1 lb baby bok choy, sliced in half & washed
2 T sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil
1 T olive oil
2-3 tsp chili flakes

Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium high heat. Combine the oils and heat through. Add the bok choy. When green part is wilted but firm white part is still crunchy, add the chili flakes. When the white part starts to near translucency, add the sesame seeds and cook for 1-2 minutes. Be sure to move them around a bit as they cook to prevent the greens from wilting.

You could also chop the greens off, chiffonade them, and slice the stalks of the bok choy, cooking them first and adding the greens at the end.

For the filling:

4 medium leeks (1.5 lb)
3 slices bacon
1 medium yellow onion
3-4 T butter
2-3 tsp thyme
1/2 C sour cream (or creme fraiche)
1/3 C coarse grated Parmesan (real stuff please!)
salt & pepper

Heat a large saute pan to medium heat, add butter. Slice the green part of the leeks after cleaning them, slice the onion by cutting in half into the root and top, peeling the outer papery leaves, then slicing down each half as if making a quarter but without detaching from the base. Slices perpendicular to this cut, thinly. When butter is melted and has stopped bubbling, but has not browned, add the onion, thyme, & the green part of the leek. Add salt & pepper, reduce heat slightly to between medium and low.

Continue cutting the leeks into the white part, adding to the pan as you’re able. While the leeks saute and you stir them occasionally, make your pie crust if you haven’t already, or prep your sour cream & parm. Reserve some extra Parmesan for topping the tart.

Chop your raw bacon into 1 inch peices and toss in a hot pan. Fry until mostly done to your liking and set aside.

When leek mixture is softened and has caramelized some, put in a bowl and mix in parm & sour cream. If you have time, allow it to cool somewhat before doing so.  Taste for salt & pepper & adjust.

For the crust:
1 1/2 C flour
1 stick butter
4-6 T ice cold water
pinch salt (if you are using for savory)
1 egg yolk
Food processor would be handy

Heat your oven to 425. Cut your butter into cubes and place in freezer for 10-20 minutes to firm up.

In a food processor, combine butter cubes and flour in alternating layers so as not to loose butter on the sides of the processor. Pulse until combined and looking like bread crumbs. Put into a bowl, make a well with your hands, and add 1 T of ice cold water at a time, using as little water as possible (if you don’t, you will have hell rolling this out).

Once combined, form into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and put in freezer or fridge depending when you intend to use it. Must chill at least 30 minutes, can be stored up to three days in fridge.

Roll out on lightly floured surface to desired thickness, making sure to do this as quickly as possible so the crust is still cold. Try to make an even circle.

Place on sheet pan with parchment or silicon lining. Fill the center evenly with the leek mixture, adding bacon peices on top as well as Parmesean (additional). Gently fold the edges in even intervals around and on top of the filling. Whisk the egg yolk with some cold water and brush the mixture on the edges of the galette.

Cook for 20-25 minutes at 425.

galette serves 6. Each piece is roughly 400-420 calories.

1 head/crown broccoli, cut into even chunks
2 tsp chili flakes
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/3 C raw cashews or cashew peices
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1-2 T olive oil

Heat the oil in a large sautee pan to medium heat. Add the garlic and allow to soften. Add salt & pepper. Add broccoli & the chili flakes, allow to cook to a brighter green but not fully cook, tossing regularly. Add the bell pepper once broccoli has brightened. When the bell pepper is soft and the broccoli is at its brightest color but still retains some small amount of firmness, add the sesame seeds and cook at medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the cashews and serve.

1 bunch collard greens (kale or chard is OK too)
1/2 pack bacon, slices cut in half
1-2 red potatoes medium size

Fry the bacon in a large saute pan until crispy. Set aside, remove bacon fat from pan leaving just a coating.

Wash your collards, remove the stems with a knife (the bottom 2/3rds of it is sufficient), and slice them into 1-2 inch thick strips.

Wash and chop red potatoes into cubes. Removing the skin is optional.

Heat the large sautee pan with the bacon residue with an additional 1-2 T butter. Add the potatoes when melted and stops bubbling (water is evaporated). Add generous salt & pepper. When colored and crispy, cooked through, remove and set aside with bacon. In fact, break your bacon into peices and mix them together if you’d like at this point.

Into the pan put the collards and cook on medium to medium low heat until wilted and bright green. Add the bacon & potatoes and cook until heated and the collards stems are tender, another 1-3 minutes.

Enjoy!

PS Great with eggs too!

I talk frequently in this blog about what I’ve been making with my produce shipment which I began receiving in November, just before Thanksgiving. From the very first shipment I was impressed–I was given not only beautiful, organic produce grown locally which would allow it to last much longer and be eaten much fresher, but also a selection that reflected what I’d be needing for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Thoughtful.

This past Tuesday I received my shipment of the fortnight. It contained a gorgeous napa cabbage (which I have yet to make a salad with), collard greens, radicchio (unfortunately I still have 4 heads left from last shipments ridiculously large allotment, my only complaint), baby bok choy, butternut squash, baby lettuce heads, leeks, red norland potatoes, dino kale (with a lot of high protein bugs! no seriously, kind of an annoyance, but if i wanted pristine looking engineered veggies I’d go to the chain grocery store and eat pestisides instead of bugs), navel oranges and pinova apples.

The first night I sauteed simply the bok choy with chili flakes and garlic and we had it all by itself; another night I used some of the potatoes and the collards with some bacon to make a light meal before we headed out, last night I used a bit more of the Amsterdam Gouda (1 lb block that was given to us) in a scalloped potato dish with more of the potatoes, I boiled the kale and served it with poached eggs, and more.

Needless to say every other Tuesday evening is now spent washing, cutting, tearing and saving greens.

I finally invested in a salad spinner to cut down the time I spend on this, but it’s necessary to do it or most of the items will wilt and go bad before I have a chance to use them. We receive a full shipment but there are only two of us eating away at the box, so we have to make a serious effort to get our money’s worth, despite that it’s a great value ($29 delivered to my door for all of the above!).

For salad greens:

Seperate leaves, remove any bad parts. “Float” in cool water and agitate gently. Repeat if especially dirty in new water. Spin dry (a little moisture left is OK) , wrap in clean papertowels loosely and pack into plastic container, tupperware, or ziplock. Make sure no greens are touching the plastic directly–it will promote spoilage/bacterial growth and will make them go bad more quickly. I like to mix my lettuces at this point and make my own cleaned, ready to use salad mix.

For cooking greens:

Wash in similar manner to salad greens, checking leaves carefully for bugs and larvae. Once clean, remove stems and chop leaves to size you’d like to cook with if you know what you’ll do with them. Retaining some moisture on the leaves, wrap in papertowels and store similarly. Cooking greens (collards, kale, chard) will go dry quickly and become tough if they don’t have enough moisture. If this happens, they can still be used, but I’d recommend boiling or steaming them to restore some texture rather than sauteeing.

For leeks:

Chop any damaged green leaves off the top, leaving some of the firm green leaves (this goes against what most other sites will tell you, but as long as you throw the green part in the pan a bit before the white so they cook evenly, they’re just as delicious. If you hate them, cut them off and reserve them for making stock!). Split the leeks down the center so each is two long peices. Submerge in cool water in a bowl and agitate, especially paying attention to outer leaves and using your fingers to remove the dirt. Leeks are grown in sand and can be very gritty if you do not do this.