"Steady As She Goes"

Notes and meals from the past week.

My family
"The" Family

Wednesday: Caramelized Spring Onion pizza with goat cheese and bacon (green garlic, oregano)

Thursday: Caramelized Spring Onion tart with goat cheese (oregano), Salad of cucumber, French Breakfast Radish and feta on Red Butterhead lettuce, Sauteed Collard Greens with bacon, Green Garlic and Leek Risotto, Strawberry Shortcake. Also a roasted vegetable and sausage pasta (broccoli).

Friday: Curried Collard Greens with Chickpeas (Wilgenburg tomato, green garlic, oregano and spring onion), Chicken sauteed with butter and green garlic.

At dinner Friday my daughters and I polished off 3 apriums and 2 apples. The Honeyrich apriums have this incredible sweet meat and tart flesh which I love. The Enterprise apples are wonderful. Dense, crisp and just the right amount of tartness. The Pink Lady was nice too, but Enterprise is my new favorite.

I would have to say that my favorite dish was the Curried Collard Greens with Chickpeas (see photo). Greens and beans are one of my favorite combinations. I will often add sausage and sometimes pasta. But tonight I was channeling the Braised Greens and Almond Butter dish at Calafia in Palo Alto. Here's what I did.

• Green garlic bulb, sliced


• Spring onion, sliced (this was one from my own garden that my darling daughter decided to harvest a tad early. It was larger than a scallion, about the diameter of a nickle)


• Collard greens, stems removed and sliced into ribbons


• Canned chickpeas, drained


• Curry Powder


• Oregano


• Tomato, diced

Saute garlic and onion in butter with a pinch of salt until tender. Add
greens, toss. Add chickpeas, curry powder and oregano. Saute until greens start to soften, add a bit of water if necessary. When the greens are just about as tender as you like them add the tomato. I added mine early on and they lost a bit of their integrity, but I liked it, so it's a personal call. Adjust
seasoning.

You could use any leafy green for this dish. I've made similar dishes with Swiss Chard, Kale and Spinach.