Corn Cakes with Sauteed Kale & Spicy Tomato Sauce
February is, we’re told, time for love. Time for romantic, expensive dinners, for doting gifts, for all the pressure that comes with trying to show someone how much you adore them by how much you can plan or spend. What if, instead of the fancy, fussy, forced Valentines Day displays of adoration, we stepped back and had a relaxing, low-key evening actually celebrating and enjoying the people we love? Not because there’s a recession, and we begrudgingly forego the jewelry and champagne toasts, but because there’s something really lovely and deeply satisfying about staying in, cuddling up, feasting on hearty, homey food with a rich glass of wine?
Sounds pretty good to me. If you want your fancy V-day reservations out on the town, you’re certainly welcome to them. But when it comes time to wind down and focus more on the people in your lives than the fanfare, this simple meal hits the spot.
When I first tried the Airfield Zinfandel, all I could think was “smoked eggplant.” The wine has multiple layers, a deeper note that longs to be paired with the earthiness of eggplant or a wintry green like kale, but also a brighter acidity begging to accompany tomatoes. But the smokiness? Where was I going to find the right flavor to complement that?
Mozzarella, turns out. Smoked mozzarella has a beautiful aroma, of hearth and home, just like the meal. It is a bit browned on the outside and has the creaminess of fresh mozzarella but a nuttiness I associate with, say, browned butter or roasted brussel sprouts. Leftovers are joyous on toast in the morning.
The rest of the recipe is a feast of colors and textures, giving the lie to the notion that winter food is bland and bitter. Start with a cheery yellow corn cake, beautiful by the stack. Cover with sauteed fresh kale, dotted with bacon. Finish with a spicy tomato sauce bedecked in smoked mozzarella. Settle in by the fire (or the space heater) with a bottle of Airfield Zin and a loved one or dear friend for an evening of endearing conversation and affection—proving the best things in life are, after all, (just about) free.
CORN CAKES WITH SAUTEED KALE & SPICY TOMATO SAUCE
Corn Cakes:
- 1 cup flour
- ¾ cup coarse cornmeal
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup plain yogurt + ¼ cup water, mixed
- 3 Tbs melted butter
- 3 ½ Tsp baking powder
- ½ Tsp baking soda
- ½ Tsp salt
- 2 eggs
Separate eggs, adding yolks to watered down yogurt, sugar and butter. Whip whites until they form soft peaks. Mix dry ingredients, stirring in the wet and folding in egg whites. Depending on the consistency of the yogurt, you may need to add a bit more liquid to get a good consistency for pancakes, though the finished batter should be fairly thick. I used a very thick yogurt then added 1 Tbsp each cream and water to thin it down.
Make corn cakes as you would any other pancakes, although corn cakes should be a bit thicker. A diameter of roughly 4 inches makes for a good single serving.
Makes approximately 6 cakes. Leftover cakes are wonderful with maple syrup or berries for breakfast; batter keeps 4-6 days.
Sauteed Kale
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- Enough olive oil to fill bottom of pan in thin layer, approximately 6 Tbsp
- 1 large bunch kale, washed
- 4 Tbsp diced bacon (hint: cutting frozen bacon width-wise creates conveniently sized pieces and avoids having to separate pieces of bacon)
- 4 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- 1 red onion, diced
Fold each piece of kale in half, cutting fibrous center stem out with kitchen scissors. Chop leaves into bite-sized pieces.
Saute garlic in olive oil, taking care not to burn. Reserve approximately ½ the oil & ½ the garlic. Add red onion and cook over medium-low heat until onion is softened and gooey, 5-10 minutes. While onion is cooking, toast pine nuts (hint: set timer for 1 minute, shake, set timer for another minute; when nuts turn color, immediately pour into separate bowl or they’ll keep cooking in the pan, even with the heat off).
Add bacon to pan with onions, allowing to just crisp before adding kale, stirring slightly. Cover for 2-3 minutes to allow kale to absorb liquid and soften, then stir gently. Give it a bit more time if they’re still rough or crisp. Leaves should be bright green and just tender, but not mushy. Sprinkle pine nuts on kale.
Tomato Sauce
You may use your favorite pre-made tomato sauce if you want an easy substitute. Alternately, you can search for the ingredients that made my sauce truly special—or come up with a variety of your own based on what’s local and tasty in your area. I started with a big can of diced tomatoes, roughly 2 cups worth. Canned tomatoes are usually made from tomatoes picked at the height of freshness and it isn’t hard to get cans whose only ingredient is—tomatoes. Considering they’re cheap and keep forever, canned tomatoes are about the perfect food.
To this I added about 1/3 cup of a Middle Eastern pepper sauce, available by the jar—spicy with a hint of vinegar, the paste is packed with red peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and chilies. I also added 1/3 cup fried eggplant, also available by the jar. I further added the remaining garlic and oil, leftover from the kale, salt, pepper, and about 2 teaspoons of an Italian seasoning blend (marjoram, thyme, oregano, basil).
Use tongs to top corn cakes with tong-ful of kale. Cover with a ladle full of tomato and dot with pieces of smoked mozzarella. Microwave briefly to assist with the melting (or put briefly under a broiler).
Enjoy!
Recipe provided by Jeannie Rose Field.
Tags: Recipe, Recipes, Wine Pairing