Grilled garlic scape and kale pizza

From Amy’s Quiet Existence blog at https://quietexistence.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/grilled-garlic-scape-and-kale-pizza/

For the pizza:
1 large pizza dough (try making a wheat dough, yum!)
1 can of crushed tomatoes (diced and sliced fresh will work well also)
Mozzarella cheese
A bunch of garlic scapes (5-8) cut into 1 inch pieces
5 large leaves of kale, rinsed and dried, de-ribbed, cut into small pieces
A handful of fresh basil

– Preheat your grill on high for 5 minutes. In the meantime roll out the dough so that it will fit onto the grill. Cover one side of the pizza with olive oil and place that side down on the grill. Lower the heat to medium and let grill for about 4 minutes. I recommend checking the pizza after two minutes and poking any air bubbles early.

– Check the underside of the pizza after 4 minutes. It should lift off easily and be perfectly charred. Slide the dough off of the grill onto a cutting board.  Top the charred side with the tomato sauce then the fresh basil. Sprinkle some fresh mozzarella over the sauce. Top with the kale and garlic scapes. I added some VT smoke & cure pepperoni for a little bite and substance (for the guy- I can handle vegetarian meals!).

– Slide the pizza back onto the grill and grill for about 6 minutes or until the bottom side is cooked.

HINTS: The second side of the dough doesn’t need to be slathered in olive oil because it is no longer sticky. It will lift right off. Also do not use too many toppings, especially cheese and tomatoes. Peeling a soggy pizza off the grill is impossible.

Stir-Fried Chard with Ginger

This is based on a recipe I found in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything.

Serves 4.

  • 1/2 lb Swiss Chard
  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips (if you want a vegetable side-dish, just omit the chicken; I added it so I could have a one skillet meal)
  • 2 tbs peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)
  • 2 tsp dry cooking sherry
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbs minced fresh ginger
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 2 garlic scapes, cut diagonally into 2″ pieces
  • 2 chopped scallions
  • 1/2 cup water, vegetable stock, low salt chicken broth, or white wine
  • 2 tbs soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

1. If using chicken put in bowl with 2 tsp sherry and 2 tsp soy sauce. Set aside.

2. Fold the chard leaves in half along the rib and cut the rib out. Chop the ribs into 1/2 pieces; chop the leaves into approximately 2 inch squares.

2. Put a bit of the oil in a large skillet; heat over medium-high heat to just smoking and add the chicken. Stir-fry until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, a couple of minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

3. Put the rest of the oil in the skillet. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 15 seconds. Then add the chard ribs and garlic scapes. Stir-fry until the scapes start to have small brown spots on them.

4. Add scallions and chard leaves and cook until the leaves wilt. Add more oil if the pan gets dry.

5. Lower the heat to medium and add liquid, 2 tbs soy sauce, and sugar. Turn heat back to high and cook, stirring constantly to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the liquid has thickened and partially evaporated. Stir the chicken (if using) in to coat with sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. For a meal, serve over rice or quinoa.

Oven-roasted Kale

  • 1 bunch curly leaf kale
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (you could substitute garlic scapes for the garlic)
  • 1 tsp salt (to taste)
  • 1/4 tsp pepper (to taste)

Strip kale leaves from their stems and coarsely chop. Spread in a single layer on a cookie or baking sheet, add garlic, salt, pepper and drizzle olive oil over all. Toss to coat the kale evenly with the seasonings.

Put kale into a cool oven and pre-heat to 350. Halfway through the pre-heat cycle (I had to run mine once to figure out how long that is) stir/toss the kale, then return it to the oven until the temperature reaches 350. Some of the kale will be tender, and some of it will have crispy edges. Serves 2.

This recipe is adapted from the New Jersey Farm Bureau’s Newletter. Confession time: I haven’t tried it yet, but will do so soon.