Category: "Cook's Illustrated"
Braised chard
Today I made braised chard using the same recipe from Cook's Illustrated.
| Olive oil 2 tbsp | 240 |
| Swiss chard 23.5 oz | 118 |
| Onion 8 5/8 oz | 95 |
| Garlic 3/8 oz | 16 |
| Lemon juice 4.5 oz | 36 |
| Vegetarian stock 1 cup | 15 |
| Total: | 520 |
Divided into four, that makes 130 calories per serving. Very tasty. I threw in a couple tepines, too, but that doesn't really affect the calorie count. The chard had an almost buttery taste to it.
Chard doesn't have the bitter taste of mustard greens, so I think in the future I may just eat in raw in salads.
Perfect French omelet, attempt 1
This morning I tried for the first time to make a perfect French omelet using the recipe from the January-February 2009 issue of Cook's Illustrated. It turned out half decent. The real trick is to believe that you can trust the very brief period of time that the omelet stays on medium high heat and then to remove it without stirring anymore, otherwise the omelet turns into mere scrambled eggs.
I'm pleased, though. The result came close this first time. I'll definitely try it again.
Braised collard greens
Tonight I once again use the braised winter greens recipe in the Jan/Feb 2009 edition of Cook's Illustrated. That recipe rocks! I used a bit of green curry paste in today's version, and the taste was wonderful. I'm making this a regular part of my cooking henceforth.
Braised mustard greens
Tonight I'm braising mustard greens based on the approach in the Jan/Feb 2009 edition of Cook's Illustrated. These greens are very tender, so I'm not going to braise them nearly as long, and I'm going to add some Mae Ploy green curry paste. Here's the nutrition info for today's variation:
| Mustard greens 20 oz | 140 |
| Olive oil 2 tbsp | 240 |
| Onion 8 oz | 88 |
| Garlic 1 oz | 42 |
| Vegetarian broth 1 cup | 15 |
| Mae Ploy green curry paste 2 tsp | 10 |
| Total: | 535 |
Dividing up that mess into four servings, that comes out to 134 calories per serving, which is reasonable for a side dish.
Taste-wise it came out adequate. The mustard greens cooked for only 15-20 minutes, and they still had the bitter taste. I'm curious whether further cooking would remove it. Next time I'll cook it closer to the article's original instructions and see if that makes a difference.
Braised collard greens — best
Today I tried the recipe for "Braised Winter Greens" in the Jan/Feb 2009 edition of Cook's Illustrated. It promised to be not the soupy "pot likker" mess that has never appealed to me. I started off with 24 oz of collard greens. Once I removed the ribs, we were down to about 14 oz. So here's my calorie count:
| Collard greens 14 oz | 112 |
| Olive oil 2 tbsp | 240 |
| Vegetarian chicken broth powder 1 tsp | 15 |
| Onion 1 medium | 44 |
| Garlic 5 cloves | 20 |
| Total: | 431 |
If I divide that up into four servings, that comes to 108 calories per serving.
I have to say that this is the best recipe for greens I've ever had. The texture was fine. The original recipe called for some red pepper. I actually used tepines, which was wonderful.
2020-03-17: I decided to try some kale tonight using that old recipe.
Ingredients
| Kale, precut in a bag, 16 oz |
| Olive oil 2 tbsp |
| Brocolli stock, 3/4 cup |
| Onion 1 large red, chopped |
| Garlic 5 cloves, minced |
I started off with the onions in olive oil till they softened. Added the garlic till fragrant. Added 1/4 cup of brocolli stock (which I had left over from a previous meal), as much of the kale as the pan could hold and covered it with a lid till it wilted. Mixed it up. Added the rest of the cale, plus red pepper, black pepper and salt. Twice more I added 1/4 cup of brocolli stock when I thought it was getting too dry. Braised with the lid on till it seemed done.
The result? Very tasty.