Sautéed Mixed Greens Recipe

Bags of organic arugula at the store always tempt me. "Buy me!" they say, "Eat salad for a week, it'll be great!" Of course after three or four days the bag is half full and the contents start to look rather wilted and sad. Then comes regret. Why did I buy that bag in the first place? Recently I found the solution to the problem of wilting greens, a problem that I'm guessing may also be yours.


It turns out arugula is quite wonderful when lightly sauteed in olive oil. It's somewhat bitter and earthy but in a good way. It's even better if you mix it with some other greens. I use a bit of frozen spinach which is mild but silky and some fresh escarole which has a lovely spring flavor and juiciness when it's cooked. The mixture of flavors and textures creates a compelling dish that isn't just a terrific side dish, but begs to be layered in a grilled cheese sandwich. With or without ham or bacon, this is good stuff!

I buy arugula a lot. But you could just as easily use fresh but beginning-to-wilt spinach, swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, turnip tops or beet greens. Experiment! The amounts of greens are up to you and what you have on hand. I almost always have some individually quick frozen (IQF) spinach in the freezer but don't use it if you don't have it, this is all about cooking economically and making do with what you have. No garlic on hand? No problem! Want to use red chile flakes in addition to onion and garlic? Go for it! You have nothing to lose but some greens that are probably not ready for a starring role in a salad, Mr. De Mille. The basic technique is just to place the ingredients in the pan in order from most sturdy to most fragile. The sturdy stuff will take a little longer to cook than the fragile stuff, but we're talking only a few minutes.

Sautéed Mixed Greens
Serves about 4 as a side dish

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup frozen spinach
8-10 leaves of escarole
1/2 a bag of arugula, about 4 handfuls

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and when hot, add the onion. Cook for three minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, add the garlic and cook for just 30 seconds then add the spinach and the escarole. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Let it cook for a minute or two, just until the spinach barely defrosts. Remove the lid and stir, then add the arugula and stir. The arugula will wilt very quickly, in just a couple of minutes. Season with salt and you're done!

Enjoy!

Smoked Oyster BLT: Recipe

I'm not sure who first decided to smoke an oyster or why, but it sure was a good idea. The texture of a smoked oyster is nothing like a raw oyster. It's firm yet still creamy, sweet and addictive to eat as candy.

The little ones that come in the can are often used as appetizers. Despite being labeled "colossal" they are anything but. They taste a bit like the oil they are packed in. While the canned ones are ok, they are impossible to go back to after eating fresh ones from the Pacific Northwest.


These oysters are actual size!

Recently I agreed to judge a contest and received a shipment of deluxe seafood to help me "prepare." I got two fresh steamed crabs, shrimp, smoked salmon and the most plump, sweet smoked oysters I had ever tried. While I had no problem coming up with ideas for using all of the other seafood, I was a bit stumped by the oysters.

These oysters were way too large to languish on a cracker or a piece of toast. Instead I stuffed them into a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. The applewood smoked bacon really went well with the oysters. It provided nice crunchy chewy contrast but also sweet and salty notes. I know iceberg lettuce is terribly retro, but it really is the right choice for this sandwich. It provides crunch and juiciness without competing with all the other flavors. If you travel to Oregon, there are plenty of wonderful places to find fresh seafood, raw, cooked or smoked. My luscious oysters came from Bell Buoy of Seaside.

Smoked Oyster BLT
Serves 1

1 roll or ciabatta bread
homemade mayonnaise
2 slices bacon, cooked
1 tomato, sliced
iceberg lettuce
5-6 fresh smoked oysters, not canned

Slice the bread and hollow out any excess to make plenty of room for the fillings. Spread the bread with mayonnaise, layer on the slices of tomato, oysters, bacon and lettuce.

Enjoy!

Lavash Sandwiches: Recipe

On really hot days, when I was growing up, my mother used to make an antipasto plate with dry salami, cheese, cherry tomatoes, olives, celery sticks, and various other things for dinner. We'd sit outside and nibble away until the house cooled down enough to go back inside. These days I don't have any outdoor space where I can eat al fresco, but I still enjoy a do-it-yourself style dinner now and again. Hot weather calls for some creative approaches to meals and my mom was right--lighter, less meaty, room temperature meals that don't require using the stove really help beat the heat.

A variation on my mom's antipasto platter is lavash sandwiches. If you've never used Persian lavash bread before you should try it. It's similar to a flour tortilla but square or rectangular instead of round and at room temperature it's pliable and soft. You can get it in white or whole wheat. Tortillas are great when warm, but cold or room temperature they are dry and gummy and not very tasty. I know plenty of "roll-up" sandwich recipes call for them, but lavash is a much better choice. I particularly like the lavash bread I get at Trader Joe's but it's available in supermarkets near me as well.

I admit I was inspired by this recipe on Epicurious, but I made some changes based on personal preferences. In addition to hummus, I also added labne, which is a creamy yogurt cheese, that way I can have two very different sandwiches in one sitting. I like pairing the hummus with cilantro and labne with mint.

This is a recipe you can make any way you like, use more less of the vegetables or another style of cheese or dip as you wish. I used the Middle Eastern spice mix Za'atar, but you could use fresh ground black pepper, Sirracha hot sauce or any condiment you like. Or no condiments at all. You can buy hummus or make it. For homemade hummus, there are tons of recipes online, I think this version is pretty good.

Lavash Sandwiches
Serves 4

Lavash bread
1 avocado, thinly sliced
10-20 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Bunch of mint leaves
Sprigs of cilantro
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 bunch radishes, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, peeled and sliced
Za'atar (see note)
1/2 cup hummus
1/2 cup labne
Olive oil for drizzling

Arrange all the vegetables, herbs and spice mix on a platter. Put the hummus and labne in individual serving bowls and drizzle with a little olive oil. Lay out large pieces of lavash bread, spreading knives and spoons for the ingredients. Spread dip on one side of the bread, top with desired toppings and roll to form a sandwich.

Enjoy!

Grilled Cheese, Pear & Smoked Turkey Sandwich: Recipe

Recently I've been having some fun in the kitchen creating recipes using products from Dulcet Cuisine including my favorite, the Madras Curry Mustard. I'm not the only one to have fallen in love with it, it was chosen the grand champion at the 2006 Napa Valley Mustard Festival Worldwide Mustard Competition. It's a mildly spicy mustard that really perks up all kinds of dishes.

Whenever I'm in Hayes Valley around lunchtime, I'm always tempted to stop by Arlequin for a toasted cheddar, pear and bacon sandwich. The bread is crispy and crunchy, the cheese oozes and the sweetness of the pear is offset by the smoky saltiness of the bacon. Taking that sandwich as inspiration I decided to add mustard to my version. I was sure the warm spices including cinnamon, clove and cayenne in the mustard would really be delicious with the pear but I didn't want the intensity of bacon for this sandwich. After experimenting a bit, the combination I settled on was smoked turkey, white cheddar and pear. Smoked turkey is a good sandwich choice, it adds some heft and lean protein, and is healthier than ham or bacon.

One trick to getting this sandwich is right is to layer the ingredients just so. Start with a mustard slathered slice of bread and top it with cheese. The cheese and the mustard will kind of melt together. Put the smoked turkey in the middle and on the top put the pear. By grilling or toasting the sandwich on both sides in a pan you get a warmed through pear and gooey cheese that holds the turkey firmly in the middle. Make sure the cheese has melted before taking it off the heat. The last key is to let the sandwich sit for a few minutes before slicing, if you can!

Grilled Cheese, Pear and Smoked Turkey Sandwich
serves 1

2 slices of sandwich bread, white or wheat
Madras Curry mustard
One half a ripe pear, thinly sliced (enough to cover the bread)
2-3 thin slices white cheddar cheese
2 very thin slices smoked turkey

Butter the bread on one side of each slice, and spread mustard on one slice. Layer cheese, turkey and one layer of pear on top of the mustard spread side of bread and top with another slice. Buttered sides of the bread should be facing out. Toast in a frying pan, sandwich press or non-stick grill. If toasting in a pan, place something on top of the sandwich to weigh it down such as baking sheet or a heavy frying pan. Cook until golden brown and cheese melts. Let cool slightly before cutting in half and serving.

Enjoy!

Cobb Sandwich: Recipe

I don't know if Mae West ever ate a Cobb Salad, but I bet she would have loved it. After all, she was the one who said "too much of a good thing is wonderful". A Cobb Salad begins with a bed of Romaine lettuce, think of it as your basic crunchy blank canvas. Resting on the greens are strips of toppings--luscious chunks of avocado, juicy fresh tomato, crumbles of rich blue cheese, hard boiled eggs and chunks of chicken breast. Frankly I've always found the chicken to be superfluous, but maybe that's just me.

Forget about the hot dog or the hamburger, for my money, the Cobb Salad is one of the best examples of "American cuisine". It was invented in America, it combines American ingredients with American excessiveness and good old American seat-of-the-pants ingenuity. It also has a little bit of Hollywood flair. The story goes that after the chef had gone home, Bob Cobb, the owner of The Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles created a late night snack for Chinese Theater owner Sid Grauman by pulling out a bit of this and that from the refrigerator and the popular salad was born. Or so the legend goes.

Faced with many of the ingredients I love in the Cobb, I decided to make myself a sandwich. It's really just a version of a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, but since I've swapped out peppery arugula for the Romaine and added smears of avocado and gorgonzola on the bread, I'm calling it the Cobb Sandwich. Don't make this sandwich with anything less than fabulously ripe and flavorful tomatoes.

Cobb Sandwich
serves 1

2 slices sourdough bread
1 Tablespoon gorgonzola dolce
1 Tablespoon avocado
2 strips of bacon cooked to your liking
2 slices tomato (the best tastiest one you can get your hands on)
1 handful arugula

Spread one slice of bread with gorgonzola. Top the bread with bacon, tomato and arugula. Top the sandwich with a second slice of bread spread with avocado. Press together gently and slice in half.

Enjoy!

FOOD