Hoppin' John w/Collards

A multi-recipe mashup that is a real keeper.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large ham hock (or just shredded ham)
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 bunch collards, tough stems removed, and sliced into 1 inch strips.
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
1 quart chicken stock
Bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
3 cups steamed white rice

Directions
Heat oil in a large soup pot, add the ham hock and sear on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery,  and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add the collards, black-eyed peas, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender, stir occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasonings, and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice.

Shrimp Roasted with Potatoes and Prosciutto

Another DRI classic.  Easy, tasty, foolproof, tasty.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds yellow or red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice
4 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 pound large shrimp (21-25 count, easy peel, or peel and devein)
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest.
Ground Pepper.
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Position rack in lower third of overn, and put heavy-duty rimmed baking pan on the rack (thanks Grandma) and heat oven to 500.
In medium bowl, toss potatoes with 3Tbs Olive Oil, salt and cayenne, carefully spread on hot baking pan.  Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning half way until tender and golden.
Meanwhile, pat dry shrimp and toss in bowl w/1 Tbs. olive oil, lemon zest, pinch of salt, grindings of pepper.
Stir in prosciutto and garlic into mostly completely roasted potatoes and roast 5 minutes more.
Push potatoes to one half of the baking pan, and spread out shrimp on the other half in single layer.  Roast another 5 min until shrimp are cooked through.  Sprinkle with parsley, mix together and serve over/alongside of mixed greens (our new thing).

Massaged Kale Salad

Yes, even Kale benefits from a good massage, in this case, with salt.
Thanks to Liz for this recipe, it will be sure to get us through the winter.
Ingredients
One big bunch of Lacinato Kale (also called black kale, dinosaur kale.  The leaves are long, thinner and straight in comparison to regular curly kale)
1 T. Salt (we used sea salt cause I love it)
Roasted Sunflower Seeds
Blue Cheese
Raisins or Currants (try all kinds)
1 Apple, cored and sliced 
Cider Vinegar
Olive Oil

Rinse and dry kale.  Remove portion of stem, usually at least one third, that is woody and tough.  Stack kale leaves on top of each other and slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch strips.  Place strips in bowl and add 1 T. salt.  Massage salt through kale leaves.  This will tenderize the kale.  Set aside and core and slice apple. Break blue cheese up into edible chunk size.

Look at kale.  You'll notice that it is shrinking down in size a bit.  The salt is doing its job.
Add all other ingredients.  You'll notice that I didn't put down quantities for most of the ingredients. 

That's cause I wasn't given Q's by Liz.  This is a personal thing.  Use the amounts that you want to eat.  Do it all to taste.  It makes one heck of a salad.  And it keeps for a couple of days. 

Enjoy!

Escarole with Italian Sausage and White Beans Bon Appétit | October 1998

 We substituted what I like to call Faux Sausage, spicy vegetarian sausage links Whole Foods carries.  Also used vegetable broth in lieu of chicken.  Did not miss the prosciutto at all. 

Escarole with Italian Sausage and White Beans Bon Appétit | October 1998

Yield: Serves 12 as a side-dish or 6 as main-course 3 tablespoons olive oil 12 Italian sausages (about 3 pounds), casings removed 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped prosciutto (about 2 ounces) 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 1 large head escarole, chopped (about 10 cups) 3/4 cup dry white wine 4 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained 1 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional) Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sauté sausage until cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 6 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl, leaving drippings in pot. Reduce heat to medium; add onion to pot and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add prosciutto and sauté 1 minute. Mix in garlic and crushed red pepper. Add escarole and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook 2 minutes. Add beans, stock and sausage and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Top with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Escarole-with-Italian-Sausage-and-White-Beans-15600#ixzz1WtRjdCof