Three Free Thursday Part II: Tuscan Kale with Pine Nuts & Golden Raisins

Happy Three Free Thursday, Blog Readers!   To recap the process, on the first Thursday, I select three free recipes from sources on Twitter.  On the following Thursday, I report back via blog entry the full results of my adventures in the kitchen and let you know if you should try these recipes at home. Enjoy!

Recipe: Tuscan Kale with Pine Nuts & Golden Raisins

Attack of the killer kale!

Source: @Sur_La_Table
Link: http://ht.ly/3Sxyp

People tend to have very strong opinions about kale.  They either shudder at the thought of this slightly bitter, nutrient-filled leafy green or delight in its chameleon-like ability to blend seamlessly into many dishes from savory soups to hearty side dishes.  I knew that some of my readers would skip this blog entry about healthy kale and move directly on to the double chocolate chips cookies - that's fair.  Still, I grew up on kale and it holds a special place in my heart as my Portuguese paternal grandmother's incredible cooking once featured a thick, flavorful kale soup.  The Portuguese are renowned for their kale soup recipes - a mix of kale, potatoes, beans and chourico (Portuguese sausage) - and a winter month never passes without my mother or I crafting a tasty Portuguese Kale Soup for the entire family.

Surprisingly, in my decades of experience with kale, I'd never tried Tuscan kale.  A flat-leafed kale that resembles collards, Tuscan kale is slightly more expensive than traditional curly green and red kale and more difficult to find in standard grocery stores.  I tried this recipe with both Tuscan kale and a mix of curly green/red kale.  The results were rather similar, however the mix of curly green/red kale was much more attractive when plated.  Feel free to substitute any type of kale available at your local grocery store or farmers market into this recipe.

Findings:

Go easy on the garlic! My one complaint with this recipe was the three full cloves of garlic minced and incorporated into this side dish were a bit overwhelming.  To limit the intense garlicky flavor in this side dish, don't add minced garlic.  Instead, crush garlic cloves and toss them into the oil for 1-2 minutes to infuse the oil with garlic flavor.  Remove cloves prior to adding the kale and you'll enjoy the essence of garlic without  the intense after-taste of garlic and ensuing dragon breath.

Once you tone down the garlic, this is a delicious and healthy side dish.  The raisins add a surprising sweet note amidst the slightly bitter garlicky kale and the pine nuts add a nice crunch.  If you are allergic to or severely opposed to pine nuts, omit them or substitute other nuts (like toasted walnuts or pecans).  This side dish works well topped by a simple chicken or pork entree and is an excellent way to get your vitamins in the depths of a dark, cold winter. Enjoy!

Tips: 

• Mix up varieties of kale - curly green and red kale mix is readily available, less expensive and more visually appealing than Tuscan kale.
• Serve immediately - leafy green side dishes wilt and compact quickly as they cool down. 
• Replace golden raisins with dried cranberries for a new twist on this side dish.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Thanks for reading Part II of this week's Three Free Thursday! Feel free to send in recipe suggestions for Three Free Thursday on Twitter to @RecipEngineer or by e-mail RecipEngineer@gmail.com

Three Free Thursday Part II: Pineapple-Ginger Rice with Edamame

Happy Three Free Thursday, Blog Readers! This is the second entry of my new biweekly "Three Free Thursday" blog entries.  To recap the process, on the first Thursday, I select three free recipes from sources on Twitter.  On the following Thursday, I report back via blog entry the full results of my adventures in the kitchen and let you know if you should try these recipes at home. Enjoy!

Recipe: Pineapple-Ginger Rice with Edamame
Source: @WholeFoods

Link: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2679

Let me start by saying, "miso" disappointed.  Sorry - I really couldn't help myself.  Honestly, this recipe truly let me down.  I love pineapple and ginger and edamame, so it seemed impossible that combining these tasty ingredients wouldn't create a perfect side dish (or meal by adding chicken or tofu). Things began well enough as I chopped and measured ingredients and the warm aroma of ginger engulfed my kitchen.  As I added the miso to the simmering vegetable broth and ginger, I immediately realized that there was scarcely enough liquid in my pan. For the 4 cups of brown rice listed in the recipe, less than a cup off liquid was not going to be enough to coat the rice in miso/ginger taste.   Proportions were a significant issue throughout this recipe.

Pineapple also turned out to be a dilemma for this cook.  My local grocery store (not be named, but it  "might" be listed somewhere in this blog entry) tried to charge me $5.99 for a single, scrawny pineapple.  While I am all for free trade, a five dollar mark-up from other vendors this week seems outrageous.  Since pineapple costs can be an issue throughout the year, I tried the rice with both canned and (a less expensive)fresh pineapple to determine if canned pineapple was a suitable alternative.  Surprisingly, the canned pineapple performed significantly better than the fresh fruit.  The consistency of the texture and sweetness of the canned pineapple works well in this recipe.

Attack of the killer edamame!

 Findings:

This recipe is better in concept than in execution.  The combination of flavors seems perfect, but the outcome of the dish was seriously lacking.  Within minutes of serving, the pineapple juice leached into nearby rice creating a soggy contrast between sweet and savory.  The flavor of the ginger and miso was barely present in the rest of the pre-cooked rice. Edamame overwhelmed the dish as the recipe called for two cups of edamame to pair with the four cups of brown rice. Without added salt, edamame tends to have a bland taste, so they added very little to the flavor of the dish. This dish also re-heated poorly with the rice clumping together and the edamame shriveling up during reheating.

Tips:

• Feel free to use canned pineapple instead of fresh pineapple if necessary.

• Cook brown rice in the boiling ginger-miso vegetable broth liquid to infuse rice with flavor.

• Don't mix ingredients ahead of time - assemble quickly and serve immediately to avoid pineapple juice from oversweetening rice.

• To serve as a main dish, add a healthy serving of grilled tofu or shredded chicken.

Rating: 1 out of 5

Thanks for reading Part II of this week's Three Free Thursday! Feel free to send in recipe suggestions for Three Free Thursday on Twitter to @RecipEngineer or by e-mail RecipEngineer@gmail.com