Cooking Your Kale or Chard

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.

Basic preparation

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.

Variations:

Substitute rendered bacon fat for the olive oil.

Add garlic and/or dried red pepper flakes to olive oil before adding the greens.

Sprinkle on a little vinegar or lemon juice.

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.

Posted by Chris Buss

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