Pasta with Collard Greens

I decided to do a little reconstruction on Pasta with spinach greens and wondered what would have happened if Christopher Columbus had discovered North Carolina today. I think he would have tried collard greens and made something like this.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Collard Greens, chopped (2 inch - stems removed)
6-8 large Cherry Tomatoes cut in half
2 slices of uncured bacon, cut into lardons
1 shallot, chopped
1 dried red pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
Pasta
1-2 tsp olive oil

Directions:

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat and then add the bacon. Cook until golden, then add the shallots. Cook until the shallots are transparent, 3-5 minutes, then add the garlic and red pepper. After the garlic becomes fragrant (30 secs or so), add the wine to deglaze the pan. Cook down to about 1-2 tbsp, then add the collard greens. Toss and cover the pan. Cook until the greens are tender (this can take from 10-30 minutes, depending on how mature the greens are). Cook pasta in salted, boiling water for eight minutes. When the collards are tender, Finish off the pasta by adding the noodles, tomatoes, and 1 ladle of starchy pasta water to the collards. Season with the salt and pepper. Cook until noodles are al dente. Plate, add freshly ground Parmesan cheese, enjoy.

Braised Chicken Thighs With Polenta

Braised Chicken with Polenta

Now that the weathers turning, my mind is beginning to wander towards heavier, casserole type dishes. A thick sauce with rich flavors is comforting as the weather cools. So in keeping with that vein of thought, I decided to braise some chicken thighs and serve them on a nice bed of coarsely ground polenta. This was pretty simple to put together and came out very tender and tasty. I hope you try this and enjoy it as much as Ginny and I did.

Recipe

Ingredients:
1 small green pepper, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 tbsp of dried thyme
1 small bay leaf
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 large can of peeled tomatoes
6-8 green, stuffed olives, quartered
1 cup of polenta
4 cups of water
kosher salt
pepper

Recipe.

Add two tbsp of olive oil to a dutch oven or pot and heat on medium high heat. Season your chicken thighs and add to the pot, skin side down. Brown the chicken thighs on both sides, shaking the pot to keep the skin from sticking.

Once the chicken has browned, remove the chicken and pour off the fat, reserving for future use. Turn the heat to high and deglaze the pot with white wine. Reduce the wine to about 1 tbsp of liquid. Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 tbsp of the reserved oil. Add the onions, green pepper, and olives, cooking until tender (about 5 minutes).

Now add the chicken, thyme,and bay leaf to the pot. Follow this by pouring the juice from the whole, peeled tomatoes into the pot followed by the tomatoes, crushing them in your hand to release the juice. These do not need to be pulverized, just crush lightly. Turn the heat to medium high until the mixture begins to boil, then reduce to simmer. Cover the pot and let cook for twenty minutes.

After the chicken has cooked, plate your polenta and arrange your chicken ans sauce on top. Add some garlic bread, a little wine to drink, and enjoy.