Buckwheat Soba Noodles with with French Lentils, Carrots and Chard

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup French lentils
• 1 bay leaf 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Few spoonfuls virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
  
• 1 bunch red or green chard 
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch squares
• 1 celery stalk, cut into 1/4-inch squares 
• 1 or 2 leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
  
• 8 ounces soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles) 
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• Parmesan and ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Sort and rinse lentils; then cover them generously with water and bring them to a boil with the bay leaf and the salt. Cook at a slow boil until they are tender, 15 to 20 minutes, being careful not to overcook.  Drain, saving the liquid for stock, and toss with a little olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and set aside.
   
2. Cut the chard leaves away from the stems, wash them well, and slice the leaves into strips about 1-inch wide. Save the stems to cook by themselves or to use in stock.
   
3. Warm 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan with garlic and cook for about 1 minute, taking care that the garlic doesn’t color.
   
4. Add the lentils, carrots, celery, and leeks, and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute over medium heat with a sprinkling of salt; then pour in 3/4 cup water or stock and add the chard. Stew until the vegetables are tender, adding liquid as needed to maintain sauce.
   
5. Cook noodles in salted boiling water until just short of al dente;  then scoop them out and add them to the vegetables and cook for 1 minute.
   
6. Add parsley and ground pepper, toss, and serve with olive oil, Parmesan, and pepper to taste.

Notes:

• Buckwheat noodles are important; you can use regular linguini but it won't be the same. 

Variations:

• Crumble 5 oz goat cheese into sauced pasta before garnishing with Parmesan and pepper.

Source:  The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison

Braised and Roasted Chicken With Vegetables

Yield: 4 servings.
Time: About 2 hours, largely unattended

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chicken fat, reserved from the chicken-skin croutons (or use olive oil or butter)
• 2 skinless chicken leg-thigh quarters
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 skin-on chicken breast, split to yield 2 halves [reserve the wing]
• 3 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 6 celery ribs, chopped, leaves reserved for garnish
• 12 to 16 ounces cremini, shiitake, button or other fresh mushrooms, quartered or sliced
• 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
• Chicken-wing meat
• The quick chicken stock.

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350. Put the chicken fat in a roasting pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sprinkle the leg quarters with salt and pepper and add them to the pan, flesh side down. Cook, turning and rotating the pieces as necessary, until well browned on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove, then add the breast halves, skin side down. Brown them well, then flip and cook for just 1 minute or so; remove to a separate plate.
2. Put the leeks, carrots, celery, mushrooms, herbs and reserved chicken-wing meat in the same pan and cook until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Nestle the leg quarters among the vegetables, meaty side up. Add enough of the stock to come about halfway up the thighs. (The amount will depend on the breadth of your pan; add a little water if necessary.)
4. Put the pan in the oven and cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour, checking occasionally and stirring the vegetables if they threaten to brown too much. When the thigh meat is tender, raise the heat to 400 and lay the breast halves on the vegetables, skin side up. Continue cooking until they are done, 20 to 30 minutes longer.
5. Transfer the vegetables to a platter. You can serve one of two ways: slice the breasts and shred the leg-and-thigh meat and lay the meat on top of the vegetables; or cut the leg-thigh pieces in half, cut the breasts in half and give each person a little of each. Garnish with reserved chopped celery leaves.

Notes:

Variations:

Source: Mark Bittman, NYT.

Farfalle with Golden Beets, Beet Greens, and Pine Nuts

Yield:  4 to 6 servings

Ingredients  

• 1/3 cup pine nuts  
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, quartered lengthwise through root end, sliced crosswise (about 4 cups) 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 2 bunches 2-inch-diameter golden beets with fresh healthy greens; beets peeled, each cut into 8 wedges, greens cut into 1-inch-wide strips 
• 12 ounces farfalle or other medium textured pasta
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving

 Instructions

1. Heat heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts and stir until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to small bowl.
2. Add 2 tablespoons oil and onions to same skillet and sauté until beginning to soften and turn golden, about 10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to sauté until onions are tender and browned, about 30 minutes longer. Add garlic and stir 2 minutes.
4. Scatter beet greens over onions. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons oil over; cover and cook until beet greens are tender, about 5 minutes. 
5. Meanwhile, cook beets in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beets to medium bowl.
6. Return water to boil. Add pasta to beet cooking liquid and cook until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
7.  Stir onion-greens mixture and beets into pasta. Add pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. 
8. Stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, sprinkle in pine nuts, and serve. 

Notes: 

• You can use red beets if golden beets are unavailable, but your pasta will be pink.

Source:  Bon Appetit, February 2009.

Chilled melon soup with prosciutto, ginger, and mint

Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

• 1 very ripe orange-fleshed melon, seeded and peeled.
• 1 pinch salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger [or more to taste]
• 2 oz prosciutto, diced or cut into thin slivers
• Several leaves fresh mint
• 1 Tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau [optional]

Instructions

1. Set aside about 1/8 of melon for garnish, and process remaining melon together with salt, pepper, lime juice, and ginger in a food processor or  blender until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. 
2. Transfer to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
3. Saute prosciutto until crisp, and drain.
4. Roll mint leaves into a cigar shape and slice crosswise very finely in a chiffonade.
5. Cut remaining melon into small dice.
6. Into chilled bowls, add diced melon and pour in one cup of the puree. Garnish with prosciutto and mint and serve immediately.

Notes:

• For smoother texture, run processed melon through a sieve before chilling - you can skip this step to save time, but in my opinion it is worth it.