Sunday, October 31, 2010

Sauteed Greens

I end up with a lot of dark leafy greens and little to do with them.  I enjoy a gratin as much as the next man...well, probably not.  I'm trying to maintain a healthy weight, and gratins are fatty.  So, I'm always looking for new recipes....and not finding them.  I'm sorry, but there are just not that many things I know of to do with leafy greens.  So, here's my take on a classic, and the only standard recipe for dark leafy greens I know.

Some Theory
Dark leafy greens are dank, dark, musty.  They taste a lot like dirt.  Yum!  To make these leaves edible, the key is to match the rather nasty flavor with something that either hides it (like a gratin) or compliments it and makes it palatable.  We'll go with the complimentary route today.

The key to complimenting the flavor of dark leafy greens is the Japanese concept of umami, the 5th flavor, the flavor of the wok.  Umami is that complex, rich, dark flavor you get from soy sauce, caramel, mushrooms, great coffee, etc.  It's what happens when you apply heat to sugar and proteins.  In this recipe, we create umami through browning onions and garlic.

Sauteed Greens with Garlic, Onions and Olive Oil
Take whatever leafy greens you have, be they spinach, kale, chard, mustard, escarole, etc.  Trim and chop into pieces of about 1" on each side.  2cm for you non-American types.  For chard, you might want to retain the stems, but just compost the stems for most greens. 

Most sauteed greens recipes ask only for garlic.  But, if you can find some good sweet onions, maybe vidalia, then use them.  I got some local cippolini onion from Shorty at work.  God, I love that guy!   They are sweet, spicy, sharp.  They're perfect.  If all you have is the typical supermarket onions, go for the yellow kind.  Slice these as thin as you can, in strips 1/2" to 1" long.

Mince the garlic and get some salt, pepper and olive oil ready.  The flavor of the oil will come through, so use the good stuff. 

Turn your pan on good and hot.  When it's hot, toss in 2 tbs oil, the garlic and the onions.  Let them cook for a few seconds, until they start to turn brown.  Then, layer in the greens, a handful at a time, and toss, adding some pepper on each handful.

When all the greens are integrated and softened, taste, adjust the salt and pepper.  Optionally add some lemon juice or red wine vinegar, and serve.  Goes great with a fatty meat, like steak or salmon.