#3 - A weekend in Umbria

Our February You Pick Two even took place last weekend and it was a great success.  We invited our good friends Meena and Chris, who brought two people we had not met before.  I chose a theme based around a vacation we took with Meena and Chris, and other friends, to Italy back in June 2010.  We rented a villa on the Tuscany/Umbria border for a week and took lots of day trips to small towns in the area, but mostly we hung out at the house and ate and drank fantastic Italian wines.  It was one of my favorite places I have ever been.  So with that in mind, I tried to challenge myself with some Umbrian dishes.  All but one of the recipes came from the Umbria section of Lidia Bastianich's cookbook called "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy".  The book was a gift from a close friend of ours for my birthday one year and I have been dying to make some of the recipes.  It's organized by region and it served as the perfect inspiration for the meal.

I will post some of the photos of the food and recipes in the coming weeks.  And, I have to say, the meal lived up to my high expectations.  I absolutely love Italian food and these recipes showcased the ingredients so well.  Nigella once said that French cooking draws attention to the chef while Italian cooking draws attention to the food, and I think there's a lot of truth to that.  I also tried to incorporate the simplicity of Italian food and design in our table setting.  I was thrilled to showcase a footed bowl that I purchased in Montepulciano (which is technically in Tuscany) during our trip.  I bought it at this amazing store where you descended down into this former Etruscan tomb that had beautiful pottery everywhere.  Here is a photo of the store:

Our mystery guests were Tara McKelvey and David Brunnstrom.  Tara is a friend of Meena's and an extremely successful reporter and writer on a variety of international and security issues (not to mention a mother of three!).  Seriously, just google her name - it speaks for itself.  David is also a reporter for Reuters and lives in Washington, DC in the thriving 14th & U street corridor.  Needless to say, a lot of our conversation revolved around national and international events, politics, human rights, international security, and the Petraeus scandal (more on that below).  In a previous career, I came to DC for an internship at an arms control think-tank/non-profit and tried to pursue a career in international relations.  I gave up on that career and went back to school for environmental science, but I still enjoy meeting people in that field and talking about it.  Both Meena and Chris are part of the scene, Meena worked at the State Department and later the National Security Council, she is an expert on Afghanistan-Pakistan issues.  Chris works for the Center for Naval Analyses, speaks fluent Arabic, and has traveled the Middle East extensively.  Unfortunately, Kevin has little to no experience in this area and was not able to participate much in the dinner conversation, which was unfortunate.  The upside of that was that I got a lot of unexpected help in the kitchen when getting the food ready for service. :)

From left: Meena, David, Kevin, Chris, and Tara

One interesting story that we talked about was the Petraeus scandal.  We  live across the street from the house where Paula Broadwell holed herself up during the Petraeus scandal.  It's a huge, yellow mansion up on this hill that her brother owns.  Previous to that scandal breaking, there were lots of very posh events during the summer there, complete with bodyguards and lots of black sedans and SUVs.  Turns out interestingly enough, Tara had actually attended a couple of those events!  If only we had known what those parties were for at the time.  Washington is such a small town sometimes.  

Our next You Pick Two is tonight.

It's only been a few weeks since our last event, but due to scheduling, holidays, travel plans, etc. this weekend had to be it for the month of February.  I think it's going to be a great one - we have our good friends Meena and Chris coming tonight and they are bringing two guests we haven't met yet.

In memory of our trip to Italy with friends in June 2010, including Meena and Chris, I am cooking up an Umbrian themed dinner.  We rented a villa outside a little town called Castiglione del Lago, right on the Umbria/Tuscany border for about 7 days.  It was an unforgettable trip.  We need to get back to Europe next year for sure.  Ok, here is the menu - I will put a summary early next week about the food and guests.

MENU

A Weekend in Umbria

February 15, 2014

Cocktail

Zenzero frizzante

Ginger simple syrup, prosecco

Aperitivo

Crostini con Lenticchie

Umbrian lentils, olive oil, parmigiano reggiano

Primo

Strangozzi

Handmade pasta with tomato and bacon sauce

Secondo

Salsicce all’Uva

Italian pork sausages with grape reduction

Contorno

Bietola e spinaci

Sauteed chard and spinach with garlic and peperoncino

Dolce

Pane e Cioccolata al Cucchiaio

 Chocolate bread parfait

Digestivo

Arancello

Ospiti

Shamila Chaudhary e Christopher Steinitz

Tara McKelvey e David Brunnstrom

Roasted leg of lamb, Moroccan style

Roast boneless leg of lamb with ras el hanout, garlic, and herbs.

I watched Nigella make a version of this lamb many years ago and have always wanted to give it a shot.  It's a roasted leg of lamb (I used a boneless leg) rubbed with aromatics and a Moroccan spice mixture called ras el-hanout.  It's an earthy and beautiful spice blend of cardamom, cinnamon, clove, rose petals, coriander, cumin, chili peppers, fenugreek, and many more ingredients.  Literally translated, it means "head of the shop", so the combination can vary place to place. I ordered mine online.  The lamb came from Border Springs Farm in Virginia, they are known for their lamb and I was able to get it through Washington's Green Grocer - it's an affordable grocery delivery service where I get a lot of specialty cuts of meat and local, organic vegetables.

Borrowing from Nigella's original recipe, I tweaked it a bit to incorporate some fresh herbs and lots of garlic.  You roast it at a really high heat (450 degrees) for about 30 minutes, then bring them temperature down and let it cook slowly to keep the meat moist.  It frankly was the star of the dinner and a real treat.   Serve it with labneh (take a quart of whole milk organic yogurt, mix in a teaspoon of salt, and then strain overnight in cheesecloth over a bowl in the fridge) - it's sharpness contrasted perfectly with the earthy lamb.  For a weeknight meal, you could simply mix some greek yogurt with lemon juice, salt, and some chopped parsley.  Drizzle the top with extra virgin olive oil and you are good to go.  One final point, cook the lamb to medium rare or rare (internal temp of 135 degrees).  If it's overcooked, it could get tough.  Again, I used boneless here, it was a little more expensive - if you want to save some money use bone-in, but make sure to adjust the cooking time.

I use a bed of thickly sliced onions as my base for roasting the lamb.  The onions caramelize in the rendered fat and are quite amazing.  However, if you want you could slice up some yukon potatoes and put them as the base, much like Ina Garten does.

The lamb in its marinade, before being roasted.

Roasted Ras El Hanout Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
a 4-5 lb. boneless leg of lamb, netting removed
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons of ras el hanout spice blend
3 tablespoons of fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced into thick rounds
salt
pepper
kitchen twine

Directions
1. Chop the garlic and herbs and combine in a bowl with the ras el hanout, a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and a big pinch of salt.  Stir to combine.

2. Free the lamb from any netting or packaging it may have come in and unfurl it on a large cutting border.  If there are large pieces of fat or silverskin, trim them off and discard.  Put the lamb fat side down on the cutting board. Rub half the mixture on the inside, making sure to get some into various nooks and crannies.  Roll up the leg and tie the meat together with kitchen twine at regular intervals (I did mine about every 2-3 inches).  Place on a plate and rub the remaining marinade over the top of the lamb (fat side) now.  Grind fresh black pepper over the top as well. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge over night.

3. Remove the lamb about 30-40 minutes before you plan to put it in the oven.  Turn the oven on to 450 degrees.  Place the onion slices in a row down the middle of your roasting pan.  Place the lamb on top.  Once the oven is ready, put the pan in the oven and roast at the high temperature for at least 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, turn the heat down to 375 degrees and pour in about 1 cup of water to the bottom of the roasting pan.  Continue to roast for about another hour or until the lamb registers 135 degrees (for rare) or 145 degrees (for medium) on a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the lamb.

4. Let cool on a cutting board for 15-20 minutes, then slice thinly and serve with the labneh.

Eggplant and artichoke salads

Preserved lemons

Almost the entirety of this month's You Pick Two was inspired by a prized cookbook in my collection, Claudia Roden's The New Middle Eastern Cookbook.  I am a research guy at heart so I very much enjoy diving into cookbooks that read as literature or travel guides, and this book is very much like that.  The two salads I am posting today are from the book, with slight adaptations.  Before I get to the recipes though, I wanted to share some general thoughts on Middle Eastern/North African food that I have developed through reading about and cooking these recipes.

One thing that stood out very clearly for me is where I spent my time in the grocery store when I shopped for the meal.  I would say that 75% of my time was spent in the vegetable area of the store.  The remaining 24% was spent at the meat counter and in the dairy section.  The final 1% was up the aisles, and that was for things like bread flour, olive oil, and honey.  You can see why the Mediterranean diet is so good for you, it calls for very little packaged food and lots of fruits and vegetables.  It was kind of eye opening for me.  Now, I am sure if you picked a menu slanted more towards meats, then you would add more time to the meat counter, but I think it would still be hard to add time to the aisles.

The other effect making this food had on me was, in a small way, I felt much closer to the culture of this part of the world.  I have grown up, in all honesty, with a fair amount of fear of the Middle East based on the decades of conflict I read about and watched on TV.  But somehow, reading Claudia's recipes and making these dishes gave me an understanding of their traditions and made me excited to one day visit the region. And this is one of the reasons I love cooking so much, it can teach you things about a culture in a more immediate way than reading.  Ok, on with the recipes.

I call them salads, but in reality they are just cold mezze.  The eggplant salad, a north African dish, was a huge hit of the meal, even the folks at the table who did not care for eggplant enjoyed it.  The artichoke salad is a Moroccan dish that packs lots of flavor, thanks in large part to the preserved lemons.  Making preserved lemons was very enjoyable, I followed this recipe to make them - it's kind of a shortcut method but it worked.  I also used frozen artichokes for the salad, but you could easily substitute fresh artichoke hearts when they are in season or available.

Sweet and spicy eggplant salad

[serve cold or at room temperature]
Ingredients
2 medium-large eggplants, sliced into 1/3-inch rounds (leave skins on)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 inches fresh gingerroot, grated (I used my microplane)
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or large pinch of ground cayenne pepper)
5 tablespoons of honey
Juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup of water
olive oil, for frying eggplant
salt

Directions
1.  If grilling the eggplant, do so making sure to brown or mark them - no need to cook them all the way through.  Or, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the eggplant slices on each side.  I did it this way and it took two batches to brown all the eggplant slices, adding a tablespoon of oil for each batch.  Make sure to season each slice with a sprinkling of salt while it's browning in the pan.

2. Remove the grilled eggplant to a dish.  Turn the heat down to medium-low, add another tablespoon of olive oil and add the garlic, ginger, chili pepper, and cumin.  Saute for about 30 seconds, making sure not to burn the garlic.  Then add the honey, lemon juice, and water.  Stir to combine everything and to make sure the honey melts.  Once the sauce starts to simmer, turn the heat down to as low as it will go and add the sliced eggplant back to the pan.  Try to make sure each slice of eggplant is somewhat submerged in the sauce.  Add another 1/2 cup water if you need a little more sauce.

3. Cook the eggplant in the simmering sauce for about 10-15 minutes, or until the eggplant slices are very soft.  Pour the slices and sauce on to a platter, let it all cool, then refrigerate overnight or for several hours at least to give the flavors time to integrate.  

Artichoke salad with preserved lemons

[serve hot, room temperature, or cold]
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons of honey
the peels of 2 preserved lemons, cut into small strips
2 9-ounce packages of frozen artichokes, thawed
salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup water

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan that has a lid over medium-high heat for several minutes, add the chopped garlic and saute for about 10-15 seconds.  Take the pan off the heat and add the ginger, turmeric, lemon juice, honey, and preserved lemons.  Place back on the heat and stir to combine and heat through for a minute or so until the honey melts.

2. Add the artichokes to the pan.  Stir to mix with the other ingredients.  Add the water and a large pinch of salt.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook over a low simmer for about 10 minutes, remove the lid and cook off any remaining liquid at the end.  Decant to a bowl and leave at room temperature or chill in the fridge overnight.

#2: A Middle Eastern feast.

Well, our second You Pick Two event occurred this past Saturday and it went even better than I expected.  It's been a couple months since our first event back in October, but between making Thanksgiving for 16 people and putting together our annual holiday party, there just wasn't time to schedule one before 2013 ended.  But, we are thankfully back on track in 2014 and plan to do them monthly.

Our feast.

I started doing these events (and writing this blog) as a way to challenge myself creatively, through my cooking, my writing, and my photography.  But I realized that I am also challenging our guests in a way - they have to pick two people and maybe try some foods they either have never had or have been to scared to try.  I think this is a good thing, I wanted to provide something different or unexpected from the normal dinner party or night out.  That being said, I am sure you could go to many restaurants  and have a wonderful meal that would make some of these dishes I made seem ordinary, but for some reason making all these dishes from scratch in my kitchen made them feel more special than getting them at a restaurant.  For this round, I wanted to do something I have never really done before: a complete middle eastern/mediterranean feast with lots of warm and cold mezze that we could share and pick at while sitting at the table.  We definitely had plenty of food, in fact the photo doesn't show the fish I cooked (which was sitting on the stove) and the big bowl of fattoush (we plated it before we sat down), since there was no room left on our dining table.  But one rule for me in terms of entertaining, it's always preferable to have too much rather than too little.  That being said, I did kind of go a little overboard.  Regardless, a little indulgence is good for the soul every now and again.

For this event, the two we picked were a couple who are really close friends of ours - Joe Kuehne and Javier Aquino.  In particular, I have known Joe for about 12 or 13 years now.  We met randomly at a party in Arlington, VA of all places.  Kevin's roommate from college played on a soccer team with Joe.  We went to a party hosted by the mutual friend and bonded over gin and tonics and really bad Girls Gone Wild videos (they are like car crashes, you can't not look).  Joe means a lot to me because he was the first person to show me around DC and to introduce me to his inner circle of gay and straight friends.  I spent a lot of time by myself in Virginia while Kevin was in law school at night and working full-time.  Joe would always invite me into DC for a night on the town on the weekend.  We spent many late nights at the now-closed (and forever missed) Chaos nightclub.  He also helped me become comfortable with who I am as a gay man and brought Kevin and I into a whole new group of people that we are still very close with.  Joe and Javi started dating a few years ago but Javi has already become a close friend of ours.  I work a lot with Joe on filming videos and documentaries and Javi has become indispensable at any of our shoots - not to mention he's a fantastic host and cook in his own right.  So, who were their pick two's?  Joe admitted it was tough to find two people we didn't already know through him, but they invited a fun and interesting couple named Subi Ram and Paddy O'Connor.

From left: Paddy, Subi, me, Joe, and Javi.

Subi and Paddy have been together for many years.  Our friend Javi met Subi (randomly) at a taping of Jeopardy back when they filmed Celebrity Jeopardy here in DC a few years ago.  They bonded and have been in touch ever since.  It's easy to see why since they are friends - both are very outgoing, social, and confident.  Subi is a manager at a retail store here in the DC area (Bethesda) while Paddy works for Virgin Atlantic.  You may have guessed that, yes, Paddy O'Connor is Irish. :)   Subi is Brazilian and speaks fluent Portuguese.  He also has a mother who is a fantastic cook.  I'm hoping to get some authentic Brazilian recipes from my new friend.  Paddy is from Dublin and, thankfully, has managed to maintain most of his charming Irish accent.  Being mostly Irish myself, it was comforting to talk about our heritage and where I grew up.  I spent most of my high school years as a bar back at an Irish restaurant in Worcester, MA, called (ironically) O'Connor's.  It frankly was one of the worst jobs I have ever had, but it made me work really hard in high school so that I could get into a good college.  Paddy lives in London now and flies all over the world for work, traveling to the east coast a lot.  In fact, he had just come off a flight that day and was flying back the next day.  It was fortunate timing and I was very happy they could come to our home and share a great meal, plenty of wine, and lots of laughs.  I look forward to seeing them again soon.

One of the more fun parts of the evening was being introduced by Subi and Paddy to the game "Head's Up!" that Paddy had on his iPhone.  It's a $100,000 pyramid-type game where the person with the phone picks a category, then places the phone on their forehead with the screen facing out towards everyone.  Different names, places, etc. pop up on the screen (depending on the category) and the person holding the phone has to guess what's on screen using the clues and gestures of the group.  Amazingly, it also records everything using the iphone's video camera to save for review (or humiliation) later.  We passed the phone around a few times but no one could beat Subi's record of 11 correct answers for "Brand Names".  Much like shooting pool, there's a point where everyone gets really good for a round or two, but then quickly falls off as the drinks add up.

I also wanted to mention our friend Chuck, who took a chance by starting his own floral arrangement venture called Lush Arrangements.  He does beautiful work and I highly recommend him for any event you may have.  Here is a fantastic photo taken by Subi of the centerpiece.  There were actually three of these beautiful arrangements but frankly we ran out of space on the table.  I used petals from one of the roses in the arrangement to add some color to the silver dipping bowls you see at the ends.  They were there to clean your fingers throughout the meal since this food was meant to be eaten with your hands.

Great shot Subi!

Here, finally, is the menu from the evening.  I will be posting the recipes, photos, etc. over the next few weeks.  I hope you give one of them a shot in your kitchen.

MENU

A Middle Eastern Feast

January 25, 2014

Cocktail

Pomegranate Punch

Pomegranate juice, pear nectar, Grand Marnier, champagne

Mezze

Labneh

Greek yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, sumac

Stuffed fillo triangles

Ground beef, onions, pine nuts

Hummus bi Tahina

Stuffed grape leaves

Falafel

Fattoush

Romaine lettuce, sumac, pita chips, lemon dressing

Sweet and spicy eggplant salad

Ginger, chile, honey

Artichoke salad

Preserved lemons, turmeric, extra virgin olive oil

Ras el-hanout roasted leg of lamb

Halibut in warm tomato, saffron sauce

Homemade pita bread

Dessert

Turkish delight syllabub

Whipped cream, Cointreau, rosewater, pistachios

It's bananas.

Wrapping up our first You Pick Two event I wanted to post our dessert, which was a huge hit.  Keeping the updated Americana theme, I decided to update the traditional banana creme pie.  Turns out, a lot of people out there have done something similar.  My research took me to the one linked below.  I have never been to Momofuku Milk Bar in New York (or Toronto), but I have heard glowing reviews about it.  After making this, I can understand why.  It takes some time and has a few steps but is totally worth it.  In fact, this chocolate crumb crust could be used with any filling.  The recipe is very versatile and good to have your in arsenal.

The chocolate crumb crust could be used for any pie.

Here is a link to the recipe I used for the pie:


http://www.hummingbirdhigh.com/2013/07/momofuku-milk-bar-banana-cream-pie.html


To make it my own, I topped the slices of pie with whipped cream and salted caramel sauce.  The salted caramel sauce is easy and can be used in a lot of ways, it's perfect over cold vanilla ice cream in particular.  I used the "wet sand" method for the caramel, which adds a little water to the sugar to help it dissolve.

Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt (or kosher salt)

Directions
1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan (I used a 3-quart pan), combine the sugar and water and heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Once it dissolves, turn the heat up to medium high so that the sugar begins to boil.  DO NOT STIR.

2. If you find sugar crystals are sticking to the sides of the pan you can use a wet pastry brush to re-dissolve the crystals.  I did not have to do this.

3. Boil until sugar becomes amber in color.  I didn't let it get it too dark since it becomes bitter at that point.  In the photo below, you can see it's staring to turn amber.  I turned the flame off right after I took this picture.

4. Once you turn the heat off, pour in the cream slowly, making sure to whisk the whole time.  It will sputter and bubble.  Just make sure to keep whisking.  Once it's mixed, add the butter and salt and stir them in to the sauce.  Let it cool and serve.

A melting pot.

When I thought of what to put as the main course for this updated American classics menu, I immediately knew that I wanted to do something stewed or braised.  It's by far my favorite way to cook meat, mostly because I love the laissez faire nature of the process, but also because cheaper and tougher cuts of meat have so much more flavor than more expensive ones.  I love a filet as much as the next person, but a well prepared beef stew is so satisfying and comforting.

The challenge here was to update that classic recipe to something new and modern.  After a pleasing phở lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant, I realized that the two dishes share a lot in common.  I thought I could marry some of the flavors of the phở broth with some traditional beef stew ingredients (carrots, onions, etc.).  The result was an aromatic beef stew that frankly came out even better than I was hoping.  The key is to let it sit overnight though, the flavors need to mingle and mellow.  But that's easy, just make it a day or two before.  It would be excellent for a holiday dinner or a new year's eve feast.  

I served the stew over an attempt at a potato/celery root "cake" that didn't quite turn out as expected.  Instead, I would recommend serving the stew with something creamier, like a potato gratin (there are dozens of recipes online for this, I recommend Ina's fennel/potato gratin in particular).  I also served a sauteed kale that was wonderful.  I fried some sliced garlic in the olive oil first, then added the kale along with some stock and sultanas.

As a side note, one of our pick two guests turned out to be vegetarian.  Next time, I will make sure to ask about dietary needs before the menu is made.  Luckily there were enough vegetarian items in the first course, as well as sides for the main, that it worked out just fine.  Lesson learned though.   Happy holidays everyone.

Aromatic Beef Stew
Ingredients
4-5 lbs. of grass-fed stew beef (I used chuck roast), trimmed and cubed
1/4 cup olive oil (ordinary not extra virgin)
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
1/2 bottle of dry, full bodied red wine (I used chianti here)
2 cups beef or mushroom broth
salt and pepper
for the bouquet garni:
1 large sprig rosemary
8-10 sprigs of thyme
3 star anise
3 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
cheese cloth

Directions
1. Make the bouquet garni.  Place the rosemary, thyme, star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick on a large piece of cheesecloth.  Wrap and tie in a bundle using kitchen twine.

2. Prep the beef and vegetables.  Peel and dice the carrots and the onion.  Set vegetables aside.  Cube beef into large (1-2 inch) cubes.  Spread the flour in a large dish, add a big pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper - stir to mix into the flour.  Make sure meat is dry and at room temperature.  Add beef to the flour and lightly coat each cube, shaking off any excess flour.

3. Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat for several minutes.  Pour the oil in the pan.  Add beef cubes to hot pan and brown on each side, it may take several batches.  Absolutely do not crowd the pan or you will steam the meat.  Remove browned cubes to a plate.

4. After meat has been browned, turn heat down to medium low and add the carrots and onions.  Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper.  Saute and stir the veggies around in the beef fat for several minutes.

5. Once the onion is soft, add 1/4 cup of the red wine to deglaze the pan.  Use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Once that is complete, add the rest of the wine and the broth.  Bring the mixture to a boil.

6. Once the mixture has come to a boil, add the bouquet garni and the browned beef back to the pot.  Turn heat down so that you maintain a soft simmer.  Cover the pan slightly and let cook for 4 to 4.5 hours or until the meat is tender.  You should be able to cut the meat with a fork when it is ready.

7. Let the stew cool, remove the bouquet garni, and put the pan in the fridge to let sit overnight (stew can sit for 2-3 days in the fridge if that makes it easier).

8.  Reheat the stew in the pan for about 15 minutes over low heat before serving.  Garnish with sliced green onions or chopped flat leaf parsley.


Sauteed Kale with garlic chips and sultanas
Ingredients
2 large bunches of organic green or black kale, ribs removed, leaves cut in large strips
1/2 cup of golden raisins (sultanas), soaked in hot water for about 10 minutes
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon of red chili flakes
1/4 cup ordinary olive oil
3/4 cup of chicken broth

Directions
1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan for several minutes.  Add the sliced garlic to the hot pan.  Let the garlic fry for about 30 seconds then stir the slices around for a minute in the pan, allowing the edges to brown.  The garlic should gently fry in the oil, if it does not sizzle, turn up the heat a bit.  Remove the browned garlic to a plate before they burn.

2. Turn heat to low and add sliced kale to the pan, the oil may sputter a bit but do not worry.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, several grinds of black pepper, and a fat pinch of red chili flakes.  Place the lid on the pan.

3. After a 3-4 minutes, remove lid and press down on the kale.  Add the chicken broth and drained sultanas to the pan.  Place the lid back on the pan.

4. Let everything cook with the lid on for another 5 minutes or so.  Then, remove the lid, and stir everything around a few times and put the lid back on.  Cook kale for another 8-10 minutes on low heat, all the liquid should be absorbed when the kale is done cooking.  When ready to serve, decant the kale into a large serving bowl and sprinkle over the garlic chips.