Collard greens – Yummy!

Collard greens! One of my favorite veggies!

1 bunch of collard greens
1 cup of rough chopped yellow onion
2 chopped garlic cloves
a shake of hot pepper flakes
olive oil
salt
pepper

1) Collard Greens
Wash collard greens very thoroughly in large amount of water. Usually I put a stopper in a sink, fill sink with cold water and rinse greens in the water.
Strip green part of every leaf from the stem. Just tear it off on one side and then on the other side. Discard the stem
Cut green part into bite size pieces – about 1inX1in
Put a pot of water on a cooktop and bring water to boil. A large amount of water. Add greens and boil for 5 min exactly! Very important to NOT over-boil
While the greens are boiling prepare an ice bath. Pour greens and hot water off in a colander, then place greens in the ice bath. After greens cooled down, remove them from the ice bath, drain in a colander. Now the veggie is ready for cooking. You can put them in your fridge and use a day or two later.

2) Actual cooking:
In a heavy pot add olive oil to moisten the bottom. Add chopped onion and a shake of pepper flakes. Let onion sweat for 3 – 4 min. The heat should be medium to low.
Add garlic and let it sweat a little longer. Do not allow onion/garlic mixture to brown!!!
Add greens, a tea spoon of balsamic vinegar, some salt, a pinch of sugar and let it stew on low heat for about 15 min.
Take a taste and adjust salt, sugar, etc. If greens are still tough, stew a few minutes longer.

Enjoy!

Green bean salad – everyone’s favorite!

Green bean salad:

1 1/2 pound green beans, tips removed, cut in bite pieces and blanched (you can french beans for fancier look – cut them on bias)
1 teaspoon of salt
3 celery ribs, veins removed, cut on bias in the same size pieces as the beans
1/4 cup yellow onions cut in the same size pieces as beans

1) to blanch beans. Pour good amount of water and a teaspoon of salt into a largish pan and bring it to boil. Add beans and boil for 6 min exactly! Lower the heat after beans in water start boiling. While beans are boiling, take a large bowl, half fill it with ice. Just as beans are about done, add cold water into the bowl with ice. Pour boiling beans into a colander to remove hot water and than put these beans into the icy bath. Let it sit for a minute or two, then remove them from the ice bath. Beans are ready for the salad.

2) removing vein from celery ribs. It takes some patience. Cut both ends from a celery rib. Hold it with the rounded side toward you. Start by “snipping” the outer layer with a small knife and pull it away and down the rib. Hopefully, you will see a hard veins pulling out of celery. Remove all veins. If this is too hard, then just cut them on bias.

Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon harsh strong mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and taste the dressing. It should be a bit over-salted and a bit “mustardy”.

Mix all veggies and add dressing and mix again. Taste, adjust to your taste.

Enjoy!