Spring greens

It's halftime in America. And no, I'm not referencing last year's Super Bowl commercial with Clint Eastwood that brought a tear to my eye. (If you don't know where I'm from, this should give you a good hint!)

It's too bad that none of our friends had a Super Bowl party this year. Maybe it's because the Super Bowl is on Sunday, all of our friends have kids, and no one wants to be h.o. on a Monday. (Did I mention that Justin took Monday off of work? Good planning, hubby!)

Since we don't have anywhere to go, I decided to throw a little party at our house. Justin's bringing the beer. Sure, it is just the three of us (dog makes three), but I spent the entire day in the kitchen nonetheless. This dish was the best by far and took the least amount of time. Go figure. However, I did have a fun adventure last night at the local Indian grocery store, which I'd never visited until then. Um, spices are so cheap there!!! I will be back. (Did I tell you that my spice collection is probably worth more than all my jewelry?)

And of course this is from Regional Indian Cooking. Funny, my friend Seth visited us yesterday and I showed him this cookbook. He has a copy of it. You should have one too!

We're done noshing and I just realized I could have done a New Orleans themed spread. Alas, next year I'll remember to do something inspired by the host city.

Ingredients

1/2 cup mustard oil (Purchased at Indian Grocery. I don't cook with a lot of oil, so I used 1/4 cup and it was very tasty. It might be a bit too pungent for my tastes if more was used.)
3 dried red chilies
1/2 tsp chili powder (I used chipotle chili powder. Just make sure this isn't the kind for chili, i.e. with cumin)
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, ground in spice grinder
1 1/2 lb assorted leafy greens and other spring vegetabls such as baby spinach, bok choy and scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
Salt

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. When it starts to smoke, reduce heat to medium.
2. Add chilies, chili powder, coriander, and any greens with firm stems. Stir and toss for two minutes. Add remaining greens and garlic and cook , tossing, until leaves wilt, 1-2 minutes.
3. Season to taste with salt. Remove and discard whole chilies. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.