Bhutanese Refugees in Anchorage, Alaska with Recipe for Lamb's Quarters & Tomatoes with Eggs (Χόρτα και Ντομάτες με Αυγά)

Lush baskets of greens lined the table: crumpled dark Lacinato kale, sweet golden-stalked Swiss chard, deep maroon piles of earthy red orach. The sign read, “Fresh International Gardens.”

“Good morning! Where’s your farm?” The answer to my standard market question was a surprise: “Mountain View.”

Mountain View, a densely populated neighborhood within Anchorage’s urban core, is an unlikely spot for a market garden. “How much land do you have?” “8000 square feet.”

A commercially viable garden in Alaska on less than 1/5 of an acre? I looked again at the people staffing the booth. Of diverse ages and ethnicities, they didn’t fit the typical farm family image.

“Is Fresh International Gardens a farm? Or a group?” I hesitated. “Or what?”

The answer: “Or what.” Fresh International Gardens is part of the Refugee Farmers’ Market Program. This program helps refugees, newly arrived in Anchorage, adjust to uprooted lives in a new country. In addition to gardening, the program teaches entrepreneurial and life skills essential to succeeding in Alaska.

The thriving program grew from a seed planted by Julie Riley, longtime Anchorage Cooperative Extension Service Horticulture Agent. In 2004, Riley successfully helped Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia adapt their gardening skills to Alaska’s cold climate. This success inspired Catholic Social Services to work with Riley and others to create the Refugee Farmers’ Market Program. Using municipal land next to Mountain View’s McPhee Park, the program is now in its fourth year.

Most refugees working on the 2010 garden are originally from Bhutan. Over the last 10 months, a group of nearly 100 Bhutanese refugees began the challenging process of creating lives in Alaska after many difficult homeless, stateless years.

Bhutan is a land-locked country the size of Switzerland. It lies between China and India on the Himalayas’ eastern edge; Nepal is to the west. In the late 19th century, the Lhotsampa (meaning southerner in Bhutanese) began emigrating to Bhutan from Nepal, largely to work as laborers for the Bhutanese.

The Lhotsampa settled, built homes, and grew families in Bhutan. Life continued uneventfully until the late 1980s. At that time, the ethnic majority ruling Bhutan became worried about its ethnic group being outnumbered by Lhotsampas. To prevent this, the rulers began a program of ethnic cleansing, forcibly expelling many Lhotsampas from the country.

The forcible expulsions left over 100,000 Lhotsampas, including Anchorage’s new residents, stranded for nearly two decades in Nepalese refugee camps. It wasn’t until 2008 that various countries, including the US, began admitting Bhutanese refugees for permanent resettlement.

Last Thursday I went to the Fresh International Garden site on McPhee and talked with gardener and market entrepreneur Bishnu Subedi.

Subedi said he was forced from his home by the Bhutanese government in 1992. He lived in Nepalese refugee camps until Alaska welcomed him last year. “Seventeen years. Seventeen years, no home. Now, in Alaska, apartment. A home.” Subedi smiled, hesitantly.

While we talked, Subedi and a fellow refugee cleaned and turned a new garden bed, planting it with spinach seed. The men were neatly dressed; their shirts freshly ironed. They deftly and swiftly worked shovel and hoe with bare feet.

Subedi is just now learning English, and spoke it haltingly. He described his plans: work hard, feed his family, get a green card, become a citizen. He laughed, shrugged, and said, “For now, have apartment. But is home. Home.” He smiled again, this time broadly.

I walked further into the garden where three Bhutanese women were weeding beds of thickly planted greens. They heaped all but one kind of weed in piles for disposal. The women treated lamb’s quarters (Chenopodium album) differently. This plant was separated out and added to plastic grocery bags that were already full when I arrived.

Though weeds, lamb’s quarters are delicious edible greens. Since none of the women spoke English, I couldn’t ask if they planned on eating lamb’s quarters. Kelly Ingram, a Vista volunteer working for the Refugee Farmers’ Market Program, had an answer: the women used lamb’s quarters as an ingredient in curry.

Wild lamb’s quarters are gathered for food all around the globe. Uniquely, the Himalayan region, where Lhotsampas survived in Nepalese refugee camps, is the one area in the world where lamb’s quarters are domesticated. It is grown there for its leafy greens and as a grain crop. Lamb’s quarters is a quinoa relative; up to 70,000 poppy-sized seeds grow on every plant. The seeds are ground into flour, cooked as porridge, made into alcoholic beverages, and used as livestock feed.

Unlike countries with subsistence economies, wild foraging is a rarity in modern America. Lamb’s quarters and other wild greens are usually seen only as noxious weeds that pop up in home gardens and interfere with efficient commercial crop production. As a result, few Alaskans have tried tasty lamb’s quarters.

Lamb’s quarters are related to spinach and Swiss chard, and can be substituted for those greens in any recipe. Its flavor is milder, and its leaves slightly firmer, than spinach. Although young lamb’s quarters leaves may be eaten raw, I prefer them cooked. Then again, I also prefer spinach cooked.

Of the wild greens that grow in Alaska, lamb’s quarters is one of the easiest to harvest. (First time foragers may want to review my Rules for Gathering Wild Plants.) Cut off the top 6-8” of each plant, remove any damaged or diseased leaves (look carefully, lamb’s quarters are susceptible to leaf miner damage), and strip the leaves and soft seed heads from the stem. These are ready to use in your favorite greens recipe; the stem may be discarded.

Lamb’s quarters freeze well. Harvest the greens before seeds form, blanch in boiling salted water for 30-45 seconds, drain, cool, squeeze out excess water, package in freezer bags, and freeze.

Lamb’s quarters thrive on land that’s been previously cultivated, or any place they can get an easy foothold. In my yard, they're particularly fond of the topsoil pile, where loose dirt and ready nutrients attract a nice patch of lamb’s quarters every year.

Returning from my trip to the Fresh International Gardens, I had a powerful hankering for lamb’s quarters. Lacking a Bhutanese curry recipe, but being rich in farm fresh eggs, I lunched on a Greek village favorite: eggs cooked on a bed of wild greens and tomatoes.
Lamb's Quarters and Tomatoes with Eggs takes less than 30 minutes to make, including the time to harvest the lamb’s quarters (assuming you're behind on your weeding so have lamb's quarters readily available). Despite its simplicity and humble ingredients, the flavors are luxuriant: runny yolks combine with vegetable juices to form an enthrallingly rich sauce.

Lamb's Quarters and Tomatoes with Eggs (Χόρτα και Ντομάτες με Αυγά)
Serves 2
Any wild or domesticated greens may be used in this recipe. Milder greens, such as lamb’s quarters, nettles, spinach, and Swiss chard, taste best. Feta cheese, bread, and Kalamata olives typically are served with this dish.

6 cups greens, cleaned of stems and damaged leaves
1/2 cup diced onion, 1/4” dice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup diced fresh tomato, 1/4” dice
2 Tbsp. minced fresh mint or basil
4 eggs

Blanch greens in boiling salted water for 30-45 seconds. Drain, rinse with cold water, and squeeze out as much water as you can from greens (do this in batches using your hands or all at once using a clean dish towel). Roughly chop the blanched greens.

Sauté onion, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in olive oil. When onions begin to turn golden, add chopped greens and tomato. Mix well. When greens are hot, taste and add salt or freshly ground black pepper as needed. Stir in mint or basil.

Spread greens evenly over bottom of the pan and make an indentation for each egg in greens. Break one egg into each hole, lightly season with salt, turn heat down to low, and cover pan. Cook until egg whites just solidify and yolks are still liquid. Serve immediately.

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Fresh International Gardens sells produce every Wednesday at the Northway Mall Farmers’ Market and alternating Saturdays at the University Center Farmers’ Market and the Spenard Farmers’ Market. Volunteers are needed to help with the Refugee Farmers’ Market Program; for more information about volunteer opportunities, contact Kelly Ingram at 786-6331.
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This post is included in Weekend Herb Blogging compiled by Susan at The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Recipes for Swiss Chard Braised with Olives and Feta (Σέσκουλο με Ελιές και Φέτα) & Pancakes with Leftover Greens, Olives and Feta

Greens season is here. Gardens and farmers’ markets in Anchorage are filled with every type of cool weather green. Swiss chard, spinach, and kale are in their prime.


It’s also the season during which many Alaskans are doing hard duty out on the salmon grounds, making sure freezers are filled with fish for the upcoming winter.


The best reason to eat greens and salmon is they just plain taste good. Luckily, both are good for your health: greens because they’re high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber and salmon because it’s loaded with omega-3 fatty acids


Freshly caught salmon has so much flavor it doesn’t need anything more than salt, pepper, and a little time on the grill or cast-iron pan.  Swiss Chard Braised with Olives and Feta is a good accompaniment. The greens’ earthiness, when paired with salty olives and feta, balances fresh salmon’s richness.

Swiss Chard Braised with Olives and Feta (Σέσκουλο με Ελιές και Φέτα)
Serves 4
Any greens, wild or domesticated or, better yet, a mixture of greens, can be substituted for Swiss chard.  This is delicious made with plain Kalamata olives, but I prefer using Roasted Kalamata Olives. Dry-cured or salt-cured olives (such as those from Thassos) may be substituted, but be sure to taste them and use less than 1/2 cup if they’re strong flavored. Most Greeks squeeze a lemon wedge over braised greens; I like them better plain. Serve lemon wedges on the side so each eater can choose their own amount of lemon. Swiss Chard Braised with Olives and Feta goes well with grilled or pan-fried salmon and other simply cooked seafood.


2 large or 3 medium bunches Swiss chard (about 10-12 cups cleaned, chopped leaves)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Lemon wedges


Strip Swiss chard leaves from stems; reserve stems for another use.  Wash and roughly chop the leaves (don’t dry leaves; the clinging water helps cook them).

In a Dutch oven or deep sauté pan, sauté garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 30 seconds, being very careful not to burn the garlic. Stir in Swiss chard, olives, a liberal seasoning of black pepper, and a light seasoning of salt (olives and feta also add salt). Cover, turn heat down to low, and cook until chard is tender, but not falling apart. (The dish may be made ahead to this point and reheated just before serving.)

Remove chard and olives from pan with slotted spoon. Put in serving bowl along with the feta. Toss well.  Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Bonus Recipe

Pancakes with Leftover Greens, Olives and Feta
Makes 4-6 pancakes
Too lazy to make crepes, I mixed leftover Swiss Chard Braised with Olives and Feta into a simple batter and cooked it into pancakes. These cakes contain the same flavors as crepes, but can be mixed and cooked in less than 1/2 hour with a lot less hassle.  I served the savory pancakes with soft goat cheese, basil shreds, and thinly sliced prosciutto; they made a lovely lunch.


3/4 - 1 cup leftover greens, olives, and feta

3/4 – 1 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

1 egg

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Oil for griddle


Put leftover greens in a strainer set over a bowl, press down to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Measure the liquid and add enough milk to make one cup.  Whisk egg and half the milk mixture into flour. Whisk in remaining milk mixture. Whisk in greens and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat small amount of oil in a griddle or cast iron frying pan over medium heat.  When pan is hot, ladle in 1/2 cup batter, spreading it out to form a 7” circle. Cook it on one side until it’s dry around the edges and the underside is nicely browned when lifted. Flip and cook on the second side.  Repeat until all the batter is used.

Serve plain, with cheese, or with thinly sliced prosciutto or salami.

Recipe: Spinach Saganaki (Σπανάκι Σαγανάκι)

Fresh garden greens started trickling into Anchorage farmers’ markets this morning. In two weeks, the trickle will turn into a flood. Greens of all kinds thrive in our cool maritime climate.

Though cultivated greens are only now appearing, we’ve been eating wild greens for the past month. As soon as the snow melted, dandelion greens insistently pushed their way through the saturated earth and were ready to be harvested.  Fireweed shoots, devil’s club, and nettles; chickweed, dock, lamb’s quarters, and shepherd’s purse; all end up in the pot. (For tips on harvesting wild plants, go here.)

Until my husband and I first lived in Greece (1987), eating wild plants never once crossed my mind. I grew up in a family where picky eating was an art form. My father didn’t eat cheese, yogurt, or sour cream. My mother didn’t eat lamb, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, squash, green pepper, and so many other foods I could never keep track.  If my parents didn’t eat it, neither did we.  Plus I had my own food quirks; raw tomatoes didn’t pass my lips until I was 24.

So wild greens? Not likely. It wasn’t just my family; the concept of eating wild greens didn’t remotely exist in the small Pacific Northwest town in which we were raised.  In our world, food came from the grocery store. Food could also come from the garden, but only from seeds that were planted and carefully tended. For wild food, we only knew berries, seafood, and dead animals. 

When  the first rains came the autumn of our arrival in Greece, there was a palpable sense of excitement in the village.  Once the rain stopped, half the village took to the fields, quickly gathering the emerging flush of snails. Over the next week, the dirt roads surrounding the village became peppered with the bent-over backsides of black-clad women, systematically working their way through the fields, gathering an abundance of fresh wild greens.

Though my Greek was limited in those days, I learned by example which greens were tastiest, how to harvest them, and how to clean them. I learned a mixture of different greens cooked together tastes better than a single variety cooked on its own.  I learned to love and crave greens of all kinds, wild and domesticated.  Most importantly, foraging became a permanent, enriching part of our lives.

These days, we eat greens several times a week, and I regularly post recipes using them.

For the past year, my favorite greens recipe has been Spinach Saganaki, based on a dish we had at Tzitzikas and Mermigas (Τζίτζικας και Μέρμηγκας), a restaurant on Mitropoleos Street, just off Syntagma Square, in downtown Athens. (A tasty place to eat on a shady street, particularly if you’re carrying a heavy load of way too many cookbooks; but that’s another story.) I’ve made the dish with a wide range of different greens, alone and combined, including spinach, Swiss chard, kale, amaranth, nettles, and dandelions; every version has been a success.

Two notes about the name:

1) I like calling it Spinach Saganaki only because it translates in Greek to the perfectly alliterative “Spanaki Saganaki.” Ignore the name and don’t limit yourself to making it with spinach; the dish is delicious with all kinds of greens. 

2) I recently described this dish to someone who asked why it had “saganaki” in the name since it didn’t include flaming cheese.  In Greek, “saganaki” is a small two-handled frying-pan, and gives its name to a range of dishes that are traditionally served in the pan, including shrimp saganaki, mussels saganaki, and cheese saganaki. As for setting cheese saganaki on fire, I’ve seen it done in Greece rarely, though it’s common in the US. I can’t explain the difference.

Spinach Saganaki (Σπανάκι Σαγανάκι)

Serves 4 as vegetable or 8 as part of appetizer spread (mezedes/μεζέδες)

Inspired by Βλητοκορφές Σαγανάκι at Tzitzikas and Mermigas/Τζίτζικας και Μέρμηγκας in Athens, Greece

Any wild or domesticated greens, alone or in combination, may be used for Saganaki. Because they cook fastest, it's easiest with greens like spinach, Swiss chard, domesticated dandelions, nettles, vlita (amaranth greens), or poppies. The recipe may be assembled hours in advance and refrigerated; bring to room temperature before baking.)

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

3/4 cup chopped green onions, both white and green parts

3/4 cup diced fresh tomatoes, 3/4” dice

1/2 - 3/4 cup roughly crumbled feta cheese

3 -4 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound spinach, or any roughly chopped, cleaned greens (6 packed cups raw, 1 1/2 cups cooked)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Mix together all the ingredients except the spinach.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the spinach and cook just until it wilts (NOTE: The length of cooking time depends on the greens used. Spinach is done after 10 seconds; tougher greens will take longer.) Drain the spinach, quickly squeeze out any excess liquid, and mix it with the other ingredients. (The recipe may be made ahead to this point.)

Put the greens mixture in a 9” glass pie pan or other shallow baking dish.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Serve immediately with crusty bread and olives.

Variation: Substitute Peppadew peppers, or roasted red peppers, for the tomatoes. I’ve done this when I’ve been out of tomatoes and it changes the dish entirely, but in a very delicious way.  With tomatoes, the flavor of the dish is lighter and fresher; with peppers the flavor is deeper and heartier.

Variation: Substitute wild sea lovage or purslane for the parsley. (I’ll write about wild sea lovage and purslane tomorrow or the next day.)

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This post is included in Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Rachel from The Crispy Cook.

Recipe: Pastitsio with Greens (Παστίτσιο με Χόρτα)

The snow is gone, the grass is greening, and the dandelions’ first tiny leaves are poking through the earth. I’ve been walking the yard daily, impatient for enough wild greens to make a salad.

In the meantime, I’m making do with spinach and Swiss chard from my Full Circle Farm CSA box.

Teeny had another Mediterranean potluck last night and several guests made dishes from Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska. From the book, Teeny made Halibut with Onions, Pine Nuts, and Tahini Sauce and Lemon-Marinated Dungeness Crab, Tissy made Oregano Chicken and Potatoes, Moira made Tabbouleh, and I made Hummus and Roasted Kalamata Olives.

Everything was delicious. It’s heartening, and a little magical, to see people using the recipes in Tastes Like Home and succeeding in making delicious food.

In addition to cooking from Tastes Like Home, I brought Pastitsio with Greens to Teeny's potluck. Like Pastitsio with Meat Sauce, a traditional Greek dish sometimes called “Greek lasagna,” Pastitsio with Greens is full of complex flavors.

Because it includes three cheeses (feta, kasseri, and manouri or ricotta), Pastitsio with Greens is rich and creamy. The luxuriant pasta and cheese is balanced by abundant greens and flavored with fresh mint, dill, and parsley. My husband describes it as macaroni and cheese that tastes better and isn’t as heavy as regular mac and cheese.

For potlucks or entertaining, one of the best things about Pastitsio with Greens is it can be assembled ahead of time and baked at the last minute. Its creamy goodness is a hit with adults, children, and everybody in between.

Pastitsio with Greens (Παστίτσιο με Χόρτα)
Serves 6 as a main course or 12 as a side dish
Any wild or domesticated greens may be used for Pastitsio with Greens. For better flavor, I prefer using at least two types of greens. I also prefer Pastitsio when most of the greens are sweeter varieties, like spinach, Swiss chard, nettles, vlita (amaranth greens), or poppies, with bitter or stronger flavored greens used only as an accent. In Greece, use fresh manouri, myzithra, or anthotyro instead of ricotta. The Pastitsio can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead and baked just before serving. Because made-ahead Pastitsio has been refrigerated, it takes at least 10 minutes longer to bake.

1/2 pound miniature penne or other hollow pasta

Filling:
1 bunch spinach or other wild or domesticated greens
1 bunch Swiss chard or other wild or domesticated greens
2 cups diced yellow onions, 1/4” dice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta
1 1/2 cups kasseri or fontina cheese
3/4 cup fresh manouri or ricotta cheese

Béchamel:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 egg yolks

Topping:
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs

Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is almost, but not quite, done. Remove the pasta with a slotted spoon to a bowl; reserve the pasta water for blanching the greens. Rinse the pasta with cold water, drain, and reserve.

Make the Filling: Wash the greens very carefully. Discard any tough or damaged stems, leaves, roots, and any flower buds. Bring the pasta water to a boil, and blanch the greens for 1 minute. Drain and immediately rinse the greens with cold water. Using your hands, squeeze as much water as possible from the greens. Chop the greens and put them in bowl.

Sauté the yellow onions, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in olive oil until the onions soften and start to turn golden. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the onions to the bowl with the greens. Add the green onions, parsley, dill, mint, and cheeses to the bowl and toss well to combine thoroughly. Taste and add salt or freshly ground black pepper as needed.

Make the Béchamel: Warm the milk over low heat or in the microwave; don’t bring the milk to a boil. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, mix in the flour to make a smooth paste, and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the warm milk and cook, stirring, until the sauce is smooth and the thickness of heavy cream. Add the nutmeg, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Pour 1/2 cup of hot milk sauce into the pasta, and stir to evenly distribute. Put the egg yolks in a small bowl and quickly whisk in 1/2 cup of hot milk sauce. Whisk the egg mixture back into the sauce. Cook over very low heat for two minutes, stirring constantly, and being careful not to let the sauce get hotter than a low simmer. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Make the topping: Mix the parmesan and Panko.

Assemble the Pastitsio: Preheat the oven to 350°F.

For use as a main course: Place half the pasta in the bottom of a well-oiled 9”x9” baking pan. Spread half the filling over the pasta. Top with the remaining pasta, and then with the remaining filling. Spread the béchamel over the filling. Sprinkle the topping over the béchamel. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until the top of the Pastitsio is golden and the juices are bubbling. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into rectangles and serving. If you cut Pastitsio immediately after removing it from the oven, it will fall apart (but still tastes great).

For use as a side dish: Stir the pasta into the filling. Place the mixture in the bottom of a well-oiled 9”x13” baking pan. Top with the béchamel and then with the topping. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until the top of the Pastitsio is golden and the juices are bubbling. Serve immediately by the spoonful or after 15 minutes if you prefer cutting it into squares.
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This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Anh of Food Lover's Journey. This week, May 5 to May 11, I'm hosting Weekend Herb Blogging. Please send me your entries to tasteslikehome[at]hotmail[dot]com by May 11!

Recipes: Morel Stuffed Mushrooms, Marinated Beets with Candied Red Onions, & Horta Salad (Μανιτάρια Γεμιστά, Μαριναρισμένα Παντζάρια, & Χόρτα Σαλάτα)

Some days, writing is easy. Other days, it’s like shelling pine nuts; in other words, hard and frustrating. Today’s been a pine nut day.

Part of the problem was my notes for three separate recipes were scribbled on one too-small piece of paper. Sorting them out made my head spin. None of the recipes are particularly difficult, but describing them on paper was harder than it should’ve been.

I considered dividing the recipes into two separate posts - one about mushrooms and the other about beets - but they taste so good on a single plate, I had to keep them together. Here’s the breakdown:

Morel Stuffed Mushrooms: The mushrooms have a soft, extremely flavorful filling. Tart lemon juice and tangy sun-dried tomatoes balance the rich, earthy taste of mushrooms. These can be stuffed several days ahead and refrigerated until ready to finish, so make impressive hot appetizers without a lot of last minute work. Paired with two kinds of beets, as I’ve done here, the mushrooms are the foundation for a filling vegetarian meal.

Marinated Beets with Candied Red Onions: Sweet with candied onions (or honey, if you’re pressed for time), and sour with red wine vinegar, these beets fill your mouth with wonderful flavors. Grated lemon peel is the essential ingredient that brings the dish together. It’s terrific on its own, wonderful with Horta Salad, and remarkable when paired with Morel Stuffed Mushrooms.

Horta Salad: Boiled greens, dressed with lemon juice or vinegar, are a classic Greek salad. Any domesticated and wild greens, separately or together, can be used for this simple recipe.

The recipes were inspired by Sarah Stegner’s Stuffed Mushrooms with Marinated Beets, described in Art Culinaire (Winter 2002). I loved her recipe's name, which immediately triggered my imagination. The details of Chef Stegner’s recipe diverged from what I’d been imagining, so I ended up using it for inspiration, rather than as a guide.

I particularly liked the morel powder Chef Stegner used in her stuffing. Last year we had an abundance of curiously bland morels, which I dried to concentrate, intensify, and improve their flavor. Powdered, our dried morels dramatically boosted the mushroomy earthiness of the stuffing.

Morel Stuffed Mushrooms (Μανιτάρια Γεμιστά)
Makes 16 - 20
I ground the dried morels to a powder in a spice grinder. Without the morel powder the stuffing tasted great; it just wasn't as intensely flavored. On another note, I dread both soggy stuffed mushrooms and those that aren’t fully cooked. To avoid these problems, I use a technique for prebaking the mushrooms recommended by Cook’s Illustrated.

Mushrooms:
16 - 20 large white mushrooms (or other variety of fresh mushroom)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Stuffing:
Reserved mushroom stems, cut in 1/4” dice
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion, 1/4” dice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
3 tbsp. diced reconstituted or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, 1/4” dice
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup potato purée (6 ounce potato, cooked and grated)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mascarpone or cream cheese
1/4 cup dried morel powder (2 ounces dried morels, pulverized) (optional)
1/4 fresh lemon juice

Topping:
1/2 cup Panko or fresh breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. finely grated garlic

Prebake the Mushrooms: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel to clean off any dirt. Remove the mushroom stems and reserve for the stuffing. Put a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss the mushrooms with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Place the mushrooms on the rack gill-side-up and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the oven. Reserve any liquid in the mushrooms for the stuffing. Turn the mushrooms over and bake for 5 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside until you’re ready to stuff them.

Make the Stuffing: Sauté the mushroom stems and onions, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in olive oil until they're browned. Stir regularly to prevent the onions from burning. When the mushrooms and onions are done, stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Place the onion mix in a bowl and stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, potato purée, parmesan, mascarpone, morel powder, lemon juice, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and any liquid reserved from the prebaked mushrooms. Taste and add lemon juice, salt, or pepper, as needed.

Make the Topping: Sauté the Panko in butter until it is nicely toasted, stirring regularly to prevent the breadcrumbs from burning. Stir in the lemon peel and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Let cool and put in a small bowl.

Assemble the Stuffed Mushrooms: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Using a spoon or piping bag, divide the stuffing equally among the mushrooms. Smoothly round off the surface of each stuffed mushroom. (The mushrooms may be made ahead to this point and refrigerated; store the mushrooms in a single layer, on a paper towel, to prevent them from turning soggy.)

Take each stuffed mushroom, turn it upside down, and roll the stuffing around in the topping until it is nicely coated with breadcrumbs. Bake the mushrooms for 10 – 12 minutes, or until they are hot and the topping is lightly browned. Let sit at room temperature 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with Marinated Beets and Horta Salad, or on their own as an appetizer.

Variation - Stuffed Mushrooms with Pancetta

The pancetta works as a savory counterpoint to the Candied Red Onions in the Marinated Beets recipe. To make the mushrooms with pancetta, eliminate the olive oil, and start the recipe by browning 3/4 cup (4 ounces) pancetta, cut in 1/4” dice. When the pancetta is done, drain it on paper towels; use the pancetta fat for sautéing the onions and mushroom stems. Mix the cooked pancetta with the rest of the stuffing ingredients. NOTE: For this recipe, thick-cut, deli pancetta works better than the thin-sliced prepackaged version.

Marinated Beets with Candied Red Onions (Μαριναρισμένα Παντζάρια me Κρεμμύδια Γλυκά του Κουταλιού)
Serves 4 - 6
The key to this recipe, as with all sweet and sour dishes, is getting the balance of flavors correct. The only way to get it right is to taste and adjust the flavors for your palate. If you’re serving this with Horta Salad, keep its vinegar dressing in mind as you adjust the seasoning. Candied Red Onions add unique flavor, but honey is a fine substitute for them.

Candied Red Onions:
2 cups diced red onion, 3/4” dice
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water

Marinated Beets:
2 bunches beets, roots only (greens used for Horta Salad)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. whole grain mustard
1 Tbsp. minced thyme
2 tsp. finely grated lemon peel (1 lemon)
1 tsp. finely grated garlic
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Candied Red Onions or 1/4 cup thyme honey

Make the Candied Red Onions: Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook at a slow boil, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced to a thick syrup. Watch it carefully at the end and stir regularly; once most of the liquid is gone, sugar syrup can burn easily. It takes 30 – 45 minutes for the syrup to reduce, and can be done while the beets are roasting. (The candied onions can be made well ahead. There may be slightly more candied onions than needed for this recipe.)

NOTE on Roasting Beets: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash the beets, cut off the greens leaving an inch of stem (don't cut into the beet itself), rub the beets with olive oil, and wrap tightly in a foil packet (or place in a tightly covered baking dish). Bake for 40 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the beets and how fresh they are. The beets are done when they're tender if poked with a knife or skewer. Let the beets cool, and slip off their skins (I wear gloves when I do this to protect my hands from staining). (These can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for about a week.)

Make the Marinated Beets: Cut the beets into 1/2” slices; quarter the slices. Put the beets in a bowl and mix with all the other ingredients. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Taste and add salt, freshly ground black pepper, vinegar, or candied red onion, as needed.

Serve with Horta Salad and Morel Stuffed Mushrooms, or on its own (or with Horta Salad) to accompany roast chicken or fish.

Horta Salad (Χόρτα Σαλάτα)
Serves 4 - 6
"Horta" is the generic Greek word for greens. This salad can be cooked ahead and dressed with olive oil, but don’t add vinegar until just before serving. If you buy beets without greens, or the greens aren’t in good enough condition to eat, use Swiss chard or any other greens.

2 bunches of beets, greens only (roots used for Marinated Beets)
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Wash the greens very carefully and discard any damaged leaves. Remove the stems and cut into 1” pieces. Tear the greens into large pieces.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the stems and cook for 2 minutes. Add the greens and cook for 3 – 5 minutes more, or just until the greens are tender. The cooking time varies depending on the type of greens being used. For example, Swiss chard cooks faster than beet greens. Be careful not to overcook the greens or their texture will suffer. Drain the greens well.

While the greens are still warm, toss with olive oil, and then with vinegar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add vinegar, salt, pepper, or olive oil, as needed.

Serve hot or at room temperature with Marinated Beets and Morel Stuffed Mushrooms. Horta Salad can also be served on its own, or just with the Marinated Beets.

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Other Interesting Vegetarian Mushroom Recipes
Parsnip Gnocchi with Pearl Onions, Peas, and Mushrooms
Mushroom Stifado (Μανιτάρια Στιφάδο)
Red Cabbage with Mushrooms and Blueberries – Chou Rouge Forestière (Λάχανο Κόκκινο με Μανιτάρια και βακκίνιο το Μύρτιλλο)

To find more mushroom recipes, Food Blog Search is a great tool.
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This is my entry for No Croutons Required, hosted this month by Lisa of Lisa’s Kitchen.

Recipe: Artichoke and Swiss Chard Gratin (Αγγινάρες και Χόρτα στο Φούρνο)

Work-related travel may be necessary, but it’s far from fun.

Hotels rooms blur together in a cloud of mediocre sameness. Long meetings in new time zones keep life off-kilter and make it extraordinarily difficult to explore the terrain.

I’ve worked in jobs where too much business travel was unavoidable. For self-preservation, I began introducing an element of pleasure into each dreary trip by finding an exciting restaurant to visit.

In Boston, this is how I discovered Hamersley’s Bistro. Hamersley’s has one of those menus where you want to order everything. The chef specializes in imaginative preparations of seasonally fresh vegetables.

I ignored the entrees and ordered a mixture of appetizers and vegetable side dishes. I ate slowly, savoring each bite, and left the restaurant invigorated and momentarily happy for the chance to travel, even on business.

Shortly after I first ate at Hamersley’s, its owner, Gordon Hamersley, published a cookbook, Bistro Cooking at Home. I bought it immediately, and was glad I did. Although they have complex flavors, Hamersley’s dishes are easy to make, use readily available ingredients, and are consistently delicious.

Last night I made a version of Hamersley’s Artichoke and Swiss Chard Gratin. The gratin’s cream, which I rarely use, blends nicely with the vegetables’ earthy flavors to form a delicious sauce.

Hamersley makes his gratin with fresh artichokes. I substituted frozen artichoke quarters. Using fresh artichokes just for the hearts requires too much time and effort (and costs too much) for a mid-week meal. I'd rather save fresh artichokes for uses that let me enjoy the delicious leaves, which too often are tossed when fresh artichokes are used for their hearts.

Artichoke and Swiss Chard Gratin (Αγγινάρες και Χόρτα στο Φούρνο)
Serves 4 – 6
Adapted from Bistro Cooking at Home by Gordon Hamersley (Broadway Books 2003)
Spinach, nettles, poppies, or other mild-flavored greens may be substituted for the Swiss chard. Salting vegetables as they cook brings out their flavor in a way that salting only at the end can’t achieve. For this reason, small amounts of salt are added as each vegetable cooks; be careful not to fully salt each ingredient or the finished gratin will be too salty.

5 – 6 whole Swiss chard leaves (1 bunch), or any other mild-flavored greens, wild or domestic
12 ounces frozen artichoke quarters, thawed
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups thinly sliced yellow onion
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Wash the chard leaves and shake off the excess water (do not dry). Separate the leaves from the stems. Cut the stems into 1/2” dice and roughly chop the leaves; keep the stems and leaves separate.

Sauté the thawed artichoke quarters, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in 1 Tbsp. olive oil until they are lightly browned. Place the artichokes in a large bowl.

In the same pan, sauté the onions, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in 1 Tbsp. olive oil until the onions soften and start to turn golden. Stir in the garlic and fresh thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add the onions to the bowl with the artichoke hearts.

In the same pan, sauté the Swiss chard stems, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in 1 Tbsp. olive oil for 5 minutes. Stir in the leaves, and cook until the stems and leaves are tender and any liquid in the pan has evaporated. Add the chard to the bowl with the other ingredients and toss to combine.

Oil a 9” x 9” baking pan (or 10” x 10” pan or 1 1/2 quart gratin dish). Spread the vegetables in the pan, pour the cream evenly over, and top with the grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Raise the heat to 425°F and bake for 8 – 10 minutes, or until the cheese topping is nicely browned. Serve immediately.
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This is my entry for Antioxidant Rich Food/5-a-Day Tuesday created and hosted by Sweetnicks.