Kale

native to: Asia Minor and the Mediterranean
in season here: all year, except maybe late summer

Let's look at one more brassica as we move into the bounty season. Kale is one of the "superest" of the super foods, with more vitamin C than an orange and more calcium than milk. It can help cure or prevent just about everything, from hair loss (vitamin A helps keep hair moisturized and iron deficiency can cause hair loss) to death (getting plenty of potassium is associated with a 20% lower risk of death from all causes). In fact, there are so many things kale is good for, I won't go into all the details here. Check out any of the "Read more" links below for the full story. What it all boils down to is, as the old phrase goes, kale is "good for what ails you."

Kale does best in cool weather and is generally considered a winter crop; like with most brassicas, a light frost makes it sweeter. However, northwest summers are usually cool enough that some variety of kale is probably going to be available at the farmers' market whenever you want it. This is good because kale tends to hang onto its pesticides when grown conventionally, so this is the time to insist on organic produce.

Read more:
label-style nutrition information for raw kale
label-style nutrition information for cooked kale
medical and nutritional article from Medical News Today
short overview with recipe ideas from Web MD
Nutrition And You

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Squash blossoms stuffed with cheese and herbs

12 large squash blossoms, pistils removed but stems left on (for small blossoms, use more)
1 egg, lightly beaten
all-purpose flour
olive oil to fill pan to the depth of 1/2 inch

stuffing:
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced or crushed
1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
3/4 cup (about 3 oz.) fresh goat cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, or Monterey Jack, shredded if appropriate
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
pepper to taste

Mix stuffing ingredients. Carefully open the petals of each flower and tuck about 1 Tbsp. of stuffing mixture into the base. Twist the tops of the petals together and dip each bundle in egg, then roll in flour. Shake off any excess and fry bundles in oil over medium heat 3-4 at a time until golden, 2-4 minutes. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve immediately.

Adapted from Rombauer, Irma S.; Rombauer Becker, Marion,; Becker, Ethan, Joy of cooking.[Revised ed.] Scribner, 1997. ISBN: 0684818701

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Golden leeks and onions (Blaunche porre)

1 tsp. saffron threads
2 Tbsp. boiling water
6 med. leeks, white part only, sliced into thin rings
3 med. onions, peeled and chopped
1 pint chicken broth
1/3 tsp. light brown sugar
sprinkle of "pouder douce" or a pinch each of white pepper, cinnamon, and cloves

Soak the saffron in the boiling water until the water is a deep golden color. Place all ingredients in a large pan and cook, uncovered, 6-8 minutes. Drain to serve as a vegetable dish or add more broth to serve as a thick soup. For a brighter golden color, add a drop of yellow food coloring.

The original medieval recipe called for the addition of small birds such as blackbirds or finches, so it would not be inappropriate to add some chicken pieces to the dish -- just make sure they're small enough to cook through in the 6-8 minutes the vegetables will take.

Adapted from: Black, Maggie, The Medieval Cookbook. British Museum Press, 1992. ISBN: 0714105562

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Honey candy

Here are a couple of honey treats from the ancient world, as recreated by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger in The Classical Cookbook (J. Paul Getty Museum, 1996. ISBN: 0892363940).

Delian sweets (Greek)

3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour (preferably unbleached)
olive oil for deep frying
2 Tbsp. warm honey
poppy seeds or ground black pepper for sprinkling

Vigorously beat flour in water and let cook for a few minutes. Turn out onto a large plate or, if available, a marble slab. Let cool completely; it should be firm but a little sticky. While the oil heats, cut flour mixture into cubes. Test the oil with a little of the mixture; when it rises and colors, the oil is ready. Cook cubes 2-3 at a time in the oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper, then drizzle with honey and sprinkle with poppy seeds or pepper.

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Alexandrian sweets (Roman)

1 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup (total) chopped almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts
3/4 cup honey

Roast sesame seeds and nuts at 350F until they begin to color. Bring honey to a boil, skim, and simmer 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sesame seeds and nuts. Spread in a greased baking tray or shallow dish to cool. When cool enough to handle, form into small balls; wrap in pieces of paper to store.

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Cabbage

native to: Mediterranean region
in season here: summer-winter

Cabbage is another brassica, or cruciferous vegetable, related to the broccoli I talked about last week and the kale I'll get to pretty soon. In fact, "brassica" actually means "cabbage" in latin. It comes in three main types: green, red, and savoy. Some "red" cabbages are actually purple, while most of the ruffled savoy varieties are green or even yellowish. It was developed from wild cabbage, which doesn't form heads and looks more like collards or kale. Historians mostly think it was brought to Europe by wandering Celts around 600 BCE, and it was highly regarded in ancient Greece and Rome as being generally good for whatever ails you. Later, fermented cabbage such as sauerkraut was carried by Dutch sailors as an antiscorbutic (a source of vitamin C, eaten to prevent or relieve scurvy).

Cabbage is another good cancer fighter and also helps lower cholesterol (for that particular feature, steaming is your best bet). Savoy cabbage is particularly good for cancer prevention, while red cabbage is the best choice for all-around nutrition. Cabbage juice is a long-standing remedy for stomach ulcers, and more recent research is finding that cabbage itself is just generally good for the whole digestive system.

It's most nutritious raw or only lightly cooked, with a quick sauté being the current favorite.* Once cabbage is cut, it begins to lose its vitamin C content, so precut cabbage isn't the best choice. However, it contains enzymes that convert its glucosinolates to isothiocyanates (which fight cancer), so it's not a bad idea to let chopped cabbage sit 5-10 minutes before cooking.

I have to admit, most of the debate over raw vs. cooked, steamed vs. microwaved, or whatever tomorrow's hot research topic is -- eaten with the right hand or the left, for all I know -- is kind of lost on me. I like to keep it simple: the way to get the most nutrition out of your vegetables is to eat them, so the cooking (or not cooking) method that gets the things inside you is the one I'd go for. Cabbage is a quarter calorie per gram, so it's not like you have to limit yourself.

Read more:
label-style nutrition information for raw cabbage
label-style nutrition information for cooked cabbage
whfoods.com

*I suspect the kind of sautéing they recommend is not the method I use, which includes a lot of butter or bacon grease and results in a fair amount of caramelization. Actually, the healthy-cooking arbiters would probably call what I do to it "frying."

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Penne with beet greens and garlic

6 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
16-20 oz. beet greens in 1-inch pieces
1 lb. dried penne or rigatoni, cooked
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil, add garlic and stir about 2 minutes. Stir in greens and cook 5-10 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in remaining olive oil. Pour over pasta and top with Parmesan cheese. Toss quickly and serve with extra cheese.

Adapted from Peterson, James, Vegetables. William Morrow, 1998. ISBN: 0688146589

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Pickled garlic scapes

1 lb. whole garlic scapes
3 cups vinegar
5 cups water
1/4 cup kosher salt
fresh basil leaves
dried red pepper flakes to taste

Boil water, vinegar, and salt to make a brine. Pack hot, sterilized canning jars with whole scapes, 1 fresh basil leaf, a pinch of pepper flakes; fill jars with brine. Close lids, cover with water, and boil for 45 minutes. Keep at least 2 weeks before serving to get best flavor.

From: 2 Sisters Garlic

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Broccoli Salad

2 heads broccoli
4-10 slices bacon (enough to go with broccoli amount)
4-8 green onions (enough to go with broccoli amount)
1/4 - 1/2 cup almonds, sliced (enough to go with broccoli amount)

dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar

Slice the bacon into 1/4-inch pieces and fry until almost crisp, set aside and let cool. Brown the almonds in a 350F oven until light brown, set aside and let cool. Cut the broccoli into bite size florets and put into a bowl. Slice the onions thinly (including the green parts) and but into the bowl with the broccoli.

In another bowl, mix the dressing until smooth and creamy.

Mix the bacon and almonds in with the broccoli and onions, and mix until all ingredients are well distributed. Pour in dressing and mix well until everything is well coated. Use judgment here; use enough to liberally coat the salad ingredients but you don’t want things swimming. Cover in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

From: Carolyne McNary, adapted by Kelly Iverson

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Broccoli

native to: Italy
in season here: summer-winter

Broccoli is a member of the brassica or cruciferous family, related to cauliflower, cabbage, and arugula; some sources suggest eating 3-5 cups of brassicas per week. It's a "very low calorie vegetable" and rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, phyto-nutrients, and flavonoids. Broccoli is particularly known for phytonutrients and flavonoids that offer protection against a range of cancers. The anti-oxidants include vitamins A and C; vitamin A supports eyesight and vitamin C supports the immune system.

Broccoli is very good for the body's detoxification system. It contains three glucosinolate phytonutrients in a special combination that supports all the steps of the detoxification process and isothiocyanates that help control this process at a genetic level (as well as being good for digestion in general). It also offers anti-inflammatory benefits and and can lessen the impact of allergies.

Broccoli was developed from wild cabbage in ancient Roman times. Although it's customary to eat only the flower heads or florets of broccoli, the leaves and (peeled) stalks are also edible. In fact, if you dislike broccoli, I encourage you to peel and slice the stalks, and try them boiled or steamed until tender; some people are put off by the texture of the florets. Raw broccoli is the best for you, but to retain the most nutrients when cooking Broccoli, keep the temperature low; steam it at 212F for no more than 5 minutes. If you're cooking the stems as well, start them earlier that the florets, and for even more nutrients, include the leaves. Broccoli sprouts and microgreens are also gaining popularity.

One note of caution, however: broccoli, like other brassicas, contains "goitrogens" that can be a problem for people with thyroid problems. Those with healthy thyroids, however, can eat as much of it as they want.

Read more:
label-style nutrition information for raw broccoli
label-style nutrition information for cooked broccoli
whfoods.com

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Steamed bok choy with black vinegar and sesame oil

1 large bunch bok choy
3 Tbsp Chinese black vinegar (may substitute balsamic vinegar)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. Chinese chili paste
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sesame seeds

Cut about an inch off the bottom of the bok choy stalks and discard. Separate the ribs, remove the leaves and shred into strips about 1/4 inch wide, then slice the stems into 1/4 inch slices. Keep stems and leaves separate. Combine remaining ingredients. Steam the stems for 4 minutes; add the leaves and steam 4 minutes more, then toss with vinegar mixture and add salt if needed.

Adapted from Peterson, James, Vegetables. William Morrow, 1998. ISBN: 0688146589

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Medieval strawberry dessert

1 pint strawberries, hulled
1/4-1/2 cup red wine
2 Tbsp. rice flour
1/3 cup sugar
pinch each black pepper, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt
1 1/4 cups almond milk (unflavored)
1 Tbsp. butter or lard
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. dried currants

Pour wine over strawberries and mix gently, then pour off and discard the wine. Blend or process strawberries, rice flour, sugar, spices, and almond milk. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, and boil about 2 minutes to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in butter, then vinegar and currants. Pour into serving dish(es) and chill.

From: Hieatt, Hosington, and Butler, Pleyn Delit : medieval cookery for modern cooks. University of Toronto Press, 1996. ISBN: 0802076327

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Onions

native to: Asia
in season here: summer-fall, but they store well and can be found in farmers' markets nearly all year

There are two general categories of onion, the mature onion and the scallion, green onion, or salad onion. The shallot, while related to onions, is a different vegetable. Scallions are baby onions, so their season is earlier and shorter than mature bulbs. When the crop first comes on, you'll find fresh onions, which are also sometimes described as salad onions (just to be confusing) and need to be eaten fairly soon. Onions for storage must be "cured" by drying. This can be accomplished by pulling the plants and then leaving them out in the field for a few days (assuming the weather is dry). Then they can be gathered up and hung in bunches or otherwise stored in dry conditions until ready for use. Onions cured this way keep best in a cool dry place such as a root cellar; if you have to keep them in a refrigerator, make sure they've got a nice dry spot.

Some believe that once an onion is cut, it will attract germs, making it useful to leave on the counter to purify the air but unhealthy to eat after a day. Since I almost never use a whole onion, I avoid the whole issue by cutting up the whole onion and freezing what I don't use. Onions frozen like this are fine to use for cooking, although the texture will suffer a little. Eating raw onions is also a folk remedy for colds.

As early as the sixth century B.C., an Indian medical treatise, the Charaka Sanhita, recommended the onion as a diuretic, and said it was good for digestion, the heart, the eyes, and the joints. Ancient Greek athletes ate onions and drank onion juice to fortify themselves for the Olympic Games. According to Pliny the Elder, the ancient Romans used onions to cure poor vision, induce sleep, and heal mouth sores, dog bites, toothaches, dysentery and lumbago.

So, what do you get from eating onions, besides onion breath? They're excellent sources of vitamin C, sulphuric compounds, flavonoids, and phytonutrients, so they help prevent Parkinson's disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and stroke. They also help reduce inflammation. One of onions' flavonoids is quercetin, which some animal studies suggest helps prevent plaque buildup in the arteries as well as its general value as an antioxidant. It also reduces allergic reactions by stopping your body from producing histamines. One study even found that it relaxes the airway muscles and might be able to relieve asthma symptoms. Red onions are especially high in quercetin.

Their anti-inflammatory qualities come from sulphur compounds, which are also what makes you cry when cutting them. For the best dose of sulphur, eat your onions raw. There is a high concentration of flavonoids in the outer layers of an onion, so you'll get the most flavor and anti-cancer action if you don't peel off any more layers than necessary.

Read more:
label-style nutrition data for cooked onions
label-style nutrition data for raw onions
lots of interesting onion facts

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Two French onion soups

French Onion Soup

This recipe was contributed by Kelly Iverson, who says it is fussy but so awesome it's worth the effort. She's an excellent cook, so when she recommends a recipe you can be sure it's worth trying. She likes this recipe because it tastes good, of course, but also because it freezes well and is a good way to use up those end-of-winter onions that have lost their looks.

3 Tbsp butter
6 large onions
Salt & pepper to taste
2 cups water (plus more)
1/2 cup Amontillado (or other dry sherry)
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
bouquet garni of 6 sprigs fresh thyme and 1 bay leaf

for serving:
slices of your favorite artisan bread, toasted
slices of Gruyere cheese (or Swiss, fontina, or provalone)

Halve onions and cut into quarter-inch slices. Generously grease inside of heavy-bottomed, large pot or Dutch oven (at least 7 qt). Divide butter into 3 pats and place in pot; add onions and 1 tsp salt. Cover and cook at 400F for 1 hour (onions will be moist & slightly reduced in volume). Remove from oven and stir, scraping bottom and sides of pot. Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar and cook another 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours, until onions are very soft and golden brown, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.

Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides, until liquid evaporates and onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium if onions brown too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until pot bottom is coated with dark crust, 6-8 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary. Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping pot bottom to loosen crust and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6-8 minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 to 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown. Stir in sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the chicken and beef broths, 2 cups water, thyme, and a little salt. Scrape up any more bits of browned crust from the bottom and sides of pot. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste.

At this point you can freeze the soup. When ready to serve, reheat if necessary, ladle into bowls, top with toast and cheese, and place under broiler until cheese melts.

The soup can also be used for dipping French dips and for the liquid in pot roasts, particularly beef roasts.

From: Cooks Illustrated

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For contrast, here's what a reluctant cook like me would do:

Simple onion soup

2 Tbsp butter
2 lbs onions, thinly sliced
3 cans beef broth, 14.5 oz. each
1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)

garnish:
1 1/3 cups seasoned croutons
4 thin slices Swiss cheese
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes or until deep brown. Add broth and wine; boil until soup is slightly reduced and flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

To garnish:
Put as many as 4 deep ovenproof bowls on baking sheet and add 1/3 c croutons to each. Ladle soup over croutons and top with cheeses. Stick under the broiler until cheeses melt.

Adapted from Bon Appétit (via the Epicurious website)

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Medieval mixed pickles

In recreationist circles, this dish is often called by its amusing medieval name, Compost.

2 lb. total parsley roots, carrots, radishes, and turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 lb. white cabbage, cored and shredded
1 lb. hard pears, peeled, cored, and cut up
6 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. saffron
2 cups white wine vinegar (divided)
2 oz. currants
2 1/2 cups fruity white wine
6 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. French mustard
1/8 tsp. each ground cinnamon and ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. each anise and fennel seeds
2 oz. sugar

Bring root vegetables and cabbage to a boil, add pears, and cook until they start to soften. Drain and spread vegetables in a 2-inch layer in a shallow non-metallic dish. Sprinkle with salt, ginger, saffron, and 4 Tbsp. of the vinegar, cover, and let sit 12 hours.

Rinse well and add the currants, then pack into sterilized canning jars, leaving at least 1 inch headspace. Bring wine and honey to a simmer, skim, and add the rest of the vinegar, mustard, cinnamon, pepper, anise, fennel seeds, and sugar. Bring to a boil and pour over vegetables, covering them with 1/2 inch of liquid. Close with vinegar-proof seals and store.

From: Black, Maggie, The Medieval Cookbook. British Museum Press, 1992. ISBN: 0714105562

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Salad burritos

If you want to eat healthier but the salad-and-toast thing just doesn't feel like a real meal, try this instead. It's pretty much exactly the same thing, possibly even a little lower in the carb department, but you get to call it a burrito, which sounds like junk food, and it chews like a sandwich, which is lunch. Added bonus: no cooking, so it's great for hot weather when you don't want to heat up the kitchen.

2 tortillas, 8-12-inch in diameter
1 chef's salad (your favorite combo, or see below for my simple version)
salad dressing to taste

The tortillas will wrap better if warmed about 10 seconds in the microwave or left in a hot car in the sun for about 5 minutes (yes, you can experiment with solar cooking in the Pacific Northwest). Divide the salad between the tortillas and drizzle with salad dressing. Roll up burrito style and eat.

It's easiest to leave each tortilla just sort of flopped over until you're ready to eat it, because it won't stay closed easily. This also allows you to fill the tortilla a little fuller because you only have to fold in one end.

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Minimalist chef's salad

about 10 leaves red leaf lettuce, washed and torn
1 large slice cheese, cut in strips or cubes -- Cheddar, Swiss, or farmer's are good, or that last bit of grated taco or pizza blend if it's not moldy yet
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded chicken, or two sandwich-sized slices ham cut in strips
sunflower seeds or sliced almonds to taste
those last few leftover sliced olives or cold peas, if any
whatever else is lurking in the fridge and won't clash too badly with the other ingredients

Place in bowl. Eat. Serves 1. There's lettuce left, go make your own.

Variation: Use plenty of lettuce. Put on a good movie, place bowl on stomach, and eat with your fingers like popcorn.

From: Dana Huffman

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Garlic scapes

native to: central Asia
in season here: summer, but only for a few weeks

Garlic scapes, also known as kuki-ninniku or garlic stalks, shoots, tops, stems, or curls, are the flower stalks of the garlic plant, cut before they bloom to encourage the plant to produce larger bulbs. They have a texture similar to asparagus and a mild garlic flavor, look really cool, and signal that the summer has begun. Since they're from the garlic plant, they offer many of the same health benefits as regular garlic, including helping improve blood oxygen levels, protecting against osteoarthritis and cancer, helping safeguard the liver and kidneys from oxidative stress, and stimulating the immune system. They also provide nutrients that protect the skin and lungs. Scapes are a good source of vitamins A and B6, calcium, manganese, and selenium.

If left to grow, the scape will produce a flower and then bulbils, tiny bulbs that take the place of seeds in garlic's reproductive process. Farmers remove this flower stalk to keep the plant from putting energy into growing these bulbils instead of "concentrating" on the main bulb. The bulbils are not usually eaten, although there has been some speculation among farmers....

Scapes can be sliced thinly and added raw to salads or anything you might do with chives or scallions. You can also cook them; try them in your favorite asparagus dish or stir-fry concoction.

Read more:
five reasons to eat scapes
an oddly-written article with lots of recipe ideas

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