My kitchen seems to be going through a bit of a renaissance lately. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m sensing something unusual, something that may have gone missing for a while now. My kitchen is the same old, window-less, drab, and tiny galley space but it’s getting a bit shimmery around the edges. It pulses and hums and while it’s not something I can actually see or hear, I know it’s there. If I was in a Bollywood movie from 1965, this feeling might make me want to put on a shiny ruffled gold dress and start shaking my face, if you know what I mean. (I know, awesome right? I first saw that clip in the amazing movie Ghost World, but I’m happy there is YouTube to see the extended dance version).
Making meals isn’t a chore or a necessity but something I’m happy to do. I’m baking like crazy, chopping vegetables for the most amazing salads, and everything seems to taste brighter, more intensely flavourful than ever before. It’s like the stereo is turned up loud and our disco ball is spinning wildly (yes, we have a disco ball and around golden hour, when the light is just right, the light fractures and bounces and makes me smile like crazy). I’m hoping to hold on to this feeling for however long it lasts because it makes everything so much more pleasurable. Chopping. Grating. Eating. Drinking. Cleaning up. Well, maybe not the cleaning up bit. There’s magic in this space right now and I’m going to let the good times roll onwards for as long as I can milk it.
And here is some of that delicious milk. Greens, lots of ’em, healthy and ho-hum, right? Not this batch, no siree Bob! This dish of kale, green beans and zucchini has its head held high with a good dose of wine, lemon, garlic, Parmesan and some aleppo pepper for kicks. It’s easy to whip up and it doesn’t require a whole lot of fuss which makes it easy to grab some of that magic for yourself.
spicy lemon parmesan green beans, kale & zucchini
(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)
2 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 lb green beans, cut into thirds
3 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 bunch kale, cut into thin ribbons
1/4 c white wine
1/2 t salt
1/4 t aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper
1 small zucchini, cut into batons
1/2 lemon
3 T grated parmesan cheeseHeat the olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add in the garlic, green onions, green beans and kale, and toss until bright green – about 4 minutes. Add in the wine along with the salt and pepper and give everything a good toss. Add in the zucchini and turn down the heat slightly and cook for 2 more minutes. Squeeze the lemon over the vegetables and sprinkle the parmesan over top.
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First, I want whatever you’ve been eating, drinking or smoking that has put you in that mood!
Second, how do you find out about these music clips? Such fun!
Third, I like healthy and ho hum…sometimes. But I like healthy and delicious…all the time! Looks like this dish falls into the latter category! Just love kale, garlic and parmesan!
If a disco ball were to hang in my house, surely there would also be a gold ruffled dress hung up somewhere nearby.
Just broke the seal on a new jar of aleppo powder less than three hours ago. Quite excited to have a new recipe to use it in. Thanks!
I have all these ingredients in there, just WAITING for me to make this. I am doing it tomorrow for sure! Thanks I love the sound of this!
I love actually feeling inspired to be in the kitchen rather than just going through the motions. Unfortunately, I do vacillate between one and the other on occasion, though usually it’s more the disco ball kind of sensation. Fresh veggies and oodles of green always help get me in the mood to cook. What a great dish this is!
Okay I’ll admit it, I’ve never heard of aleppo pepper before… might have to take a look for it when we go down into the city tomorrow. And to think I have beaucoup zucchini and green beans so this will be a pleasant change!!
Now for a really important question….. Can you RECOMMEND a white wine? We do not drink alcoholic beverages but I do like to cook with a bit of wine but am tired of using the ill flavored cooking wines. What about a red wine as well? Thank you!!
Thanks for this- i’ve got tons of all of this in my garden just waiting to go!
Loved this post!! Thank you…just as I was thinking about what to cook up for dinner this brightened the day 🙂
No sir. Those don’t look ho-hom at all. You’ve combined all my fave ingredients. Delicious!
Bijoux, maybe because I’ve retired as dishwasher helper and have my husband now doing all the dishes!!! As for this dish, you’ll love it, I know it!
Molly, I better get at that gold dress then! I hope you love the aleppo pepper – I bought some in NYC since it’s hard to find here and I use it on everything!
Thanks Piper, hope you love it as much as I did.
Joanne, going through the motions is never any fun, but I guess it’s crazy to expect it to be all happy good time kitchen every time. I think you’ll love this dish 🙂
Peggy, I only heard about it recently and when I was in NYC I picked up a bag full! It’s turkish and has a good flavour without being too spicy. As for white wine or red wine, I’m no connoisseur – I often pick by how nice the label is or what the write up says! Good luck 🙂
No problem, Ashley, enjoy!
Barby, happy to provide a bright spot in your day!
achowlife, aw thank you! I’m a fave of these vegetables too & together it’s a pretty wonderful combo!
Wow, I’m envious of your kitchen-mojo!
Think this concoction would be good on a pizza?
this looks so good! i think it must be all the farmer’s markets + summer time too that makes cooking right now soooo nice. i love this time of year.
What a great combination of flavours! One question though: what is kale? Can I get my hands on them in NZ??
Ahhh, where did my disco ball go? I miss it, and the daily spray of sunlight it delivered.
This little side sounds perfect–lemony, bright, and the perfect way to say goodbye to the bag green beans lingering in the fridge.
Elena, why not! I think it would be delicious anywhere. Let me know how it goes.
Aw thanks Lori! We should go for a market date together soon!
Lucy, kale is a bitter green, similar to chard. It’s quite easy to find here – not sure about NZ. You should be able to grow some if you’ve got a garden. Good luck!
Elizabeth, it was a silly purchase 15 years ago, but I love it just for those light sprays!
This sounds amazing. I love the modifications you made to the original recipe. And I love all the green!
Thanks Ashley – it’s become a new standard recipe in our house. It makes dealing with our CSA a snap now 🙂
I served this on brown rice, and it was v. tasty; another hit for Ms. Pleat. The lemon and wine combine nicely and the aleppo pepper is subtle but pleasant. One minor edit: Green onions are left out of the instructions and green beans are listed twice.