Ingredients
- Arugala, dandelion, chicory, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, spinach, swiss chard, watercress. . .
Preparation
Step 1
HOW TO STORE GREENS
Vegetables are alive! They are respiring, which means that they need moisture and air to survive. If you store wet greens in a sealed plastic bag, they will rot quickly. If you toss a bunch of greens onto the bottom shelf of the fridge without a bag , they will dry out and wilt due to moisture loss. The best way to store them is slightly wet in an open or perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator. Fresh herbs do well if you trim off about 1/2-inch from the root ends, place them in a jar of water with a plastic bag over the top, and store them in the refrigerator. Stored properly, greens should keep about 3 days.
HOW TO PREPARE AND COOK GREENS
Fresh herbs and tender leaves like arugula, spinach, and watercress can be chopped raw and added to soups, salads, and grains , or lightly steamed. More mature greens like bok choy, kale, dandelion greens, and collards, taste bitter if you serve them raw, and often the texture is too tough for easy chewing. Steaming these greens actually intensifies the bitterness. They need to be cooked in liquid where the bitter flavor can be dispersed.
First you need to prepare the greens. Remove large stems or break off small ones. Fill a sink with cold water and submerge the leaves. With herbs, leave the stems and hold on to them as you give the leaves a dunk. If there is sediment in the water, drain the sink and repeat. If you plan to put the greens in a salad, spin them dry. Leaves destined for cooking can have excess water shaken off and be placed on a towel or chopping board.
The issue at hand is how to cook the greens so they lose as little nutritional value as possible while shedding their bitter flavors. There are three cooking techniques that I like to use when cooking the more mature, bitter greens: quick-boiling, simmering, and sautéeing.
To quick-boil greens, bring two quarts of water to a boil. Do not chop the leaves, but submerge them whole into the boiling water. Use a wooden spoon to move them from top to bottom. To tell when they are done, use your senses. The leaves should begin to lose their perkiness and wilt slightly, but the bright green color will still be present. At this point, bring a leaf up with your spoon, tear off a piece, and chew it. If the flavor is bitter, let them cook more. The greens are just right when chewing a piece releases sweet juices in your mouth. If the color is gone or there is no flavor left when you chew it, they’ve cooked too long. The amount of time depends on the maturity of the green and the amount of leaves you’re cooking. For something like tender mustard greens, it should be a thirty- to sixty-second dip, while mature collard greens can take about five minutes. Once you test the green and get a sweet flavor, pour the contents of the pot into a colander. Save the water, which is called pot-likker. Many cooks like to drink this nutrient-filled broth, but I like to use it to water my plants. Gently run cool water over the greens to halt cooking. Once they are cool enough to touch, gather them into a ball and gently squeeze out the excess water. Chop them on the cutting board and they are ready to dress and serve.
To simmer greens, bring about one inch of liquid (water, broth, wine . . .) to simmer in a large skillet. Chop the washed greens into strips. Place the strips in the simmering liquid and keep them moving with a wooden spoon. You are looking for the same results as described above: a bright green color and a sweet flavor; but since the greens have been chopped, the cooking time will be shorter.
When sautéeing greens, it is good to work with just-washed greens. The water helps with wilting and releasing bitterness. Heat 1-2 Tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Add a minced clove of garlic if desired. The garlic will tell you if you have the heat right. Too hot and the garlic will burn, too cool and the garlic will just sit there. If there is too much water on the greens or the oil is too hot, the oil will sputter, so take care. Chop the greens you are using into bite-sized pieces. Stacking the washed leaves is an easy way to make efficient, uniform cuts. Place cut leaves in the skillet and keep them moving. Stay with the process and test every minute or so for doneness. When the leaves are still full of color and tasting proves not bitter, but sweet, they’re ready!