Collard Greens & Sausage
A delightful twist on the classic, this comforting dish is flavored with fresh garlic, sweet onion and breakfast sausage.
Ingredients:
1 bunch collard greens, washed and patted dry, stems removed
6 links breakfast sausage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 cups chicken broth
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add onion and sausage and cook until onion is soft and translucent and sausage is browned.
2. Add garlic, greens, and broth, stirring to combine all ingredients.
3. Turn down heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until greens are nice and soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Sautéed Spring Greens with Garlic
Kissed with garlic and red pepper flakes, these greens add fresh, flavorful appeal to this week’s polenta.
Ingredients:
2 large bunches of your choice greens (Swiss chard, collard greens or any other spring greens)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Pinch red pepper flakes
Sea salt
Method:
1. Rinse greens well. Tear or cut leaves away from stems and discard stems. Coarsely chop.
2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Cook garlic and pepper flakes in oil briefly, then add greens, a few handfuls at a time, stirring in between.
3. Stir in vinegar and salt. Cover. Cook until just tender, 3-10 minutes, depending on the type of greens and your preference.
Sautéed Turnips with Garlic & Greens
Tossed with flavorful garlic, these turnip greens are incredibly tender thanks to a quick simmer in chicken stock.
Ingredients:
1 bunch Hakurei turnips with greens
4 cups kale greens, removed of any tough ribs
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
¼ cup golden raisins, plumped in water and drained
Method:
1. Thoroughly wash turnips, then trim greens from turnip bulbs. Set greens out on a paper towel to drain. Meanwhile, trim the turnip bulb ends and thinly slice. Then, coarsely chop greens.
2. Heat garlic in oil over medium heat in a large skillet until garlic begins to sizzle. Add the turnips and their greens, plus the kale greens. Turn and coat with oil as you wilt the greens.
3. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes to soften.
4. Transfer turnips, greens and garlic to a serving platter and top with plumped golden raisins.
Variation: This dish is excellent topped with swarm Andouille sausage slices!
Sautéed Collard Greens
Try this traditional Southern favorite with a fried egg on top for breakfast!
Ingredients:
1 large bunch collard greens, tough stems and ends removed, leaves coarsely chopped
½ cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes
Sea salt
Method:
1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in Collard greens and 1 teaspoon salt.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add water, and steam, covered, until greens are just tender and water evaporates, about 10 minutes. If greens are ready but there is still water in the pan, raise heat to medium-high, and cook, uncovered, until completely evaporated.
Baby Beet & Carrot Salad with Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing
This beautiful salad utilizes both the bright baby beets and tender greens.
Ingredients:
Dressing:
2 green onions, minced
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more to taste
½ cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons minced dill
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 pound baby beets with greens (about 1-inch thick)
1 pound slender young carrots with greens (about 1/2-inch thick)1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. For the dressing: Whisk to combine green onion, garlic, and lemon zest and juice, onion and garlic powder, and sea salt in a small mixing bowl. Set aside to marinate for a few minutes. Fold in the crème fraîche, followed by the fresh herbs. Taste and add sea salt as needed. Cover and set in fridge to chill. Just before serving, whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons water to thin dressing as needed.
2. Preheat oven to 425°. Trim all but ¼-inch of beet and carrot greens (reserve beet greens), and thoroughly scrub vegetables. Set unpeeled beets in a small, 2-inch-deep baking pan. Add ½ inch of cold water and cover tightly with foil. Slide into oven and roast until beets are fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover beets, drain hot water, and set beets aside until cool enough to handle. Slice off beet tops and remove skin under cold running water, either with fingertips or a peeler. (Skin will come off very easily.) Quarter beets and sprinkle with sea salt.
3. Halve carrots and cut on the bias into 4-inch spears. Toss with olive oil and a pinch each sea salt and pepper. Scatter on a rimmed baking sheet and slide into oven to roast alongside beets 10 to 15 minutes, or until carrots just begin to curl up and the edges turn golden.
4. While vegetables cook, rinse and dry beet greens, and arrange leaves on a serving platter. Tuck beets and carrots into the greens. Spoon on the dressing, and finish with a few twists of pepper and minced parsley. Serve immediately.
Braised Collard Greens
These tender greens are a great side dish.
Ingredients:
1 pound braising greens, such as this week’s Collard greens, or Swiss chard or kale
½ cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes
Sea salt
Method:
1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the greens and 1 teaspoon salt.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add water, and steam, covered, until greens are just tender and water evaporates, about 10 minutes. If greens are ready but there is still water in the pan, raise heat to medium-high, and cook, uncovered, until completely evaporated.
Braised Asian Greens
These tender greens are a great side dish.
Ingredients:
1 pound braising greens, such as this week’s Asian mix, or your other favorite green such as Collard greens, Swiss chard or kale
½ cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes
Sea salt
Method:
1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the greens and 1 teaspoon salt.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add water, and steam, covered, until greens are just tender and water evaporates, about 10 minutes. If greens are ready but there is still water in the pan, raise heat to medium-high, and cook, uncovered, until completely evaporated.
Garden Greens with Chopped Eggs
This fresh salad is a lovely use for beautiful summer greens.
Ingredients:
4 cups mixed summer greens, washed and patted dry
½ pound green beans, trimmed
½ pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
4 anchovy fillets, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sour cream
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
Edible flowers, for garnish
Method:
1. Prepare an ice-water bath. Working in batches, blanch green beans in a pot of generously salted boiling water until bright and crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath and let cool; remove. Return water in the pot to a boil, and blanch snow peas, in batches, about 1 minute. Transfer to ice bath until cool; remove peas, and cut in half.
2. Whisk together the anchovies, lemon juice and sour cream in a bowl. Slowly add oil in a steady stream, whisking until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide the lettuce greens, green beans and peas among four plates, and top each with chopped eggs and herbs. Drizzle with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and serve garnished with edible flowers.
Sautéed Beets & Swiss Chard Greens
Cooked in butter and wine, this comforting side dish makes use of both flavorful beets and beet greens.
Ingredients:
4-6 Chioggia beets with greens
1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard
3 tablespoons butter
1 shallot
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons water
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Crumbled goat cheese (optional)
Method:
1. Scrub and peel beets. Remove the greens and chop coarsely. Set the greens aside in a large prep bowl. Slice beets into ¼-inch rounds. Remove the ribs from the Swiss chard and coarsely chop and toss into bowl with the beet greens.
2. In a large sauté pan, melt butter. Sauté shallots. Add beet rounds to the shallot butter mixture. Crack some pepper over the beets and a toss in a pinch of salt. Reduce heat and sauté beets, turning over occasionally to ensure even cooking.
3. Cook for about 15 minutes or until beets begin to glaze and become tender; add greens and chard. Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add wine and cover. Cook until greens are wilted, adding water if necessary. Allow liquid to be mostly absorbed into greens, adjust seasonings. Garnish with fresh-cracked pepper and crumbled goat cheese, if desired.
Pan-Braised Radishes & Greens
Pan-braising radishes mellows their spice, lending tender texture to this side dish.
Ingredients:
1 large bunch radishes with greens*
1 shallot, minced
4 teaspoons butter
Water
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
¼ cup fresh parsley or tarragon, chopped
Method:
1. Trim greens from radishes, leaving a bit of the green stem intact. Place greens and radishes in a large bowl of cold water and let soak for at least five minutes. Remove greens and set in a colander to drain. Dry off radishes and slice in half.
2. In a large sauté pan, melt three teaspoons of the butter and sweat the minced shallots over medium heat for a minute or so. Add radishes to the pan, season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour in water to almost cover the radishes. Bring to a simmer, partially cover the pan, and cook until the radishes are knife tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove lid and add the greens to the pan. Cover and cook for a minute or two more, until the greens have somewhat wilted. Transfer greens and radishes to a large serving bowl, leaving juices remaining in pan.
3. Bring juices to a simmer, and reduce until no more than a quarter cup remains. Add a teaspoon more of butter and stir to incorporate it with the juices.
4. Finely chop the herbs and add it to the bowl. Pour reduced juices over top and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper as necessary.
*Feel free to use a mixture of this week’s trio of radishes for a beautiful array of color!