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By Root 476 0

not all greens are cooked with bacon drippings and a ham hock. This is the way that they accompany feijoada, the national dish of Brazil. The greens may be kale or collards or a mix, but I prefer to use collards.

Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds fresh young collard greens

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 cloves garlic, or to taste, minced

1 to 2 tablespoons water

Hot sauce to taste

Wash the collard greens thoroughly and bunch the leaves together. Take the bunch, roll it tightly, and cut it crosswise into thin strips. (This is a method that the French call en chiffonade.) Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, then cook the garlic, stirring it until it’s only slightly browned. Add the collard strips and cook them, stirring constantly for 5 minutes, so that the greens are soft but retain their bright color. Add a tablespoon or two of water, cover, lower the heat, and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Serve hot with the hot sauce of your choice.

—Tasting Brazil

Grandma Harris’s Greens

My Grandma Harris didn’t just use one green in this recipe. Instead, she prepared a mixture of bitey mustard greens and turnip greens along with the more classic collards. They were fantastic.

Serves 6

4 pounds mixed collard, mustard, and turnip greens

8 strips bacon

6 cups water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For serving:

Hot sauce

Chopped onions

Balsamic vinegar

Wash the greens well, picking them over to remove any brown spots or blemishes, then drain them well, cut out the thick central stems, and tear the greens into bite-size pieces. Place the bacon strips in a large, heavy saucepan and cook them over medium heat until they are translucent and the bottom of the pan is covered with the rendered bacon fat. Add the greens and the water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, covered, until the greens are tender—about 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the greens hot, accompanied by hot sauce, chopped onions, and vinegar.

Note: In some parts of the South, cooks add a pinch of sugar to their greens. My grandmother did not.

Garlic-, Rosemary-, and Lavender-Scented Leg of Lamb with Spicy Mint Sauce

This is a leg of lamb that might currently turn up on my table for a party or a Sunday dinner.

Serves 6 to 8

4-to 5-pound shank-end-half leg of lamb

6 large garlic cloves

1½ teaspoon dry lavender

1 tablespoon stripped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons sea salt

2 tablespoons mixed peppercorns

1 tablespoon thyme

1 tablespoon herbes de provence

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Trim all the excess fat and fell from the leg of lamb, then pierce the lamb skin with 15 or so small incisions. Place the garlic, lavender, and thyme in a small food processor and pulse until you have a thick paste. Place a bit of the paste into each of the incisions in the lamb. Lace the remaining dry ingredients together in a spice mill and pulse until you have a coarse mix. Rub the mix all over the lamb, covering it entirely. Place the lamb on a grill rack in a roasting pan and place it in the oven. Cook at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and continue to cook for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature registers 140 degrees for rare, 150 degrees for medium rare, or 160 degrees for well done on a meat thermometer. (Cooking times will vary according to the shape of the lamb and the heat of your oven.) When it’s done, allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes, then carve it parallel to the bone in long thin slices and serve warm with Mint Sauce (see below).

Mint Sauce

1 jar mint jelly

1 small jalapeno chili, or to taste, minced

2 tablespoons dark rum

Place the mint jelly in a small saucepan with the jalapeno chili and rum and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is warmed through. Serve warm in a sauceboat to accompany the lamb.

—The Martha’s Vineyard Table

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

High on the Hog is a work that has been in my head