Eating Sicily

Sorry about not posting recently, but I was eating my way around Sicily.  We arrived in Catania, Sicily on May 20th and departed on June 2nd.  We had a wonderful trip.  To all the Sicilians who shared their culture with us, thanks.  I hope when you to travel to the US, we will show you the same hospitality. 

Over the summer, I will be sharing some of my favorite Sicilian recipes on this blog.  I had some very good and memorable foods. 

I must say Sicily had the most beautiful and biggest garlic bulbs I have ever seen.  If only I could have brought a few back to the states.

Eggplants, well, I think Sicilians have mastered using eggplants.  We saw variety after variety of eggplants.  We had eggplant lasagna, eggplant roll-ups, ricotta cheese sandwiched between eggplant slices.

Veal Involtini - essentially this is meat rolled around breadcrumbs and either fried, baked or grilled.  These were very thin slices of veal.  This dish makes good use of breadcrumbs and a small amount of meat.

 

And, finally dessert.  Most desserts tended to be lighter and refreshing. 

If you've got a favorite Mediterranean recipe, let us know.  But check back over the summer and see what is happening as a result of my trip. 

Eat More Vegetables – Not Again?

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are pleading with us to eat more vegetables. We Americans are a stubborn bunch. We have done a great job of avoiding vegetables. That is, unless you count potatoes. We are advised to eat 2½ cups of vegetables per day. On average we eat about 1½ cups per day and that includes potatoes.

I am not sure why we don’t consume much in the way of vegetables. Maybe we are in a hurry, we don’t like them, they take too long to prepare. Maybe we have become a little tired of broccoli. If so, it could be time to try a new vegetable. Often times, we get in a rut and just stay there. There are tons and tons of vegetables. They come in a rainbow of colors, a variety of shapes and flavors. Also try cooking an old favorite a new way.

The produce isle is loaded with lots of fun, new vegetables. Approach vegetable cooking as an adventure. Look for a vegetable that you have never tried. Farmers markets often have unusual vegetables. Ethnic markets are one of my favorite places to find new vegetables. Sometimes if you ask the vendor, they will tell you how to prepare it. After all, they want to sell products. When you are at the grocery store, check the displays. They will often times contain recipes and helpful hints for preparing produce.

To get you on the road to vegetable consumption, let’s start with bok choy, an Asian vegetable. Bok choy (brassica chinensis) is a type of cabbage but bears little resemblance to those found in American supermarkets. Whereas, brassica vegetables tend to have strong flavors, bok choy is quite mild. Bok choy has a white stem surrounded by green leaves. While most American supermarkets contain larger types of bok choy, Asian markets generally sell smaller varieties. Asians value smaller varieties for their tenderness. Smaller varieties generally cook in less time than larger ones sold in American supermarkets.


Bok Choy

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:

 1½ pounds bok choy or baby bok choy
1½ Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons grated ginger
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil



Directions:

 1. Start by trimming the stem off, about ½ to ¾ -inch. Cutting the thick stem off will ensure that the bok choy cooks evenly. Separate out the leaves, keep the tender center intact. Clean under running water. Drain.

2. Combine garlic and ginger. Set aside.

3. Preheat a wok or skillet. Add vegetable oil and heat. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until you begin to smell the garlic and ginger; they become a light golden brown. Add bok choy. Toss to coat the leaves with the garlic and ginger oil. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce.  Serve.


More Resources for Preparing Vegetables

Better Homes and Gardens - http://www.bhg.com/
Allrecipes.com - http://allrecipes.com/
Everyday Foods - https://martha.zt01.net/EF/1/ef_google/landing/ef_google.php
UNL-Extension - http://food.unl.edu/web/localfoods/home
Old Cheney Road Farmers’ Market - http://oldcheneyroadfarmersmarket.com/

Results of the Collard Green Throwdown

The first ever collard green throwdown is over!  Too bad that you missed it!  My colleagues and I enjoyed our share of collard greens, mac 'n cheese, cornbread, and iced tea.  Everything was quite delicious.

I am not sure if Amanda will ever prepare collard greens my way, nor I hers.  However, it was fun to try another method and I gained a higher level of respect for a different way to make a dish that I consider mine.  I believe that being open to new ideas is always a good thing.  Culture should not only be preserved, but shared.  So, on that note, we accomplished our goal.

When southerners prepare greens, they never use a recipe.  They are cooked by taste and personal preference.  For that reason, the list and amount of ingredients are not exact.  Salt may need to be adjusted according to the saltiness of the neck bones.  Instead of ground pepper, pepper flakes can be used or dried pod.  If you don't quite like the first batch of collard greens that you prepare, keep trying (besides greens are very nutritious).  As with most things you get better with practice.  The same is true for Asian style cooking.

If you decide to try collard greens, here are my Southern Collard Greens and Amanda's Asian Style.  Below the recipes are pictures on how to cut and wash the greens.

Southern Collard Greens

Ingredients:

1 pound collard greens

About 4 smoked neck bones, depending on size

⅛ to ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, cover neck bones with about 2 cups of water.  Cook until tender.

2. Remove the main stem of the greens.  Slice diagonally into 1/2 inch wide slices.  Wash greens in at least two changes of water.

3. Drain was much water from the washed greens as possible.  Place greens in saucepan with neck bones.  Cover with lid and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.  Stir and add the seasonings.  Continue to cook until greens reach the desired degree of doneness.

**Southerners will sometimes add condiments to their greens.  Chopped onions, chow chow (pronounced "cha cha" by Southerners), and hot pepper vinegar are common addition to greens.  These are usually added at the table.

Collard Green Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

1½ Tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
1teaspoon ginger, finely minced
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 pound collard greens
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce (more or less to taste)
⅛ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Remove main stem from collard greens.  Stack leaves on top of each other and roll them into a cigar shape.  Cut across greens into 1/2 inch strips.  Wash greens well and drain off water.

2. Add oil to a saute pan over medium high heat until oil is hot.  Add ginger and garlic and fry for 30 seconds (or until fragrant).  Constantly move ginger and garlic with a spatula to keep them from burning.

3. Add washed collard greens to the pan.  Move the greens around in the pan until the greens are wilted.

4.  Add red pepper flakes, vinegar, soy sauce, and black pepper.  Cook for 3-5 minutes longer.  Taste the greens and add more of any ingredient according to your preference.

How to Cut and Wash Collard Greens

Beautiful Collard Greens



To remove the stem, take a paring knife and strip the leaf on each side of the stem



Then snap the center of the stem with the paring knife to remove it 

Stack the leaves and roll them into a cigar; cut across the leaves into ½  inch strips

Wash collard greens at least two times to remove dirt

Washed and cut collard greens ready to be cooked!

Collard Green Throwdown

I like collard greens. I grew up in the South and disliking collard greens was not an option. Collard greens have been a staple of the southern diet since the beginning of time.

My family prepared collard greens in the typical southern fashion, that is, fat back (called salt pork by city folk) or ham hocks. Until recently, this was the only method I had heard of. But collard greens and soul food have ‘come up’ in the world. Recently Saveur magazine did an article on collard greens and the many ways to cook them (http://bit.ly/fVdlVt).  It seems that people in other parts of the world have their own ideas about cooking collard greens. Even though I am partial to my version, I enjoyed reading about other methods.

You are probably wondering what all this is leading to. My student recently told me that she would like to learn to cook collard greens my way. She currently cooks them the Asian way. So, I challenged her to a collard green throwdown. This Thursday we will be cooking collard greens two ways – The Asian way and the Southern way. If you happen to be at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln anywhere near Ruth Leverton Hall, please stop by room 206 at 10 a.m. You may participate by voting or bringing your version of collard greens. Next week we will post the recipes for both methods.