how I handle old, wilty greens 🥬
and, a surprise hit from the family recipe book
Hi friends!
It’s Monday, June 3rd, 2024. New York is hot and sunny, and I’m starting to work on my playlist for the summer. Any recommendations?
In the meantime, here’s all the news that’s fit to newsletter.
old leaves from the fridge, revived
Last week on No Expert, I shared my recipe for orecchiette with sausage and… loose, miscellaneous greens.
This is, of course, based on a classic Italian pasta dish, but instead of calling for broccoli rabe (which I so rarely just have on hand), it uses up old leaves that never made it to the salad bowl. It’s a flexible recipe, and one I’m particularly fond of, since it helps clear out fridge space and avoid the guilt of throwing out leaves that are a little past their prime but still perfectly safe to eat.
Food waste is a major bummer and contributes to global warming, so I personally try to make every effort I can to use up what I buy. Unfortunately, salad greens and other leafy greens are among my biggest “sorry, I forgot you were back there!” foods. Plus, sometimes they just wilt so quickly, right?
That’s where my fridge green and sausage pasta recipe comes in. Grab it from the video above or the PDF below!
Here are some other ways I use up greens that are rapidly fading:
added to fried rice, a stir fry, or fried noodles
in a pesto
to make herb oil
with cheese or tomatoes in savory scones or biscuits
a buried treasure (that looks like a shipwreck)
Also on No Expert, I was once again joined by the lovely and talented Chef Gabrielle Chappel (Next Level Chef Season 3 WINNER) to revisit another retro recipe.
This time, we made a Shipwreck Casserole (a.k.a. Seven Layer Dinner) from my family’s recipe book.
This is a classic casserole, right down to the Campbell’s Tomato Soup, and to be totally honest, my hopes weren’t too high. My mom cooks from this recipe book fairly regularly, and neither of us had ever attempted this one. It just seemed… uninspiring.
But you know what? It was a hearty, comforting, delicious bit of mess. I loved it. Basically an upside down cottage pie with less effort. I even made a second one to keep in my freezer in case of emergency.
While it might be a little heavy as the days get hotter and hotter, with thoughtful salt and peppering as you build the layers, it’s a perfect rainy day meal, and the darn thing costs less than $25, coming out to around $3 per serving. Can’t beat that!
an update on my cookbook project
You may recall that, earlier in the year, I talked about my resolution to cook from a different one of my cookbooks every month.
Just a note to say I’m still doing it! Some quick thoughts on the project.
To be honest, it can be difficult to squeeze new meals and ingredients into a comfortable weeknight dinner rotation. One of my biggest challenges has been time. Time to source ingredients that require a trip into the city or a long walk. Time spent cooking, because when you try a new recipe, you don’t have its rhythm down and need to pause more to check what’s next. (It reminds me of when I first started cooking and needed to learn everything – it’s easy to forget how much that can slow you down.) And time flying by. A month goes quick!
That said, it’s also been a really fun and inspiring experience.
I’ve learned a bunch of new techniques, tried new ingredients and used old ingredients in new ways (sherry in cocktails! apples in soup! toasted flour! perilla leaves!), and really grown in my confidence in the kitchen. Frankly, I’ve been surprised by how much stretching myself has helped me cook more instinctively and expanded my toolbox. Process-wise, I’ve tried to cook directly from the books first, then spun off into my own ideas and flavor combinations.
This time last year, I would never have thought to make sautéed dandelion leaves with bacon, sherry vinegar, and tarragon, but a dandelion salad recipe from the 1980s Harrowsmith collection led me there, and with a little tweaking, it became something I couldn’t get enough of.
In short? I recommend making a point of going spelunking for recipes you haven’t tried yet. You might just surprise yourself!
three short ‘n’ easy recipes
That’s right, these recipes are so easy-breezy, they don’t even need a whole “and.”
shipwreck casserole
sausage and fridge green pasta
frozen espresso martini
Last but certainly not least, I wanted to look back at a recipe that’s been calling to me lately from an older video (Classic Cocktails as Slushies with Daniel Victor). The video came out at the end of last summer, so this drink didn’t get the attention and adoration it deserved, but a frozen espresso martini is, frankly, sublime. Blending the drink creates a miraculous, frothy crema that feels completely unearned but tastes great.
It’s just the right amount of sweet (the liqueur being tempered by all that ice) and packs a frosty, caffeinated punch. Perfect for these sunny days as the city heats up and going out and staying out late becomes more appealing.
No PDF required, you simply need a blender and:
1 oz vodka
1 oz cold brew concentrate (I like Grady’s New Orleans-style, but you could use a shot of espresso or whatever coffee you have on hand in a pinch!)
1 cup ice (6-8 standard mid-size ice cubes)
Blend until the ice is sippably crushed (think 7-11 slushies) and serve!
Enjoy responsibly, as they say.
Recipe makes 1 cocktail, but I recommend making multiple drinks at a time – more ice in the blender helps achieve a better slush consistency.
and that’s the latest dispatch from my kitchen
Until next time,
Thank you for this great recipe! It's delicious, cheap to make, fast, and makes me feel less like a jerk for not getting to our greens faster :-)