Sautéed Mixed Greens Recipe

Bags of organic arugula at the store always tempt me. "Buy me!" they say, "Eat salad for a week, it'll be great!" Of course after three or four days the bag is half full and the contents start to look rather wilted and sad. Then comes regret. Why did I buy that bag in the first place? Recently I found the solution to the problem of wilting greens, a problem that I'm guessing may also be yours.


It turns out arugula is quite wonderful when lightly sauteed in olive oil. It's somewhat bitter and earthy but in a good way. It's even better if you mix it with some other greens. I use a bit of frozen spinach which is mild but silky and some fresh escarole which has a lovely spring flavor and juiciness when it's cooked. The mixture of flavors and textures creates a compelling dish that isn't just a terrific side dish, but begs to be layered in a grilled cheese sandwich. With or without ham or bacon, this is good stuff!

I buy arugula a lot. But you could just as easily use fresh but beginning-to-wilt spinach, swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, turnip tops or beet greens. Experiment! The amounts of greens are up to you and what you have on hand. I almost always have some individually quick frozen (IQF) spinach in the freezer but don't use it if you don't have it, this is all about cooking economically and making do with what you have. No garlic on hand? No problem! Want to use red chile flakes in addition to onion and garlic? Go for it! You have nothing to lose but some greens that are probably not ready for a starring role in a salad, Mr. De Mille. The basic technique is just to place the ingredients in the pan in order from most sturdy to most fragile. The sturdy stuff will take a little longer to cook than the fragile stuff, but we're talking only a few minutes.

Sautéed Mixed GreensServes about 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup frozen spinach
8-10 leaves of escarole
1/2 bag of arugula, about 4 handfuls

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and when hot, add the onion. Cook for three minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, add the garlic and cook for just 30 seconds then add the spinach and the escarole. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Let it cook for a minute or two, just until the spinach barely defrosts. Remove the lid and stir, then add the arugula and stir. The arugula will wilt very quickly, in just a couple of minutes. Season with salt and you're done!

Enjoy!

Day 120.5 - Caramelized Vidalia Onion Dinner Rolls

This recipe for Caramelized Onion Dinner Rolls comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Victory Garden Cookbook, by Marian Morash. My Mom gave me this book many, many years ago, but any time I'm looking for inspiration using any vegetable (name it, it's in this book), this is my go-to source. The original recipe uses sauteed white onions, but I decided to use Vidalia onions and caramelize them, simply because I love them and had them on hand.

This is not a complicated recipe, but it does take some time as the dough needs to rise, rest and rise again. Making the dough the night before cuts down considerably on the assembly, but whatever you decide, the hours it takes from start to finish is so, so, so worth it. Your house will smell heavenly and you'll feel like the rock star you are when taking these beautiful golden dinner rolls out of the oven. Served up along-side a big Sunday dinner, for a special occasion or with a simple green salad, these rolls bring both elegance and comfort to the table. Now how can that be anything but most excellent?

Caramelized Vidalia Onion Dinner Rolls (Adapted from The Victory Garden Cook Book)
(makes about 30 rolls)

2 packages active dry yeast
3 eggs
4 1/2-5 cups flour
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups sliced Vidalia onions
2 tsp. salt
7 Tbsp. butter

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Beat eggs and combine with 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup warm water, shortening, sugar and alt. Using a mixer beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Cover , and let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down. Refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight in the same bowl.

Remove from the refrigerator 3 hours before baking. Saute onions in 2 tablespoons of butter until golden brown; cool. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Spread each rectangle with 2 tablespoons softened butter, then spread with onions. With the long side facing you, roll into a jelly-roll shape. Cut into 1-inch slices. Place cut side down into greased muffing tins. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush over the tops.

Bake in preheated 400F oven for 12-15 minutes

Serve warm right from the oven with plenty of butter or as is.