Culinary Adventures with Camilla

  This is a recipe usually made with collard greens and bacon. I gave it a Quail & Olive twist by using their new capocollo from Vermont Salumi   and, instead of collard greens, I used a mixture of Tuscan kale, baby kale, and spinach. Ingredients serves 8 12 cups greens (I used 6 cups Tuscan kale, torn into bits; 4 cups baby kale, 2 cups spinach) 1 Tablespoon olive oil (I used Vegan Bacon) ½ cup finely diced onions 1 Tablespoon garlic, peeled and pressed ½ teaspoon Black Magic seasoning (from Spiceology) or other Cajun seasoning 1 to 2 cups chicken broth 3 ounces capocolllo, diced 1 Tablespoon vinegar (I used Fire Cider) salt and pepper to taste filé powder, also known as gumbo filé, optional Also needed: Smoked Olive oil for serving In a large, heavy bottom pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and sauté until softened and translucent. Stir in garlic and seasoning. Cook until fragrant, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the capocollo, then pour in 1 c...

It's hard to believe that 2020 is more than halfway over. Here we are in July for another installment of our #EattheWorld project, being spearheaded by Evelyne of  CulturEatz . Here's  her challenge . Typically, Evelyne announces a country from which we are supposed to pick a recipe. But this month, she extended this challenge: "For July we will not visit a country’s cuisine, but rather a type of cuisine found in the US, one whose people are once again fighting for basic respectful treatment. Maybe we can all find a form of comfort in Soul Food this month!" Yes! I was in immediately. There is so much racial tension and strife in the country right now. It's exhausting to have these conversations day in and day out, around our dinner table, but it's also necessary. Jake and I want our boys to be informed, be sensitive, be cautious, and be proactive. I don't typically get political on my blog, but in this case I will: Since 45 - that's as clos...

Welcome to the April 2020  Improv Cooking Challenge . Somehow I missed March. Whoops. This group is headed up by Nichole of  Cookaholic Wife . And I haven't been very consistent, take last month as an example, but I love the idea of the group, so I will try to be better in the coming months. The idea behind Improv Cooking Challenge: we are assigned two ingredients and are challenged to create a recipe with those two things. This month's items: lettuce and lemons. Here's what the crew is sharing... Bitter Greens Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Falafel Layered Salad & A Bhatura Sandwich - A Combo  by Sneha's Recipe Greek Meatball Salad   by Cookaholic Wife Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad   by Making Miracles Mixed Greens with Roasted Golden Beets and Lemon Vinaigrette  by A Day in the Life on the Farm Strawberry Cucumber Salad   by Pandemonium Noshery Wilted Spinach Salad wit...

Today the #OurFamilyTable is sharing herbaceous recipes! Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures encouraged the bloggers: "The first full week of May is National Herb Week. Show us you show stopping herbaceous recipes highlighting their flavors." Pesto Carbonara by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures Bastounakia with Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme by Karen's Kitchen Stories Lemon Thyme Lemonade by Our Good Life Blue Bayou Golden Beet & Arugula Salad by Simply Inspired Meals Herby Salt and Vinegar Chip Fish by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks Thyme Tea by Home Sweet Homestead Asparagus Soup with Chimichurri by Art of Natural Living Sabzi Khordan (Fresh Herb Platter) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table ! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board , too! Sabzi Khordan Fresh Herb Platter I used to have a friend from Iran. And whenever w...

While I've been more inspired this Spring, after having attended the Cooking Class at the Big Sur Foragers' Festival , I am still wary of foraging edibles unless I am absolutely certain of what it is. Maybe I need a pocket guide book for my area. In any case, I know what miners' lettuce is. So, when we came across a verdant patch during a Sunday morning hike, we paused for a nibble and plucked a small bag full of them for salad later that afternoon. Miners' lettuce. Claytonia perfoliata . If you've never tried it, it's mild, pleasingly crunchy, and is so loaded with vitamins it  can stave off scurvy. The plant took its common name from Gold Rush miners who ate it to avoid a massive vitamin C deficiency. Typically when I make a salad, I mix greens to create a variety of flavors and textures, but I prefer to eat miner’s lettuce alone. All it needs is a light coating of vinaigrette. I whisked together a light mustard vinaigrette and added some fr...

Who needs flowers when you can have a bunch of funky greens?!? Don't get me wrong...in a career before kids I was a florist. So, I know the power of a bouquet. But, at this point in my life, I'm more excited about seasonal greens. Have you ever had purslane? I first encountered purslane in a CSA box. It almost looks like a succulent. Amazingly, its leaves have more omega-3 fatty acids than in some of the fish oils. I think I read somewhere that it's technically a succulent herb. And it definitely has a lot of flavor. Think sour and salty all at the same time. Tonight I used it in a quick orzo dish with other herbs, carrot top greens, celery, carrots, and some parmesan cheese. Easy dinner! And the boys loved it so much, they all requested leftovers in their lunches tomorrow. Now that is saying something.

I saw Shaheen's 'Eat Your Greens' food blog challenge, at A2K - A Seasonal Veg Table and I knew that I wanted to participate. Here's the invitation . Encouraging people to eat their greens is a passion of mine. We even eat the greens from our carrot bunches! Pesto is one of my favorite greens recipes because it's so versatile. It's a sauce that originated in the Ligurian region of northern Italy.  Pesto genovese,  from Genoa, traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil, and pine nuts blended with olive oil and  Parmigiano Reggiano.  But you can make it from any greens that you have. I've made it with Mizuna greens, dandelion greens, and even just parsley. This version is made with wild arugula greens, parsley, and black garlic. Click to read about  my intro to black garlic . This is a super duper, super delicious non-traditional pesto. The name derives from the Italian verb  pestare  which means to pound or to crush, referring to t...

My brunch entree of choice is always eggs benedict. Always. It doesn't much matter what kind of benedict, I'll eat it. So, I wanted to create one for #BrunchWeek. This one - with cracked crab and artichoke - is one that I save for special occasions. This is a multi-layered breakfast that is sure to impress your brunch guests, but it's not too difficult. It just takes some patience...and time. It's #Brunchweek!  We're on the fifth day of our second annual week-long blogging event hosted by Terri of   Love and Confections  and Susan of  The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen ! Join us this whole week - May 5th through 11th - while we celebrate the deliciousness of brunch and prepare for Mother's Day and the summer brunching season.  We are 32 bloggers strong, bringing you recipes for everything from cocktails to eggs benedict to donuts. Our amazing sponsors have donated some great prizes for a gigantic giveaway. Click ( here ) to read about this fun event, the...

When my mom and I were discussing the menu for my dad's 65th birthday dinner, she was thinking lamb. I was thinking lobster. "Well, can we have both?" she wondered. It's your party.  So, that's what we decided to do. I told her that I could roast the lobster and place it on a bed of wilted greens as the salad course.  1 lobster tail per person olive oil freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 1 leek, trimmed and sliced into thin coins 1-2 handfuls of greens per person balsamic vinegar for drizzling First...to roast the lobster... Preheat the oven to 350F. Using kitchen shears, cut each lobster tail down the back, stopping at the last segment before the tail piece. Bend back the tail until you hear a loud crack. Slip a knife between the meat and the bottom membrane, freeing tail meat from the shell. Pull the meat up and over the shell, closing the shell shut beneath it. The tail meat, then, piggybacks on top of the shell.  Coat the lobster mea...

A friend introduced me to We Olive last year when she brought me to the Paso Robles store while our husbands and kiddos did boy-things at the J-Squared Ranch on Mothers' Day weekend. Think bows and arrows! Pia and I headed into Paso Robles for a much-needed break from all things testosterone. And, as we usually do, when we get some girl time, we ate. Tasted, nibbled, imbibed, and tasted some more. We started off at We Olive  where we tasted olive oils that ran the gamut from fruity and light to grassy and robust. We also tasted oils that were infused with everything from blood orange and Meyer lemon to piquant peppers. And we both walked out with multiple bottles of some delicious oils and vinegars, wholly inspired to go home and create delicious dishes that highlighted our purchases. Here's a dish I make that pairs well with We Olive's Lemon Olive Oil . The oil is soft and buttery with a hint of lemon. I decided it would be the perfect complement to some roasted...

No need to wait for Valentines' Day to treat my boys to a lobster dinner! But this would make a delicious celebration of romance...on any day of the year. 1 lobster tail per person olive oil freshly ground salt Preheat the oven to 350F. Using kitchen shears, cut each lobster tail down the back, stopping at the last segment before the tail piece. Bend back the tail until you hear a loud crack. Slip a knife between the meat and the bottom membrane, freeing tail meat from the shell. Pull the meat up and over the shell, closing the shell shut beneath it. The tail meat, then, piggybacks on top of the shell. I have only done this one time before, but Sasha - of Global Table Adventure - provides a  video  if you need more help. Coat the lobster meat with a generous coating of oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 1-2 minutes per ounce of weight, if fresh. It might take longer if the tail is frozen. I placed the cooked tails on a bed of braised greens, sp...

When I was thinking up a theme for a casual Friday evening potluck on the beach - for Fathers' Day weekend - several things popped into my head. But I kept coming back to salt. 'Salt of the Earth', as in dependable, decent, and unpretentious. Salt because it's the only edible rock, to honor these men, dads to our kiddos, loves of our lives, our rocks. Okay, that's a little bit corny. But still, I kept returning to salt. So, for this first Friday of summer vacation, we had a salty feast for our salt-of-the-earth rocks. For my salty guy, and all the other salty dudes, I offered up:   Kale Salad with Porcini Salt Wash and chop your kale into bite-sized pieces. Blanch them until softened, but not mushy. Drain. Season with a splash of olive oil, soy sauce, white sesame seeds, and porcini mushroom salt to taste. I use this procedure for any greens - mustard greens, chard, collard greens, beet greens, and even spinach. Black Lava Salted Marshmallows ...