Delicious Greens

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Delicious GreensYield: 3 to 5 large servingsSo, you're ready to cook you up a mess of greens. What is a mess? I call it however much you can fit into the pot. Serve these with cornbread on the side.1 bunch greens (collard, kale, chard, turnip greens, beet greens, mustard greens, or your favorite)1 small dried hot pepper (optional)2 to 3 tablespoons tamariJuice of 1 lemon, or 3 tablespoons rice vinegar or hot pepper vinegarSalt and pepper, to taste1 to 2 teaspoons oil, if using an electric skillet (toasted sesame is best)Cut the stems off the greens, and wash the leaves really well. You don't want them to be gritty. Don't worry about draining the wet leaves. Put the greens on a chopping board, and cut them lengthwise a couple of times, then cut across them about every 2 inches. (Many Southerners will swear that you have to tear the greens.)Put about 3 cups water in a pot, and let it come to a boil. Put the greens into the pot; you may have to do this in batches as the greens will take up a lot of room until they cook down. Don't be shy; smash them down with a big spoon if you have to to get them in. You can also put in a smallish dried pepper pod if you have it. Cover and simmer about 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how you like your greens and what kind of greens you are using. If you are using kale, chard, or beet greens, they won't take as long to cook. Turnip greens, mustard greens, and collards (the king of greens) can take up to 2 hours to get that melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Halfway through cooking, add 1/2 to 1 cup water with about 2 to 3 tablespoons tamari. You may want to toss the greens a couple of times during cooking. The juice that is leftover from cooking is called "potlikker" and is a true delicacy. Heap the collards in a serving bowl, and drizzle lemon juice or vinegar over the top. Two or 3 pieces of cornbread are a must to use for sopping up the potlikker. Greens are another good thing to cook in an electric skillet. You begin as above. Start out with any combination of olive and toasted sesame oil to make about 2 tablespoons Add greens to the skillet in batches if you need to. (The skillets usually have real tall lids.) Pour in about 2 cups water with about 2 to 3 tablespoons tamari. Cover and cook at about 300 degrees F. You'll have to check this every 10 minutes or so to make sure the water has not cooked away. After about 15 minutes, turn down the heat to about 225 degrees F. If you need to add more water, just add more, but you shouldn't need any more tamari. The greens will usually cook in 45 minutes; it all depends on the kind of green you use and your own taste. I like my greens melt-in-your-mouth. Every time I make greens like this, my husband says they're the best greens I ever made. A small handful of chopped dried dulse (a seaweed) is good to add during the first 10 minutes or so of cooking. You don't have to do this, but dulse gives it that salt pork taste. Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar is also very good on greens.