Smashed Chickpeas and Spinach with Sesame, Allspice, and Fennel

Spinach is a go to veggie for me when I need a quick green for a meal and I am short on time. It cooks almost instantly and it's so easy to pick up in huge 16 oz container, washed and dried and ready to go. I was in need of a quick dinner this weekend and was also seriously craving sesame. I reached into my brain, and my spice drawers, and pulled together a combination of spices that would play nice with the sesame. Namely, fennel seed, ground allspice, and chili flakes.

The humble sesame seed has insinuated itself into cuisines all around the world. The seeds, the oil, toasted and untoasted, and the paste all have many delicious applications. Sesame crusted fish, crisp and savory stir-fried vegetables finished with toasted sesame oil, or halva, a favorite tahini-based confection of mine. Dang, now I want halva...sigh. The sweet, unique flavor of fennel seed is a favorite of mine as well as the slow kick of chili flakes, but I wanted a warm spice to add another prominent angle to the flavors of my impromptu spinach dish. Here is where that little jar of allspice that often sits forgotten in our spice collection comes in. 

Allspice has a strong earthy flavor that is deep and powerful like clove and cardamom, somewhat earthy-sweet like cinnamon and nutmeg, with a peppery aspect without the sharpness. That's my take on it. This complex but amiable flavor gives allspice the ability to meld into many world cuisines quite neatly. Try it in your next home made curry, in turmeric rice, in mashed or roasted sweet potatoes, in tropical marinades, Mexican mole, or let it stand alone in banana bread or other baked goods.

This dish is great by itself but it works well with a grain, flatbread or other carbohydrate. Bulgur wheat, pita, or cous-cous are good options. Double the coconut milk if you want it a little saucier. Now gather your ingredients!

Spinach and other voluminous greens are one of the reason I have a couple twelve inch saute pans, but you also need the space to ensure you don't crowd the chickpeas too much while frying them.

Prepare your spices and seeds! Toasting the sesame seeds is essential. It dramatically enhances the nuttiness factor. Be watchful because they will burn in an instant. You can grind the fennel seed to a rough or fine texture in a mortar or spice grinder or leave it whole if you like. The fennel seeds need not be toasted beforehand. Whole allspice berries look somewhat like large, smooth, brown peppercorns but they are quite hard. If you want to try to grind whole berries, you may want to use a mortar to grind them or make sure you have a very tough spice grinder. If you have that leftover ground allspice from your pumpkin pie, you are set. Dice up some garlic, grab some coconut milk and start with the chickpeas.

To get nice crispy fried chickpeas, make sure you drain them well, rinse them, and pat them very dry. When you have everything measured and ready to go, get out your largest saute pan, non-toxic nonstick if you have one, and fire it up to medium high. Add the olive oil and make sure it is hot by looking for a slight rippling on the surface then add those chickpeas! I used a potato masher to gently squish about half of the chickpeas halfway through frying. This is the time to get out your splatter guard if you have one. This process can spit oil a bit. Put your apron on too!!!

When done, move the chickpeas to a plate, remove the pan from the heat, and get the sesame oil, garlic, and spices in the pan. If you have some stuck on chickpea in your pan, gently scrape it clear in one small area to make room for the garlic and spices. Once you add the spinach and coconut milk it should loosen and incorporate into the dish with the help of a spoon or spatula.

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Smashed Chickpeas with Sesame, Allspice and Fennel

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 15 oz can chickpeas
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tsp whole fennel seeds
• 1/4 Tsp ground allspice
• 1 Tsp chili flakes
• 1 large clove garlic
• 2 Tsp toasted sesame oil
• 8 oz baby spinach, completely dry
• 1/4 C coconut milk
• 1/8 Tsp sea salt

*Note: If using home cooked chickpeas make sure the chickpeas are not too soft. They must hold together for the frying process. If using a bunch of spinach, make sure to wash well and pat as dry as possible.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed saute pan over low to medium-low heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir frequently until they become glossy and about half begin to brown. Remove the sesame seeds from the pan and set aside. Drain, rinse and pat the chickpeas completely dry.

Now prepare the spices and garlic. Grind the fennel seeds in a mortar or in a spice grinder. You may prefer it fine, roughly ground, or even leave them whole. Smash and roughly mince the garlic. Combine the fennel, ground allspice, chili flakes and garlic in a small bowl. Measure the coconut milk and set aside. 

Heat the pan to medium high or high and add the olive oil. You may want to keep the heat lower if you are using a pan with a thinner bottom. When the olive oil is hot but not smoking, carefully add the chickpeas and begin frying them. Stir them only occasionally to allow them to brown and crisp. Smash about half with the back of a fork or a potato masher half way through frying them. 

When the chickpeas are nicely browned and crispy, remove them from the pan and remove it from the heat. Gently scrape any sticky chickpea bits and make a little room for the garlic and spices. Add the toasted sesame oil, garlic and spices in the cleared part of the pan and fry them together for about two minutes, returning to low heat if necessary. Return the pan to medium heat and add the spinach a handful at a time, stirring until it is just wilted. Stir the coconut milk into the spinach until you see it bubbling, then add the chickpeas and sesame seeds back to the pan, mixing completely. Serve hot and enjoy!

Braised Dandelion Greens

I am so fortunate to have had family time in Grand Marais Minnesota this week. This is a tiny, adorable, bustling tourist town with a permanent population that hovers around 1,300 people. If you have never been to the arrowhead region of Minnesota along the shore of Lake Superior, let me briefly explain. Vast icy waters, rocky basalt cliffs and outcrops into the lake, neon lichens and wild flowers, multicolored cobblestone beaches, cool breezes and excellent sleeping weather, seagulls, pine trees, lake fish, excellent hiking...majestic beauty anyone? Yeah, it's that magical. I am soaking it into my soul.

So, after a lot of deliberation, and testing of other recipes, I went back to the drawing board and looked out the window on an excellent wild harvesting opportunity which was right under my nose. Pedestrian as it is, dandelion is an age old foodstuff that has medicinal uses and the flowers make a very good wine.

Now, I will admit, if even kale is too bitter for you then dandelion greens may not be your thing, but I have always encouraged my clients, friends, and family to consider expanding their palate through exposure to allow for more bitter tastes. I feel this is a flavor often left out of the American diet save for coffee, tea, and maybe very, very dark chocolate. Once you start getting used to bitter greens, you may even begin to crave them. There is a wonderful contrast when they are served with fatty or rich foods, comfort foods like potatoes, starches and pasta, or good bread and cheese. Maybe dandelion greens can be your gateway to radicchio and broccoli raab. Don't say I didn't warn you.

One extra step you can take if you want to enjoy the greens but want to reduce the bitterness factor is blanching the greens briefly first. After the greens are washed and the ends are trimmed, immerse the greens in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain the greens and shock them in a bowl of ice water. Then remove excess water with a towel and proceed to chop them and braise them according to the recipe. I found that the greens I used were only mildly bitter and did not require blanching. I also tend to enjoy bitter flavors.

I almost always use a base of sauteed onion with greens, especially more bitter or sharp greens, and here I use sweated onion and garlic. The braise takes a little time but the whole process should take no more than an hour with little oversight. The addition of a little honey and vinegar round out the flavors and chopped nuts add texture. Hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans or even toasted pine nuts are all lovely.

Make sure to wait to salt the greens until after they are braised and the liquid is cooked off. This way you will avoid over salting them. Also, I just had water on hand but a flavorful stock or broth of any kind would be great choices for braising liquid. Grating a hard cheese such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano, or Asiago is also a wonderful way to finish the dish.

Free greens for everybody! Enjoy these delicious, abundant, and nutritious greens anytime you come across a pristine patch of dandelion! They also freeze well, just leave out the nuts.

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Braised Dandelion Greens

Ingredients:

• Dandelion greens - enough to make three cups when chiffonaded and chopped small (see picture). As a guide, the bunch I picked were about 8 to 10 inches long. I was just able to get my middle finger to touch my thumb when gripping them about 1/3 third the way up from the bottom of the leaves. Get as close as you can to 3 cups finely sliced/chopped and if there is a little left over, toss them in too!
• 1 C thinly sliced yellow onion
• 1 large clove garlic, 1/8 inch slices
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tsp vinegar, your choice
• 3 Tbsp chopped nuts (hazelnut, pecan, walnut, pine nut- toasted or untoasted nuts are fine)
• salt and pepper to taste

Wash the greens well in a large bowl, immersing them and agitating them in three changes of water or until no sediment is present in the bottom of the bowl. Pat the greens dry and cut off one inch of the bottom stems. Bring the greens together tightly and slice them in long, thin ribbons 1/8 in wide. Now gather the greens in a mound and chop them in the other direction several times.

Bring a saute pan with a lid or small pot with a lid to low/medium heat. Sweat the garlic and onion with the olive oil while stirring occasionally 5 to 6 minutes until the onion softens and begins to become translucent. Do not brown the onion or the garlic because you want a sweet undertone to balance the bitterness of the greens. Add the greens and 2 cups of water or stock. Simmer the greens, covered, for 25 minutes. Now remove the lid and cook off the braising liquid. When the cooking liquid is almost gone, remove the pan from the heat. Add the honey and vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the greens to a serving dish and top with the chopped nuts. You may want to try tossing the greens immediately with fresh pasta and top with grated hard cheese. Enjoy!

Shiitake Ginger Collards

Despite the ins and outs of food fashion, greens themselves never go out of style. Greens are timeless, and, to many, a staple food. Collards in particular have been on the menu around here quite a bit lately. With this recipe I wanted to add a toothsome, satisfying addition to the greens, and dried shiitake fit that bill exactly. In the dried form, shiitake mushrooms become something very different compared to fresh. Dried shiitake have a deeper flavor and a dense, meaty texture that intensifies the umami quality found in this mushroom. When soaked overnight, the mushrooms soften and provide an amazing broth in which to cook the greens in the form of the soaking liquid. Bonus.

You may find dried shiitake at your everyday grocer, but it is wise to check out Asian markets for lower price and greater quantity. They store in an airtight container for quite a long time...that is if you can resist using them for very long. Mine seem to disappear quite quickly.

Prep is key here, so get all your ingredients ready for the pot before hand. The greens I used ranged from the size of my hand (just measuring the leaf) to 12 inches, so I recommend using anywhere from 10 to 20 leaves with their stems depending on the size of the leaves. Maybe 15 if your leaves vary widely. And yes, don't leave out the stems! The cooker is going to transform them into tender bites along with the leaves.

I like to simply rip the leaves right off the stems with my hand, fast and easy. Cut them away if you prefer. Bias cut the stems as thin as possible, about 1/4 inch thick or less, and keep them separate from the leaves. The leaves are rough chopped about 2 inches wide.

After the shiitakes soak overnight, you have the miraculous soaking liquid. Make sure to squeeze the remaining liquid out of them before prepping to get every last drop. Simply scrub the ginger. I never bother to peel it at all. When thinly sliced, the skins make little difference, and you preserve nutrients. I used an unrefined, toasted peanut oil for a nice compliment. Unrefined peanut oil adds a lot of flavor to stir fries, fried rice, beans, and more.

Ah, my little pressure cooker! I have lugged it around to clients and demonstrations. It is a Kuhn Rikon 3.5 quart, one of the smallest you can get. This is good for serving 3 to 6 people, depending on the dish you are making. Mine is beat up, has lost it's bottom handle, and takes a little bit of voodoo to get a seal, but I know it's peculiarities so I am trying to get a few more years out of this old girl! For those not familiar, take heart, pressure cookers are easier to use than you might think.

The initial saute of ginger, onion and the stems gives the ginger and onion time to mingle with the peanut oil, and softens the stems just a little before they get pressure cooked. It's amazing that the greens become tender and dreamy in only 7 minutes at 15 psi. The wonders of the pressure cooker never cease.

Finished collards with shiitake and ginger served here with the pot liquor and molasses black eyed peas.

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Shiitake Ginger Collards

Ingredients:

• 10 dried shiitake, soaked for 8 hours in water to cover and squeezed of soaking liquid
• reserved shiitake soaking liquid
• 10-20 collard green leaves with stalks, depending on size
• 1.5 inches fresh ginger, julienne
• 1/4 large onion cut to 1/4 inch slices
• 3 tbsp unrefined peanut oil
• 3 tbsp shoyu, tamari or any naturally brewed soy sauce
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

*Note: This recipe requires soaking the shiitake for 8 hours, so plan ahead.  I usually soak the mushrooms overnight or in the morning to cook that evening. Don't worry if they soak a few hours longer, just make sure they soak 8 hours.

Begin by bringing 2 C water to a boil. Rinse the shiitake mushrooms in cold water and place them in a bowl just big enough to hold the mushrooms. Pour the hot water over the mushrooms until you have enough to completely cover them. They will float so place a small plate or plastic wrap over the bowl to keep the mushrooms submerged as much as possible. Place the mushrooms in the refrigerator over night or for 8 hours, turning them over once if you can.  After soaking, squeeze the water out of the mushrooms and back into the soaking liquid. Reserve the soaking liquid. Slice the mushrooms to about 1/3 inch thickness. Set aside.

Wash and towel dry the collards. Tear the leaves from the stems or cut the stems out. Remove the bottom 1 inch of the stems and cut them on the bias to 1/8 or 1/4inch thickness and keep them separate from the greens. Rough chop the greens in 2 inch pieces. Scrub the ginger, bias cut to 1/8th inch and julienne. Prepare the onions in 1/4 inch slices to any desired length.

Bring the pot of your pressure cooker to medium-high heat and add the peanut oil, collard stems, ginger and onions. Saute for 5 minutes. This will give the stems a head start on softening and help the ginger infuse the oil. Measure the soaking liquid and add water if needed to give 1.5 C liquid. Add this soaking liquid mixture, sliced shiitake, soy sauce, maple and chopped greens to the pot. With a large spoon, turn the contents over to mix lightly. Add the lid and bring the cooker to 15 psi and cook for 7 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool on its own. This takes about 8 to 10 additional minutes. Inside you will find savory, fork tender greens with rich, meaty shiitake and assertive ginger heat. Serve with a couple spoons of the pot liquor. Enjoy!

Serves 4 to 6

*This recipe can cooked similarly in a large pot or pan, simmering for an hour or more. You will want to check the liquid and add more if necessary over the cooking period.