Dandelion Greens With Caramelized Onion and Chickpeas

There are over 3.3 million Muslim people living in Germany. In my region, one of the largest Islamic enclaves can be found in Bad Godesburg. Since moving here I have appreciated their presence in my community. Woman clocked in black burkas and men sitting in teashops smoking hookah pipes is now a regular part of my day. As a fringe benefit, there are a bunch of Halal stores very close to my house.

Halal means permissible in Arabic. Similar to Kosher, it is used to define what foods are acceptable for Muslims to eat under Islamic law. For me, the halal markets are great source for groceries that are not very common in regular German supermarkets, such as chickpeas and bulgur. Also, filling in the void where New York's Korean markets once stood, I find that Bad Godesburg's Halal shops have the most diverse vegetable selection to be found.

Yesterday's find: dandelion greens. One of the most intense bitter green, last night I paired them with caramelized onions and chickpeas. The sweetness of the onions and earthiness of the chickpeas along with a hearty pinch of sea salt and a few red pepper flakes turned out a side dish that I hope to make again and again.

1 small onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 8 ounce can chickpeas
1 bunch dandelion greens (about 4 cup chopped greens)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup water

Cut peeled onion in half from root to tip. Then, also cutting from root to tip, thinly slice the onion. Preheat a large frying pan. When hot, add oil and onion and reduce heat to low. Allow the onion to cook, tossing occasionally, until they are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Mince garlic and add to the pan. Cook for another two to three minutes. Drain and rinse chickpeas and add to the pan. Turn heat up to high and cook for a few minutes then add greens. Toss greens with the chickpeas and onions and allow to cook for a few minutes until they have reduced in volume by about a quarter. Add red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Add water and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until the greens have reduced to half their original volume, about five to ten minutes. Serve hot.

Braised Baby Artichokes With Tomato

I made another attempt at baby artichokes last night, and am happy to report total success! I think I may be ready to graduate to the big ones soon. The trick to my success is being aggressive — you have to trim a lot away.

10 baby artichokes
1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tomato
Salt and pepper

Prepare the artichokes by cutting off the tips, which means removing the top one-third of the artichoke.) Then remove all of the tough outer leaves. Place artichokes in a bowl and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over them to stop them from turning brown. Cut each artichoke into quarters and remove the choke with a pairing knife. (Slide under the base of the choke and use the tip of the knife to release the choke from the leaves.)

Mince garlic. Heat a medium-sized saucepan. Add olive oil and sauté garlic for about a minute. Add the artichokes and sauté for another few minutes. Dice tomato and add to the pot alone with the chicken stock. Bring the liquid to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, and then cover the pot. Allow tomatoes and artichokes to braise for about 25 minutes, until the artichokes are tender all the way through.

Serves two as a side dish.

An Unbelievably Good Sandwich

On Tuesday I made a huge batch of ratatouille. The market is still overflowing with eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. I figured that I better that advantage of it while it lasts.
Yesterday for lunch I used some of the leftovers to make a great sandwich for lunch. Splitting a length of onion baguette in half, I covered both sides with Gouda cheese and stuck it under the broiler until it was melted. When the cheese started to turn golden brown I took it out of the over and topped it with a healthy scoop of ratatouille.

Sometimes I really love have contrasting temperatures in one dish. The crispy bread and hot goowy cheese provided a nice contrast to the cool, rich veggies. Today I packed a cold version of this sandwich for my lunch at work, but I fear that it will not be as good.

No Joke Artichoke

Years ago I tried cooking artichokes. It was a huge disaster. They were under — over — cooked, with tough outer leaves and an interior full of hairy choke. Discussing. Honestly, one of the worst things I've ever made.

How did the first people to eat them even guess that they might be editable? After that incident I avoided the intimidating food. The only artichokes to cross my kitchen's threshold were marinated and canned.

The problem is, Kevin LOVES the spiky veggies. He always points them out at the market, reminding me how much he likes them. Usually, I ignore his comments. Or try to distract him by point out how good the peaches look. But this week, I surprised even myself, asking for a bunch of baby artichokes along with my usual carrots and peas.

Once I got them home, I was determined to have a better experience then last time. To start, I cut off the point tips of the leaves. Picking off the outer leaves, I was overwhelmed by what was discarded before coming to something that I deemed as potentially food.

At this point I should have tossed them with lemon juice to keep them from oxidizing. But, being new to artichoking, I didn't know that yet. Next, I quartered them and removed the choke with a pairing knife.

To cook the artichokes lightly sautéed them with some olive oil, onions, and garlic. Then I added about a cup of chicken stock and let them braise for 20 minutes or so. To the braising liquid I also added a few left over chickpeas, some cherry tomatoes cut in half, and the leftover chicken from Sunday's bird.

When the artichokes looked soft, I thickened the liquid with some butter. This would make a wonderful pasta sauce, but since I was out of pasta, I poured everything over a plate of bugler.

It was an unexpectedly delicious meal: very light, but satisfying. Best of all, it made me want to cook artichokes again. I still didn't remove enough of the tough outer leaves, but it was certainly an improvement from my last attempt. The artichokes permeated the broth with a deep, earthy flavor and paired will with the chicken, chickpeas, and tomatoes.

Roasted Beet Salad

Simple. Elegant. Delicious. This roasted beet salad is always a huge hit in my house.4 beets
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces aged goat cheese
1 handful mesclun greens
1 tablespoon walnut oil
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Salt and pepper

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Peel beets, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and wrap individually in a piece of foil. Place beets in the oven and roast until soft all the way through. About 1 hour.

Remove beets from oven. Divide greens between four plates. When beets are cool enough to handle, slice each beets vertically into quarter-inch rounds. Place one beet on top of each place, allowing it to fan out a bit.

Cut goat cheese into rounds. Place one piece of cheese between each slice of beet. Drizzle with walnut oil, and top with salt, pepper, and walnuts.

Serve at room slightly warm or at room temperature.

Robbed by the Cob

Yesterday I was wandering through the market in Bonn, looking for something to make for dinner. I was in the mood for something summery, but tired of eggplant and zucchini. I didn't want to make yet another salad. I wanted something that could be cooked. What I wanted, I realized, was corn on the cob.

A little while later, in the health food store, I found about 10 ears!

Now, I understand that corn on the cob is not the most popular food in Germany. I suspect that many Germans think of it as pig — not people — food. But, I was amused that, below the corn's label, were instruction to cook it by boiling or grilling.

I don't know if all this talk in the media about farmers growing corn for bio-diesel is true, but I was shocked by the price-per-cob. Just to make sure I wasn't totally remembering everything in the U.S. as being less expensive, I logged on to Fresh Direct, an online grocery store in the New York area, the check the price in the states.

Fresh Direct is selling ears of corn for $0.59. Guess how much I paid in Germany.

1.49 Euros per ear! With the exchange rate, that's $2.34 per ear!!! Per ear!!!

I bought two ears anyway. But at home, over dinner I told Kevin to enjoy. At these prices this is the only time we'll be eating it this summer.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille might just be the perfect summer food.

Composed of some of summer's best offerings — eggplant, tomatoes, onions, peppers, zucchini, garlic, and herbs — it originated in Provence, France. The vegetables used can vary depending on the cook’s preferences and what's available. The one constant in making ratatouille is that the vegetables are simmered in olive oil.

Ratatouille it makes a nice topping for any grain with couscous, pasta, or — what I ate last night — polenta my favorite options. It's best to make extra, because the leftovers get even better. I love to eat it on crusty bread or lunch the next day.

Yesterday I skipped the peppers and added mushrooms instead. (Mainly because I had mushrooms in the house, but no pepper.) I like to make ratatouille with tons and tons of basil, but my basil plant is looking a little puny these days. It's also yummy with thyme or oregano.

This recipe serves two with some leftovers.

1 medium eggplant
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 zucchini
12 mushrooms
1/4 cut balsamic vinegar
1 pound tomatoes
1/2 cup basil
1/4 cup parsley
Salt and pepper

Cut eggplant into cubes, salt, and place in a calendar over a bowl for one hour. Rinse off excess salt, drain, and dry in a clean dishtowel. (See my post about salting eggplant for more details.)

Slice onions and sauté in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Finely mice garlic and add to the pan. Add eggplant. Cut zucchini into cubes approximately the same size as the eggplant. Add to the pan. Cut mushrooms into quarters and add to the pan.

When all of the ingredients are slightly browned, add vinegar. Scrape all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and allow the liquid to evaporate. Add tomatoes and cook over medium high heat for two minutes. Reduce heat and add the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes or until all of the vegetables are soft. Rough chop the herbs and add to mixture at three minutes before removing from the heat.

Tomato Salad With Shallots and Herbs

The summer's crop tomatoes are starting appearing in markets, or — for the lucky ones — in the garden. There are almost endless ways to enjoy these treats. Here's a simple salad that really showcases the tomatoes.

1 pound tomatoes (whatever looks best)
2 shallots
2 tablespoons basil
1 tablespoon parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil*
Course salt
Fresh ground pepper

Chop tomatoes. Finely mince shallots. Tear basil into small pieces and chop parsley. Place all ingredients in a bowl. Add olive oil and mix together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve.

* This salad really benefits from using the best quality olive oil.

Burnt Green Beans

This recipe comes from my friend Liz. The interesting thing about that is: Liz hates to cook! This sure-fire crowd pleaser is one dish that even the most novice cook can master. Your guests will never guess that the trick to these beans is to burn them.

1 pound green beans
1 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Wash and dry beans. Trim the ends. Toss with olive oil. Preheat a large frying pan. Add green beans and let them burn. Seriously. Burn them until they are black on one side, the toss the beans and burn then on the other side. When beans are mostly black, toss with salt and pepper. They can be served hot or room temperature.

Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed With Herbed Bulgur

Yesterday I made roasted tomatoes stuffed with herbed bulgur. Kevin, my biggest fan, loved them, claiming that the filling was fresh and complimented the sweetness of the tomato nicely. I thought they were good, but that the filling was too delicate. Next time I will add pine nuts and Parmesan for a bit more richness and texture. Here's the recipe I'll use for the improved versions.

1 cup bulgur (cracked wheat)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 red onion
1/2 bunch parsley
1 bunch mint
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
8 medium to large tomatoes
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the bottom of a baking dish with parchment paper.

Toast bulgur in a small pot with 1 teaspoon olive oil until it starts to smell slightly nutty. Add 1 and 1/3 cups boiling water, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 17 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered for another 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set a side.

Toast pine nuts in a frying pan until they are light golden brown. Remove from hot pan and pour into a mixing bowl.

Finely dice red onion. Finely chop parsley and mint. Add to the mixing bowl with the pine nuts. Add cooled bulgur, lemon, Parmesan, and remaining olive oil. Toss all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper.*

Hollow out the tomatoes by removing the core and seeds from tomatoes. Salt the inside of the tomatoes and lightly drizzle the outside with olive oil. Fill each tomato with the herbed bulgur and place in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional five minutes. Garnish with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan and serve.

*Note: Depending on the size of your tomatoes, you may have extra filling. Leftovers can be eaten chilled with diced fresh tomatoes.