Read The Primal Blueprint Cookbook Online
Authors: Mark Sisson,Jennifer Meier
The Primal Blueprint Cookbook (27 page)
REAMED
K
ALE
More often seen as a garnish, kale is a leafy green that is a nutritional powerhouse worth learning to like. Kale is often a regular and plentiful item in CSA subscription boxes, so it’s helpful to have a number of ways to prepare it. Kale’s hearty texture has more oomph than sautéed spinach’s limp leaves, and none of the oxalic astringency. One way to easily win over kale-phobes is with a rich creamy sauce, seasoned with just a bit of sea salt and pepper, and perhaps a touch of nutmeg. This classic recipe is especially good with steaks, roasts, and poultry.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch kale, center stems removed, coarsely chopped, rinsed and drained
3–4 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
1 cup heavy cream
Freshly grated nutmeg
(optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Melt butter in a large skillet or a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add kale and cover to slightly steam it, about 4 to 5 minutes. Check kale and stir or turn it to cook evenly, making sure kale and butter don’t burn at the bottom of the pan (lower heat or add 1 tablespoon water if necessary to avoid burning).
When kale is uniformly limp and about halfway cooked, pour cream all over kale and turn up heat to medium for 1–2 minutes. When cream is bubbling, reduce heat so that it just slightly simmers uncovered. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring once or twice to avoid sticking. Kale is done when it is tender and cream is thickened and reduced by about half. Season to taste with sea salt, black pepper, and nutmeg (if using). Serve warm.
Nutmeg
Whole nutmeg has more flavor and aromatics than pre-ground nutmeg and is sold in most spice aisles. To grate nutmeg for a recipe, use a citrus zester, also known as a microplane zester.
Variation: Creamed Kale and Onions
Before adding kale to pan, sauté 1 onion, minced or thinly sliced, in melted butter over low heat until soft and translucent. Add kale and continue with recipe.
UCUMBER
M
OONS
WITH
S
EAWEED
S
ALAD
Crisp, refreshing and mild-flavored cucumbers are the perfect vegetable to pair with the stronger ocean-like flavor of seaweed. This salad is wonderful served with fish. Try it with salmon or seared tuna.
INSTRUCTIONS:
If cucumber peels are thick and/or waxed, peel with a vegetable peeler (thin-skinned unwaxed cucumbers may be peeled or not, depending on preference—alternating stripes of green and white are attractive, too). Cut cucumbers lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Then cut cucumbers crosswise into “moons”.
If using fresh seaweed, rinse well to remove excess salt used in packing (or sand if freshly collected). If using dried seaweed, soak in filtered water to re-plump and drain thoroughly. Cut with kitchen scissors into smaller pieces if too large.
INGREDIENTS:
1–2 large cucumbers
¼ cup mixed fresh or “re-plumped” dried seaweed
1 tablespoon apple cider or rice wine vinegar*
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon wheat-free tamari
1–2 teaspoons honey
(optional)*
1–3 dashes of hot pepper sauce, to taste (or a bit of fresh hot pepper or hot red pepper flakes)
*Half of the vinegar and all of the honey may be replaced with 2 tablespoons of mirin, a slightly sweet Japanese cooking wine (look for a traditionally-made mirin, without high fructose corn syrup).
Whisk together remaining ingredients. Place cucumber “moon” slices in the shallow dish with drained seaweed and dressing; toss to coat thoroughly.
The Fifth Food Group: Algae
Pound for pound, sea vegetables are the most nutrient dense food in existence. Long used in Asian cooking, sea vegetables are gaining in popularity in the West and are now commonly found in most grocery stores. There are thousands of varieties of sea vegetables growing below water but the common types you’ll see in stores are:
Nori: Toasted to a thin crispy texture and black color, nori is well-known as the wrapping of sushi.
Hijiki: Small thin, black strands that rehydrate when soaked in warm water.
Kombu (also known as kelp): Dark in color and generally sold in strips or sheets with a chewy texture that softens when soaked in liquid. It can also be ground and used as a condiment. It is commonly used to flavor soup stock.
Wakame: Chewy and slippery texture and greenish color, commonly used for seaweed salad. Sold dried or fresh.
Arame: Thin and wiry, usually sold dried. Has a mild flavor that is less fishy than other sea vegetables.
Dulse: Reddish in color with a chewy texture and flat, fan-shaped frawns that are often sold ground up, to be sprinkled over food.
Laver: Black strips with a paper-like texture and fairly strong fishy, salty flavor.