How to Cook Mouthwatering GREENS - article

[Guest guest]

Beens on this greens jag lately. Hope it hasn't been boring. Ran

across this article and found it really helpful. Best to all.

Chupa

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How to Cook Mouthwatering GREENS - article

Vegetarian Journal, May, 2001 by Cynthia Lair

 

 

Everyone wants to look good, feel better, and have more energy.

Billions of dollars are spent buying supplements each year toward this

end. Yet we often overlook simple dietary changes that can provide our

bodies with the nutrients they need to achieve the goals we want. Some

of the most nutrient-dense foods available on the planet are dark

leafy greens--the super-heroes of the vegetable world. Eating a

helping of delicious, dark leafy greens each day can help keep you in

tip-top shape. Popeye was right. So why isn't everybody putting greens

on their must-have lists for the grocery store?

 

Lots of people are unfamiliar with how to prepare them, especially how

to cook the more mature greens, like collards and kale, so they are

not bitter. Once the basics of cooking greens are demystified and you

see the results of including them in your diet, you'll want them to

make a regular appearance at your dining table.

 

HOW TO PICK GREENS

 

Arugula, beet greens, bok choy, collard greens, dandelion greens,

kale, lamb's quarters, mustard greens, spinach, swiss chard, and

watercress are only a partial list of the kinds of these superheroes.

I also like to include green leafy herbs like basil, Italian parsley,

cilantro, and mint, which provide many of the same benefits. Greens

are easy to grow, so if you have even a small yard, consider sowing

some seeds. Most greens can be planted in spring after all frost is

gone, and harvested July through August. Kale, collards, and mustard

greens can be planted again in the fall. They overwinter nicely and

produce fresh growth again in early spring. If growing is out of the

question, your local farmers' market or local natural foods market is

your best option for purchasing fresh greens. Look for bright-colored,

perky-looking greens. Pass by any bunch with brown spots, yellowing

edges, or limp-looking leaves, and choose the more vitalized ones.

Smaller leaves indicate a more immature plant, which means the greens

may need little or no cooking. Their flavors will be milder and more

delicate. Larger, thicker-leaved greens require a little more care but

will have more robust flavors. Choose organic greens for the best

possible flavors and to keep your ecological conscience clear.

 

HOW TO STORE GREENS

 

Vegetables are alive! They are respiring, which means that they need

moisture and air to survive. If you store wet greens in a sealed

plastic bag, they will rot quickly. If you toss a bunch of greens onto

the bottom shelf of the fridge without a bag, they will dry out and

wilt due to moisture loss. The best way to store them is slightly wet

in an open or perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator. Fresh herbs

do well if you trim off about 1/2-inch from the root ends, place them

in a jar of water with a plastic bag over the top, and store them in

the refrigerator. Stored properly, greens should keep about 3 days.

 

HOW TO PREPARE AND COOK GREENS

 

Fresh herbs and tender leaves like arugula, spinach, and watercress

can be chopped raw and added to soups, salads, and grains, or lightly

steamed. More mature greens like bok choy, kale, dandelion greens, and

collards, taste bitter if you serve them raw, and often the texture is

too tough for easy chewing. Steaming these greens actually intensifies

the bitterness. They need to be cooked in liquid where the bitter

flavor can be dispersed.

 

First you need to prepare the greens. Remove large stems or break off

small ones. Fill a sink with cold water and submerge the leaves. With

herbs, leave the stems and hold on to them as you give the leaves a

dunk. If there is sediment in the water, drain the sink and repeat. If

you plan to put the greens in a salad, spin them dry. Leaves destined

for cooking can have excess water shaken off and be placed on a towel

or chopping board.

 

The issue at hand is how to cook the greens so they lose as little

nutritional value as possible while shedding their bitter flavors.

There are three cooking techniques that I like to use when cooking the

more mature, bitter greens: quick-boiling, simmering, and sauteeing.

 

To quick-boil greens, bring two quarts of water to a boil. Do not chop

the leaves, but submerge them whole into the boiling water. Use a

wooden spoon to move them from top to bottom. To tell when they are

done, use your senses. The leaves should begin to lose their perkiness

and wilt slightly, but the bright green color will still be present.

At this point, bring a leaf up with your spoon, tear off a piece, and

chew it. If the flavor is bitter, let them cook more. The greens are

just right when chewing a piece releases sweet juices in your mouth.

If the color is gone or there is no flavor left when you chew it,

they've cooked too long. The amount of time depends on the maturity of

the green and the amount of leaves you're cooking. For something like

tender mustard greens, it should be a thirty- to sixty-second dip,

while mature collard greens can take about five minutes. Once you test

the green and get a sweet flavor, pour the contents of the pot into a

colander. Save the water, which is called pot-likker. Many cooks like

to drink this nutrient-filled broth, but I like to use it to water my

plants. Gently run cool water over the greens to halt cooking. Once

they are cool enough to touch, gather them into a ball and gently

squeeze out the excess water. Chop them on the cutting board and they

are ready to dress and serve.

[Guest guest]

Chupa! Love your greens jag! I planted my fall garden in the heat

of August and had to go to great measures to protect my little

seedlings (newspaper blankets in the over 100 degree days), but now

I'm reaping the rewards. I've got 5 different varieties of swiss

chard, 2 varieties of collards, turnips, a little row of dinosaur

kale, beets, arugula, and cilantro and dill. I have been loving

going out to gather a huge bag of mixed greens every few days this

past month, and I've been cooking them " plain " by steaming in a tiny

amount of water. I save the cooking water and use it as veggie

stock. Eventually I know, though, the novelty of having fresh

greens will wear off, and that's why I'm saving all these great

recipes you've been posting! Keep it up! Very timely for me!

 

Paula

 

, " Chupababi " <alcovi

wrote:

>

> Beens on this greens jag lately. Hope it hasn't been boring. Ran

> across this article and found it really helpful. Best to all.

> Chupa

> -----