On Sunday evening we paid a visit to our P-Patch to do some weeding. In early spring, I planted a few baby Dinosaur kale (also called ‘Lacinato’ kale) along the border of our plot.  It now stands nearly two feet tall and its rumply, crumply leaves were just begging to be harvested. After digging out a slightly embarrassing amount of weeds, I plucked a few kale leaves, pulled up some immature spring garlic, snipped off a few sprigs of oregano and walked home with recipe ideas whirling around in my head.

Dinosaur kale in the garden

A bumper crop of Greek oregano

After considering frittatas and stir fries, I settled on making a hearty wild rice bowl, laced with ribbons of kale, and studded with asparagus, chunks of spring garlic, and feta cheese. To give the dish a little zip, I tossed everything together with a simple oregano balsamic vinaigrette and topped it off with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts. It was delicious!

Wild Rice with Spring Vegetables and Feta

A few months ago I discovered that Trader Joe’s sells pre-cooked packages of wild rice. It doesn’t compare to freshly cooked wild rice, but it’s tasty and you can’t beat its preparation time (3 minutes). The rest of this dish comes together in just a few minutes, making it a quick and tasty option for weeknights. Jon’s a vegetarian, so I served this as our main dish, but it would also make a great side for roasted chicken.

Don’t be thrown off by the large amount of garlic called for. Spring garlic has smooth skin (much like an onion) and is milder than mature garlic, so you can get away with using lots. If you can’t find spring garlic, use two cloves of minced garlic or chop up four or five cloves of roasted garlic.

You’ll need:

2 cups cooked wild rice

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for stir frying

1 or 2 bulbs of spring garlic (about 1/3 cup roughly chopped)

1 pound asparagus

6 large Dinosaur kale leaves

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar (if you don’t have white, just use red balsamic)

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 tsp maple syrup

1 ½ tsp oregano, minced

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

¾ cup crumbled feta

Salt and Pepper to taste

Calendula petals for garnish

Instructions:

 1. Wash the garlic thoroughly. Then, slice off its roots and chop the bulb(s) into pieces. Wash the asparagus, cut off the woody ends, and slice the spears into ½ inch long pieces. Remove the center rib of each kale leaf and then slice the leaves into thin ribbons. Place the kale into a colander and wash thoroughly.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a wide skillet until it shimmers. Add the garlic and asparagus, stirring occasionally until the garlic begins to brown and the asparagus is crisp tender (about 5 minutes).

3. Add the kale, with water still clinging to its leaves, into the pan and cook until it’s bright green and just barely beginning to wilt (about 1 minute). Remove the vegetables from the heat and stir them into the cooked wild rice. Toast the pine nuts in a toaster oven or in a dry skillet until lightly browned.

4. For the vinaigrette: In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegars, garlic, maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon of the oregano. As you whisk, slowly add in the olive oil. Continue whisking until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Pour a half a cup of the vinaigrette over the rice and toss to coat. Then, mix in the cheese and adjust the flavors, adding more vinaigrette, salt, or pepper if needed. Serve in large bowls and top with toasted pine nuts and a sprinkle of minced oregano.  Garnish with calendula petals to add a burst of color, if you like.