Garden to Table

Congratulations to all our recent 8th grade graduates and our continuing OCS students. The year is over and summer break is finally here. While it's tempting to kick back and let the Beanstalk go on vacation too, there are still things happening around our neighborhood that are worthy of a quick post now and again.

Gardens in Altadena flourish in their own microclimate. Abutting the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains, we enjoy cooler, foggier springtimes, wetter winters and hotter summer evenings. This means that gardens, especially vegetable gardens, mature at a "local" pace. Most of our Odyssey neighbors have lots of green tomatoes, but no red ones quite yet. The chili peppers are taking their time and even the pattypan, zucchini and yellow squashes are only now getting ready to harvest.

But if you've planted greens like mustard, collard, kale and swiss chard, you're facing a bumper crop. These cut-and-come-again plants have done really well in our cooler "june gloom" weather. A mess of greens, classically prepared with bacon, onions and a handful of black eyed peas, is always delicious, especially when there is a wedge of cornbread and some sauteed sweet potatoes to go along. But feel free to experiment. I'm posting a truly delicious recipe from Algerian blogger extraordinaire Warda at her 64 square foot kitchen website. 

She has added smoked paprika to this dish, which adds a distinctly mesmerizing flavor. It's a spice worth seeking out. While Warda has used Kale here, any type of greens would be fine. Fresh greens from the garden cook surprisingly fast so you can go from garden to table in 30 minutes or less. Just add toasted pita and maybe a bit of marinated feta on the side and dinner is served.

Sautéed Kale with Cumin and Smoked Paprika

Recipe: serves 4
- 1 bunch Kale (about 1 pound/500g)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup/250ml parsley sprigs, tightly packed
- 1/2 cup/ 125ml fresh coriander, tightly packed
- 1 tsp freshly ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp plain yogurt
- Salt, black pepper
- lemon wedges
- Oil cured black olives

Strip the kale leaves off their stems and cut away the tough midribs of any large leaves. Chop finely and wash in plenty of water. Drain well.

Chop and pound the parsley, coriander, garlic and 1/4 tsp salt to a paste in a mortar or a food processor.

Heat a large sauté pan and add olive oil and the chopped onion. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the herb paste. Cook 2 minutes stirring and without burning, then add the kale, cumin and smoked paprika, stir to combine, and cover the pan. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the greens are tender. When they are tender, remove the lid and allow any excess water to evaporate. Turn off the heat and stir in the yogurt.

Serve with bread, cured black olives, or any of your favorite olives, and wedges of lemon to squeeze to taste.