Greens
November 26, 2019 5:11 PM Subscribe
My boss gave everyone a Thanksgiving box. It contains greens. I've never cooked greens.
I don't know what kind they are, I was just told they're greens.
I'm probably the only one who will eat them as I live with a family of picky eaters. There are about 2 pounds worth. I'd like to make some for Thanksgiving. If there are ways to freeze them, that would be great too.
Any recipes? Assume a standard pantry and access to a standard grocery store.
I don't know what kind they are, I was just told they're greens.
I'm probably the only one who will eat them as I live with a family of picky eaters. There are about 2 pounds worth. I'd like to make some for Thanksgiving. If there are ways to freeze them, that would be great too.
Any recipes? Assume a standard pantry and access to a standard grocery store.
I usually eat greens in salads, but if you're looking for something hot, this is good.
posted by pinochiette at 5:22 PM on November 26, 2019
posted by pinochiette at 5:22 PM on November 26, 2019
You can freeze greens by just rinsing (to get off dirt, etc) and freezing in a ziplock bag. Chopping is optional - frozen greens break off nicely.
For cooking, my favourite recipe is to pan-fry in olive oil with garlic and soy sauce - first the garlic, maybe brown a little, then the greens, then the soy sauce. Cook lightly for delicate greens (eg spinach), longer for kale or collards - with collards, you can put the heat right up and brown them. Very tasty.
Greens are often bitter when raw, but sweeten with cooking. They will never be "sweet", but the garlic and soy sauce also soften and complement the slight bitterness.
posted by jb at 5:23 PM on November 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
For cooking, my favourite recipe is to pan-fry in olive oil with garlic and soy sauce - first the garlic, maybe brown a little, then the greens, then the soy sauce. Cook lightly for delicate greens (eg spinach), longer for kale or collards - with collards, you can put the heat right up and brown them. Very tasty.
Greens are often bitter when raw, but sweeten with cooking. They will never be "sweet", but the garlic and soy sauce also soften and complement the slight bitterness.
posted by jb at 5:23 PM on November 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
If the kind of greens you got have woody stems, trim them away. Chop into short strips or pieces.
Sautee some chopped shallots — and minced garlic, if it works with your menu — in olive oil until translucent. If you want it spicy, add red pepper flakes.
Add greens and a couple cups of chicken broth (or veggie). Douse in red wine vinegar. You can use a fruit infused one if you want it to come out both tangy and sweet. TJ's has a pomegranate infused red wine vinegar that works well. Toss in a few pinches of salt.
Heat until it starts to simmer than lower heat until barely bubbling and allow greens to reduce. Add more broth if needed to encourage the greens to cook down, but they tend to give off a lot of liquid that you'll eventually need to cook off or drain.
Cook until tender, which will depend upon the kind of greens, tasting occasionally to adjust vinegar. Add broth if it starts to get to dry, or slightly increase heat to cook off excess liquid, although it's best to leave a bit extra if you're waiting to serve — in which case turn off the heat and cover. Reheat over gentle heat if needed.
See the recent kale thread for more, most of those preparations should work for other greens.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:24 PM on November 26, 2019
Sautee some chopped shallots — and minced garlic, if it works with your menu — in olive oil until translucent. If you want it spicy, add red pepper flakes.
Add greens and a couple cups of chicken broth (or veggie). Douse in red wine vinegar. You can use a fruit infused one if you want it to come out both tangy and sweet. TJ's has a pomegranate infused red wine vinegar that works well. Toss in a few pinches of salt.
Heat until it starts to simmer than lower heat until barely bubbling and allow greens to reduce. Add more broth if needed to encourage the greens to cook down, but they tend to give off a lot of liquid that you'll eventually need to cook off or drain.
Cook until tender, which will depend upon the kind of greens, tasting occasionally to adjust vinegar. Add broth if it starts to get to dry, or slightly increase heat to cook off excess liquid, although it's best to leave a bit extra if you're waiting to serve — in which case turn off the heat and cover. Reheat over gentle heat if needed.
See the recent kale thread for more, most of those preparations should work for other greens.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:24 PM on November 26, 2019
The critical factor for greens is whether they're "tender" or "hearty." Tender greens you can eat raw, as in a salad. Lettuces and spinach are in this group.
Hearty greens, which include mature kale, collard greens, mustard greens, etc. need to be tenderized, either by mechanical tenderization (removing tough ribs and slicing into thin strips, typically-- pounding greens isn't anything I've ever heard of), or by cooking (more typical).
Greens that're in between (romaine is a tender green with some hearty ribs), you can cook gently-- grilled romaine is tasty. Hearty greens are more commonly stewed than roasted, as far as I'm aware, but both work. Saute, too-- you can saute anything as long as it doesn't get too wet.
posted by Sunburnt at 5:26 PM on November 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Hearty greens, which include mature kale, collard greens, mustard greens, etc. need to be tenderized, either by mechanical tenderization (removing tough ribs and slicing into thin strips, typically-- pounding greens isn't anything I've ever heard of), or by cooking (more typical).
Greens that're in between (romaine is a tender green with some hearty ribs), you can cook gently-- grilled romaine is tasty. Hearty greens are more commonly stewed than roasted, as far as I'm aware, but both work. Saute, too-- you can saute anything as long as it doesn't get too wet.
posted by Sunburnt at 5:26 PM on November 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Chop stems and sauté. Once tender chop leafy parts and sauté/wilt. Serve. Ta-da!
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 6:18 PM on November 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 6:18 PM on November 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
Assuming you have chard or kale or something similar:
Wash them and separate the stems from the leafy greens. Chop the stems into small bits. Slice or use scissors to cut the leafy parts into ribbons approximately 1/4" x 2" (or even 1/8"x 3-4"). Dice some garlic.
Turn on heat under a saucepan and put a bunch (like 2 TB) of olive oil in. Don't let the oil start to smoke -- put the garlic in before it's too hot. After the garlic warms up (don't let it burn), put the stems in, along with maybe 1/8 - 1/4 c water. You basically want the water to turn to steam ASAP. Put a lid on. Stir occasionally until the stems are al dente.
Next, throw in the leafy ribbons. There should be a tiny bit of water in the pan and maybe some on the greens; otherwise, add a spoonful. Stir more or less constantly until they glisten, which only takes maybe 3 minutes.
That's the basic recipe for garlicky greens. If you want a stronger flavor, one good combo is lemon juice and dried cranberries. Another is balsamic vinegar and soy sauce in equal proportions with a little dab of tabasco and a slightly larger dab of tamarind or the closest equivalent (or omit that entirely). Enjoy!
posted by slidell at 6:49 PM on November 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
Wash them and separate the stems from the leafy greens. Chop the stems into small bits. Slice or use scissors to cut the leafy parts into ribbons approximately 1/4" x 2" (or even 1/8"x 3-4"). Dice some garlic.
Turn on heat under a saucepan and put a bunch (like 2 TB) of olive oil in. Don't let the oil start to smoke -- put the garlic in before it's too hot. After the garlic warms up (don't let it burn), put the stems in, along with maybe 1/8 - 1/4 c water. You basically want the water to turn to steam ASAP. Put a lid on. Stir occasionally until the stems are al dente.
Next, throw in the leafy ribbons. There should be a tiny bit of water in the pan and maybe some on the greens; otherwise, add a spoonful. Stir more or less constantly until they glisten, which only takes maybe 3 minutes.
That's the basic recipe for garlicky greens. If you want a stronger flavor, one good combo is lemon juice and dried cranberries. Another is balsamic vinegar and soy sauce in equal proportions with a little dab of tabasco and a slightly larger dab of tamarind or the closest equivalent (or omit that entirely). Enjoy!
posted by slidell at 6:49 PM on November 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
Steam until tender, then stir in a can of coconut milk, some cooked chickpeas, some yellow curry powder, lemon juice, and salt. Serve over rice.
Or steam, then mix with cubed cooked potatoes, sautéed onion, garbanzo flour, Indian seasonings, and fry into pakoras.
posted by mezzanayne at 6:53 PM on November 26, 2019
Or steam, then mix with cubed cooked potatoes, sautéed onion, garbanzo flour, Indian seasonings, and fry into pakoras.
posted by mezzanayne at 6:53 PM on November 26, 2019
If these turn out to be greens in the sense of collard, mustard, turnip, you absolutely can cook and freeze. I would think blanching and freezing would also be an option, but if you stew them in one of the traditional manners you could then freeze mini-servings of it to use later in soups and stews without worrying it needs too much more cooking.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:08 PM on November 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Lyn Never at 7:08 PM on November 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
No collard greens with ham suggestions???
posted by praemunire at 10:10 PM on November 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 10:10 PM on November 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
This video is about making polenta with sauteed greens - in this case, Swiss chard - but it might be helpful even if you don't make the polenta because it shows how to cook the stems and leaves. It's also nice to put a fried or poached egg on top of sauteed greens.
posted by neushoorn at 1:12 AM on November 27, 2019
posted by neushoorn at 1:12 AM on November 27, 2019
I've lived in the Old South for over 40 years and come to LOVE greens, hearty ones like mustard, collards, turnip, cooked in salted water with some cured pork if you are a meat eater, eaten with a little hot sauce on top. Since there's little point in cooking a small pot of greens, know they freeze after cooking pretty well.
posted by tmdonahue at 4:26 AM on November 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by tmdonahue at 4:26 AM on November 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm impressed that any US holiday box would contain greens, tbh.
Post a link to a pic here and I'm sure someone can ID.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 5:36 AM on November 27, 2019
Post a link to a pic here and I'm sure someone can ID.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 5:36 AM on November 27, 2019
Best answer: Southern or soul cooking makes fantastic, buttery, tender collard/ mustard/ turnip greens. Shorter cooking times for chard. If you can get a nice bit of ham with a ham bone, it makes the best broth and flavor.
posted by theora55 at 6:26 AM on November 27, 2019
posted by theora55 at 6:26 AM on November 27, 2019
Best answer: Or, to add to theora55, if you don't eat pork, smoked turkey wings or necks.
posted by tmdonahue at 7:35 AM on November 27, 2019
posted by tmdonahue at 7:35 AM on November 27, 2019
In addition to the great standard greens sauteeing recipes above, I often make kale/chard/whatever hearty green pesto. Just wash/dry, remove the stems, roughly chop, and throw in the food processor with some garlic, toasted walnuts, olive oil, and parmesan. Whir until it becomes a saucy consistency, then taste and adjust the flavors to your preference (more garlic! black pepper! etc)
I make a big batch every time the greens section of my garden gets too crowded, then freeze it in small portions to add to chicken or fish.
posted by writermcwriterson at 8:25 AM on November 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
I make a big batch every time the greens section of my garden gets too crowded, then freeze it in small portions to add to chicken or fish.
posted by writermcwriterson at 8:25 AM on November 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Definitely collard greens. I think I'm going to go the southern route. That sounds good. And there's definitely less than 2 pounds. I overestimated the weight :)
And I'll keep the other recipes in mind for the future.
posted by kathrynm at 9:05 AM on November 27, 2019
And I'll keep the other recipes in mind for the future.
posted by kathrynm at 9:05 AM on November 27, 2019
If the kind of greens you got have woody stems, trim them away.
But then save them to put into a stew or other dish that will be cooked thoroughly.
posted by jb at 11:26 AM on November 27, 2019
But then save them to put into a stew or other dish that will be cooked thoroughly.
posted by jb at 11:26 AM on November 27, 2019
If you want to go southern, I've made this recipe and it is amaze.
posted by *s at 12:54 PM on November 27, 2019
posted by *s at 12:54 PM on November 27, 2019
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The thing is, your cooking times will vary depending on which green they are--some are delicate and only need to be cooked for a short period of time; you might be able to eat them raw, even. But others are very tough and need to be cooked a long time in order to be edible.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:19 PM on November 26, 2019 [2 favorites]