Asian Ginger Green Saute

After the first intense heat wave of the summer, the weather in New York relaxed and gave way to a beautiful weekend.  A stunning weekend of full bloom is the perfect time to take a stroll through the Farmers Market at Union Square.  An array of booths offer fresh, seasonal delights - fruits and vegetables recently gleaned from local fields, herbs and potted flowers carefully drawn from the earth, eggs and dairy straight from the farm, and artisan breads and pastries baked fresh in homestyle fashion.  The large booths featuring fresh produce spilling out of the bins or piled high in heaps are a magnetic pull, drawing me in for purchase. These booths are true sensory experience - the smells waft to my nose, the rainbow of colors catches my eye, rustling around in the piles is wonderfully tactile, and some vendors are all too happy to offer samples for tasting.

Yellow swiss chard, broccoli rabe, & red swiss chard

This is a time of year in which greens are abundant - varietals of lettuce, kale, chard, collards, mustard, lambs, escarole, arugula, spinach, broccoli rabe, and countless herbs.  The nutritional benefits of these leaves seem infinite - low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and fantastic source of zinc, fiber, various vitamins, calcium and iron.  I am often particularly drawn to swiss chard since you can find it in array of colors - standard green, a magenta red, and bright yellow.  I also spot an enticing heap of broccoli rabe - an item that bares little resemblance to broccoli as it is 90% leaf and little blossom. 

Parshat Korach: The Chosen Amongst the Chosen

The Farmers Market is a wonderful connector to Parshat Korach.  Most widely known from a spectacular showcase of rebellion in which Korach and his followers turn against Moshe and Aharon in a wave of jealous fury.  The intentions of Korach and company have no altruistic goals, and the gang is swallowed up into the earth (no special effects - the real deal).  In the rest of the parsha God makes clear a particular fondness for Aharon the expanded tribe of Levites.  It is this line of dissension tasked with the holy job of guarding the Tabernacle.  In exchange for their service Aharon and the priests are to receive a terumah  - a plethora of gifts, ranging from those that are monetary to  a portion of grains, wine crop, and select produce from the harvest.  (note: the flip side is that they will not receive a portion of the Promised Land ... but perhaps this will be the basis of a separate blog entry).

My mind immediately wanders back to the Union Square Farmers Market, as I picture the honored priests rushing from stand to stand to gather their promised gifts - the select produce from the harvest.

Asian Ginger Green Saute

Sauteed greens can assume a number of different flavor profiles, ranging from the standard application of olive oil and garlic to one with more punch.  I have become fond of matching greens with the modern Asian fusion approach.  You can try out a number of different combination of greens - the taste will alter slightly, but I don't find a difference that is too significant.  This recipe also allows invites the addition of non-leaf greens, such as asparagus, broccoli, edamame, string beans, zucchini, etc..  For this rendition I chose yellow and red chard, broccoli rabe, asparagus, and broccoli. 

The "Asian" is delivered in two ways.  The first is the creation of a saute sauce that marries soy sauce, garlic, rice wine vinegar, lime zest, and lime juice.  This citrus soy sauce is delicious, with a great twist from the lime.  The second is the use of ginger, and can be delivered in a few different manners.  I suggest using sweet, pickled ginger (the type that comes on the side of most sushi dishes), which also adds a nice pink/salmon accent to the color of the dish.  Alternatively you can use a teaspoon of fresh, grated ginger or a 1/2 a teaspoon of powdered ginger.

You'll notice that this recipe calls for six packed cups of chopped greens.  Don't be alarmed!  As I have noted in the past with the interesting phenomenon of cooking with spinach, when greens are sauteed they wilt significantly.  A good 10 minutes over a medium heat will reduce the greens down by at least half their original volume.

This would be a great side dish to be prepared with a type of rice, and served alongside fish (salmon, tuna), or chicken or beef that is also prepared with some Asian fusion influence.  Enjoy!

Asian Ginger Green Saute

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Citrus Soy Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. lime zest

1 tbsp. lime juice

Saute

Olive oil spray

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup broccoli, chopped

3/4 cup asparagus, chopped

6 cups chopped greens (combo of swiss chard, spinach, kale, broccoli rabe, etc.)

1 tbsp. pickled ginger, chopped (or 2 tsp. minced ginger or 1 tsp powdered ginger) 

Pinch fresh ground black pepper 

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients for Citrus Soy Sauce in a small bowl.  Whisk and set aside.
2. Heat skillet or wok over a medium heat for one or two minutes.  Spray with olive oil spray, and add shallots and 1/2 tsp. Citrus Soy Sauce.  Saute for 5 minutes (shallots will soften).  Add minced garlic and saute an additional minute.
3. Add broccoli and asparagus to skillet, plus an additional tsp. of the Citrus Soy Sauce.  Saute for about 7 minutes so that vegetables begin to cook and turn bright green.
4. Add chopped greens and spray with olive oil spray.  Add two more tsp. of Citrus Soy Sauce.  Stir occasionally over the course of five minutes and greens will begin to wilt.  Add chopped ginger and a pinch of fresh ground pepper, saute for 10 minutes.  Add more sauce and/or a tsp. or two of water as needed.
5. The dish will be done once the greens have wilted significantly, but still maintain some bright color.  Reduce heat to low and let sit or serve immediately.

Lemon Honey Glazed Brussels Sprouts - A Beautiful Metamorphosis

Brussels sprouts have a ridiculously bad reputation.  Children seem to be conditioned at an early age to contort their face into an expression of disgust at the mere mention of the name of these delicious balls of flavor.  The bad attitude trickles into adulthood for those unwilling to give these babies a fair shot.  Well, even those who believe that the B-sprout in its relatively natural, unsophisticated state is unyummy will fall in love with the infamous vegetable - packed with an outstanding array of nutrients - when transformed into a sweet and tangy dish.  Coincidentally (or not, as the case may be) a similar metamorphosis occurs in this week's parsha.

From Rowdy to Royalty
(This drash is based on the teaching of Rabbi Yosef Jacobson)

Parshat Vayechi tells the final chapter in the now legendary life of our patriarch Ya'akov.  Before passing, he bestows a distinct blessing upon each of his sons.  The blessing of royalty is given to Judah:

Judah, [as for] you, your brothers will acknowledge you. Your hand will be at the nape of your enemies, [and] your father's sons will prostrate themselves to you.  A cub [and] a grown lion is Judah. From the prey, my son, you withdrew. He crouched, rested like a lion, and like a lion, who will rouse him?  The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the student of the law from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him will be a gathering of peoples. - Bereshit 49:8-10

Sounds lovely, no? Yet, if we sift back through Judah's past we see some pretty distasteful decision making, hardly warranting such a royal blessing. Two specific, troubling incidents recorded in the Torah include:

1. Judah is one of the brothers who lashes out in jealousy towards Joseph, initially throwing him into a pit to die.
2. When Judah first learns that his twice widowed daughter-in-law Tamar has become pregnant out of marriage he orders her put to death by burning.

In both incidents Judah’s displays his beastly temperament, quick to call for the death of another human being. 

At the same time, Judah also ascends from his raucous state to one of greater maturity. Rashi’s interpretation of Ya’akov’s depiction of Judah as a cub who withdraws from his prey points to two particular points of redemption. First, it is Judah who appeals to the brothers: “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover his blood? Let's sell him to the Arabs and not harm him with our own hands. After all--he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.'" Second, Judah quickly retracts Tamar’s death sentence when she discreetly reveals that he, in fact, is the unborn baby’s father. In addition to Rashi’s points, we also learn that it is Judah who offers himself as a hostage in place of his younger, and more beloved, brother Benjamin when the brother’s encounter Joseph in Egypt.

While Judah’s early actions are most certainly rowdy and distasteful, in each incident he goes through a metamorphosis to ascend to a more rational, celebrated state of leadership.

Metamorphosis of the Brussels Sprout 

…and so it goes with this version of Brussels sprouts.  While the old school preparation of this dish calls for them to be boiled to a state of distasteful mush, the sprout can also go through a metamorphosis to become king of the vegetable world!

This recipe is my version of one I encountered while out to dinner in New York.  My parents were recently visiting me from our home in Los Angeles and at the end of a long day we were walking through the meat-packing district, famished and in search of dinner.  We stumbled, quite unknowingly, into Spice Market – an outstanding and apparently well-known restaurant.  True to its name, each dish embodied a distinct flavor profile as the master chefs in the kitchen blended high quality proteins and vegetables with a unique combination of spices and herbs.  Dishes are served a la carte, giving customers the opportunity to select their own sides.
 
The three of us are all relatively new fans of the Brussels sprout and were quite enticed by the dish described on the menu - Crispy Brussels Sprouts Lemongrass, Honey and Mint.  The crisp sprouts were served glistening in in a thick, syrupy glaze that was both sweet and tangy.  The lemongrass certainly worked its magic, softened a bit by the sweet honey and delicious natural oils derived from the mint leaves.  What follows is my version – enjoy!

Honey Lemon Glazed Brussels Sprouts Serves: 4 - 6 Ingredients 12 oz. Brussels sprouts, washed and halved Sea salt & freshly ground pepper 3 Tbsp. finely chopped basil, divided 3 Tbsp. finely chopped mint, divided 1 lemon, zested and juiced 10-inch stalk lemon grass, cut into 4 pieces ¼ c. chicken stock 4 Tbsp. honey, divided Olive oil spray Instructions: Preheat oven to 450° F. Place Brussels sprouts on baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spray with olive oil.  Roast for 40 minutes, careful not to burn them.  In the meantime, combine the chicken stock, 3 Tbsp. honey, lemon grass, 1 ½ Tbsp. chopped basil, 1 ½ Tbsp. chopped mint, lemon zest and lemon juice in a sauce pan.  Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.  Bring to a quick boil and reduce to simmer.  Let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, so that the sauce reduces and thickens slightly.  Remove Brussels sprouts from oven and sprinkle with remainder of chopped herbs and drizzle with final Tbsp. of honey.  Return to oven for 12 minutes. Remove sprouts from oven, place in serving bowl and toss a few tablespoons of sauce to coat (be sure to discard lemon grass first).  Save extra sauce for future use.