Cooking Greens
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White Beans, Greens, and Sun-Dried Tomato Crostini
Greens and Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings
See also:
The CHARD Page
The SPINACH Page
Green Herb Frittata on the Herb Page
It's hard to find a food that's better for you than greens. They're an excellent source of vitamins A and C, antioxidants, and a variety of other nutrients, all for very few calories. And they're delicious!
Refrigerate your greens in a plastic bag for up to 3 days. Thoroughly wash your greens: Fill the sink or a large bowl with warm water and ¼ cup salt. Put the greens in this water and let soak for a few minutes. Swish them around thoroughly to loosen the grit. Lift the greens out of the water, toss out the water, and repeat once or twice until the greens are thoroughly clean.
Greens may be cooked in a variety of ways including boiling, sautéing, steaming and stir-frying. Sharp-flavored turnip greens are traditionally cooked in a broth, flavored with a piece of salt pork or smoked ham hock for 30 to 60 minutes, but along with other greens they lend themselves to many delicious preparations.
Thoroughly wash and coarsely chop the greens. Remove any thick ribs. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Sauté the greens in olive oil, adding them by handfuls and stirring them down as they wilt. Add ½ cup of water if the greens seem dry. Cover the skillet and let them cook slowly over low heat for 5 to 15 minutes, (depending on the type of greens) until tender but still green. Add salt and pepper to taste.
 |
Substitute
rendered bacon fat for the olive oil. |
|
Add garlic and/or
dried red pepper flakes to olive oil before adding the greens. |
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Sprinkle on a
little vinegar or lemon juice. |
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When the greens
are nearly done, add a can of good, diced tomatoes and heat through.
This makes a great topping for pasta, tossed with freshly grated
parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts. |
|
Make a frittata:
Cook greens as above in an oven-proof pan.
When the greens are cooked, beat together 6 or 8 eggs and pour over
the greens. Cook over medium
heat about 5 minutes, or until the bottom of the frittata is set.
Place in the middle of the oven under the broiler and broil for about
5 minutes, until the eggs are set and lightly golden.
Remove from the pan and cut into wedges. |
|
Remove mild
and/or hot Italian sausages from their
casing and brown in a large skillet. When
cooked through, pour off any excess grease and add the greens, stirring as
they cook down. Add a little
water, if necessary, cover, and cook until greens are tender. |
|
Add cooked,
garlicky greens to canned or cooked black-eyed peas with a dash of cider
vinegar,
heat through and serve over
rice. |
- Christine Buss
White Beans, Greens, and Sun-Dried Tomato Crostini
1 can white beans
(Northern, Cannelini, etc.), rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced, divided
½ cup sun-dried
tomatoes, packed in oil, or soaked in hot
water if dried,
chopped fine
½ cup plain
yogurt
olive oil
4 cups assorted
greens
¼ teaspoon hot
red pepper flakes or more to taste
salt and pepper
8 slices whole
grain bread
olive oil cooking spray
Place beans in a food processor with 1 clove minced garlic and process, adding water one tablespoon at a time as necessary to get a smooth purée. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and stir into the bean purée, with the yogurt and 2 teaspoons olive oil.
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add remaining minced garlic and the red pepper flakes and stir briefly. Sauté the greens in the olive oil, adding them by handfuls and stirring them down as they wilt. Add ¼ cup of water if the greens seem dry. Cover the skillet and let them cook slowly over low heat for 5 to 15 minutes, (depending on the type of greens) until wilted and tender but still green. Add salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble the crostini, spray the whole grain bread lightly on both sides with olive oil cooking spray; toast or grill until lightly browned. Spread the bread slices with white bean purée and top each with the cooked greens.
Adapted
from Eat More, Weigh Less by
Dean Ornish.
Greens and Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings
These greens and dumplings are a favorite in my house.
The thyme and orange zest make the dumplings particularly tasty.
2 bunches collard
greens, chard, or kale
½ cup
stoneground blue or yellow cornmeal
½ cup whole
wheat or white flour
½ teaspoon
baking soda
½ teaspoon sea
salt, divided
½ teaspoon white
pepper or to taste, divided
1 egg
½ cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon
unsalted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon
minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon freshly grated
orange zest
½ cup stock
lemon wedges
Trim and wash
greens and cut in fine strands.
In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and half the salt
and white pepper. In a separate bowl, beat egg and combine with buttermilk,
melted butter, thyme, and orange zest.
Combine wet ingredients with dry to form a batter, mixing lightly.
Put
the greens, stock, and remaining salt and white pepper in a large saucepan over
high heat and bring to a boil.
Drop in dumplings by the heaping tablespoonful to form 8 dumplings.
Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 5 minutes,
or until greens are tender and dumplings are cooked.
Test by piercing one with a fork.
Arrange on a platter with lemon wedges.