Greens

[KeeperOfTheGood]

Hey oh


Been a few since my last post. Been buisy with the new drum forum at www.remo.com and so I have not been by as much.

But it came up in conversation a question of greens. How to cook them. My good friend in Georgia gave me her "how to" and they did turn out good!!

I was wondering though, other than the simple diced with a bit of leek and pork belly, what else can be done with greens? And are they a main course or a side. And as a side, what would you serve them with?

And if you were going to offer them in a restaurant setting, how would you do so??

[jscibelli]

well, it depends on what types of "greens" you're thinking of. There is a world full of possibilities. You have to think in simple terms of "what greens love what compliments". Kale and mustard greens love braised pork (quite Germanic), arugula loves being sauteed with garlic, spinach loves onions and brown butter. I think that we often neglect to realize the value in vegetables but if done right, they can certainly be a main course. Hope this helps; a great friend of mine and chef once said, "think as if you were a vegetable, whom would you be in love with?"

[KeeperOfTheGood]

Hey oh

Well, when I say "greens" I am specifically thinking of Black Slave food, or Soul food. Collards, dandilions, beat tops, etc.

There is a wealth of food knowledge out there, but it gets distilled to the point that it is the same two or three recipes over and over again. I know there has to be more ways of preparing collards than with a bit of salt pork and onion.

I guess I am asking, how?

[Pete]

Sometimes things standout because they are such great combinations. Collards braised with bacon and onions don't get much better than that, as far as I am concerned. Sure, I have made them different ways, most notably Sweet & Sour Braised Greens or just simply blanched first and then sauteed, but I always return to the classic. Beyond that another favorite of mine is sauteed mustard greens (young leaves) finished with Rice Wine Vinegar, Mirin, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of 5 spice. Makes a great bed for an Asian style Pork dish or even an Asian style fish dish, though if serving with fish be very careful of the 5 spice or you will overpower the fish.

[jscibelli]

My mother, whom is German, braises kale for hours with smoked ham hocks and some type of germanic barley. She also makes a great dandelion soup with tiny meatballs. Hope this helps!

[KeeperOfTheGood]

Hey oh

Hmm, that sounds interesting. Yes, post the full story of and resipe for this use of kale and dandilions..

[jscibelli]

well, the story of the kale is basically that in post-war germany, things like kale and dandelions were "peasant's food". Dandelions were literally picked from the ground and the greens, were often braised at that time in lard and water. Pork products were usually smoked or pickled because they did not have good refridgeration at that time. Hence years later in the US, my mom took the original recipes from her mother and reinvented them. The kale and dandelion greens are bought from a market in the Bronx, the pork is bought from Schaller and Weber or Koglin (he has a market in Grand Central Terminal in NYC). Kale is sweated in a pan with onions and lard, and then braised in a reinforced chicken stock with a "sausage" called Pinkelwurst (actually a barley/pork fat mix in a casing). It braises for about 2 hours, at which point she adds ham hocks and large pieces of slab bacon. She simmers this for another hour or so, and adds barley from Schaller and Weber (I suppose it is German but I'm not sure). She serves this "stew" on top of roasted potatoes (roasted in lard). It is very hardy but so great. As for the dandelion soup, the preparation is similar but it's not a stew, she adds pork broth from leftover scraps and bones, and then makes meatballs with other scraps. She always reminds me of how lucky we are to be able to buy dandelions from a market, not having to go out and pick them from the grass. What history!

Jen