Sauteed Greens with Toasted Pine Nuts and Currants

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Sauteed Greens with Toasted Pine Nuts and Currants - Spanish

1/3 cup dried currants or coarsely chopped raisins

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 1/2 pounds kale (or any type of greens)

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 

 

 

 

 

Place currants in a small bowl and cover with boiling water; let plump

for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid.

 

Place pine nuts on a cookie sheet and bake at 325° F. for 5 minutes,

or until golden brown. Set aside.

 

Wash the chard leaves and strip the leaves from the stalks. Save the

stalk for another use.

 

Coarsely chop the greens. In a large skillet or stockpot with a lid,

heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring,

until softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Add greens and stir to coat with

oil. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved water, cover, and cook until

greens are wilted and soft, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add

currants and pine nuts; stir to mix well. Season with vinegar, salt,

and pepper.

 

Preparation time: 15 minutes

 

Source: Greens Glorious Greens! By Johnna Albi and Catherine Walthers

Formatted by Chupa Babi in MC: 10.31.06

 

Toasted pine nuts and sweet currants transform a simple side dish into

a memorable accompaniment for just about any entrée. This combination

is based on a traditional recipe from the Catalonia region in

northeastern Spain.

 

ChupaNote:Love this recipe. Its really flexible. You can replace the

currants with dried cherries, blueberries, cranberries. Instead of the

boiling water, use hot juice (apple juice, orange juice). Blanched

almonds, honey roasted cashews work well as replacements for pinenuts.

Spinach, mustard greens, collards, all work well. Use Japanese rice

vinegar instead of Balsamic for a lighter flavor if you're cooking the

greens in broth or juice. You can toss this recipe with whole wheat

pasta, put it in a wrap, or cook it down and stuff wontons.

 

 

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