Recently, I added another bacon/greens combo concoction to my
growing list of greens recipes.
One quick note before I get to the recipe, I should put in a
quick note about identifying the greens. If you are one of those
people who didn’t get the benefit of asking or forgot to ask the
farmer what on earth all that green stuff was you had in your bag,
a couple websites offers some help identifying greens. About.com
has a decent list of greens with pictures and tips for uses. I’m
looking for others, but that seems to be the most complete. PCC
Natural Markets also has a
basic primer on greens.
Also, while I was out in Internet land, I found a few other
greens recipes and added them to my Food
Stories page.
And now to the recipe, or rather “recipe” because it’s an
approximate of proportions I used to make the dish on the fly:
When I decided to join a CSA, I was prepared for what food
bloggers and other folks said would be an onslaught of leafy greens
in the spring, (and summer, and fall). I saw it as a challenge, an
exercise for my budding creative culinary skills.
This winter, I bought loads of kale and a bunch of chard at the
grocery store, looked up recipes on blogs and even came out with my
own
tomato, kale, garbanzo and sausage soup.
I saw this onslaught as an opportunity to get all the wonderful
vitamins and good-for-you things greens provide, and envisaged a
sudden turn to a healthy-eating lifestyle.
And then I got my first bunches of beet and mustard greens.
Actually, I didn’t even know what they were, and failed to ask
before happily and proudly skipping away with my bagful of fresh
goodies.
It seems that while I was contorting to pat myself on the back,
I failed to look up what “greens” actually meant and in what
variety they come.
But this is not a story of a food failure.
In fact, it’s more of a food rescue.
So with the first batch, I made salad. It was … interesting. Not
that bad the first time around, but not regular, tender-lettuce
salad. It got better the second and third days after I beefed it up
with boiled eggs, bacon and other things that I’m sure negate all
the good-for-you qualities fresh greens provide.
I used to laugh at my friends from the South (land o’ collard
and many other kinds of greens) who regaled me with stories of
things like fried lettuce. I’d just about be on the floor, “You FRY
lettuce? You have got to be kidding,” I’d said. Yeah, it was
mean.
But all this was in my head as I chopped up a heaping helping
from my second batch. I fried it in bacon grease then
scrambled in some eggs and topped it all with crumbled bacon.
I will NEVER laugh at my Southern friends again.
It. Was. Good.
And then, on my third trip to pick up goods, a friendly farmer
at Pheasant Fields FarmRed Barn Farm gave me some
tips and the weekly newsletter included a great recipe of garlicky
greens with Andouille and onions to my weekly newsletter. The
recipe came courtesy of Shannon Harkness of , who says she acquired
it from a Cook’s Country magazine.
I made the recipe from the newsletter with mustard greens and
instead of cider vinegar, I used red wine vinegar (it’s what I had
in the house) and keilbasa (because the grocery store was out of
Andouille). I overcooked the greens a little bit, so they weren’t
quite bright green, and they were a touch bitter, but not
overwhelmingly so, just enough to make it interesting.
So, it seems, I’m coming to love the greens in a multitude of
varieties. If any of you have additional greens recipes, please,
please pass them on.
Garlicky Greens with Andouille and Onions
(From Cook’s Country magazine)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 ounces Andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into
half-moon shapes (substitues include kielbasa or chorizo)
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds greens, chopped
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
Brown sausage: Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until
just smoking. Cook sausage until well-browned, about 5 minutes. Add
onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic
until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add greens and vinegar, cover and cook until greens are wilted,
about 3 minutes. Remove cover, increase heat to high to evaporate
the liquid, about two more minutes.
