It's all about that Ph balance!

For me and many Chefs, it's all about the balance of acid to sugar!

We pay so much attention to the Ph in the soil when we plant a garden, but how many times do we think about the Ph of our food and our bodies?

With this wonderful veggie dish, I have the sweetness of the onions, the bitter of the greens and the acid of the tomatoes.  At certain times of the year, such as the spring and early summer, the oxallic levels of leafy greens such as spinach, chard and kale are really high.

Oxallic acid is the ingredient that helps the plant survive by killing off some of the bugs that are feeding on them.  This acid can also cause us to have throat irritations. That's why many European Chefs cook their greens with a little acid, such vinegar, wine or fruit, like tomatoes, making for a perfectly balanced dish.

In this I cooked some onion, broccoli stalks (peeled), red cabbage, garlic, kale and cherry tomatoes, with a little smoked paprika and salt and pepper.  try it, it's wonderful!

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Chard and Spinach = Oxallic Acid

All greens are loaded with minerals and vitamins.  They're also loaded with oxalic acid.  Especially chard and spinach.  These greens should be avoided being eaten raw.  Two of my friends were helping me pick greens this summer, later that day they cooked some chard and spinach, al' dente, and about 45 minutes later they both had throat irritations!

So I did some research, and found that chard and spinach are loaded with oxallic acid.  It turns out the only way to neutralize the acid is to cook it or dress it with an acid!  That's why we put vinegar on salad greens.

I also found out that spinach is full of iron, but the body can only absorb the minerals if it's cooked with tomatoes.  And guess what, tomatoes are an acid!

This is how I cook chard when I don't have tomatoes.  After washing a bunch of organic chard, take the stems off and chop them up into fine dice.  I like to use a little onion or leek in this dish, so chop a little of either.  Now chop up the leaves and set aside.  Heat a saute pan up over medium heat, and melt butter or coconut oil.  When it's good and hot add the onion or leek and the chard stems and a little salt and pepper, and cook until caramelized.  When done add the greens and cook until just melted. Then add a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar to neutralize the oxallic acid.

Bon Appetit!