Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Sauteed Mustard Green "Sandwiches"

One of the many many things I love about being a part of a CSA is the continual challenge to use vegetables that I might not go out and pick up on my own. Cooking greens are one of the many products that have a much greater variety and usability than I ever thought

The basic recipe is here and it is originally from the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics 

I found the directions a bit unclear and, me being me I had to pork it up a bit
The sandwich Pre-Broiler


You will need
4 cups of mustard greens, rinsed and dried
2 cloves garlic, finely minced ( I used 2 whole garlic scapes)
2 Slices chopped bacon ( I used English bacon when  I made these which is more like ham or back bacon, pancetta would be great)
2 cups grated Gouda ( the recipe calls for smoked Gouda, which doesn't melt very well so I used a really nice goats milk Gouda I picked up at the market, any strongly flavored cheese would work)
4 Slices pumpernickel bread
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Turn on your broiler. Heat a couple Tbsp of olive oil in a large pan and cook your pork product of choice until it is crispy. Add your Garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes until it is soft and lightly browned. Meanwhile chop your mustard greens and grate your cheese. Once your bacon is rendered down and crispy add your mustard greens and saute for 4-5 minutes. While the greens are cooking, lightly toast your bread. Lay the bread down on a cookie sheet, top with the cooked greens and cover with the shredded cheese. Put the sandwiches under the broiler and cook for 2-3 minutes until the cheese gets brown and bubbly.

The sharp peppery flavor of the mustard greens is really softened by cooking, and the salty smokiness of the bacon really works well with the nice crispy cheese. You could very easily use the small hors d'oeuvres pumpernickel squares and turn this into a really delicious appetizer

This would be great with a nice dry Riesling.