground pepper

3 large egg yolks

heat oven to 400˚f. wrap sweet potato in aluminum foil and roast potato 1 hour, or until tender. unwrap and let cool. 

reduce oven temperature to 350˚f.

meanwhile, in food processor, combine flour, salt, sugar and butter; pulse just until pebble-like pieces form. with motor running, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water; process just until mixture comes together. if you feel the mixture needs a bit more liquid, drip in a drop at a time. remove dough from mixer and flatten into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes. on floured surface, using rolling pin, rolling out dough into 13" round; transfer dough to pie plate by rolling dough around rolling pin and unrolling in plate. gently press dough firmly into plate. tuck overhang under. at this point, if you feel it is very warm in your kitchen or the dough has gotten too warm, place pie plate in fridge and chill 30 minutes more.

prick bottom crust several times with fork. cover dough with foil; fill with dry beans. bake 30 minutes or until crust is barely set. remove foil and dry beans. bake 10 minutes more, or until the crust is dry and very lightly brown. let cool.

in large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat, cook andouille 5 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occassionally. add onion, garlic and dried sage; cook 5 minutes more, or until softened. let cool slightly.

peel sweet potato; place in food processor. add cream and puree until very smooth. season with salt and pepper. add egg yolks and process until incorporated. transfer the filling to a large bowl and stir in andouille mixture. transfer to crust, smoothing top. bake 45 minutes, or until the filling is set (this took me 40 minutes). let cool on rack 20 minutes; cut and serve. you can also make it ahead, cool completely, cover and chill in the fridge. reheat in oven.

mustard greens with apple, pecans and buttermilk dressing

adapted from food and wine magazine

the recipe that runs in food and wine features watercress, but mentions the donald link, the original creator of the recipe for his new orleans' restaurants, uses mustard greens. i am a huge fan of the spicy green, much more so than watercress, so i jumped at the chance. if you're not a fan of the leaves, try it with watercress or even romaine. i added toasted pecans and played with the proportions of the dressing, which in the end, i was glad about. it's extremely light - and gives the greens a very light coating. if you like your salad very dressed, i would make more of the dressing.

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 pinch sugar

kosher salt

black pepper

2 tablespoons corn oil

1 bunch mustard greens (about 10 ounces)

1 large granny smith apple, cut into matchsticks

1/4 cup pecans, broken into large pieces and toasted

in small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper; drizzle in corn oil, whisking constantly. 

stem mustard greens; tear leaves into bite-size pieces. combine greens with apples and pecans; drizzle with dressing and toss to combine just before serving.