Healthy Meal / butter
Butter Braised Collards with Fire Cider
A guest blog post by Alana from Eating From The Ground Up a Berkshire based blog about food, family, and the wonderful chaos that ensues when the two combine. Check her out after you try Alana's Butter Braised Collard recipe!
"We’ll start with the butter. In general if you hand me a vegetable, I’m going to steam it. I’m a big believer in the steamer pot (that’s a shorter pot with holes that fits into a larger pot) as opposed to those funny collapsable things that are THE MOST FUN thing in the kitchen drawer for toddlers to play with, but even in a pinch I’ll lazy steam with an inch of water and a covered pot. This is the vegetable cooking method I was raised on, and, picky kid that I was, I probably wouldn’t have grown about 5 feet without my daily dose of steamed broccoli. I’ll steam anything except cauliflower, as cauliflower was put on this earth to be roasted.
And yes, that brings us to roasting, the hip method of the moment way to cook all vegetables. Like most hip food trends ( kimchi, good chocolate, cronuts), it got that way from being delicious, and I fully support roasting.
But then there’s braising, which, in the case of vegetables, involves a bit more water and time than lazy steaming. This all started when Alice Waters (or the army of Californians who make up Alice Waters) told me to braise cabbage in water with a big nob of butter. I think it’s called buttered cabbage in her book, and I’d choose it over most foods. Even if you’re not a cabbage lover, buttered cabbage will turn you.
This method–the hearty green, the inch or two of water, the big knob of butter–it lubricates the very fiber of the green so that it becomes plump and buttery through and through. I’ve come to do this with cabbage whenever I have the chance, but also with broccoli raab and most recently, collards. Lately I’ve been loving the final addition of Fire Cider, a magical spicy concoction which I usually just drink straight (a shot every day, plus extra if I’m not feeling my best), but is so so good with butter and collards. This Fire Cider is made by my friends who, since the last time we spoke of them, have gained full organic certification and have continued to stretch their reach farther across the country, spreading wellness and deliciousness as they go. I feel very proud to have them here in this little county, and especially there in my sidebar.
If you don’t have any Fire Cider, let’s try to remedy that, you can find store locations here. But if you want to make these greens right now, a fitting substitute in this recipe would be some apple cider vinegar just there at the end, maybe with a little extra garlic and something spicy.
Butter Braised Collards with Fire Cider
2 tablespoons butter
1 large bunch collard greens
3/4 cup water
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Olive oil
Salt
2 to 3 tablespoons Fire Cider
1. First, prepare the collards: Cut the stem out of each leaf, and roughly chop the stems. Then cut the collard leaves into thin ribbons.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped stems and 1/2 cup of the water and bring to a low boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook until the stems are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the collard leaves to the pot along with the remaining 1/4 cup water. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the lid, raise the heat to medium high, and add the garlic, stirring to combine and toss the greens in the buttery liquid for about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from heat. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss with 2 tablespoons of Fire Cider. Taste, and add an additional tablespoon of Fire Cider if you like."
View the original post HERE!
Sprouts and Beans!
My idea of a balanced meal is a plate full of green veggies with a side of slow cooked beans with a Red Apple Butchers hot Italian sausage. A filling and delicious winter meal and yep, it's healthy too. Of course, if you are going to eat meat, make sure it's from an animal raised on a healthy farm, certified humane and organic. Or buy direct from a local farm or a butcher shop that only sells humanely raised farm animals like James and Jazu at Red Apple Butchers in Berkshire Organics.
This recipe takes about 35 minutes, most of which is cooking time. Getting the beans in the oven only takes about 5 minutes. Then you can make the Brussels sprouts while the beans cook. These recipes easily double so you'll have healthy leftovers, cook once and get meals for days!
Sauteed Brussels sprouts, beans and sausage!
For the Beans you will need:
1 large onion, diced
2 (16-ounce) cans of organic beans - Amy’s Organic brand should be easy to find if you are in a hurry! Or soak and cook your own dried beans.
3 tablespoons of your favorite spicy mustard
2 Tablesppons honey or maple syrup (optional)
4 tablespoons ketchup, we love First Field Ketchup from New Jersey
1 tablespoon Fire Cider or Apple Cider Vinegar
about 1/3 cup lard, olive oil or, my favorite, rendered bacon fat!
To Make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a Dutch oven mix onion, beans, mustard, maple syrup or honey if using, ketchup, and Fire Cider. Then mix in the fat, I highly recommend rendered bacon fat.
Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.
For the Brussels Sprouts:
In a cast iron pan, cover the bottom with prepared, halved Brussels sprouts. Add a small amount of water, turn the heat up and cover. Steam the sprouts until just tender. Pour off any excess water; add a knob of fresh pasture butter and sauté until golden brown. Deglaze with a splash or two of Fire Cider, add salt to taste.
Add a cooked, sliced sausage from Red Apple Butchers or some Hosta Hill Tempeh to your beans for a balanced, healthy meal.
