Greens on The Green
March 9, 2010 6:19 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for some great recipes involving leafy greens (chard, kale, spinach, collards, etc.). The catch? I don't like leafy greens.
I want to up my leafy green intake, but the problem is, I don't really like a lot of leafy greens! I do like spinach, but anything more hard-core tastes bitter to me. I'm guessing this is an acquired taste, but in the meantime, I'd love some recipes that will make leafy greens taste good to me. I've tried sauteeing chard with bacon, which was ok but not amazing.
I've seen these posts, but I want more!
I like all kinds of different foods, and I eat meat, so the recipes don't need to be vegetarian or vegan. I especially like stir fries, Indian, Mexican and Mediterranean cuisines, and anything involving eggs (although greens always seem to make frittatas watery) or noodles/pasta.
Also, I've heard that, for the tougher greens like kale, they need to be boiled first to break down the fibers and make the nutrients digestible. Is this true, or is sauteeing sufficient?
I want to up my leafy green intake, but the problem is, I don't really like a lot of leafy greens! I do like spinach, but anything more hard-core tastes bitter to me. I'm guessing this is an acquired taste, but in the meantime, I'd love some recipes that will make leafy greens taste good to me. I've tried sauteeing chard with bacon, which was ok but not amazing.
I've seen these posts, but I want more!
I like all kinds of different foods, and I eat meat, so the recipes don't need to be vegetarian or vegan. I especially like stir fries, Indian, Mexican and Mediterranean cuisines, and anything involving eggs (although greens always seem to make frittatas watery) or noodles/pasta.
Also, I've heard that, for the tougher greens like kale, they need to be boiled first to break down the fibers and make the nutrients digestible. Is this true, or is sauteeing sufficient?
Two words: KALE CHIPS. I used this recipe to roast the last kale from our garden this past autumn. It was amazing. I ate most of it plain but also saved some to put on top of lentil soup as a crunchy garnish. Heavenly!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 6:23 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 6:23 PM on March 9, 2010
Best answer: My favorite spinach-in-something recipe isn't so much a recipe as an assembly.
Take boneless skinless chicken breasts and butterfly them. In the middle, place mozzarella cheese and a big helping of thawed frozen spinach. Cover the breasts with salsa or tomato sauce and bake until cooked through. Delicious.
Spinach dip is also a favorite of mine, but that's not really upping your green intake as upping your fat intake. Still, delicious.
posted by xingcat at 6:26 PM on March 9, 2010
Take boneless skinless chicken breasts and butterfly them. In the middle, place mozzarella cheese and a big helping of thawed frozen spinach. Cover the breasts with salsa or tomato sauce and bake until cooked through. Delicious.
Spinach dip is also a favorite of mine, but that's not really upping your green intake as upping your fat intake. Still, delicious.
posted by xingcat at 6:26 PM on March 9, 2010
I've been blending frozen (well, slightly microwave thawed) kale into my morning smoothie. The flavor disappears.
posted by carlh at 6:27 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by carlh at 6:27 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If you find them bitter, you might be keeping them around too long. Greens have a surprisingly short life in the fridge, and their taste gets stronger and more bitter and cabbagey the longer they sit around. I use mine within about three days, and I make sure they stay in the coldest part of the fridge.
I'm not crazy about traditional boiled down greens, so what I do is mostly stick to chard, chiffonade it very finely (after cutting out the rib) and then eat it almost raw added to pasta with sauce, or to couscous (with a stew or just with lots of flavorings and pine nuts). With the couscous especially, it almost ends up like a salad.
I also don't think greens are tasty without some kind of acid, so whatever I'm doing with them I add a dash of vinegar (improves that sauteed with bacon dish a thousand times over), or lemon juice.
I can't speak to the boiling thing, but my instinctive reaction is that life's too short, and if you're eating real foods, you should just eat them however you like them!
posted by crabintheocean at 6:29 PM on March 9, 2010
I'm not crazy about traditional boiled down greens, so what I do is mostly stick to chard, chiffonade it very finely (after cutting out the rib) and then eat it almost raw added to pasta with sauce, or to couscous (with a stew or just with lots of flavorings and pine nuts). With the couscous especially, it almost ends up like a salad.
I also don't think greens are tasty without some kind of acid, so whatever I'm doing with them I add a dash of vinegar (improves that sauteed with bacon dish a thousand times over), or lemon juice.
I can't speak to the boiling thing, but my instinctive reaction is that life's too short, and if you're eating real foods, you should just eat them however you like them!
posted by crabintheocean at 6:29 PM on March 9, 2010
One trick for reducing bitterness in leafy greens is to parboil them in salted water for three or four minutes, just until they turn vividly, intensely green, then drain them and submerge in ice water to stop them from cooking further. The parboiling leaches out some of the bitter substances, and the salt helps decrease the bitterness as well.
This article, "The sweet side of bitter greens", has a couple of recipe that sound tasty.
posted by Lexica at 6:32 PM on March 9, 2010 [4 favorites]
This article, "The sweet side of bitter greens", has a couple of recipe that sound tasty.
posted by Lexica at 6:32 PM on March 9, 2010 [4 favorites]
I've made a variation on this recipe a couple of times, and it's not half bad. I would suggest adding in some hard salami and just saute it a bit before adding the greens. You can use just about any greens you like in this, and they're all pretty tasty. A little meat and the Parmesan go a long way to making the greens more palatable.
posted by Diagonalize at 6:33 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by Diagonalize at 6:33 PM on March 9, 2010
I put kale or collards in/on almost anything. Had kale on pizza Sunday night, in a sandwich wrap for lunch today with tahini dressing and olives and sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms, and had collards in tacos tonight with the gf. Try this:
Saute onions and garlic in oil w/ salt and pepper; add a chopped up block of firm tofu, chop up some mushrooms and toss them in, chop up your collards and add now too, then cook 'em down, stirring as needed. Put some corn tortillas on the table, with some guac, some chopped habanero, and whatever else lying around looks good. Could eat that every night.
In general if the other ingredietns are good then the dish will not be about the greens. Get some good quality tortillas at your local ethnic grocery, some fresh garlic, and add some lime juice if you like!
posted by franklen at 6:39 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Saute onions and garlic in oil w/ salt and pepper; add a chopped up block of firm tofu, chop up some mushrooms and toss them in, chop up your collards and add now too, then cook 'em down, stirring as needed. Put some corn tortillas on the table, with some guac, some chopped habanero, and whatever else lying around looks good. Could eat that every night.
In general if the other ingredietns are good then the dish will not be about the greens. Get some good quality tortillas at your local ethnic grocery, some fresh garlic, and add some lime juice if you like!
posted by franklen at 6:39 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The way I cook kale has wowed avowed kale haters many a time. Get a couple bunches of kale. Cut out the fibrous stems, almost all the way up to the top of the leaf. Cut the leaves into just larger than bite-sized pieces. Wash well. In a dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil until it shimmers. Add several cloves of minced garlic and saute briefly. Add the kale (it may not all fit at once; that's okay) and toss well with the olive oil/garlic. Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes, a bit of kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. Add some chicken/beef/veg stock (a few tablespoons up to 1/4 cup, depending on how much kale you have) and toss again. Cover for about 30 seconds, taste and add salt/pepper if you need to. It's done! You can also add in a bit of balsamic or cider or red wine vinegar if you'd like.
My nine-year-old daughter LOVES this.
Also, seconding kale chips. So good!
posted by cooker girl at 6:41 PM on March 9, 2010 [11 favorites]
My nine-year-old daughter LOVES this.
Also, seconding kale chips. So good!
posted by cooker girl at 6:41 PM on March 9, 2010 [11 favorites]
One for Swiss chard ( or broccoli rabi):
(Quantity and time fuzzy. It's a recipe I make regularly but I eyeball it every time. Inspired by a "true" recipe, but can't remember where it came from. Anyway, it's pretty hard to muff. the contrast between the saltiness of the pancetta and the sweetness of the currants is what makes this plat reallt great))
in a pan, sauté in olive oil (over medium heat)
-Pancetta cut in small cube (canadian bacon will do in a pinch)
-Chopped (small) onion
-Dried currants (dried Corinth grapes) (a good handful)
when onion is translucent, add:
-1/2 cup of pine nuts (chopped walnuts also work)
-Garlic
-1/2 a chopped red pepper
-chopped Swiss chard stems
Cook for a 2-3 minutes, add
-Chopped Swiss chard leaves
When done, mix with cooked pasta (rotini) and sprinkle the whole thing with parmesan. Enjoy!
posted by bluefrog at 6:42 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
(Quantity and time fuzzy. It's a recipe I make regularly but I eyeball it every time. Inspired by a "true" recipe, but can't remember where it came from. Anyway, it's pretty hard to muff. the contrast between the saltiness of the pancetta and the sweetness of the currants is what makes this plat reallt great))
in a pan, sauté in olive oil (over medium heat)
-Pancetta cut in small cube (canadian bacon will do in a pinch)
-Chopped (small) onion
-Dried currants (dried Corinth grapes) (a good handful)
when onion is translucent, add:
-1/2 cup of pine nuts (chopped walnuts also work)
-Garlic
-1/2 a chopped red pepper
-chopped Swiss chard stems
Cook for a 2-3 minutes, add
-Chopped Swiss chard leaves
When done, mix with cooked pasta (rotini) and sprinkle the whole thing with parmesan. Enjoy!
posted by bluefrog at 6:42 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Steam them. You won't recognize steamed kale as kale - it is magically transformed into a light fluffy tender sweet delight. It's nice with a very bit of little salt.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 6:46 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by Salvor Hardin at 6:46 PM on March 9, 2010
I want to second kale chips -- I just made them for the first time yesterday. I ate an entire head of kale in about two minutes. It was sort of freaky.
posted by changeling at 6:47 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by changeling at 6:47 PM on March 9, 2010
I grow a lot of beets, so I have a lot of beet greens available (which are very similar to chard). This is what I do: Mince onion and garlic. Sauté in butter or olive oil. Add chopped greens. Continue cooking. When nearly done, add liquid (wine, balsamic, apple cider vinegar) and reduce. Serve. You can do the same with kale or pretty much any green. You can add mushrooms or bacon or herbs like rosemary or thyme.
posted by ssg at 6:47 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by ssg at 6:47 PM on March 9, 2010
Lately I've been adding my raw spinach to smoothies. Don't even taste it, it just makes it all green.
posted by Sassyfras at 6:51 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by Sassyfras at 6:51 PM on March 9, 2010
Make this. Lots of chopping, but very easy overall. It's even better reheated, with extra Parm on top. It's delicious as-is, but I'm thinking about trying it with spinach instead of chard, and maybe adding Italian sausage for a very filling meal.
posted by runningwithscissors at 7:00 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by runningwithscissors at 7:00 PM on March 9, 2010
Best answer: Blanching bitter greens like kale and collards in salted water for a minute can temper the bitterness a bit; once you've shocked and drained them you can carry on with them however you like.
One of my favorite things to do with either of those greens is to saute them at very high heat with a bit of fresh garlic until the edges start to brown, giving them a nutty kind of flavor (I think this is a Mark Bittman trick). Spritz them with lemon juice and they're a great side dish for nearly anything.
Massaging kale with olive oil and salt is pretty delicious and incredibly easy: you literally just rub the leaves around with your hands until they soften up. Drizzling with a little vinegar afterward gives you a pretty yummy salad, no cooking required.
Colcannon is a big favorite of mine, you mash shredded kale into potatoes with lots of milk or cream and butter. Even my kids will eat this, so long as I chop the kale finely enough that they can tell themselves it's just herbs of some sort.
I sometimes cook chopped greens by putting them in a bowl, draining pasta over them and letting them rest in the pasta water for a minute or two, then draining the greens and tossing them with the pasta and saucing them however I feel like saucing them. Most often, I top this with roasted winter squash, but it's great with tomato based sauces as well--as noted above, greens go really well with some acid.
Chard is generally pretty mild, and I use it almost interchangeably with spinach--I think we've all become accustomed to the more tender leaves of baby spinach, but grownup spinach isn't that much more delicate than good chard, and chard's prettier. I like to chop the pretty stems up and sautee them for a bit longer than the leaves, and sometimes I sautee the stems with onions and then mix that with the chopped leaves and some chicken and make enchiladas.
posted by padraigin at 7:03 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
One of my favorite things to do with either of those greens is to saute them at very high heat with a bit of fresh garlic until the edges start to brown, giving them a nutty kind of flavor (I think this is a Mark Bittman trick). Spritz them with lemon juice and they're a great side dish for nearly anything.
Massaging kale with olive oil and salt is pretty delicious and incredibly easy: you literally just rub the leaves around with your hands until they soften up. Drizzling with a little vinegar afterward gives you a pretty yummy salad, no cooking required.
Colcannon is a big favorite of mine, you mash shredded kale into potatoes with lots of milk or cream and butter. Even my kids will eat this, so long as I chop the kale finely enough that they can tell themselves it's just herbs of some sort.
I sometimes cook chopped greens by putting them in a bowl, draining pasta over them and letting them rest in the pasta water for a minute or two, then draining the greens and tossing them with the pasta and saucing them however I feel like saucing them. Most often, I top this with roasted winter squash, but it's great with tomato based sauces as well--as noted above, greens go really well with some acid.
Chard is generally pretty mild, and I use it almost interchangeably with spinach--I think we've all become accustomed to the more tender leaves of baby spinach, but grownup spinach isn't that much more delicate than good chard, and chard's prettier. I like to chop the pretty stems up and sautee them for a bit longer than the leaves, and sometimes I sautee the stems with onions and then mix that with the chopped leaves and some chicken and make enchiladas.
posted by padraigin at 7:03 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Kale ideas:
I've found portabello mushrooms and kale to generally be a great combination, so if I'm making any kind of pasta sauce that involves portabello mushrooms, I'll often add steamed kale. Another idea is to use them as pizza toppings (again, sauteed portabello mushrooms and steamed kale).
I like this Asian kale salad from an old AskMe comment. I add carrots, red peppers, and sweet-and-sour sauce to that recipe.
Make mashed potatoes with kale. (Mark Bittman focuses on dandelion greens in that recipe, but he gives kale as a variant -- I've tried it, and it's good.)
If I'm making any kind of vegetables-in-broth soup, I'll often throw in some kale. I like to make this recipe but I substitute kale for spinach. (I also substituted vegetable for chicken stock and added peas and tofu -- really healthy and really delicious.)
You might want to bookmark this blog, which is entirely devoted to ... you guessed it ... kale! Inspired by that blog, I've been wanting to try kale risotto.
General tips:
Instead of just thinking of kale/spinach/whatever as THE GREEN in the recipe (while thinking "I usually don't like greens, but I hope I like this"), mix some chopped parsley into the dish, at or near the end of cooking. Parsley has a fresher taste that can smooth over some of the bitterness of the other green.
Don't overcook the kale, as some people unfortunately advise. Steaming is the healthiest way to cook it.
posted by Jaltcoh at 7:07 PM on March 9, 2010
I've found portabello mushrooms and kale to generally be a great combination, so if I'm making any kind of pasta sauce that involves portabello mushrooms, I'll often add steamed kale. Another idea is to use them as pizza toppings (again, sauteed portabello mushrooms and steamed kale).
I like this Asian kale salad from an old AskMe comment. I add carrots, red peppers, and sweet-and-sour sauce to that recipe.
Make mashed potatoes with kale. (Mark Bittman focuses on dandelion greens in that recipe, but he gives kale as a variant -- I've tried it, and it's good.)
If I'm making any kind of vegetables-in-broth soup, I'll often throw in some kale. I like to make this recipe but I substitute kale for spinach. (I also substituted vegetable for chicken stock and added peas and tofu -- really healthy and really delicious.)
You might want to bookmark this blog, which is entirely devoted to ... you guessed it ... kale! Inspired by that blog, I've been wanting to try kale risotto.
General tips:
Instead of just thinking of kale/spinach/whatever as THE GREEN in the recipe (while thinking "I usually don't like greens, but I hope I like this"), mix some chopped parsley into the dish, at or near the end of cooking. Parsley has a fresher taste that can smooth over some of the bitterness of the other green.
Don't overcook the kale, as some people unfortunately advise. Steaming is the healthiest way to cook it.
posted by Jaltcoh at 7:07 PM on March 9, 2010
Another tip about kale is to always chop it into very fine strips ("julienned").
posted by Jaltcoh at 7:09 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by Jaltcoh at 7:09 PM on March 9, 2010
My partner makes a spicy chickpea curry (Madhur Jaffrey recipe) and mixes in kale. It is yummy.
posted by matildaben at 7:09 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by matildaben at 7:09 PM on March 9, 2010
Jamie Oliver's Tagliatelle with Spinach, Mascarpone and Parmesan is delicious and uses a huge amount of greens. I make it at least once a week. Sometimes I use creme fraiche (because it's cheaper) instead of mascrapone, and I don't add cream.
It's almost a challenge: how much spinach can I use? This much? Or THIS MUCH?
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:13 PM on March 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
It's almost a challenge: how much spinach can I use? This much? Or THIS MUCH?
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:13 PM on March 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
Almost every day I steam kale (I prefere lacinato, the smooth kind; or red kale, just because it's red) with whatever else i have and put apple cider vinegar on it. If it's fresh and not overcooked, I'm having trouble imagining a human not liking it.
posted by cmoj at 7:17 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by cmoj at 7:17 PM on March 9, 2010
Collard greens most definitely do need to be boiled. Tear out stems, boil about ten minutes, cool, chop, then cook. I love them braised in brown butter till tender (about a half hour) with garlic, half an onion, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, and balsamic vinegar, though I admit this is basically a vegetarian's answer to just cooking them with bacon. So good, though; I like collards much better than chard. Collards have a briny flavor that's really grown on me, whereas from chard I get not much flavor and a weird astringent mouthfeel. Same for beet greens, which I've never been able to cook to my satisfaction.
YMMV here as above, but I hate curly kale. Hate. Cook the crap out of it and it's still tough. No thanks. I much prefer lacinato aka dinosaur kale. Chips with salt and olive oil, simmered in miso soup with seaweed (don't fear the seaweed! it's got a very mild flavor), and I even like it raw in salads with lots of sweet, fruity, acidy vinaigrette.
Arugula might be a good gateway green, too; tastes peppery and is good both cooked (as with pasta) and raw (as in salads).
posted by clavicle at 7:20 PM on March 9, 2010
YMMV here as above, but I hate curly kale. Hate. Cook the crap out of it and it's still tough. No thanks. I much prefer lacinato aka dinosaur kale. Chips with salt and olive oil, simmered in miso soup with seaweed (don't fear the seaweed! it's got a very mild flavor), and I even like it raw in salads with lots of sweet, fruity, acidy vinaigrette.
Arugula might be a good gateway green, too; tastes peppery and is good both cooked (as with pasta) and raw (as in salads).
posted by clavicle at 7:20 PM on March 9, 2010
green soup with ginger is good, though it's more Asian tasting than your suggested cuisines.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:36 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:36 PM on March 9, 2010
I prepare greens similarly to cooker girl, but one thing I also do is taste beforehand, and if they're a little bitter, I ... well ... sprinkle in a tablespoonful of brown sugar along with the broth. Maybe this would solve the bitterness problem for you.
posted by palliser at 7:52 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by palliser at 7:52 PM on March 9, 2010
Best answer: greens always seem to make frittatas watery
Oh, and yes, this is so; you have to boil them first, and then chop them and put them in a thin dishtowel and wring them out. Then add to the frittata.
posted by palliser at 7:55 PM on March 9, 2010
Oh, and yes, this is so; you have to boil them first, and then chop them and put them in a thin dishtowel and wring them out. Then add to the frittata.
posted by palliser at 7:55 PM on March 9, 2010
I like to chop chard finely (after removing the tough part of the stems), and sautee it with chopped garlic, onions, and mushrooms. When it's tender, sprinkle on some pepper. Then toss with some soy sauce and balsamic vinaigrette.
This makes a strong-tasting (but not of greens!) side dish which is even good for lunch the next day... or you can put it on a sandwich, in a wrap, etc. It goes really well with chicken and pork.
posted by vorfeed at 8:15 PM on March 9, 2010
This makes a strong-tasting (but not of greens!) side dish which is even good for lunch the next day... or you can put it on a sandwich, in a wrap, etc. It goes really well with chicken and pork.
posted by vorfeed at 8:15 PM on March 9, 2010
Since joining a csa I've had to work my way through all sorts of greens. Right now what I've been doing the most is adding them to soups that I might have added spinach or cabbage to previously. Earlier this week, we had a tomato-based white bean and sausage sort of thing and the other night it was a ginger-garlic chicken soup with greens.
I've thrown leftover braised greens in a tortilla with cheese and some chipotle pepper slices for a tasty burrito.
Our standby recipe for satueed greens uses garlic, mustard powder, chili paste and soy sauce to give it a nice salty spicy sweet flavor.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 8:18 PM on March 9, 2010
I've thrown leftover braised greens in a tortilla with cheese and some chipotle pepper slices for a tasty burrito.
Our standby recipe for satueed greens uses garlic, mustard powder, chili paste and soy sauce to give it a nice salty spicy sweet flavor.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 8:18 PM on March 9, 2010
Spinach and Strawberry Salad is one of our favorites.
posted by JujuB at 8:26 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by JujuB at 8:26 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
No - collards don't need to be boiled or cooked in any way. Try this:
Take a leaf of collards, spread it with some almond butter, toss on some kimchi, roll up and eat. mmmmmmmm. When my gf made this for me the first time - when we started dating - well you know - big points for her :>)
Quick and easy to make, simple to take to the office or anywhere else for a fresh and full of flavor lunch.
posted by franklen at 8:27 PM on March 9, 2010
Take a leaf of collards, spread it with some almond butter, toss on some kimchi, roll up and eat. mmmmmmmm. When my gf made this for me the first time - when we started dating - well you know - big points for her :>)
Quick and easy to make, simple to take to the office or anywhere else for a fresh and full of flavor lunch.
posted by franklen at 8:27 PM on March 9, 2010
Spinach and Strawberry Salad is one of our favorites.
I adore spinach-and-strawberry salad, too, but the recipe you linked inexplicably passes up the opportunity for one of the greatest flavor combinations known to man: strawberries and balsamic vinegar. Swap balsamic for the white wine vinegar called for, and it will be even more delicious!
posted by palliser at 8:53 PM on March 9, 2010
I adore spinach-and-strawberry salad, too, but the recipe you linked inexplicably passes up the opportunity for one of the greatest flavor combinations known to man: strawberries and balsamic vinegar. Swap balsamic for the white wine vinegar called for, and it will be even more delicious!
posted by palliser at 8:53 PM on March 9, 2010
Best answer: Jane Grigson is my go-to woman for everything to do with vegetables. Several interesting recipes for chard, though all of them seem to involve pork, bacon, or sausage. Spinach and cabbage she loves, and devotes pages to.
Inauspicious beginnings for cabbage:
Spinach!
She's not a big fan of kale, though:
posted by lapsangsouchong at 8:59 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Inauspicious beginnings for cabbage:
Cabbage as a food has problems. It is easy to grow, a useful source of greenery for much of the year. Yet as a vegetable it has original sin, and needs improvement. It can smell foul in the pot, linger through the house with pertinacity, and ruin a meal with its wet flab. Cabbage also has a nasty history of being good for you. Read Pliny, if you do not believe me.But her true opinion soon emerges, especially when she mentions the kind of cabbage that is the leafiest and greenest and most suited to your purposes:
[I]f there is any choice in the matter, go straight for the mild and crisp Savoy, with its dark wrinkled outer leaves that look as if they were fresh from some porcelain factory.She gives cabbage a total of 28 pages, including many soups, colcannon, stuffed cabbage, sautéed cabbage with pheasant...
Spinach!
The great T'ang emperor T'ai Tsung, no mean soldier by anyone's standards, da an idea we can all appreciate though it is not an idea to inspire chroniclers and historians. He asked tributary rulers to sent the best plants their countries grew. And in 647 [...] the King of Nepal sent him spinach. Now spinach is not a native plant there. It had come from Persia fairly recently, and must have been a rapid success or it would not have been thought worthy of T'ai Tsung. Imagine this powerful man forgetting his campaigns, forgetting his beloved horses, the magnificent Bayards that he celebrated in verse, as he tasted the first dish of spinach served in China. [...]Many recipes follow, from cream of spinach soup to mussel and spinach gratin, from the Persian kukuye esfanaj to a Provençal sweet spinach tart.
Spinach absorbs masses of butter. In one famous French recipe, spinach was cooked and reheated over five days. Each day butter was added, so that by the end half a kilo (1 lb) had absorbed about 300g (10 oz) of butter. [...]
Wateriness is the enemy of spinach. Its natural allies are butter, olive oil, cream, cheeses hard and soft, yoghurt, ham and bacon, anchovies, nutmeg, pepper. A little sugar, too, will bring out its flavour, particularly in soup."
She's not a big fan of kale, though:
Kale I have always hated though curly kale will pass. I have a slight affection for sprout tops [...] In the early months of the year 'spring greens' come along, cabbages that have failed to develop a heart. Heartlessness is never a desirable quality, but they will pass too. Turnip tops have their devotees among gardeners, Romans and Virginians....Which means boiling them "until the stalks are just cooked" and tossing them in some melted butter in which you've softened some finely chopped onion and perhaps a bit of garlic. (Actually, I use shallots.)
It goes without saying that there is no point in buying any of these varieties of herbage unless it is beautifully fresh, with the dew on it. Or to be truthful the drops of morning rain and fog. Once the leaves flag, such pleasure as they might have given is no longer to be hoped for.
As to their treatment, you can look at it two different ways. If you dislike them and only give them to your family to do them good (or to work off your sadistic impulses), you may well resent lavishing trouble and buttery attentions on them. On the other hand you may take the view that anything you put on the table should be treated with the best means and skill you can bring to the job. Seeing that few of us are desperate for vitamins and do not need stoking up with greenery like sheep in a kale field, I feel that there is something to be said for the second attitude.
posted by lapsangsouchong at 8:59 PM on March 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Is bok choy a leafy green? It's green and has leaves.
If so: just wash some (baby bok choy is a lot easier in this regard), boil some water, put it in the water and wait until it turns a bright green and is tender. Should take about a minute. Then, take it out, rinse it, and sprinkle it a bit of sesame oil and some oyster sauce.
Regarding spinach, you may already know about this, but you can cook it just by frying some minced garlic in olive oil until the garlic darkens just a little, then toss in a bunch of spinach and stir it around until it wilts a bit. If you use pre-washed spinach and minced garlic from a jar, this process can be done in two literal - non-figurative - minutes.
posted by ignignokt at 9:42 PM on March 9, 2010
If so: just wash some (baby bok choy is a lot easier in this regard), boil some water, put it in the water and wait until it turns a bright green and is tender. Should take about a minute. Then, take it out, rinse it, and sprinkle it a bit of sesame oil and some oyster sauce.
Regarding spinach, you may already know about this, but you can cook it just by frying some minced garlic in olive oil until the garlic darkens just a little, then toss in a bunch of spinach and stir it around until it wilts a bit. If you use pre-washed spinach and minced garlic from a jar, this process can be done in two literal - non-figurative - minutes.
posted by ignignokt at 9:42 PM on March 9, 2010
Response by poster: Wow, great tips/recipes. I foresee a lot of yummy greens in my near future! Thanks!
posted by lunasol at 10:21 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by lunasol at 10:21 PM on March 9, 2010
Two words: lemon and garlic. Squeeze lemon onto any cookable leafy green and it is delicious. If you are frying it up (ala kale, spinach, bok choy etc), then with a little garlic in the pan, and then a little queeze of lemon at the end it is not only edible, but actually enjoyable.
posted by molecicco at 3:04 AM on March 10, 2010
posted by molecicco at 3:04 AM on March 10, 2010
You can puree the greens in ricotta cheese to make a smooth pasta sauce, this is pretty good. Adapted recipe for swiss chard pasta. The recipe is flexible, you can use any kind of greens, I recommend adding oregano, parsley, or some other fresh herb to freshen the flavour.
Also on the topic of pasta dishes: spinach lasagna is classic. When I make lasagna I just mix a pack of frozen spinach into the cheese layer. You can also add very finely chopped greens to almost any tomato-based pasta sauce and have it turn out pretty well. I make a tomato-based chicken and eggplant pasta sauce from the Harrowsmith cookbook, I added finely chopped kale to it one day and all was well. Add it with the tomatoes and let it simmer for 10 minutes or so.
posted by crazycanuck at 4:53 AM on March 10, 2010
Also on the topic of pasta dishes: spinach lasagna is classic. When I make lasagna I just mix a pack of frozen spinach into the cheese layer. You can also add very finely chopped greens to almost any tomato-based pasta sauce and have it turn out pretty well. I make a tomato-based chicken and eggplant pasta sauce from the Harrowsmith cookbook, I added finely chopped kale to it one day and all was well. Add it with the tomatoes and let it simmer for 10 minutes or so.
posted by crazycanuck at 4:53 AM on March 10, 2010
This recipe is amazing. It calls for chard but I usually use kale because it's much cheaper and I like it better.
posted by something something at 6:33 AM on March 10, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by something something at 6:33 AM on March 10, 2010 [3 favorites]
Greens in peanut sauce is a surprisingly good combination that shows up in east African recipes. There's a lot of variation from place to place, but the gist is that peanuts, tomatoes and pepper make a nice rich spicy sauce that mellows and balances out the bitterness of the greens.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:04 AM on March 10, 2010
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:04 AM on March 10, 2010
I often make a spinach sauce for pasta, kind of like a hot-in-the-pan pesto, delightful with freezer-section cheese ravioli.
Saute 1/2 onion and plenty of garlic in olive oil, add 1/2 lb chopped spinach, and cook till it's soft. Optional addition of pinenuts or walnuts and/or a chopped tomato; usual spices salt and pepper plus basil and/or oregano, often cinnamon and/or red pepper flakes. One key ingredient takes the sauce from slightly bitter green+garlic flavor to a much better balance, and that's 1-2 tsp honey.
posted by aimedwander at 7:20 AM on March 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Saute 1/2 onion and plenty of garlic in olive oil, add 1/2 lb chopped spinach, and cook till it's soft. Optional addition of pinenuts or walnuts and/or a chopped tomato; usual spices salt and pepper plus basil and/or oregano, often cinnamon and/or red pepper flakes. One key ingredient takes the sauce from slightly bitter green+garlic flavor to a much better balance, and that's 1-2 tsp honey.
posted by aimedwander at 7:20 AM on March 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Spaghetti with braised kale. This recipe is fairly easy and extremely good. I make it about once every other week.
Also, if you have access to Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, he had a recipe for swiss chard mixed with oranges and shallot that I just discovered. Again, it's easy and very good, and it's found its way into my weekly rotation.
posted by crLLC at 8:09 AM on March 10, 2010
Also, if you have access to Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, he had a recipe for swiss chard mixed with oranges and shallot that I just discovered. Again, it's easy and very good, and it's found its way into my weekly rotation.
posted by crLLC at 8:09 AM on March 10, 2010
I love this recipe from Orangette, adapted from Zuni Cafe. She takes kale, onion, red pepper & garlic, boils them in broth, served on top of a grilled slice of country bread and topped with a fried egg. Boiled kale sound terrible, I know, but this really hits the spot for me as leafy green comfort food.
posted by deludingmyself at 8:13 AM on March 10, 2010
posted by deludingmyself at 8:13 AM on March 10, 2010
greens with peanut butter is a delicious combination. I like the recipe at the Homesick Texan blog, which adds chipotle peppers. I usually make a half recipe and have enough leftovers for 4-5 more days
posted by missanissa at 9:01 AM on March 10, 2010
posted by missanissa at 9:01 AM on March 10, 2010
Thanks, missanissa. Here I was feeling like a heretic for using peanut butter and Ro-Tel in mine. The chipotles sound like they'd go even better, though, what with the smokiness. I'll have to give that one a try.
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:05 AM on March 10, 2010
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:05 AM on March 10, 2010
I'm not a fan of greens either, but there are two ways that I really like kale.
1) Carmelize some onions. When they're good and brown, add some crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then toss in julienned kale and cover. Let it cook down for 10-15 minutes, or until it gets to your desired level of tenderness. (Add a tablespoon of water for steam if there's not enough left over from rinsing the kale.) A couple minutes before the kale is finished, throw in as much chopped garlic as you can stand. Cover again and let the garlic cook for a few minutes.
The sweetness of the onions offsets any bitterness from the greens. This works especially well with the Red Russian Kale that I can get around here right now, but I tried it with curly Kale last week and it was perfectly fine. (It's a little tougher, so it has to cook longer.)
2) Soak about 1/4 cup of raisins in hot water. Saute chopped garlic with crushed red pepper flakes. Add chopped kale. Cover, cook for ~10 minutes. Then add the raisins and their cooking liquid. Cover, cook until liquid is gone. Add crumbled feta and toasted pecans or walnuts. So good!
posted by mudpuppie at 12:11 PM on March 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
1) Carmelize some onions. When they're good and brown, add some crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then toss in julienned kale and cover. Let it cook down for 10-15 minutes, or until it gets to your desired level of tenderness. (Add a tablespoon of water for steam if there's not enough left over from rinsing the kale.) A couple minutes before the kale is finished, throw in as much chopped garlic as you can stand. Cover again and let the garlic cook for a few minutes.
The sweetness of the onions offsets any bitterness from the greens. This works especially well with the Red Russian Kale that I can get around here right now, but I tried it with curly Kale last week and it was perfectly fine. (It's a little tougher, so it has to cook longer.)
2) Soak about 1/4 cup of raisins in hot water. Saute chopped garlic with crushed red pepper flakes. Add chopped kale. Cover, cook for ~10 minutes. Then add the raisins and their cooking liquid. Cover, cook until liquid is gone. Add crumbled feta and toasted pecans or walnuts. So good!
posted by mudpuppie at 12:11 PM on March 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Thanks for this question and for all the answers. I've been experimenting with the kale chips (cooking times, temperatures, flavourings/dressings) since the recipes on the internet all seem to vary.
So the verdict -- low heat (200o) is better than high heat (400o). At 400 degrees it's really hard to time it. I assume there's a moment when it's crispy but not burned, but I've only caught it either still soggy or partially browned. When it browns it tastes kind of burned.
Cooking time at 200o is between 20 and 40 minutes, depending on how much kale or how much oil, I assume.
Flavouring...Just salt still lets some bitterness through and I suck at getting the amount of salt right. I found that parmesan cheese made it salty without any parmesan-y flavour to speak of. My next attempt was to create a salt and vinegar flavour. I mixed rice vinegar (hoping for a mild flavour) in with the olive oil spread it on and sprinked a tiny bit of salt. No vinegar flavour at all came through. I tried adding more vinegar. Then I tried adding more than that. The vinegar flavour doesn't stick for some reason. I tried cider vinegar, but still no flavour. I tried cayenne pepper powder. Meh...ok, I guess.
The winner? Popcorn spice! I'm munching on BBQ flavour kale right now and it's perfect. I sprinkled some popcorn spice onto the kale after spreading the olive oil around and mixed it up some more. Baked it and it was perfect. Next set of experiments will involve determining how little olive oil I can use without making the kale fail to crisp up.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:39 AM on March 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
So the verdict -- low heat (200o) is better than high heat (400o). At 400 degrees it's really hard to time it. I assume there's a moment when it's crispy but not burned, but I've only caught it either still soggy or partially browned. When it browns it tastes kind of burned.
Cooking time at 200o is between 20 and 40 minutes, depending on how much kale or how much oil, I assume.
Flavouring...Just salt still lets some bitterness through and I suck at getting the amount of salt right. I found that parmesan cheese made it salty without any parmesan-y flavour to speak of. My next attempt was to create a salt and vinegar flavour. I mixed rice vinegar (hoping for a mild flavour) in with the olive oil spread it on and sprinked a tiny bit of salt. No vinegar flavour at all came through. I tried adding more vinegar. Then I tried adding more than that. The vinegar flavour doesn't stick for some reason. I tried cider vinegar, but still no flavour. I tried cayenne pepper powder. Meh...ok, I guess.
The winner? Popcorn spice! I'm munching on BBQ flavour kale right now and it's perfect. I sprinkled some popcorn spice onto the kale after spreading the olive oil around and mixed it up some more. Baked it and it was perfect. Next set of experiments will involve determining how little olive oil I can use without making the kale fail to crisp up.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:39 AM on March 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
Thanks for the detailed instructions, IoIhap -- I bet anything BBQ-flavored has some sugar in it, which probably is why it works well to cut the bitterness.
posted by palliser at 12:57 PM on March 25, 2010
posted by palliser at 12:57 PM on March 25, 2010
Yep, just checked and the first ingredient is sugar. When I move on to attempting to make my own spice mix, I'll use splenda.
And I forgot to mention two other flavouring attempts that don't work: Sesame oil (instead of olive), ginger, soy sauce and rice vinegar. White cheddar popcorn seasoning.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:19 PM on March 25, 2010
And I forgot to mention two other flavouring attempts that don't work: Sesame oil (instead of olive), ginger, soy sauce and rice vinegar. White cheddar popcorn seasoning.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:19 PM on March 25, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
I have a huge gigantic chef-crush on Shuna Fish Lydon. OMG.
posted by mollymayhem at 6:23 PM on March 9, 2010