SAVORY WAY: Winter Greens And Potatoes (Vegetable Hash)

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Winter Greens And Potatoes (Vegetable Hash)

 

Recipe By : The Savory Way by Deborah Madison, page 200

Serving Size : 2 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Main Dishes, Vegetarian Potatoes

Vegetables Madison: Savory Way

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

1 pound mixed greens -- approximately

(see notes below)

salt

2 medium-sized potatoes -- scrubbed

quartered and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil

1 small dried red chilies -- (1 to 2)

seeds removed and torn into pieces

OR 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 medium sized fresh or canned tomatoes -- chopped

2 garlic cloves -- minced

freshly ground pepper

freshly grated or sliced hard cheese such

as Parmesan or Asiago or Romano

extra virgin olive oil -- to finish the dish

 

Makes 2 to 4 servings

 

This dish was taught to me by my Roman neighbor, Rosana Migliarino. It

proved to be a comforting and nourishing dish, exactly the thing to eat

when it's chilly and damp, which Roman winters are. It makes a good

one-dish supper and meets the urge that some people have during the winter

to eat greens, particularly the strong, peppery or bitter type.

 

Here the greens are softened by the potato and brightened with a little

tomato, chili, and garlic. The vegetables are well cooked and brought

together to make a kind of rustic hodgepodge or hash. This is a forgiving

and flexible kind of dish, for you can use whatever proportion of greens to

potatoes appeals to you or reflects what you have on hand. For the greens

the strong varieties such as mustard, collards, kale, and escarole are best

for their flavor and strength. But you can also use sweeter spinach and

chard if that's your preference. Beet greens, turnip tops, broccoli rabe,

and dandelion would also be good.

 

This dish can make a satisfying informal meal, accompanied by bread-Cheese

Bread (see separate recipe) would be very good-red wine, and a salad of

greens or winter fruits.

 

Bring several quarts of water to a boil. While it is heating, sort through

the greens and remove any leaves that are yellow or tired-looking. If the

greens have tough, fibrous stems, discard them. Chop the leaves, rinse

them well, and set them aside.

 

When the water boils, add salt to taste and the potatoes. Cook until they

are tender, 5 to 7 minutes; then remove them with a strainer. Add the

greens and cook them until they're done. Cook the tougher greens -

mustard, turnip, collards, and kale - first. They will take longer than

spinach or chard. Check for doneness by tasting; then remove when they are

cooked.

 

Warm the olive oil in a wide pan and add the chilies. When the oil is hot,

add the potatoes, stir to coat them well, and cook for a minute or

so. Next add the greens, the tomatoes, and the garlic. At this point the

dish will be very pretty with its distinctly separate colors - dark green,

red, and white. It would look at home in a good restaurant. But continue

cooking the vegetables another 5 minutes or so, breaking up the potatoes

with a wooden spoon and working everything together. In the end everything

should be mixed and the colors somewhat muddied, but it is delicious this

way: you can taste everything at once in your mouth instead of several

disparate elements. Taste for salt, add freshly ground pepper, the cheese,

and serve with a spoonful of extra-virgin olive oil threaded over the top.

 

 

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