Greens 2

Looks just like the broccoli rabe dish from a couple weeks ago, doesn’t it?

You’d be wrong.

Mustard greens braised in Belgian beer, with heirloom beans and bacon

If you want to make this vegetarian, all you need to do is replace the bacon with olive oil.

One bunch mustard greens
kosher salt
freshly milled black pepper
1 small onion, diced
bacon ends, chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
pinch of red pepper flakes
a handful of marjoram, chopped
1/2 cup Belgian light beer, such as Witte or Hoegaarden
1 cup cooked beans
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Simmer mustard greens in salted water until tender, 5 minutes. Drain and chop coarsely. In a large skillet, fry bacon until the ends are crisp. Add onion and garlic to the pan; cook until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and the marjoram. Deglaze with beer. Reduce sauce until it reaches the consistency of a light syrup, about 3-4 minutes. Add the beans and mustard greens; turn heat down to medium-low and cover. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until greens are cooked through. Check seasoning. Serve immediately, passing grated cheese at the table.

Seafood 4

Brodetto di pesce, topped with homemade anchovy-garlic croutons

This dish is known by a variety of names, for example “Italian-style fish stew” or “cioppino”. The ingredients are some variation of onions, garlic, tomatoes, wine, fish and shellfish. For this version, I used 2 cups Ommegang Witte in place of the white wine, cod from Blue Moon Fish at Union Square Greenmarket, squid and shrimp from Citarella and dried porcini mushrooms [soaked first in the beer and then added halfway through the cooking process, along with the mushroom-infused beer].

Perfect for a chilly spring evening like tonight.

Seafood 3

Thanks to Eddie. I went with a variation on his earlier suggestion.

Mussels steamed in Belgian beer and aromatics, served with sourdough bread and lemon

In this case, the aromatics consisted of 1 shallot, finely chopped; a handful of chopped parsley and a small handful of chopped celery leaves. People usually think of celery leaves as fit for the compost bin. That’s such a waste. They’re great used in a soffritto or in a mirepoix, or when you want a gentle herbaceous flavor in a sauce. Celery leaves have a light, clean, fresh taste that makes them a perfect garnish in pureed soups, in green salads, or with fish. Best of all, if you hate cilantro, they’re a pretty good substitute.

Place cleaned/debearded mussels in a pot. Add aromatics and 1 cup beer. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat a notch or two. Let mussels steam in their own juices until cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes. When done, discard any that do not open. Serve with a crusty loaf of bread and a slice of lemon.

Beer

Can you identify the beers pictured below? No cheating or googling allowed. Sorry for the blurry pictures…on the other hand, maybe it’s a good thing they’re not clear.