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For most fresh greens the secret is to change the water you cook them in about three times.Do greens like mustard greens in the same water during all the cokking and they will be so strong tasting you likely wouldn't eat them. I make a stock then strain and use in place of the last water in many greens cooking;myself.A simple stock can be made by using left over ham scapsand bone;a upeeled onion qaurtered;a garlic clove unpeeled thencut i two;a piece of celery cut up then covered with a quart of water. Bring to biol; and simmer for 5-8 hours keeping covered with water. Then strain.Any vegatable using such stock it much better than using plain water by far.
We first tried treating them like spinach, and that was not at all successful - they're way too tough and chewy for a quick saute in olive oil, which is how we generally fix spinach. And I'd never try eating them raw, unless I wanted to spend about half an hour chewing each bite.
If you chiffonade the collard greens, they'll be tender enough to saute. See the video:
I enjoy all greens, but my favorite is chard - especially Swiss Chard. We have it regularly at our famer's markets.
I cut the stems off, then cut the leaves into quarters, after washing well. I put in a pot, not covering w/ water, bring to boil, then quickly turn down and simmer for several hours. Don't put much water in to begin with, b/c as they cook, the water will condense, and become quite soupy - (you don't want to have to drain and lose those vitamins!)
Depending on how much chard one is "cooking down," I have been known to cook a pot all day long on simmer.
Seasoning: add about 1/2 tsp baking soda . . . after cooking for an hour or two. During the last hour or so of cooking, add 2 teaspoons or more of sugar (to taste), hot sauce, such as Texas Pete - a few shakes, lol. I sometimes add some grated onion . . . Traditionally, bacon grease makes the BEST greens! But I gave that up many years ago and now use real bacon bits to give a bit of that flavor. I either add apple cider vinegar (a tablespoon or two) or balsamic vinegar, to taste. Sometimes, I set the vinegar out for folks to add, if they so desire. Hubby is on salt-restricted diet, so we have to add any to taste after serving.
To serve, nothing is finer than "as is" . . . but sometimes I sprinkle feta cheese or top . . . one can add pine nuts, if desired . . . there are all types of variations.
I basically do the same things for all greens. I like to mix whatever is on hand - rape, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, etc. WHen I do that, I often chop them all into smaller pieces.
My Grandma used to make Greens...any type of greens, Kale, Collard, those usually take a long time to cook, she would put ham hocks in with them, let them stew. Serve up with a fresh batch of cornbread, there is your dinner!
She also used to cook spinach in bacon grease, just stir fry it. After all, why bother to eat greens unless they are slathered with pork fat? That was pretty much my family's theory on vegetables, any vegetable has to have the maximum amount of bacon, pork fat, or butter to make it edible.
I enjoy all greens, but my favorite is chard - especially Swiss Chard. We have it regularly at our famer's markets.
I cut the stems off, then cut the leaves into quarters, after washing well. I put in a pot, not covering w/ water, bring to boil, then quickly turn down and simmer for several hours. Don't put much water in to begin with, b/c as they cook, the water will condense, and become quite soupy - (you don't want to have to drain and lose those vitamins!).
If you like chard, you will like dandelion greens which are also slightly bitter. If they are young, you can do well to saute them in EVOO with garlic.
My Grandma used to make Greens...any type of greens, Kale, Collard, those usually take a long time to cook, she would put ham hocks in with them, let them stew. Serve up with a fresh batch of cornbread, there is your dinner!
She also used to cook spinach in bacon grease, just stir fry it. After all, why bother to eat greens unless they are slathered with pork fat? That was pretty much my family's theory on vegetables, any vegetable has to have the maximum amount of bacon, pork fat, or butter to make it edible.
I agree with this response. I think my Granny boils her ham hock AKA "boiling meat" first so that the flavor is in the water before adding the greens. Greens do take a long time to cook. That is for collards, turnips, and mustard greens. I do not know about kale. The method you describe for cooking spinach is used for cabbage also.
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Originally Posted by DonCorleone
I'll have to give them a try sometime. I've never had a good can of greens...some can be downright gross.
Yes, the Glory greens are actually pretty good but I still prefer fresh.
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