In the cooler months, dark leafy greens are at their flavorful best. The plants actually need a good frost to sweeten them up. Kale, Swiss chard and a southern classic, collards, are my favorites. I’ll be sharing a few recipes for these in the next few weeks. Here’s the first:

This is an easy, delicious meal which only takes about 45 minutes to prepare, including prep time. The way I cook makes it difficult for me to provide exact recipes as I improvise (a lot!). But I will provide the basics of what I did. Feel free to change it up. Also, I prepared this dinner for two, so multiply as desired.

You’ll need:
2 slices bacon
1 medium bunch fresh kale or Swiss chard
½ medium onion, chopped OR chopped fresh garlic, about 2 large cloves
1 cup chicken stock or water
Scant ¼ cup yellow grits
2 heaping tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, or more to taste
2 heaping tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, preferably dry, not packed in oil. Chop any large pieces.
½ cup EACH water and milk
1 tablespoon butter, optional
¾ – 1 lb. fresh rockfish (striped bass), rinsed and patted dry.
Penzey’s Fox Point Seasoning www.penzeys.com (or lemon pepper)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1. Wash the kale well, even if it comes in a bag that says “triple washed”. It’s preferable to buy a bunch of fresh, organic kale instead of the bagged variety. Remove tough stems, roughly chop leaves. Leave the leaves wet.

2. Cook bacon in a large pan with sides. (The kale is going in this pan.)

3. While bacon is cooking, heat water and milk to a boil, stir in grits, a pinch of salt and healthy grinding of black pepper and sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and stir frequently. Add more water if grits get too thick. After about 20 minutes, if grits look too thin, finish cooking uncovered.

4.  Remove bacon from pan and set aside on paper towel. Add onion or garlic to pan, sauté for a minute, then add wet kale. Add about 1 cup stock or water, turn kale using tongs and cover. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Don’t worry if the top won’t fit on the pan at first. The kale will reduce in size by about half as it cooks.

5.  Heat non-stick grill pan over medium – high heat. Rub both sides of fish very generously with olive oil. Sprinkle  both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle Fox Point Seasoning or lemon pepper liberally on flesh side only. When pan  is hot, place fish on grill, skin side up. Do not move fish around. Let it cook for about 10 min. (or more if fish is thick). When this side is done, fish will release from pan easily. Gently turn the fish with a large spatula. It helps if you cut the fish into serving sizes before you begin cooking. Continue cooking until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Do not over-cook.
6.  By the time the fish is done, the kale should be crisp – tender and the grits should be creamy. Crumble the bacon into the grits and stir in the cheese. Taste the kale and grits, adjust the seasoning. Add butter to the grits if you like.
The key to this meal is getting everything going at about the same time. The kale, grits and fish will take approx. the same amount of time to cook, so you will feel something like an orchestra conductor as you stir and flip each item in turn.

If you like red wine, go with a pinot noir (my choice). If you prefer white, a slightly oaky chardonnay would be nice. Enjoy!