Conscious Choice: Field of Greens

January 1999 | Cooking with the Seasons

Field of Greens

by Colette Christian

"Eat your greens," we all heard as children. Green vegetables are good for you, vitamins, minerals, and so on. You could push them around your plate and make interesting designs, or feed them to the dog. We all had our methods for playing with them. But time went on and our palates began to mature. Vegetables became appealing, even interesting. Now we actually want to eat our green leafy veggies.

Greens such as Swiss chard, beet, kale, and collard greens are often overlooked by home chefs. We tend to associate greens with gray, mushy, and overcooked. This need not be the case.

I was a slow starter as a greens cook. Many of the restaurants I’ve worked at didn’t experiment with them much. Ornamental kale, of course, was a novelty, and spinach seemed to be reserved only for salads. Greens have a poor yield compared to other vegetables, which may be the reason they’re not used as frequently as our more mainstream vegetables. However, more and more chefs are turning to greens to brighten their menus. Their slightly bitter flavor sets off many other foods, and good cooks know it’s all about balance.

Gardening spurred my interest in greens cookery. Greens are easy to grow and extend the growing season by several months. They sprout easily from seed and grow very quickly. Also, my most recent cooking job has me preparing mostly vegetarian meals. I rely a lot on the sharper flavors of spinach and kale to add depth to my dishes. Cooking with them is easy and becoming more and more enjoyable and comfortable.

When shopping for greens look for small to medium-sized leaves. Larger leaves tend to be bitter. Do not buy greens that are soft, yellowed or dried out. Limp greens are not able to be revived, and they’re a waste of money no matter what the price. To store greens, leave them unwashed, but wrap them in a damp paper towel and refrigerate.

Greens cook down to almost nothing. We’ve all seen a big bag of spinach reduced to a squeezed out handful. Rule of thumb: it takes 2-3 pounds of cooked greens to yield 1 1/2 cups. Remember, greens cook down to one-quarter to one-eighth of their original volume.

Like their salad counterparts, greens must be washed carefully to remove dirt. My favorite method is to fill the sink or a dishtub with cold water and immerse the greens; the dirt will sink to the bottom. If the water is very dirty, repeat the process. Gently scoop the clean greens out, lightly towel dry with a paper towel, and cook.

I remove as much of the woody stem as possible. Often, I pull up on the stems and their woody core lifts away. The exception is broccoli de rape whose stems I peel with a small paring knife.

Greens are mellowed by blanching in a flavorful bouillon or stock. Southern recipes refer to this bouillon as "pot likker." They often dunk cornbread in it. Often a ham bone is added to the broth but I’ve had good results with vegetable stock. This leftover stock becomes a natural soup base and should be saved. You can always freeze it, if you can’t use it immediately.

Look for greens at your market. They are a nice change of pace for your menus combining color, flavor, and nutrition in a neat tidy bundle. And don’t overlook winter’s dark leafy greens. It’s December as I write this, and I still have kale flourishing in the garden; it is persistent and hardy, not to mention delicious. Kale, spinach, and chard are all reasonably priced in our markets during wintertime. Be sure to seek out these nutritious offerings instead of the standard summer greens that once were so available at the markets. Then: just relax and have fun experimenting with them!

Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup
Serves 6-8

2 cups lentils
1 quart vegetable stock
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 Tablespoons canola oil
6-8 cups Swiss Chard* sliced into 1/2 inch strips
salt and fresh ground black pepper
* Kale or spinach also work well in this recipe

1. Wash lentils in cold water and pick over.
2. Sauté onions, carrots, celery and garlic in canola oil until vegetables are softened, add thyme.
Add drained lentils and vegetable stock. Stir in the kale.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Adjust seasonings.

Broccoli de Rape is the classiest member of the greens family.
Try this marriage of greens and pasta.
Serves 4

12 ounces fettuccine, cooked and drained, toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 bunch broccoli de rape, stems peeled
pinch of crushed red pepper
1/2 cup vegetable stock
4 Tablespoons of fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil, egg, garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add broccoli de rape and toss in garlic. Add crushed red pepper and vegetable stock. Cover and cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Remove cover. Add pasta and toss. Adjust seasonings with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Kale and Cheese Squares
I make this often at work.
It is adapted from the Victory Garden Fish and Vegetable Cookbook.
Serves 10-12 as a main course

2-1/2 pounds kale, cut into 1 inch diagonal pieces
2 Tablespoons butter or canola oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic
salt and fresh ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup flour
pinch salt
5 drops of hot pepper sauce
4 cups of shredded monterey and cheddar cheeses, combined

1. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the kale. Cook for about 5 minutes. Both the leaves and the stems should be tender. Drain the kale under cold running water and squeeze it dry. Chop roughly.
2. Heat the butter or oil in a sauté pan and add the onions. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and the kale. Stir and cook gently. Cook until the excess water has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
3. Beat eggs, buttermilk, flour, salt and hot pepper sauce together in a medium bowl.
4. Sprinkle one-third of the cheese on the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with one-half the kale mixture.
Repeat with one-third cheese, then the other half of the kale. Top with remaining third of cheese. Pour the egg mixture over all and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

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