Hooks For Cooks^™

Have you studied the variety of greens now conveniently available in most grocery store produce aisles?

Even though I grow a variety of greens in my kitchen garden year round, there are still days when I need a break and have to reach for simpler options that don't sacrifice flavor and nutrition. That's when I head over to the bagged greens in the produce aisle. The variety seems to have exploded recently!

Whether bagged or boxed, the options often included mixed baby kales, chopped curly kale, robust collards, mixed Asian greens, baby arugula, romaine hearts, baby spinach, and even heirloom lettuce blends. These products offer tremendous convenience because the greens are usually washed and ready to use! Basically, there's little excuse for NOT using them!

Yesterday morning, I was at my local Fred Meyer bright and early. On a mission to find some unusual greens, I decided to chat with the produce gal who was restocking the bagged greens. When I asked her if they were popular, she said, "Yes! We can hardly keep the collards and kale in stock!" With that, I decided to buy a bag of the Harvest Sensations Organic Kale Salad, which also included a little bag of Asian salad dressing.

At home, I was impressed with the sturdy greens and quickly tossed them with the dressing. Even though the quantity of dressing seemed skimpy for the generous quantity of greens that tumbled out of the bag, I was quite impressed with the convenience.  The salad was good, and I was soon inspired to make my own Asian dressing and to toss the kale with some leftover millet that was kicking around the fridge.

When I munched on my convenient green salad, I marvelled at how easy it is to Eat Your Greens!

Back in August, I decided to plant a winter garden. During those bright sunny days, I carefully tucked little cabbage, kale, and lettuce starts into the raised beds in my little yard.

All of those plants continue to produce even during these dark rainy days of winter and last night I was very happy to use one of those red cabbages in a traditional Flemish Cabbage dish. I've made this braised red cabbage for many years, but admittedly I haven't made it recently. It is a basic recipe from Jean Anderson's classic cookbook, The Doubleday Cookbook. The recipe simply calls for sliced red cabbage, onion, apple, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and red wine. I originally turned to this recipe about fifteen years ago because it was a quick and healthy side dish that I could easily make when toddlers were charging around. Once the ingredients are placed in the pot, the dish essentially cooks itself gently on the stove.

It was a lot of fun to revisit this dish using my own cabbage last night. We had some friends over and the cabbage was served with a huge pot of braised short ribs and some deliciously rich and creamy mashed potatoes. We served some of my husband's homecured coho gravlax as an hors d'oeuvre. It wasn't a fancy dinner, but it was pure comfort food for a dark and rainy winter night.

I have lots more red cabbage in the garden. Without a doubt my dense red cabbages will be making an appearance on my Christmas dinner table this year. I have already fielded a formal request!

Yesterday, I had a craving for wild rice so I rummaged through my pantry and extracted a bag.

I don't make wild rice very often and was pressed for time yesterday, so I decided to enlist my trusty Zojirushi rice cooker. I had never used my rice cooker for wild rice and pretty much worked off the cuff yesterday. I was too tired to research proportions and methods, so I simply treated the wild rice like brown rice. (There is no "wild rice setting" on the cooker so I was left to my own instincts.) I measured two cups of wild rice, poured it into the rice cooker insert, added water to the 2 cup brown rice line, and set the cooker to "brown rice." Much to my delight, the rice was perfect! I didn't have to mess with it at all while cooking and the wild rice looked great when it was done.

For lunch I created an acorn squash, wild rice, and apple salad which I dressed lightly with some balsamic vinaigrette and light sprinkling of pink Peruvian salt! I had baked some acorn squash cubes earlier in the morning so they were handy and quite successful in the salad. The roasted cubes added a nice sweet and nutty accent to the rice.

 For dinner, I made a wild rice stuffing that we shoved into some chicken breasts before baking. For the stuffing, I simply sauteed sliced leeks, apples, celery, and fresh chives in butter. I added the wild rice and a pinch of dried savory. That concoction was great too.

So, I guess it's safe to say that my interest in wild rice is now reinvigorated for the holidays! Stay tuned for more. I just have to restock my supply...

Photo courtesy of California Wild Rice Association.

Bristol Bay, Alaska is a very difficult place to fish. Can you imagine fishing in open waters in a little boat like the one shown here?

Well, back in the 1950s the rugged fishermen of Bristol Bay did exactly that! At that time, motorized boats weren't allowed and the fishermen had to brave the elements  and catch the sockeye while under sail! These boats didn't feature a head, a galley, a stove or even any protection. They were chubby vessels maneuvered skillfully by the local fishermen.

I had the good fortune to see one of these original sailboats when I was in Bristol Bay this summer. When I stood and looked at the restored wooden boats at the historic Peter Pan Cannery, I shivered and shook my head in awe! (Note: Click the image for a full view in another window.)