Tag Archives: Greens

Collards with Cornmeal Dumplings

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Smoky Soul Stock

2 smoked ham hocks or smoked turkey wings (see Note)

2 medium onions, quartered

4 celery stalks, including leaves, halved

2 carrots, trimmed and quartered

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Greens and dumplings

1 1/2 quarts Smoky Soul Stock (above)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pound collard greens

2 small dried red chile peppers or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste (used 2t diamond in greens)

Black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups coarsely ground cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt, to taste

In a large heavy stockpot, bring 3 quarts water, the smoked meat, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, until the flavors are well-blended, about 2 hours. The broth develops a stronger flavor the longer you let it simmer. Remove the meat from the broth. When cool enough to handle, pull it off the bones (discard the skin, fat, and bones). Chop the meat and reserve for another use. Use a fine-mesh sieve to strain the stock. Refrigerate the stock until the fat floats to the top. Use a slotted spoon to skim off the fat and discard. Store the stock tightly covered in the fridge or freezer.

Make the Collard Greens with Cornmeal Dumplings: In a saucepan, bring the stock, onion, and garlic to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer while preparing the greens.  Thoroughly wash the greens and trim away the stems, if desired. Discard the stems or chop small. Stack 2 or 3 leaves on a cutting board and roll tightly into a log. Slice the greens crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide ribbons. Place the greens and the chiles in the broth and return to a simmer. Cook, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours for very tender greens; you may cook them for less if you have young greens or prefer greens with more chew. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Spoon out about 1 cup of the potlikker (the cooking broth) and set aside.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the reserved potlikker, and heat to just below boiling. Remove the potlikker mixture from the heat and whisk half of it (1/2 cup) it into the dry ingredients, and more if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time (I needed almost the full cup to reach a thick batter consistency). Let stand 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, use wet fingertips (or in my case, a big scoop) to shape the dough into 6 dumplings.

During the last 15 minutes of the collards’ cooking time, carefully drop the cornmeal dumplings into the pot with the greens, making sure the dumplings rest in the potlikker. Cover the pot and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Cabbage & Sausage Skillet

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CABBAGE AND SAUSAGE SKILLET

1 pound Hot Italian Sausage

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 bag cooking greens

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

In a high sided saute pan over medium high heat, brown the sausage until cooked through.  Remove from pan.

Reduce heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Once hot, add the onions and season with a little salt.   Cook for 5-10 minutes, until softened and golden.  Add the garlic and spices, cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.  Add greens to the pan. The pan will be very full at first, carefully mix the greens in and it will start to wilt and reduce in volume.  You my need to add it in a few batches.  Continue to stir, until everything is combined and greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage back to the pan, stir to combine.  Cook for another minute or two, until sausage is warmed.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.  From foxandbriar.com

Utica Greens

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FOR THE OREGANATO:

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup bread crumbs

½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

 

FOR THE GREENS:

1 1/4 pound greens mix

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 slices prosciutto cut roughly

4 to 6 hot cherry peppers (pickled or fresh), chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup + 2 Tbs Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, prepare the oreganato: Mix the oil, bread crumbs and cheese until well blended. It should have the texture of moist beach sand. Set aside.  When the water is boiling, blanch the greens until they are nearly limp but still a little firm, about 1 to 2 minutes. Plunge them into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Remove and drain them well in a colander or salad spinner, allowing them to remain moist but not dripping wet. Squeeze just a little of the moisture from them, then chop them into 2-inch pieces. Set aside.  Heat the broiler. Coat a large pan with the olive oil. Over medium heat, sauté the prosciutto, cherry peppers and garlic until the prosciutto is browned and slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. (Lower heat slightly if garlic begins to brown too quickly.) Add the chopped greens to the pan, season with salt and pepper and stir to mix well.  Add 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and 1/2 cup of the oreganato. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently to blend, scraping the bottom of the pan to keep the oreganato from burning. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup oreganato atop the greens. (Save leftover oreganato for use in another greens dish, or add it to baked chicken or shrimp.) Place the pan under the broiler and broil until the top browns, about 2 minutes. Remove from the broiler and sprinkle a bit more cheese on the dish. Serve immediately.

 

Potato, Endive, and Country Ham Soup

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1 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 onion, diced

1 leek, white and light green portions, minced

1 rib celery, diced

4 cups chicken broth

2 potatoes thinly sliced

1 sprig thyme

2 cups endive chopped

1 cup diced country ham

½ tsp. salt or to taste

¼ tsp. black pepper or to taste

Heat butter in a soup pot over love heat; add the onion leek, celery and garlic; stir until they are evenly coated with butter.  Cover the pot and cook until tender and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.  Add the broth, potatoes and thyme.  Simmer the sopu until the potatoes are beginning to disintegrate, 15 to 20 minutes.  Add the endive and diced ham and simmer the soup for another 12 to 15 minutes, or until all the ingredients are tender.  Add salt and generous amounts of pepper to taste.  From An American Bounty by the Culinary Institute of America.

Easy Pesto

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2 cups greens

½ cup nuts (almonds, walnuts, filberts or pine nuts)

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp. salt

2 cloves garlic

½ cup olive oil

Place all ingredients except oil in a food processor.  As it processes, slowly add the oil.  Continue to process until smooth. Serve over pasta or as a dip.

White Bean and Winter Greens Gratin

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1 bunch kale or other greens

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 cloves chopped garlic

1-2 slices pancetta or ham cut to1/2 in. chunks

1 cup canned or frozen tomatoes

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

3 cups canned white beans (canned or cooked)

½ cup chicken or vegetable broth

For Topping

1 cup bread crumbs

¼ cup olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°.  Rinse greens, remove stems and cut crosswise into ribbons.  In a large pan, heat oil and sauté garlic pancetta.  When garlic starts to turn translucent (about 2 minutes) add greens and sauté 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the tomatoes, salt, thyme, bay leaf, drained beans and broth.  Mix gently.  Transfer into an oiled 10 inch gratin dish.  Mix topping ingredients, spread over beans and greens mixture and bake 40-50 minutes.

Adapted from Greens: A Country Garden Cookbook by Sibella Kraus

Rice, Beet, and Kale Salad with Cider Dressing

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1 lb beets, halved

⅔ cup uncooked black rice (sometimes called “forbidden rice”)

1 ⅓ cup water

½ cup pecans, roughly chopped

2 cups packed, shredded raw kale

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons cold-pressed flaxseed oil OR extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme (whole, not ground)

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

Ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add beets to a sheet of parchment-lined foil. Crunch into a ball. Roast for 1 1/2 hours, until tender. Cool until comfortable to handle. Cut beets into bite-sized pieces or wedges. Add to a large bowl.  In a medium pot, add rice and 1 1/3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 40 to 45 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add to beets, along with kale and pecans.  In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients or shake in a jar. Add to salad. Toss to combine, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (overnight is best). Before serving, taste and adjusting seasoning if desired. This salad will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.  Tip:  If you can’t find black rice, try wild rice (cook according to wild rice package directions). This would be fabulous with a little goat’s milk feta, chevre or thick yogurt on top. From The New York Times Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Lentil Soup with Winter Squash and Greens

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1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. cumin

1 c. red lentils

4 c. chicken stock

1 14 ½-oz can diced tomatoes

2 c. chopped winter squash, ½ in. cubes

4 c. chopped mixed greens

1 tsp. smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add lentils and broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes or so, until red lentils have broken down. Add chopped winter squash, tomatoes, greens and paprika. Simmer until squash is tender, 15-20 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 6 servings.

ASIAN RADISH SALAD

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15-20 radishes, with greens

1 small shallot or onion, minced

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar or lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. fish sauce

½” knob ginger, peeled and grated

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. sugar (optional)

½ tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Soak chopped onion or shallot in vinegar or lime juice while preparing the rest of the salad. Slice radish roots and greens thinly. Whisk remaining ingredients into onion-vinegar mixture. Taste for balance and add radishes. Serve.

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Mustard Greens

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  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 2 c. dried yellow split peas, rinsed
  • 5 c. water
  • 4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 14 ½-oz. can diced plum tomatoes
  • 1 med. peeled sweet potato, ½ in. cubes
  • 8 c. coarsely chopped mustard greens, ribs removed
  • salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.  Add split peas, water and broth and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until split peas have completely broken down, about 1 hour.  Add tomatoes, sweet potatoes and mustard greens.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 25 to 30 minutes more.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serves 10.

From Eating Well October 1998.