Shaved Cauliflower Salad with Green Olives, Pistachios, Golden Raisins & Mint

As I was paying for my strawberries at my local U-pick patch this spring I noticed a display of beautiful cauliflower by the register.  It wasn't ordinary white cauliflower.  Rather, it was a mix of beautiful lavender heads and pale orange heads.  When I asked about them, I was told it had been picked that morning.  I chose one of the orange ones (a variety called Cheddar) to take home with me.

When I got it home I broke off a floret and tasted it.  I couldn't believe how tender and mild it was.  I knew that whatever I decided to do with it, I would have to serve it in its raw form.  Boiling/steaming it...or roasting it... somehow seemed unappreciative of its pristine freshness. 

As I thought about what to do, I envisioned a crunchy and tangy vinegar and oil based salad with a lively interplay of salty (Capers? Anchovies? Olives? Feta?...) and sweet (Golden raisins? Currants? Honey? Mint?) flavors.  I ended up making a salad that is a very loose adaptation of a delicious looking cauliflower slaw that I ran across on Smitten Kitchen.  

The "recipe" I'm posting is truly meant to be mostly a template or a starting off point.  To begin with, you should add all of the salty and sweet components to suit your tastes.  As I was making my salad, I set my salad bowl on my scale and just wrote down the weights of the different ingredients as I added them so I could pass them on here...but it's just meant to be a guideline.  On another day...with another head of cauliflower...I might add more or less of each.  Neither should you feel particularly married to the specific ingredients that I chose as long as you maintain a balance of salty and sweet.  I used a favorite marinated Greek green olive (from the olive bar at Whole Foods)...but you could impart a salty and tangy component with another kind of tangy olive...or capers (I would only use about half as many capers as I did olives)...or crumbled Feta cheese. 

Since I wanted my salad to be a study in greens and golds, I chose golden raisins for my dried fruit addition...but currants or dark raisins would be fine too.  Continuing with my color theme, I chose to add pistachios.  But sliced almonds or chopped walnuts would work well too. 

As for the vinegar, I happen to like the clean acidity of champagne vinegar...but any number of other pale vinegars would work well.  White or Golden Balsamic, with its pronounced sweetness would be great.  Plain white wine...or cider...or rice wine vinegars would all be good.  I find cider vinegar to be more acidic, so would probably use less of that.  Rice wine vinegar on the other hand is quite mild and I would probably use more.  In any case, you should always adjust the acidity of a salad to suit your palate.

Finally, I want to put in a plug for the mint.  When I tasted what I thought was my finished salad I felt that there was something missing.  As I considered this, I thought about adding honey and rejected this as too sweet.  I also had some beautiful arugula that I thought might be nice...but didn't think its peppery nuttiness was what I was missing.  Then I remembered my overflowing mint patch and knew that mint would add just the right sweet and aromatic note.  And it did.  If you don't happen to like mint, flat leaf parsley would probably be a fine substitution.   

I had thought that I would post some kind of dessert recipe over this Memorial Day weekend, but I think this salad was a good choice instead.  Traditionally this weekend serves as the official kick off of summer and the season of backyard parties....and picnics...and barbecues.  And of course these are all perfect places for serving this lively slaw-like salad.  I am certain that you will find many occasions during the warm months to come where this salad...or one like it...will be just the thing.

 Shaved Cauliflower Salad with Green Olives, Pistachios, Golden Raisins & Mint

2 to 3 spring onions, including some of the green—trimmed and rinsed

2 T. Champagne vinegar

1 small to medium head cauliflower (about 10 to 12 oz. trimmed and cored weight)

1/3 c. (40 g.) pitted green Olives, cut lengthwise into strips

1/3 c. (55 g) Golden Raisins, roughly chopped

1/3 c. (45 g.) toasted Pistachios (lightly toasted and coarsely chopped)

1/2 t. kosher salt, more or less to taste

1/8 t. hot pepper flakes, or to taste

1/4 c. olive oil

2 to 3 T. finely shredded (chiffonade) mint (or flat leaf parsley, if you prefer)

Depending on the maturity of your spring onions, halve or quarter the white and pale green parts lengthwise.  Thinly slice crosswise.  You should have about 1/3 cup white and pale green.  Place in a small bowl with the vinegar and set aside.  Thinly slice about 2 T. of the dark green.  Set aside.

Break the cauliflower down into large florets or simply quarter it.  Using a large chef's knife, thinly slice the florets/quarters (1/8- to 1/4-inch thick...it's ok if the slices are not all uniformly the same thickness as long as they are thin).  Place the florets in a large bowl with the all of the remaining ingredients, as well as the prepared onions and vinegar.  Toss until everything is well combined.  Taste and correct the seasoning and balance.  Can be served right away, or chilled before serving.    Serves 4 to 6.

Note: This salad...like most slaws...is best the day it is made.  However, you can make it the day before and it will hold up surprisingly well....just be sure to taste it and correct the seasoning before serving.  After sitting overnight it will most likely need more salt and possibly more vinegar.  Finally, if you are making it ahead, use a sparing hand with the mint which can become quite strong after sitting on the other ingredients overnight.  

Printable Version

Parmesan Pudding (Sformato)

I'm not sure if I first bumped into Parmesan Pudding in Joyce Goldstein's wonderful little book Solo Suppers or in Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques.  It could have been either one...both books are favorites.  I turn to Goin's book for professional inspiration on a regular basis.  I use Goldstein's as more of a treasure trove for the kinds of things I like to eat when I'm cooking at home. 

Parmesan Pudding, as it happens, is useful in both situations.  I have served it to clients as part of an elegant entrée (with chicken and a medley of spring vegetables, for example)...and we enjoy it at my house as the centerpiece of a light dinner...with a seasonal vegetable ragoût...or a simple salad.  It is a delicious little preparation to have in your repertoire.

You might have encountered Parmesan Pudding under its Italian name: sformato.  It is sometimes described as a savory flan or custard.  In texture however, because it contains flour, it is a bit more substantial than what you might expect from a plain baked custard...making this designation somewhat confusing.  (For a frame of reference, think about the difference between the consistency of a crème anglaise and a pastry cream.  These two have basically the same list of ingredients save one: flour.  The pastry cream contains flour (or cornstarch) and is consequently much more thick and substantial.)   A sformato is also sometimes described as a "less airy" soufflé.  This description makes sense mostly if you think about how a soufflé is constructed:  with a béchamel (white sauce) base, egg yolks and beaten egg whites.  A sformato has the béchamel base...and also includes yolks and whites...but the whites are not whipped—hence a soufflé, but with less air...

With a Salad of Arugula, Sugar Snap Peas, Black Olives & Walnuts.

No matter how you choose to think about it...or what familiar preparation you choose to compare it to...I think you will find it to be delicious.  It is rich, creamy and very savory.  I love it in this plain cheese form, but Goldstein writes that in Italy it is most often made with an addition of a vegetable purée of some kind.  Goin suggests the additions of sliced prosciutto or cooked asparagus or sautéed mushrooms...all of which sound delicious. I can imagine all kinds of possible vegetable additions.

However, I prefer to make it in its plain form...choosing to add other flavor elements as a sauce or garnish.  The medley of mushrooms, peas and spring onions that I am posting is a perfect go-with.  In late summer ratatouille would be good...or a sauté of peppers and prosciutto.  In the fall and winter months a sauté of wild mushrooms (with some white wine...fresh herbs...and maybe some prosciutto) would be just the thing.  And I have to admit that since I love mushrooms combined with winter squash that this would be a great time to make your sformato with the addition of some winter squash purée.  If you want to go with a lighter garnish, sformato is delicious accompanied by some crusty bread and a simple salad (just greens...or greens with a few vegetables and maybe some toasted nuts...and olives...).

With a Salad of Arugula, Roasted Beets, Shaved Asparagus,
Green Olives & Pistachios.

The recipe that I am posting today is Joyce Goldstein's version.  It is for individual-sized puddings...but you can bake the mixture in almost any container you like.  It can be baked in a loaf pan...and then turned out and sliced....or in a shallow gratin, in which case you could turn it out and cut it into wedges, or do as Goin does and simply set the gratin on the table and let everyone help themselves to a big spoonful.  Once you try it, you will definitely want to make it again...and you will, I am certain, come up with lots of delicious ways in which to serve it.   

Parmesan Pudding

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1 c. whole milk

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 1/2 T. unsalted butter

2 T. all-purpose flour

2 1/2 oz. finely grated parmesan (about 1 c.)

Salt, pepper & nutmeg, to taste

Butter individual soufflé molds and line with a round of parchment paper.  Butter the parchment paper.  Set aside.

Place the whole eggs and yolks in a medium sized bowl and whisk until smooth; set aside. 

Prepare a béchamel:  In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a simmer; keep hot.  In another saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  When the foam subsides, whisk in the flour.  Cook stirring constantly for a minute or two—the roux will be bubbly and straw yellow.  Remove from the heat and pour in half of the hot milk/cream, whisking constantly until smooth—it will thicken immediately.  Add the remaining milk/cream.  Return to the heat and stir constantly until the sauce returns to a simmer. 

Whisk the hot béchamel in a thin stream into the eggs.  Whisk in the parmesan.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  If you like, add a pinch of fresh nutmeg. 

Divide the pudding mixture among the prepared molds and place in a baking pan.  Add hot water to the pan to reach half way up the sides of the molds.  

Cover the pan with foil and bake in a 350° oven until a knife inserted in the center of a pudding comes out clean--about 20 to 30 minutes.  Let the puddings rest for 5 minutes.

The puddings may be served immediately or made up to a day ahead.  If making ahead, cool and refrigerate.  Reheat by placing the puddings in a 350° to 375° oven for 15 minutes or so.  To unmold, run a small knife carefully around the sides of each pudding.  Invert the puddings directly onto a serving plate (make sure that the round of parchment is not attached to the pudding).  Serve surrounded by medley of spring vegetables, or other sauce/vegetable medley/salad of your choice.

Serves 4 to 6—depending on the size soufflé mold chosen

(Parmesan Pudding from Solo Suppers by Joyce Goldstein)

Notes: 

• You may also bake the pudding in one large casserole and either turn it out or serve it from the casserole. If you are not planning on turning it out, it is not necessary to line the mold with parchment. 
• Joyce Goldstein suggests adding 2/3 cup of a vegetable purée of your choice in with the cheese for a vegetable flavored sformato. 

Printable Recipe

Spring Medley of Mushrooms & Peas

4 oz. sugar snap peas, string pulled & halved on the diagonal

1 cup (4 oz.) shelling peas

2 T. unsalted butter

3/4 c. thinly sliced spring onion—1/2 c. white and pale green portions plus 1/4 c. dark green

8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 t. minced fresh thyme

1/4 to 1/2 c. water or chicken stock

a handful (half an ounce) stemmed arugula, cut in wide ribbons

1 to 2 T. unsalted butter

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.  Add the sugar snap peas and cooked until tender-crisp—1 to 2 minutes.  Scoop the peas out and refresh under cold running water or in an ice bath.  Spread on a kitchen towel.  Bring the water back to a boil.  Add the shelling peas and cook until just tender.  Refresh as for the sugar snaps and spread on the towel with them. 

Melt butter in a wide sauté pan set over moderate heat.  Add the spring onions, mushrooms and thyme along with a generous pinch of salt.  Cover and stew gently until the liquid is released from the mushrooms and the mushrooms and spring onions are tender and simmering in a buttery liquid—about 5 to 7 minutes.  Set aside until you are ready to serve.

Return the pan of mushrooms to moderately high heat.  Add a quarter cup of water (you can use the blanching liquid, if you like) or stock.  When the liquid comes to a simmer add the green of the spring onions, the peas and sugar snaps and a tablespoon or so of butter.  Heat through.  If the vegetables seem dry, add a bit more water and butter.  When the vegetables are hot, add the arugula.  Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt & pepper.  Serve immediately.  Serves 4 to 5.

Note: 

• If serving the ragout with a roast chicken or roast pork, add the pan drippings to the ragout. 
• You may use any mix of green spring vegetable you like in place of the peas and sugar snaps. You will need 8 oz. of trimmed/shelled vegetables. Other good options include fava beans, snow peas and asparagus. You may also use artichokes. Slice them so they roughly the same thickness and size as the cooked mushrooms. Add them to the pan with the mushrooms. After everything has been cooking for 5 minutes, add enough liquid to just cover the mushrooms and artichokes and continue to gently simmer until the artichokes are tender—about 20 minutes. 
• Ragout is also nice with the addition of lemon zest and/or a squeeze of lemon juice.

Printable Recipe

Revisiting an old Post...to Share the Original: Orecchiette with Asparagus, Peas & Pancetta

Recently I have begun to share "on this day" posts on my Facebook page.  I have found that I really enjoy going back to revisit old posts.  Sometimes I have forgotten that I posted something...or I am reminded of how much I love a particular dish...   Seeing it first thing in the morning often inspires me to cook it for dinner that night.

This morning I ran across a post from my first year.  It was for a variation on a spring pasta that has been in my repertoire for years (and is one of our favorites):  Orecchiette with Asparagus, Peas & Pancetta.  In this particular post though, I didn't make it with peas.  Instead, I made it with shell beans that I had frozen the previous summer.  The pasta is delicious this way...and I'm glad I shared it...but as I looked at the post today, I thought it was a shame that I had never shared it the way I make it most of the time...with English peas. 

Furthermore, I realized as I looked at the recipe that over the years I have altered the way I make it.  This has happened so gradually that I didn't think too much about it and I have never even bothered to record the way I make it now...I just do it.  It is of course delicious in its original form, but I discovered that I always wanted more of all the delicious ingredients: more asparagus and peas...more spring onions...more pancetta....   

While I was looking at the recipe this morning, I realized that I had everything in the house that I needed to make it.  Obviously it had to be dinner.  And since it is quick to make, it was just the thing for the end of a long, busy week.  It also provided me with a perfect opportunity to share it in its original form (with peas)...and at the same time record the dish the way that I am making it now. 

  

Orecchiette with Asparagus, Peas & Pancetta

2 T. olive oil

3 to 4 oz. pancetta, minced

1 to 1 1/4 c. thinly sliced spring onions (all of the white plus some of the green)

1/4 c. finely chopped Italian parsley or 2 T. minced fresh Thyme, optional

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

6 oz. trimmed thin asparagus spears, cut into ¼-inch lengths on the diagonal (about 1 1/2 cup)

1 1/2 c. shelled fresh peas

salt & pepper

1/2 to 2/3 c. chicken stock

1 lb. Orecchiette pasta

2 to 3 T. unsalted butter

1/3 to 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan

Place the pancetta in a 12-inch sauté pan set over medium heat along with a tablespoon of olive oil.  Stir and scrape to make sure it cooks evenly.  When the pancetta has rendered its fat and is just beginning to crisp and sizzle actively, add the spring onions, parsley/thyme and garlic and continue to cook until the spring onions are softened and tender, about 3 minutes.  Add more olive oil if the pancetta is very lean and the pan seems dry.  Add the asparagus and the peas, season lightly with salt and pepper and toss to coat with the seasonings.  

Add the broth and bring to a simmer.  Cover and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.  Check occasionally to make sure the pan is not dry, adding more water or stock, if necessary—the vegetables shouldn't be soupy—but neither should the pan be devoid of liquid.  Continue to cook until the asparagus and peas are tender—about 6 to 10 minutes total.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.

While the sauce is cooking, bring 6 quarts of water to the boil in a large stock/pasta pot.  Add 2 to 3 Tablespoons of salt.  Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente.  Drain, reserving some of the pasta cooking liquid.

Add the pasta to the sauce, along with the butter.  Stir or toss until the pasta is coated with the sauce and the butter has emulsified into the sauce. 

If the pasta seems dry, add some of the pasta water.  Serve topped with grated cheese, if desired.  Serves 4 to 6.

Printable Recipe

(Recipe inspired by one in Janet Fletcher's Fresh from the Farmers' Market)

Asparagus Risotto with Prosciutto & Lemon

Earlier this year I taught a class on grains.  I included a recipe for barley "risotto".  Besides the fact that I happen to like this particular dish, I decided to teach it because I thought that traditional risotto (made with Arborio or Carnaroli rice) had become "old hat" to American cooks and I wanted to offer something a little bit different.  But while I was teaching the barley risotto, it became apparent from some of the questions that quite a few people didn't feel comfortable or confident about cooking regular risotto.  I decided after that class that I should teach a traditional risotto in my next new class.

As it happened, my next new class was all about ways to use early spring ingredients....asparagus, radishes, all kinds of peas, spring onions, etc.  To some, this might not seem like the ideal place to tuck in a risotto recipe.  Risotto is, after all, rich...filling....creamy....   basically all the things we want in our food during the fall and winter months.  Risotto is not typically associated with the words light or fresh...which are the kinds of things we tend to crave in the spring.  But I love spring risottos—other than butternut squash or wild mushroom risotto, risottos that feature the tender herbs and green vegetables of early spring are typically what come to my mind when I think of risotto.  The delicate flavor of the rice is a perfect backdrop for these ingredients...and the creamy texture is somehow just the thing at the end of a cool....perhaps rainy....spring day. 

Since I have already fleshed out the basics of how to make risotto in an earlier post, I won't belabor them here.  No matter what ingredients you add, the basics of a properly cooked risotto won't change.  The biggest variation will be in whether you choose to add pre-cooked vegetable additions near the end of the cooking time...or whether you will use raw vegetables, adding them at an appropriate moment during the cooking process so that they will cook with the rice.  The former method produces a risotto with distinct punctuation marks of the vegetable flavors and textures, the latter a risotto that presents itself as a unified and blended whole...rice and vegetable flavors melding together.  The asparagus risotto I'm posting today falls into this latter category, but you could morph it into the former by adding blanched asparagus at the end.  (If you choose to do this, use some of the blanching liquid in place of some of the stock in the risotto itself.)

You can alter this recipe to include all kinds of spring vegetables...alone or in combination.  Cooked artichokes could be added near the end.  Fresh peas...or fava beans...could be added five to ten minutes before the risotto is done.  The lemon and prosciutto will compliment any of these spring vegetables nicely.

In my class I found that the greatest difficulty concerning the preparation of risotto seemed to center around understanding exactly what the final texture and consistency should be.  To answer that question here (since you don't get to taste one that I have made for you) I will quote Paul Bertolli on how to finish a risotto. (As I mentioned in my first post on risotto, his description of the process and the result in the book Chez Panisse Cooking is the best I have ever come across.)

Finishing the rice involves gauging the proper consistency (it should be slightly chewy, never hard in the center), enriching the risotto with butter, correcting the seasoning, and allowing the liquid to reduce until rice and sauce are unified.  The goal is to bring about a marriage of rice and broth.  The rice should be coated and in proportion to the sauce so that it is nearly pourable; the sauce should be reduced to the point that it doesn't separate from the rice.  The challenge in cooking risotto lies in simultaneously bringing about these final refinements—a little more broth, a bit more butter, raising the heat to hasten the reduction, adding a dash of vinegar.  The adjustments can be numerous or few, depending on the state of the risotto near the end. 

There is one point at which risotto is done:  when all elements conspire in a union of flavor, texture, and consistency, a timeless moment in cooking, one that can be shared if you serve the dish immediately. (Chez Panisse Cooking, pp. 156-7)

One of the things I love about his description of making risotto is that it is a beautiful rendering of what it means to truly cook:  to engage your senses and interact with the food and the process in such a way that you are able to achieve your desired result.  Observe....   Touch....  Taste....  Adjust.  Making this asparagus risotto for your table some evening soon would be a great way to practice.

Asparagus Risotto with Prosciutto & Lemon

3 T. unsalted butter

1 medium onion (about 6 oz.), finely diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 1/2 c. Arborio or Carnaroli rice

1/2 c. white wine

About 6 c. hot chicken stock

9 oz. (trimmed weight—you will need to start with a 16 to 18 oz. bunch) asparagus, sliced on the diagonal 1/4-inch thick

2 t. minced thyme

1 1/2 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto (3 slices), cut crosswise in 1/4-inch strips

2 to 3 T. butter

2/3 to 3/4 c. grated Parmesan

Juice & zest of half a lemon (you should have about 2 T. juice and 1 1/2 to 2 t. zest)

3 T. minced flat-leaf parsley

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Shaved Parmesan to garnish

Heat the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and sweat until soft, but not brown—5 to 10 minutes.  Add the rice and continue to cook for a minute or two—or until the rice is hot and the grains look pearly white.  Add the wine and cook until the pan is nearly dry.  Begin to add the stock.  Add enough so that the stock is at the same level as the rice in the pan.  Adjust the heat so that the rice cooks at a slow simmer.  When the pan is nearly dry, add more stock and season lightly with salt & pepper.  Continue to stir and cook the rice, adding more stock as each addition is absorbed. 

When the rice is about half cooked (after about 10 minutes of cooking), stir in the asparagus, thyme and prosciutto.  Continue to cook, stir and add stock until the asparagus is tender and the rice is al dente—another 8 to 10 minutes (a total of 18 to 20 minutes from the time of the first addition of liquid).  Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, cheese, parsley, and lemon zest (stirring until the risotto is very creamy).  Add as much lemon juice as you would like (a small amount—1 or 2 t.—will subtly "lift" the flavor...up to 2 T. will put the acidic lemon front and center).  Balance the seasoning and serve immediately.  Serves 4 to 6.

Printable Version

A Freekeh Pilaf for Spring

During the spring, summer and fall most of the vegetables that appear on our table come from the farmers' market.  It isn't that I don't like the grocery store—some things (artichokes or fava beans, for example) are only available to me where I live (in the Midwestern U.S.) through the grocery store.  It's just that I love the immediacy of the market...not to mention the fact that I get to interact with the people who actually grew the food.  So, throughout the growing season, if I am in town on Saturday morning, I make the trek to Kansas City's City Market and bring home enough vegetables for a week.  It is always a relief and a pleasure when my produce bin begins to fill up with the local bounty of the season. 

It is early in the growing season, so I am not yet at full reliance on the market for the year...but I am well on my way.   Already we have been enjoying radishes, beets, asparagus, greens (especially kale, arugula and beet greens) and spring onions.  Recently I made a freekeh pilaf for our evening meal inspired by...and featuring...some beautiful young Red Russian Kale and the beginnings of the spring onion crop that I picked up at my farmers' market.  I augmented these market finds with fresh shelling peas from the grocery store...and mint from my garden. 

I don't know whether it is most accurate to call this pilaf a variation of the Bulgur pilaf with Spinach and Chickpeas (posted almost exactly five years ago)....or an embellished version of the simple freekah pilaf found in Ottolenghi's Plenty...  Perhaps it would be more accurate to say it is a blending of the two...  Certainly they were both part of the inspiration.  In any case, it was delicious. 

I served it with a dollop of labneh....but a scattering of crumbled goat cheese would be good too. 

If you wanted something more substantial, it would be delicious with a poached egg on top.  As my pilaf's origins suggest, all kinds of variations are possible.  The kale could be replaced with cooked spinach...or beet greens...or chard (this time of year the array of available greens is broad)...and the peas could be replaced with any of the delicious green vegetables at their peak right now.  Asparagus is the first thing that comes to mind, but if you live in an area where artichokes and fava beans flourish, they would be good too.

In general, I find that pilafs make a great backdrop for the vegetables of early spring.  They are light enough to feel appropriate on a warm spring day...and yet still have enough substance to sustain if the weather happens to take a cool turn.  If you haven't incorporated them into your rotation of regular favorites, I encourage you to do so.  But mostly, I encourage you to explore your farmers' market and begin to rely more and more on the bounty of your region to supply your table for as much of the year as you possibly can.   

  

Freekeh Pilaf with Russian Kale & English Peas

 

3/4 c. shelled peas
1 bunch Red Russian Kale, tough ribs removed and washed in several changes of water
4 or 5 medium spring onions, white and equal portion of green, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 3/4 to 1 cup combined)
1 1/2 T. unsalted butter
1 1/2 T. olive oil, divided....plus extra to finish
2/3 cup (100g) cracked freekeh, rinsed
a generous 1/8 t. ground cinnamon
a generous 1/8 t.. ground allspice
3/4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 c. golden raisins
1 small clove of garlic, minced
pinch of hot pepper flakes
3 to 4 T. mint chiffonade
3 T. pine nuts, toasted
3 to 4 T. Labneh
salt and black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peas and cook until tender—1 or 2 minutes. Scoop out using and refresh under cold running water. Set aside.

Drop the kale into the same pot of water and cook until just tender. Drain and spread on a baking sheet. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess liquid one handful at a time. Roughly chop and set aside.

Melt the butter and 1/2 T. of the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat. Add the onions and stir to coat in the fat. Sweat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent—about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and add the drained freekeh along with the spices and a generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook for a minute until the grains are coated in the oil and sizzling in the hot oil. Add the stock and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook, covered until the freekeh is tender—20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and scatter the golden raisins over the surface of the freekeh. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

While the freekeh rests, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a wide sauté pan set over medium heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle and is fragrant. Add the kale, season with salt and continue to cook and stir until the kale is hot through. 

Transfer the freekeh and raisins to a large bowl. Add the warm kale followed by the mint, peas and pine nuts. Toss until everything is well combined. 

Serve with a dollop of labneh and a drizzle of olive oil if you like. Serves 2 generously as an entrée. 

Note: Recipe is easily multiplied.

Variation May 2017:  Before peas hit the market this year, beautiful young carrots started showing up at one of my favorite market stalls...so I used them instead.  To make the pilaf with carrots, you will need about 6 or 7 oz. of  trimmed carrots.  Peel the carrots and cut them into 1/4-inch thick slices on a slight diagonal.  Then cut the slices lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips (they will be shaped like a quill).  Blanch the carrots exactly as directed for the peas.  You will need to extend the cooking time by a minute or so.  The carrots may be refreshed under cold running water, or simply spread on a towel to cool.  The rest of the pilaf may be made in exactly the same way, with the exact same ingredients.  That said, I made a few other substitutions, guided by the contents of my pantry.  I was out of golden raisins, so I substituted 3 T. of currants.  I had several heads of green garlic in my fridge, so I used some of that instead of regular garlic.  I used a whole small head...but you can use as little...or as much as you like.  Cook in the oil until just tender (and use as much oil as you need for the quantity of garlic you use).  After I made it, it occurred to me that while the pine nuts were delicious, pistachios would have been pretty nice too (maybe next time).  And finally, I had some beautiful farm fresh eggs in my fridge, so I topped my pilaf with a poached egg.  (And I served the leftovers for lunch with yogurt...it was delicious both ways...)

Printable Version