I love eating my greens. There, I said it! – so don’t be surprised when you see me walking home from the farmers market laden with tote bags filled with “useless leaves”… Although it is now more fashionable to eat a great variety of fruits and vegetable – including greens - many people still do not know what to do when confronted with a bunch of leaves. And I am always happy to share my favorite recipes.No more tossing away the radish tops!
Greens are nutritional powerhouses – packed with vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and fiber – and while they can certainly be boiled into an unappealing sludgy mess, they can also be a delicious (and healthy) addition to your meals. One basic way to prepare just about any green is to sauté it – this is my preferred method:
Basic Sautéed and Steamed Greens
Rinsed greens
1-2 Tbs olive oil
1-2 closed crushed garlic (to taste)
Few flakes hot red pepper (if desired)
Small amount of water, lemon juice, or white wine
After rinsing the greens VERY WELL, shake dry – the few droplets of water that remain will aid in cooking. For greens with large stems (such as chard), trim the stems from the leaves and roughly chop into bite sized pieces. Heat gently heat olive oil, garlic and pepper flakes in a sauté pan. Add the stems and sauté 1 minute; then cover to gently “self steam” for 3-4 minutes. Uncover, add the leaves and sauté another 2-3 minutes. If the leaves look very dry, add a spoonful or two of water (or lemon juice or white wine) to the pan, cover to steam until done. (Be careful, as it is easy to overcook greens into a grey-green mushy mess – you want brilliant green color and a bit of crispness). This method works well for all leafy greens – kale, collards, spinach, mustard, beet, and any other greens your farmers market can dream up.
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Beet Greens: Once upon a time, people ate beet greens, and not the familiar purple roots! At the Blooming Kitchen Garden, we appreciate both. When I thin my seedlings, I don’t toss or compost them – I steam or sauté them for a lovely, healthy side dish! Beet greens contain some of the betalain pigments that the roots contain in abundance. These phytonutrients have been shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification benefits. I prefer to serve beets and their greens together at the same meal – the sweet, buttery roasted beets nicely complement the bitter, sautéed greens.
Tops and Tails Beets
1 bunch beets, carefully cleaned and trimmed. Do NOT peel the beetroots!
Tops:
Rinsed greens
1-2 Tbs olive oil
1-2 closed crushed garlic (to taste)
Few flakes hot red pepper (if desired)
Small amount of water, lemon juice, or white wine
Tails:
Beetroots
Butter, salt and pepper to taste
Place the beetroots in a pan with water to cover. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer until the beetroots are tender. While the beetroots are cooking, prepare the tops (the greens) as in Basic Sautéed and Steamed Greens. Remove the beetroots from heat, drain, and allow to cool slightly. Carefully (because they are still warm) remove the skins – they will pretty mush slip off. Discard the skins, dice the beetroots and place in a serving sigh with butter, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the prepared greens. The sweet, earthy flavor of the beetroot wonderfully complements the slightly bitter flavors of the greens.
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Radish Tops: Most Americans think that the only edible part of a radish is the spicy red and white root - but many chefs feel the greens are the best part! When young, the peppery leaves are wonderful in a tossed salad with lemon vinaigrette, some minced spring vegetables, and a few shavings of nicely aged parmesan. When older they can be cooked as any other braising green. I like to lightly sauté them as a springtime side dish, and in winter I simmer them into a lovely potato soup.
Radish Top Soup
2 cups well rinsed radish leaves
1 Tbs butter or olive oil
3-4 peeled and cubed potatoes
3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock if desired)
2 Tbs sour cream or crème fraiche
Salt and pepper to taste
Make sure the radish leaves are rinsed VERY well – they can be VERY gritty! I use one large saucepan for this who preparation – no need for separate sauté pan and soup pot. Finely mince the radish leaves, and sauté in the butter or olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cubed potatoes. Bring to a light boil, then reduce to simmer until the potatoes are soft and falling apart, and the flavors have blended nicely. I use a large spoon to “mash” the potatoes and roughly blend the ingredients, but some prefer the smoother result of an immersion blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When ready to serve, ladles into soup bowls and stir a dollop of sour cream into each.
NOTE: If you choose to use a regular blender, please blend small amounts of this very hot liquid at a time!
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Collards: I have a Southern belle sister-in-law, but I probably cook collard greens more than she does! Why? Well, they are an amazing nutrient powerhouse: an excellent source of Vitamin C and E and other antioxidants, an excellent source of Vitamin K and omega-3 fatty acids, packed with phytonutrients, and hailed (as are other cruciferous veggies) as a natural support against cancer and heart disease. Collard greens with black-eyed peas is the famous Southern dish, and I do love it, but my favorite way with collards is to add them to a delicious vegetable soup.
Vegetable Soup
1 bunch well rinsed collard leaves, roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic (to taste)
1 small bunch carrots, scrubbed (or peeled) and diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
2-3 cups diced “vegetables on hand” – I like to choose whatever is seasonal: squash, tomatoes, peas, green beans, let your imagination and the market lead the way!
2-3 peeled and cubed potatoes
2 Tbs butter or olive oil
6-8 cups chicken or beef stock (aka bone broth)
Salt, pepper and fresh herbs to taste - I like to use rosemary and thyme
In a large stock pot, slowly sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until tender and the flavors are released, about 5-10 minutes. Add all the other ingredients, except the collard leaves. Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 1-2 hours. Add additional liquid as needed. Add the collards, and simmer an additional 20 minutes until the collards are tender. I like to serve this with crusty, freshly baked bread for a hearty lunch.
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Kale: Another descendant of the wild cabbage, like broccoli and collards, kale is a traditional nutritional powerhouse – packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients, Vitamin K and omega-3 fatty acids, and fiber. And that is just the start of the goodness in kale. I love kale in colcannon, simmered into homemade minestrone soup, sautéed with sausages and onion and stirred into pasta. I love kale in the spring, lightly steamed and tossed into a warm salad with other greens and a lemony dressing, baked into a quiche with spring onions and gruyere… I even use kale to replace the cabbage in my St. Patrick’s Day classic corned beef dinner!
Colcannon
1 bunch well rinsed kale
3-4 scallions, minced
3 lbs potatoes
¼ cup milk or cream
¼ cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Additional butter for garnish
Peel and boil the potatoes. While the potatoes are boiling, sauté the kale and scallion in 1 Tbs of the butter. Drain the potatoes, and mash with remaining butter and milk or cream. Stir in the sautéed kale and scallions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with a little dab of fresh butter.
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