greens

[asakiyume]

A guy I follow on Twitter is doing a couple of polls about greens (the things you eat, not the members of the political party... I mean if you're a cannibal that distinction might not be valid but I suspect for most of you it is, plus--no capitalization!)

Here is a link.

For those of you as click-averse as I am, there are two groups of greens:

First group:

chard
collards
kale
spinach

Second group:

beet greens
cress
mustard greens
turnip greens

You have to choose your favorite for cooking in each group. (You can go vote if you want--it will add a new dimension to his polling base.)

So .... do you all have favorites? Opinions? Beloved recipes? I cook spinach, kale, and beet greens; I have cooked mustard greens now and then, and sometimes chard. I did not know you could *eat* turnip greens--it's an exciting new piece of information.

Comments

[pameladean]

Swiss chard is ALL OVER vegetarian recipes of a certain vintage, but I have trouble finding it in Minnesota. My favorite from the first group is just a tie between kale and collards. I often go with kale because it doesn't take so long to cook.

For the second group, the only ones I've tried are mustard greens. Long ago I used to make a pot pie in which mustard greens were a major ingredient; the protein component was kidney beans, plus the whole wheat biscuit crust. I lost the recipe and nothing I can find online is quite right. But it gave me the idea of looking for curried mustard greens and kidney beans, which is very tasty and less work than a pot pie.

P.

[asakiyume]

I like kale because of its body--it's got a good pushback when you're chewing. And I cook a lot of spinach, using a very simple recipe I learned in Japan. Chard I used to cook when I grew it myself. In the second group, I cook most often beet greens; I like them a whole lot. But mustard greens are a good second, and I like this idea of curried mustard greens and kidney beans--must try that! And a friend over on the LJ side of things had a good idea for cooking turnip greens.

PS-recipes of a certain vintage

[asakiyume]

Aren't food fads funny! I wonder if chard's popularity at the time had to do with people--like me--growing their own. I think it must not transport well or something, because you can get it in farmers markets, but I rarely see it in supermarkets.

[boxofdelights]

When you say cooking, do you mean any kind of food prep, or only the kind that involves altering the food by heating it? I think spinach is my favorite to eat of the first group, but if we're excluding raw uses it might be kale.

I never eat any of the second group!

This year I tried growing a new plant called kalettes. I think it is a cross between kale and brussels sprouts. All summer it grew a bigger and bigger stalk, with enormous leathery kale leaves. It promised tiny tender heads of kale in the leaf axils, where brussels sprouts would be, but I had almost given up hope when they finally showed up in November. I'm still harvesting a few now, after several snows and many bitter cold nights. They are both tender and nutty. Definitely worth garden space!

[asakiyume]

I think raw is legit!

That plant kalettes sounds very cool--fresh greens in the winter for the win!

[kore]

Group one: YUM! I really love rainbow chard and purple kale. Spinach and chard, mmmmm.

Group two: PTUI PTUI PTUI BLECH

[kore]

Ooh, what recipe?

I like using kale in place of spinach in some recipes, because it holds up longer and doesn't get slimy or mushy.

[asakiyume]

Hahaha, food inspires such strong reactions, right?

The guy who posted the poll really dislikes kale and loves turnip greens!

[kore]

I also HATE beets, so "beets anything" gets an extra UGH from me. //only Hungarian in the world who hates borscht

[asakiyume]

very simple: boil water and pour this water over fresh spinach in a sieve or colander. That's all the cooking. Then squeeze the extra water out of the spinach. It'll be hot, so use a towel or something. Then chop it up, then sprinkle soy sauce and a dash of hot pepper on it, then top with sesame oil and, if you're feeling fancy, some sesame seeds. So delicious.

[asakiyume]

I do like beets, but I don't cook them much because no one else in the family does!

I also adore parsnips. When my third child was still at home, she was a parsnip ally, but alas, now it's just me and my husband, I'm not likely to make parsnips. Maybe when he goes on a trip....

[kore]

Thank you! Wow, that sounds simple and super tasty.

[kore]

Ooh, those are good chopped up and roasted, yeah, with turnips and carrots and potatoes.

[asakiyume]

Exactly! So good roasted.

[ivy]

I cook nothing, I eat all of those if cooked. Never met a leafy green I didn't like.

Re: PS-recipes of a certain vintage

[pameladean]

I wouldn't be at all surprised, when I think of the cookbooks where chard is rampant. I like it quite a bit, and would grow it if I ever get it together to have a vegetable garden again.

I seem to recall getting some in the CSA share of some friends who passed it on to us because they were going out of town, now that you mention it, which bolsters your theory.

P.

[pameladean]

Thanks from me too! It's like a dish I often get at Japanese restaurants if I don't think there are enough vegetables in my dinner.

P.

[pameladean]

Yes, you're right about kale -- it's got body but it's seldom tough.

Beet greens are expensive hereabouts, for whatever reason, which is why I default to mustard. But I like them too; I like their bite.

P.

[rachelmanija]

All bitter greens are good with bacon.

[asakiyume]

My pleasure!

[asakiyume]

Yes, I like that about mustard greens too!

[asakiyume]

This is absolutely true!

ETA: And I like eating any such combo.

[threemeninaboat]

I grow and cook all of those but am oft plagued by "kale lice."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brevicoryne_brassicae

[asakiyume]

Ooo, nasty little critters--well, nasty if you're hoping to get a good batch of kale, anyway.

The times I've tried to grow kale, my problem has been tired soil rather than kale lice, but I've had problems like that with other vegetables. Gardening, man. It's heartbreak.

[asakiyume]

When you say you cook nothing but you eat all of these if cooked, does that mean you buy them cooked or have someone obliging who cooks them for you?

I agree: I eat all of these cooked too.