Greens With Spiced Butter And Fresh Ricotta Recipes

PAPPARDELLE WITH GREENS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the greens (you may have to do this in two batches). After the water returns to a boil, boil two to four minutes until the greens are tender. Using a deep-fry skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer them to the ice water. Do not drain the hot water in the pot, as you'll use it to cook the pasta. Drain the greens, squeeze dry and chop.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the garlic, cook for about a minute just until fragrant, and stir in the greens. Toss in the hot pan for about a minute, just until the greens are lightly coated with oil and fragrant with garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
• Place the ricotta in a large pasta bowl. Bring the water for the pasta back to a boil, and add the pappardelle. Cook al dente. Ladle 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the pasta into the ricotta and stir together. Drain the pasta, and toss with the ricotta, greens and cheeses. Serve at once.

CRISPY TROUT WITH KITCHEN BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• If it's convenient, set the serving plates to warm in a low oven (175 degrees F) as you prepare the fish.
• For the sauce, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and thyme and cook them briefly until lightly browned. Add the cream, bring it to a boil and reduce quickly by half. Add the remaining 10 tablespoons butter gradually, pat by pat, whisking until incorporated. When the sauce is smooth and thick, discard the garlic and thyme and add the chives, sherry vinegar, tarragon and salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat two large cast-iron skillets over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the fish with salt and pepper and dust the skin sides with the flour. When the pans are hot, add enough canola oil to thinly coat the bottom of each and add a fish to each pan, skin-side down. Cook until the skins turn golden brown and opaque doneness creeps into the pink flesh of the fish. You want to cook the fish nearly all the way through on the skin side. Flip the fish and transfer them to a plate to keep warm in the oven. Cook the remaining fish.
• Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of sauce onto each warm plate, top with a trout, skin side pointing up, and serve immediately.

BOOYA-POSOLE COMMUNITY STEW

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. When it melts, add the onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and sweet, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook until thick and jammy, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat a grill or a stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat. Blot dry the chicken legs and pork and season with salt and pepper.
• Grill the chicken and pork until wellmarked on both sides and partially cooked through, about 10 minutes. Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes.
• Add the thyme, paprika, cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper to the stockpot. Add both meats, the stock, 4 cups water and the bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, stirring once in a while, until the pork is very tender when poked with a fork, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.
• Remove the chicken legs, pick the meat from the bones, chop it into large pieces and return it to the stew.
• Add the hominy and simmer the stew another 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until everything is really tender and the meat is falling apart. Mash the pork against the side of the pot to break it up. (Don't worry if the chicken looks like it's almost dissolving: That's typical of booya.) Add the corn and cook 5 more minutes.
• Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Taste to check the seasoning and add more salt, if needed. Serve with the chopped cilantro.

PEANUT BUTTER AND FRESH PEACH

Steps:

• Toast bread, add peanut butter, and then add thinly sliced peaches to sandwich.

THE RIGHT WAY TO COOK GREENS!

Steps:

• Heat bacon drippings in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the greens. Stir-fry, I suppose, since you are stirring and frying, for 1 to 4 minutes (depends on how tough the greens are) or until greens are limp, tender, and have greatly reduced in size. Pork fat is good because it helps cover the bitterness of greens while bringing out their great flavor.
• At this point, you have a choice. Either serve them straight from the pan with a sprinkling of salt, or add 3 to 4 cups of water and salt to taste, and boil the greens 1 hour for extra tender, probably-won't-even-have-to-chew greens. If you don't have teeth, clearly you see which way to go here.

SPRING GREENS SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil, tip in the greens and cook for 1 min, then drain and leave in the colander to cool a little.
• Melt 1 tbsp butter with the oil in a large pan. Add the leeks and a big pinch of salt, then stir over a medium heat until softened, about 8 mins. Add the garlic and cook for another min, then remove from the heat, tip into a large bowl and leave to cool.
• Squeeze as much water out of the greens as you can; if you don't mind getting a tea towel dirty, the best way to do this is to pile them onto the clean towel, gather the corners and squeeze. Add the greens to the pan with the leeks, then stir in the herbs, nutmeg, cheeses, eggs, zest and seasoning. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• You'll need a 23cm springform cake tin to assemble the tart in. Melt the remaining butter in a pan or the microwave and use some of it to grease the tin. Now you're ready to work with the filo. Have a clean tea towel to hand to keep the sheets covered as you work (it can dry out very quickly). Layer the sheets of filo in the tin, brushing each one really well with butter and leaving plenty of pastry hanging over the edge, to close the top with once filled. Scatter the sesame seeds between each layer of pastry as you go. Save a few sheets for the top. Once the tin is lined, fill with the greens mixture. Scrunch a few more sheets of buttery pastry on top and fold in the overhanging sheets to close the tart. Scatter any remaining sesame seeds on top and drizzle over the remaining butter.
• Bake for 40-45 mins until deep golden brown (cover with foil if it starts to brown too much). Remove from the tin as soon as you can to help keep the pastry crisp. Serve warm or cold.

SPICED RICOTTA HOTCAKES

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch pepper in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix the ricotta, milk, egg yolks (reserve the whites) and vanilla in a second large bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
• Separate the egg whites into a medium bowl; reserve the yolks for another use. Lightly beat the egg whites with a handheld electric mixer until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. (Alternatively, use a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment). Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter. Let the batter rest about 5 minutes.
• Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Melt enough butter to just coat the surface. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle for each hotcake and cook until golden brown and puffed, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Serve hot, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar and drizzled with pomegranate molasses.