I heart kale!

I have an affinity for green leafy vegetables. It started with my baby bottle and liquor. Hey- before you start assuming bad things, I am talking about pot liquor. The delicious juice left in a pot after cooking Southern Greens. And that delicious broth was put in my baby bottle to keep me healthy especially when my grandma thought I looked peaked (beginning to look a little under-the-weather). I could eat them every day but some times cooking them for long periods of time isn't an option. That is when I break out the skillet and enjoy braised kale.

Yummy Yummy Kale

12 oz Kale
1 medium onion
1 jalepeno
1 yellow pepper
1 tbsp oil
1 chicken bouillon cube
3/4 c water
1/2 c red wine
salt and pepper to taste

Okay before we go any further, I have a confession to make. I did not use the onion pictured above or the oil. I cut into that onion and well, let's just say it was cute on the outside and a hot mess on the inside. YUCK! So I substituted a red onion which you will see in the pictures below.

As for the oil, there was a mason jar of bacon grease in the refrigerator. I feel nothing else needs to be said. :)

That is the great thing about a lot of the recipes I have been working on, the have flexibility. If you read and think this would be better adding this or that, try it. And if it works, let me know so I can steal it... ermm, I mean borrow your idea.

Preheat your skillet on medium heat, especially if using a cast iron. I normally put my skillet on the heat while I am slicing my onions and peppers. Add the oil/grease when you begin heating your pan.

Another slight change from the picture above, you will notice the yellow pepper did not make it in the pot.
P-I-C-K-Y   H-U-B-B-Y
I ate it as a snack.

Once sliced, add the onions and jalepeno and cook until soft.

Break up the bouillon cube and sprinkle over the onion and jalepeno. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, add 3/4 cup of water and scrape the yummy bits off the bottom of your pan.

Add your first batch of greens. Eyeball it. Fill the pan as much as possible with a lid being able to fit. As that batch wilts down, add your second batch and continue this process until you can fit all the kale in your pan with the lid on.

Pour the wine over top and braise until tender. You can omit the wine if you prefer and use more water or broth. I like the complexity in flavor the wine brings as well as the touch of sweetness.

This is a great side with any meal or in a bowl right by itself. Tonight it was a side for steak and roasted potatoes but I only went back for seconds on the kale.

Keep it Sassy!

love-j

Belgian Beef Stew

Southern cooking is tied to the seasons. I eat my weight in strawberries April through May, crave fresh tomatoes in late June and peaches in August. Eating seasonally is what makes Southern cuisine budget friendly. So when we hit September and the temperature dips below 75 (hey- have 4 weeks of 100 degree and above temperatures and 75 is a little brisk), I start craving soups and stews. This is one of my favorites.

Belgian Beef Stew

¼ lb bacon

3 tbsp olive oil

4 lbs boneless chuck, bottom and top round, cut into 2-inch pieces

½ c flour + 1 tsp salt + ¼ tsp black pepper mixed together

2 medium onions, sliced
1 celery stalk

12 ounces of mushrooms (I use baby bellas and quarter them. You may prepare them how you like.)

¼ c cognac

1 tsp salt

½ tsp dried thyme leaves

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 shallots, sliced

3 garlic cloves

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 12 ounce can dark beer or stout

1 ½ c beef broth

Cook the bacon on a Dutch oven until brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Cut beef into 2” cubes. Dredge the cubes in flour and brown over medium heat in Dutch oven. This will need to be done in batches, making sure to not overcrowd the pan. Overcrowding will steam the meat instead of browning.

Okay, truthfully- I did not completely brown the onions before I added the mushrooms.
Next time, I will have more patience grasshopper. :)

Remove beef. Brown the onions and celery. Once brown, add the mushrooms. Reduce the heat to low, remove the pan from the burner and add the cognac. Once added, return to burner.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Return the bacon, beef and onions to the Dutch oven. Stir in the salt, thyme, pepper, bay leaves, garlic, shallots, brown sugar, beer and broth. Heat the stew to a simmer and place in the oven. Cook 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the meat is fork-tender, stirring occasionally.

This stew may also be simmered on the stove top for 2 hours. 

I would love to show you a picture of the finished product but I realized this was gobbled up before I could get a picture.  I guess that means I need to make more. Yay!

A few options:

You can add potatoes, carrots and peas if you would like. I wanted to serve this over rice so I limited my ingredients and it was a thick almost gravy-like stew perfect for rice and crusty bread. That is the great thing about this recipe, it is a great foundation in which to play.

You may swap the the protein. You can certainly use a cheaper cut of pork or boneless, skinless chicken thighs. If you use chicken, I would use 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flouring and browning as stated above but adding the chicken breast the last hour of cooking.

You may also substitute the cognac with beef broth if you would prefer.

Keep it Sassy!

love- j