Sunday, December 7, 2008

100 Ways with Greens



I wanted to title this post: "OMG: Oh My Greens!" and slump into a corner wondering what I was going to do with all that super-food *goodness*. This was the booty from our latest CSA pickup...three beets and 12 pounds of leafy greenness. In fact, I was actually a bit excited since it was mostly the greens we do like (chard, kale, arugula), so instead of feeling overwhelmed, I was inspired to come up with 100 different (well, as different as you can get) ways of preparing and eating these nutrient-packed vegetables. The list below by and large applies to any number of greens, with the disclaimer that of course kale and collard greens, being sturdier in nature, are better suited to those dishes where the vegetables are not pureed. Unless a recipe specifically calls for kale, any of the preparations below could utilize any variety of leafy green (turnip, beet, chard, dandelion, watercress, mizuna, arugula, spinach, mustard, rapini, sorrel, endive, bok choy, tatsoi, etc, etc, etc) depending on your taste (or what's in your bag)! I am providing links to recipes where I can, but not for such common preparations as quiche, or stir-fry, but if you are interested in specific recipe ideas for any suggestion with out a link, just email me.

I am starting out this list incomplete, and in no particular order with the hopes of adding to it (and meeting my goal) as soon as humanly possible. Soooo here goes...
Note: Changes and updates are in GREEN.

1. Ugali and Sukuma (Kenyan grits and greens)
2. Good ol'fashioned turnip greens and salt pork, bacon or ham hock
3. Korean style greens (blanched and tossed with garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar and sesame seeds, served warm or cold)
4. Cooked or raw as a filling for sushi
5. As an addition to Egg Foo Yung
6. Gormeh Sabzi (Persian vegetable stew with beans and lamb)
7. Pizza/Pasta sauce
8. Saag Paneer (Indian style curried greens with cottage cheese)
9. Pumpkin-Greens Pasta sauce
10. Middle Eastern Greens Soup
11. Kale chips
12. Batter-fried kale
13. Zuppa Toscana (Tuscan-style potato-kale soup; sub garbanzos for a vegetarian version, but be sure to add some crushed fennel seeds for extra flavor!)
14. Minestrone
15. Greens with Pinenuts and Raisins
16. As part of a quiche or fritatta
17. Stir-fried with sesame oil, ginger, garlic and sweet soy sauce
18. Braised or blanched and served over soba noodles with Thai peanut sauce
19. Greens with cornmeal dumplings (I'm guessing a soul-food variation of Ugali and Sukuma)
20. Butternut Squash and Kale Tart
21. Kale and Ricotta Salad
22. Greens with Bulgur and Dates
23. Kale with Shrimp and Pomegranate Pasta
24. Greens with Shrimp, Chile and Lime over Cous-cous
25. Greens with Ham and Sour cream-mustard sauce over pasta or potatoes
26. Greens prepared as for Sukuma served over mashed beans, potatoes or sweet potatoes
27. Stracciatella (Italian greens and egg soup)
28. Creamed greens
29. Cardamom Bok Choy
30. Mchicha (East African stewed greens with curry powder, coconut milk and peanut butter)
31. Collard Greens Cake
32. In Tom Yum (Thai Hot-and-Sour Soup)
33. In Miso Soup
34. Braised with chiles, garlic and cumin as a filling for tacos, enchiladas or burritos (coupled with sweet potatoes, beans, and chipotle sauce)
35. Greens Patties
36. Braised with mushrooms and garlic as a filling for baked chicken or fish fillets
37. Green crepes (add finely minced cooked greens to crepe batter and fill with mushroom or other filling)
38. Koftas (Indian fried "meatballs")
39. Mixed into meatloaf with feta and sun-dried tomatoes
40. Chopped and mixed with bacon and pepper into cornbread (this is best with the more pungent mustard greens)
41. Sauteed with lemon, basil and betternut squash over pasta, topped with romano or feta
42. Blanched and tossed with carrots and radiccio and honey vinaigrette
43. Sauteed with spaghetti squash, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese
44. Tossed with spaghetti squash, bacon, sunflower seeds and vinaigrette, served cold or warm
45. Chopped, cooked greens as pizza or pasta topping
46. Pickled as a condiment for curries and stews
47. Finely minced with rice vinegar, sesame seeds and soy sauce as a topping for sushi or fish
48. Raw greens, chopped, tossed with garlic mayonnaise
49. Shredded with carrots, potatoes, rutabagas or other veggies, mixed with egg and bread crumbs for veggie pancakes
50. In lentil soup
51. Finely minced with beans and seasonings for bruschetta/relish
52. Turned into pesto and mixed with mayonnaise for sandwich spread
53. In mushroom-barley soup
54. Chopped and added to tuna or chicken salad
55. Large leaves can be blanched and stuffed as for cabbage rolls, spring rolls, dolmas etc.
57. Braised with lots of garlic, olive oil, lemon, mint and garbanzo, fava or navy beans and served over cous-cous or polenta
58. Stewed with turnips and Indian-style spices
59. Mustard greens slaw
60. Chopped and mixed with mashed potatoes, cheese and garlic
61. Pureed with garlic, onions, potatoes and zucchini into a creamy green soup
62. Dutch-style hashed kale with potatoes and sausage
63.
Sorrel Pie

64. Stuffed into wraps or Heidi Swanson's
"Skinny Omelets"
65. Spanish style tortilla with potatoes and greens
66.
Kugel-style with pasta and eggs (but I would put cottage cheese in it too!)
67.
Hazelnut and Chard Ravioli Salad
68.
Mixed with Pancetta or Bacon and used as a stuffing for mushrooms
69.
Pizzocheri, traditionally made with cabbage, can also be tasty made with leafy greens
70.
Herb Jam with Olives and Lemon
71.
Rapini Panini with provolone and red pepper paste
72.
Corn, Chard, and Quince Soup
73.
Greens with Sour Cherries
74. Blanched Greens with Lemon and Olive Oil (served cold)
75. Braised Greens with Red Wine
76. Greek Greens Pie (similar to Spanikopita)
77. Stewed with Mushrooms and Pancetta, served over Polenta
78. Gratin with Bechamel Sauce
79. Gratin with Sweet Potatoes
80.
Empanadas
81. Greens, Cheese & Wheat Berry Pie!
82. Kale with Hazelnut Gremolata
83. Eggs Florentine (substitute Chard, Arugula, or other greens for the spinach!)
84. Green Enchiladas with Green Chlie (or Red Chile) Sauce
85.
In Bouillabase
86. Toss washed, slivered greens with minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper--especially good with young (tender) Kale
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.

3 comments:

Scott at Real Epicurean said...

How about puréed with pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan to make a pesto?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link! I also like to chop kale and top homemade tomato soup with it instead of croutons (or in addition to croutons)!

NLR-C said...

This is a wonderful post! I get great greens from my CSA here in Ohio, so I'm bookmarking this masterpost. I've tried a fair amount of these recipes you've listed, and I have an addition: Italian Wedding Soup. I usually use curly kale/spinach/chard/mizuna/rapini/mustard/baby bok choy (or any combination thereof) in the soup, but I try to avoid harder greens like lacinto kale/turnip/beet/collards because I don't like the taste as much.