Wild Greens and Bacon Oysters Rockafeller

This is not for the faint of heart–literally. The amount of butter in this is positively sinful, but once in a while makes for a wonderful treat. I cheat by steaming the oysters for a minute, until their top shells are loose so that I don’t have to slave over the shucking and cut my hands. I lay the more cupped side on the bottom, so that the juices stay in. You can use spinach, but I used goosefoot (an edible weed similar to spinach) instead because once spring comes around, I don’t have spinach in the house. It’s garnished with Thai basil flowers from the garden which has a basil flavor spiked with anise that I find a delicious compliment to seafood.

Ingredients

• 1 dozen oysters, shucked or steamed loose (about 1 – 2 minutes)
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 cup goosefoot or spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
• Shaved Asiago, Parmesan, or Pecorino/Romano cheese, for garnish
• Chopped cooked bacon, to taste
• Optional Thai basil flowers (or any basil) for garnish
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lemon wedges to serve

1. In a pan, saute garlic, parsley, onions, and greens in all the butter until very fragrant, but not burned.
2. If you choose to shuck the oysters raw, you can spoon the wild greens mixture over the raw oysters, garnish with cheese and bacon, and broil for about 2 minutes or until the oyster meat is just cooked. If it’s already been steamed done, skip the broiling process.
3. Garnish with shaved cheese, basil, salt and pepper to taste, and serve with lemon wedges.