Taste Test #3: Shiney Diney Kale; Dino Kale

Name(s): Shiny Diney kale (pictured); similar to Lacinato ('Dino') kale
Availability in CA: These varieties are more often found Nov. - Apr. but some farmers can grow them year-round.
Characteristics: Kale is the 'dark, leafy green' your doctor means for you to eat. Aside from being good for you, kales can provide an array of tastes: raw leaves are more bitter, but cook for 10 - 15 minutes (steam or saute) and it will sweeten up a bit. If you're sick of your salad greens, try the hearty, full flavor of these guys!

Taste Test #2: Romanesco Cauliflower/Broccoli

Name(s): Romanesco, Romanesco broccoli, Roman cauliflower, broccoflower, coral broccoli
Availability in CA: can be year-round, but is easiest to find late Nov. - Apr.
Characteristics: Part of the fun of this plant is that the bright green buds form in a logarithmic spiral shape. A lot of people are thrown off by the name(s), but in truth this plant is closer to cauliflower than broccoli, which is why I simply call it 'romanesco'. If you don't like cauliflower, I should mention that this tastes better, in fact, and imparts an even nuttier taste.

It tastes just fine steamed up all on its own, but, like other cole crops, take care not to overcook it. It's often overcooked veggies that are the culprit when folks complain about something 'smelling like farts' or having an off-putting texture. In recipes, you'll find it paired with garlic and lemon, but if you find yourself with a head of it on hand, try substituting it in a place you would normally use broccoli, and you'll probably enjoy it!

Spiced Romanesco Rigatoni

I love this dish. I kind of hate to admit that I originally found it on some website with Rachel Ray's face all over it. I remember that someone had written in the comments section, "too bland. wouldn't bother again", but I totally disagree. Romanesco, apart from looking cool, has a nutty flavor that works well with the chili powder and citrus. That's the real secret to this recipe. (More on romanesco here!)

Spiced Romanesco Rigatoni

INGREDIENTS

Yields about 6 servings.

• 2 heads romanesco, broken into florets
  
• 2 - 4 cups dried pasta (make as much as you like)
  
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  
• 1 large onion, peeled, diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 3 tbsp. butter
  
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel (get a lemon and grate it. Use the inside for your water?)
  
• 2 springs fresh rosemary (talk a walk and steal some from a neighbor's yard)
  
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1 Get your pasta cooking. Simple enough!

2 Pull out a big saucepan and melt your butter in it at medium high, then add the onions and garlic. Once these have browned up a bit, pour the apple cider vinegar and soup stock in. After about a minute, toss in the romanesco, lemon peel, rosemary, and chili powder. Salt & pepper to taste, then cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

3 Once the pasta is done cooking, drain most of the water off, reserving about a cup to add to the broth. In a serving bowl, combine the pasta (along with reserved water), romanesco/broth mixture, walnuts, and some of the cheese. If you want a quick way to toast walnuts, just lay them flat on a dish and microwave for 1 minute.

SERVING

Put out a bowl with extra cheese in case folks want to add some on top. It helps to have a ladle around in case you want to drizzle extra broth over your dish, too.

Quinoa Bake

Quinoa is kind of one of those things that you just have to try, even if you're skeptical of it. In terms of nutrition, all sorts of people put it up on a pedestal. It's high in protein, containing a balanced set of amino acids, plus there's magnesium, phosphorus, iron, etc. It's really quite special, and can be happily substituted in a lot of places you would put some generic carb item that probably wouldn't give you as much protein. Of course, these days you can find quinoa pasta, flour, and any number of other processed items so you can really sneak it in there if you're interested in its health benefits but not much else.

To be honest, though, it actually tastes pretty great all on its own. It cooks up into light, airy halos of simple, slightly sweet, somewhat nutty flavor. It's prepared similarly to rice-- in fact you can use a rice cooker if you want. If you're interested in trying it during the winter season, but plain quinoa seems too bland, try a quinoa bake that uses sun-dried tomatoes to give it that warm-weather feel.

Quinoa Cheese Bake

INGREDIENTS

Yields about 6 servings.

• 8 ounces dark, leafy greens like kale or spinach
  
• 4 cups quinoa
  
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes- if you want to make them more tender, soak them in some olive oil
  
• 1/2 head of broccoli or cauliflower, broken into small florets
  
• 1 large onion, peeled, diced
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 tsp. fresh sage, chopped
  
• 3 oz. cheese, grated- gruyere or white cheddar work well
• 1 oz. cheese for topping, grated - try parmesan
  
• Olive oil and/or butter (there are oil people, and there are butter people!)
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1 Cook up your quinoa and set aside. To cook the raw germ, first rinse it thoroughly to dissolve the naturally occurring bitter coating on the outside. Most commercial quinoa is industrially rinsed, but it doesn't hurt to do this yourself anyway. Combine 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, bring to boil for about 15 minutes, or until liquid is gone. That's all there is to it. Cut up your leafy greens into easy to chew strips

2 Prep your veggies. If your sun-dried tomatoes are suspended in a chunk of congealed olive oil, now's the time to let them defrost on the counter. Pull apart the head of broccoli or cauliflower so that the florets are somewhere between dime or quarter sized, depending on your preference. When all this is done, preheat your oven to 400ºF.

3 Heat up some olive oil in a pan, and add the diced onion. After a few minutes, add your garlic in, along with the florets, and let this begin to brown. When you think there's only about 3 minutes left until the florets are done, toss in the greens and the sun-dried tomatoes. After the 3 minutes, remove from heat.

4 Combine the quinoa and the mixture from the pan in a bowl. Add in the cheese, sage, and some s 'n p, and toss it until everything is incorporated evenly. Scoop it into a 9" x 9" casserole dish so that it creates a thick layer. You might want to tamp it down a bit so it is even. Then sprinkle your parmesan over the top.

4 Bake in the oven at 400ºF for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat in the oven, and let it sit for another 5 minutes before taking it out.

SERVING

Eat it warm and toasty, with any sort of seasonings you like. I made a little mixture of soy sauce and red wine vinegar for mine. Another thing that's nice about this dish is that it is easy to save and reheat the following days for lunch or dinner, and won't get a soggy texture.