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Info on Cooking Greens

Source of Recipe

Calire


Recipe Introduction

Note: Don't cook greens in aluminum cookware which affects both their appearance and taste. PREPARATION
Wash greens thoroughly. Place them in a sink filled with lukewarm water and swish around; (tepid water helps to remove the grit faster than cool water). Remove any roots, stem the greens if necessary, and repeat the washing process until the grit disappears. For salad greens, whirl in a salad spinner or pat dry in paper toweling.

Mustard and turnip greens have more grit than any of the other greens; the leaves have little hairs on them that you don't taste after they're cooked, but you need to really wash them well. Collards, spinach and kale have a slicker surface that doesn't trap grit as much.

Mild-flavored greens like spinach, kale or chard can be steamed until barely tender. Stronger-flavored greens like collards, mustard or turnip greens benefit from longer cooking in a seasoned broth. They should also be blanched before adding to soups and stews, otherwise a bitter flavor will predominate.


Kale is at its best flavor in the fall; other greens are full-flavored all year long. Down south, greens are served with hot pepper vinegar (just a sprinkle!) I also like them California-style with a little squeeze of lemon juice.

After you've washed and dried your greens, chop them by stacking the leaves on top of each other like a deck of cards (with all the stems facing the same direction). Roll the leaves up like a big cigar, then slice in 1" wide ribbons from top to the beginning of the stems (this method is called "chiffonade". Throw the stems away; they are tough and don't taste good. You don't have to chiffonade leaves that are palm-sized or smaller; they'll shrink a bit during cooking.

Proceed with your recipe...