blue artichoke

I missed this blog. This is an odd relationship. This blog is sometimes a burden, amusement, mental exercise, excuse, routine or project. Then, suddenly, it’s gone. I can’t see it, I can’t read it, I can’t post entries. I didn’t mind at first; it was a brief respite from thinking of topics and freed up extra time in my day. I kept thinking of things to write about, though, and jotted down ideas or wrote entries in Word to post later, if I ever recovered home access to the server. And I kept cooking, some truly awesome dishes. Here’s one of the best:

Ham-And-Greens Pot Pie With Cornbread Crust

Makes 8 to 10 servings
Prep: 15 min., Cook: 24 min., Bake: 20 min.,
Stand: 10 min.
Make the cornbread batter while the ham-and-greens mixture is simmering to ensure the cornbread cooks evenly and thoroughly.

4 cups chopped cooked ham (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped collard greens
1 (15.5-ounce) can jalapeño-and-bacon-seasoned black-eyed peas, drained
1 (12-ounce) package frozen seasoning blend*
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 (7-ounce) packages MARTHA WHITE Sweet Yellow Cornbread Mix

SAUTÉ ham in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add chicken broth, and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until broth begins to thicken.

BRING mixture to a boil. Add collard greens and next 3 ingredients; return to a boil, and cook, stirring often, 15 minutes. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

PREPARE cornbread batter according to package directions (do not bake). Pour batter evenly over hot ham mixture.

BAKE at 425° for 20 minutes or until cornbread is golden and set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

* 1 onion, chopped; 1 green bell pepper, chopped; and 1 celery rib, chopped, may be substituted for frozen seasoning blend.

Recipe from Southern Living Cooking School 2005

I used the last of the leftover Maple-Glazed ham from Easter, but don’t let a lack of an Easter ham in your freezer keep you from making this. Have the deli at your grocery store cut some thick slices of ham for you. I couldn’t find frozen collard greens around here, so I used a fresh bunch, washed really well, ribs removed and coarsely chopped. I also couldn’t find the frozen seasoning blend, so I sautéed a chopped onion, celery rib and green pepper with the ham before adding the flour. Though the recipe calls specifically for Martha White cornbread mix, any true Southerner (and independent researcher) knows that Jiffy is the only cornbread mix worth using.

Not only is this dish fantastic, it was my very first taste of collard greens (I know, I know… perhaps I’m not a true Southerner). This was a significantly monumental occasion to make my 30 New Things list:

1. Roast a duck
2. Learn to make glass beads
3. Swim in an underground river
4. Sea-Trek
5. Touch a sea turtle
6. Make a chocolate meringue pie
7. Eat collard greens

I liked the collard greens and this dish so much that I’m making collards again this week, braised with bacon and brown sugar. Everything’s better with bacon; this dish doesn’t stand a chance of being undelicious. Of course, you won’t get to look forward to it as much as I will; my future is your past. Huh. Wrap your head around that.

Getting to Know All About You: What food have you always wanted to try?