I was dismayed to read in this week’s CSA newsletter that the callaloo crop at Three Sisters Farm was badly damaged in the cold snap. I’ve come to love the versatile green and use it in place of spinach whenever I can. Last week I sauteed our bunch, and tucked into a batch of macaroni and cheese. It felt a little Jessica Seinfeld, but that didn’t stop me from scraping my plate clean.

I made another callaloo-cheese combination right before Christmas: an adaptation of Maddur Jaffrey’s saag paneer. I mixed the callaloo greens with spinach and even a small bunch of savoy cabbage.

Jaffrey’s original recipe calls for a scant patty of paneer, which I doubled to satisfy our American, lactose-loving bellies. Just imagine ample, soft and salty hunks of cheese swimming in a velvety melange of greens (imagination is key here, since our photo was less than appetizing). Add to that CSA tomatoes and curry leaves, and you have one delicious, cheese-spiked mess of greens.

Saag Paneer
2 pounds callaloo or mix of spinach and other mild greens
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon cornmeal
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 cup chopped tomatoes
10 to 15 fresh curry leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 ounces paneer, cut into 1-inch cubes

Instructions
In a large pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add callaloo and jalapeno, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. When greens are tender, use an immersion blender to blend them into a coarse puree. You also can use a potato masher or standard blender. Add cornmeal to the greens, and cook 5 minutes more.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook until it begins to turn golden. Add cumin seeds, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in ginger, wait just a few seconds, and add tomatoes and curry leaves. Cook the mixture on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes break down and their liquid thickens.

Pour tomato mixture into the greens, and stir in salt, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon, cooking for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Add paneer cubes, and simmer 5 minutes more.

Serves 4 to 6

William and I spent Thanksgiving with my Grandma, uncles, aunts and cousins in Delray Beach. My uncles fried salty, crisp, delicious birds—three turkeys for 20 people.

In the name of frugality and creativity, I love remaking Thanksgiving leftovers. And on Sunday, I took the last of our turkey and made these turkey crêpes with mushrooms, spinach, scallions and sour cream—basically a cheapened version of this New York Times recipe, which would work just as well with leftover chicken or extra mushrooms for a vegetarian version.

After a few (miserably) failed crêpes, I mastered the batter and pan to turn out somewhat symmetrical disks for a decidedly vintage meal—one that William and I would gladly revisit next Thanksgiving.

It’s hard to screw up a fritatta. I suppose you could overcook or under-season one, but they lovingly take on all sorts of vegetables and dairy products. This week I assembled a frittata of potatoes, spinach, cheddar cheese and buttermilk—we ran out of regular milk, but its sour cousin was a successful substitute. 

Don’t take my word for it, though. Crack open eggs, empty your fridge of veggies and cheese and prepare to enjoy. 

Potato and Spinach Fritatta with Cheddar
9 ounces fresh baby spinach, stems removed
1 tablespoons dry white wine or sherry
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
1 pound yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin rounds 
1 tablespoon butter
8 large eggs
1/4 cup milk or buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
White pepper
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to a 500° broil.

Warm up an 8-inch non-stick frying pan, on medium high heat. Add spinach and wine, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove spinach from pan, and continue to drain, if necessary.

Return the pan to the stove, and heat olive oil over medium high. Add onions, and sweat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add potatoes, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until they begin to soften.  

Meanwhile, beat eggs, milk, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and white pepper. 

Add butter to the frying pan, and stir until melted. Stir in spinach and season the vegetables with 1/2 teaspoon (or more) kosher salt. Pour egg mixture into the pan, turn down heat to medium-low, and cook gently. As the eggs cook, lift a small side of the frittata with a rubber spatula and let uncooked egg run to the bottom of the pan—repeat 5 to 8 times. 

When the eggs are still runny on top but set on the bottom, top with cheese, and put the pan under the broiler for 5 minutes, until the frittata is completely set and puffy. 

Serves 4

I stash away the ends of bread loaves in the freezer, and when my freezer bag is full, I love to make a big dish of bread pudding—particularly the savory variety (if you haven’t noticed, I’m not super keen on sweets). For this Greek-style Bread Pudding, my bag was more than 3/4 full with kalamata olive bread. The other bits were made from no-knead bread in a hurry and a kaiser roll. 

Using a recipe from Cooking Light as a guide, I assembled this bright but rich vegetarian main course. Spinach, tomato and low-fat milk made this healthier than bread puddings I’ve prepared/encountered in the past. And the salty feta and fatty egg yolks provided all the guilty-tasting pleasure we could ask for. 

Not a bad end for old bread. 

Greek-style Bread Pudding
6 cups cubed kalamata bread (or 6 cups cubed bread + 1/2 cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 glove garlic, minced 
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, drained
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
4 ounces crumbled feta
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
4 large eggs
2 cups low-fat milk 

Instructions
Butter a deep 13X9″ casserole dish. 

Preheat oven to a 500° broil.  Spread bread cubes onto a baking sheet, and toast for 10 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven. Turn oven temperature down to 350°.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium frying pan. Add onion and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until onion is translucent. Stir in spinach, and cook off remaining moisture. Remove pan from heat, and mix in sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes, half of the feta, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. 

Whisk together eggs, milk, and remaining salt. 

In the casserole dish, toss together bread and spinach mixture. Pour egg mixture over the bread, and top with remaining cheese. Bake bread pudding for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until golden and puffy. 

Serves 4 for a main course and 6 as a side

Last night I tried one of Mark Bittman’s 101 salads with shallot, mushrooms, spinach and blue cheese. It was a perfect small (but rich) dinner after a large company potluck lunch.

In his Minimalist column, Bittman described the dish as a “steakhouse side-dish salad,” and although I made a meal out of it, I could almost taste an imaginary hunk of beef that would have nestled poetically at the salad’s side. 

My only complaint: The wilted spinach and blue cheese produced a toxic-looking, gray-green liquid that oozed onto my plate. But don’t let that turn you away! With the help of a whole-wheat dinner roll, I sopped up the delicious plate pollutant. Every last drop.  

Wilted Spinach Salad with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced 
8 ounces mushrooms (any variety), sliced
8 ounces baby spinach, stems removed
1.5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Instructions
In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high. Add shallot, cook for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, and cook until most of their liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine spinach with mushrooms and shallots, and cook until wilted, adjusting salt and pepper as needed. Stir in blue cheese, and serve.

Serves 2 (small) main courses and 4 as a side

This is another modified Easy Vegetarian (Rylan Peters & Small) find. This dish has a pleasant level of heat and a golden balance of veg, protein and carbs—not to mention fiber. With minimal prep and one-dish cooking, these curried lentils are ideal for a weeknight dinner (and next-day leftovers). They also would make a nice side dish for a larger Indian meal. 

I served sauteed zucchini and plain yogurt on the side. And if we weren’t out of naan and chutney, I would have eaten those as well.

Curried Lentils with Lentils and Spinach
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 serrano chile, sliced into thin rings
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 teaspoons hot curry powder
1 1/2 cups brown lentils
2 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped

Instructions
Heat oil in a medium-size sauce pan over medium. Add onions, garlic, chile, cumin, and curry powder. Cook for 4 minutes. Add lentils, and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Pour in water, and bring to a boil. Stir in salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook lentils for 25 minutes (lentils will still be a bit firm).

Stir in spinach and tomatoes. Cook until spinach is wilted, and serve.

Serves 4