Euphoria Revisited

Deborah
While planning the menu for my husband's birthday dinner party this week, a friend reminded me of a dish I had made a year ago for the Presidential Inauguration party I hosted in my home. That was a euphoric occasion. I even created a drink I dubbed the Obama Cocktail made with Jamaican sorrel and champagne. I can barely remember what I made to eat ( I was euphoric, remember), but my friend prodded me to recall the kale and black-eyed pea dish I served. Ah yes, that WAS good.

Collard greens, like kale, have a deep rich flavor.

It was a recipe I had come across and then adapted a bit, as I am wont to do. But to recreate that sequence of events seemed unlikely. So, I am starting from scratch, making a dish I think will be filling, flavorful and festive. Truth be told, I am sick of kale at the moment (the experimenting with that raw kale salad has not gone as planned and the results won't be revealed for at least another post or two) so I picked up some collard greens instead.

After sauteeing them with onions and garlic, I threw in one of those mealy tomatoes I happened to have left over, to add a little color. Simmered with the BE peas and some white wine and a little water or stock the collards will be tender in about half an hour.

This dish is being made a day in advance so the flavors can improve overnight. I am going to finish it with a handful of fresh chopped herbs and a drizzle of really good olive oil.

Amanda is on vacation this week so I will tell you about the wine I used for this recipe. It is a Josephine Dubois 2008 Grande Reserve Chardonnay Bourgogne. What drew me to this wine other than the price tag of $9.99? I don't generally drink Chardonnay, but years ago I visited the Bourgogne region of France and it has become one of my favorites for wine, so I thought I could take a chance. And, it IS a really nice wine- fruity with a decent body- not terribly complex but more than a single note- with a slightly mineraly finish to add sophistication. I like!

I suspect we are going to be talking avocados when Amanda returns from Mexico next week. Meanwhile I am going to take a poke at my marinating raw kale that at this point still tastes likes sour rubber bands.

Collard Greens with Black-Eyed Peas
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped
1 large bunch of collard greens, *chopped- see below
salt & pepper to taste
1 tomato, roughly chopped
1 can of Black eyed peas, drained of liquid and rinsed
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup water
3 Tbs. fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, sage, dill) roughly chopped
1 Tbs. good quality extra virgin olive oil



*to chop collard greens fold leaf in half and cut out the rib. Take the leaves and pile them up and roll into a "cigar" and chop into one inch pieces.

Heat oil in pan and add garlic and onion. Cook 5-8 minutes till they are soft and golden. Add the collard greens and the salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes till the greens begin to soften and wilt. Add the tomato, the black-eyed peas and the wine and cook another 5 minutes. Add a cup of water and bring to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook for another 20 minutes until the greens are softened. Add the chopped herbs and the extra virgin olive oil and heat for another 2-3 minutes. serves 4