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Greens and more Greens Who is who in the Green World?
Arugula: Also know as rocket, arugula usually is served raw in salad mix and adds a nutty spicy, toasted flavor. Larger leaves may be cooked or used in sandwiches as lettuce. Best for those who like spice. Beet Greens: Their good, earthy flavor pairs will with meats, poultry and nuts. Prep: Remove from beets as soon as possible to prevent wilting and tear leaves off thick stems. Wash in several changes of water, drain, cut cross wise into 1-inch pieces. Cooking: Very tender leaves can be cooked like spinach and cook quickly by steaming, stir-frying or sautéing. Be aware that beet greens, like beets, will bleed and discolor accompanying foods. Collard: One of the tougher and more strongly flavored greens. Fold the leaves in half and cut the midrib out before using. Blanching quickly in simmering water prior to cooking in a recipe will help tone down any bitterness. Traditional cooking greens specifically called for in many Southern dishes. Dandelion Greens: Often used in Italian cuisine, dandelion greens provide a bitter under5ione. The young greens will add a bite to your salad, the older ones can be tossed in with milder greens like kale in most recipes. Escarole: Looks like a curly lettuce but has a distinctive bite and a thicker texture. Escarole is commonly used in France and Italy in salads or braised with a small among of cooking liquid such as stock or wine. Han-said coy: tender, crunchy, sweet stems for a crunch in a stir fry or salad. Kale: A staple south of the Dixie line, kale's leathery ruffled leaves have a distinct mild cabbage like flavor. It come in many varieties which are usually not bitter especially when cold winter weather sweetens it up. Prep: Strip leaves from stems, discard stems. Wash in several changes of water, drain, Cut into 1-inch pieces. Cooking: Cook large, tough leaves, covered in salted water until tender-10 minutes, drain. Smaller tender leaves can be steamed in a skillet with little water until wilted. Yield:1 pound cooks to 2 cup. Mizuna: A Japanese green with long pointy leaves, mizuna is one of the mildest greens. Can be used in salads or added to other greens when sautéed or stir-fried. Mustard Greens: Peppery or pungent by nature, these large oval leaves with frizzy edges have a tamer bite once blanched or cooked in salted water. Prep: Trim and discard long stems. Wash in several changes of water drain. Bunch up leaves and cut into 1- inch pieces. Cooking: Cook large mature leaves, covered in salted water until tender, 10-12 minutes. Small tender leaves can be steamed or stir-fried until wilted. Drain and press out moisture. Yield: 1 pound cooks to 2 cups. Stir fry mix: a mixture of all our brazing greens to be cooked any way imaginable. Spinach: A standard used frequently in recipes. it is good raw or cooked and may be substituted form many other greens in recipes, especially where color is important. Prep: Trim stems. Wash leaves in several changes of water. Cooking: Tender spinach cook in 2-3 minutes. Cook in a steamer basket over an inch of water, or steam, covered, in a large pot with just rinse water clinging to the leaves, or stir- fry in a little olive oil and garlic. Yield: 1 pound to about 1 cup.
Swiss Chard: Come in red, green and yellow stems. Heartier than spinach, chard has a mild flavor that substitutes for other greens in cooking. It tastes like beet greens, with the red variety usually more tender. Separate the leaves and stem if they are not young and tender and cook the tougher stems first. Large leaves are great for stuffing. Cooking: Steam or cook with a little water until tender 5-7 minutes, drain.
Penne with Swiss Chard 6 ounces Penne or other tubular pasta 1 ½ ounces Chard ¼ teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes 1 small onion ¼ cup heavy cream, or milk but will be a bit watery 2 teaspoons butter ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Fill a 4 quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for pasta Chop chard into ¼ inch wide pieces and finely chop separately red pepper flakes and onion. In a 12 inch heavy skillet cook onion in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add Swiss chard and cook, stirring 15 minutes until tender. While chard mixture is cooking, cook pasta in boiling water until al dente and drain in a colander. Add pasta to chard mixture with red pepper flakes, cream and nutmeg and cook, stirring 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and stir in Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste. Tat-sai: An Asian green with small rounded leaves that grown in a rosette patterns. Not at all bitter, similar to spinach. can be sautéed whole or with leaves separated, used in salads raw, or added to sautés and stir fries. Turnip Greens: One of the heartier greens, somewhat spicy with a turnip taste. Remove leaves from the stems and discard stems. Turnip greens can be used interchangeably with kale, Swiss chard or beet greens, depending on the other flavors in the recipe. It's really tough, these greens may benefit from blanching before cooking.
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