Recipes From the Root Cellar_ 270 Fresh Ways to Enjoy Winter Vegetables - Andrea Chesman [64]
2 Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and continue to sauté until golden and toasted, about 5 minutes.
3 Stir in the greens, season with salt and pepper, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Kitchen Note: The higher the quality of breadcrumbs, the better the dish. Try to use an artisan or homemade bread and make your own crumbs. It is easy to do in a food processor or with a box grater.
Parmesan Greens
Serves 4
Another simple way to dress up greens. The pine nuts add crunch while the Parmesan adds rich flavor.
8 cups chopped kale, collards, or mustard greens (remove and discard tough stems)
3 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup freshly shaved or grated Parmesan cheese
1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the greens and cook until tender, about 5 minutes for kale and mustard greens or 10 to 15 minutes for collards. Drain well and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again.
2 Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the pine nuts and continue to sauté until golden and toasted, about 3 minutes.
3 Stir in the greens, season with salt and pepper, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the cheese over the greens; cover with a lid and let the cheese melt, about 1 minute. Serve hot.
Chinese Steamed Greens
Serves 4
It doesn’t get any simpler than this, and preparing greens this way is simply perfect. It is terrific with kale, especially Lacinato kale, and most Chinese greens, including baby bok choy, Chinese broccoli, and napa cabbage. It is also an excellent method for preparing regular broccoli and broccoli rabe.
1½–2 pounds greens (napa or Chinese cabbage, bok choy, kale, or mustard greens; remove and discard tough stems)
Soy sauce
Asian sesame sauce
1 Fill a saucepan with a couple of inches of water and bring to a boil. Steam the greens in a steaming basket over the boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes.
2 Arrange the greens on a platter. Drizzle generously with soy sauce and sparingly with sesame oil. Serve hot.
Kitchen Note: For an extremely simple one-dish meal, steam cubed silken tofu and place on the greens before drizzling with soy sauce and sesame oil. Serve over rice.
Sichuan-Style Stir-Fried Greens
Serves 4
A few Chinese ingredients give this easy stir-fry unusual flavor. Sichuan peppercorns are actually the berry of the prickly ash tree. They can be found at Asian groceries, perhaps under the name anise pepper, Chinese pepper, fagara, flower pepper, or sansho. Chinese black vinegar has a distinctive flavor, closer to balsamic vinegar than to regular rice vinegar. You can use any Asian green in this recipe, or use a mix of greens.
2 tablespoons peanut, sunflower, or canola oil
4 small dried chilis or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ pounds bok choy, napa or Chinese cabbage, kale, or other Chinese greens, trimmed and sliced into 1-inch pieces (about 18 cups lightly packed; remove and discard any tough stems)
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
Salt
Chinese black vinegar
1 Heat the peanut oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the chilis, peppercorns, and garlic, and sauté just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the greens and stir-fry until wilted, about 3 minutes. Cover and let steam until tender, 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the greens and your preferences.
2 Add the sugar, sesame oil, and salt to taste. Toss to mix. Drizzle with vinegar and serve immediately.