"Perhaps the most impressive of all the cookbook blogs are the three devoted to the 2004 edition of Gourmet magazine's "The Gourmet Cookbook" -- all 5¼ pounds and 1,300-odd recipes of it. Befitting this culinary Everest, all three writers are overachievers in their professional lives."

--Lee Gomes, The Wall Street Journal, May 28, 2008
"I should have told you before how much I've been enjoying reading your thoughts. You seem like such a great cook."

--Ruth Reichl, Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet Magazine, June 8 2008, comment on "Chocolate Velvet Ice Cream".

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic, and Collard Greens Miniera

It was kind of an odd dinner we had last night, to top off a very sad day. More on that soon, but suffice it to say that not much was going on in the fridge except these incredible veggies from my weekly organic produce box from The Fruitful Basket.

So I settled on two recipes that looked pretty easy--Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic, and Collard Greens Miniera.

The cauliflower recipe had me puzzled a bit because it calls for minced garlic to be tossed with the cauliflower and oil and the whole thing to be roasted in a 425 oven for 25-30 minutes.

Jeez, I thought--that garlic is gonna burn. But then I thought maybe it won't because of some Gourmet magic that will prevent it.

No magic. It burned.

So I've been puzzling over the garlic situation, because it's a great flavor to add to the cauliflower. And I think if I were to try it again I'd use my mini-blender to grind the garlic up with the oil, so that it really clings to the cauliflower, because it was only the garlic that was loose on the tray that burned--there were a few nuggets here and there that stuck to the cauliflower and were yummy.

By the way, I've never eaten cauliflower like this, and it was really tasty--I loved it. I'm not such a fan of steamed cauliflower, but heck, who needs to steam the stuff when you have this option?

Collard greens are another vegetable I'm not so keen on, mostly because the only way I've ever eaten them is cooked for a really long time so that they have the flavor and texture of slightly salty boiled paper.

What a revelation this dish is. Are you trying to get more greens in your diet? Do you love bacon? You will really really love this dish.

It couldn't be simpler. Saute three strips of minced bacon (I used four that were frozen, which actually makes it incredibly easy to slice) until crispy. Then throw in shredded collard greens and stir for one minute. Add a little salt.

That's it!!!!

OK, you might be wondering how to shred collard greens, and no you don't use the grater. Just strip out the big center stem, and stack a few up at a time. Roll them up like a big cigar (or a fatty, if you wish) and slice thinly. It takes a few minutes to go through a bunch, but it's so pretty!



So yes, that's what I had for dinner last night. Roasted cauliflower, sauteed collard greens, and 1.5 extra-dry martinis. And two little tiny containers of French yogurt.

As for the sad day, my boss, Dr. S., died early yesterday morning. New readers, these are the folks I cook for--I'm a private chef in their household. He was 89, and fought the notion of death every single step of the way. More on him in another post--he needs to be properly eulogized.

5 comments:

Teena said...

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I'm thinking of you.

Melissa said...

Melissa,

I am sorry to hear of the death of your boss - I'm looking forward to a later post about him. I love your job - it must be a treat to private chef for people you care about, and who care about you as well.

Thanks for the recipes. Love cauliflower. Have never tried collard greens - I see them all the time in the produce section - now I'll bring some home!

Fatty! Ha!

Anonymous said...

Hello Melissa.

Jessica said...

I'm sorry for your loss.


I always find collard greens to be bitter, so I usually stay away from them, but this recipe looks really good.

Melissa Bach Palladino said...

Thanks all, for your kind words. The funeral is today, and it's sure to be mobbed.

Hi Georgia. Looking forward to catching up with you. XO