Now we know that anything can become trendy: dark, leafy greens are in. You see kale, broccoli rape (also known as broccoli raab or rapini), dandelions, chard and more almost everywhere, and people are actually eating them.
Greens with all sorts of unusual flavors are catching on–peppery hot mustard and turnip greens, piercingly sweet chard, earthy collards.
“Everyone knows greens are healthy,” said Emily Balducci, publicity manager at Balducci’s in New York City, “but that didn’t sell them in the past. Now, though, people are grabbing every green we bring in, and a new green causes as much excitement as anything else.”
Flash back about 10 years, when people ate greens for three reasons. One, they were Southerners. Two, they couldn’t resist anything that sold at three pounds for a dollar. And three, they would use any excuse to eat chunks of smoked pork, at that time virtually a requisite ingredient in cooking greens.
But as the years went by, Americans adopted the strong flavors of other cuisines; chili peppers, Gorgonzola, Indian food and Rhone wine are all mainstream today. Why not unusual greens too?
And as Americans came to appreciate them, they realized other benefits. Greens have a long growing season–year-round in mild climes and three solid seasons even in the Northeast–a boon for gardeners, and for those who would rather buy produce close to home. They remain cheap, and of course, healthful.
But all of these factors are bonuses. Greens are strong, bitter and distinctive, juicy and powerfully flavorful in a way that you grow to love.
Top chefs serve greens with strong, complex preparations of meat, game and fish. But greens can also be used in simple dishes. They can be a bed for simple grilled or sauteed fish or chicken, or a layer in a sandwich, with plenty of lemon juice. Cooked greens, thinned with water or stock, can be used–with or without additions such as garlic, raisins, pine nuts or anchovies–as a sauce for pasta.
Almost needless to say, the most common method of cooking dark, leafy greens–boiling them to death, until they are the texture, color and flavor of an Army blanket–is the least advisable.
But the opposite approach, a 1970s affectation that calls for steaming them until they are so-called crisp-tender, can be just as bad. Greens, like asparagus or pasta, should be cooked until tender–no more, no less. Too little time yields woody, stubbornly chewy stems; too much time turns their flavor muddy and their texture mushy.
The most reliable cooking method is a brief immersion in boiling water; call it simmering, poaching, blanching or parboiling–they all amount to the same thing. After a few minutes, greens become tender and bright, the signal that they are done. At that point, they can be served, or “shocked”–plunged into ice water–before including them in other recipes.
One of the simplest and most appealing recipes begins with simmering and shocking and finishes with a quick dressing made of olive oil, lemon and a suspicion of garlic. How could anyone not like that?
This is not to say that simmering is the only suitable cooking method. As long as greens are young, with stems less than an eighth of an inch thick, they can be sauteed without any precooking. Braising works well for greens of any age, and because the greens absorb the flavors of the braising liquid, this is a wonderful technique. Greens braised in red wine, a recipe from Windows on the World chef, Michael Lomonaco, demonstrates this aptly.
And of course, when they are extremely young, any greens can be eaten raw.
Dark greens don’t disappear into the background when seasoned, so it’s important to choose those seasonings whose flavors offset the greens’ strong, often bitter taste. The choices begin with acidic liquids, such as vinegar or lemon, lime or other citrus juices or zest, and continue with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chilies, hot pepper sauce, olives, anchovies and so on.
And because the personalities of these greens are not readily subdued, many of these seasonings can be used in unusually large quantities. Drenched in lemon juice, greens become luxuriously moist; a generous addition of garlic accents their sweetness.
A word about cleaning: A general rule is that a stem less than an eighth of an inch thick can be treated much the same as the leaves; cooking time will have to be adjusted upward, but only slightly. With larger stems, I usually strip the leaves, chop the stems and begin cooking them first, adding the leaves only after the stems have begun to become tender.
You can sidestep this whole issue by discarding stems, but unless they are exceptionally fibrous (or you are cooking dandelions, whose thick stems never become tender), that is a waste.
First, you paid for them, and by weight and bulk they often make up more of the plant than the leaves. Second, there’s work involved in this, too, because it makes the initial cleaning more cumbersome. And finally, there’s no reason not to eat stems; they taste as good as the leaves.
Easy techniques, simple seasonings, powerful flavor. What more could you ask for from a vegetable?
A WALK THROUGH THE GREENS
Here is a look at some of the more flavorful greens that have made their way into the market.
– Broccoli rape: More bitter and more flavorful than broccoli, rape’s leaves, stems and flowers are equally delicious. Broccoli rape can be steamed, sauteed, parboiled or baked. Interchangeable with mustard and turnip greens.
– Chard: The sweetest of the greens here, chard can be handled like spinach or beet greens, whether red or white, thick- or thin-stemmed. Chard is fine on its own, simply dressed with olive oil and vinegar.
– Collards: Can be used interchangeably with kale, but its flavor is more muted. Collard leaves are smooth and leathery, while kale leaves are crinkly. Collards are best simmered, braised or in soups.
– Dandelions: This is not a green for the faint of heart. Even the tender young leaves (which are great in salads) are quite bitter; older ones are powerfully so.
– Kale: The most attractive of the greens (although ornamental varieties are not the best for cooking). Look especially for Lacinto (or Tuscan) kale, which is almost blue, or Red Russian kale, which has red-tinged stems.
– Mustard greens: There are many varieties, especially at Chinese markets, where the line between mustard and cabbage becomes blurred. All are strong-tasting and peppery, and closely related to broccoli rape. Older mustard greens can be blindingly hot when raw but become mild during cooking.
– Turnip greens: These are usually the tops of white- or purple-topped turnips and are especially pungent, hot and turnipy. When they are large, discard any stems that are especially fibrous.
COLLARDS BRAISED IN RED WINE
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from Michael Lomonaco, Windows on the World, Manhattan.
1 1/2 pounds collards, kale or other greens, washed, trimmed
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup each: chicken broth, dry red wine
1. Tear greens into bite-size pieces. Place olive oil in large skillet, and turn heat to medium-high. Add garlic; cook until golden. Add greens. Cook 3 or 4 minutes, tossing frequently.
2. Reduce heat to medium; add chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes.
3 Add wine. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until almost all liquid has evaporated and greens are tender, 5 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …… 105 Fat ………… 9 g Cholesterol .. 1 mg
Sodium …… 25 mg Carbohydrates .. 7 g Protein ……. 2 g
MUSTARD GREENS WITH OLIVE OIL AND LEMON
Preparation time: 17 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from “Leafy Greens,” by Mark Bittman.
1 pound mustard greens or other dark leafy greens, washed, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon very finely minced garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons
1. Heat large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook greens until bright green and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove, and plunge into ice water. Drain well; squeeze dry.
2. Toss greens with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Juice one of the lemons, and sprinkle juice over greens. Quarter remaining lemon, and serve with greens.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …… 110 Fat ……….. 10 g Cholesterol .. 0 mg
Sodium …… 20 mg Carbohydrates .. 4 g Protein ……. 3 g
