One problem while you’re blessed with entry to loads of contemporary native greens is what to do with all of them. How do you put together them in a means that brings out their flavors and makes everybody need to eat them? Vegetable farmer John Yanga has spent a variety of time pondering this very query. He likes to not solely develop greens, but additionally to give you artistic methods to organize them. He’s really a vegetable whisperer, expertly reworking each conceivable vegetable from his farm into beautiful dishes. As one in every of his fellow church-goers says on the finish of this episode, he turns even the usually shunned kale into one thing appetizing!
John was born in South Sudan and studied theology in Egypt earlier than fleeing the conflict in his homeland together with his mom and his spouse. He moved to the US as a refugee in 2000 and shortly started working and coaching with Cultivating Community, a corporation based mostly in Portland, Maine whose work is rooted within the perception that everybody has the correct to good meals. The group empowers New People by instructing them sustainable farming practices and connecting them to the group via its meals hub. John is a graduate of Cultivating Group’s farmer coaching program, the New American Sustainable Agriculture Project, and now has his personal farm plot the place he grows a stunning assortment of blended greens, together with many African varieties that may be exhausting to search out in Maine. John and his spouse promote their natural greens at one in every of Portland’s busy farmers markets. Through the years, John has additionally spearheaded many advertising improvements, corresponding to a Group Supported Agriculture (CSA) meals share for the Sudanese group.
On this episode, John shares one in every of his favourite methods to organize greens, as a blended veggie platter with roasted hen thighs. He first cooks up a aromatic hen broth and makes use of the inventory to cook dinner the various greens he harvested, which he sautés individually. As an example he does African eggplants in a single pan, Italian eggplant in one other (as a result of they require totally different cooking instances), summer time squash and carrots collectively, after which all of the greens collectively. Within the video, he additionally made some roasted winter squashes and inexperienced peppers filled with sautéed veggies (although this isn’t formally a part of the recipe supplied beneath). He then assembles all this onto trays which can be saved heat within the oven. The hen used to make the broth can also be roasted on prime of potatoes wedges.
John makes use of contemporary herbs and spices generously, which, mixed with the hen broth creates a nourishing feast that’s bursting with taste and which he likes to share together with his church group.
As John says within the video, he loves displaying individuals how greens could be the centerpiece of a meal. And whereas not everybody will get enthusiastic about greens, it’s actually because they haven’t had them ready in an appetizing means. Generally it’s additionally as a result of they’ve misplaced their splendor as a result of being shipped from midway around the globe after which sitting on a grocery shelf too lengthy. Spinach as an illustration can lose as much as 90% of its vitamins inside simply 24 hours of being harvested! Sourcing greens regionally, whether or not at a farmers market, farm stand, pick-your-own, or even perhaps from your personal backyard makes an enormous distinction not solely when it comes to freshness and style, but additionally nutrient content material. Even in chilly winter climates, farmers markets normally have loads of locally-grown storage greens like cabbage, winter radishes, celeriac, beets, carrots, winter squashes. Some have year-round greens even in chilly climates. As John says within the video, locally-grown, natural greens simply style totally different from those you’d purchase on the grocery retailer. So it’s price in search of them out in your local people, not only for the flavour and nutrient content material however to assist farmers like John who work so exhausting to develop scrumptious nutritious meals for his or her communities.
John’s recipe leaves room for changes based mostly on no matter greens are in season in your space. As an example, in the event you don’t have African eggplant or cabbage, be at liberty to substitute with what you may have readily available. Serves 8 to 12 individuals.
Be taught extra about John on the Kitchen Vignettes blog.
- Hen Inventory Components:
- 8 cups water
- 6 hen thighs
- 1 onion, lower into massive chunks
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled & complete
- 2 hen bouillon cubes
- 2 small inexperienced peppers (if obtainable)
- 1 handful chives and different contemporary herbs (if obtainable)
- Different veggies odds & ends to present taste (John used the ends of summer time squash and carrots.)
- Sautéed Cabbage & Kale
- 1 small head of inexperienced cabbage, roughly chopped
- 1 handful chives, minced
- 1 massive bunch of greens, chopped (could be a mixture of kale, Swiss chard, spinach)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Sautéed African Eggplant
- 2 African eggplants, trimmed and diced (John used a spread from Mali however you may substitute with what is on the market to you)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper to style
- Spices to your style (John likes to make use of Tajin spice combine, which incorporates lime, chili & salt)
- Sautéed Italian Eggplant
- 2 Italian eggplants
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper to style
- Spice combine
- Sautéed Summer season Squash and Carrots
- 3 small summer time squashes / zucchini, sliced
- 1 small bunch of carrots, sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper to style
- Contemporary chopped herbs to style
- Roasted Hen Components:
- Hen thighs which have been simmering within the inventory pot
- 2 sliced onions
- 2 small sliced inexperienced peppers (if obtainable)
- 4 massive potatoes, lower into massive wedges
- Contemporary chopped herbs: basil, rosemary, chives, or mint (if obtainable)
- Salt, pepper, and spice combine to style
- Olive oil
Components
- Make the hen inventory:
In a big pot, on medium-high warmth, deliver all of the components to a boil after which decrease warmth to simmer every thing collectively for about Half-hour. Take away the hen for roasting and if you want, pressure the broth. - Put together blended veggie platter:
Sautéed Cabbage & Kale
Warmth the oil in a skillet or pot on medium-low warmth. Add cabbage and chives and cook dinner for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped greens and cook dinner for one more jiffy. If you want, add a couple of ladles of the hen broth to present taste and cook dinner for one more jiffy. Don’t cook dinner any lengthy than wanted so the greens protect a few of their vibrant coloration.Sautéed African Eggplant
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic, eggplant, salt, pepper, and spices. Prepare dinner from 5-10 minutes on medium-low warmth. Add a ladle of hen inventory midway via. (African eggplant doesn’t need to be cooked so long as Italian-style eggplants so take away from the warmth when it nonetheless has some crunch).Sautéed Italian Eggplant
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic, eggplant, and salt, pepper, and spices. Prepare dinner from 10 to fifteen minutes on medium-low warmth. Add a ladle of hen inventory midway via. The eggplant must be very gentle and browned when carried out.Sautéed Summer season Squash and Carrots
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and cook dinner on medium warmth for 4 to five minutes till translucent. Add the slice carrots and garlic and cook dinner till carrots are gentle, about 7 minutes. Add a ladle filled with hen inventory midway via. Add the sliced squash and cook dinner for one more 4 to five minutes till the squash is tender. Add the chopped contemporary herbs, salt and pepper to style. Take away from warmth. - Roast the hen legs:
Preheat oven to 350 levels. Oil 2 massive baking sheet pans. Lay down onion slices, inexperienced peppers, potato wedges, and herbs. Place the hen thighs on prime of the greens. Sprinkle calmly with salt, pepper and spice combine. Roast for round 20-Half-hour till hen is golden on prime and meat falls off the bone. - Organize the platters:
On one or two massive platters, organize your cooked greens into 4 strips, the cabbage/kale combine, the African eggplant, the Italian eggplant, and the sautéed carrots and summer time squash. Take away the hen from the oven and permit it to chill a couple of minutes. Serve every thing collectively and revel in! (You may as well put together some rice utilizing the rest of the hen broth in the event you’d like so as to add a grain to the meal).
Instructions
Aube Giroux is a meals author, a James Beard award-winning documentary filmmaker and a passionate natural gardener and residential cook dinner, who shares her love of cooking on her farm-to-table weblog, Kitchen Vignettes.
