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Seasonal Spotlight: Braising Greens

2009_01_07-BraisingGreens.jpgMom always told you to eat your greens. In the cold, dark days of winter, the farmer's markets are full of baskets of these thick, green leaves in various sizes, shapes, and shades of greens. Braising greens are a mix of greens that include kale, chard, collards, mustard, bok choy, raddichio, and turnip greens. They're really great because you get several varieties of dark, leafy, chock-full-of-vitamins greens that are so versatile. Plus, they're delicious - each bite bursts with flavor and texture.

 
 

Braising greens can be steamed, sauteed, stewed, braised ... they can be served on their own, as a side dish, or incorporated in tacos, burritos, pizza, soups, stews. They could be used in Elizabeth's Turkey Meatballs Over Greens recipe. You're going to need a big pan for these, so go ahead and stuff a produce bag full of these tasty treats and start braising away!

Here are some recipes to try:
Ribollita
Braised Collard Greens with Bacon
Linguine with Mussels and Dandelion Greens
Braising Greens Tacos
Portuguese Kale Soup

(Image: Kathryn Hill)

Comments (6)

I do this often but often wind up w/bitter, soggy greens. What am I doing wrong? I know that most greens are naturally on the bitter side and I don't mind that at all but am I using too much water, not high enough heat or ???

posted by rosebud on January 7th 2009 at 3:47pm
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Trader Joes has a nice blend of colorful braising greens like this.

I usually rinse them and put them into a tall pot with a lid that has had a piece of bacon rendering and some slices of onion and garlic.

Throw the lid back on, turn the heat on low and just let them steam away slowly. When the greens reach your desired tenderness, season with fresh cracked black pepper, sea salt, a few splashes of vinegar and serve with a nice drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

(the water left on the greens after rinsing is just enough to help them steam)

posted by art on January 7th 2009 at 4:04pm
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I know this isn't what you mean, but after I saw the French Chef episode where Julia Child braised a whole head of romaine, I've returned to the recipe once in awhile. And of course, her whole bit cracked me up, trying to gracefully fold up a head of romaine.

rosebud, maybe it has to do with what your braising them with, and for how long. Once you get your braising liquid boiling, you can sit it down to a simmer. I usually braise in stock (enough to cover) and add a hunk of pork to cut the bitter, but using a well-made veg stock might do the trick. For New Year's, I added a bunch of black-eyed peas, then braised the chaos for about 30-45 minutes.

posted by OneWallKitchen on January 7th 2009 at 5:47pm
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rosebud,
I don't know why your greens are soggy, but I find that a splash of acid after cooking (either vinegar or lemon juice) goes a long way toward improving the flavor. Same thing with Brussels sprouts.

posted by graefix on January 7th 2009 at 6:51pm
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ohyum. I've never met a cooking green I didn't love. one of my favorite recipes is any kind of chopped, sauteed cooking green with Italian sausage over pasta. Toss everything with grated parm, olive oil and balsamic. delish.

posted by splatgirl on January 7th 2009 at 7:13pm
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yeah, stuff that bag as full as you can - my giant armful of mustard greens was 3 small servings, cooked ;)

posted by akostalas on January 8th 2009 at 6:45pm
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