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.

hot kitchen? cool cure.

i can't believe that it was only

weeks ago 

that i was complaining

about the never-ending winter,

the delay of spring

and how i could use a little

warmth.

because now?

now it's hot.

and humid.

and i have the hair to prove it.

in some ways it's nice:

to walk the streets and see

people tucking away

salads

from their sidewalk seats

in front of restaurants,

to slip on flip-flops

before running out the door,

to actually crave

the watermelon piling

up in bins.

but every year, i somehow

forget that as soon

as the days border

on heavenly outside,

inside, they're sweltering.

we're lucky enough to have two

permanent air conditioning units,

but when it is extra hot,

they are no match for our fourth floor

apartment.

and the kitchen usually 

suffers first.

so this weekend, 

after avoiding an entire 

saturday of cooking,

i braced myself for sunday night.

what i really wanted was fish,

but i knew that involved

either standing

over a steaming

stove

or facing the extra heat

provided by a 400 degree oven.

instead, i made one of my

hot weather standbys

(although, honestly, i don't 

think i've ever before

had to pull out the dish in april).

it's a toss together pasta 

from giada,

who i happen to really enjoy

(i'm willing to discuss why

if anyone disagrees).

yes, this means a pot of 

scalding water,

but the recipe

is so quick and easy,

that i can put a flame

under the pot of water,

make the sauce

and be out of the kitchen

before even the first

tiny bubble boils

to the surface.

here's what you do.

chop garlic in the food

processor. add:

spinach

goat cheese

salt

pepper.

whirl together.

done.

easy.

ready for pasta.

and so bright, so pretty.

then. 

spinach leaves wait 

in your serving bowl

and when the pasta - 

whole grain which i love

(less guilt, nuttier flavor,

chewier texture) -

is perfectly al dente,

you dump the lot

on top of the veggie.

the heat and steam

from the penne wilts

the greens just enough.

tossed with the sauce

and sprinkled with cheese,

it's the perfect in-and-out

of the kitchen

solution.

it's that simple.

spicy from the garlic, smooth without

cream, just the right temperature

thanks to mixing hot and cold together.

it's pesto-like, minus the oil, nuts and

drop-by-drop dripping.

and, it's a good way to sneak in a vegetable -

and goat cheese - to the unsuspecting.

often, like most, i think,

pasta makes me feel guilty.

but, when it's unbearable

in the house, i can work in

a vegetable

and 

the dish requires only

as much time as it

takes for the penne to cook,

i can honestly say,

this dish is nothing to feel

guilty about.

especially if you don't have

an air conditioner

in your kitchen.

whole grain penne with spinach and goat cheese

adapted from giada de laurentiis

the recipe is so simple, that i almost feel like you don't need the nitty gritty details, that the above is enough to go on. but i will give it to you anyway - you never know when another heat wave will come through and who wants to think then?the original recipe used 1 ounce of cream cheese, which to me is a waste of a purchase. instead of buying a bar, i always up the goat cheese. also, the garlic is raw, which i'm fine with, but if you're sensitve to such things, don't hesitate to reduce it by a clove or two. the great thing about this dish is that it's great as is when it's too warm to focus on an extra step, but can also really shine when mixed with halved graped tomatoes, grilled shrimp or torn basil.

1 box (16 ounces) whole grain penne

3 cloves garlic, ends trimmed and halved

1 bag (6 ounces) baby spinach, divided

3 ounces goat cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons grated parm

in saucepot, bring water to a boil; add salt. when water returns to a boil, add whole grain penne. cook according to package directions. just before draining, remove 1 cup pasta water. drain pasta. 

meanwhile, place garlic cloves in food processor; pulse until chopped. add half the spinach leaves, goat cheese, salt and pepper; process 1 minutes, or until mixture is smooth.

place remaining spinach leaves in serving bowl. as soon as pasta is drained, transfer to serving bowl on top of spinach. add spinach sauce. let mixture sit several minutes; toss together. if you need more liquid, splash in cooking water. season mixture with salt and pepper. sprinkle with grated cheese.