Conscious Choice: Overcooked, Stinky Greens...Not!

November 2003 | Cooking with the Seasons

Overcooked, Stinky Greens...Not!

by Terra Brockman

Certain vegetables seem to have no season. They are always there at the grocery store, and even at the farmers market and in community supported agriculture shares. But even these vegetables have their season. The Italians and other truly seasonal eaters, know that the winter greens — turnip greens, mustard greens, collards, and kale — grow lush and green and get sweeter and more tender as the mercury dips ever closer to the freezing point. So now is the time, as the days get shorter and cooler, to make a soup or stew with hearty winter greens, especially kale.

Kales are beginning to show up in novel forms and colors, far from the overcooked stinky greens that linger in the popular imagination. Curly green kale is the most common type — with its large, crispy, blue-green leaves. Tuscan kale is one name for the plumed beauty called, variously, dinosaur kale, black kale, cavolo nero, lacinato, or Tuscan black kale. Red Russian, Siberian, white Russian, and winter red belong to a different species of kale and have smaller, less frilly leaves that look something like a cross between an oak leaf and a turnip top.

All kale leaves contain more nutrition per ounce than practically any other vegetable. One four ounce serving provides all the adult daily requirement of vitamin A and C and 20 percent of the calcium requirement. In addition, it supplies substantial folic acid and iron.

Kale, collards, turnip and mustard greens can be used interchangeably in recipes. All love bold flavors, so try to include at least one or two of the following types of ingredients (preferably organic) when preparing them.

* Sweetly pungent aromatics: garlic, onions, fresh ginger (be generous with amounts).

* Something meaty and/or smoky: pancetta, bacon, chorizo, kielbasa, any cured meat.

* Anything sharp and spicy: vinegar, lemon juice, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, chile or curry paste, minced hot peppers.

* Anything creamy: heavy cream, sour cream, goat cheese, Romano, or Parmesan cheese.

This last category — cream — has an especially magical effect on the slightly rough flavors of some greens, and is an excellent way to introduce these winter greens to people who think they may not like them.

Garlic Braised Kale with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, cut in half, smashed, and peeled

2 Tablespoons finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, well drained

1/2 pound stemmed kale leaves (from about 1/2 large bunch kale), washed and cut into 1-inch ribbons (cavolo nero is good or use a combination of kale and turnip or mustard greens)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 ounces goat cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine.

2. Add the kale, tossing to coat it well with the oil. Season with the salt and a few grinds of pepper and continue stirring until all the kale is wilted.

3. Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the kale has softened, about 8 minutes. Uncover, turn the heat to high and boil away the remaining liquid, stirring frequently, until the pan is almost dry.

4. Take the pan off the heat. Season with the vinegar and stir to combine. Transfer to a small serving dish or plates. Top with crumbled goat cheese. Serves two as a side dish.

Lentil, Kale, and Sausage Soup

4 ounces (2 1/2-inch piece) smoked kielbasa, sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, sliced thin

1/2 cup lentils

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 small bunch kale, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves sliced thin (about 2 cups)

1 Tablespoon balsamic or red-wine vinegar

1. In a 3-quart heavy saucepan, brown sausage over moderate heat and transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

2. If there is more than 1 teaspoon fat in pan, pour off excess; if there is less, add enough oil to equal 1 teaspoon fat. Cook garlic, stirring, until golden. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened.

3. Add lentils, water, broth, and sausage and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Add kale and simmer, uncovered, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 3-4.

Italian Kale with Chick Peas and Garlic

One bunch Italian kale (cavolo nero)

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5-10 cloves garlic

1 cup cooked chick peas

1. Wash kale and stack leaves on the cutting board and cut into 1/2 inch ribbons.

2. Drop kale into boiling salted water and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water, squeezing out excess water.

3. Heat olive oil in a saucepan and add garlic. Sauté until tender, but not brown. Add chickpeas and kale and sauté until heated throughout.

Terra Brockman is the director of The Land Connection Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving farmland and promoting small-scale, diversified, organic agriculture in Illinois. Visit www.thelandconnection.org or call 309-965-2407 to learn how to get involved.

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